Talasyn arrives in Kesath’s capital aboard a diplomatic schooner with Queen Urduja, Prince Elagbi, Jie, the Lachis-dalo, and other Nenavarene guards. The Citadel immediately strikes Talasyn as a bleak military stronghold rather than a city, with controlled ships, bare courtyards, sentry towers, and hangars stretching into barren fields.

Alaric receives Talasyn in full battle regalia and his obsidian mask, accompanied by Sevraim and the Shadowforged twins. Alaric notes that Talasyn brought warships, while Talasyn counters that he is meeting her in armor. Their reunion is outwardly formal and restrained, though Talasyn is unsettled by her lingering attraction to him and by the memory of their wedding night.

As the delegation walks through the Citadel, the twins Ileis and Nisene insult Talasyn as a former Sardovian and mock her new status. Talasyn refuses to be provoked and asserts that she is the Nenavarene Lachis’ka, must be addressed as Your Grace, and will soon be Night Empress. Sevraim laughs approvingly, while Alaric orders Talasyn to walk beside him, sparing her further confrontation but also reminding her of his authority.

The Nenavarene party is placed in an isolated suite and told that meals will be brought to them until the coronation and gala the next day. Alaric’s departure leaves Talasyn irritated by his distant behavior. Afterward, Urduja comments on the Citadel’s ugliness and frames Talasyn’s coming rule as an opportunity to reshape the empire, but she also subtly warns Talasyn that the room’s architecture may allow eavesdropping from behind a mantelpiece.

Switching languages and lowering her voice, Urduja explains that Alaric’s decision to house them apart from the rest of the Citadel suggests he wants to limit exposure to Talasyn, may be hiding information, may not truly want an alliance, or all of these. Talasyn feels unexpectedly hurt despite knowing that she also intends to betray him. Urduja advises Talasyn to keep her head clear while Urduja uses the coronation to gather information.

That night, Talasyn looks out over the dark Citadel and imagines flying across the ruined Sardovian lands: the Great Steppe, the Highlands, and the shattered Heartland. Guilt overwhelms her because she has returned to the Continent married to the man who helped destroy it, but she reminds herself that the marriage keeps people alive for now. She cannot move against Gaheris yet, because Nenavar needs Kesath’s help against the Voidfell, but she clings to the belief that afterward she can kill the Regent and help the Sardovian remnant reclaim its homeland.