#elain has been associated with roses from day one

[elrxiel]

each time a G/wynriel says "Elriels wants Elain to be Gwyn so bad!" I lose another braincell trying to understand how someone can be so delusional and absolutely blind to canon sequences repeated over and over by multiple characters, yet so passionate in looking for clues between the lines (which in most cases, are simply not there, dare I say) and twisting the most obvious scenes to fit their narrative

we're all entitled to our own opinions and preferences but I simply cannot take them seriously when all I see are those opinions absolutely misreading canon text and giving characters qualities they do not possess - or trying to take away the ones they do - because they do not suit some wild theories which have no reasonable grounds to back them up

if you fail to understand Elain's character, qualities and background even if it's stated blankly in the books, that's on you I guess, but don't embarrass yourself saying anyone would like Elain to be Gwyn - I can assure you that while most of Elriels like or even adore Gwyn's character and the others are neutral towards her, all of us here writing about Elain are here for her exactly how she is being portrayed throughout the whole series

we love her exactly how she is and frankly, none of us has to take away anything from other characters

maybe before stating something so profoundly stupid, take a look in the mirror and look up the word "hypocrisy" first

[lovemyromance]

Let's talk about Canon Evidence vs. Foreshadowing vs. Extrapolation

Long post ahead!

I think in this fandom, there's logical fallacies everywhere from each side when we look at what we're using as proof for our respective ships.

So let's talk about the varying levels of "proof" I've come across:

Canon Evidence: Text that is physically in the book. Something I can look up, has a page number, something SJM has literally written in her books. This includes screenshots of text. This is the most credible evidence of what is currently going on in the story.

Foreshadowing: Often a combination of canon text and interpretation from the reader. Forms an assumption of what could potentially happen based off something SJM wrote in the text and what it symbolizes.

Extrapolation/Theory: One step further than foreshadowing, this is an additional assumption based on what what the reader believes canon text could be foreshadowing/implying.

Now let's look at some examples of this, using some of the arguments I've seen used in this fandom:

Example 1: Elains' Black Dress

Canon Evidence: Cassian says Elain in black was ridiculous. It leeched the brightness from her face. And wearing black, no matter how much she claimed to be a part of this court, sucked the life from her.

Cassian is not saying Elain does not belong in the NC. He is not saying the NC itself sucked the life from her. Aside from the fact that the canon text clearly states even though the cruelty of Hewn City troubled Elain, she had not hesitated to come and declared she was a part of this court - Cassian is focusing on how the black, modest dress, made Elain look plain/leeched of color. This observation is further enforced because we as readers know Elain was made to look plain so Nesta could stand out for Eris.

That is all the canon text states.

Now let's look at this argument, and how it's often used by anti-Elriels for foreshadowing purposes:

Cassian saying Elain looks bad in black is often used as evidence of this argument that "Elain does not belong in the NC". That is not the case, as we can see that canon text did not state that.

If you add in personal interpretation, at most, this observation from Cassian can be considered foreshadowing that Elain does not belong in the NC.

Now let's look at this argument and how it's mainly used as an extrapolation/theory these days:

Let's go with the assumption that:

1. Cassian says Elain looks bad in black, it sucks the life from her (Canon Evidence)

+

2. Elain looking bad in black implies that the night court is not where she belongs (foreshadowing)

Again, at most, the logical conclusion would be Elain might leave the NC.

To say that "Cassian says Elain looks bad in black, that implies she does not belong in the NC, therefore she will end up with Lucien in a different court" is a major extrapolation.

In the text, Cassian doesn't even mention Lucien. Nor does he mention anything that could symbolize or connect to Lucien. He doesn't mention any other court or home that could even tie back to Lucien. Elain has not hinted at a relationship or positive feelings for Lucien.

Even if you say that Cassian's statement is foreshadowing Elain leaving the NC, that does not imply she will leave and go straight into Lucien's arms or be at his side in Day/Spring.

Therefore is no logical reason to be using this particular observation from Cassian as an argument for the Elucien ship. It is not evidence, it is not foreshadowing - it is extrapolation.

Now let's look at a different example. And in an effort to be unbiased, I am purposefully picking a more obscure example for Elriel.

Example 2: The Wooden Rose

Canon Evidence: Nesta places a wooden rose on the mantel, half hidden by shadows, next to a figurine of a primal goddess - perhaps even the Mother herself.

Foreshadowing:

In this series, Elain has always been associated with flowers, in particular, a rose. Azriel has always been associated with shadows.

In the BC, we see mention of their interaction in the dead of night, "Where only the mother may witness them" (Canon)

Nesta placing the Rose figurine (Elain), half hidden by shadows (Azriel) onto the mantel next to a figurine of a goddess (The Mother) could foreshadow a further connection or relationship between them.

Extrapolation:

It is not an extrapolation because there has been repeated symbolism with Azriel, Elain, and the Mother. It is also not canon evidence of their relationship, because it does not say that in the text either.

An example of an extrapolation would be if Elriels used this to signify that "Elriel has a bond given by the Mother". That would be an argument that takes it another step past foreshadowing, and two steps past actual canon evidence.

And I want to make sure people understand that extrapolation is basically theory. It is not proof of a ship.

The reason I ship Elriel is because when I read the books, I found only canon evidence and foreshadowing of Elriel attraction/mutual pining.

With Elucien, the only canon evidence that might signify an endgame pairing is that they are mates. And that might be enough for some people, but it was not enough for me.

More often than not, even the "foreshadowing" Eluciens claim to have is merely extrapolation/theory. There is no foreshadowing of an existing or future relationship with them - unless you count the foreshadowing of Elain rejecting the bond.

Simply put, canon evidence is the only real proof of a pairing (which, Elriel does have from the Azriel Bonus chapter). Foreshadowing can be brought up, but it has a degree of personal interpretation involved as well. Extrapolations are further removed from the category of evidentiary support, as they are rooted in theory rather than in text.

[shadowqueenjude]

"But Elain … The Spring Court had been made for someone like her." "She plucked another figurine from the mantel: a rose carved from a dark sort of wood. She held it in her palm, its solid weight surprising, and traced a finger over one of the petals. “He made this one for Elain. Since it was winter and she missed the flowers.” Elain had come into the house, her right palm bleeding from several gashes thanks to a stubborn rosebush that had pierced her gloves.

