For sure. We can just add in another time skip to when they leave for Grimsby
Same. I'm excited for it lol
Same. I'm excited for it lol
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Does this mean we can call you abmin now?
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Name: Taylor
Pronouns: They/them
Age: Mid 20s
Relationship: Married (happily, I might add)
Time Zone: Arizona (we hate daylight savings, so it's MST year-round)
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Format: 1x1s only. Maybe I'll try a group RP again someday, but I've never had one last longer than a few months
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Okay! No worries
I don't have any plans. We should hold off on that one until later, because it could take up a couple of days in the story, and there isn't much time left before they need to leave for the battle.
Did we still want Crow and Layth to fight in Grimsby? I'm game if you are lol
I don't have any plans. We should hold off on that one until later, because it could take up a couple of days in the story, and there isn't much time left before they need to leave for the battle.
Did we still want Crow and Layth to fight in Grimsby? I'm game if you are lol
I love it xD
The next day, Crow slept until close to noon. After being out almost all night with Penelope and having nothing to do until the trip to Grimsby, he didn’t bother getting up from his bed until he felt decently well rested. When he finally decided he had slept in long enough, he left the shelter and walked into the camp with a wide yawn. He looked around to see that Alistair and Rikki were playing some sort of game he didn’t recognize—probably something one of them had invented to pass the time.
Rikki looked up with a grin when she saw him come outside, “Look who’s back from the dead.”
Crow just grunted in response and sat down near the others, too tired to justify giving her a proper reply since he was still waking up. Able to smell food, he looked around until he spotted a pot near the fire pit. Judging by the smoke that was still rising from the pit, whatever had been cooking was probably still warm. “Did you save me any lunch?” he asked, glancing back towards Rikki.
“There’s plenty left,” she nodded. “Alistair made a stew out of some of the food we stole from the knights last time. It’s actually pretty good.”
“Smells like it,” Crow could already feel his mouth beginning to water at the enticing aroma. He got up again and stepped over to the pot to fill up a bowl for himself. Once he had enough, he walked back to the other thieves to eat in their company.
“So,” Rikki spoke up again, leaning back on her palms and smirking amusedly. “I heard you had a late night with Penelope.”
Unprepared for the sudden comment, Crow choked on his food. He coughed and shot Alistair a glare, “Spreading rumors now, are we?”
“You’re the one who slept for half a day,” Alistair shrugged. “Rikki asked, and I explained. That was all.”
“I see you didn’t bother to explain the part where I told you nothing happened,” Crow rolled his eyes.
“Wait, so why were you out so late if you didn’t sleep with her?” Rikki chirped, staring at him curiously.
Crow hesitated. He wasn’t sure how much he wanted to tell them about his night with Penelope. Even though it was true that nothing had happened between them physically, he knew the thieves would probably be even more critical of him if he told them what had actually occurred. They all despised knights. If they learned about the things he had shared with Penelope, they would just chastise him for putting so much trust in her. It was the same reason why he had never told them about his relationship with her two years ago. They would never understand.
I don’t know if I even understand it anymore, he frowned. Though he and Penelope had managed to bridge some of the distance between them, part of him wished he hadn’t told her so much. He trusted her to keep everything he had said a secret, but they weren’t lovers anymore. Giving her more of himself would just make it harder to part with her later. He needed to focus on pulling away from her, not getting closer again.
“Crow,” Rikki snapped her fingers in front of his face. “I asked you a question.”
“Not much happened,” he finally answered her with a shake of his head. “Sorry to disappoint, but we just ran into some local knights and hid out in the woods until they left. That’s it. End of story.”
“If you say so,” Rikki shrugged, seeming satisfied with his response. Of all the thieves, she respected his privacy the most, so whether she believed him or not, he knew he could trust her not to push for more information.
Crow allowed a short silence to fall between them as a natural end to the conversation topic. He finished off the rest of his stew and set the bowl aside before going on to relay the news Penelope had shared with him the night before, “The next battle is going to be in Grimsby in six days. If we want to get there in time, we should leave in three.”
“Sounds good,” Alistair nodded, having no problem with the plan. “Are we going past Norcrest again?”
“Yeah. That’s why I’m giving us an extra day to travel.”
