Moonlight spilled like liquid mercury through the gaps in the vines, casting dappled patterns across the herb-strewn bed. Euron gazed at the entrance without a door, frowning slightly. "You sleep here. I'll go stay with Halsien."
Alicia was setting down fresh flowers from her hair. She laughed softly at his words. "It would be rather rude to abandon the quarters your host worked so carefully to arrange."
"Staying here would be an even greater rudeness—" Euron started, then stopped abruptly.
Alicia's garments had already slipped away like mist. The pale moonlight suddenly illuminated the strong curves of her body. Her well-trained frame looked like ivory carved by moonlight, the battle scars on her shoulders and the defined muscles at her waist transformed into flowing shadows that rose and fell, gleaming in the silent night.
She walked toward him unhurriedly, letting the moonlight trace a bright line down her spine, her hair leaving behind wisps of stardust as it moved. "To the Nas people, our bodies are no different from rivers and mountains."
The night-blooming flowers on the vines opened on cue, their fragrance rippling through the air with her steps.
Euron stood motionless, watching the moonlight sprawl across the grass bed, interweaving their shadows together. He suddenly realized the night wind was far too warm.
"I already have a wife," Euron said with a wry smile that seemed to blur in the darkness.
"I am the Queen of Women Island," Alicia's voice was calm as still water, as if she were simply stating an ordinary fact.
"I know."
She stepped closer, moonlight outlining her youthful features. "I'm sixteen years old. On Women Island, that's already an age when one can be a mother."
Euron studied this girl who looked simultaneously like a maiden and a queen in the moonlight. "You want me to be the father of your child?"
"No." Alicia shook her head gently, pearls in her hair refracting cold light. "Children don't need fathers, just as the women of Women Island don't need husbands."
So she's looking to keep the child without needing the man, Euron thought. He knew of Women Island's customs, but he'd never imagined he'd find himself in such a situation.
Moonlight flowed like mercury through the gaps in the vines, pooling between them.
Pearls in Alicia's hair glowed with warm luster in the darkness. "Am I not beautiful?" Her voice was soft, yet it landed like a stone thrown into a still lake.
"You're beautiful," Euron answered without hesitation. "If you wanted, suitors would line up three times around Women Island."
Alicia suddenly wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her cheek against his solid chest. Through the fabric, she could hear his steady heartbeat. She spoke quietly, "Women Island needs a Sea King... Every Greyjoy's bloodline carries that kind of power, doesn't it?"
Euron sighed lightly, understanding perfectly what she wanted. "If all you need is a Sea King to protect the island, there's no need for this cost."
She lifted her head, moonlight catching in her clear eyes.
Alicia's fingertips traced gently across his angular cheekbones, the gesture carrying unprecedented weight. "At first, yes—that was my duty as queen. But now..." Her voice grew softer still. "I want to choose a father worthy of my daughter. You possess tremendous strength; on the deck of the great ship, your twin blades defeated my spear three times over. You're powerful, yet you don't bully the weak—you chose to protect Nas Island from harm. And there's this moment, your face as I see it now... it's very handsome. These are all reasons. I want my child's bloodline, the other half, to come from you."
On the herb bed, fireflies within glass lanterns struck against the walls... tap-tap-tap...
Morning light filtered through thin mist, dusting the coral reefs with faint gold.
Euron steadied Alicia as they walked toward the beach, her legs unsteady. Every few steps she had to pause to retie her disheveled hair. The pearl necklace at her throat shimmered with subtle iridescence in the early light.
Freya was already waiting at the shore, holding a freshly woven flower crown. Seeing Alicia's condition, she blinked her amber eyes, then tippy-toed to place the crown on Euron's head, giggling. "This is for Halsien. It said yesterday it doesn't like the sea salt smell in your hair."
As the ancient dragon spread its wings, the Nas people poured out from between the trees.
Freya stood at the front, hands clasped at her chest, singing an old farewell song. The children mimicked their mother, waving palm fronds. The entire coastline suddenly seemed to burst into bloom—a sea of flowers that sang.
Halsien circled low three times, petals scattering like rain as its wingtips brushed the treetops. It released a long cry, the sound waves making coral tremble like a promise of reunion. Even as the dragon's silhouette faded to a speck in the blue sky, Freya remained gazing upward, her fingers unconsciously touching the teardrop-shaped amber at her chest—sealed inside was a dragon scale she'd plucked from Euron's cloak the night before.
The fleet waited in the distance beneath the clouds, the golden kraken banner fluttering in the wind.
Lord Barron stood on the flagship's deck, watching the massive dragon silhouette pass over the fleet before landing on the main deck that had been specially cleared. He strode forward, preparing to ask about the mission's success, only to see Euron carefully helping Alicia down from the dragon's back.
Warrior Queen Alicia's steps were unsteady, her brow furrowing slightly with each step. She could barely stand without Euron's support.
Barron's gaze swept between the two, finally fixing on the faint red marks barely visible at Alicia's neck. His thick brows shot up. He suddenly extended a muscular arm, catching Euron's neck in a headlock.
"That's my boy!" His booming voice echoed across the entire deck. "So this is how you bring peace to Nas Island? You're sending a daughter to Women Island?!"
Euron, unable to breathe from the squeeze, rolled his eyes helplessly, but caught sight of Alicia's slight smile, a faint blush rising on her pale cheeks.
When Euron suggested sending a longboat to escort Alicia back to Women Island, the warrior queen was leaning against the ship's rail, combing her wind-tangled hair. Without looking up, she answered, "Does it only take once to get pregnant?"
The entire deck fell into an eerie silence. Even the sailors collecting the sails froze mid-motion.
Euron, rarely at a loss for words, opened his mouth only to be cut off by Alicia.
She turned to face him, her pearl necklace gleaming brilliantly in the sunlight. "I'm staying with the fleet until I confirm I'm pregnant, then I'll go back." She tapped the short sword at her waist confidently. "Don't worry—I don't need anyone's protection. Even pregnant, I won't stop practicing swordplay. I can still fight."
Clang— A sailor nearby dropped a rope cleat.
Another sailor, swabbing the deck, upended an entire bucket of water on himself.
Euron looked at this sixteen-year-old queen and finally understood what it meant when customs differed—communication became nearly impossible.
The sea breeze carried the distant cries of gulls, as if the very birds were expressing their astonishment at this conversation.
Euron glanced around at his Iron Islander crew. They quickly pretended to be occupied with their tasks, as if they'd heard nothing whatsoever...