I Ran to the Witch

Rowan and Finn steal a moment before dinner, only to be caught by her mother Maura. Maura publicly shames Rowan for bingeing and purging, pointing out her ill-fitting gown, and Rowan flees in humiliation.

Maura laces Rowan into a corset for her council appearance, pulling it so tight she can barely breathe. Rowan escapes and meets Finn, who notices her stomach is not just weight gain. They both realize they have a very serious problem that can no longer be hidden.

Rowan tells Finn she is pregnant with his child and they need a plan. Finn fears the queen will hang him and hesitates. Rowan proposes they escape south that night, but when Finn balks, she decides to go it alone.

Queen Maura polices Rowan's food ahead of a public appearance and demands to know why she has been using the servant corridors for months. Rowan denies meeting anyone and claims she was only drinking. Maura warns that any servant who defiles the royal heir will be executed.

Rowan discovers Finn's packed bags and confronts him about planning to flee alone. Finn admits he intended to leave because the queen suspects something. Furious that she is the one carrying the child, Rowan rejects his pleas and walks away, declaring he will never see them again.

Queen Maura insists Rowan meet two suitors, Lord Harrand and Prince Aldrin, before her condition becomes too obvious. Rowan agrees but secretly packs to leave. Finn discovers she is headed for Blackwood and warns her no one returns from there. She refuses his company and departs alone.

Rowan is intercepted in Blackwood by a mysterious woman who immediately identifies her pregnancy. The woman calls herself the Blackwood Witch, dismisses Rowan's threats, and confirms the baby is alive.

Rowan wakes in the witch's dwelling to find her horse, bag, and wine gone. The witch notes her vomiting and weak pulse, insists she eat, and states the baby needs calories, not her mother's approval. When Rowan tries to leave, the witch blocks her and warns her to stay quiet if she doesn't want to go back.

Soldiers search the witch's dwelling for Rowan. The witch shoves Rowan into a wardrobe to hide her. When the soldiers threaten force under the queen's authority, the witch stands her ground and drives them off. Afterward, Rowan asks why she helped, and the witch reveals she knows exactly what Queen Maura does to people.

Rowan and the witch talk amid scorched earth. The witch admits Queen Maura set the fire in retaliation for her refusal to clear the blackwood, and confesses she considered holding Rowan hostage until she saw a wet, mud-covered disaster rather than a princess.