14 Stark

Stark delivers Lord and Lady Volkenfrost’s party to Sturmfrost, chafing at their pace. After overhearing Lord Erlyn brag about the coronation’s nude anointing and Meryn’s humiliation, Cratos drags Erlyn’s spare horse into the firelight and eats it, and Stark warns the nobles against such traditions.

At the castle, Stark reports to Sovereign Alpha Siegrid, noting her takeover of the regent’s chambers. Siegrid confirms nobles’ attendance and friction with the Mother Priestess over Meryn refusing to undress for the anointing. She then declares Stark will marry Meryn to let them proxy-rule, pressuring him to produce an heir.

Realizing Siegrid intends to control a Therion–Sturmfrost child and eventually eliminate Meryn, Stark nearly attacks but decides killing Siegrid now would doom the coronation. He feigns agreement to revisit the plan after the ceremony, leaving consumed by rage.

In the corridor, Stark encounters a wan, sleep-deprived Meryn. Amid messy chambers and barbed banter, his concern slips into charged flirtation until Saela interrupts. The moment underscores Meryn’s exhaustion and their fraught attraction.

Meryn explains Saela’s condition is stabilized by Anassa’s feeding schedule and Aldrich’s ongoing research. Saela raises the term “Goddess Tear,” linking the opal in Meryn’s crown—exciting the Mother Priestess—and her own heirloom necklace. With the priestess withholding answers, Stark promises to investigate the Goddess Tears. He departs after teasing innuendo, leaving Meryn flustered and the stakes heightened.