Crown of Midnight

Chaol walks into the sewer tunnel to hear Archer beg for his life and watches Celaena kill him. She turns to face Chaol and says he deserves an explanation.

In Celaena’s room, a healer bandages Fleetfoot’s injured leg and then bandages Dorian’s temple. Celaena dismisses him, and while he’s annoyed, Dorian understands this is between her and Chaol. Celaena bathes as the healer works on Chaol. Celaena reveals that her Fae ancestry, passed down from her great-grandmother, allows her to change her form. She can become either human or Fae. When magic disappeared, she lost that ability, but it was a blessing because Celaena couldn’t control it. She then tells Chaol about the Wyrdmarks, spells, portals, Elena’s tomb, Cain, and the ridderak. She doesn’t mention the king or the Wyrdkeys. Chaol swears not to tell anyone. Celaena then explains Archer’s betrayal and how he hired Grave to kill Nehemia and put the blame on Chaol. She apologizes for attacking him but says she can’t trust him. He goes to her, but she leaves the room.

Chaol processes what Celaena has told him, knowing she didn’t tell him everything. He's also confused about Dorian and how he could have magic. He realizes how much danger Celaena is in at court, so close to the king, and goes to his father’s room. He tells his father that the king should send Celaena to Wendlyn to assassinate the royal family. In exchange for his father’s help convincing the king, Chaol promises to return to Anielle.

Celaena tells Dorian much of what she told Chaol. She also references how he used his magic to throw the creature against the wall, but he says he still can’t control it. Celaena says there’s someone who might be able to help him in Elena’s tomb, referring to Mort. Dorian tells her how grateful he is for her, causing Celaena to wonder if the noble court Nehemia dreamed of was possible.

In his council room, the king considers Chaol’s idea of sending his Champion to Wendlyn. It’s a bold, ruthless plan, and five men support it. The king summons Celaena and wishes Perrington were here to witness it. He also wants Perrington’s help discovering who opened the portal last night. He could feel it open and close, but with Cain gone, he doesn’t know who was capable of doing it. The king thinks, too, about Baba Yellowlegs, knowing she was killed. He invited the carnival to the castle so he could talk to her, but she died before he had the chance.

Celaena enters the room, and Chaol explains his idea. She is to go to Wendlyn to kill the royal family and take their military plans, allowing Adarlan to invade the country. Celaena says it would be an honor to go, and the king tells her she’ll leave the next day.

After pacing her room, Celaena goes to the tomb and finds Elena waiting for her. She tells the queen she can’t go to Wendlyn, but the queen suggests Chaol might want her to be closer to the Fae, as Wendlyn is their last stronghold. Elena tells Celaena to go and forget about the king and the Wyrdkeys for now. Celaena asks if Nehemia orchestrated her death because she’s more helpful dead than alive, but Elena tells her not to think about it, as it won’t change anything.

Chaol tries to hurry away from the council meeting, but Dorian stops him and questions why he would send Celaena away. Chaol hides the real reason, saying it’s safer if she is out of the castle. Dorian says Celaena will never forgive him for sending her away. Chaol knows it will be easier to leave Rifthold if Dorian wants him to go, so he tells his friend that it’s time for him to start being a leader and walks away.

Celaena goes to Nehemia’s grave and talks to her friend. She admits to being a coward and promises to stop running from her identity and the task Elena gave her. She also promises to stop the King of Adarlan, free Eyllwe, and restore Nehemia’s father to his throne. She cuts her palm and presses it to the ground, sealing her promise and sending her message to Nehemia in the Otherworld.

Celaena is packing when Dorian enters her room. He asks if she is going to leave without saying goodbye, and she says she thought it would be easier. Dorian reminds her that she’ll be alone, far from help, and he’ll constantly worry about her. She asks him to look after Fleetfoot, and he agrees. Dorian tells her he’s left some books in her room since they’re safer in there. He lies about having a council meeting so he doesn’t have to see her off at the docks. Dorian says goodbye, and she thanks him for all he’s done and for being her friend. Before he walks out, she says she’ll come back for him.

Celaena stands on the dock, looking at the ship. She hasn’t said goodbye to Chaol because of her many questions. She steps forward and hears Chaol tell her to wait. He asks if she understands why he’s sending her away. Celaena does but says she must return. She then tells him about the Wyrdkeys, Wyrdgates, Baba Yellowlegs, and the riddle to find the Wyrdkeys. She also says the king has at least one of the Wyrdkeys. She hands him the Eye of Elena, telling him to never take it off as it will protect him. She whispers something in his ear, but he doesn’t know what it means. Celaena steps away, and Chaol says he loves her. She tells him she’s sorry and walks onto the ship. Chaol watches her sail away.

Chaol is puzzled by the date Celaena whispered to him, which included only a month and a day. He walks back to the castle and her suite to look for anything that could help him understand. He sees a stack of half-hidden books and opens a chronicle to the date Celaena told him. That date includes a report about the King and Queen of Terrasen’s assassination, and the queen’s name, Evalin Ashryver, draws his attention. He remembers she was a princess in Wendlyn, so he opens a genealogy of that family. He finds Aelin and her mother on the family tree; he notices that Aelin’s great-grandmother is Maeve, one of the three Fae Sister-Queens. Chaol suddenly flashes back to the Yulemas ball when Celaena received an arrow, symbolic of Mab. Mab was another Sister-Queen who died and became Lady of the Hunt. Chaol realizes that Celaena is the lost Queen of Terrasen, Aelin Ashryver Galathynius, and she's now headed for her allies.