King Ostern Vaegor of The Burn visits Mah, Pah, and the narrator with a political proposal. Because the narrator has turned eighteen, Ostern treats her as a bargaining piece and expects Pah to agree to an arranged bind between her and Ostern’s son, Tyroth Vaegor, in exchange for relief from The Shade’s growing need for agricultural produce.

The narrator rejects the idea immediately and crudely, saying she would rather live on her Moonplume’s waste than bind herself to Tyroth, whose cruelty is obvious to her. Pah scolds the narrator’s language and recalls the harsher discipline of the Boltanic Plains, but when the narrator insists she would still prefer punishment to Tyroth, Pah reveals where his true loyalty lies: he left that world behind, and he refuses to sell his daughter for grain. He kisses her forehead, calls her remarkable, and sends her away with Slátra and Allume so the adults can continue their political discussion.

Left alone with her thoughts, the narrator admits that she hates being called remarkable. She then turns her attention to Haedeon, asking him to come to the hutch, but Haedeon remains distant and unresponsive, still mentally lost after whatever happened in Netheryn. The narrator reflects that the brother who returned is not truly the one who left: Haedeon no longer laughs, speaks, or enjoys the treats he once loved.

Even so, the narrator continues caring for him and physically brings him to the hutch to watch her work on Allume. Allume’s injured wing is steadily healing and seems close to being strong enough for a first flight. Remembering that Haedeon always dreamed of riding his own Moonplume, the narrator clings to the hope that if Allume can finally fly, giving Haedeon that longed-for experience might help bring some part of him back.