Talasyn attempts to sneak out of the palace to inform the Sardovians of Alaric's arrival and seek Vela's counsel, but discovers that security has been tightened due to the Kesathese delegation's presence. Unable to leave, she retreats to her private garden to calm herself. While gazing at the night sky, she observes the Voidfell's nexus point discharging its characteristic amethyst light from a dead volcano on the Dominion's centermost island. She reflects on how little she's been told about void magic, noting only that it is more malleable than other dimensions and can be compressed into aether hearts for muskets. She also thinks painfully of her friend Khaede, who has been missing since the retreat from Lasthaven—either dead or imprisoned—and that she is about to marry the man responsible.

Alaric appears in the garden, having been assigned the suite directly across from hers. Their exchange begins with barbed pleasantries: Alaric remarks that she "cleans up well" and refers to the garden as "ours" after the wedding, while Talasyn demands to know why he's there. He asks how the Lachis'ka ended up a Sardovian helmsman, and she gives a sparse answer—civil war broke out when she was one year old, she was supposed to be evacuated to her mother's homeland but ended up in Sardovia instead. In return, she asks how Alaric became Emperor while his father Gaheris still lives; he offers a rehearsed answer about Gaheris choosing a less involved role in his old age, which Talasyn does not believe.

Alaric notes that he was eight during Nenavar's civil war, implying Talasyn's youth. She retorts that her youth explains why she keeps besting him in combat. In a flash of movement, Alaric backs her to the edge of the garden pool, his hand pressing into the small of her back while she grips his shirtfront. The charged, tense moment—described as a mockery of an embrace—ends when he lifts her bodily and sets her safely away from the water. Shaken by the physical proximity and the ease with which he moved her, Talasyn demands to know what they're doing, calling the marriage a horrible idea.

Alaric insists the alliance prevents war and that he cannot leave Nenavar alone because the Night Empire's reputation depends on never appearing weak. Talasyn tries a different approach, suggesting their mutual loathing should dissuade him, even disparaging herself as a poor match. Alaric responds with hollow resolve that she "happens to be" the Lachis'ka and that her identity is "immaterial." Stung, Talasyn throws his words from their last battle back at him—his offer to study their fused magic together. To her surprise, Alaric flinches visibly before masking his reaction, a defense mechanism Talasyn recognizes from her own childhood at the orphanage. She briefly wonders whether his offer in Lasthaven had been sincere, and feels as though she has broken something fragile.

Alaric recovers with steely precision, dismissing his earlier curiosity about their combined magic and calling her "not worth it" if she insists on being difficult. His words cut Talasyn deeply, echoing a lifetime of being told she was too much trouble—too mouthy, too coarse, too alone. She channels her pain into fury, steps into his space, and delivers a fierce declaration of her identity and power: she is Sardovia's Lightweaver, Alunsina Ivralis, Elagbi's daughter, the Dragon Queen's heir, and She Who Will Come After. She warns him never to manhandle her again. Alaric gives a stiff nod—more tactical retreat than surrender—and bids her goodnight. Talasyn storms off to her chambers, silently vowing that the Hurricane Wars are not over and that the Night Empire will someday fall.