“Alright,” Alistair stood up and dusted off his pants. “I’ll go tell Simon. He went off somewhere by himself again to read his books.”
“Okay,” Crow watched him leave before glancing at Rikki. The female thief had a pained look on her face as she avoided his gaze.
“I’m going to have to stay behind… aren’t I?” she said after a moment, gingerly touching the bandages around her leg.
“It’s for your own good,” Crow said softly.
“That damned knight,” Rikki spat suddenly. “This is all his fault for sneaking up on me while I was protecting that villager. What a dirty trick.” She looked up to meet his gaze determinedly. “There has to be something I can do to help. Please, let me come with you. I’ll think of something.”
“You’re helping by getting better so you can join us next time,” Crow offered her a smile and reached out to take her hand in a calming gesture. “I’d rather you stay behind and heal than come with us and die in battle. I still need you around, darling. You’re too important to lose.”
Rikki’s cheeks grew rosy at his words. “You’re lucky you’re such a smooth talker, Crow, or I’d be fighting you tooth and nail for this,” she chuckled quietly, leaning in to press a kiss to his lips. After a moment, she pulled back to meet his gaze again, “Fine. I’ll stay here just this once, but you’re gonna owe me.”
“I’ll be sure to remember that,” he winked at her coyly before climbing to his feet. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got preparations to make for the battle.”
Rikki looked up with a grin when she saw him come outside, “Look who’s back from the dead.”
Crow just grunted in response and sat down near the others, too tired to justify giving her a proper reply since he was still waking up. Able to smell food, he looked around until he spotted a pot near the fire pit. Judging by the smoke that was still rising from the pit, whatever had been cooking was probably still warm. “Did you save me any lunch?” he asked, glancing back towards Rikki.
“There’s plenty left,” she nodded. “Alistair made a stew out of some of the food we stole from the knights last time. It’s actually pretty good.”
“Smells like it,” Crow could already feel his mouth beginning to water at the enticing aroma. He got up again and stepped over to the pot to fill up a bowl for himself. Once he had enough, he walked back to the other thieves to eat in their company.
“So,” Rikki spoke up again, leaning back on her palms and smirking amusedly. “I heard you had a late night with Penelope.”
Unprepared for the sudden comment, Crow choked on his food. He coughed and shot Alistair a glare, “Spreading rumors now, are we?”
“You’re the one who slept for half a day,” Alistair shrugged. “Rikki asked, and I explained. That was all.”
“I see you didn’t bother to explain the part where I told you nothing happened,” Crow rolled his eyes.
“Wait, so why were you out so late if you didn’t sleep with her?” Rikki chirped, staring at him curiously.
Crow hesitated. He wasn’t sure how much he wanted to tell them about his night with Penelope. Even though it was true that nothing had happened between them physically, he knew the thieves would probably be even more critical of him if he told them what had actually occurred. They all despised knights. If they learned about the things he had shared with Penelope, they would just chastise him for putting so much trust in her. It was the same reason why he had never told them about his relationship with her two years ago. They would never understand.
I don’t know if I even understand it anymore, he frowned. Though he and Penelope had managed to bridge some of the distance between them, part of him wished he hadn’t told her so much. He trusted her to keep everything he had said a secret, but they weren’t lovers anymore. Giving her more of himself would just make it harder to part with her later. He needed to focus on pulling away from her, not getting closer again.
“Crow,” Rikki snapped her fingers in front of his face. “I asked you a question.”
“Not much happened,” he finally answered her with a shake of his head. “Sorry to disappoint, but we just ran into some local knights and hid out in the woods until they left. That’s it. End of story.”
“If you say so,” Rikki shrugged, seeming satisfied with his response. Of all the thieves, she respected his privacy the most, so whether she believed him or not, he knew he could trust her not to push for more information.
Crow allowed a short silence to fall between them as a natural end to the conversation topic. He finished off the rest of his stew and set the bowl aside before going on to relay the news Penelope had shared with him the night before, “The next battle is going to be in Grimsby in six days. If we want to get there in time, we should leave in three.”
“Sounds good,” Alistair nodded, having no problem with the plan. “Are we going past Norcrest again?”