I think it's interesting that Elain is constantly associated with roses/Spring Court. Tamlain shippers use this as justification for their theory rather than Elucien, but I have a different one:

I think 100% Lucien is going to be spending some time at the Day Court to discover his heritage, but the Day Court already has a ruler, we can't move around that (unless Helion is killed off). And Lucien also says this: And I’m willing to bet I’m no longer welcome at h—the Spring Court.” Home, he had almost said. “ He thinks of the Spring Court as his home. And this describes Tamlin: It seemed like a cold, lonely position to have, especially when you didn’t particularly want it. I wasn’t sure why it bothered me so much. Tamlin said this: “I claimed Lucien as my own—named him emissary, since he’d already made many friends across the courts and had always been good at talking to people, while I … can find it difficult. He’s been here ever since.” Because Tamlin hadn't been prepared to become High Lord, he relied a lot on Lucien to whom High Lord shit came easy. And of course, this: “I’d say that sounds more High-Lord-like than the life of an idle, unwanted son.” A long, steely look. “Did you think it was mere hatred that prompted my brothers to do their best to break and kill me?” One thing is almost certain in my mind: Lucien will be becoming a High Lord in his book. But while most people are certain he'll end up in Day, I'm not. The Spring Court is the court that's the most in shambles, the one that would benefit the most from a guy like Lucien. Secondly, this is not a hit on Tamlin fans, but Sarah has explicitly said that she hates Tamlin, so unfortunately for you guys I don't think he will be getting a redemption arc. I'm not sure if SJM will kill off Tamlin or make him abdicate and roam around in beast form forever, but either way I'm almost certain Tamlin is the one who will get replaced. Sarah likes Helion so I don't think she will kill him off. I'm not certain of this though, Sarah hates creating healthy father-son relationships. Also, Lucien is in a unique position because he possesses abilities characteristic both of an Autumn Court ruler and a Day Court ruler; I think this unique mix would mean it makes more sense for him to rule over neither court and rather the Spring Court. And of course, Elain would be his High Lady :))) Would not mind him ending up in Day at all, though. He looks hot in Day Court robes.

[acourtofthought]

I think looking to Feyre, Helion or even Lucien to break Vassa's curse may be the wrong approach.

Helion has the power to break through spells.

I’d never seen such spell work. I’d sent my power over her, Helion too, hunting for any possible threads to unbind it. I found none. It was as if the curse was woven into her very blood.

So we have the first hint that Vassa's curse is not a spell or thread.

Koschei is the sister of the Weaver, a being who bled black and fed on life itself.

Which is pretty much how the Valg in TOG are described. So it's not farfetched to assume Koschei is also Valg.

In TOD, we have the following in relation to what the Valg have "infected" in both Chaol and Duva:

Black fire raced down his blood, his veins.

Even as it boiled the blood in his veins

Duva: A true parasite. A living shadow within the princess. Filling her blood, planted in her mind. She could feel the Valg demon within, raging and screeching.

I'm thinking Vassa's curse may also be a parasite of sorts, something within her blood rather than a spell that was placed upon her.

I used to think Lucien would be the one to free Vassa from her curse and while I think he'll travel with Elain to the continent, I think Elain will be the one to break her from it. That she may have been gifted Healing powers in the likeness of Silba.

Yrene and info from TOG:

Yrene laid her glowing hands on Duva’s chest. Light flared, bright as a sun. <;- Yrene’s healing powers are a glowing, bright light.

that healing: the blinding glow of her hands,

An acolyte had been waiting with a lightweight robe of lavender—Silba’s color—

Chaol halted in the middle of the room. “That the owl might not just be Athril’s animal form, but his sigil because of his loyalty to someone else.” And despite the warm day, Yrene’s blood chilled as she said, “Silba.” Chaol nodded slowly. “Goddess of Healing.” Yrene whispered, “Mala did not make that ring of immunity.” “No. She didn’t.” Silba did. <- Owls are associated with Silba, the Goddess of Healing and Gentle Deaths.

Elain:

Her sister turned toward her, glowing with health.

She glowed with good health.

Elain’s smile was as bright as the setting sun

She had been always so full of light.

“What can I get you, Elain?” Only with Elain did she use that voice. But Elain shook her head once more. “Sunshine.”

Elain headed for the doors, purple dress sweeping behind her (this might not seem like much but Elain is only noted as wearing shades of purple in SF aside from the questionable black dress).

There's also hints that Elain may be able to shift into an owl; her stealth like movements (since owls are silent predators), her rapid blinks, her cocking her head, her perching silently on the couch armrest, her question to Amren regarding changing her form and whether she was able to change back), that fact that she seems to have enhanced hearing and not only heard that Nesta and Cassian were in trouble with the King but she was able to make her way to them in time.

There's a clue in ACOWAR that suggests Elain may have helped heal Cassian: “You’re too heavy,” she pleaded, but still tried to raise him, fingers scrabbling in his black, bloodied armor. (Cassian). Then: Choking, blood dribbling from his lips, the king gaped at Nesta. My sister lunged to her feet. Not to go to Elain. But to the King. Elain rushed to Cassian, but the warrior was panting—smiling grimly and panting—. Then later: Nesta was watching them when I reached her and Elain at the tree-lined outskirts. Had she done some healing, somehow, in those moments after she’d severed the king’s head? Or had it been Cassian’s immortal blood and Azriel’s battlefield patching that had already healed him enough to manage to stand, even with the wing and leg? I didn’t ask my sister, and she supplied no answer as she took the water bucket dangling from Elain’s still-bloody hands,.

Nesta also took the rose carving that their father made for Elain and put it next to a figurine of a Goddess. She even notes that she wasn't going to think too hard on why she placed it there, why she hadn't just put it in the drawer.

It's interesting to me that Silba is known as the Goddess of Healing AND Gentle Deaths. Elain expresses concern over the soldiers:

“Will—will many of these soldiers die?”

She does not want to take credit for killing the King (even though others try to give it to her):

“I heard you made the killing blow,” he said. Elain studied the trees ahead. “Nesta did. I just stabbed him.”

She asks Feyre not to harm Graysen:

“No matter what, don’t kill him. Please.”

And cruelty bothers her:

And he knew the cruelty of the Hewn City troubled her.

