Woven by Gold

The group is chained and brought to the war room inside Keep Oakheart—Coppershire’s stronghold. Farron’s mother, Niamh, confronts him, accusing him of abandoning his realm to the encroaching frost. She condemns all the high princes for failing their duties. When Niamh threatens Keldarion with a dagger, Dayton intervenes by reminding her that his realm holds Farron’s sister, Eleanor, as a ward, implying a threat to her safety. Farron’s father, Padraig, arrives and objects to seeing his son in chains. Rosalina speaks up, vouching for the princes and offering to help find the source of the frost. Convinced, Niamh releases them, giving them a two-month deadline to solve the crisis before she declares war on the Winter Realm.

The servants of the Autumn court show Rosalina to luxurious chambers in the keep. Rosalina finds Farron gazing at a family tapestry in the corridor. He’s despondent, feeling inadequate and overwhelmed by the changes in his realm and his family’s perception of him. He feels the world has moved on while he has remained stuck. Rosalina comforts him, reassuring him of their friendship and the unwavering support of the other princes. She urges him to draw strength from their love and her own. They share an intimate, emotional moment, which Farron before they return to the group.

On her balcony at sunset, Rosalina is joined by Ezryn. Worried about his sick father in the Spring Realm, Ezryn sends a message via a magical paper bird. He notices the scar on Rosalina’s forearm where her abusive ex-fiancé, Lucas, had carved his name and offers to heal it. As he uses his magic to remove the scar, they talk about personal change and the difficulty of letting go of past selves. Afterward, Rosalina asks Ezryn why he pulled away after their kiss in Castletree’s pantry. He insists he is dangerous, but she refuses to be pushed away. Their conversation escalates into an intense, physically charged confrontation against the balcony railing, which is interrupted by Dayton calling for them.

As night falls, the group prepares for the princes’ monthly transformation into beasts. They are testing the efficacy of the thorn collar Caspian gave Farron, which is supposed to control his beast. Farron is terrified, making Ezryn promise to kill him if the spell fails. Ezryn comforts him as the change begins. Once the princes transform, the thorn collar around Farron’s neck erupts into a thicket of briars, binding him and rendering him harmlessly immobile. The bargain has worked. To comfort Farron, Rosalina, Dayton, and Keldarion create a nest of blankets and pillows to sleep just outside his door. Ezryn, who usually insists on sleeping alone, joins them, feeling a sense of belonging. He wakes before dawn to see Keldarion, reverted to his human form, asleep in Rosalina’s arms.

A week later, the group rides out to investigate the frost. They meet a young fae boy named Flicker and his dog, Koop, who tell them the frost is severe in the Emberwood Forest and at the ruined Shrine of Nymphia. The party splits up; while the others head to the forest, Dayton and Farron go to the ruins. Atop a crumbling tower, Dayton and Farron have a passionate sexual encounter. Afterward, they watch in alarm as a nearby stream freezes solid. They spot a monstrous, skeletal creature made of ice—a winter wraith—advancing on Flicker and Koop at the edge of the woods and race to intervene.

The group converges to protect Flicker and Koop, who are being encased in the wraith’s frost. Ezryn’s sword shatters against the creature, and Dayton’s magic only temporarily damages it before it regenerates. Keldarion’s ice magic makes the wraith even stronger. The three princes are knocked down, and the boy and his dog are nearly frozen solid. Seeing his friends in peril, Farron unleashes his own power, engulfing the wraith in a torrent of fire and destroying it. He then uses a gentler form of his magic to thaw Flicker and Koop. Though the effort leaves him drained, he has saved them. Their victory is short-lived, however, as they look to the horizon and see an entire army of winter wraiths approaching.

