Gabriel drifted awake in the Infirmary and sensed Astrid Rennier beside him. Astrid confronted Gabriel, angry that he had petitioned Empress Isabella to end Astrid’s exile without her consent. Gabriel defended the act as granting Astrid freedom from a place she hated, but Astrid challenged his assumptions, admitting that hatred did not govern her choices.

Pressed, Gabriel tried to hold to his oath-bound celibacy and to the practical barrier that Astrid would soon be wed to another. Astrid pushed past his evasions, demanding honesty: if Gabriel did not want her, she would leave and never think of him again; but if he did, she would not give her heart to a coward. Gabriel confessed he could not deny wanting her.

Astrid urged Gabriel to take her, defying God, the Mothermaid, the Martyrs, and any vows. They yielded to desire and made love in secret, aware of the danger of discovery in the quiet Infirmary. During their intimacy, Astrid asked Gabriel to bite her; after hesitation about leaving a visible mark, Gabriel fed from her breast, experiencing overwhelming bliss as he drank.

Afterward, the pair lay together in silence, recognizing their act as a sin that could bring punishment from their order and divine judgment. Gabriel admitted he did not care, while Astrid suggested they could leave. Gabriel refused, acknowledging that neither truly wished to flee and that leaving would be cowardice.

They agreed to love in the dark, keeping their relationship secret until the war was won. Gabriel promised that afterward they would be together “forever,” and he silently vowed to give everything—his blood and his life—if only he could have Astrid.