"You must understand, Liana-"

"Perfectly, High King."

"So you see the stag-"

"I am aware of the consequences."

"But, Edmund-"

"-is a fine hunter, yes, I know."

"Then you realize-"

"Proving yourself is all well and good, King Peter, but not on my watch," Liana made her expression as stern as she could, all the while resisting the urge to laugh. "I admire your resilience, but I will not facilitate your stubbornness. You cannot travel in a carriage with that arm, riding on horseback and hunting is out of the question. I don't care if Edmund will mock you for it till you are both old and grey, since you shall be alive. You're staying here."

Peter glared at her, but stopped trying to resist the two fauns who were holding him down. Liana sighed with relief and indicated that they could let him go. She pulled a vial from the folds of her dress and held it up. Peter took it and gulped it down without question, shoulders slumped. Liana bit her lip to stop smiling, patted his shoulder comfortingly, and exited the small cubicle. She sent Lucy inside to tend to her brother and peered outside the main door. Edmund was leaning against the wall, smirking. Liana closed the door carefully behind her and went towards him.

"What's wrong with him?" he asked, taking her hand a soon as she was sufficiently close.

Liana narrowed her eyes. "What did you do, Edmund?"

"Me?" Edmund's eyes twinkled. "Why would I try to hurt my own brother?"

"To alter the line of succession," Liana kept her face blank. Edmund blinked in confusion. Liana rolled her eyes. "I jest, King, Edmund. Your brother broke his arm."

"Can you fix him?"

"The fracture is clean and will mend but-"

"Then there is no problem," Edmund shrugged. "Is your shift over?"

Liana folded her arms across her chest. "What is it with you Pevensies and interrupting me?"

Edmund looked taken-aback. "I didn't-"

"You challenged him to a mock-duel on horse-back," hissed Liana. "You're the better swordsman and rider, you knew you would win!"

"I felt like giving myself an ego boost?" offered Edmund weakly. Liana kept glaring. He took a step back. "You are angry."

"Of course I am! He broke his arm! What if something worse had happened?"

"But it didn't."

"That is beside the point. Your hunt is cancelled. The stag can wait another month. You're not going anywhere either."

"I'm not?"

"No."

"And you can stop me?"

"Yes."

"And how is that?" he sounded amused. "I'm the one with the crown on my head."

Liana smiled sweetly. "Dear King Edmund, do you really want me to highlight just what I can do to ensure you never leave this castle again? Or rather," she tugged her hand from his grip. "What I can ensure you never get again?"

Edmund's eyebrows shot up. "My, my, aren't we feisty today?"

"You just increased my workload. I can be as awful as I choose."

"Increased your workload?"

"I'm in charge of you," she huffed. "Every time you get hurt, you get around the clock care. By me. I'm sure it worked to your advantage when you were the one injured, but your brother has a serious fracture and the bones need to set properly or they'll have my head for making his arm crooked."

"Nobody will have your head," said Edmund calmly. "Who is with Peter right now?"

"Lucy."

"Excellent. You have time to take a walk with me."

"I do?"

"Yes," he took her arm and tugged her in the direction of the gate leading towards the main gardens. "I have been feeling sorely neglected of late."

Liana snorted. "If you weren't so busy spending hours in the dungeons with Ronas, perhaps you would not."

His grip on her arm tightened. "It is a necessity. He will not offer any information unless I interrogate him. Even the torturer has had no luck with him."

Liana shivered and unconsciously inched closer to Edmund. "I asked you not to tell me these things."

Edmund squeezed her hand. "I'm sorry. Are you sleeping well?"

"I've had better nights," she sighed. "I must admit, your sofa was ridiculously comfortable."

"My door is always open," Edmund winked suggestively. Liana rolled her eyes. He laughed. "Jokes aside, Liana, you know you can come see me when you cannot sleep."

"I know, but-"

"-it is not proper," Edmund sighed as he completed her sentence for her. "But it is not wrong, Liana. Everything that is proper does not always have to be right."

"Perhaps time will teach me that," she smiled and playfully tugged on a lock of his hair. "You need a haircut, Your Grace."

Edmund pressed a kiss to the hand that was tucked into his arm. "I allow no hands to come near me with any sharp objects except the ones I kiss, Healer Liana."

"Then every noblewomen in the castle must have helped you shave at some point."

Edmund laughed. "Touché."

They walked on in silence, but Liana could tell that, despite the light-hearted banter, Edmund had taken her away from the Houses for a reason. Every spare moment of his was now spent with her, and she knew why. He was waiting for something to happen to her, and when he was not around to save her, Lyra was always at her heels, whether she was with patients or combing her hair in her room. Sighing internally, Liana nudged him to get his attention and held his arm tighter. "Has he offered you anything of substance yet?"

"Only that your suspicions were right and he did indeed go to the cottage, intending to threaten you to leave me," his voice was quiet, but he sounded furious. Liana bit her lip. "He has also admitted to throwing the rock at your window. He had just seen you pass by the window, but he insists he knew it would not hit you."

"I take it you did not appreciate his honesty."

"Lias said he will live," he almost spat out the words. Liana avoided looking at him, upset she had even touched the topic, but Edmund continued speaking. "However, the nurse said she saw another man with him. You and I both know it could only have been the Count, but Ronas will not give me a name. I think he's trying to stay alive for as long as he can by withholding information."

Liana blinked. "Stay alive?"

"Yes. He's trying to prove he's useful so I don't kill you. It's hard to explain the dynamics but-"

"Edmund, you cannot kill him for this."

"And why not?"

Liana stopped walking pulling Edmund to a halt. Her eyes were wide with horror. She saw him look chagrined, as if he had not intended to say that out loud. But his eyes remained free of remorse. "What did you just say?" she asked finally.

"I asked you why you think I cannot kill him for attempting to kill you."

"Of course you cannot. He didn't succeed and I am-"

"What are you going to say, Liana?" the harshness of his tone took her aback. He took a step towards her, his hands clenched into fists, his volume increasing with every word. The stress of the past month had finally gotten to him, and Liana braced herself for the sharpness of his words. "Will you say that you are nothing? That you don't matter? I know exactly what you are thinking and frankly, I am tired of hearing it. I have said it many times, but perhaps I have not been specific enough: You are not 'nothing' to me, and I will not have anyone in this castle thinking that they can threaten you or try to hurt you in order to frighten you into leaving me!"

"Edmund," Liana kept her tone calm, though her hands shook as she rested them on his chest. "Calm down. You're shouting."

He ignored her. "How else do I make you understand-"

"I understand," she soothed. "Of course I understand. I know you're doing this for me. Calm down," she wrapped her arms around his neck and ran her fingers through his hair, willing his temper to cool. It did eventually, and he held her as close as he could, burying his face in her shoulder. "I don't doubt you, Edmund," she murmured. "I know you care for me. But you cannot take a life for me."

"Yes, I can, Liana."

"It is not right."

"It feels right."

"Why?"

"Because I love you."

Liana froze, but Edmund didn't seem to expect a response. A thousand questions flitted through her mind as he pulled back and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. Edmund's smile was sad as he took in her expression. In his opinion, she had never looked more beautiful, though her wide eyes and open mouth did make her resemble a fish.

"I'm not going to apologize," he joked weakly. Liana didn't respond, merely blinked up at him, her mouth still open. Edmund chuckled and held her hand, brushing his lips across her knuckles. "I'll leave you to think, Healer Liana. Good evening."

Liana didn't even try to stop him as he left.