"But I can not repay a debt of a hundred thousand whose lives were saved by sending a million men and women to die in violence."
— Queen Aanya
The attack on the Magma titan has devastating consequences for two kingdoms. In his letter, Harrow shares a lie, a secret and a wish for the princes.
Tropes in this episode include:
- Bait-and-Switch: After Viren finishes his story, it looks like he's won over Aanya... only for her to still reject his proposal.
- Combination Attack: How the titan is ultimately defeated: Sarai leaps off of Amaya's shield, then uses the height as a vantage point from which to aim her spear into the Magma titan's heart, killing it.
- Cycle of Revenge: Avizandum killed Sarai, Annika and Neha to avenge the Magma titan she slew. Avizandum was then killed out of revenge for Sarai's death, which in turn prompted the Moonshadow elves to assassinate King Harrow.
- Dead Man Writing: Callum reads King Harrow's last letter to him, written on Harrow's assassination day. One big message was, "I ask you and your brother to reject history as a narrative of strength, and instead have faith that it can be a narrative of love."
- Delaying Action: Time has run out for the Human expedition force to escape with their prize and they're being pursued by Thunder. To hold him off and buy the others the time to escape Xadia, Queen Annika and Queen Neha decide to face him, knowing full well that this would probably cost them their lives.
- Died in Your Arms Tonight: According to Viren, Queen Annika died in his arms after the dragon attack.
- Disproportionate Reward: Essentially, this is what Viren is asking for. In exchange for having saved a hundred thousand people from starvation of which half would have been of Duren had their expedition failed, Aanya reckons that sending a million soldiers, twenty times the original number, is too much to ask for. And if a million men and violence die in violence, then the hundred thousand saved from starvation would have been a net negative.
- Emotions vs. Stoicism: Viren uses a powerful story to make an emotional appeal to Queen Anya. While she is moved, she is able to look at it objectively and decide that it's still not worth helping him.
- Hypocritical Humor: Villads remarks on the strangeness of Rayla's name. Rayla claims that her parents had odd taste in names... and pointedly calls him "Villads with a silent 'd.'"Villads: 'Tis fair.
- Idiot Ball: Viren tries to help the queens fight Avizandum using his magic. Not only do they die anyway, but his sacrifice would have doomed both kingdoms because only he could perform the spell. Sarai dies in the process of saving him. Granted, he seemed to be trying to give the Queens time to escape, and it failed because they tried to use it as an opportunity to attack Thunder.
- Insane Troll Logic: Having told his story, Viren expects Aanya to have been convinced to join his side to fight Xadia. Then she refuses with sound logic that to send a million troops to die in exchange for having saved a hundred thousand would not be appropriate. The rest of the monarchs are declared cowards and traitors by Viren because they listened to Aanya's reason for refusing. When it comes to fighting the threat from Xadia, Viren has never been the most reasonable voice in the room. And now he just reacted in the worst possible way.
- I Will Only Slow You Down: Wounded General Amaya requests to stay behind and make her way back to the human realm in her own time in order not to delay the evacuation of the titan's heart. King Harrow is having nothing of it.
- No One Gets Left Behind: King Harrow strongly opposes Viren's suggestion to leave the wounded behind in Xania.
- Origins Episode: This episode explains what happened to Queen Sarai, why humans killed the Dragon King, and why the human kingdoms are in conflict with Xadia.
- Pre-Sacrifice Final Goodbye: When Queen Sarai decides to go back to save Viren because without him to perform the spell, everything they had done would be worthless, she says goodbye to King Harrow with a simple "I'll see you on the other side."
- The Reveal: Queen Sarai was killed by Avizandum when she bought Viren time to escape.
- Rewatch Bonus: While Callum is reading King Harrow's letter, there is a specific moment shown while he's reading the part about the lie Harrow wished to tell him. Specifically a moment of Harrow with Viren, who was holding Sarai's spear with an odd jar and a unicorn horn on a table. A later episode would go to show just how incredibly significant this brief shot was.
- Royals Who Actually Do Something: Deconstructed. While the Queens of Duren and Katolis, as well as the King of Katolis, go on the quest to get the Heart, it shows why having Royals do things is a bad idea. While their skills are great, all of the queens die on the quest, leaving Duren to be ruled first by a regent, then by a child (who grew up without parents as a result). Katolis lost its queen, leaving Harrow a broken man who would later go on a Roaring Rampage of Revenge that would culminate in the events of the series (and eventually his own death), and Ezran and Callum lost their mother.
- Shell-Shock Silence: After the dragon hits Queen Annika and Viren off their horse, the soundtrack goes silent except for a ringing noise.
- Tantrum Throwing: Pretty much Viren's reaction to the other rulers rejecting his proposal for a war alliance.
- Voiceover Letter: The letter from Callum's father to him is read out with the father's voice.
