"Mother..." Caspian suddenly asked as he finally looked up from the glowing artifact. "Who? Who could possibly tame the rogue leviathans and unite the trenches?"
Nerissa's depthless blue eyes softened with pride. She reached out, her iridescent sleeves shimmering in the firelight, and gently covered his shaking hand with her own cold, elegant fingers.
"Keenan," Nerissa revealed softly.
Caspian's breath violently hitched. "Keenan? But... he hated the throne. He resented the royal bloodline."
"He was," Nerissa agreed, offering a slow, knowing nod. "But your willingness to sacrifice your entire oceanic existence for the love of a terrestrial pack, violently woke him up. When the crown fell to him, he realized he could no longer afford to be a bitter shadow. He stepped up, Caspian. And the weight of the crown completely transformed him."
