Contents
Glorian
Overview
Glorian recuperates in Hróth, confronting grief and numbness until cold-water rites revive her resolve. King Einlek raises a political gambit: betrothing infant Sabran to the Sea King’s younger son to keep Mentendon in Virtudom. Returning to Inys, Glorian clashes with Prince Guma over his covert heathen plot and threats, reasserts her strength, then spirals into panic before Siyu comforts her and brings her back inside.
Summary
Haunted by nightmares and reluctant to leave her infant, Glorian travels to Hróth at Einlek’s urging to recover from months of despair. At the mountain lodge, her troubled aunt Ólrun names the deepening cold the Vildavintra. Seeking relief, Glorian embraces an icy plunge that shocks away her numbness and restores a fragile sense of self.
Over breakfast, Einlek dismisses Ólrun’s omen but raises statecraft: to secure Virtudom and Mentendon, he proposes betrothing Princess Sabran to the Sea King’s younger son, Haynrick, years in the future. Glorian understands the necessity yet recoils as a mother, leaving the question unsettled as she prepares to return to Inys.
On the voyage home, Glorian steels herself, vowing to be the monarch her parents needed. Arriving early at Drouthwick, she is intercepted by Prince Guma, who summons her to supper and forces a confrontation about letters exposing his collusion with Lord Robart Eller to convert her to the old hawthorn-and-yew faith.
Guma admits the plot, frames it as a salvation for Inys, and threatens that his believers and raiders can reach her loved ones if he is barred from Sabran. Glorian rejects him, invoking Bardholt’s ruthless justice and declaring herself hardened by her ancestors. She warns him to cease threatening her family.
Shaken by his words about her daughter’s fate, Glorian rushes to the nursery, seizes Sabran, and flees into the snowy queenswood in panic. Overwhelmed by duty and fear of repeating cycles of sacrifice, she breaks down. Siyu finds them, offers gentle solidarity and practical help, calms Sabran, and leads Glorian back indoors.
Who Appears
- Glorian BerethnetQueen of Inys; seeks healing in Hróth, weighs Sabran’s betrothal, confronts Guma’s heathen plot, and suffers a panic before accepting Siyu’s help.
- Prince Guma UfarassusYscalin consort; exposed for conspiring to convert Glorian, challenges her faith, and threatens influence over her loved ones.
- Einlek HraustrKing of Hróth; hosts Glorian, proposes betrothing Sabran to the Sea King’s younger son to secure Virtudom.
- SiyuLady-in-waiting and mother; comforts Glorian during a breakdown, soothes Sabran, and guides them back inside.
- Ólrun HraustrEinlek’s aunt; senses and names the coming great chill, the Vildavintra.
- Princess SabranGlorian’s infant daughter; subject of political betrothal talks; her distress triggers Glorian’s panic before Siyu calms her.