Elain's powers also seemed to manifest on a stronger level when Lucien first came around which makes me wonder if they'll be Carranam. Healers use a light as bright as the Sun and since he's the Heir to the Day Court (and sun personified), it seems like her powers could almost work off his own (though they would still have powers independent to one another such as her Seer abilities and his ability to break through actual spells).

[sweet-s0rr0w]

My first Five Faves of the year. It's been A While, I know. I have drafts for others in the pipeline, and then @oknowkiss went and posted two bangers within a couple of weeks and it all went out the window because I just had to go all oknowrec, ya know? Look, whenever I read anything that I ADORE, the first people to hear about it are always my buddies @tackytigerfic and @sitp-recs - and you know I mean it when it's full on caps lock raving DMs - see also @wolfpants' The Hollow and @moonflower-rose's Pissing For England (reclists for both authors hopefully coming soon!) I swear I must have spent a full week going on about the first Elaine fic I read, any day now. I mean, truly, I went through all the emotions with that one: elation at finding such an amazing author, grief at my own inadequacy, anger that it was over - it was a rollercoaster, believe me.

Elaine's turn of phrase is always spot on, her inventiveness in world-building is second to none, and her fics somehow seem to retain this fabulous lightness of tone that keeps things just on the right side of heartbreakingly raw. She's undeniably hugely talented, and now has a fabulous AO3 back-catalogue for you to sink your teeth into, so please waste no more time in checking out her fics!

Read oknowkiss' work here on AO3!

💋 Historians (E, 30k, fake relationship, Gryffindors (and some hangers on), bad skiing, bunk beds, hot tubs, getting together)

Summary: It’s the Dumbledore’s Army Reunion Holiday, and Harry’s found himself in hot water with his friends once again, after telling them he has a boyfriend he definitely does not have. In an attempt to fix things, he’s made it his colleague on Level Nine, Draco Malfoy’s problem too. Featuring a ski chalet in Switzerland, a pair of bunk beds, and an agreement that should’ve been simple, were it not for all the bloody feelings getting in the way.

💋 in between two tall mountains (there's a place they call lonesome) (E, 8.3k, Relic Chaser Harry, researcher Draco, campervans, treasure hunting in Oregon, inappropriately timed wanks)

Summary: In the shadow of a mountain on the Oregon coast, there may or may not lie a shipwreck, on which there may or may not be a magical relic, lost hundreds of years ago. Harry's been tasked with finding it, and Draco is there to take notes, and they're stuck in a campervan pretending to be married, and it's all going to be just fine. That's what Draco's gotten rather good at telling himself, anyway.

💋 any day now (E, 17k, prisoner Draco, Auror trainee Harry, secret codes, a feelings puppet, morally grey everything and everyone)

Summary: Draco supposes he should be grateful. 

The rehabilitation centres were the Minister’s idea, or that’s what the Prophet said anyway. Their stated objective is simple: to provide a safe space for low-tier Death Eaters and high-tier sympathisers to reconsider the entirety of their life choices. All guests–because no one is a prisoner here, the literature brags–are to be provided with shelter, food, clothing, and the guided support of a Mind Healer via a programme they call “ideological restructuring,” which is, of course, mandatory. 

OR: Draco Malfoy considers the circle.

💋 draco malfoy's substitute murder service (E, 11k, curse breaker Harry, various incredible mythological monsters, Christmas)

Summary: When Harry joins the Curse Breakers shortly after his twenty-fifth birthday, he’s surprised to find himself assigned to the Department of Creatures, Cryptids, and Associated Calamities.

OR: the one where Draco goes goblin mode, and Harry has a thing for monsters.

💋The July Tree (E, 52k, Eighth Year, Greenhouse Four, Draco Malfoy does Muggle Scotland, The Who, First Times)

Summary: Neither rain, nor snow, nor sleet, nor hail… nor well-meaning friends, nor questionable communication skills, nor seven years of hating each other’s guts can keep Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy from falling in love.

OR: It’s Eighth Year, and Harry Potter has detention. What else is new? Well, since you asked: Greenhouse Four and the Tree of Life, for a start, and then there’s the new shared Eighth Year common room, and Harry’s sexuality, and these pesky dreams he keeps having about a blond man pushing him into things…

Previous Five Favourite Fic Posts: thestarryknight | vukovich | fwooshy | lq_traintracks (and 10 more) | tackytiger (and microfics) | m0stlyvoid | peachpety | magpie_fngrl | shiftylinguini | onbeinganangel | veelawings | shealwaysreads | loveglowsinthedark | birdsofshore | maesterchill | frayach | graymatters | bixgirl1 (part one/part two | skeptique)

[wingedblooms]

Dawn and Dusk

Eos is the goddess of the dawn. She is one of the daughters of Theia (goddess of sight and light), and is often depicted in gold, white, red, and pink. One of her main symbols is a rose.

But even the silence weighed too heavily, and though the shadows kept him company, as they always had, as they always would, he found himself leaving the room. Entering the foyer. Soft steps padded from under the stair archway, and there she was. The Faelights gilded Elain’s unbound hair, making her glow like the sun at dawn. She halted, her breath catching in her throat.

The golden necklace seemed ordinary—its chain unremarkable, the amulet tiny enough that it could be dismissed as an everyday charm. It was a small, flat rose fashioned of stained glass, designed so that when held to the light, the true depth of colors would become visible. A thing of secret, lovely beauty. “It’s beautiful,” she whispered, lifting it from the box. The golden faelight shone through the little glass facets, setting the charm glowing with hues of red and pink and white.

And she was married to…wait for it…Astraeus, the god of dusk and wind.

There was an icy rage in Azriel I had never been able to thaw. In the centuries I’d known him, he’d said little about his life, those years in his father’s keep, locked in darkness. Perhaps the shadowsinger gift had come to him then, perhaps he’d taught himself the language of shadow and wind and stone.

Behind me, Mor took Nesta and Cassian by the hand, readying to winnow them to the camp, while shadows gathered around Azriel, Elain at his side, wide-eyed at the spymaster’s display.

Azriel scooped up Elain, looping her bound arms around his neck. “Hold tight,” he ordered her, “and don’t make a sound.” […] Azriel had made us invisible—shadow-bound. We sprinted between tents, feet flying over the grass and dirt. “Hurry,” he whispered. “The shadows won’t last long.” For in the east, behind us…the sun was beginning to rise.

