“Good,” Crow couldn’t help but add a bit smugly as he finally got his way. Squeezing all seven of them into a room meant for no more than two to four people had the potential to be uncomfortable, but at least he’d made sure Penelope had a bed. Aside from that, he genuinely didn’t mind sleeping on the floor. As controlling as Otto was, the viceroy preferred him to take the other bed, so he would be able to fight at his best capacity if they were attacked by mercenaries. The man [i]had [/i]advanced past his prime, after all, so he was the most likely one among them to wake up with a sore back after spending the night on wooden slats.

As the baron walked away to secure a room for them, Crow glanced at Penelope and Naida, who’d begun talking amongst themselves. He would have preferred to be the one sharing a bed with the knight, but he already knew that wouldn’t have been possible. Sleeping next to her with five other people in the room who thought it was scandalous would have been uncomfortable, and Otto would have balked at a request to have a separate room for the night. They wouldn’t be able to get away with it this time, but at least they would be able to formally be together once he returned from Younis. The thought brought a smile to his lips. He couldn’t wait to get back and spend more time with her without having to keep it a secret from everyone else.

When the wench arrived to take their requests, he looked away from the two noblewomen to tell her that he was in the mood for veal and ale. She nodded with forced politeness and moved on to the next person, and the viceroy blinked at the sound of Penelope’s voice on his other side. “I’d like that,” he smiled back at her, enthused by the thought of being alone with her before they had to part for a while. Otto would disapprove of them disappearing before bed, but it was better to ask for forgiveness than permission. He glanced briefly at the others and leaned toward her cheek, acting as if he was just planting a kiss as he breathed, “I’ll just tell my chaperone that I need to use the privy if he asks any questions and meet you in front of the inn.”

“I’m so happy this is finally happening,” Naida grinned at them, clearly falling for the former thief’s ruse and thinking he’d just pressed an affectionate kiss to Penelope’s cheek. “My best friend is going to marry my—another one of my closest friends.” As she spoke, Crow had realized what she was about to say and kicked her underneath the table. She smiled at him sheepishly. “I mean, you two are perfect for each other; and because we’re all so close, I get to watch this relationship unfold for a long time. You’d better name me the godmother of your children, or I’m going to be upset!”

Crow blanched. His sister wasn’t great at covering up lies, but he hadn’t expected her to go that direction to explain away her reason for talking about them in the first place. He coughed awkwardly. The subject of the future was something he’d only gotten used to discussing with Penelope. He was far from ready to talk about it openly in front of a table full of people he didn’t know very well. Attempting to change the topic, he turned to Rayner, “So, have you ever been to Younis before?”

The lieutenant stared at him, either thrown off by Naida’s shamelessness or surprised that he was being addressed. After a moment, he shook his head. “Never. I haven’t been a knight long enough to have had the opportunity. Younis’s borders have been closed to Brerra for years.”

“Sounds like it’ll be a first for most of the people in this group then, huh?” Crow mused, reaching subtly for Penelope’s hand beneath the table and lacing his fingers with hers. “It’s a beautiful kingdom. Even better in the warmer seasons because they have so many olive trees. It’s too bad we’re going in the winter because I was hoping to take some olives home the next time I visited.”