At the wedding feast, Freya sits at the dais beside Snorri while villagers offer well-wishes tinged with mistrust. She reflects on the seer's prophecy that she will unite Skaland's clans and make Snorri king, questioning how she—bearing the blood of the minor goddess Hlin—could accomplish such a feat when Bjorn, son of the powerful war god Tyr, seems a more fitting candidate. She wonders whether Snorri's theory about Bjorn's fate being entwined with hers holds truth, and she notices Bjorn's absence from the feast as evidence of his refusal to accept any such destiny.

Steinunn, Snorri's skald and a child of the god Bragi, introduces herself to Freya. She explains that she joined Snorri's service to chronicle his prophesied rise to kingship, and she asks Freya to share her personal experience of the inking ritual for a ballad. Freya refuses, unwilling to relive the agony, and Steinunn hints that both Ylva and Bjorn saw more than others during the ritual. When Bjorn finally arrives at the feast, Freya watches with growing jealousy as a redheaded woman flirts openly with him.

Fueled by mead and resentment that Bjorn can simply refuse his role while she remains trapped in a forced marriage, Freya approaches him and demands a private conversation about Snorri's theory. Bjorn dismisses her, mocking his father's habit of twisting myths to suit his ambitions. But when he notices Freya's gloves, the conversation shifts. Bjorn challenges her to remove them, arguing she should wear her scars and tattoos with pride rather than shame. Freya accepts the challenge, ripping off the gloves and throwing them into the fire.

Delighted by her defiance, Bjorn leaps onto the table, pulls Freya up beside him, and raises her scarred right hand for all to see, leading the hall in a toast to "Freya the shield maiden, child of Hlin and lady of Halsar." The crowd cheers enthusiastically, though Ylva watches with cold hostility. Amid the noise, Freya quietly asks Bjorn whether he truly believes their fates are entwined. He tells her plainly not to believe that. He then gives her the name "Born-in-Fire" and speaks of unseen scars carrying no less honor than visible ones.

Snorri interrupts, telling Freya it is time to consummate the marriage. Bjorn briefly holds her wrist before letting go, his fingers trailing across her scarred palm. Freya steels herself, embracing her new identity as Freya Born-in-Fire, and follows Snorri into his chambers with Ylva close behind, determined to endure whatever is required to protect her family.