The gray light of morning had broken over the world, mist clinging to our ankles as we headed into that camp, Azriel still cradling Elain to his chest. He dripped blood behind him the entire time—a trickle compared to the torrent that should be leaking out. […] Rhys lunged for Azriel, taking Elain from him and gently setting my sister down. Azriel rasped, swaying on his feet, “We need Helion to get these chains off her.” Yet Elain didn’t seem to notice them as she rose up on her toes and kissed the shadowsinger’s cheek.

Together, Eos and Astraeus created children who were a blend of the two: stars, wandering planets, and winds.

Light and dark, the space between their bodies a blend of the two.

The space between is where light and dark meet in perfect harmony. As light dawns, it claims the dark and clears away the mist. It then sinks into the dark’s devouring embrace at the close of each day. It is a union that creates beauty and balance.

Sarah draws inspiration from many different mythologies, but as my friend @offtorivendell has said (because she is brilliant and will hopefully share her own mythological associations that she’s talked about for a long time), this poetic inspiration would make even more sense as we embark on a crossover that centers Dusk, Theia, her mysterious offspring, and travel among the stars and planets.

[nikethestatue]

How is a thing of secret, lovely beauty not about Gwyn at the end of the chapter?

I’ve read the chapter several times and I can’t make the connection of the last line being about Elain. Am I missing something ? I need to find a post that explains it so that I can understand. I hope you can help, or anyone in the comments 🤞🏻

That's actually fairly simple.

"A thing is secret, lovely beauty' is basically how Azriel views Elain.

She is his secret. His love for her is secret. The idea of 'his secret to tell, never hers' was laid out in the book. This is the continuation of that thought as described by Nesta, the MC of the book, through whose eyes we view the world--now we KNOW who his secret is. Elain. She is lovely and has been described as 'lovely as a summer's dawn' before. And of course she is a beauty. Her beauty, as we know, could bring kings to their knees (and has).

Now, the necklace is the manifestation of how he views Elain. It's how he sees what she symbolizes:

It was a small, flat rose fashioned of stained glass, designed so that when held to the light, the true depth of the colors would become visible. A thing of secret, lovely beauty.

She is associated with roses, and as someone who he feels is over overlooked and ignored. He is the one who 'sees' her--harkening back to ACOWAR, and 'hears' her. She is his thing of secret, lovely beauty, just like the necklace.

The end of the chapter is a misdirection--whatever trance he is under, he is still consumed by Elain. That's why the line is separate--not connected to the previous paragraph.

But Azriel tucked away the thought, consciously erasing the slight smile it brought to his face. Buried the image down deep, where it glowed quietly.

A thing of secret, lovely beauty.

How do you use the same exact description for one woman and then within 24 hrs, move on to another? Using the same wording again?

Nope. It doesn't work that way.

if SJM wanted this to be about Gwyn, she wouldn't have used the same wording that she described Elain with.

Also, respectfully--do you all really think that within 24 hrs., Azriel changed his mind and suddenly, after a 15 minute conversation with Gwyn, was all like 'yeah, screw Elain. This is the girl I want!' While literally the same day, he was so upset, he lost his precious snowball fight (that's a guy who is EXTREMELY competitive), and came to Clotho with his sadness which was so apparent, that she noticed it right away--on a famously unreadable shadowsinger?

@strangecreationchaos I agree with your comment from yesterday and feel the same way.

[elazrielbook]

Colour Symbolism of Elriel in the ACOTAR books!

i'll talk about colour first but scroll down for the light and dark parallels of the characters!

so azriels siphons are cobalt blue specifically. his power creates a cobalt blue aura around him too.

now elains colour is pink. elain wears it alot, its associated with her flowers, and it suits her steotypically feminine personality. but she wore a cobalt dress at her first meeting with azriel. not common for her as we usually see her in pinks and purples.

also!! gwyns colour is teal, from her eyes to the priestess stones. they're both described as teal. the priestesses stones nor gwyns eyes are ever said to be anywhere close to the colour of azriels siphons. because ik people like to claim that they're similar colours🥴

along with her colour being pink, lets talk about the acowar cover. its got truth teller on the cover, obviously eluding to one of the biggest moments in the book, elain getting the dagger from azriel and killing hybern with it. the cover has the dagger surrounded by shadows (that also look like roses to some) but even if you don't think its roses, its his dagger and his shadows on a pink cover.

and before you start saying the cover colours have no meaning, i highly doubt they have deep crazy meaning, but shes hardly choosing fully random colours. acotar was red(roses was in the name so thats easy). acomaf was that green/blue teal colour(the night court traditional clothes were described in this colour). acowar was pink(see above). acofas was regular blue('frost' winter, cold vibes). acosf was orange(flames are associated with nesta several times, including the title of her book lol).

i personally think elains book(which is quite obviously next lets not play dumb) will be a pale pink because thats clearly the colour she's associated with most. pinks been dine before but it would be a totally different shade than acowar. same as acomaf/acofas. the only colour of the rainbow left is yellow and i just don't see sjm doing it as i don't think that would be pleasing to look at lol. although elain is described so many times as golden and sunlight, so it does kinda make sense. but hey ya never know.

and look you might think those colours mean nothing and thats fine, but when you pair it with facts like ; each couple got a scene in the colouring book...the acowar cover scene (az giving elain truthteller) was in the colouring book, elucien wasn't. their scene is literally the cover of a book, and the fact that elain and azriel have had more build up moments that nessian got before acosf. how can you ignore that?

light and dark

now many many characters are described as light including mor,helion,elain,gwyn,feyre etc. azriel of course is described as darkness.

but but but, the only one whos light is directly contrasted to azriels darkness is elain.

azriel quite literally means "angel of death" and throughout the story he is consistently compared to death, darkness and shadow.

elain on the other hand literally translates to sunlight. throughout the series she is consistently compared to the sun, the dawn, day, and light/golden light.

gwyns name means holy,white,blessed. in the books, the times where she is described as light is when she sings she quite literally glows. and although this is a brilliant example of light, she is never described as such without the context if that glow while she sings. more importantly its never mentioned in direct contrast with azriels darkness, not even in the bonus chapter.

feyre literally says this when looking at azriel and elain:

"Death, shadows and terrors lurking over his shoulder. Light and dark,"

i just think it foreshadows them so well.

