Page 85 of Hymn of Breath and Bone

“I’ll be fine, Urchin,” Caspian drawled, waving away my concerns. “I’ll adjust my flying to compensate.”

Mira didn’t argue, and I trusted her medical expertise more than Caspian’s, so I was satisfied.

“Maybe try not to break them again,” I suggested while patting his cheek condescendingly.

“An excellent suggestion,” Mira agreed as another knock sounded on the bedroom door.

Zephyr returned with Ana, books clutched to her chest and eyes wide as she took in the keep. Astraios and Sereia followed behind them, their hands not quite touching, but just barely brushing.

I added, ‘plan an adventure for my friend and her mate,’ to my growing list of tasks. That, and plan a coronation, reintegrate the sirens, bring Theia home, establish trade with Nordhavn, meet with the kelpies, and rule a kingdom.

Easy.

“Where’s the council?” I asked after greeting Ana with a hug.

“They’re coming,” Zephyr explained, keeping a protective arm around her mate. “Arctos and several of the older sirens stayed in the cliffs, but the other three came.”

“Good riddance,” Caspian joked as Ana threw her arms around him in a rather-too-forceful hug. He hissed in pain, which she completely ignored. “Let them rule themselves.”

“Be careful what you wish for,” Zephyr warned. “They could cause us problems, Cas.”

“Then we’ll deal with them,” he murmured as Vitulus entered the room, followed by my parents, several scholars, three priestesses, who all bowed low to me—much to my chagrin—and their advisors.

Vitulus was pale and haggard, but his wound was healing. A pink scar marred his tattooed chest, and I wondered if he’d have to get them redone.

I was about to ask when Caspian’s council entered the room, Mesembria floating in on a wind, Eos stately and frowning, and Hesperus endlessly difficult to read.

Hesperus froze when he saw Vitulus, who stared back, eyes wide and lips parted.

Caspian grinned at Zephyr. “You owe me five gold coins.”

The meeting lasted wellinto the night, Ana sending Astraios out repeatedly to fetch different books and volumes for her. Sereia kept her eyes on Astraios, watching his every move, and Vitulus couldn’t seem to look away from Hesperus, but the rest of the selkies listened intently, asking questions and producing their own documents to corroborate or contradict the sirens’ records.

It was challenging to meet in a bedroom rather than the archives, as the scholars kept having to run out to retrieve new volumes, but we were able to patch together a fairly comprehensive narrative by the end of the night.

“It changes things,” my father said, looking pointedly at me. The silver crown was sitting on one of the tables next to the bed, and neither of ushad mentioned it since the afternoon. “We will have to modify all of our teachings. As soon as possible.”

My mother nodded approvingly, giving my hand a squeeze. She had sat next to me for the whole meeting as if worried my father might change his mind, and her hand kept flying to mine whenever a new part of our history was revealed.

If I thought she was protective of me before, it had nothing on this.

“How soon can you make this known?” I asked, looking at Caspian. He had stayed quiet for most of the meeting, seeming content to let me lead it. “This is the first step in rebuilding trust between our people, especially those who weren’t on the beach.”

I wasn’t sure I trusted the scholars to write the revised history, but Ana was more than eager to oversee the project, and my father agreed to call a meeting of all the clan heads in the coming days to explain everything.

We decided that, at least for now, it was safest for the sirens to relocate to the cliffs on our island if they wished, giving the selkies time to adjust to their presence and the option to leave for another island or the mainland if they were unhappy.

“You did so well, my love,” my mother said as we finished the day’s work. It was only a few hours until dawn, and I was so tired I thought I might collapse as I stood and graciously accepted the departing bows from all present. “Your father has made a wise choice, I think.”

“Have you forgiven him, then?” I asked quietly, glancing to the hall where he waited for my mother.

“Not yet. I'll let him grovel for a few more days, I think.” She kissed my cheek, then stepped back and looked me over from head to toe. “I am sorrywe didn’t get to witness your handfasting. Perhaps you can have another ceremony here? After the coronation, of course. That has to come first.”

“Mother, I cannot possibly think about that right now,” I groaned, pinching the bridge of my nose.

“I’ll take care of it,” Caspian groaned, rising from the couch and limping slightly as he made his way toward us. “And we’ll get out of your room as soon as we can. I’m sorry for the inconvenience we’ve caused you.”

My mother beamed up at Caspian, who towered over her only slightly less than he did me. To my great surprise, she lifted onto her toes and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “Keep the room,” she said, waving a hand dismissively at the bedchamber. “These are the quarters for the King and Queen.”