“Yeah. That’s why I’m giving us an extra day to travel.”
“Alright,” Alistair stood up and dusted off his pants. “I’ll go tell Simon. He went off somewhere by himself again to read his books.”
“Okay,” Crow watched him leave before glancing at Rikki. The female thief had a pained look on her face as she avoided his gaze.
“I’m going to have to stay behind… aren’t I?” she said after a moment, gingerly touching the bandages around her leg.
“It’s for your own good,” Crow said softly.
“That damned knight,” Rikki spat suddenly. “This is all his fault for sneaking up on me while I was protecting that villager. What a dirty trick.” She looked up to meet his gaze determinedly. “There has to be something I can do to help. Please, let me come with you. I’ll think of something.”
“You’re helping by getting better so you can join us next time,” Crow offered her a smile and reached out to take her hand in a calming gesture. “I’d rather you stay behind and heal than come with us and die in battle. I still need you around, darling. You’re too important to lose.”
Rikki’s cheeks grew rosy at his words. “You’re lucky you’re such a smooth talker, Crow, or I’d be fighting you tooth and nail for this,” she chuckled quietly, leaning in to press a kiss to his lips. After a moment, she pulled back to meet his gaze again, “Fine. I’ll stay here just this once, but you’re gonna owe me.”
“I’ll be sure to remember that,” he winked at her coyly before climbing to his feet. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got preparations to make for the battle.”
Crow caught Alistair and Olivia on his way back xD
I see Olivia pestering Penelope later to find out why she and Crow were out so late
I see Olivia pestering Penelope later to find out why she and Crow were out so late
Crow stood up with Penelope as she attempted to put weight on her injured foot again. He gave her enough space to move on her own, but remained close enough to help her if she needed to lean on him for support. Fortunately, it seemed like the bandages he had wrapped her ankle in were holding up, and he saw that she was able to stand on her own. The thief felt a wave of relief wash over him. With the knight able to move without help now, they would be able to make it back to their separate camps well before sunrise.
He turned to her as she spoke again, missing the slight discomfort on her face as she avoided his gaze. After such a long night, he was tired and ready to go to sleep. “Of course,” he nodded after she thanked him, offering her a weary smile. “Good timing too, because I don’t think I can stay awake much longer.” He picked up his cloak from the ground and threw it over his shoulders again in preparation to leave. Once he was ready, he turned to her once more, “I’ll see you after the battle. Good luck.” With a dip of his head in goodbye, he stepped out of the hollow and began the trip back to the thieves’ camp.
--
As Crow neared the edge of the ravine, he let out his breath in relief. There wasn’t much nighttime left, and he felt like he was about ready to keel over from exhaustion. He couldn’t wait to get back to his bed and sleep.
Suddenly, he flinched as the sound of rustling caught his attention. He spun around to see a nearby bush shaking to his left. Now jolted awake, the thief narrowed his eyes and drew his daggers, stepping cautiously towards the source of the motion. If a knight had stumbled this close to their hideout, he intended to get rid of him before he could spread word to the others.
However, it wasn’t a knight.
In the next instant, Alistair stumbled out of the foliage. His clothes and hair were haphazard and full of leaves. He froze at the sight of his leader standing before him with weapons drawn. “Oh, um… hey, Crow,” he cleared his throat awkwardly. “I was just… collecting some berries?”
Suddenly, the bush trembled again and Olivia stepped into view. She was just as ragged looking as Alistair was. Having not yet noticed Crow’s presence, she slipped her arms around Alistair’s torso. “Well, that was the first time I’ve ever done that before!” she giggled, leaning up to kiss the thief along his jawline.
“Let me guess,” Crow said dryly, crossing his arms. “This is berries.”
Olivia froze, finally taking notice of him. She stepped away from Alistair and grinned, “Hey there. What are you doing out at his hour of the night?”
Crow shifted his weight slightly, “Just had a bit of trouble on the way back from Myrefall. Everything is fine now though.”
“Mhm,” Olivia pursed her lips, eyeing him with amusement. “Some ‘trouble,’ huh? Don’t worry, Crow. Your secret is safe with me.”
“Nothing happened,” Crow said quickly, though he felt his cheeks grow warm at her implied accusation.
