Chapter One

Cassian arrives at Nesta's shabby apartment to deliver Feyre's summons, finding her disheveled and hungover after a night with a nameless male. He escorts her to Feyre and Rhysand's grand new riverside estate, where an intervention awaits: Feyre, Rhys, and Amren confront Nesta about her destructive behavior—excessive drinking, promiscuity, and isolation—since the war with Hybern ended. The chapter culminates in Cassian announcing that Nesta will begin training with him, marking a forced change in her self-destructive spiral.

Cassian arrives at Nesta's rundown apartment on the north side of the Sidra River to retrieve her on Feyre's orders. He finds her in disarray, wearing only a male's shirt with a stranger still inside. Despite Nesta's resistance and hostility, Cassian escorts her to bathe and dress. During their journey to Feyre and Rhysand's newly constructed riverside estate—a magnificent marble structure filled with art and comfort—Nesta notes the absence of any portraits of herself or their mother. In the study, Feyre confronts Nesta about her behavior over the past fourteen months since the war with Hybern: excessive drinking, casual sexual encounters, and financial recklessness. Amren and Rhysand support the intervention, with Amren particularly harsh about Nesta's lifestyle. When Nesta refuses to engage and declares their concerns are not their business, Rhysand issues a commanding order for her to sit and listen, asserting his dominance as High Lord. Feyre intervenes, forcing both Rhysand and Amren into silence and taking responsibility for not supporting Nesta adequately after the war. Feyre declares Nesta's current behavior must end—her apartment, her drinking, her isolation. When Nesta challenges her on where she is supposed to go, Cassian reveals that she will be coming with him to train, establishing the chapter's turning point.