SO much of azriels character revolves around darkness. the shadows are literally part of him. his dark past makes him think less of himself. the dark things he's been through but also the dark things he's done. and yet his softest and most gentle moments are all towards elain. the times where he seems the most content is woth her.

and so much of elains character revolves around light. she's always out in the sun, her personality is light and calm and gentle. and yet she does not balk from azriels darkness. she's also hiding something in acosf showing that she has her own type of darkness. (but don't start w the evil elain theories i'll get bored of shutting yall down lol)

so do with this what you will. i just feel like its so pointless to have all those light and dark parallels for it to not mean anything. like if they both got with other people, those parallels will still be there so people are forever going to think they belong together.

psa: this is not a safe space to hate on azriel, gwyn or elain. talk about the ships and characters kindly

[elriell]

Why Elriel is most definitely a Sleeping Beauty Retelling!

Since this was brought up a few days ago I cannot get the idea out my head that Sarah is basing Elriel’s story on Sleeping Beauty, and now we know she hid crumbs in her other books, alongside a quick browse of her pinterest boards it seems more and more likely! Especially since she loves her retellings.

A daughter was born, and they called her Aurora. Yes, they named her after the dawn for she filled their lives with sunshine. 

Listen well, all of you. The princess shall indeed grow in grace and beauty, beloved by all who know her. She'll walk in springtime wherever she goes!

There are so many parallels between Elain and Aurora, they are both beloved by all, kind creatures who thrive in springtime. Aurora is named for after the dawn because she filled their lives with sunshine, A) tell me this isn’t Elain and B) the meaning of her name;

Elaine as a girl's name is of Greek origin meaning "sun ray or shining light".

Yet another parallel is Aurora believing they still treat her as a child, who does that remind you of?

Oh, dear. Why do they still treat me like a child? 

Even if love is full of thorns, I’d still embrace it. I know that in between those thorns there is a rose worth all the pain.

Could this be any more spot on? We have spoken extensively about Elains, not only willingness to get her hands dirty but the pleasure she derives from creating something beautiful from her labour. If this isn’t a metaphor for Azriel and their future situation I don’t know what is... 

This is very important, it keeps getting brought back up in text to show us Elain is going to fight through the bad to get to what she wants. Her hands might bruise and bloody in the process but she will to do it to enjoy the fruits of her labour.

Which leads me to why even further than a Sleeping Beauty retelling I think it will be Elain saving Azriel and breaking a curse/spell. Let us look to SJM’s pinterest board shall we!

These are just a few of the SB reminiscent pins she has saved, one of the more recent ones in the bottom right. Notice it is the girl saving the man, tell me you do not get immediate Elriel vibes from that, the roses, the colours.

There also seems to be a lot of cursed/chained art too, I definitely think something is going to happen to Azriel that Elain has to save him from, my best guess would be Koschei. 

Elain’s story thus far has heavily emphasised on choice, as we have seen through her interactions with Lucien and their bond overall, hence why I think it will be her making the choice to save him rather than him coming for her.

He has already saved her, it is time for her to shine. It would also grant her the opportunity to explore her own agency, and not what is expected of her.

 A ray of hope there still may be in this, the gift I give to thee. Not in death, but just in sleep, the fateful prophecy you’ll keep, and from this slumber you shall wake, when true love’s kiss, the spell shall break.

I think that it is interesting considering she is a seer, that Sleeping Beauty has so many references to visions, fate and so on, after the Azriel POV where we are shown he clearly believes it is fate that three sisters would all fall for three bothers.

Almost like it is... Fate. 

This will be the ultimate moment where Elain gets to decide her future and potentially follow her own fate. Not to mention we know the Cauldron loves Elain and gifted her with her abilities, could this be another tie-in, gifting her the ability to wake/heal Azriel? 

But see the gracious whim of fate - why, 'tis the self-same peasant maid, who won the heart of our noble prince but yesterday. She is indeed, most wondrous fair, gold of sunshine in her hair, Lips that shame the red rose, in ageless sleep, she finds repose. The years roll by, but a hundred years to a steadfast heart, are but a day. And now, the gates of a dungeon part, and our prince is free to go his way. Off he rides, on his noble steed, a valiant figure, straight and tall! To wake his love, with love's first kiss, and prove that true love conquers all! 

Love’s first kiss? Could this be why she didn’t allow them to kiss in the hallway... Anything is possible but the parallels are certainly interesting at this point you can’t deny! 

Also here are a few more little crumbs she could have been planting through the series, the colours we most see Elain in are pinks and blues and the most run along joke through the movie is her dress being changed from one colour to the other... Nothing major but certainly interesting.

These were by no means the only references to her wearing those colours I am just trying to be brief. 

Not to mention Roses really took a bigger role in ACOSF in regards to associating them with Elain, while she certainly had past references to them before but adding in her fathers gifts and Azriels gift both being roses. Hmmmmmmm.

There was a few more little things but I would love to hear everyone else’s thoughts!!!! If not SB what retelling would you think? I am a die hard Hades/Persephone fan so I am sad that is already been done because LBR they are perfect for it hahah

[onceupona-chaos]

Cassian and Azriel's reactions to the Archeron sisters

Everything will be supported by the text. English is not my first language, so sorry for any possible mistakes. Be kind and respectful!

I will begin this post with the scene that was the starting point of my thoughts.

The two Illyrians paused their inspection of me long enough to note my sisters finishing up breakfast, Nesta in a pale gray gown that brought out the steel in her eyes, Elain in dusty pink.

Both males went a bit still. But Azriel sketched a bow—while Cassian stalked for the dining table, reached right over Nesta’s shoulder, and grabbed a muffin from its little basket.

Very often Azriel and Cassian show the same reaction to the sisters (in this case, they go still). The scene above is a perfect example of that and of how SJM is always very faithful to the differences between the couples: there's a difference of personality, which will be the one I'll focus here, and of "romantic status". Differently from Nessian, Elain and Azriel were in love with different people when they met each other. We don't know what was their first impression of each other yet, but with this in mind and considering their personalities, makes sense that they needed to get close first, trust each other, and then develop feelings (SJM writes slow burns after all).

Cassian was sizing up Nesta, a gleam in his eyes that I could only interpret as a warrior finding himself faced with a new, interesting opponent.

“I can imagine,” Azriel said. Cassian flashed him a glare. But Azriel’s attention was on my sister, a polite, bland smile on his face. Her shoulders loosened a bit.

