Noah and Fenric looked at each other for a second. They were clearly torn between staying with the babies and checking on the husband who had just saved the day.

"You’re right," Fenric said, his voice a low rumble. "Damar shouldn’t be alone right now, since he reached his limit."

"I’ll go," Noah offered. He stood up, stretching his sore muscles until his joints popped. He leaned over and gave my hand a quick squeeze. "Fenric is better at sitting still anyway. I’ll go make sure he hasn’t fallen off that ’bed’ of yours."

I nodded, feeling a little better.

"Thanks, Noah. Check if he’s sweating or hot. His complexion wasn’t so good just now."

Noah gave me a small grin and walked out, his footsteps disappearing down the hall. Now it was just me, Fenric, and Thalor.

The room was quiet.

But then Thalor began sweating a lot, his purple hair damp and messy against the white pillows. He looked smaller than usual, less like a prince and more like a man who had just barely survived.

I sat up and continued to dab his forehead. Every few minutes, I’d dip the cloth in the water and press it to Thalor’s skin.

Fenric watched me silently but then he spoke.

"Arinya," he began softly. I looked up to see him watching me with a look of both concern and awe. "You didn’t hesitate today. When you killed that red scale male in."

I stopped for a moment, the damp cloth in my hand. I could still feel the weight of the strike in my arms.

"I didn’t have a choice, Fenric. Just like at the nursery. It was either they died or I died. This time, if either of the red scales got past me, they would have found a way into the palace." Though I guess two somehow found their way into the nursery as well.

What would I have done if Thalor hadn’t been there to kill them? I pursed my lips.

I didn’t even want to think about it. Each time the thought flowed through my mind, it made my heart shudder and made me tense.

The rag slipped from my grasp and fell into the water and I let out a shaky breath. The adrenaline was already fading, reminding me that there was only so much one body can handle.

Today was just... exhausting.

But I’m glad it’s over now.

I looked at Thalor, watched how his breathing began to steady again. I was glad he was recovering. In no time, he should recover a great deal.

Fenric pulled me closer, his arm wrapping around my waist. Between the heat coming off Thalor and Fenric’s solid warmth, I finally started to drift off.

But I still kept one hand on Thalor’s chest, making sure his heart was still beating.

"Go to sleep, Arinya," Fenric whispered. "I’ve got the watch. Nothing will happen while you close your eyes."

I didn’t argue. It’s not like I had the energy to argue anyways.

I closed my eyes, listening to the steady rhythm of two different hearts.

...

The sun was just starting to hit the glassless windows when a sharp, choking sound woke me up.

I sat up fast, my heart racing. Thalor’s eyes were open—wide and violet, but they looked glassy. He gasped, his back arching off the bed as he tried to move, his hands clawing at the furs.

"Thalor! Hey, look at me!" I called, grabbing his shoulders to keep him steady. "You’re okay. You’re safe."

He froze, his eyes finally focusing on my face. He was breathing hard, but his skin felt cool. The fever had finally broken. He looked at me, then at Fenric, who was already standing up.

"Arinya?" Thalor’s voice was a dry, painful whisper. He touched his throat, looking confused. "The... the snakes in the hall. The children..."

"They’re fine. You saved them," I told him, a huge weight lifting off my chest. "You’re in the palace now. It’s over."

He let out a long breath and sank back into the bed, his eyes fluttering shut.

"Everything... tastes like bitter roots," he croaked, his memory of the root going back to when he nearly died from the sea pollution.

"That’s just Damar’s medicine," I said, letting out a shaky laugh as I wiped my eyes. "He sucked the poison out of you himself. He’s going to be annoyed if he hears you don’t like the taste."

Thalor took a moment to process those words.

"He... saved me?"

I could understand the surprise in his eyes. He was the recipient of Damar’s hate, so it was kind of hard to believe Damar had sucked the poison out of him to save his life.

"He... he didn’t do anything else to me, did he?" Thalor asked, looking nearly horrified and Fenric couldn’t help but stifle a laugh from behind me.

"Hey, he saved you so be grateful," I clicked my tongue, announced.

"I... I know but it’s hard to believe." He touched his face. "We do not exactly see eye to eye, Arinya. I would believe it more if he skinned my scales."

I sighed. He had a point, but this time, Damar did not do anything other than save him. I was there to watch the whole thing.

"I shall thank him," he said, his complexion brightening. "He saved my life. Which means from now on..."

Wait, he’s not going to say his life belongs to Damar the way he did with me because I saved his life, right?

"...I shall—mph!" I quickly covered his mouth.

Maybe I’m going a little too far but if I have to hear my fourth husband say from now on his life belongs to my first husband because he saved his life then I just might lose what little sanity I have left.

"You should rest now, Thalor. No more talking, okay?" I smiled, but my smile was far from genuine. "You’ll need the rest."

Just then, the door opened quietly, and Noah stepped in. He looked tired, but he had a smirk on his face.

"Damar is awake," Noah said. "And he’s already complaining that you’re spending too much time in here with the ’fish’."

Ah.

Thalor is finally awake and the fever is gone, but he’s still very weak. Damar is awake too, and being his usual grumpy self in the other wing.

Should I bring Damar in here so he can see Thalor is okay? Hm, no, he’ll just glare at him again. Then, should I go see Damar alone first to make sure he’s actually recovered?

The struggle of choice...

"I’ll go see Damar first," I said. "I’ll go with Lyra."

That way, if I leave his daughter with him to spend time with, I can come back and check on Thalor to make sure he has no complications.