Imprisoned beneath Grindill, Bjorn loses his sense of time and clings to the hope that Kaja has carried the truth about Harald to Guthrum. He worries that Freya may still be trapped, starving, and vulnerable to Skade, and sleep is his only escape from helplessness. When alarm sounds above, Bjorn briefly hopes Harald has been exposed, but the noise fades. Faced with Tora as his guard, Bjorn considers escaping by killing her, yet he cannot bring himself to murder someone who feels like family, especially because Harald clearly chose Tora to force that cruelty on him.

As Bjorn steels himself to call his axe despite his chains, Steinunn arrives. She reveals that Freya was in Grindill that night, alive and free, and that Freya has raised the Skalander warriors she cursed to Helheim as undead, including her own brother. Steinunn admits Freya came seeking her help and told her the truth about Harald, but Steinunn betrayed Freya’s presence because she believed Harald had given her justice by arranging Snorri’s death. Freya and Geir escaped, but the revelation enrages Bjorn, who condemns Steinunn for choosing revenge over truth.

Their argument turns personal. Steinunn says Bjorn also ignored Harald’s evil while chasing revenge for his mother, and Bjorn counters that Harald betrayed him first because Bjorn’s loyalty had been sworn to a lie. Bjorn explains that Harald wore Snorri’s face when he attacked Saga, and that deception led to the deaths of both Bjorn’s mother and father. When Steinunn finally chooses to tell her own story through song, Bjorn witnesses the truth of her past: Harald and his Nameless murdered Steinunn’s husband and child while making it appear to be Skaland’s crime, then used her grief to draw her into his service.

Realizing Harald created her tragedy and then posed as her savior, Steinunn understands that Snorri never killed her family. Tora, unable to speak openly against Harald because of her oath, helps as much as she can by plugging her ears so she will not hear any plans. Steinunn tells Bjorn she knows the stories of Harald’s whole cabal and wants to compose a song that exposes their king for what he truly is. Bjorn and Steinunn do not forgive each other, but they become allies against Harald.