Chapter Two

Feyre, Rhys, Amren, and Cassian confront Nesta with an ultimatum: move to the House of Wind, train with Cassian at Windhaven each morning, and work in the library each afternoon, or be exiled to the human lands. Nesta defies them until forced to accept, then argues bitterly with Feyre about her reckless spending, self-destructive behavior, and emotional distance from her sisters.

The chapter opens with Feyre announcing that Nesta must relocate to the House of Wind immediately and begin a structured regimen of morning training with Cassian in the Illyrian Mountains and afternoon work in the House library. Nesta refuses vehemently. When she claims she is not a member of the court and therefore cannot be bound by its rules, Amren reveals that Nesta's position as human emissary during the Hybern war makes her a formal court member under existing law. Amren presents two options: comply with the training plan with the possibility of reevaluation in a few months, or return to the human lands—effectively a prison sentence given that High Fae are no longer welcome there. Rhys's implicit threat (maintaining a magical shield around Feyre and stationing himself to intervene if Nesta attacks) underscores the seriousness of the ultimatum. Nesta demands to speak to Feyre alone. In private, Nesta confronts her sister about their sudden intervention, revealing she did not understand they had been discussing her fate. Feyre explains they gave Nesta time to heal herself, but her continued spiral—evidenced by a five-hundred-gold-mark tavern bill—forced their hand. The sisters clash over Nesta's spending, her distance from Elain, and her refusal to contribute. Feyre reveals that Nesta's apartment building is being condemned and rebuilt as a war shelter, stripping away one of Nesta's few autonomous choices. Nesta's rage and silence deepen as Feyre departs, leaving the sisters with no bond remaining between them. Flashbacks reveal that Nesta has been traumatized by the war, unable to process her near-loss of Elain to the Cauldron, and has used alcohol and gambling to suppress her dangerous power and emotional pain. She feels she belongs nowhere—neither in the human world nor among the Night Court—and resents Feyre's happiness and the court's close bonds.