Thalor buckled against Noah and Fenric’s grip, his muscles corded and straining.

"Ngh, just how is the fish so strong?" Noah groaned.

"It’s the struggle of life. Of course it’s strong." Fenric responded, equally having a hard time.

"Hold him!" Damar hissed, his hands pressed on the cut to force the medicine deep into the merman’s veins before they were expelled with Thalor’s body rejection. "You’d better fight it, Fish! You wanted a place on the land—stay and claim it!"

The struggle felt like it lasted hours, though it was only minutes. Gradually, the violent tremors subsided.

The sickly grey tint of Thalor’s skin began to recede, replaced by a faint, exhausted flush of life. His breathing, once a rattling struggle, slowed into a shallow but steady rhythm.

Damar sat back on his heels, his face pale and his silver hair stuck to his forehead with sweat. He looked utterly drained.

He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, his eyes settling on me with a look of exhausted resignation.

"Arinya," he called with a strained, weak voice.

"The poison is out," Damar whispered. "The herb will do the rest. He will sleep for a day, perhaps two." 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

I let out a sob of pure relief, leaning down to press my face against Thalor’s hair. "Thank you. Thank you, Damar."

Damar didn’t answer. He stood up slowly, his tail dragging heavily on the floor.

He looked at the merman, then at the three of us huddled around him, and then he simply walked away toward the dark corner of the hall, leaning his head against a pillar.

He had saved the male he hated because I asked him to. He had used his own body as a filter for the venom.

Noah looked at me, then at the retreating back of the silver serpent. "He’s a stubborn one," Noah murmured, his voice surprisingly soft. "But he’s kind. And he just accepted the fourth pillar of your throne, Ari."

I looked at Noah, then back at Damar’s retreating form. The word ’kind’ felt too soft for the raw, jagged display of loyalty I’d just witnessed, but Noah was right about one thing: Damar had accepted Thalor whether he liked it or not.

"Help me move him," I whispered, my voice thick.

"Where to, Arinya?" Fenric asked.

"We aren’t going back to the tent," I said, and looked up at the high, vaulted ceilings of the hall, then toward the grand staircase that led to the upper residential levels.

We haven’t moved in yet, but everything was ready. The beds, the wardrobes, I had constructed with Oryn and the others.

It was just the water system that needed to be finished, but now, there was no need to hesitate.

"We’ll take him to the side wing."

In the palace, there were four wings. One was for guests, the guest rooms. The second was for helpers. Servants quarters. Third was the side wing. It was sort of like a time-out wing where any of them could end up if they made me mad for the night. And the fourth was the Sovereign Wing. Where our rooms, as well as the babies’ rooms, were located.

Right now, I decided to take him to the side wing, and not because he’s on a time-out, but because he can rest properly there.

"The side wing?" Noah repeated, shifting his grip on the merman’s legs. "I thought you’d want him in the Sovereign Wing where we can all keep an eye on him."

​"The Sovereign Wing is going to be loud once we move the babies and ourselves in," I countered, wiping a stray tear from my cheek. "He needs silence. He needs the stone to stay cool while the fever breaks. Besides," I looked at Thalor’s peaceful, deathly face, "he’s not out of the woods yet. I want a space where I can focus on him without Raiden trying to use his tail as a teething ring."

​Fenric nodded, accepting the logic.

"Side wing it is then. Let’s move."

But before we went up, I turned to Solin and Talia, who had been watching the situation silently.

"I’ll leave the people to you. It should be clear outside, and they can move back to their homes, so help me lead them." I asked them, and they nodded.

"Sure, leave it to us," Talia said, but they did not leave right away. Solin came closer and held my hand, covering it with both her hands as she said with a calm, familiar voice.

"Don’t be sad, Arinya. Your mate will be fine." She assured me. "He was strong enough to fend off the red scales, so he will pull through."

Her words made me feel light inside, and I smiled.

"Thank you, Solin," I said and hugged her. "Truly."

​The trek up the stairs was slow. The palace was still so new it smelled of cut limestone and cedar sap. We passed the guest rooms and the servants’ quarters, finally reaching the corridor that led to the side wing.

The rooms here were beautifully finished—Oryn and the badgers had outdone themselves on the wood-paneling and the built-in wardrobes. Though I don’t really like badgers, they make for good decor experts. I didn’t even know they were useful, and kept giving them menacing eyes until I saw one talking to a beaver and correcting the beam’s position.

And so, I employed them.

​They laid him down on the fresh, firm mattress of the primary suite. The underfloor heating hadn’t been kicked on here yet, so the room had a crisp chill that felt right for a recovery room.

​I sat on the edge of the bed, feeling the weight of the day finally pressing down on my shoulders.

"We need to bring the furs on your way. He can’t be on bare sheets while his body temperature is fluctuating." I said, worriedly.

​Noah turned to head out. "I’ll go. I’ll grab the babies while I’m at it. Fenric, stay with her and watch them."

​Fenric didn’t need to be told twice and took on guard duty. He leaned against the doorframe, his red eyes watchful, his presence a silent anchor in the room.

"Don’t worry, Arinya, I’ll watch and make sure nothing happens to you or the fish."

​I nodded, grateful for his assistance, but my mind was still downstairs.