The Poppy War: Chapter 2  Summary & Analysis

Tikany celebrated last time a student was accepted to Sinegard. This time, the nobles are so embarrassed that a poor orphan got in that when Rin goes to enroll at the town hall, the proctors accuse her of cheating. When her charges are eventually cleared, they ask Rin to leave the province quietly. Saying goodbye to Auntie Fang and Uncle Fang is easy, but Kesegi clings to Rin and begs her to stay. Rin comforts him for a moment, but then she shoves him away. Tutor Feyrik accompanies Rin to Sinegard, regaling her with stories and warnings about the capital during the two weeks that their caravan travels north. He encourages her to cut off her long braids so she isn’t as easy to snatch off the street and force into sexual slavery. Rin does so that night, dropping the braids on the road.

Finally, the caravan reaches the capital. It’s forced to stop outside Sinegard’s gates, though, so the Militia soldiers can inspect Federation soldiers for weapons. Rin wants to gawk at the Federation soldiers. Like everyone born after the Second Poppy War, she’s never seen anyone from Mugen. But Tutor Feyrik warns Rin to never even look at them: Nikan only barely won the last war, and the Mugenese are dangerous and have diplomatic immunity. Eventually, the caravan enters the city. Rin is stuck by how light everyone’s skin is, and she’s overwhelmed as street vendors offer their various goods and services for exorbitant prices. She and Tutor Feyrik also struggle to understand the dialect, so they hire a rickshaw to take them to the Academy. A nearby carriage hits a child—and the driver then kills the child to avoid having to make disability payments to him. Rin nearly vomits.

Unlike the frightening city of Sinegard, Sinegard Academy is gorgeous and quiet, with beautiful landscaping. An older student named Tobi gives Rin, Tutor Feyrik, and another new student and his mother a tour. The other student is extremely handsome but looks resentful and mean. Tobi leads the group through the Academy’s seven tiers, scoffing when he learns that Rin is from the south. Following this, Rin and Tutor Feyrik say goodbye. Crying, Rin runs into his arms and says that nobody seems to want her here. Tutor Feyrik says they don’t: the wealthy don’t want the poor to have any upward mobility, but Rin should embrace her outsider status and remember that she earned her place here. He tells her to never return to the south.

Once Tutor Feyrik leaves, Rin tries to regain composure, reminding herself that this is better than being married. But then she hears the boy from the tour mocking her—and mocking Tutor Feyrik. Rin can deal with bullying directed at her, but she can’t forgive anyone who mocks her tutor. She punches the boy in the eye. An apprentice immediately rushes to separate Rin and the boy, asking for their names. The boy’s name is Nezha. The apprentice accepts Rin’s explanation that Nezha insulted her tutor and tells Nezha to calm down. Nezha, though, threatens to kill Rin.