As the battered Reckoning approaches Izram, Paedyn watches the city grow from a speck into a maze of docks, noting the damage to the ship and the crew’s nervous avoidance after the recent attack. At Kai’s order a white flag is raised beneath Ilya’s crest to signal peaceful intent, and Kai explains Izram has not seen Ilya’s ships in nearly a decade and fears Elites. On the dock, armed guards led by their captain confront the arrivals; Kai introduces himself as Ilya’s Enforcer and presents Paedyn Gray, the Ordinary, as Ilya’s future queen, here to meet Izram’s ruler. Paedyn adds they bring a gift of roses. After a tense pause, the captain orders weapons lowered and agrees to escort them to the castle.

Escorted through a calm and orderly seaside city of blue banners and courteous townsfolk, Paedyn, Kai, and Captain Torri are surrounded by guards who keep a wary focus on Kai. They climb to a bright, airy castle adorned in white stone and blue flags. Before entering the throne room, Kai quietly checks on Paedyn, reassuring her that she is the leader Ilya needs; Torri interjects with banter about ship names and expresses doubt about the Reckoning’s condition.

In the throne room, Paedyn and Kai meet Queen Zailah, who sits in a striking throne fashioned from bones and scrutinizes them with vivid green eyes. Kai formally announces their purpose: to reopen trade and introduce Paedyn as future queen. Zailah remarks on Paedyn’s notoriety and the engagement ring, inviting an explanation. Paedyn outlines Ilya’s resource shortages, Kitt Azer’s intent to restore coexistence and trade, and her marriage to bridge Ordinaries and Elites, as well as her ongoing self-imposed Trials to win over hostile Elites.

The queen presses about rumors of treason and the death of Kitt’s father; Paedyn calls it a misunderstanding recognized by the kingdom. When Zailah dismisses Ilya’s plea as a “cry for help,” Paedyn asserts she speaks for herself and the powerless, not for the king. Zailah refuses to welcome Ilya broadly but admits she is intrigued by Paedyn’s determination, saying she will attempt benevolence for Paedyn while showing only mercy toward Ilya.

Paedyn offers the roses as a gift of goodwill from the king; Zailah accepts the gesture but probes Paedyn’s knowledge about them, which Paedyn denies having beyond their healing properties. Zailah asks how their ship survived her Shallows; Captain Torri attempts to take credit, but Zailah dismisses his boasting since they did not encounter “the beast.” She decrees they have three days to repair the Reckoning, grants Paedyn rooms in the castle, and orders the rest back to the ship.

The audience closes with Zailah calling her captain of the guard by name, Adyn, and instructing him to escort Paedyn to her quarters and ensure Kai and Torri return to the harbor. Paedyn, relieved yet cautious, accepts the limited hospitality as the first step toward reopening ties with Izram.