Chapter 98: 93 West – Summary and Analysis
⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.
Summary
The chapter opens inside Hollow Crag, where Queen Glorian is in prolonged labour. Surrounded only by her grandmother Florell, midwife Bourn, and a few ladies including Marian and Julain, she endures hours of pain while battles rage outside. Despite her agony, Glorian demands news of the fighting, but Florell urges her to focus. When Bourn advises Glorian to kneel for the birth to relieve back pain, Marian overrules her, citing tradition. Glorian feels trapped by the Berethnet legacy, thinking of the Damsel who died in childbirth and envying Numun of Carmentum, who never had to suffer this way.
Outside on Cenning Moor, Wulf arrives after weeks of travel, riding toward Hollow Crag. He sees the battlefield lit by wyrmfire and filled with wyverns and monstrous beasts. Mistaking a voice for his brother Roland, he is soon knocked from his horse by a beast like an ox. It bites his shoulder, but he kills it with the spear from Tunuva. He reunites with Thrit, who tells him Glorian is inside, in labour. Wulf wants to go in to protect her, but Thrit warns that Prince Guma is there and that it would be foolish for the man who cuckolded him to show his face. Wulf accepts and turns back to the fight with his spear raised.
Key Events
- Glorian labours for hours in a chamber within Hollow Crag, surrounded by a small group of trusted women.
- Bourn advises kneeling to ease Glorian’s back pain, but Marian insists on a supine birth for dignity.
- Glorian rages inwardly against the Berethnet curse and the pain inherited from Galian.
- Wulf arrives at Cenning Moor and witnesses the chaos of the battle.
- He is attacked by a horned beast, wounded in the shoulder, and kills it with Tunuva’s spear.
- Wulf finds Thrit among the soldiers; they learn Glorian is in labour inside the crag.
- Thrit prevents Wulf from entering, warning that Prince Guma is present and would recognize him.
Character Development
- Glorian: Endures immense physical pain while maintaining her royal composure. Her internal anger at the Berethnet tradition and her envy of Numun reveal a desire for a life free from sacrificial duty. She steels herself against Guma’s presence.
- Wulf: Displays courage and resourcefulness in battle, using the spear from Tunuva effectively. His impulse to protect Glorian shows his loyalty, but he ultimately heeds Thrit’s practical counsel.
- Thrit: Acts as a grounding voice, keeping Wulf focused on the larger fight rather than personal intervention.
- Marian: Embodies rigid tradition, prioritizing royal dignity over the queen’s comfort, showing the weight of ceremony even in crisis.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
- Birth and Battle: The chapter sharply juxtaposes the queen’s labour with the soldiers’ fight. Both are acts of creation and destruction: a new life versus the death of invaders.
- The Body as a Realm: Glorian recalls her father’s words that her body embodies Inys – her womb its future, her strength its shield. Her physical suffering mirrors the realm’s peril.
- Fire and Darkness: Wyrmfire lights the battlefield, while candle stumps burn down in the birth chamber. Fire represents both destruction and the fragile illumination of hope.
- Sacred Isolation: The birth is attended only by a few; the birthing chamber is a sanctuary cut off from the war outside, yet both are linked by the fate of the child.
- Inherited Sacrifice: Glorian’s bitter thoughts about Galian Berethnet and the Damsel underscore the generational cost of the dynasty.
Why This Chapter Matters
Chapter 98 brings two key threads to a head: the imminent birth of the next Berethnet heir and the arrival of Wulf at the decisive battle for Hollow Crag. It deepens Glorian’s character by showing her raw vulnerability and resentment, while Wulf’s reunion with Thrit sets the stage for the final confrontation. The chapter also reinforces the theme that personal duty and royal sacrifice are inseparable from the survival of the realm.
Study Questions and Answers
1. Why does Bourn want Glorian to kneel for the birth, and why is she overruled? Bourn believes an upright position will ease the back pain Glorian experiences from prolonged labour. Marian overrules her because she considers kneeling unbecoming for a queen, insisting on the traditional supine position that she herself used.
2. What is the significance of Glorian’s thoughts about Numun of Carmentum? Glorian envies Numun because Numun lived as a free woman in a republic and never had to endure childbirth – a fate Glorian sees as a cruel inheritance from Galian Berethnet. This moment reveals Glorian’s deep resentment of the duty forced upon her.
3. Why does Thrit advise Wulf not to enter Hollow Crag? Thrit warns that Prince Guma – whom Wulf cuckolded – is inside the crag. If Wulf enters, Guma would recognize him, likely causing a fatal confrontation that would distract from both Glorian’s labour and the battle outside.