Two weeks later, Farron attempts to train a group of Autumn magefighters, along with Keldarion and Dayton, to use fire magic against the wraiths. His nervousness makes him an ineffective teacher, and the soldiers are disrespectful. At Rosalina’s urging, Ezryn privately encourages Farron to embrace his inner fighter and channel his beast’s protective instincts. Newly confident, Farron seizes command of the training session, earning the soldiers’ respect with a display of power. While Kel and Dayton prove to be skilled pupils, Ezryn does not participate. When Farron questions him, Ezryn deflects as he fears using fire magic due to a past trauma related to his brother, Kairyn.

A month into their stay, the four princes and Rosalina investigate the Emberwood again. Dayton initiates a sexually charged moment, pressing Rosalina between himself and Farron against a tree. The encounter is interrupted by the arrival of Keldarion and Ezryn. Keldarion notices Rosalina’s corset has been unlaced and laces lace it up for her, creating an electric sexual tension between them. When Keldarion tells Rosalina to move her hair aside, Ezryn steps forward and does it for her, making the atmosphere even more charged. The palpable energy between the three of them is broken only when Dayton jokingly suggests they have a “forest orgy.”

While traveling through a bog, Rosalina and the princes encounter will-o’-wisps, which legend says can reveal a fae’s fated mate. Hoping to find a clue to breaking the princes’ curse, Rosalina convinces them to try a ritual. When Farron, Dayton, and Ezryn each catch a wisp, it reveals a dark, strangled light in their chests, indicating dormant bonds. Rosalina’s wisp shows a clear thread of light connecting her to Keldarion, but then a second thread appears, leading her to believe she has another mate. She follows it deep into the forest, only for it to end at a patch of flowers called friar’s lanterns, known as the “deceiver’s bloom” for their ability to attract the wisps.

Heartbroken, Rosalina realizes her feeling was an illusion. To comfort her, Keldarion uses the last wisp, revealing his own bond is a pure, bright light connected to her. He picks three of the flowers and places one on each of the other princes. The light in Rosalina’s chest splits, creating temporary tethers to all four men. Keldarion tells the others to protect her, and the group holds hands, connected by the magical light.

In a pumpkin patch, Astrid complains to Marigold and Rosalina that Dom and Billy having been pursuing her. Rosalina distracts the young princes to give Astrid some peace. To deter them, she invents a Winter Realm courting custom involving holly berries and a song she believes she is making up. To her shock, Billy recognizes the lullaby, leaving Rosalina to wonder how she knew a song from the Enchanted Vale. 

Afterward, she is led by a purple thorn vine to Caspian, who is collecting items from the surface world, including captured will-o’-wisps. Rosalina is startled when she subconsciously takes control of his thorns, pulling them closer together. She releases the wisps and confronts him. Having overheard her conversation with the Autumn princes, Caspian gives her a cluster of real holly berries, telling her they represent a secret. After she accepts them, he reveals that he has a younger sister. Before leaving, he and Rosalina recite more verses of the mysterious lullaby together.

At a lively Autumn festival, Rosalina dances with Farron, Dayton, and Ezryn. Princess Niamh approaches her and shares affectionate childhood stories about Farron, revealing their deep bond despite the recent tension between them. Dayton joins them, and Niamh relays news from the Summer Realm, warning him that his sister, Delphia, will soon need him to return with his blessing. After the princes leave to dance, Rosalina asks Niamh why she abdicated. Niamh explains that she learned from the ancient Queen Aurelia that love is the greatest strength, and she passed the blessing to Farron because she believed he would be a better ruler. Though Niamh worries the burden is too great for his gentle heart, Rosalina reassures her that this quality is what makes him mighty.

At the Autumn festival, Keldarion watches Rosalina dance with the other princes. George approaches worrying that something is troubling Rosalina. He drags Keldarion over to her, insisting that as her mate, he’ll be able to figure out what’s wrong. Rosalina confides that she mysteriously remembered a fae lullaby called “Holly’s Keep.” George affirms that her mother used to sing that song to her, prompting Rosalina to speculate that her mother might have been fae. George dismisses the idea, noting that he watched her age normally. 

