At night, Freya and Geir lead a small infiltration toward Grindill by using ropes in the river to reach the submerged drain beneath the fortress. Freya hides behind drifting branches to avoid the guards on the wall, then dives under the surface and nearly drowns while pulling herself through the flooded tunnel. When she finally reaches air, she discovers the passage is clogged with the rotting bodies of the warriors who had accompanied Ylva, and Geir points out that their hidden corpses are further proof that the man ruling as Snorri is an impostor willing to murder his own men.

Freya and Geir wait below the great hall until the revelry above quiets, but before that, they overhear Harald speaking with Steinunn. Steinunn is furious that Harald appears allied with Snorri and that Freya is still alive, yet Harald soothes her by claiming the alliance is only a temporary ruse meant to preserve peace until he can give Snorri the punishment he deserves. From this exchange, Freya realizes Steinunn does not know Harald is wearing Snorri’s face and thinks she may still be able to turn the skald against him.

Near dawn, Freya and Geir climb out of the drain, disguise themselves under cloaks, and move through the hall as if they are drunken revelers. They narrowly avoid discovery when Ylva and Harald, still posing as Snorri, pass them in the corridor while discussing arriving jarls, Leif’s attempts to see Bjorn, and the coming execution. Inside Steinunn’s chamber, Geir catches the skald before she can escape, and Freya explains everything: Harald is a child of Loki, Saga was part of his deception, Snorri is dead by Bjorn’s hand, and Freya returned from Helheim with draugr after being trapped on the island. Freya asks Steinunn to use her song-magic at the execution to reveal the truth publicly.

Instead of joining Freya, Steinunn fixates on one fact alone: Snorri is dead, which means the man who destroyed her family has been punished. Freya argues that Harald has lied to her and to everyone else, but Steinunn no longer cares because Harald has already delivered the revenge she wanted most. Freya understands too late that justice for Steinunn matters more than truth, and when Freya presses her, Steinunn screams for help and ruins the plan.

As Grindill wakes in alarm, Freya wants to race for Bjorn, fearing Harald will hurt or kill him before the public execution. Geir stops her, insisting Bjorn is bait and that they do not have enough fighters to free him without slaughtering Skalanders who have been deceived rather than choosing evil knowingly. Freya reluctantly agrees to flee, vowing she will still save Bjorn if she must kill everyone standing between them. As terrified servants and drunken warriors scatter at the sight of the draug, Freya escapes back toward the drains knowing her one covert chance to change the outcome has failed, and Bjorn will bear the cost.