“Sure,” the knight winked at him in obvious disbelief of his words.
“I’m serious,” Crow hissed, though the flush refused to fade.
“Sure,” she said again, turning back to the other thief. “Anyway, I had a great time tonight. Next time, we’ll have to…” she glanced towards Crow for a moment before leaning up to whisper something in Alistair’s ear that made the thief’s eyes go wide. Stepping away from him again, she laughed, “Oh, I enjoy you thieves. I should get back to my camp though. See you both around!” She raised a hand in a cheeky wave as she turned and walked into the woods.
“Bye, Olivia,” Alistair said airily, obviously still distracted by whatever sordid words she had murmured into his ear.
“Come on,” Crow rolled his eyes and reached to press a hand to the other thief’s back, guiding him towards the ravine. “We’re going home too.”
“I tell you, she’s something else,” Alistair sighed as they walked. “I mean, I know she’s a knight, but damn. I’ve never met another woman like her.” He looked at Crow with interest. “Speaking of intriguing women… why are you back so late from your meeting with that other knight?”
“I already told you: We ran into some trouble on our way back and had to stay out a while longer,” Crow answered simply, shooting him a warning glare. “That was it. Nothing else happened.”
“Touchy,” Alistair smirked, raising his hands in an innocent shrug. “I wasn’t implying anything.”
“Sorry,” Crow sighed, lowering his gaze to navigate the side of the ravine as they began to climb down into their camp. “It’s just been a long night.”
“I get that,” Alistair nudged him with a knowing wink, at which the other thief gave him a shove in return. He snorted, “Why are you so defensive if nothing happened?”
“I give up,” Crow shook his head. “Believe whatever you want. I’m too tired to care.” He took off his cloak and headed for the shelter, leaving Alistair behind as he walked ahead to get some much needed sleep.
He turned to her as she spoke again, missing the slight discomfort on her face as she avoided his gaze. After such a long night, he was tired and ready to go to sleep. “Of course,” he nodded after she thanked him, offering her a weary smile. “Good timing too, because I don’t think I can stay awake much longer.” He picked up his cloak from the ground and threw it over his shoulders again in preparation to leave. Once he was ready, he turned to her once more, “I’ll see you after the battle. Good luck.” With a dip of his head in goodbye, he stepped out of the hollow and began the trip back to the thieves’ camp.
--
As Crow neared the edge of the ravine, he let out his breath in relief. There wasn’t much nighttime left, and he felt like he was about ready to keel over from exhaustion. He couldn’t wait to get back to his bed and sleep.
Suddenly, he flinched as the sound of rustling caught his attention. He spun around to see a nearby bush shaking to his left. Now jolted awake, the thief narrowed his eyes and drew his daggers, stepping cautiously towards the source of the motion. If a knight had stumbled this close to their hideout, he intended to get rid of him before he could spread word to the others.
However, it wasn’t a knight.
In the next instant, Alistair stumbled out of the foliage. His clothes and hair were haphazard and full of leaves. He froze at the sight of his leader standing before him with weapons drawn. “Oh, um… hey, Crow,” he cleared his throat awkwardly. “I was just… collecting some berries?”
Suddenly, the bush trembled again and Olivia stepped into view. She was just as ragged looking as Alistair was. Having not yet noticed Crow’s presence, she slipped her arms around Alistair’s torso. “Well, that was the first time I’ve ever done that before!” she giggled, leaning up to kiss the thief along his jawline.
“Let me guess,” Crow said dryly, crossing his arms. “This is berries.”
Olivia froze, finally taking notice of him. She stepped away from Alistair and grinned, “Hey there. What are you doing out at his hour of the night?”
Crow shifted his weight slightly, “Just had a bit of trouble on the way back from Myrefall. Everything is fine now though.”
“Mhm,” Olivia pursed her lips, eyeing him with amusement. “Some ‘trouble,’ huh? Don’t worry, Crow. Your secret is safe with me.”
“Nothing happened,” Crow said quickly, though he felt his cheeks grow warm at her implied accusation.
“Sure,” the knight winked at him in obvious disbelief of his words.
“I’m serious,” Crow hissed, though the flush refused to fade.
