"We can't fix it because you never change."

"Never change? Have you forgotten how I was when you first met me?" Liadan asked. "You couldn't even touch me."

"But you refuse to put the family first and think about their safety before you act on things. You never should have gone down to that dungeon. Never."

"I wanted to make sure those momzers would be dead. The world would be a safer place if those momzers were all dead." Liadan said. "It wasn't easy for me to go down in that dungeon you know."

"We have noble rule here now. You are just going to have to trust that Wulfsen will do his job."

"Aron, don't you realize what Mazi did to Ila? How young she is? He should have been killed as soon as he was captured." Liadan said.

"You can't grasp the concept that they wanted information out of him. What he did was horrible but Wulfsen needs to learn what these mermen are like so he can figure out how to fight them."

"What could that mermomzer have told him? How he abused Ila?" Liadan asked. "If they let me question him maybe I could have got him talking. But instead they let him live for weeks. He shouldn't have survived a day."

"How many women they have taken or tricked, how many here are actually mermen. At the time, where Nelek was. How many there are. A lot of things."

"If he hadn't talked after a day he wouldn't be talking in two weeks." Liadan said. "He never told them anything useful."

Aron sighed and started walking. It always had to be her way and he was tired of it. He was tired of being the one always giving in. He was done.

"Aron Buckley!" Liadan shouted.

Aron continued to walk. He was tired of the constant fighting, being trod on and feeling like less than the head of the family. He was tired of always being the one to concede. No more.

Liadan swore again and ran to catch up with Aron. She was getting frustrated with how he wasn't even trying.

"Aron, Ila is no older than Yehudit... Mazi could have just as easily abused Yehudit that way. He shouldn't draw breath."

"And Wulfsen and Xavier will make certain he gets the deserved justice. Meting out justice is their job along with the guard. Not mine, not yours."

"Protecting our children is our job!" Liadan said. "Remember when we were young and found out that Jeremy had hit Brie? I wanted to beat him up for it and you went right along with me. What happened to you?"

"Jeremy was human. He was someone we had a chance, no matter how small, of winning against him. These mermen...they're not human. They torture, they kidnap...I would rather get my children to a safe place than try to face them. We have no chance of winning against them."

"You'll let these mermomzers push us around because they're not human?" Liadan was disgusted. "Galina was the least human enemy we had ever faced, she did all that and worse. We never fled her. I recall that you wouldn't let me."

Aron just stared at her. She was going to make him admit out loud something that he didn't even want to admit to himself. "Maybe I'm just too old to be able to fight well. Or even survive a fight. I want to see my children grow up, not have them grow up without a father."

Liadan stared back. "You're not old. We're just not as young." Liadan reached for Aron.

"I feel old. If someone hadn't stepped in that day, Jack probably would have killed me when I took him on. I don't want to put you and the kids through losing me. It's better to just take them somewhere safe. Maybe Uncle James and Aunt Olivia."

Liadan slipped her hand into Aron's. "All our friends and family are here. They'll help protect us and our children."

"I'm sure everyone's tired of fighting.. None of our friends and close family are getting any younger either. I've been noticing for a while that Shawn is in pain most of the time, though he won't admit it."

"We're still safer here." Liadan said.

Aron sighed. She just didn't understand and she never would. He started walking again.