“Aramus—”

“And once we ascertain there will be no unrest due to the abolition of binding in this land, I will outlaw the hunting of whales and dolphins, squid, octopi and sea lions.”

The bright of tears returned to her eyes.

“And after that has been established, and any revolt that might come of it quelled, we will reintroduce the Mer to our lands and our seas and they will be under the strict protection of the king.”

“A-all right,” she forced out.

“Now, how many are there of your people?”

“I do not know, but there are…quite a few,” she answered. “The rest live solely in the depths of the seas, somewhere I’ve never gone.”

He nodded.

“Aramus—”

He did not let her finish for he was not done, and he had left the most important for last.

“We will keep nothing from each other, not again,” he declared.

“I hesitate to say this, for I agree with you, and I must share that it has been very difficult for me, trying to understand how best to tell you what I so wanted you to know. It becoming worse now, when you know, but it was not me who told you.”

“I do not hesitate to say that I find it difficult to feel sorry for you, my queen.”

“Yes.” She nodded swiftly. “I understand.”

“However, is that what you hesitated to say?”

“No, I simply…” She now shook her head. “You say no secrets, but you told me it is not for me to know how you learned about me.”

“That is a secret that has been kept for centuries. Only the King of Mar-el know of it and only the King of Mar-el can know of it. It is not a part of me. It is not who I am. The knowing and not sharing of it does not put me in danger or hold something of import from you. My men know nothing of it. No one does. But me. And when we have our heir, he or she will know of it, for that is the only way it can be. And this is all I can and will tell you and it is not keeping a secret, my Ha-Lah. It is keeping a legacy.”

She studied him closely before she nodded.

They then stood on the steps of their castle, staring at each other silently.

She broke it.

“Are you angry with me?”

“I am angry,” he shared. “And you were right, I am also hurt.”

“Darling,” she whispered.

“But I understand.”

Her shoulders sagged with relief.

“No more secrets, my queen,” he said softly.

She nodded, her lips trembling, but she said through them, “Can I embrace you?”

“There will never be a time you cannot do that, so from this point on there will never be a time you should ask that again.”

At his words, she moved the short distance that separated them, pressed to him and folded her arms around him, laying her cheek on his chest.