The Right Side and the Wrong: Chapter 65 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
Vigga dispatches three guards with brutal efficiency, breaking her sword on a helmet and using a halberd to finish the fight. As she moves toward the palace, she reflects on her violent past before the bite—raiding, killing a monk, burning nuns, and watching her friend Harald die. She suppresses her inner wolf and joins Brother Diaz and Baptiste. Diaz, Baptiste, and Vigga advance, with Vigga kissing Diaz on the cheek in a moment of camaraderie.
Inside the palace, Alex and Sunny sneak through the kitchens, encountering handmaidens Cleofa and Athenais, who use magic to attack. Sunny is blasted through a wall, and they flee through a wine store, setting a fire. They find a secret panel in a boot room and enter a hidden passage.
Outside, Diaz, Vigga, and Baptiste have killed the palace guards. Lady Severa appears, feigning distress, then sticks a rune‑marked needle into Vigga’s forehead. Severa and Vigga speak in unison, ordering them to disarm.
Jakob, struggling with age and injuries, climbs the grand staircase. He hears female voices and prepares for a fight.
Sunny and Alex ascend to the Imperial Bedchamber, where they find Arcadius’s remains. Alex puts on his marriage tunic. They try to go down the main staircase but hear handmaidens and Duke Michael below; Michael intends to herd them upward. Alex and Sunny decide to go up toward the throne room.
Key Events
- Vigga kills or disables three guards, then recollects her pirate/raider past.
- Vigga, Brother Diaz, and Baptiste advance on the palace.
- Alex and Sunny sneak through the palace; handmaidens Cleofa and Athenais attack with magic.
- Alex and Sunny set a fire while escaping through a wine store and find a secret passage.
- Lady Severa betrays the group by implanting a rune in Vigga’s forehead, speaking in unison with her.
- Jakob climbs the stairs in pain, hears voices, and prepares to fight.
- Alex and Sunny discover Arcadius’s body in the bedchamber; Alex dons his tunic.
- Duke Michael and the handmaidens herd Alex and Sunny upward toward the throne room.
Character Development
Vigga: Her interior monologue reveals deep regret and nostalgia for her pre‑bite life. She questions whether she has always been bad, and she fights to control the wolf inside. The betrayal by Severa (via the rune) takes away her agency, showing her vulnerability.
Alex (Empress Alexia): From a slum‑born empress, she shows resilience by choosing to “die dressed” in her husband’s tunic. Her terror is palpable, but she trusts Sunny and follows her lead.
Sunny: The elf remains resourceful and pragmatic. She uses stealth and cleverness, though she is injured during the magical attacks. Her terse dialogue underlines her no‑nonsense attitude.
Jakob: The aging warrior struggles with his body’s limits and his guilt over past failures. Despite the pain, he forces himself forward, clinging to his sword as his identity.
Brother Diaz: He shows courage by fighting alongside Vigga, but is shocked by Severa’s betrayal. His faith (“May God have mercy”) contrasts with Vigga’s cynicism.
Lady Severa: Previously a helpless noble, she is revealed as a manipulative agent using rune magic. Her calm, cultured tone while controlling Vigga is chilling.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
- Right Side vs. Wrong: The chapter title underscores a central moral question. Vigga wonders if her victims “deserved it,” and Diaz reflects that it’s hard to tell “who’s on the right side.” The chaos of battle blurs moral certainty.
- Memory and Regret: Vigga’s flashbacks to her raiding days show that the past cannot be escaped. She tears up over dead friends and burned nuns, questioning whether any of it was worth it.
- The Wolf Within: Vigga continually suppresses her inner wolf, symbolizing her struggle between her violent nature and her desire for redemption. The bite (mentioned as “before the bite”) separates her past from present.
- The Rune: Severa’s rune‑needle represents control and hidden dangers. It allows her to speak through Vigga, stripping Vigga of independence.
- Verticality of Troy: The endless stairs mirror Jakob’s uphill battle against age and regret, and they trap Alex and Sunny as their enemies close in from below.
Why This Chapter Matters
This chapter pivots the palace assault into a trap. Severa’s betrayal reveals a new layer of conspiracy, robbing the heroes of their strongest fighter (Vigga). It deepens Vigga’s backstory, making her a more sympathetic character. Alex and Sunny are forced upward into a final confrontation, with Duke Michael and the handmaidens controlling the lower levels. The moral ambiguity of the title is woven throughout, setting up the climax. The chapter also gives Jakob a moment of determination despite his exhaustion.
Study Questions and Answers
1. Why does Vigga think about her past during the fight, and what does that reveal about her character?
Vigga’s flashbacks show that she is haunted by her violent history—killing a monk, burning nuns, losing friend Harald. She questions whether she was always “bad” even before the wolf bite. This internal conflict makes her more than a brute; she craves meaning but is trapped by her past.
2. How does the use of the rune needle by Lady Severa change the power dynamic in the palace?
Severa’s rune gives her control over Vigga, neutralizing the party’s most formidable fighter. It also exposes Severa as a secret agent, not a victim. The coordinated speech between Severa and Vigga demonstrates magical influence and shifts the heroes from attackers to trapped prey.
3. What does the setting of the Imperial Bedchamber and the marriage tunic symbolize for Alex?
The bedchamber holds the remains of Arcadius, symbolizing the shattered imperial marriage and the loss of her husband. By donning his tunic, Alex claims a shred of dignity and identity, even as she faces death. The tunic’s golden embroidery also makes her a visible target, underscoring her resolve to meet her fate “dressed.”