Celaena forces herself to stand despite her injured leg, and a blue mark burns on her forehead as Cain prepares to kill her. Drawing on the opening Chaol had earlier identified, Celaena charges Cain and drives the broken staff into his unguarded side. Celaena then wounds Cain's arms, knocks Cain down, and pins the jagged staff to Cain's throat.

Celaena briefly considers killing Cain to keep Cain from revealing what Cain knows about Celaena's identity, parents, Wyrdmarks, and power. Instead, Celaena looks to the king. After a tense silence, the king declares Dorian's Champion the victor, meaning Celaena has won the competition and will become the King's Champion.

As Celaena realizes she has survived and won, Nehemia collapses nearby and her bodyguards rush to her. Celaena tries to move toward Nehemia but falls. Dorian runs to Celaena, sees the extent of Celaena's injuries, orders a healer, and blames himself for failing to intervene when Celaena was drugged and beaten.

While Dorian holds Celaena, Cain secretly draws a dagger after exchanging a look with the king. Chaol sees Cain about to stab Celaena in the back and instinctively kills Cain with his sword. Cain dies, and Chaol is horrified by having killed a man, unable to stop staring at the blood on his hands as guards help Chaol away.

Celaena trembles and tells Dorian that Chaol should not have killed Cain, then says that someone saved her and took the poison from her, though Dorian does not understand. Dorian notices the faded mark on Celaena's brow and recognizes that Cain's mention of Celaena's parents had shaken her deeply. Dorian carries Celaena to her rooms with the physician following, convinced that he loves Celaena and will not let politics, the king, or fear keep him from her.

Kaltain watches Dorian carry Celaena away and cannot understand why the bloodbane failed. In pain and fury, Kaltain confronts Perrington with the empty vial, but Perrington loudly pretends ignorance and exposes her as the poisoner. The duke orders guards to restrain Kaltain, the king refuses to defend her, and Kaltain realizes Perrington used her as a scapegoat before she is dragged away.