The emperor’s health is improving, and Anna is finally allowed to visit him at his bedside. While there, she notices that the doctors are using a mysterious medicine to treat him. She stealthily grabs a vial of it, and just like before with the chalice, Sophia takes it from her so that nobody will notice that she is holding it. She later reveals that she intends to use the medicine to die by suicide if her brother and grandmother seize control, out of fear of what they might do to her. She orders Sophia to give the vial to Simon for safekeeping, despite Sophia’s protests. Irene and Simon encourage Anna to try to find the good in her new way of life instead of clinging bitterly to the past.

The emperor’s health suddenly declines dramatically after his brief period of recovery, and it becomes clear that his death is imminent. Sensing that they will soon seize power, John and Dalassene grow bolder. When they discover that Anna is in the process of writing a history of her father’s rule, The Alexiad, they destroy her writing materials and ban her from the library. Alexios dies, having failed to restore Anna’s status as heir to