In the claustrophobic world of Aymar Castle, the boundaries of the physical body and the individual self prove terrifyingly fragile. Visceral motifs of cannibalism and dismemberment provide a physical manifestation of the true threat: the dissolution of the inner self. The enchantment wielded by the Lady threatens to lead to the loss of individual agency, memory, and selfhood. However, when characters choose (or are helped to choose) to value themselves and their inner worth, they retain the power to defeat the forces of dark magic. 

Treila and Phosyne both martial their sense of identity and self-worth to achieve victory during climactic confrontations. In her final battle with the Loving Saint, Treila has a mystical vision which contrasts his inner self with her own: “In his chest is a snarled thicket of a stomach, hungry, aching, desperate. And inside of her is a prism, a flashing diamond: heavy and unmoving, the result of every time she refused to abandon herself, no matter the guise she chose to wear” (298). Treila’s recognition of her inner worth empowers her to tear out the Loving Saint’s throat with her teeth: Her inner power is so profound that she does not need any iron weapons to help her. This act will later allow Phosyne and Voyne to deduce that it is possible to kill the Lady and Saints without the aid of iron, empowering them to continue fighting. This realization reflects the novel’s argument that true strength comes from self-respect and self-acceptance. When Treila embraces all parts of who she is (including the suffering she has endured), she becomes extremely powerful. 

This same tapping of inner power subsequently becomes key to Phosyne healing Treila’s wound and to Phosyne trapping the Lady in the cistern of boiling water. As Phosyne debates whether to feed Treila the enchanted apple (which will heal her but also rob her of her agency and individual identity), she notices that “[s]he can see something shining, buried in the meat of [Treila]. A solid, ringing core. Something Phosyne lacks, Voyne lacks, they all are missing” (324). The shining inner core literalizes Treila’s agency and belief in her own value: She has endured immense suffering and her resilience has given her inner strength. 

Later, the Lady evokes Phosyne’s name in an attempt to subdue her, but Phosyne is able to resist the force of enchantment when she realizes that “Phosyne is only one name she has borne […] She has been through so many. She has abandoned two of them” (328). In this scene, names function as a placeholder for external (but not defining) signifiers of identity. Phosyne can choose different names, but they do not capture or control her core inner self. Once she realizes that her true self cannot be controlled by anyone else, Phosyne is able to tap into her true power and fight back much more successfully. While many characters yield to the Lady’s attempts at control and manipulation, the protagonists break free from her power when they tap into their own.