In their very first meet, the males were paying attention to each Archeron, but the way they were focusing on them is different. Look at the wording:

sizing up, warrior, opponent;

attention, polite smile;

While Cassian and Nesta "size each other up like opponents" and are loud/rough in terms of personality, Azriel and Elain are both quieter and acting like peacemakers. Here, please remember Feyre noticing how their personalities are similar:

Though she’d probably cling to Azriel, just to have some peace and quiet.

Basically while Cassian is always provoking Nesta, Azriel puts Elain at ease, because there's a difference of personality. It makes perfect sense that one of them is "enemies-to-lovers" and the other is "friends-to-lovers". Let's go back to the first scene:

“I can help her,” said Azriel, stepping to the table as Elain silently rose. No shadows at his ear, no darkness ringing his fingers as he extended a hand. Nesta monitored him like a hawk, but kept silent as Elain took his hand, and out they went. Cassian finished the muffin, licking his fingers. I could have sworn Nesta watched the entire thing with a sidelong glance. He grinned at her as if he knew it, too. “Ready for some flying, Nes?” “Don’t call me that.” The wrong thing to say, from the way Cassian’s eyes lit up.

Even though Cassian and Azriel's first instinct is the same (they go still), how they proceed is again different (Azriel extends his hand like a gentleman and Cassian is all cocky grins).

Cassian pressed one of his knives into Nesta’s hand. “Ash can kill you now,” he said with lethal quiet as she stared down at the blade. (...) “I told you to come to training,” Cassian said with a cocky grin, and strode off.

“This is Truth-Teller,” he told her softly. “I won’t be using it today—so I want you to.” (...) “It has never failed me once,” the shadowsinger said, the midday sun devoured by the dark blade. “Some people say it is magic and will always strike true.” He gently took her hand and pressed the hilt of the legendary blade into it. “It will serve you well.”

Just like Cassian, Azriel offered a blade to an Archeron sister so she could defend herself. Again, let's look at the wording:

Cassian pressed the one of his knives;

Azriel pressed the hilt of the legendary blade;

And again, Cassian: cocky, provokes Nesta; Azriel: softly, gently, puts Elain at ease. Of course, in the TT scene there's much more imagery (Light and Dark/ Death and the Fawn/ the fact that TT is not just one of Azriel's blades), but still both males have the same reaction when Nesta and Elain are about to face danger: they need to be able to defend themselves, so the males provide a blade.

From the shadows near the entrance to the tent, Azriel said, as if in answer to some unspoken debate, “I’m getting her back.” Nesta slid her gaze to the shadowsinger. Azriel’s hazel eyes glowed golden in the shadows. Nesta said, “Then you will die.” Azriel only repeated, glazing that stare, “I’m getting her back.”

They were speaking, Azriel with some urgency, but Cassian didn’t hear him, heard nothing but the roaring in his head before he said to no one in particular, “I’m going after them.”

They also have the same reaction when the sisters are in danger. As I said before: their first reaction is very similar or even the same in some cases. The major difference here is that we have Cassian's PoV and not Azriel's, but the similarities are so clear:

Unspoken debate = said to no one in particular

I'm getting her back = I'm going after them

Firstly it seems the males are lost in thoughts, so concern about the females, and then they declare they're going to rescue them.

“Do you know,” Cassian drawled to her, “that the last time I got into a brawl in this house, I was kicked out for a month?” Nesta’s burning gaze slid to him, still outraged—but hinted with incredulity.

“What did you see,” Azriel said, and I tried not to flinch as I found him at my other side, not having seen him move. Again. Elain paused halfway up the stairs. Slowly, she turned to look back at him.

It is also very interesting to notice how Cassian and Azriel are the ones that can intervene when the females are "experiencing" their powers. It's like Nesta and Elain use them as some kind of anchor - they both are "lost" in their powers, but can focus on Cassian and Azriel. If Cassian can help Nesta do a scrying, it's Azriel who listen and gets that Elain is a Seer.

Now one of my favorite parallels:

“Are you … happy?” Shadows darkened his hazel eyes. “I’m getting there.” A halfhearted answer. (Cassian, ACOFAS)

Shadows darkened his eyes, full of enough pain that she couldn’t stop herself from touching his shoulder. (Azriel, ACOSF)

Exact same wording. In ACOFAS, Cassian was struggling with his situation with Nesta, and in ACSF it's Azriel who is suffering because of his situation with Elain.

Speaking of ACOFAS, let me highlight this moment:

Nightmares about the moment when Cassian was near death and Nesta was sprawled over him, shielding him from that killing blow, and Elain—Elain—had taken up Azriel’s dagger and killed the King of Hybern instead.

I just find very interesting how the two biggest moments between the couples are brought up here. SJM could had just said Elain killed the king with TT, but she chose to associate that moment with Azriel (she does that very often). Anyway, moving on...

Amren drained her wine and said to Cassian, “Nesta has a week. One more week to find the Trove with her own methods. Then we seek out other routes.” She threw a nod toward Azriel. “Including Elain, who is more than capable of defending herself against the darkness of the Trove, if she chooses to. Don’t underestimate her.”

Cassian and Azriel looked to Rhys, who merely sipped from his own wine.

Here, we have the males reacting to the females getting involve with the Trove (Azriel stiffened/ Cassian growled); then Amren speaks with Cassian about Nesta, and with Azriel about Elain; then both males look to Rhysand

And of course (I'll be brief because there are lots of posts about these lines):

Stupid, stupid, stupid— He didn’t care. Didn’t give a shit as she rose up on her toes, her mouth nearing his—

It was so wrong. He didn't care. He needed to know what her skin tasted like (...) Rhys's voice thundered through him, halting him mere inches from Elain's sweet mouth.

In both bonus chapters, Cassian and Azriel "don't care" about the possible problems and struggles, all they care about is the female before them. Not only the wording is the same, but in both cases the couples almost kiss.

That's the formula right there.

(Her scent) It hit him in the gut so hard he could barely focus, and it took five centuries of training to make himself meet her eyes rather than let his own roll back into his head.

Her arousal drifted up to him and his eyes nearly roll back into his head at sweet scent.

