Ceren looked up at the sound of my voice. “You’re here,” he said, striding toward me and gathering me up in his arms. I tensed immediately. We hadn’t interacted much since he told me what he’d done to my family, and now he was turning to me for comfort?

“How is Father?” Talin asked.

Ceren released me and led us over to the king’s bed. “Not well, I’m afraid. He was fine this morning, and then something happened, an attack of some kind. The doctor has been bleeding him off and on all day, but nothing is helping.”

I glanced at the bowl of blood near the king’s bed and shuddered. We didn’t bleed people in Varenia. Blood was acknowledged as our life force, the thing that kept us strong, so to deliberately drain ourselves of it would make no sense. I didn’t understand how anyone could think taking blood from an already weak man was beneficial, but who was I to question an Ilarean doctor?

“They don’t think he’ll make it through the night,” Ceren continued. “I’ve given him several pink pearls to swallow, but he hasn’t been able to get them down, not even ground up into powder. That’s how weak he is.”

I glanced at Talin, who looked sad but stoic. Ceren, meanwhile, was practically wringing his hands. “Is there anything I can do?” I asked Ceren, though my words were meant for his brother.

Ceren took my hand and kissed the back of it. “I’m afraid there’s nothing—”

“Would you sing to him?” Talin asked suddenly.

I slipped my hand free of Ceren’s. “Me? Sing, to the king?”

He nodded. “He loved my mother’s singing. It soothed him even after the most difficult day. I think it would help him now.”

“I—of course.” I moved to the head of the king’s bed and sat down on a small stool. The king was barely able to turn his head toward me, though I knew he sensed my presence. He was so thin and frail that when I took his hand, it felt as light as the hand of a child.

“What should I sing for him?” I asked Talin.

“The lullaby, the one about the lionfish,” Ceren said, coming to stand behind me. “I believe you know it well.” Before, when he’d mentioned wave children and our lullabies, there had been derision in his voice, but his tone held a hint of something else now, though no less disturbing.

I cleared my throat lightly. I didn’t have the finest singing voice in Varenia, but it was passable.

Beware the lionfish, my dear,

Beware the fish that’s made of stone.

Beware sweet nothings in your ear,

And the heart as hollow as a bone.

Beware the shark and ray, my dear,

Beware the jellyfish of blue,

Beware tongues sharper than the spear,

And a lover’s heart that isn’t true.

Lull yourself with the blue whale’s song,

Cradle yourself in Thalos’s arms,

But don’t stay under for too long,

Steel yourself against false charms.

Love is greater than the ocean,

Time is longer than you know,

But once your fate is set in motion,

There’s no telling when you’ll go.

Singing the song now, as an adult, I realized how morbid it was, hardly the appropriate thing to sing to a dying man. But the king’s eyes had fluttered closed, a small smile on his lips, and I prayed he would find some rest.

Ceren rested a hand on my shoulder. “That was beautiful. Thank you.”

I turned to look up at him and found his ivory cheeks glistening with tears, though his face was impassive. Every time I convinced myself he was incapable of emotion or empathy, he surprised me. How could a young man who wept for his father kill his own stepmother?

“You’re welcome,” I said. “Is there anything else I can do for you now?”

He shook his head. “Go and change. We’ll have a quick supper in the hall and then I’ll return for the night.”

“Are you sure you wouldn’t like me to stay with the king? I don’t mind.”

“No. You should rest. Who knows what the coming days will bring?”

“Yes, Your Highness.” I stood and turned to go. Talin lingered near the door, watching me. Our eyes met briefly as I passed him, and I saw gratitude there but also something else. I had left off the final verse of the song. Had he noticed? I wanted to ask him, but I merely bowed my head and left.

Ebb spotted me as I emerged from the king’s rooms and bustled ahead of me down the hall to my chambers, where a dress had already been laid out for me. It was suitably simple and unrevealing, with just enough silver embroidery along the hem and collar to keep it from being plain. I didn’t want to wear anything too cheerful, but too somber would be like admitting there was no hope for the king’s recovery.

Ebb untied my braids, brushed my hair quickly, and coiled it back up into several buns at the back of my head.

“This will have to do for now,” she said. “I expect the prince is too upset to notice, though you really should have bathed.”

I’d never seen her so rattled. “Is everything all right, Ebb?”

“I’m sorry, milady. It’s just that everyone is in a terrible tizzy about the king.”

She straightened my brush on the vanity several times, and I placed a steady hand on her trembling arm. “Don’t worry. Everything will be fine.”

“It’s just, if the king dies...”

“Ceren will become king on his twenty-first birthday. He’s been practically ruling in the king’s stead for months anyway.”

She shook her head. “It’s not just that.”

“Then what is it? Please, you can trust me.”

Her sky blue eyes met mine reluctantly, glistening with unshed tears. “It’s just...you’ll have to marry the prince. Within the week.” She burst into sobs, and I was so caught off guard by her emotion I hardly had a chance to process the meaning of her words.

I pulled her into my arms and let her cry, utterly perplexed by the conversation. Why was she so worried about me marrying Prince Ceren? That had been the plan all along, hadn’t it?

After a moment, she managed to regain her composure and fetched one of my handkerchiefs. “May I?”

I nodded, and she dabbed at her eyes.

“I’m so sorry, milady. I don’t know what’s come over me.”

“Ebb, you don’t need to worry about me. I’ve known all along I would have to marry Ceren.” Of course, I’d never imagined it would be within the next week. The reality of that fact was hitting me suddenly, and now I was the one who needed to sit.