I dropped my hand on my face, feeling the headache of the century brewing.
"Shall we... take a moment to think this situation through?" I asked, my voice muffled by my palm.
Noah didn't look away from Thalor, but he inclined his head slightly toward the elders.
"This has become a private family matter. Elders, you may return to the village. We will handle it internally."
The elders exchanged wary glances, shifting their feet in the sand. They weren't exactly thrilled to be dismissed when a literal Prince of the Sea had just washed up, but Noah's words didn't exactly leave much room for debate.
Talia, however, wasn't about to let a perfectly good scandal and a way to screw me over go to waste.
She stepped forward, her grey fur bristling.
"What do you mean? Noah, if this is a Prince of the Sea, then this is a matter for the entire West Way! We were involved when the water turned bitter. So if we want to negotiate, or offer a sincere apology, I believe all of us should—"
