That afternoon, Matilda gives Vera a tour of the castle. Vera remains mostly silent to hide her ignorance.

At dinner, Vera finds the head table empty except for Lancelot, who greets her warmly as the gathered diners watch. Arthur doesn’t attend the dinner, which displeases Merlin since Arthur’s absence may get people talking. Lancelot puts Vera at ease by chatting with her, pointing out a nobleman who has brought his daughter as a potential wife for him. Lancelot tells Vera that he has no desire to marry; him and most other knights remained unmarried due to the wars. Vera jokes about sabotaging Lancelot’s future courtships by recounting how he scared thieves at sword point. He entertains her throughout the meal and then jokingly proposes to Matilda to escape his suitors before winking at Vera and using a new endearment, “Guinna.”

Upon returning to her chambers, Vera finds Arthur’s door locked. The next morning, he is gone. This pattern continues over the following days.

On the third morning, Lancelot knocks at Vera’s chambers before dawn and invites Vera for a run. They run with a magical orb floating between them, providing light. Afterward, Lancelot reveals that it was not him who generated the orb—Merlin provides most of Camelot’s enchantments. Lancelot himself doesn’t have a magical gift. When Vera asks if Arthur has magic, Lancelot replies that Arthur’s gifts are not explicit; rather, his talent lies in bringing people together. Noting to herself that Arthur hasn’t attempted to bring her close, Vera bluntly asks Lancelot what’s wrong with Arthur. Lancelot says that it’s not his story to tell but encourages Vera to speak to Arthur directly.

Two mornings later, Lancelot takes Vera to the armory, where they meet Randall, a scruffy, middle-aged knight weaving chain mail. Randall wordlessly hands Vera new running clothes. She marvels at the fit and material of the garments. Lancelot explains that Randall possesses a sensory gift that allowed him to know Vera’s measurements just by seeing her at dinner.

On the way back, Lancelot leads Vera through the training arena, where she spots an enclosure called the pit, inside which people play a keep-away game with a football. Vera joins in. During the game, Vera teaches Lancelot the high-five, which delights him.

In the next game, Vera finds herself in the final two against Walter, the tall thief she had blocked on the road. Walter has now joined the king’s army. A terrified Walter tells Vera that he can’t play against the queen in front of Lancelot and the king. Vera turns and sees Arthur watching. Vera threatens to expose Walter’s “crime” to Arthur if he doesn’t play against her. Walter relents; the match resumes, but Vera is distracted by seeing Arthur and Lancelot talking. She’s hit hard in the back by the ball and tumbles. Walter helps her up. To save Walter from punishment for accidentally hitting the queen, Vera raises his hand in victory. The crowd cheers, though she hears whispers calling her behavior inappropriate.

Arthur approaches Vera and asks if she’s injured—the first words he has spoken to her since her arrival. When an old man praises Vera’s spirit, Arthur’s cold demeanor softens. He agrees that she was impressive, directing warmth toward her but not meeting her eyes. As Vera turns to speak again, he is already walking away.

That evening, Arthur attends dinner for the first time. Merlin smiles encouragingly at Vera. Arthur is forced to greet her when Lancelot acknowledges her arrival but immediately turns his back.

A herald announces the North Wind Players, an acting troupe that performs a tragic tale using magical effects, including a blanket of storm clouds on the ceiling. As the clouds descend, Arthur touches them with a grin and meets Vera’s gaze. They share a moment of mutual amazement. After the performance, Arthur thanks the ensemble and wonders about a historical inaccuracy in their tale. The leader provides a poetic explanation, which Arthur accepts graciously. Lancelot whispers to Arthur and Vera that he has no idea what the troupe leader’s grand words mean, causing Arthur to smile and Vera to snort with laughter. Arthur notices Vera’s amusement but abruptly rises and leaves.

Over the next two weeks, Vera falls into a routine: morning runs with Lancelot, castle duties with Matilda, and dinners featuring performances and Arthur’s continued avoidance of her. One day, Merlin, who has been away frequently, summons Vera to his study. He explains that he has to leave for a while for Exeter, where a magical irrigation system has failed, imperiling the harvest. Viviane’s curse is spreading, disrupting the recirculation of magical gifts when their bearers die and leaving towns without the abilities needed to maintain infrastructure. Merlin presses upon Vera the urgency of retrieving her past. She must tell Arthur that she needs his help recovering her memories.

During that night’s performance, Vera finally tells Arthur that she needs him to help her recover her memories, insisting that she will not try to replace Guinevere. Arthur flinches, looks at Vera with fury and fear, refuses, and storms out. The room falls silent. Embarrassed, Vera quietly asks Lancelot for help, and he smoothly makes excuses for Arthur’s abrupt departure to the court.

In her chambers, Vera asks Matilda to stay for a drink. She thanks Matilda for the flowers that regularly appear and asks her to call her Guinevere, instead of “Your Majesty,” in private. Matilda tells Vera that she had noticed her strange behavior and guesses that Vera has amnesia from her accident. Vera goes along with the explanation. When Vera asks why Arthur hates her, Matilda reveals that she doesn’t bring Vera flowers—Arthur does. Matilda assures Vera that he has never hated her.

The next morning, Vera resolves to ask Lancelot directly if he and Guinevere had an affair. After their run, Lancelot shows Vera a hidden grove with a pond and waterfall. Lancelot removes his shirt and uses a rope swing to jump in the pool. After Lancelot taunts Vera about a lady’s delicate disposition, Vera strips to her modern undergarments and swings in. They share a high five in the water.

