Finley and Nyfain grow closer in these chapters as each starts to work through their preconceived notions of the other. Nyfain realizes Finley’s resilience arises from her experience Escaping Restrictive Gender Norms. Because she is different, she stands out, and that has made her willing to try where others give up. He doesn’t yet understand the importance of her perspective, which leads to an unexpected clash between his hopelessness and her determination. By contrast, Finley starts to see how Nyfain’s life as evidence of The Harm that Comes from Shirking Responsibility. Where Nyfain expects Finley to take responsibility for his attraction to her, this shirking of responsibility does not translate to the rest of who Nyfain is. When it comes to protecting the kingdom and dealing with the demons, Nyfain shows a level of responsibility he does not show in his personal life. Both Finley and Nyfain put the wellbeing of others before themselves. While they exercise control in different ways, they put their control toward the same goals, bringing out each’s sense of competition and foreshadowing how they will have to put their competitive natures aside to work together and save the kingdom.

Chapter 10 delves deeper into Nyfain’s past and his own struggles with Escaping Restrictive Gender Norms. Like Finley, Nyfain experienced the pressure of what society has dictated a man should be, which often directly contradicted who Nyfain is. Nyfain’s father believed in adherence to traditional gender roles and reinforced that adherence among his children. As a result, Nyfain was forced to pride himself on strength and dominance when his true nature was caring, and this internal conflict resulted in Nyfain feeling conflicted about who he should be—all the way up until the present. His inability to reconcile his father’s demands with his mother’s kindness makes him a victim of his own desires. He does not trust his emotions around Finley because he has been taught that his feelings will lead him astray. Since Finley is unaware of this, she sees his back-and-forth toward her as surliness, which triggers her own anger because it reminds her of her ex-boyfriend and how he lied about his feelings. This also shows how Finley’s internal motivations counter one another. She is willing to do whatever it takes to save lives, but she is unwilling to take responsibility for Nyfain’s emotional life, recognizing that this responsibility is his alone.

Chapters 12 and 13 borrow heavily from the Disney adaptations of Beauty and the Beast. Finley’s exploration of the garden and queen’s chambers in Chapter 12 alludes to Belle’s visiting the forbidden West Wing in the movie. The decay of the queen’s chambers coupled with details like a mirror are further similarities between these two versions of the story, and the rosebush in the floor alludes to the movie’s enchanted rose. Nyfain’s arrival mimics Belle being discovered by the Beast, as does his defense of the rosebush. Breene expands upon the movie version by making the roses a symbol of Nyfain’s relationship with his mother, deepening the emotional significance of this symbol. As in the movie, Nyfain refuses to explain to Finley the true significance of the roses, instead displaying an inappropriate emotional response to finding Finley in his mother’s quarters. Finley’s battle to escape the Forbidden Wood in Chapter 13 calls to Belle’s encounter with the wolves and sets up for how Finley and Nyfain grow closer, only for him to pull away.

The encounter between Nyfain and Finley in the queen’s chambers highlights The Importance of Resilience. Since his mother’s death, Nyfain has suffered under the weight of feeling responsible for what happened. The pain this causes him shows that emotional trauma can do as much damage as the physical trauma brought by the curse. Nyfain’s suffering also shows how unresolved emotional trauma affects all those around him. Hadriel and the other shifters within the castle are afraid of Nyfain, but this fear is also backed by years of serving him as their superior. Thus, the effect of emotional suffering comes through in Finley’s response to Nyfain’s attitude and behavior. While Finley recognizes there is trauma informing Nyfain’s actions, she cannot understand the full effect of the trauma because Nyfain refuses to explain his past. As a result, Finley only grows annoyed that he seems to desire her aid but will not trust her with the truth to help him. Finley’s decision to leave the castle is partly motivated by Nyfain’s attitude, matching Belle’s motivation in the movie. However, Finley also leaves because she does not trust herself to maintain healthy boundaries around someone she is beginning to care for but who obviously is not willing to let her in.