Rune forces Gideon into a bridal shop fitting room at gunpoint, revealing that she expected him to come after her. Gideon immediately suspects a trap involving Soren and his guards, especially when he sees Rune dressed for her wedding and armed with a revolver Soren loaded for her. Instead of calling for help or killing Gideon, Rune unexpectedly offers a temporary truce.

Rune asks Gideon to smuggle her safely into the New Republic and to give her the sibyl the Republic is holding. In exchange, Rune promises to break off her engagement to Soren, which would destroy his alliance with Cressida. Gideon realizes that if Rune is telling the truth, killing her could push Soren into war anyway, because Soren might support Cressida out of vengeance and wounded pride.

Although Gideon does not trust Rune, her offer gives him a new strategy. Gideon decides to pretend to accept the truce, get Rune onto the island, and then arrest her himself. He plans to use Rune as leverage against Soren, forcing Soren to help eliminate Cressida before Rune is returned. Gideon believes this would restore his standing, protect the Republic, and destroy two threats at once.

Before agreeing, Gideon presses Rune about her motives and accuses her of betraying him and using him while secretly recruiting witches. Rune fires back that Gideon betrayed her first by handing her over to die, and she insists she never knew that the woman she knew as Verity was really Cressida. Gideon still cannot tell whether Rune is sincere, but he formally accepts the temporary truce while privately resolving to stay ahead of her.

Rune begins to explain an escape plan through a back door, but Soren returns to the fitting room sooner than expected. Rune tries to send him away, yet Gideon notices her tension when Soren speaks possessively about seeing her undressed. When Soren pulls back the curtain, Gideon grabs Rune's pistol, presses it to her head, and turns the secret negotiation into an open hostage standoff.