Chapter 5

Feyre is taken by the beast faerie from her cottage into the forest on horseback, heading toward Prythian. After attempting to question him, she is magically put to sleep and wakes two days later as they cross through a gate into faerie territory, bound by invisible magical restraints.

Feyre leaves the cottage with the beast faerie, mounting a white mare while he walks beside her. As they travel northward toward faerie territory, she contemplates her situation: she has killed a faerie and will now live on his lands in Prythian, a faerie realm from which mortals never return. She fears what awaits her—enslavement, imprisonment, or worse—though she takes some comfort knowing her family might realize her importance once they face starvation. Feyre notes the beast's saddle is well-crafted leather, suggesting he has contact with civilization, and she recalls what little she knows of Prythian: it is ruled by seven High Lords of immense power, and mortals who enter never return. She plans to stay awake during camp to watch him, still possessing a hidden knife despite her burned ash arrow. When she attempts to speak to the beast and ask his name, he becomes annoyed and uses magic to render her unconscious. She awakens bound by invisible magical restraints atop the horse, discovering two days have passed. They arrive at a metal gate that opens without a sentry, and the beast leads her horse through into Prythian's southern border.