“Sure,” she said again, turning back to the other thief. “Anyway, I had a great time tonight. Next time, we’ll have to…” she glanced towards Crow for a moment before leaning up to whisper something in Alistair’s ear that made the thief’s eyes go wide. Stepping away from him again, she laughed, “Oh, I enjoy you thieves. I should get back to my camp though. See you both around!” She raised a hand in a cheeky wave as she turned and walked into the woods.
“Bye, Olivia,” Alistair said airily, obviously still distracted by whatever sordid words she had murmured into his ear.
“Come on,” Crow rolled his eyes and reached to press a hand to the other thief’s back, guiding him towards the ravine. “We’re going home too.”
“I tell you, she’s something else,” Alistair sighed as they walked. “I mean, I know she’s a knight, but damn. I’ve never met another woman like her.” He looked at Crow with interest. “Speaking of intriguing women… why are you back so late from your meeting with that other knight?”
“I already told you: We ran into some trouble on our way back and had to stay out a while longer,” Crow answered simply, shooting him a warning glare. “That was it. Nothing else happened.”
“Touchy,” Alistair smirked, raising his hands in an innocent shrug. “I wasn’t implying anything.”
“Sorry,” Crow sighed, lowering his gaze to navigate the side of the ravine as they began to climb down into their camp. “It’s just been a long night.”
“I get that,” Alistair nudged him with a knowing wink, at which the other thief gave him a shove in return. He snorted, “Why are you so defensive if nothing happened?”
“I give up,” Crow shook his head. “Believe whatever you want. I’m too tired to care.” He took off his cloak and headed for the shelter, leaving Alistair behind as he walked ahead to get some much needed sleep.
Same! It's the only way they share stuff with each other when they aren't close lol
Crow may have ended up taking his shirt off in front of her again xD
Crow may have ended up taking his shirt off in front of her again xD
“I forgot about it until now, but I have some bandages on me that we might be able to use to brace your ankle,” Crow sat up a bit straighter and drew his right knee to his chest. He reached for the bottom hem of his pant leg and rolled it up, revealing a set of bandages around his calf. Glancing back up at Penelope, he went on to explain, “My wounds stopped bleeding a while ago, so these are pretty clean. Hopefully I have enough to give you the support you need to get back without help.”
He bent forward and proceeded to unravel the cloth from his leg. Fortunately, his guess had been right. He had healed enough that the bandages were still fairly clean. Once he had finished removing them from his own body, he moved to sit in front of Penelope and proceeded to work on dressing her twisted ankle. He worked efficiently, having gotten much better at bandaging wounds after treating both himself and his companions countless times since the war had begun.
When he finished, he looked it over with a critical gaze. The layers didn’t look quite thick enough to keep her ankle from bending too much. If she was going to make it all the way back to her camp, she was going to need a stronger brace. “Hang on,” he said thoughtfully. “I have more.” He reached up to untie his cloak, setting it aside before hooking his thumbs on the inside of his tunic collar and pulling the clothing over his head. He dropped the shirt in a small pile with the cloak, shivering slightly as the night air cooled his skin.
While he had only taken the clothing off to have access to the bandages that were wrapped around his left bicep, there was a small part of him that wondered what Penelope thought of him now. He glanced at her from the corner of his eye for a brief moment before he averted his gaze to unravel the cloth from his arm. After two years of being out of prison, he knew he had changed quite a bit. He was in much better shape now, but he also had more scars, the most prominent of which being the one on the right side of his chest from the time he had gotten stabbed near the end of their mission and the one just below his left collarbone from a knight’s sword during a battle.
It doesn’t matter what she thinks, he reminded himself as he moved on to apply the bandages to her ankle. She’s with someone else.
Once he had finished the second layer, he sat back on his heels, feeling more confident in his work. “There,” he nodded, reaching for his shirt and putting it back on before looking up to meet her gaze. “Try standing on that.”
He bent forward and proceeded to unravel the cloth from his leg. Fortunately, his guess had been right. He had healed enough that the bandages were still fairly clean. Once he had finished removing them from his own body, he moved to sit in front of Penelope and proceeded to work on dressing her twisted ankle. He worked efficiently, having gotten much better at bandaging wounds after treating both himself and his companions countless times since the war had begun.
