Talasyn walks down the aisle, battling anxiety about stumbling and haunted by a memory of Darius joking at Khaede and Sol's wedding about whether she'd be next. She manages to reach Alaric's side without incident and hands her bouquet to Jie. She takes in Alaric's appearance—black tunic, obsidian livery collar, platinum cape, and ruby circlet—and finds him less harsh up close in the emerald-tinted sunset light. They simultaneously bow and curtsy, a compromise negotiated by Daya Rasmey so that neither party would concede rank to the other, then ascend the glass platform steps arm in arm.

As Talasyn struggles on the slippery stairs in her heavy diamond-laden gown, Alaric steadies her instinctively, and they exchange quiet, bickering remarks. At the altar, they sign two marriage contracts—one to be kept and one burned in the dragon censer so the smoke can carry news of the union to the ancestors in the Sky Above the Sky. When they clasp bare hands for the wrist-binding rite, Talasyn is startled by the electric, soothing sensation of skin-on-skin contact. Her Lightweave reaches for his Shadowgate, and the connection feels anchoring, offering a sense of peace she has never known—until she notices Alaric's seemingly unaffected expression and forces herself to regain composure.

The officiant binds their wrists with a red silk cord and delivers a blessing about the hands that will love, comfort, build, and hold children. The words shake Alaric deeply; he reflects that his blood-stained hands could never fulfill such promises, and that his parents' failed marriage is his only model. He is overwhelmed by the warmth of Talasyn's touch, which floods his cold, Shadowgate-scarred interior and reawakens a buried hunger for physical contact he believed he had conquered. He rushes through his vows while unable to look away from Talasyn, wishing he could mean the words.

Talasyn stumbles over the opening of her vows but recovers, pledging to raise armies in his defense and stand by his side, to love wholly in light and darkness. Alaric is pierced by the realization that no one has ever told him he wouldn't have to fight alone. They exchange rings, and the officiant pronounces them bonded for life, instructing Talasyn to kiss her consort. Panicking, Talasyn intends a quick peck, but when their lips meet, she is undone by the warmth and the spark of magic between them. Alaric deepens the kiss, pulling her close, and she feels his heart racing as wildly as her own. Self-preservation finally compels her to break away. Gongs ring across Eskaya, the orchestra plays, guests rise, and the sun sets. Talasyn and Alaric stare at each other in the shadow of the dragon altar—married.