Gideon: Chapter 1 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 with Gideon in a stolen forest-green guard uniform inside Larkmont Palace. He knocked out one guard and left him tied up in a supply closet on the third floor; four other guards were killed and their bodies disposed of in the fjord. Gideon is deep in enemy territory and knows that discovery would mean death.

He stands along the wall of Prince Soren's ballroom during a private recital, watching his target: Rune Winters, dressed in a golden gown. Soren stands beside her with a possessive hand on her back, inviting his wealthy guests to admire her. Gideon feels a burning anger watching the prince's hungry gaze travel over Rune's dress, which he privately judges as not suiting her.

Gideon's mission is rooted in intelligence from Harrow: a week earlier, Soren proposed marriage to Rune, and she accepted on one condition—that Soren provide Cressida with an army. With that army, Cressida would wage war against the New Republic, and if she won, she would reinstate the Reign of Witches, leading to more deaths. Gideon volunteered for this job because he cannot allow that alliance to form. He carries kill orders and intends to carry them out tonight.

As the evening progresses, Gideon watches Rune mingle with guests. When asked about her home, she describes the witches' former life of music, beauty, and art, and recounts the night Gideon Sharpe led revolutionaries into the palace, murdering two queens in their beds while comrades cut others down in the streets. She claims Cressida saved her. Gideon bristles internally, believing she's leaving out much of the story.

Rune declares she'll never be free until all her sisters are free. The recital begins, and the first song makes her falter mid-step. She asks Soren to excuse her, claiming she needs to powder her nose. Soren refuses, insisting the recital is for her and she must stay. When she tries to pull her hand free, he grips harder. Gideon steps out of position but catches himself, aware he's surrounded by enemies.

Rune then steps in front of Soren, wraps her arms around his neck, and promises a special surprise for later that night. She kisses him, and Gideon's heart drops. He reaches for his pistol, but before he can act, Rune slips away, winks, and walks backward toward the door. She nearly collides with a servant carrying a tray of glasses and a bottle of whiskey, takes the bottle, and disappears into the hall.

Gideon recognizes his moment has come.

Key Events

Gideon infiltrates Larkmont Palace in a stolen guard uniform, having subdued one guard and killed four others.
He learns (via Harrow's intel) that Rune accepted Soren's proposal on the condition that Soren give Cressida an army.
Gideon carries kill orders to prevent the alliance that would enable war against the New Republic.
Rune publicly recounts the revolution and Gideon Sharpe's role in the queens' deaths.
The first song of the recital causes Rune to falter; she asks to leave but Soren refuses.
Rune kisses Soren and promises a surprise later, then slips away and exits with a whiskey bottle.
Gideon identifies her departure as his opportunity.

Character Development

Gideon is introduced as a man torn between duty and emotion. His mission is clear—kill Rune to prevent a war—but his internal reactions betray a deeper conflict. He watches Soren's possessiveness with burning jealousy, and the mention of Alex, barely in the ground, reveals a recent loss that complicates his resolve. His thought that he was a fool to think he'd ever had a chance suggests unrequited feelings.

Rune presents a composed, flirtatious public face, but her faltering at the first song reveals vulnerability. She's been drinking heavily, and her claim that she'll never be free until her sisters are free hints at a deeper motivation beneath the engagement. Her quick exit with the whiskey bottle suggests she's not as invested in the evening as she appears.

Soren is portrayed as possessive and controlling. He refuses to let Rune leave, grips her hand tightly, and treats her as a display piece for his guests. His insistence that the recital is for her reads more as ownership than affection.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Disguise and deception: Gideon's stolen uniform is the central symbol of his infiltration—he moves among enemies by pretending to be one of them.

Music as memory trigger: The first song of the recital causes Rune to physically falter, suggesting music carries painful memories for her.

Possession and control: Soren's hand on Rune's back, his refusal to let her leave, and his framing of the recital as for her all reinforce the theme of ownership.

Class oppression: Rune's description of the witches' former luxury and Gideon's internal retort—that her luxuries came at the expense of others' misery—highlights the class conflict underlying the revolution.

Jealousy and betrayal: Gideon's visceral reaction to watching Rune with Soren, combined with his mission to kill her, creates a tension between personal feeling and political duty.

Why This Chapter Matters

This opening chapter establishes the central conflict of the novel: Gideon's assassination mission against Rune, driven by the political stakes of her marriage to Soren. It introduces the key players—Gideon, Rune, and Soren—and their relationships, while planting the seeds of Gideon's internal struggle. The chapter also sets up the world's history: the revolution, the Reign of Witches, and the ongoing persecution of witches. The cliffhanger ending—Rune leaving the ballroom with Gideon poised to act—creates immediate narrative momentum.

Study Questions

1. Why does Gideon hesitate to kill Rune when he has the chance?

Gideon's hesitation stems from his personal feelings for Rune. He watches her with Soren and feels burning jealousy; the mention of Alex, barely in the ground, reveals a recent loss that complicates his mission. His thought that he was a fool to think he'd ever had a chance suggests he once hoped for something with her. When Rune kisses Soren, Gideon's body turns to stone, and he reaches for his pistol only after the emotional blow. By the time he's ready to act, she's already slipped away.

2. What does Rune's reaction to the first song suggest about her character?

Rune's faltering at the first song reveals that she is not as composed as her public performance suggests. She's been drinking heavily, and the music triggers something in her that makes her desperate to leave. Her claim that she'll never be free until her sisters are free hints that her engagement to Soren may be a strategic move rather than a romantic choice. Her quick exit with the whiskey bottle suggests she's seeking escape—from the music, from the room, or from the situation itself.

3. How does the chapter establish the political stakes of the marriage?

The chapter makes clear that Rune's acceptance of Soren's proposal came with a condition: Soren must give Cressida an army. With that army, Cressida would wage war against the New Republic, and victory would reinstate the Reign of Witches, leading to more deaths. Gideon's kill orders are framed as a necessary act to prevent this outcome. The chapter thus positions Rune as the lynchpin of a political alliance with continent-wide consequences.

Navigation

This is the first chapter.