"Arrow? What brings you here? Three moons, you're a wreck! Come inside, quick! Minnow, bring bandages."

Arrow stepped into Sei's warm house, wiping a line of blood from the corner of his mouth. "I... I h-have to talk to Sei," he panted, trying to stop his breath from shaking.

"You need to sit down and let me look at your injuries!" Minnow cried, entering the room with a wad of bandages in one talon. "Talons and teeth, these are definitely fight wounds! Pilot, you should get Sei... if he's here in this condition, it must be important, and you know she's always reading about medical stuff."

"Sei!" Pilot called up the stairs. "Sei, Arrow's here!"

Sei rushed down the stairs as Minnow started wrapping a string of bandage around a deep gash on Arrow's foreleg. "Wait, Mother, you're doing it wrong," Sei said, taking the wad from Minnow and redoing it herself. She reached up to bandage his neck. "What are you doing here? And what happened to you? Currasow didn't do this, I'm sure."

"What does Currasow have to do with this?" Minnow asked quizzically.

"Never mind, not important," Sei said quickly, leading Arrow outside. "Arrow and I have to talk privately."

"Y-you're in... you're in danger," Arrow grunted, sitting down heavily.

"What are you talking about? You're the one in danger. Look at these injuries!" She hugged him, and he groaned as something crunched softly in his chest. "By the moons, you have broken ribs!" Sei cried. "This is really serious! And you're covered in blood! Tell me what happened."

"Hearth... he... wait, I can't..." Sei helped Arrow lay down.

"Your father? What did he do? Did... did he do this??"

"Y-you can't know... puts dragons in danger... nobody can know..." Arrow muttered.

"Hearth. It's been Hearth all along! He's been hurting you! That explains... it explains so much!" She hugged him again. He winced put didn't protest, sweeping his wings around her. "Oh, Arrow," she breathed, crying now, "why didn't you tell me?"

"H-h-he said..." Arrow struggled, and Sei realized he might be dying. "He said he'd k-kill you if I ever said anything."

Sei sat up and continued wrapping up his cuts. "Stay awake, Arrow," she pleaded. "Lean up against the wall. You'll breathe easier." With Sei's help, he sat up, leaning against Sei's house. After a few minutes, Sei was finished, and she was sure he'd live. Minnow and Pilot tentatively came outside, but Sei hardly noticed them, leaning into her friends wings. His scales felt so weirdly cold... it was terrifying.

"How long has Hearth been hurting you?" Sei asked softly, and Minnow's eyes widened.

"Ever since M-Mother died," Arrow responded. "My fault, of course."

"You're mother?" Sei asked, taken aback.

"She was just too disappointed in m-me," Arrow growled weakly. "That's why she did it."

"Arrow, no," Sei murmured, grabbing his talon. "You don't really believe that, do you?"

He was silent. "Currasow," he finally said. "Is he...?"

"He survived. He'll be fine," Sei assured him, and he let out a sigh. "I've never seen you like that. So angry... relentless... I... I really thought you were going to kill him."

"Me too," Arrow admitted. "Thanks for stopping me."

"Thanks for saving me from him," Sei agreed. "It was scary, but it was also really brave... and really sweet."

"Oh great," Arrow said. "I definitely beat him up with the intent to be viewed as 'sweet'."

Sei laughed, relived that his dry personality was coming back. "I love you," she said suddenly, surprising herself.

"I love you, too," he murmured, tightening his wing around her.

"Aww," Minnow cooed, clasping her talons.

"Um," Pilot said, "does anyone mind explaining everything to me? Because I'm really confused!"