Chapter 79: Tagebuch – 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 is a diary entry from Rae, set during the Great Flicker feast. She is forced to sit veiled and silent beside her betrothed, Tyroth, after earlier threatening him with a blade when he tried to drag her into a dark corridor. Throughout the meal, Rae suffers because the dishes served are too rich or spicy for her palate, yet custom forbids her from speaking to request different food. Kaan watches Tyroth closely. Veya remains unusually withdrawn; her Pah, King Ostern, begins to berate her publicly, lamenting even the moment of her conception. Veya cries, and Rae erupts. She tears off her veil, climbs onto the table, marches to the far end to grab a portion of Colkfleisch she had been eyeing, returns, and eats openly while making sarcastic remarks to the king and Tyroth. Ostern then announces that after the Great Flicker, Kaan and Veya must leave to help rebuild a village destroyed by a raging Sabersythe. Later, Kaan comes to Rae, and they spend the night together in slow, tender intimacy, ignoring the looming future. Rae notes that in thirty cycles she will turn twenty-one and her binding ceremony to Tyroth is already being arranged.
Key Events
- Tyroth corners Rae in a corridor; she holds a dragon-scale blade to his throat. He laughs and blames Kaan’s influence. Rae retorts, then tells him he can eat dragon dung.
- At the feast, Rae is veiled and silent. The food served is unsuitable for her, but she cannot ask for alternatives.
- King Ostern verbally abuses Veya, telling her she disappointed him and regretting her existence. Veya weeps for the first time in Rae’s view.
- Rae rebels: she removes her veil, walks on the dining table, fetches Colkfleisch, and eats messily while taunting Ostern and taking beans from Tyroth’s plate.
- Ostern announces that Kaan and Veya will leave after the Great Flicker to aid a village destroyed by a Sabersythe.
- Kaan visits Rae; they share a slow, wordless night of intimacy as the Great Flicker’s silver ribbons fill the sky.
- Rae reveals the binding ceremony with Tyroth is in thirty cycles, on her twenty-first birthday, which will also be her coronation.
Character Development
Rae grows bolder under pressure. Earlier, she physically defended herself against Tyroth. At the feast, she breaks a suffocating patriarchal custom to defend Veya, showing a protective, defiant side that prioritises solidarity over safety. Her willingness to humiliate herself (eating messily, making crude jokes) to shame her abusers marks a turning point in her agency.
Veya appears in a rare moment of vulnerability. Long portrayed as stoic, her tears in response to Ostern’s cruelty reveal the deep wounds inflicted by her father. This moment humanises her and strengthens Rae’s attachment.
King Ostern displays casual cruelty, using public humiliation to control his daughter. His announcement about Kaan and Veya’s departure is a calculated act that separates allies and strengthens his hold on Rae.
Kaan remains outwardly controlled, but his later tenderness with Rae betrays his desperation. He cannot stop the forced marriage, so he retreats into a night of denial.
Tyroth is portrayed as a bully who expects obedience. He restrains himself from striking Rae only because he lacks a pretext, suggesting he will be a violent husband.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
The Veil symbolises enforced silence and submission. Rae removes it to speak and act, reclaiming her voice. Its removal is an act of rebellion.
Food and appetite reflect power. Rae cannot access the food she wants because she must not speak; she then takes it forcibly, asserting control over her own nourishment. The Colkfleisch she grabs is a symbol of her refusal to starve – literally and figuratively.
The Diary form (“Tagebuch” means diary in German) gives the chapter an intimate, confessional tone. It reveals Rae’s inner thoughts and secrets, contrasting with the public performance expected of her.
Ignoring the future is a motif explored through Kaan and Rae’s night together. They both know the binding ceremony approaches, yet they choose immersion in the present as a form of resistance.
Why This Chapter Matters
Chapter 79 is a turning point for Rae’s agency. She moves from passive endurance – being silenced and fed bad food – to open defiance in front of the king. The confrontation with Veya’s abuse deepens Rae’s bond with her and sets her against the entire patriarchal system. Ostern’s announcement separates Kaan from Rae, heightening the stakes. The intimate interlude with Kaan is a last gasp of freedom before the inevitable binding. The chapter ends with Rae’s stark acknowledgement of her future as Tyroth’s wife and queen, making the tension unbearable.
Study Questions and Answers
1. Why does Rae remove her veil and climb on the table?
Rae removes her veil and climbs on the table because she can no longer endure watching Ostern verbally abusing Veya. Seeing Veya cry for the first time triggers a protective rage that overrides custom and fear. By eating Colkfleisch and making sarcastic remarks, Rae publicly shames the king and reclaims her own voice and appetite.
2. What does Ostern’s announcement about Kaan and Veya reveal about his strategy?
Ostern’s announcement that Kaan and Veya must leave after the Great Flicker is a deliberate move to isolate Rae. Removing Kaan eliminates her strongest ally and protector, while also punishing Veya for causing the scene (or for her general failure to please him). It shows Ostern as a manipulative ruler who uses duty as a weapon.
3. How does the diary format affect the reader’s understanding of the chapter?
The diary format gives unfiltered access to Rae’s thoughts, fears, and rebellious impulses. It makes the chapter feel immediate and confessional, contrasting the formal, oppressive feast scenes with Rae’s raw inner voice. This structure also hints that the story is being recorded secretly, adding an element of danger to the act of writing.