The day after her capture by the pirate, the Red Raids, Auren is taken into custody by the Fourth Kingdom’s army and rides in a wooden carriage through the snowy Barrens, plagued by memories. She blames herself for the death of her guard Sail, the pain of fellow “saddle” or concubine Rissa, and the absence of her guard Digby. Vivid flashbacks assault her—most vividly, Fane murdering Sail by stabbing him in the heart. She recalls screaming as Sail died in her arms and later using her golden power to cut his body down from the ship’s mast and push it overboard so the pirates could not further abuse him.

Auren believes the Divine is punishing her for being ungrateful for the safety of her cage inside Midas’s castle. She watches the Fourth Kingdom’s army moving through the snow, sent by King Ravinger, also known as King Rot. The commander leading them is a full-blooded fae with vicious spikes along his spine. She recalls their conversation when he took her from the pirates, in which they acknowledged the truth about each other’s nature.

Locked in the carriage for hours, Auren spends the time painfully untangling her 24 ribbons, magical strands extending from her spine that the pirate Captain Fane had brutally knotted. She assesses her injuries. Though relieved to have escaped the Red Raids, she fears what will happen when she reaches King Midas. She resolves to hide her weakness and be strong. As dusk falls and the army makes camp, Commander Rip opens her cage.

Auren braces for violence from Commander Rip, trying to be strong. She notes his fae features, realizing he is a full-blooded fae hiding in plain sight, though most fae were killed when Orea and Annwyn—the realm of the fae—were cleaved apart centuries ago. Her stomach growls loudly, breaking the silence.

Rip calls her Goldfinch after noticing the feathers on her stolen coat and informs her she will have a tent, food, water, and access to the latrine. Surprised by this treatment, Auren questions if that is all. He leans in menacingly and warns her not to try escaping, promising he would personally find her. She threatens that Midas will kill him for taking her, but Rip scoffs.

He accuses her of caring for her “King Captor” and derisively notes that the goldfinch likes her cage. Angered, Auren retorts that he is a “leashed monster” for the Fourth Kingdom ruler. Rip delivers a dark threat, then tells her he is bringing her back to Midas and leaves. Exiting the carriage, Auren resolves to find a way to warn her king before the army reaches him.

After using the latrine, Auren observes the vast, empty Barrens and decides to search the camp for messenger hawks to warn Midas. She wanders cautiously, finding it strange that soldiers watch her but do not approach, suspecting this is part of Commander Rip’s strategy. She locates and searches a line of wooden carts but finds only supplies and furs, no hawks.

As she finishes checking the last cart, a massive soldier confronts her. She recognizes him as one of Rip’s guards from the pirate ship. He wears a twisted piece of wood, resembling the Fourth Kingdom’s gnarled tree sigil, pierced through his bottom lip. When he questions her presence, Auren lies that she was cold and grabbing a fur. He calls her Midas’s golden pet and makes a crude remark.

Provoked, Auren insults King Ravinger. The soldier becomes enraged and threatens to whip her if she insults his king again. He sneers that none of his men are interested in Midas’s gold-plated leftovers but suggests she make herself useful by providing information. Auren staunchly refuses to betray Midas. When she asks about the other captured “saddles” and guards, he cuts her off with a warning. Other soldiers at a nearby campfire watch with open hatred, and he mockingly dismisses her to her kennel.

Walking back through hostile stares, Auren resolves to be smarter and stronger, to keep searching for the hawks, and to use Rip’s arrogance against him.

Auren gets lost finding her way back but eventually locates her carriage and tent. She notes the tent is isolated from the rest of the camp, fearing this placement allows soldiers to harm her without witnesses. However, someone has shoveled a clear path to the entrance.

Inside, the tent is surprisingly comfortable, with smoldering coals providing warmth, furs lining the floor, a bed pallet, a meal, and washing water. She suspects these unexpected comforts are a calculated trick by Commander Rip to lower her guard. Nonetheless, she devours the food rations.

Wanting to wash away the lingering scent of Captain Fane, Auren undresses, noting she still wears the feather coat stolen from his room since she had given her other coat away. She sees a large, dark bruise on her ribs from where Fane kicked her. While washing, she finds a streak of Sail’s blood on the cloth, triggering a wave of grief as she realizes she is washing away the last trace of him. She finishes cleaning her body but decides her tangled hair is too much to manage. Just as she bends down naked to retrieve her chemise, Commander Rip enters the tent.

Frozen in fear, Auren watches as Commander Rip enters and sees her naked. He shows a flash of irritation, then immediately turns and leaves without a word. Confused, she pulls on her chemise.

Another man enters, introducing himself as Hojat, an army mender identifiable by the red bands on his sleeves. Initially hostile, Auren realizes the commander sent him to treat her injuries. Hojat examines her bruised cheek and split lip, then cleans a small wound on her shoulder with a stinging tincture.

He accidentally steps on Auren’s ribbons, pulling them painfully taut. When he notices them, she lies and claims they are just ties for her chemise. Hojat insists on checking her bruised ribs per the commander’s orders, but Auren refuses when his words trigger a traumatic memory of a past assault. Hojat relents and instead gives her a cold compress, a vial of medicine, and alcohol for pain and sleep.

After he leaves, Auren worries she trusted him too easily and fears the mixture might contain something beyond alcohol. She cleans her dress, climbs into the fur pallet, and is about to fall asleep when Commander Rip enters the tent again.

Auren tenses, certain Rip has returned to assault her. She watches in growing panic as he removes his boots and armor, then retracts the fae spikes on his arms and spine beneath his skin. Believing he is undressing to attack her and that Hojat’s tincture was drugged to incapacitate her, she concludes she has no defense.

As he moves in her direction, Auren scrambles back and yells at him to stay away. Rip pauses, scowls, then wordlessly places a metal cover over the coals and extinguishes the lantern. Instead of approaching her, he goes to another pile of furs in the corner and lies down on a second sleeping pallet.

Shocked, Auren realizes he is not going to touch her. She understands the comfortable tent is actually his own. Rip explains he is keeping an eye on her. Auren asks if this is to protect her from his soldiers, which angers him. He states he trusts his soldiers implicitly but does not trust her because of her loyalty to Midas.

Offended by his assessment of her character, Auren asks about the other captured concubines and guards. Rip refuses to answer and threatens to gag her if she does not keep quiet. She lies down but stays awake watching him for over an hour, until exhaustion and the Ruxroot mixture finally force her to fall asleep.