After the battle, Snorri is elated that Freya set fire to Gnut's ships, viewing it as confirmation of the seer's prophecy. He downplays Bjorn's role entirely, crediting Freya publicly. However, many of Halsar's people cast dark, resentful glances at Freya, blaming her as the reason Gnut attacked. Eighteen people died in the raid, including elderly and children slaughtered in their beds. Freya helps tend the wounded and attends the funeral pyres the next morning, carrying her father's sword, which Snorri hasn't noticed or commented on.

During the funeral, Freya spots a mysterious hooded figure walking along the waterline, appearing to burn with smoke and embers, but the figure vanishes before Ylva can see it. Ylva dismisses Freya's observation as disrespectful. The crowd's hostility toward Freya is palpable until Bjorn arrives behind her with his flaming axe, silently intimidating the onlookers into looking away. Snorri chastises Bjorn for arriving late—he was supposed to light the pyres—and Bjorn claims he overslept, though Freya senses he's lying.

Snorri announces a feast to honor the dead and plans for revenge against Gnut. Afterward, he summons Freya and Bjorn for a private conversation. Ylva demands Freya be beaten for disobeying orders, but Bjorn counters that Ylva was the one who failed Snorri's command to keep Freya inside. He argues Freya should be rewarded for saving Halsar, and that Ylva should be grateful rather than vindictive. Snorri agrees that no one will be punished, acknowledging his own failure to heed Hlin's warnings.

Snorri then reveals his true purpose: citing the seer's foretelling that Bjorn's fate is entwined with Freya's, he orders Bjorn to serve as Freya's protector and trainer. Bjorn must teach Freya to fight, including in a shield wall, and turn her into a warrior the people will follow. Furthermore, Bjorn must remain at Freya's side day and night until she fulfills her destiny. Bjorn resists furiously, insisting this is not his destiny, but Snorri gives him an ultimatum—obey or leave. Bjorn grudgingly accepts, requesting one final night of freedom. Freya silently laments that the gods have given her what she wanted—Bjorn's constant presence—while simultaneously making it a torment given their forbidden attraction.