Gideon finds Rune alone beneath a waterfall and immediately sees the fresh whip scars covering her back. Realizing Cressida tortured Rune to break the curse, he confronts Rune about why she hid the truth from him. Rune is ashamed and frightened, but Gideon makes clear that her bloodline does not repel him and asks to see the wounds.

When Rune lets the towel fall, Gideon is horrified by the damage and rejects Rune’s fear that she is now ugly. He embraces her, kisses the scars, and tells Rune that the marks prove her courage and kindness because she endured Cressida’s cruelty to spare him. Their touch causes him no pain, confirming that the curse is truly broken, and Rune admits she did it because she loves him and could not bear to lose him again.

Their reunion turns intimate as Rune touches the brand on Gideon’s chest and sees that her sacrifice worked. Gideon kisses her, and the two briefly enjoy a moment with no secrets or curse between them. That peace breaks when Rune asks Gideon to leave with her so they can live somewhere far away from the war and Cressida.

Gideon refuses because fleeing would abandon their allies and allow Cressida to win. He argues that the island is still their home and worth fighting for, and he asks Rune to stay and help build a better world alongside him. Rune, however, says home means safety and insists that Cressida will kill them both if they remain.

As the argument deepens, Rune finally admits the true source of her fear: she can survive other losses, but not Gideon’s death at Cressida’s hands. Gideon answers that Rune is stronger than she thinks, but Rune says that strength is gone and makes him choose. When Gideon again refuses to run because too many lives depend on him, Rune accepts his answer, says goodbye, mounts Lady, and rides away while Gideon lets her go.