Lancelot leads Vera under the waterfall into a dark cavern, where he produces a light and blankets. As they dry off, Vera asks Lancelot if they had an affair. Stunned, Lancelot firmly denies the notion, assuring Vera that he did not bring her there to seduce her. He explains that he and Guinevere hardly knew each other before her accident. When Vera asks why he waited for her in Glastonbury, he says that he simply didn’t want her to be alone. He notes that Vera is very different from the more reticent Guinevere, though he sees glimpses of a fearless side in both.

Lancelot hands her a smooth, black, heart-shaped river stone. The shape reminds her of Allison, who collects such stones, and the memory is painful. Vera tries to return the stone, but Lancelot tells her to keep it. Upset by memories of her parents and Vincent, she refuses. Lancelot pockets the stone and takes her hand. Realizing their intimacy, he pulls back and reassures Vera that he has no physical desire for her. She asks if their friendship is scandalous. He admits it is, though his position as her escort gives them latitude. He jokes that he’s being decent around Vera; usually, he swims naked.

Over the next two weeks, Vera stops trying to connect with Arthur and focuses on enjoying herself. Matilda and Vera become genuine friends. Vera teaches Matilda rock-paper-scissors, and they spend the evenings drinking wine and laughing. Vera finds an old embroidery hoop of Guinevere’s and begins working on it. She remembers how to embroider from a class she took with her mother.

Vera also spends time in the chapel, admiring a powerful statue of a pregnant Mary. At a Sunday service, Arthur tells her that Lancelot follows the old faith and doesn’t attend Christian services. It becomes Vera’s ritual to visit the chapel alone in the evenings to embroider and sing pop songs from her time. One rainy night, she hears a strange sound from the front of the chapel. Suddenly, a man appears at her back, startling her. He introduces himself as Thomas, the new deputy treasurer, and compliments Vera’s piety. After he leaves, Vera forgets to wonder what originally caused the noise she heard.

One day, Matilda and Vera visit the stables, where the young stable hand Grady reports that Calimorfis is getting restless since Vera hasn’t ridden her for a while. Just then, a nobleman begins shouting abusively at Grady for not having his horse ready and then strikes and knocks him to the floor. Vera furiously intervenes, grabbing the nobleman’s wrist. She orders him to apologize to Grady. Recognizing Vera, the nobleman gruffly apologizes to Grady but threatens Vera with taking the matter to the king. Telling the man that he has “horse shit” on his face, Vera cooly encourages him to do so.

Over the next three weeks, Randall gives Vera two additional sets of running clothes. As winter sets in, she and Lancelot conduct their post-run conversations in a sheltered clearing. Vera completes three embroidery projects, and Thomas visits the chapel weekly, praising her devotion.

One evening, Arthur tells Vera that she should attend the weekly court session the next day, where any citizen can bring grievances before the throne. Lancelot explains that Arthur is famously merciful in sentencing and that he and another knight, Sir Percival, often advise the king.

At court, Vera is seated on a throne next to Arthur. Behind them sit Matilda, the treasurer, two citizen representatives, Lancelot, and Percival, a young knight with a prominent scar. Merlin arrives exhausted. Vera recalls encountering Merlin that morning, when he expressed disappointment about Arthur’s continued distance from Vera and agreed to attempt a magical memory-retrieval procedure after court.

The first order of business is announcing a new mage to fill Viviane’s position. As court proceeds, Vera observes a completely different Arthur: He is engaged, respectful, and commanding, listening to every citizen with genuine interest. She realizes that he truly is the king of legend, and the fact that he denies this kindness only to her strikes as a piercing blow.

Several issues relate to failing magic. A letter arrives with rumors of mage violence in the Frankish Kingdoms. A grieving mother collapses before the throne, announcing that her son has died. Arthur leaves his seat, kneels beside the woman, and comforts her before promising that the crown will help with her harvest. Watching his tenderness, Vera sees him as beautiful for the first time.

The next person to approach is the nobleman from the stables, and Vera realizes that he’s come to make his grievance official.

Vera whispers to Arthur that the complaint is likely about her. Arthur greets the man as Lord Wulfstan. Wulfstan complains about the stable boy’s disrespect and the queen’s vulgar language, mentioning that he has traded with Guinevere’s father—making Vera realize that she should learn about her birth family. After Wulfstan quotes her “horse shit” comment, Vera recounts the incident on Arthur’s request, acknowledging that her language was inappropriate but accurate. Arthur declares that while he might have used different language, he shares the queen’s sentiment—an offense against staff is an offense against him. Vera offers a sarcastic non-apology to Wulfstan for her unladylike language. Arthur hides a smile and declares the matter settled.

As Wulfstan prepares to leave, Arthur asks him if he has apologized to the queen. When Wulfstan claims he did, Matilda interjects that he didn’t. Arthur angrily rebukes Wulfstan and growls for him to apologize, stating, “The queen’s authority is equal to my own” (141). Wulfstan offers a terrified apology. Vera tries to apologize to Arthur for losing her temper. He flinches at her touch, tersely says that he’s not angry, and looks away. Frustrated, Vera mutters “horse shit,” concluding that Arthur was defending the throne’s authority, not her.

Marcus, a soldier, runs in with urgent news: The magical system in Exeter has completely failed and is causing catastrophic flooding. Arthur begins issuing orders, sending Percival to find Sir Bors and ready troops. Merlin agrees to leave for Exeter, and Vera sees the hope for her memory procedure dim in his eyes.

After dismissing the citizen representatives, Lancelot rearranges chairs for the core group. He revisits Vera’s insult to Wulfstan, and they share a high-five. When Percival returns, Arthur outlines a plan to manage public fear through distributing food stores and keeping key figures visible. Lancelot insists that the queen must be part of this public show. Matilda agrees, stating that Vera’s absence has likely damaged morale. Vera says that she will do whatever is needed. Arthur sighs, his hesitation suggesting that he knows her participation is a performance that neither believes she can sustain.