Chapter 6 Summary, Analysis, and Key Themes

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Summary

The chapter opens with Owen Mallory's wry observation that a journey which takes only a few paragraphs in a book takes considerably longer on horseback—especially when the horse is old and the Queen's Wood offers no straight paths. He and Una travel slowly, with Owen suffering blisters, aching joints, and the horse's casual cruelty. Una remains silent and stoic, but Owen's attempts at conversation reveal small truths: the horse has no name, Una's hair is a source of strangeness, and she was once called “Little Dragon” by Father Foy. Owen's own heritage as a possible descendant of the Roving Folk surfaces, but Una deflects further questions.

On the third morning, they leave the wood, and Owen is struck by a panic attack—a visceral flashback to the war front. Una drops the reins and wraps herself around him, holding him steady until the episode passes. Owen feels shame and an unwanted physical awareness, but Una asks no questions. The journey continues north through increasingly cold and desolate terrain. Una seems indifferent to her own body, treating it as a tool, yet she shares her cloak and builds fires. At night, Una suffers nightmares, calling out in a voice that sounds like begging. Owen learns to stay away, though he is haunted by her words.

They pass through a township where villagers stare at Una with fear, not reverence. Owen buys griddle cakes and learns of a bathhouse. There, they bathe together, and Una discusses her ambiguous gender role: she is neither fully woman nor man in the eyes of others, and she is unsure which is worse—being taken for something she is not, or failing at being what she is. Owen sees the scars on her back and is deeply moved. He leaves the room and begins collecting stories about Una from villagers, learning of her past duels and affairs, but she refuses to discuss the Black Bastion, her greatest victory.

In a desperately poor village, a man grabs Una's hair. She severs his hand with Valiance, though Owen's shout causes her to flinch and miss a killing blow. The villagers watch in silence. That night, Una explains their hatred: they were once Hyllmen, conquered by the queen, and she is the instrument of their subjugation. She calls herself the Knight of Worms, because she feeds them so well. Owen holds her hand and says he does not fear her. He then imagines intimacy with her, but recoils, realizing he is leading her to her death. He writes a heroic account of her quest, transforming her into a legend. Six days later, they reach Cloven Hill, where the grail and the last dragon await.

Key Events

Owen and Una travel through the Queen's Wood on an old gelding, with Owen physically miserable.
Owen suffers a panic attack upon leaving the wood; Una comforts him.
They pass through a township where villagers fear Una; Owen buys food and learns of a bathhouse.
At the bathhouse, Una discusses her gender identity and Owen sees her scars.
Owen collects stories about Una from villagers, but she refuses to discuss the Black Bastion.
In a poor village, a man grabs Una's hair; she severs his hand.
Una explains the villagers' hatred, calling herself the Knight of Worms.
Owen holds her hand and says he does not fear her, but then recoils from his desire.
Owen writes a heroic account of Una's quest, transforming her into a legend.
They arrive at Cloven Hill, where the grail and the last dragon await.

Character Development

Character	Development in This Chapter
Owen Mallory	Owen's trauma is laid bare through his panic attack and recurring fits. He grapples with his role as a chronicler, realizing that his writing is a form of erasure. His desire for Una conflicts with his guilt over leading her to death, and he recoils from intimacy, choosing instead to immortalize her in fiction.
Una	Una's vulnerability emerges through her nightmares, her confession about the Black Bastion, and her admission that she is not sure who she is. She is revealed as a reluctant instrument of conquest, haunted by the cost of peace. Her care for Owen—holding him during panic attacks, binding his wound—shows a tenderness she otherwise hides.
Their Relationship	The chapter deepens their bond through shared vulnerability and physical closeness, but also highlights the impossibility of their connection. Owen's flinch when he realizes he is leading her to death creates a rift, yet he continues to write her legend.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Myth-making vs. reality: Owen's narrative transforms Una's suffering into a heroic tale, erasing her humanity. He notes that he is accumulating a list of things he is not mentioning, and that the heroic figure will eventually replace her entirely.
Cost of conquest: Una's explanation of the villagers' hatred reveals the human toll of the queen's wars. She calls herself the Knight of Worms, feeding the dead, and questions whose peace is being bought.
Identity and performance: Una's discussion of her gender role—being neither fully woman nor man—echoes Owen's own sense of being an imposter. Both are performing roles that do not fit.
Forbidden desire: Owen's attraction to Una is complicated by her status as a saint and his guilt. His fantasy of intimacy is immediately followed by the realization that he is leading her to death, making desire itself a betrayal.
War trauma and PTSD: Owen's panic attack and Una's nightmares are both manifestations of war trauma. Una's instinctive violence when startled, and Owen's flashbacks, show how the past invades the present.
Death foreshadowing: Owen's visions of Una laid out on a bier, and his repeated thoughts of her death, foreshadow the tragic ending. The chapter ends with the arrival at Cloven Hill, where the dragon awaits.

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter is pivotal because it humanizes Una and deepens Owen's internal conflict. It reveals the cost of her role as the queen's blade, showing her as a reluctant killer haunted by her past. Owen's decision to write her legend, despite knowing it will erase her, sets up the central tension of the novel: the gap between story and truth. The chapter also establishes the emotional stakes for the climax, as Owen's guilt and desire collide. The arrival at Cloven Hill marks the transition from journey to confrontation, making this chapter the turning point before the final act.

Study Questions and Answers

1. How does Owen's narrative transformation of Una reflect his internal conflict?

Owen's writing is an act of love and erasure. He cannot save Una or love her openly, so he makes her into a legend that all of Dominion will love. This transformation allows him to avoid his guilt, but it also destroys the real Una. His melancholy when he thinks of the heroic figure replacing her shows his awareness of the cost.

2. What does Una's reaction to the villagers reveal about her character?

Una's reaction—severing the man's hand without hesitation, then explaining the villagers' hatred—reveals her as a product of war. She is not a simple hero but a weapon used to enforce conquest. Her self-identification as the Knight of Worms shows her guilt and her understanding of the human cost of peace. She is both victim and perpetrator.

3. How does the bathhouse scene challenge gender norms?

Una's discussion of her ambiguous gender role challenges the binary expectations of her society. She is allowed to bear arms and dress as she does because she is a saint, but this exemption makes her neither fully woman nor man. Owen's response—that he would prefer her however she chose to be—suggests a more fluid understanding of identity, though he still struggles with his own desires.