Ten days after his marriage, Gareth returns home not to his wife Elowen, but with another woman, introducing her as a guest to alleviate the castle's loneliness. He coldly orders Elowen, reminding her she is merely a 'nobleman's bastard' with useful blood, to serve the newcomer spiced wine. When Elowen protests her status as his wife, Gareth brutally asserts his dominance, declaring he will strip her of her dignity and bloodline piece by piece, leaving her humiliated and powerless.