“She passed out?” Caswyn took out a cloth from the top of his boot and poured fresh water from the canteen in his travel bag onto it, handing it to Aidan.

Using the wet cloth, Aidan wiped Brannie’s face and neck.

Aidan had never seen Brannie like this before and he didn’t really know how to handle it.

He pulled her into his lap, her head against his chest, and stroked her hair.

“You think she’ll be all right?”

“I’m sure she’ll be fine!” Keita crowed happily.

She walked past them and stood by Caswyn, staring out at the ocean. “Isn’t this delightful?” she asked them. “Such a beautiful day. And that fresh sea air.”

“Your cousin,” Aidan felt the need to remind Keita, “has been vomiting since she woke up after being hit by you.”

Keita faced him. “And?”

“Do you not care?”

“Of course I care. I love little Brannie.”

“Little?” Caswyn muttered.

“Look at her, Keita,” Aidan ordered. “Look at what’s happened to your cousin.”

“Why do you keep pointing out she’s my cousin? I know she’s my cousin.”

“And yet you don’t seem to care.”

“I care, I care. But so she has a little boat sickness . . .”

“A little boat sickness?”

“It’s not that big a deal. And, when you think about it, not actually surprising.”

Aidan let out a breath. “Why isn’t that surprising, Keita?”

“You know.”

“No. I don’t know.”

She shrugged her shoulders, raised her hands. “About her father . . .”

“What about her father?”

“He was once kidnapped by Sea Dragons.”

Caswyn blinked hard and stared up at Keita in shock. Uther, who’d been asleep against the hull, with his back to everyone, rolled over, his mouth open.

Aidan took a moment to calm himself. When he felt certain he wouldn’t yell, he said, “Her father was kidnapped by Sea Dragons and you didn’t say anything?”

“Why would I? She’s not Bram. She wasn’t even there. She wasn’t even hatched then. Bram and Ghleanna weren’t even mated. So what does it matter?”

“You don’t really understand . . . emotions, do you?” Uther asked.

“What does that mean?”

“For the first few decades of Branwen’s life,” Aidan reminded the princess, “she was raised by her father. Her mother was off in battle. You don’t think his fear of being kidnapped by Fins for a second time didn’t—”

“Third,” she cut in.

“What?”

“If I recall the story correctly, he was already kidnapped a second time, but that second time he was with Ghleanna.”

“Both her parents were taken by Fins?”

“I don’t know why you’re yelling at me.”

“Because you’re an idiot!”

“Well, that’s a tad unfair. It happened to them, not to her. I doubt they ever mentioned it.”

“A mated couple gets kid—”

“They weren’t mated.”

“What?”