Legendary

Tella rushes across the courtyard and through the market, which has shops and signs representing the Fates. Though many try to intercept her, she refuses to stop. She takes a sky carriage to the Temple District and returns to the Temple of the Stars, where Theron waits. He guides her to the vaults and informs her that Dante’s deal allows her to open the door once before she must pay her mother’s debt. He leaves her, and she opens the vault to find her mother’s treasures, including the Deck of Destiny. She places the Aracle and her mother’s card back in the deck, reaches into her pocket to grab the luckless coin, and summons Jacks. Theron threatens to lock her in the vault if she does this, so she picks up the deck and prepares to leave, knowing that the first face she will see will be Legend’s. By picking up her mother’s Deck of Destiny, she officially wins Caraval.

Tella leaves the Temple of the Stars and hears Dante’s voice. She closes her eyes, hoping that it is a lie and that she can change the truth, but she now knows that Dante is Legend. She cannot help but love him anyway, and she tells him to flee because she summoned Jacks just before exiting the temple. Dante never looks at the cards; he only looks at her. He dislikes that she plans to give the cards to Jacks, but she explains that she intends to save her mother. Dante stays with her, and while they talk, she realizes that she can make a choice that will save both Dante and her mother, if she is willing to make her own sacrifice. She tells Dante to take the cards and run, then pricks her finger with her mother’s opal ring and writes her name in blood on the card. Dante apologizes to Tella, saying that he never meant for this to happen. He did not know that her mother was trapped inside a card when he set up this Caraval. As Tella disappears, she explains why she lied to her sister about their kiss, but she cannot finish her explanation before she vanishes.

The stars in the sky watch as Tella sacrifices herself for Dante and her mother. They believe that she is foolish but they enjoy watching Dante’s rage. He may sacrifice himself, but they hope that he will not, because he is indebted to them. Finally, they watch as he picks up the deck and the opal ring, slices his palm, and pours magic over the deck while uttering an ancient incantation. When he finishes, the world has changed again.

Tella returns to the mortal world, deeply confused. Legend explains that her sacrifice worked, but he was unwilling to sacrifice her, so he broke the curse on the cards. He set the Fates free because he could not bear to lose Tella. However, when Tella kisses him and calls him the hero of her story, he becomes cold, sets her down, and walks away while insisting that he is no hero.

While Tella lies on the ground where Dante left her, Jacks arrives. He tells her that the Fates are back in the world but are still weakened because Legend still holds a portion of their power. He also says that it will take the Fates weeks to recover enough strength to move after centuries of being trapped in cards. Without asking, he picks Tella up and carries her back to the palace, assuring her that he is still a villain and does not love her. When they arrive at the palace, Jacks and Tella face Julian and Scarlet. When Tella is asked about Legend, she only reveals that she saw him and that he left her. Jacks leaves to find Scarlet and Tella’s mother, Julian leaves to find his brother, and the sisters briefly discuss the fact that Tella has fallen in love with Legend.

Jacks returns Paloma (Paradise the Lost) to the sisters and briefly explains what Tella did during Caraval. After he leaves, Tella confesses everything, which upsets Scarlet and renews her anger toward their mother. Tella takes care of Paloma, though it will take time for her mother to awaken. Tella searches through one of Scarlet’s drawers and finds a letter from Count Nicolas d’Arcy. Scarlet confesses that she sought Jacks’s help to find Nicolas so that she could give both him and Julian a chance. She has no plans to marry the count, but she wants to prove that Julian is the right person for her.

Mourning bells ring throughout the palace. Empress Elantine has died, and her long-lost returned heir will take the throne. Tella goes to the window to see the Golden Tower from her sister’s room, where the heir will present himself. Although the scene is far away, she recognizes the man who appears to be Legend. He left her on the stairs to the Temple of the Stars to watch the fireworks with Elantine, and Tella now understands that part of his game in Valenda was to take the throne by playing the role of the Lost Heir.

Tella wakes at midnight on her birthday. She wants to make Legend regret leaving her. She sees his gift on her windowsill: a rose that shines in the dark and a note telling her that when she is ready, she should find him and collect her prize for winning Caraval.