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“How did he die?” Rionach asked, finally finding the words.

Arwin shook his head. “The Sea Kingdom was destroyed. The storm…”

“It wasn’t the storm.” Rionach pulled away and touched his side. Arwin grunted in pain and took a step back. “A storm wouldn’t do this. What happened?”

Arwin pulled away, grabbing the queen, preventing her from touching him again. It was clear as day that he didn’t want to have the conversation now.

“Arwin…” It was so strange to hear the general’s name in her mother’s mouth. Valda had no memory of her mother ever calling him by his first name up until now. “What happened?”

Valda wanted to know what happened too. Her father was a strong, burly man. Tall and powerful, the best fighter in the entire eastern hemisphere. Feared by many, respected by all. How could a mere storm take his life?

“Not now,” Arwin whispered, his gaze falling on Rionach, then on Valda. He rubbed his hand over his trousers, cleaning them before offering himself to the queen. “Let me help you,” he said, gathering Valda in his arms.

She held on to his neck, absentmindedly embracing him. She hadn’t realized it yet, but she was in dire need of a hug, of comfort.

The general’s heavy hand pressed against the center of her back before traveling to the nape of her neck. Arwin cradled her as she pressed her heated face to the crook of his shoulder, something her father would always do when she was about to cry.

As Arwin squeezed her to him, she felt the press of an object on her torso. Curious at what it might be, Valda touched the round object and pulled it out of from Arwin’s leather cuirass. Valda frowned, holding a small shining golden apple.

Arwin snatched it away from her hands and hid it in his trousers before he shook his head. He quietly scolded her before Rionach sobbed, calling out to Valda’s father over and over again.

Valda’s chest ached, seeing her mother suppress her own sobs and walk away.

“Cry all you need, child. I will be here for you,” Arwin said, taking a couple steps forward. “For both of you…”

Silence fell in the room. Until Rionach whimpered. “What happened to the Sea Kingdom? What happened to Queen Amphitrite…?”

Arwin rubbed Valda’s back, his strokes heavy and quivering. Valda pushed away from his shoulder to look at her mother. Fresh tears were sliding down her cheeks.

“The royal family is gone.”

“What? No…” Rionach gazed at Valda, her heart breaking yet again.

“The castle collapsed on itself.”

Rionach sat on the edge of the bed, and Valda could only move her arms towards her. Arwin set her on the ground, and she dashed to wrap her arms around her mother’s waist. Her mother never cried. She always smiled when she was around her father. Seeing her like this turned Valda’s stomach, because she knew that from this day forward, her mother’s smiles would be numbered.

“They can’t be dead, Arwin,” Rionach said, her lip quivering as she raised her gaze at him. “The Fates spoke to Brontes in his dream. They said that Valda would marry the heir of the Sea Kingdom. The kingdoms were to join, Arwin—” Rionach’s breath faltered. Shaking her head, she touched Valda’s head. More tears streamed down her face. “She won’t find her mate?”

“Rionach,” Arwin whispered the queen’s name as if he was telling a secret. His heavy boots echoed in the vast chamber as he kneeled next to Valda. “Brontes had a dream. They are gone. All the gods are gone.”

“But— They must communicate somehow, right? Without them we are lost.” Her eyes widened as she grabbed his forearm. Hope shone in them for just a second. “The Oracle! They can use their blessing and tell us if Valda will find her mate!”

“Listen to me, Rionach. I will say this again, if you need me to.” The scarred side of his face stretched as he gave Valda and the queen a rueful smile. He pulled Rionach to a stand and gathered her in his strong arms, pressing their bodies dangerously close. “I will take care of both of you…”

Raan Era wasn’t sure how he was going to tell his wife that he had rescued a Sealian child— a baby no older than a year old. He was on his way back to the Sky Kingdom. The sea had finally ebbed away its savage attacks enough to allow boats to leave the shore. Thousands of Sealians were packed in ships heading back to the Sky Kingdom. They couldn’t stay in their land. The storm had destroyed their homes, their bridges, and their crops. They had nowhere else to go. They could stay and try to rebuild or leave and make a life elsewhere. For now, they needed food, water, and shelter, and the other Kingdoms in Gaia would accommodate them.

The destruction in the Sea Kingdom was nothing like Raan had ever seen. It was as if the gods themselves had descended, taking back what belonged to them, and destroying everything to start anew. Triton Castle didn’t stand a chance when the roaring waves crashed on it, followed by a lightning storm beyond imagining. How Raan was able to find this child was beyond him. But he wouldn’t, couldn’t, leave a baby to die. He found it strange that the child was left out by the ruins of Triton Castle, alone and exposed to the cold rain and strong winds. The cyclonic tidal waves that had destroyed the castle should’ve taken her life as well, and yet she lived. Maybe she had been specially protected by Poseidon himself.

He pulled his coat and looked down at the baby girl, grimacing at her high-pitched wails. He patted his pants, feeling for something he could feed her, but he had nothing. Waiting to safely dock land was the only choice. For now, Raan’s priority would be to keep the baby warm.

“What will Saha think when she sees you?” he wondered as the roaring sea outside of his cabin smashed against the ship. The wood groaned and his heart raced.

“Poseidon, please allow me to go back to my wife,” he prayed, snuggling the baby closer to his warm chest. “Ouranos, let me see the sun once again.”

From the spot on the ground where he’d chosen to rest a fellow soldier scoffed.

Raan arched his bushy brow. “What?”