Freya emerges from the cave to find King Harald of Nordeland and his warriors waiting. Harald greets her warmly and reveals that Bjorn has been working with him for most of his life—that Bjorn is, in fact, a Nordelander, not a Skalander. Freya turns on Bjorn, demanding the truth. Bjorn admits he is a Nordelander and that he, not Ylva, was the traitor feeding information to Harald. Freya is devastated, realizing the depth of his deception: every accusation she'd leveled at Ylva was misdirected, and Bjorn's intimacy and promises from the previous night were built on lies.

Harald explains that Bjorn originally helped orchestrate plans to kill Freya to protect Nordeland, but changed course, believing Freya's fate could be something different. Bjorn insists he loves Freya and was not going to deliver her to Nordeland—that he intended to take her somewhere safe. Harald is disappointed, accusing Bjorn of breaking his oaths and denying Freya the chance to choose Nordeland's cause for herself. Bjorn calls Harald "Father," which shocks Freya further, and he reveals his hatred for Snorri, whom he refuses to acknowledge as his true father. Harald claims most of what Freya knows is based on Snorri's lies.

Consumed by rage and betrayal, Freya screams a curse upon everyone present, damning them to Helheim and denying them Valhalla. The ground trembles and blackened roots erupt from the earth, wrapping around all the warriors. While Bjorn, Harald, Tora, and Skade—protected by their magic—survive, dozens of ordinary Nordelander warriors are killed instantly, dragged down by the roots before the roots vanish. Freya is horrified by what she has done.

Harald is exultant rather than grieving. He declares that Freya is not merely born of a god and mortal but is the daughter of Hel herself—"a child of two bloods" meaning two gods. Her curse literally sent the warriors to Hel's domain. Harald proclaims this power is her destiny: to unite Skaland and destroy all who oppose her. Bjorn steps between them, shouting that Freya is not a weapon, and tells her to run.

Freya flees into the forest but trips and falls, injuring herself against a boulder. As she struggles to rise, Steinunn appears. Freya begs for help, telling Steinunn that Bjorn is allied with Harald. Steinunn smiles and reveals she too is a Nordelander agent, speaking with a Nordeland accent. She blows smoke from a bowl into Freya's face, and Freya's last sight before losing consciousness is the red leather laces on Steinunn's shoes—the same detail that had previously seemed innocuous—confirming Steinunn's betrayal.