Tanderine, the wife of the king of Antarcia, tells her husband that the first lady, kaarla, will kill him if he does not let her child live. She tells him that she has searched the coast for the child for the last ten months and that he has found the child at Carnghill. He tells her that he will continue to serve her until she dies. The first lady is about to receive a new man, named raffar, who has served her faithfully for the past ten months. She asks him to count the number of ships that have been cast off to the coast to bring oil, wine, and food to the kingdom. She also asks the king to delay the execution of lorkein for another day.