Having escaped his cell, Oak makes his way through the busier-than-before Citadel, blending in with the influx of courtiers, trolls, and selkies arriving to court the new ice queen. Aware that his filthy clothes and bridled face make him conspicuous, he finds the laundry near the kitchens, bathes in a vat of warm soapy water, and steals a damp soldier's uniform to disguise himself. He weighs his options: he could likely walk out of the Citadel, bribe his way to safety with the snake's stones, or even retrieve his horse Damsel Fly from the stables and return to Elfhame.

Oak ultimately rejects escape, drawn instead by his need to see Wren. He slips into the Great Hall and observes her holding court, transformed into an imperious winter queen rather than the shrinking girl he once knew. Bogdana, the storm hag, publicly demands that Wren return Mab's bones to restore her power, names herself Wren's maker, and presses her claim by bringing two hag companions—Mother Marrow and a cloaked, golden-scaled man.

Mother Marrow gifts Wren a magical white walnut that conjures a cottage, a present Wren receives with rare warmth. The cloaked man begins to offer to "undo" something at Bogdana's bidding, but Wren cuts him off sharply, refusing to let her Court hear the rest. Oak notices Wren swaying as she stands, visibly thinner, feverish, and unwell—suggesting Bogdana chose this confrontation to exploit a moment of weakness. Wren refuses Bogdana and sweeps from the hall with her guards.

Oak follows, hides briefly in an empty courtier's room, then slips into Wren's tower chambers, finding the door unguarded and unlocked. Inside, he discovers Wren asleep in her curtained bed, her skin glassy with sweat or ice, eyes moving restlessly. As he reaches toward her without touching, she opens her eyes.