F’lar and Lessa realize that the tanned F’nor must have been the result of the time travel plan they just hatched, but F’lar concludes that if the journey secured a substantial clutch of dragons, it was not a waste. However, though they have no choice but to go ahead with the plan, they realize that time travel must produce some sort of negative effect when two versions of oneself are at the same place at the same time. This explains why Lessa was so distraught when she first time travelled and saw herself as a child in Ruatha: Her physical body was present twice at the same place and time.

F’lar and Lessa share the plan with F’nor, not revealing his later self’s strange visit. After a moment of humor—F’nor is nervous to go to the Reaches with Kylara, who has made romantic passes at him in the past—Lessa and F’nor take off.

F’lar has a Council meeting with the Hold Lords, who are nervous about the coming of the Threads. F’lar eases their concerns with the hard evidence from his research: he can predict the times, durations, and locations of upcoming attacks and station