On the moonlit terrace, Anassa finally speaks to Meryn through their bond for the first time. Her voice is deep and powerful, and she acknowledges that Meryn has stopped fighting what they are. Through their connection, Meryn feels Anassa's assessment of every time Meryn pushed her away and every time she impressed Anassa with her fighting spirit. Overwhelmed by the flood of Anassa's emotions, Meryn apologizes, and Anassa declares she will work with Meryn but warns her not to make her regret choosing her. The connection then closes—gently, not violently—leaving Meryn with a profound sense of loss and unanswered questions.

The next morning on the training field, the bond between Meryn and Anassa remains open as a porous membrane rather than an iron wall. Meryn forces herself to trust Anassa instead of trying to control her, and during mounted warm-ups and agility drills, she learns to read Anassa's body and intentions instinctively. When Stark assigns a defensive combat scenario, Meryn's swordwork aligns with Anassa's hunting patterns in a near-dance of lethal precision. Stark singles them out with increasingly brutal attacks, sending five simultaneous assailants, but Meryn and Anassa survive undefeated. Their fellow Rawbonds stare in astonishment, and Anassa quietly heals Meryn's bruises—an act of renewed care. Stark watches with a darkening scowl, and Meryn defiantly meets his gaze, aware that her improved performance may protect her from being murdered.

Back in her room, Meryn finds a note from Killian informing her he has news about the Nabbers and instructing her to use a hidden servant's tunnel in her wardrobe. She enters the tunnel, but as she goes deeper, strange whispers echo off the walls, growing louder and leaving her dizzy—reminiscent of her mother's episodes of apparent madness. Meryn becomes disoriented, takes a wrong turn, and descends into forgotten depths of the castle. She stumbles into a collapsed tapestry, revealing a large stone carving of a woman riding a massive wolf, wearing a crown shaped like two direwolves. The carving is ancient and hidden. Anassa stirs with curiosity through the bond. The whispers intensify into a crushing pressure, and Meryn collapses unconscious, her last thought being that Killian will be left waiting.