When he finished, he looked it over with a critical gaze. The layers didn’t look quite thick enough to keep her ankle from bending too much. If she was going to make it all the way back to her camp, she was going to need a stronger brace. “Hang on,” he said thoughtfully. “I have more.” He reached up to untie his cloak, setting it aside before hooking his thumbs on the inside of his tunic collar and pulling the clothing over his head. He dropped the shirt in a small pile with the cloak, shivering slightly as the night air cooled his skin.
While he had only taken the clothing off to have access to the bandages that were wrapped around his left bicep, there was a small part of him that wondered what Penelope thought of him now. He glanced at her from the corner of his eye for a brief moment before he averted his gaze to unravel the cloth from his arm. After two years of being out of prison, he knew he had changed quite a bit. He was in much better shape now, but he also had more scars, the most prominent of which being the one on the right side of his chest from the time he had gotten stabbed near the end of their mission and the one just below his left collarbone from a knight’s sword during a battle.
It doesn’t matter what she thinks, he reminded himself as he moved on to apply the bandages to her ankle. She’s with someone else.
Once he had finished the second layer, he sat back on his heels, feeling more confident in his work. “There,” he nodded, reaching for his shirt and putting it back on before looking up to meet her gaze. “Try standing on that.”
Crow is too tired to keep his up anymore lol
That'll also be my last one tonight. I'm going to bed in like twenty minutes ^^
Night!
That'll also be my last one tonight. I'm going to bed in like twenty minutes ^^
Night!
Crow was a bit surprised when Penelope told him so much about her friendship with Olivia. He had been expecting her to dodge around the question, as she had with the last, but instead, the way she shared it all with him reminded him of their conversations two years ago. He found himself relaxing to the soothing sound of her voice as he listened to her story, reminded of better times with her in their long wagon rides to Younis.
He was slightly concerned when she said she had talked to Olivia about their relationship, but his worries were quickly laid to rest when she assured him that she had kept his secrets from the other knight. Even though they weren’t together anymore, he was glad she hadn’t told anyone else about the things he had opened up to her about in confidence. It was good to know that his past had been kept solely between the two of them, as he had hoped it would be.
At her next question, he hesitated again. It was a topic he had avoided the last time it had been brought up, but it was one that he knew he wanted to talk to her about. Perhaps it was because of her openness with him, or the knowledge that she had kept his secrets for two years, or his weariness from the long day, or some combination of all three, but he found that, despite the fact that he knew he shouldn’t be so open with her anymore, he wanted her to know at least some of the things he had been through.
“It’s not gone,” he said with an amused smile. “I’ve just learned to handle it better.” His smile faded as he thought about the battles he had been in, and he sighed. “When the war started last year, the other thieves and I knew right away that we wanted to protect the villagers. It started out a lot more innocent though. We usually found ourselves in the middle of battles on accident, so we would just do what we could to help the women and children evacuate safely. There wasn’t much else we could do at that point. Simon, Rikki, And Alistair already knew how to fight to some degree, but none of them were a match for the knights, so they avoided fighting unless they could catch them by surprise.
“However, I was even worse off than they were,” he lowered his gaze. “I thought I could handle war. After all, I had been in a couple of fights before, so how much worse could a real battle be, right?” He snorted. “I had no idea what I was in for back then. My fear… it got much worse in the beginning. During the first battle, I completely froze. The flashbacks from my childhood came back, more vivid than they ever had been before. At one point, I couldn’t tell what was real from what was fake.
“And the next battles weren’t any better,” he frowned as the memories came back and then looked up again to meet Penelope’s gaze. “I was too stubborn to admit that the fighting was too much for me to handle, so I continued to put myself in dangerous positions even though I froze every time.” The corner of his lip turned upward in a small smile. “I honestly owe my life to Rikki. She’s incredibly sharp, and she noticed my issue without me having to tell her anything. She never told the others either. She just helped me snap out of it whenever the flashbacks happened so I could get to safety.
“Between her help and my foolish stubbornness to get over my aversion, it eventually just went away on its own for the most part,” he stretched his legs in front of himself, trying to stave off his weariness. “It still happens sometimes—it even did in the last battle—but I’ve gotten better at talking myself out of it, so it’s hardly ever a problem anymore.”
