The royal healers worked quickly in the warmly lit infirmary wing of Seiena's palace.
Ash sat on the edge of a padded examination table, jaw clenched, while a gray-haired healer carefully cut away his ruined boot. His left ankle had swollen dramatically, turning shades of angry purple and red. Every probe sent fresh sparks of pain shooting up his leg.
"Moderate sprain," the healer announced, voice calm and professional. "Ligaments are torn but not ruptured. You'll need rest, elevation, cold compresses, and a brace for at least three weeks. No weight on it if you can help it, Your Highness."
Seraphina hovered close, her crimson-and-gold gown still damp and mud-streaked. She had refused to leave, even when attendants offered her dry clothes. Her tail flicked with restless worry as she watched the healer wrap Ash's ankle in tight bandages infused with numbing herbs and mild healing magic.
"You're lucky it wasn't worse," she murmured once the healer stepped away to prepare a crutch and stronger potion. "That timber could have shattered the bone."
Ash leaned back on his hands, offering her a tired but genuine smile. "I've had worse. Remember the time I tripped down the grand staircase at your palace? The secret I had to bribe the maid with my smile to keep. This is nothing."
Seraphina didn't laugh. Instead, she stepped closer and brushed a strand of wet hair from his forehead again. Her touch lingered. "You didn't have to run in like that. The guards were coming. You're the crown prince—you have people who are supposed to protect you."
"I know," Ash said quietly. "But I saw the child go under. Then the old woman… I couldn't just stand there and watch people die while I stayed safe on a pavilion." He looked up at her, green eyes steady despite the pain. "That's not the kind of ruler I want to be."
Seraphina's golden eyes softened. For a moment she looked torn between scolding him and pulling him into an embrace. In the end, she simply rested her forehead gently against his.
"Father's going to be crazy when he hears it, Asher," she whispered. There was fondness in it, but also something deeper. Real affection. The kind of togetherness had grown steadily during their weeks together.
" Why would he be?" Ash asked.
"No. Nothing. Oh... Look the medicine has arrived." Seraphina quickly said. Running to the maid who brought medicine and shoving it on Ash's mouth. It suspiciously sounded like dodging the question.
Seraphina pulled back quickly, her cheeks flushing a soft rose beneath her scales. She busied herself with the tray the healer had brought, pouring a cup of the steaming warm water and pressing it into Ash's hands with perhaps a little too much focus.
"Here, drink this after you take your medicine. It will help wash away the bitterness afterward," she said, her voice a touch too bright. "Father always says dragon physiology handles injuries differently, but human healing magic is quite effective too. You'll be back on your feet in no time."
Ash took the cup in another hand, watching her over the rim skeptically as he drank. The potion was indeed bitter, but warmth spread through his chest almost immediately, dulling the sharp edges of the pain in his leg. He set the empty bowl aside and drank the water.
Ash swallowed the last of the water, the herbal aftertaste lingering on his tongue. The potion was already working—warmth bloomed steadily through his veins, turning the sharp, stabbing pain in his ankle into a heavy, manageable throb. He flexed his fingers around the empty cup, watching Seraphina.
She was still fussing with the tray, rearranging vials that didn't need rearranging, her tail making quick, agitated little curls behind her.
"You dodged the question," Ash said quietly.
Seraphina froze for half a second, then let out a soft, embarrassed laugh. "I did not dodge. I simply… redirected. "
Ash raised an eyebrow, the corner of his mouth twitching despite the exhaustion weighing on him. "Seraphina."
She sighed, finally turning to face him properly. The lantern light from the infirmary windows painted soft gold across her flame-red hair and the delicate scales on her cheeks. Even mud-streaked and damp, she looked beautiful. Alive. Real.
"Father will be… concerned," she admitted. "More than concerned. When he hears you threw yourself into a river to save strangers while I was standing right there, he'll probably dictate a very long, very stern letter about royal responsibility and unnecessary risks." She paused, then added more softly, "But underneath all the scolding, he'll be impressed. He respects courage. Especially the kind that doesn't wait for permission or glory."
Ash's chest tightened. He looked down at his bandaged ankle, propped up on cushions.
"Impressed," he echoed. The word tasted strange. He wondered what Ignis would actually feel reading the report—whether that golden gaze would flicker with anger, worry… or something more complicated.
Seraphina sat carefully on the edge of the examination table beside him, mindful of his injured leg. Her hand found his, warm and slightly rough from scales.
"You really scared me tonight," she whispered. "When I saw you go under for a moment… I think my heart stopped. I know we're still figuring out what we are—what this alliance could become—but I care about you, Asher. "
The honesty in her voice made guilt twist like a knife between his ribs. Ash squeezed her hand, forcing himself to meet her eyes.
"I care about you too," he said, and it wasn't a lie. Seraphina was bright, brave, kind, and unexpectedly funny. Spending these weeks with her had been easier and more genuine than he'd ever anticipated. "You've made Seiena feel brighter just by being here."
She smiled, but there was a shadow of something unspoken behind it. For a moment, it looked like she wanted to say more—perhaps ask the question that had been hovering between them for days.
Instead, she leaned in and pat his shoulder with a soft smile.
"Rest now. I'll have the servants prepare your chambers with extra pillows for that leg. And I'll write to Father myself before the official report reaches him. Maybe I can soften the news."
Ash nodded, suddenly very tired. The potion was pulling him toward sleep, dulling both pain and thoughts. As Seraphina stood to leave, she hesitated at the door.
"Asher?"
"Hm?"
"When you jumped in… did you think about what would happen to the alliance if something happened to you?" Her voice was small.
He met her gaze steadily. "I thought about the child. And the old woman. Everything else came after."
Seraphina studied him for a long moment, then gave a small, understanding nod.
"That's why I like you," she said simply, before slipping out of the room.