After her father leaves, Rosalina admits she encountered Caspian, who gave her a holly leaf as an invitation to his party. Keldarion grows concerned and protective over Caspian’s increasing obsession with Rosalina. To distract him, Rosalina asks Keldarion to dance without music at the edge of the forest. During their intimate waltz, she confesses she prefers this softer side of him. As they dance, a swarm of will-o’-wisps emerges from the trees to surround them, leading Keldarion to realize that the magic of the Vale comes alive around Rosalina.

Unable to sleep, Rosalina is overwhelmed by a lust she realizes is emanating from Keldarion through their mate bond. Drawn to him, she enters his room to find him naked. He agrees to let her stay only if she obeys his every command. He instructs her not to touch him but to pleasure herself for him. During their encounter, Rosalina feels his intense desire and adoration for her through the bond, making her feel powerful and beautiful. They climax together. In the afterglow, Rosalina feels the love in their bond and asks him to claim her completely. Keldarion immediately rejects her, coldly telling her to clean herself and leave. He reiterates that he will never sleep with her and wishes he could destroy the bond. Hurt and furious, Rosalina leaves and marches to Dayton’s bedroom, determined to be with someone who wants her.

Rosalina goes to Dayton’s room and initiates a sexual encounter. They engage in passionate foreplay. When Dayton expresses vulnerability about her having a mate, Rosalina reassures him of her genuine, deep feelings for him. Just as they are about to have sex, Rosalina feels the same magical connection to Dayton that she feels for her mate, Kel. In her euphoric state, she says Kel’s name. Feeling used, Dayton immediately stops, gets dressed, and tells her to leave. A rejected and frustrated Rosalina yells at Kel’s door before returning to her room alone. She cries herself to sleep, confused and terrified by the realization that she feels the same deep, mate-like bond with two different men.

In the Keep Oakheart library, Rosalina and Farron research their separate problems: She seeks information on will-o’-wisps to understand the princes’ mate bonds, while he searches for spells against the encroaching frost and wraiths. Farron reveals that a fire destroyed much of Autumn’s ancient knowledge, which explains the library’s small size. Frustrated, Rosalina confesses her recent romantic turmoil, detailing how Kel sent her away and Dayton rejected her, and Ezryn has grown distant. She connects with Farron, who expresses deep regret for his own past inaction and indecisiveness, specifically alluding to a missed opportunity with her in the hot springs. Declaring that the other princes were at least brave enough to act on their feelings, he resolves to show Rosalina the reason for his own curse and leads her out of the library.

Farron takes Rosalina to the ruins of the Great Scriptorium of Alder, confessing that his cowardice led to its destruction. During the War of Thorns, he hid inside the library from a goblin assault instead of leading his people, and the enemy burned it down to force him out. He reveals how he survived by taking refuge in a secret, magically protected room inside a great alder tree. This room now houses dangerous grimoires filled with dark spells. The painful memory causes Farron to have a panic attack, but Rosalina comforts him. Trusting him with her own secret, Rosalina reveals that she can hear Caspian’s voice inside her head. Disturbed, Farron advises her not to tell Kel. When Rosalina asks if Caspian sent the goblins that attacked him, Farron says it was likely Sira, the Queen of the Below, whom even Caspian fears. He gives Rosalina her repaired moonstone rose locket, which she explains belonged to her mother. Despite their mutual affection and her encouragement, Farron concludes they cannot have a future together because she is Kel’s mate.

While investigating a trail of frost on the Ambardon Moors, Keldarion and Ezryn find themselves overwhelmed by a large number of winter wraiths. After losing their horses, their situation becomes dire when Ezryn slips down a hill. His non-magical, oil-imbued sword flame is extinguished, and he’s unable to relight it in the rain before a wraith attacks. Keldarion saves him with a blast of magic, but they are soon surrounded and trapped between hills swarming with the undead creatures. Facing what seems to be certain death, Keldarion feels fear for the first time, driven by his duty to protect Rosalina. Just as he is about to say something to Ezryn, flaming arrows descend from the sky. The Kryodian Riders, the army of the Winter Realm, arrive on beasts like reindeer, polar bears, and a giant moose. They swiftly and effectively destroy the wraiths, rescuing the two men from the hopeless battle.

