The night after the encounter with the lake creature, Celaena helps Rowan re-ink the tattoo around his wrist, which needs repairing now that the burns she gave him have healed. Rowan explains that he learned tattooing in war camps from a commander who marked his victories and battles on his skin. Celaena notices that, despite her lingering grief, she feels clearer and more able to breathe than she has in a long time.

As Celaena works, she asks Rowan about his family, and Rowan answers only after making Celaena speak about her own. Rowan says his very old parents died before he reached his second decade. Celaena explains that her mother nearly died giving birth to her, leaving her an only child, but she also had a cousin, Aedion, whom she loved like a sibling.

Celaena admits that hearing Aedion’s name associated with the king’s army hurts because Aedion had once been fiercely loyal to Terrasen. Celaena fears facing Aedion more than facing the king because Celaena believes she failed Aedion and their people by surviving as an assassin while Terrasen suffered. Rowan points out that Aedion’s army could matter in a war, but Celaena refuses to investigate Aedion’s loyalties.

The conversation turns to Celaena’s refusal to reclaim her throne. Rowan presses Celaena to explain why she will fight for Eyllwe and destroy the king as Celaena but will not consider taking back Terrasen. Celaena says her crown is another set of shackles, revealing her fear that becoming queen would trap her, though Rowan’s notice of the scars on her wrists leads her to deflect with a partial truth about Arobynn’s training.

Celaena explains that she stayed with Arobynn because she wanted to disappear from her enemies and from herself, and because she wanted to learn how to hurt people after being hurt. Rowan accepts that Celaena will tell him her history in her own time but makes clear there is no returning to emotional distance. When Celaena jokes about friendship, Rowan insists he is still her trainer and is also still figuring out what exists between them; Celaena agrees to give Rowan space in return.