This chapter is a flashback to Oak's childhood, shortly after he crowned Cardan as High King. Oriana sits with young Oak and tells him the story of his birth mother, Liriope, framing it as a fairy tale. She reveals that Oak is not biologically her son, nor Madoc's: Liriope was beautiful and irresistible, became a consort of the old king, but bore a child fathered by the king's son, Prince Dain. Fearing his father's disfavor, Dain poisoned Liriope to silence her.

Oak struggles to understand why someone who loved Liriope would kill her. Oriana explains that Dain loved power more than the woman, and counsels Oak that when he loves someone, he must be better than his father Dain was. Oak is unsettled by the realization that Dain is his biological father and that his Greenbriar traits, including his hooves and horns, come from him.

Oriana also warns Oak about the inheritance from Liriope: a charm magic that lets him perceive what people most want to hear and become the embodiment of their desires. She tells him this power is dangerous, that twisting himself to fit others' wishes could cause him to lose himself, and that not everyone needs to love him. Young Oak, however, enjoys being loved by everyone and cannot grasp why this would be a problem, foreshadowing the conflicts of his adult life.