Rosalina and Ferron travel back to Coppershire during a sudden violent storm after a successful mission to unfreeze a village. Riding together on Farron’s elk, their mutual desire escalates, and Farron gives in to his feelings, touching Rosalina intimately. He stops only when he realizes she is freezing from the cold rain. Seeking shelter, they arrive at a tavern called The Wandering Bard. The owner recognizes Prince Farron and Lady Rosalina and, grateful for their work fighting the frost, insists on giving them a private room with dry clothes and a hot bath to wait out the storm. As they enter the room, Farron is struck by the sight of a single bed and a steaming tub. He also remembers that it is the night of the full moon, when he and the others must fulfill their bargain with Caspian.

Forced to take shelter from the rain, Rosalina and Farron are given a room with one bed and one bath. To warm up, they decide to share the bath, sitting back-to-back to maintain a boundary. The close proximity creates palpable tension. To diffuse it, Farron braids Rosalina’s hair, explaining it is an Autumn Court custom to imbue braids with well wishes, though he keeps his wish for her a secret. This intimacy leads to a vulnerable conversation where Rosalina expresses deep insecurity about her body and her past self, particularly regarding Lucas’s abuse. Farron reassures her, telling her she is perfect and that kindness is not a weakness. In turn, Rosalina encourages him to forgive his past self. Farron admits he still feels like that scared boy, leading Rosalina to offer to be brave for him. He confesses he could love every part of her—past, present, and future—and then kisses her.

While fighting wraiths, Keldarion and Ezryn are unexpectedly saved by the Kryodian Riders, a Winter cavalry unit. Their leader, Eirik Vargsaxa, recognizes Keldarion as the High Prince but reveals a shocking truth: Vizier Quellos has banished the entire unit from Winter. Eirik explains that Quellos repeatedly denied the growing monster threat in Autumn, and when the Riders investigated on their own and confirmed the danger, the vizier exiled them for warmongering. Keldarion urges them to return, but Eirik refuses, stating the Riders have lost faith in both Quellos and Keldarion’s leadership and will now fight the monsters as renegades. 

Shaken by this betrayal and the loss of his people’s loyalty, Keldarion resolves to confront Quellos and reclaim control of his court. However, he agrees with Ezryn to first attend Caspian’s revelry that night to uphold a bargain made for Farron. The chapter ends with Ezryn reaffirming his personal loyalty to Keldarion.

After kissing in the bath, Farron confesses to Rosalina that he is tired of being afraid and wants to be with her. They move to the bed, where Farron becomes dominant and possessive, promising to claim her so that his scent will be on her when they go to the Below. As their intimacy escalates and they start to have sex, his intense emotions trigger his transformation into the beast. Before he can fully change, the thorn choker around his neck activates, violently piercing his skin and forcing the transformation to stop, saving Rosalina but injuring Farron. Afterward, the mood is broken. A defeated Farron pulls away from Rosalina, stating his greatest fear is himself and that a relationship between them could kill her. He resigns himself to submitting to Caspian, the Prince of Thorns, whom he says owns him.

As Rosalina, Marigold, and Astrid prepare for Prince Caspian’s birthday party in the Below, Rosalina grapples with her jealousy over the idea that to break Farron’s curse he will need to find his mate. To help her fit in, Astrid uses magical body paint to fashion a revealing top that resembles black thorns, and Marigold provides a flowing skirt. During conversation, it is revealed that Keldarion once spent significant time in the Below with Caspian searching for a great weapon. Once ready, Rosalina joins the four princes, who are attending the party to fulfill Farron’s part of a bargain. In a ruined library, Farron uses a seed from Caspian to open a thorn portal. Keldarion commands that Rosalina must not be left alone. The group reaffirms their support for Farron before traveling through the passage. After arriving in the Below, Rosalina realizes she forgot to put on underwear.