Unable to hold it back anymore, Crow let out the yawn he had been trying to stifle. He felt much better after confiding the personal story in Penelope, even though it hadn’t been his original intention to tell her about it at all. It was nice to be on good enough terms with her that he could speak openly again.
Glancing outside of the hollow once more, he saw that it was still just as dark as it had been before, and he groaned inwardly. It was probably still the middle of the night, yet he was completely exhausted. He wasn’t sure how much longer he could stay awake if they stayed much longer. Turning back to Penelope, he eyed her foot contemplatively. They were hoping to leave before morning, but even then, there was no guarantee that she would feel well enough to walk on it. There had to be something they could do.
After thinking for a moment, he blinked as an idea came to him. “I think I’ve got it,” he said, looking up at her again. “I might have a way for you to get back to your camp on your own.”
He was slightly concerned when she said she had talked to Olivia about their relationship, but his worries were quickly laid to rest when she assured him that she had kept his secrets from the other knight. Even though they weren’t together anymore, he was glad she hadn’t told anyone else about the things he had opened up to her about in confidence. It was good to know that his past had been kept solely between the two of them, as he had hoped it would be.
At her next question, he hesitated again. It was a topic he had avoided the last time it had been brought up, but it was one that he knew he wanted to talk to her about. Perhaps it was because of her openness with him, or the knowledge that she had kept his secrets for two years, or his weariness from the long day, or some combination of all three, but he found that, despite the fact that he knew he shouldn’t be so open with her anymore, he wanted her to know at least some of the things he had been through.
“It’s not gone,” he said with an amused smile. “I’ve just learned to handle it better.” His smile faded as he thought about the battles he had been in, and he sighed. “When the war started last year, the other thieves and I knew right away that we wanted to protect the villagers. It started out a lot more innocent though. We usually found ourselves in the middle of battles on accident, so we would just do what we could to help the women and children evacuate safely. There wasn’t much else we could do at that point. Simon, Rikki, And Alistair already knew how to fight to some degree, but none of them were a match for the knights, so they avoided fighting unless they could catch them by surprise.
“However, I was even worse off than they were,” he lowered his gaze. “I thought I could handle war. After all, I had been in a couple of fights before, so how much worse could a real battle be, right?” He snorted. “I had no idea what I was in for back then. My fear… it got much worse in the beginning. During the first battle, I completely froze. The flashbacks from my childhood came back, more vivid than they ever had been before. At one point, I couldn’t tell what was real from what was fake.
“And the next battles weren’t any better,” he frowned as the memories came back and then looked up again to meet Penelope’s gaze. “I was too stubborn to admit that the fighting was too much for me to handle, so I continued to put myself in dangerous positions even though I froze every time.” The corner of his lip turned upward in a small smile. “I honestly owe my life to Rikki. She’s incredibly sharp, and she noticed my issue without me having to tell her anything. She never told the others either. She just helped me snap out of it whenever the flashbacks happened so I could get to safety.
“Between her help and my foolish stubbornness to get over my aversion, it eventually just went away on its own for the most part,” he stretched his legs in front of himself, trying to stave off his weariness. “It still happens sometimes—it even did in the last battle—but I’ve gotten better at talking myself out of it, so it’s hardly ever a problem anymore.”
Unable to hold it back anymore, Crow let out the yawn he had been trying to stifle. He felt much better after confiding the personal story in Penelope, even though it hadn’t been his original intention to tell her about it at all. It was nice to be on good enough terms with her that he could speak openly again.
Glancing outside of the hollow once more, he saw that it was still just as dark as it had been before, and he groaned inwardly. It was probably still the middle of the night, yet he was completely exhausted. He wasn’t sure how much longer he could stay awake if they stayed much longer. Turning back to Penelope, he eyed her foot contemplatively. They were hoping to leave before morning, but even then, there was no guarantee that she would feel well enough to walk on it. There had to be something they could do.
After thinking for a moment, he blinked as an idea came to him. “I think I’ve got it,” he said, looking up at her again. “I might have a way for you to get back to your camp on your own.”
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