Chaol and Yrene arrive at Anielle by ruk and land on the battlements of Westfall Keep. The sentries do not recognize or welcome them at first, and Yrene takes in the bleak fortress city: cold, gray, defensive, and neglected. Chaol announces himself as Lord Chaol Westfall and demands to see his father.

As Chaol and Yrene are escorted through the keep, Yrene reflects on Chaol’s painful childhood there, especially the memory of his father throwing him down stone steps. Chaol keeps a composed, lordly manner, but Yrene senses the emotional cost of returning. The keep’s gloom and disrepair intensify Chaol’s discomfort at bringing Yrene into the place that scarred him.

Chaol’s father receives them coldly, does not rise, and immediately tests Chaol by remarking that Chaol can walk again. Chaol credits Yrene and introduces her as his wife, Lady Yrene Towers Westfall. Chaol’s father insults Yrene’s lack of noble lineage and compares her unfavorably to Aelin, but Yrene calmly refuses to let him define her worth, while Chaol fiercely defends her as the finest healer of her generation.

Chaol explains that he and Yrene came to warn Anielle: Morath is sending ten thousand troops to sack the city. Chaol urges his father to rally defenses, evacuate civilians, bring people into the keep, and prepare for a siege until the khagan’s forces and rukhin support arrive. Chaol’s father admits Anielle has too few soldiers to stop such an army and reveals that Chaol’s mother and brother Terrin have already been sent into the mountains.

Yrene confronts Chaol’s father, listing Chaol’s achievements: securing the khaganate alliance, bringing healers from the Torre Cesme, and returning with armies that may save Anielle. Chaol then presses his father to seek help from the wild men of the White Fangs, arguing that Morath’s threat should unite former enemies. Chaol’s father refuses to surrender land or ask them for aid, and Chaol leaves him with a final warning that if the city is not prepared, the destruction will be on his head.