Basically the way these two are affected by the Archeron sisters is practically the same in both bonus chapters. Speaking of that:

I assumed seeing Nesta went about as poorly as could be imagined, because my lesson the following morning was longer and harder than it’d been in previous days. I’d asked what, exactly, Nesta had said to him to get under his skin so easily. But Cassian had only snarled and told me to mind my own business, and that my family was full of bossy, know-it-all females.

Three days passed with no word from Cassian. He’d been replaced in training by a stone-faced Azriel, who was more aloof than usual and wouldn’t even give her a smile.

Cassian in the next morning was still affected by what happened in Wings & Embers, and Azriel - three days later - was still affected by what happened in his bonus chapter. Not only that: these are the only direct references to the bonus chapters in the actual books. The major difference here is that SJM wrote Elain as Azriel's secret, so only the readers that have access to the bonus chapter know why he couldn't even smile (very similar to "Cassian only snarled"). Naturally there's a difference of personality, too: Cassian snarling, totally pissed off/ Azriel more aloof, stone-faced.

It's very clear the direction SJM is going.

[elrxiel]

I really don't understand this fighting over whose the necklace truly is.

It was chosen or had been made especially for Elain. She has been associated with roses from day one - starting from the paintings on her drawer and ending on the wooden rose on her father's grave. And yes, she has decided to return it after an almost kiss. And yes, Azriel has decided to re-gift it (I still think he would have given it to anyone, just to get rid of it). But it happened on Solstice. There were so many moments Sarah could have shown Gwyn wearing the necklace. Or saying literally anything about it. Nesta noticing it. Azriel noticing it. Yet, nothing as such has happened. We don't know if Gwyn even got it. Last time we saw it, it was in possession of Clotho. She could have given it to Gwyn, of course. She could have kept it as well. Or give it to any other priestess.

We've only seen a scene of Elain wearing it. Gwyn has never been associated with roses, not even once. And please tell me, would you really want her to wear a necklace picked for someone else? She has not been shown with it, she has not mentioned it. So saying it's hers now is a little bit of... a stretch?

Maybe it's not in Elain's possession anymore but we have no idea if it's in Gwyn's anyway. And again, Az picked it thinking of Elain and Elain alone. So calling it hers is the only way as long as we don't know where this damn piece of jewellery is now.

[glassessence]

Elriel Hint and Analysis - includes analysis of Feysand & Nessian (ACOSF Spoilers)

I’m pretty new to the fandom, but I am currently obsessed with Elriel. This is my ship and I will go down with it until the day I die. As a fairly casual reader, I honestly had zero doubts the next book would be Elain’s and that the couple would be Elriel. 

Then I discovered the existence of the extra POV chapters and Azriel’s threw me in for a bit of a loop. Especially with the ending (which I genuinely believe is a red herring. I lean very heavily into the lightsinger Gwyn theory).

However, stalking Tumblr made me come across this again: 

Life and death and rebirth

Sun and moon and dark

Rot and bloom and bones

Hello, sweet thing. Hello, lady of night, princess of decay. Hello, fanged beast and trembling fawn. 

Love me, touch me, sing me.

And then my brain accidentally vomited an essay on the symbolism in each sister’s journey... 

Life and death and rebirth so clearly symbolise Feysand’s journey. Feyre leaves behind her life of poverty for a brand new one with Tamlin. She journeys Under the Mountain for love of him and ultimately succeeds in saving not just him, but all of them. In the process, she dies. Not just in the physical sense, but spiritually too. Feyre the human perishes, giving rise to Feyre the High Fae. In a purely physical sense, this is definitely a rebirth. But it’s stilted, incomplete. She’s the newly born phoenix - young, fragile and yet covered in the ashes of its fiery death. Her spiritual rebirth lags behind her newly changed body. Like a bird in a cage, she is trapped in Tamlin’s realm, unable to finish developing, to spread wings and fly. 

That all changes when she is whisked away to the Night Court. She learns to read and some of the ash falls from her body. She makes friends and some more ash is brushed away by the Inner Circle. The final remnants of ash are blown away by the taste of freedom and the kiss of wind, and Feyre’s rebirth is finally complete. Spiritually and physically, she is changed. She becomes Feyre the High Lady. From life back to life, she is returned through the power of love. Take note that while love is important in all the sisters’ journeys, it is the focal point and highlight of Feyre’s. She is someone who has never been loved in that wholesome, selfless way Rhysand loves her. Tamlin was possessive and abusive; Nesta was barbed and sharp. Elain was fragile and ethereal. Love was something she had never really known and consequently something she desperately, desperately needed. That’s why the phrase that symbolises her is love me.

Sun and moon and dark refers very much to Nessian. Nesta is the sun and she is burning. Has been burning for a long, long time. She is aflame, nothing but ashes inside, and her words are fire. She scalds anyone who dares approach, just as everything melts before the sun. Like Feyre, she has had her physical rebirth, but not her spiritual one. She is trapped in her own head, locked behind her own self-hatred, her own raging inferno that yields to no one. Like Feyre, she is also a phoenix, but one whose fire never stopped. In that sense, she has never died. Her spiritual rebirth is not simply incomplete; it has never happened.

Until she starts training with Cassian. Until she starts befriending Emerie and Gwyn. This is what marks the death of Nesta the human and the emergence of Nesta the High Fae. (I use the term ‘human’ loosely here, mostly as a way of conveying my point about her spiritual journey rather than the state of her physical being). She loses her solar flare, that inner blaze that was killing her and blackening her soul. She mellows from unapproachable sun to a softer moon. It’s here that she stays a while, seeming to progress and regress in her healing journey as the moon waxes and wanes. It’s not until the hiking scene that she finally breaks. She weeps despite Cassian’s expectations to the contrary. Through her tears, she finally extinguishes the long-raging fire and hatred that has been destroying her. No more blazing sun, no more wavering moon. Only darkness to cradle her, and acceptance. Through Cassian’s ceaseless efforts and her friends, her journey reaches its apex. She finally becomes Nesta the Valkyrie. 

Her journey hinges heavily upon the fact that nobody could reach her through the flames. Nobody had kept trying after getting burned again and again. Nobody except Cassian. He reaches out, time after time, even when she hurts him. Even when she burns him. Until he succeeds and touches her soul. That’s why the phrase that symbolises her is touch me.

Of course that leaves only the last line: rot and bloom and bones. I wonder who this could symbolise! Surely not the Archeron sister who is associated with roses and has a complicated romance dilemma with someone from the Autumn Court (rot) and someone else from the Night Court (bones)! Surely not!

