He emptied the Tideguard for his mistress, and the court fell Episode 3

Episode 3 · Maren Ashforth, Nereus Thorne, Seraphine Voss

Episode 3 recap

Willa points out Maren Ashforth's heavy pregnancy and insists on swimming through the Darkcurrent Trench to find King Nereus and the Tideguard. Outside, invaders pick up the scent of merfolk near the hidden entrance and start smashing it with heavy weapons. Willa comes back thirty minutes later, covered in mud and cut by reefs. She breaks down and tells the waiting survivors that Nereus and his guards refused to help them.

Episodes

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9

Episode 3 scene by scene

00:00: Willa Volunteers to Seek Help
Willa looks at Maren Ashforth's advanced pregnancy and steps forward in the sanctuary grotto. She offers to brave the Darkcurrent Trench herself. Willa insists that the Tideguard know her as the king's sister and can bring aid back for everyone.
00:26: Raiders Attack the Grotto Gate
Outside the grotto, enemy raiders catch the scent of hiding merfolk. They pinpoint the concealed coral gate and order an immediate assault. The invaders swing heavy weapons against the barrier, determined not to let any court subjects slip away alive.
00:53: A Bleak Report from the Trench
Willa swims back into the grotto thirty minutes later, battered, muddy, and wounded by jagged reefs. Anxious refugees gather around her to ask about the rescue party. Overcome with grief, Willa weeps as she reports that Nereus and the guard refused to return.

Key lines from episode 3

“Maren is pregnant. She can't risk this. I'm Nereus's sister, and the Tideguard know me. Let me go.”
Willa · She says this to Maren before setting off into the dangerous Darkcurrent Trench.

“There's merfolk tide-scent here. They are hiding behind this gate! A court this big can't be empty. They're underneath. Break it open! Don't let a single one escape!”
Raider · The raider yells this outside the grotto after detecting the hidden survivors.

“I'm sorry... they refused.”
Willa · She whispers this through tears to the terrified refugees waiting inside the shelter.

How episode 3 ends

The trapped refugees gasp in absolute shock after hearing that King Nereus and the royal soldiers will not come to save them. Outside, the raiders strike the barrier with unrelenting force. With their king abandoning them and the gate splintering under heavy blows, how will Maren and the survivors protect the court from slaughter?