The mustard-haired soldier, Judd, stops in confusion. Osrik demands to know what Auren is doing. She declares she will not let them pummel a child for entertainment, but Twig warns she should not have entered the circle. Osrik explains that anyone crossing into the fighting circle must fight and remove their shirt.

Auren stands firm, flashing back to her childhood when her “owner,” Zakir, forced her to fight on the streets. Osrik explains this is training, not entertainment—Twig chose to participate to learn self-defense. Embarrassed, Auren confirms this with Twig. She tries to leave, but Osrik blocks her.

Commander Rip’s voice cuts through the chaos, ordering Osrik to stop. The soldiers scatter. Rip tells Twig they will train tomorrow. Only Rip, Osrik, Judd, and Auren remain until Lu arrives. Auren realizes these four are genuinely close friends. Rip declares she must fight before leaving, and he will be her opponent.

Auren refuses, citing a rumor that his nickname is “Rip” because he rips his opponents’ heads off. The four burst into laughter. Judd admits starting that rumor, while Osrik clarifies the nickname’s true origin differs. After Lu mentions Midas’s guards, Auren demands to see them. Rip refuses, but after she defends them, he relents: She can see the guards only after fighting him.

Rip circles Auren while Osrik, Judd, and Lu begin sparring. He removes his coat, jerkin, and tunic. Auren is struck by his intimidating yet beautiful fae appearance, noting the black dots where his spikes retract. Impulsively, she touches the retracted spikes, feeling a sharp tip catch her glove. The moment grows intimate. Rip observes that, unlike her aversion to touch, he does not mind it. When she asks why they call him Rip, he reminds her of their game: She must tell a truth to receive a truth. Unwilling to pay the price, she withdraws the question.

He declares it is time to fight, then attacks without warning. He easily dominates her, trapping her in holds she cannot break while her ribbons tense along her spine. He demands she stop holding back and use her instincts. She protests her ribbons are secret. Rip accuses her of being ashamed and demands she declare what she is.

Auren finally screams that she is fae. Her ribbons erupt, tearing her coat as she hurls Rip across the circle. She attacks with a hardened ribbon, but he blocks it with his spikes, traps her ribbons in his grip, and pulls her against his body. He holds her until her rage subsides and her ribbons go limp. Instead of gloating, Rip smiles softly with pride, telling her she has finally found her fight.

Auren notices Osrik, Judd, and Lu are gone. When she asks why Rip pushed her, he says she needed it. They argue about his hatred for Midas. Rip points out Midas’s hypocrisy—possessing the golden touch yet allowing his kingdom to suffer poverty. Auren cannot counter this.

Rip leads her to see the guards. Walking at the camp’s edge, Auren learns King Ravinger knows about her, deepening her dread. She asks if Rip would kill her on the king’s command; he insists that will not happen. Rip reveals his inner circle, dubbed his “Wrath,” witnessed her confession but will never betray him by exposing her secret. He explains they are his trusted lieutenants who lead regiments and handle sensitive missions. They already know he is fae. When she asks if King Ravinger knows, Rip says truths about the king are not part of their game.

Auren owes him a truth. He asks about her family. She admits they are dead and she does not remember their names. He asks where she is from, and she accuses him of gathering information against Midas. They argue about her loyalty, with Rip questioning what sacrifices Midas has made for her. Rip points to a prisoner cart and stalks off. Auren finds Midas’s guards alive but is devastated that her personal guard, Digby, are not among them, emphasizing her abandonment. She returns to her tent crying.

The perspective shifts to Queen Malina in Highbell Castle with her personal saddle, Jeo. She is irritated that a powerful noblewoman, Franca Tullidge, is traveling and unavailable to meet. Malina needs Tullidge’s private guard for her plans against Midas. Her advisor, Wilcox, enters and clearly disapproves of Jeo’s presence. He delivers a letter bearing a blank red wax seal.

After dismissing Wilcox, Malina recognizes it as being from the Red Raids pirates. Reading the message, she learns the pirates failed to capture Auren because Fourth’s army intercepted the ship and took everyone captive. Malina is ecstatic—this outcome is far better than having Auren with pirates. She decides to send the pirates gold to maintain them as allies.

Malina and Jeo celebrate her victory with sex. She revels in her newfound power, contrasting it with how Midas kept his own harem while she was ignored. She vows to destroy Midas’s public image and make herself the beloved queen.

That night, Auren lies awake wrestling with conflicting loyalties. Ever since Rip took her from the Red Raids, she has expected cruelty but has instead been treated with dignity. She admits aloud that perhaps she cannot fully trust Midas either. Leaving her tent, she walks through the snowy camp beside a frozen lake and decides to visit the saddles.

The guards allow her to approach, but Polly emerges and blocks her path, announcing none of the saddles want to see her. Polly accuses Auren of being a traitor and Commander Rip’s “whore,” citing rumors that Auren stays in his tent nightly. Polly shoves her, and the guards intervene. Auren walks away, shamed and angry. Polly’s accusation fuels her determination to prove her loyalty. Searching the camp, she hears a hawk’s screech and follows the sound. Near the horses, she discovers a small black carriage and finds the army’s messenger hawks inside.

Auren sees four hawks in the carriage along with a desk equipped with parchment, ink, and quills. She hastily writes a message warning Midas that Fourth’s army has captured her and is marching on him, signing it “Your Precious.” As she prepares to send it, two soldiers approach. Despite the risk, she inserts the rolled message into a hawk’s southbound leg vial. The hawk launches through an open ceiling window and flies away. The soldiers hear the bird but dismiss it as hunting. They notice the unlatched door, causing Auren to panic, but they simply close it and leave.

Back at her tent, Auren initially feels victorious for proving her loyalty, but the triumph quickly sours into regret. As she undresses in darkness, Rip’s voice startles her from across the tent. He rises and stands before her, placing his hand on her neck without squeezing. He murmurs that he was not supposed to find her on the pirate ship, then he leans in and gently kisses her. Pulling back, he tells her they will arrive in Fifth Kingdom soon, adding that she will be pleased to see her king, so soon after sending her message. Rip leaves, and Auren stands reeling with the knowledge that he knows what she did yet still kissed her.