After days of hiding in her room at Grindill, grieving and avoiding the aftermath of the battle, Freya is finally drawn out by the skald Steinunn and the insistent Ylva. Steinunn asks Freya to share her personal account of the battle for a song meant to spread her fame across Skaland, but Freya refuses, unwilling to relive the horror. Steinunn gently reveals she herself has endured tragedy and urges Freya to attend her performance that evening, suggesting Freya needs to see what others witnessed. Though reluctant, Freya cleans herself up and steps out of her room.

Outside her door, Freya discovers Bjorn has been sleeping on a pallet in the hallway, ostensibly on Snorri's orders to watch over her well-being, though the implication is that the concern is about what Freya might do to herself. Bjorn informs her that two more jarls—Arme Gormson and Ivar Rolfson—have come to swear oaths to Snorri, now styling himself king, and that Steinunn's songs will draw more. As they walk through the town, Freya notices the people of Grindill watching her with unmistakable wariness and fear, not gratitude. Bjorn bluntly tells her the people don't hate her—they fear her.

Bjorn leads Freya to the longhouse where her brother Geir and his new wife Ingrid are staying. Freya is angry to learn Geir voluntarily came to Grindill and rejoined Snorri's war band, bringing Ingrid with him. She tries to explain that their proximity only gives Snorri more leverage over her, making them hostages against her obedience. Geir dismisses her concerns, accusing her of ingratitude and comparing her unfavorably to her former husband Vragi. He insists he earned his place in the war band and resents that Freya's status comes from her blood magic rather than merit.

The argument escalates when Geir calls Freya a "mad bitch," repeating what people apparently say about her. Bjorn immediately attacks Geir, slamming him onto a table and pinning him, shouting that Geir doesn't deserve to call Freya family. Ingrid begs Freya to intervene, crying that Freya is supposed to protect them. Freya is momentarily paralyzed, questioning whether her instinct to protect her family still defines her. Ultimately, she orders Bjorn to stop and coldly tells Geir and Ingrid they've made their own choices and must live with the consequences. She then walks out, leaving them behind.