Traveling a bit slower because of their injuries, it took the thieves until the second day after the war to make it back to the ravine. They also took the long way back past Norcrest, since the knights had left early due to their loss. It would have been risky to try and pass closer to their camp as they normally would have simply because they might be seen. However, in addition to that, Crow was still on edge because of what had happened with Penelope and Layth. He personally didn’t want to get too close to the knights’ camp and risk being caught, especially if either of them told the others about what he had done. He didn’t know if Penelope would talk, but there was nothing to keep Layth’s mouth shut. The arrogant knight had probably already spread word that he had been at the battle in Grimsby and alerted his comrades to keep watch.
When they got back to their hideout, Rikki was quick to greet them to find out what had happened. Alistair filled her in on the details, while Simon went into the shelter to redress his wounds, and Crow took a walk by himself down the length of the ravine under the guise of refilling a flask of water. He headed to the river on the far side and sat down against a tree, absently watching the flowing brook as his mind wandered back to the decision he had yet to make.
Two days had passed, and he still didn’t know if he was going to meet with Penelope again. He was torn between his longing to apologize to her and his fear of confronting what had happened during the battle. Besides that, he didn’t know if she would even show up. He had hurt her in more ways than one when he had stabbed her. Perhaps he was being arrogant in assuming she would want to keep working for the thieves after that.
I shouldn’t go, he thought, leaning forward to dip his flask in the icy water. She probably won’t be there, so I would just be wasting my time anyway. Having come to a decision, he got up and headed back to the camp to rejoin the others.
--
Crow spent most of the day recovering and trying to ignore the sadness he felt that his interactions with Penelope were over. He tried to tell himself that it was for the best, since he needed to move on from her anyway, and it would be easier now that they weren’t seeing each other. However, he was quickly beginning to find that reason didn’t take the pain away. Even though he knew everything he told himself was true, the irrational, love stricken part of him still ached to meet with her again out of some foolish hope that they would somehow end up together once more.
In an attempt to distract himself from his heart’s outcry, he joined Rikki and Alistair in a drinking game they had made up that evening. He didn’t let himself get drunk, but the alcohol took the edge off of his pain, and the company of the other thieves brightened his mood a bit. He was reminded of how happy he had been with them before he had learned that Penelope was still alive, and he felt reassured that he would find that peace again once his desire for the knight faded.
When night fell, Crow and the other thieves went to bed early. They were exhausted from both the battle and the long journey home that had followed. However, in spite of his weariness, Crow found that he couldn’t sleep. Because of the injuries on his back, arm, and side, he couldn’t get comfortable enough to drift off. He tried sleeping on his stomach at one point too, but even then, he was unused to the position, so it didn’t help.
After a while of painfully tossing and turning on the mat, he gave up and went outside. When he stepped out of the shelter, he saw that Rikki was also awake. She was sitting on the log near the center of the camp, humming a song quietly to herself, and he paused to stare at her. He couldn’t help but notice how beautiful she looked in the moonlight. Her head was tilted back, her eyes were closed peacefully, and her long, black hair fell in soft waves down her slender back.
All this time, I’ve been chasing after someone I’ll never have, while she’s been here by my side for the last year, he thought, shaking his head at the irony of it all. It seemed like a cruel joke. Here was Rikki, a gorgeous thief who continually expressed interest in him. She was the closest friend he had, and they had everything in common, yet he couldn’t bring himself to love her like he did Penelope, a knight and noblewoman who had turned him down. The heart was such a foolish thing.
Suddenly, Rikki stopped humming as she took notice of him staring. She smiled and gestured for him to come join her on the log. When he did, she asked, “Why are you up so late? I thought you, Simon, and Alistair were too tired to stay awake.”
“Couldn’t sleep,” Crow shrugged. “My wounds are in inconvenient places.” He indicated each one to her to prove his point.
Rikki whistled softly, “That’s unfortunate.”
“You’re telling me,” Crow sighed. “It’ll probably be at least a week before I get a good night’s sleep again.”
“I’m sure you’ll figure something out,” she smiled again. “You’re stubborn like that.”
“Thanks,” he laughed softly.
Rikki paused as another thought seemed to come to her, “Hey, Crow?”
“Hm?”
“Don’t you normally meet with that knight after a battle?”
He shifted his weight uncomfortably, “Not anymore… I’m not going.”
“What happened?” Rikki pressed tentatively.
“I’d rather not say,” Crow shook his head. “Let’s just say I did something bad, and now I don’t think she’ll want to see me again.”
Rikki eyed him for a moment before leaning gently into his side, “I’m sorry. But… was this thing really bad enough to sacrifice the information she’s been giving you?”
Crow blinked and looked down at her, “What do you mean?”
“I mean, look at how the last two battles went. You beat the knights to the villages both times and gave the people enough time to evacuate before the fighting even started. I only went to the first one, but I noticed we were a lot more prepared to defend the village that time than we’ve ever been before.” She looked up to meet his gaze. “You may not be on the best of terms with Penelope now, because of… whatever it was you did, but I think you should go see her for the villagers’ sakes.”
Crow sat in silence as he thought about what she said. She was right. He had lost sight of who this was really for. It didn’t matter if he and Penelope weren’t getting along personally, because he was meeting with her to protect the villagers.
He let out his breath in a sigh, “That’s all true, but it’s late now. Even if she showed up, she probably won’t be there by the time I get to Myrefall.”
“You’ll never know unless you try,” Rikki said, giving him a nudge. “Go on. If you missed her, you missed her, but at least you’ll know for sure.”
Crow hesitated for a moment longer before he finally nodded, “Fine. I’ll go.” He stood up from the log and moved to get his cloak, glancing back at Rikki once more, “I’ll see you in the morning.”
“See you then,” she grinned.
Crow threw the cloak over his shoulders and turned to head up the side of the ravine, hoping Penelope would still be at the tavern when he arrived.
Vaunivor
Tlazolteotl
Syrenrei
AHeartlessNobody
nachonacho
Vampiretwilight