Alchemised

The narrative returns to the present, as Helena wakes up screaming in her bed at Spirefell. Kaine is nearby and rejoices that she’s alive. Memories flood her brain, but she remains confused. Kaine assures her that the war is over and that Lila is safe. She and her baby Apollo (Pol) are alive and well, living in secrecy. She struggles to reconcile what she now knows about her relationship with Kaine. Kaine tells her about their romance and her pregnancy. 

Helena wakes up alone later. She muses on her memories, realizing how different she is than she once thought. She realizes that the suppressing manacles she wears are her design. Kaine joins her, explaining that Morrough captured and tortured her at the end of the war, but Shiseo interceded to stop her death. He reminds her, too, that Morrough stole and used Luc’s bones. Overwhelmed, Helena isn’t sure what to believe or feel. Then she remembers her and Kaine’s promise to run away together. He tells her that he will take her to Lila when the right season to travel arrives. When she asks if he will come, he says if she wants him to, but she thinks he is lying.