[ As they lie together, one leg drapes over his, head resting against his chest as she draws random shapes and patterns on his skin with her fingertips. Stowing away with him sounds better than anything else now, and with his agreement, she lets out a soft, content breath.

Then she listens, to his words and to the steady beat of his heart. She likes that he feels more confident, it gives her a little hope that perhaps Thorne will stay level-headed and reasonable. Although if level-heads prevail, Winifred's sacrifice was, if anything, premature. ] There's fear in Solvunn, that Thorne will attack our ocean border, and so a woman sacrificed herself to the water and now there's a barrier, a new god's protection.

[ There are other things she needs to tell him, specifically about others she knows in Thorne, but it can wait, and she isn't exactly eager. ]

Do you think the king will send the order?