The chapter is set outside a castle in Lancaster, where the main character, Altha, is released into a bustling crowd.
Altha is initially disoriented and fears recognition amidst the chaos of people reacting to news of Queen Anne's death.
She reflects on her own near-execution and the oddity of her survival when a sympathetic juror approaches her.
The juror, whose wife's life was once saved by a wise woman, gives Altha a velvet pouch filled with gold coins.
Realizing that the memory of the wise woman influenced her verdict, Altha accepts a ride from a pedlar in exchange for one gold coin.
She travels back to her village, Crows Beck, and falls asleep in the pedlar's cart, comforted by the surrounding blankets.
When Altha arrives at her cottage, she finds it vandalized, with various items broken or destroyed.
Despite the damage, she's relieved to find her goat unharmed and still has one surviving chicken for eggs.
Altha uses remaining food sources to sustain herself, including vegetables from her garden, and finds ways to stay warm without the destroyed shutters.
After putting her cottage in order, Altha begins to write down her story, fearing the villagers may still harm her despite being acquitted.
She expresses a desire to write her account as a form of comfort and potential legacy, though she fears a future outside her home.
The story then flashes back to an event from the previous year involving her friend Grace, hinting at a significant past occurrence.
Altha hints at a broader history of women like her, dubbing them "Weyward," and struggles to decide where her story truly begins.