Jokes aside, I strongly believe this line reveals Elain’s journey. If we continue thinking of the words as a progression, I think it makes a lot of sense. Keeping in mind the theme of life, death and rebirth, this is how I think of it: 

Life / Rot / stagnation, the start of the journey

Death / Bloom / change, the start of healing

Rebirth / Bones / ascendance and acceptance, the start of the future

There are several interesting things to note about the sentence: 

The word bloom is nestled among rot and bones

Elain’s two potential love interests both have strong associations with those words

I’ll address each point as we delve into Elain’s analysis. 

Let’s start with Elain the human. As previously established, this is when the character is at their worst, blind in the dark before the dawn. I see this as Elain’s forced transformation by the Cauldron. Everything she knows is ripped away from her and her marriage crumbled to dust. She is thrust into a world both unknown and at war. She emerges changed and cursed with powers she cannot control and does not understand. Her life, once a slow-blooming flower, has just rotted into nothing. She is lost, confused and deeply depressed. Her physical rebirth may be complete, but her spiritual rebirth cannot begin until she gathers the shattered pieces of herself back together.

This happens slowly. So slowly, in fact, that it’s hard to notice and easy to dismiss. She befriends Nuala and Cerridwen. Begins gardening again. Talks to the Inner Circle and buys them gifts for Solstice. Slowly, so very slowly, she is starting to piece herself back together. Off-page, she quietly unravels Elain the human and emerges from her cocoon as Elain the High Fae. Like a wilted flower that has dropped its petals, a new season has come, bringing with it new buds. She is blooming, opening herself to new possibilities for companionship, love and for a new self to rise to the surface. But blooms are fragile, newly born things. Elain hasn’t dealt with the full force of her trauma, of her lifelong lack of choice (I’m not going to delve into this as there are so many amazing analyses out there!). She is a trembling fawn, still trying to learn how to walk.

But her spiritual rebirth will remake her. Bones. It’s so different from the previous two words that it really leaves an impact. Blooms rot and fade. Flesh breaks and dies. But bones are strong, the frame that holds up our entire beings. Bones are unyielding and solid, taking no other shape like blood nor bruising like flesh. I see this as Elain standing up for herself, unswayed by external forces that have always governed her life and breaking away from the fragile flower people have always thought she was. By cutting away the rotting flesh, she will reveal the backbone beneath and ascend as Elain the Kingslayer/Seer. 

Of course, closely tied to each sister’s personal growth arc is her love interest. For me, I don’t see it going any other way than Azriel. 

SJM chose rot not only to represent the ‘life’ section of Elain’s personal journey, but also to represent Lucien. He has connections to the Autumn Court, a season that is often associated with decay and rot, but also with harvest and bounty. Highlighting the negative aspects of autumn invokes a strong sense of wrongness. Lucien is not right for her. Not to say anything bad about his character; he’s just not right for Elain. His presence in the books eats away at her newfound boldness; he rots away the path she is trying to carve for herself. 

On the other hand, Azriel is closely tied with death, with blood and bones and shadow. He’s not only Rhys’ spymaster, he’s also his torturer. His association is with bones, a word that invokes a sense of everlasting, of persevering beyond death. Bones is also used to describe the ‘rebirth’ section of Elain’s personal growth arc, the final aspect that leads to ascendance, and acceptance of one’s past and present. Meanwhile, bloom represents Elain herself and the ‘death’ portion of her story, the aspect that heralds change and healing. 

Rot, bloom and bones represent both her personal journey and her love interests. It’s all intrinsically linked. Lucien is ‘life’ and stagnation, Elain is ‘death’ and change, and Azriel is ‘rebirth’ and acceptance. As a progression, this is how I interpret the sentence: 

By rejecting the bond with Lucien, she is stepping into herself and forging something everlasting with Azriel.

Lastly, let’s not forget that the phrase symbolising her is sing me. This didn’t make much sense to me until I read Azriel’s bonus POV. In it, he confesses to Gwyn that he does sing. Why include this if it’s not a subtle callback to this prophetic paragraph in ACOMAF? It feels like a treat to hardcore fans who like finding all the little connections (since they’re the ones most likely to have read the bonus chapters). The fact that Gwyn also sings signals to me there’s an important plot point regarding song. Maybe homegirl Elain will be forced to throw a hardcore metal concert to save Az XD Wouldn’t that be a plot twist HAHAHA. 

I don’t know when SJM started planting seeds for Elriel in any serious capacity, so perhaps I am reading WAY too much into this. Either way, I am super keen for the next book!

Please feel free to comment and let me know your thoughts! I am desperate for Elriel right now hahaha. Thanks for reading! 

OH, BUT ONE MORE THING. 

The greetings are really interesting. Sweet thing obviously refers to Feyre. Lady of night and princess of decay are clearly meant for Nesta. 

Fanged beast and trembling fawn are left for Elain. It’s easy to write this off as being about her LI and herself, respectively, but I don’t know. The sentences build upon each other. A single moniker grows to two - the first separated by a comma, the second expanding to use an and. It’s something you see a lot in poetry, generally used to emphasise a point. I’m not entirely sure what the point is; it might just be a nice writing flourish, but wouldn’t it be interesting if both those statements were referring to Elain herself? Wouldn’t it just be juicy? 

[echotzzz]

Elain and The mother

This could be a crack theory but regardless i want to share about what i feel about this matter and i’m sorry if it sound really off or unjustifiable. Again this is just a theory and from my own interpretation.

I truly feel that somehow Elain have some sort of connection with the Mother, but not like how Nesta was. We know about the Cauldron where it determines fate from the eddies of its swirling fluid but what about the Mother? Does it truly exist and have her own power or just an idea to the faeries.

So my theory is that what if the Cauldron chose Elain as the representative of the mother. What if she was the one that whispered to Nesta and prevent all of her power taken by the Cauldron.

Her gaze shifted to the carved wooden rose she’d placed upon the mantel, half-hidden in the shadows beside a figurine of a supple-bodied female, her upraised arms clasping a full moon between them. Some sort of primal goddess—perhaps even the Mother herself. Nesta hadn’t let herself dwell on why she’d felt the need to set the rose there. Why she hadn’t just thrown it in a drawer.

I believe the rose will represent Elain’s journey in the next book. But is it coincidence that the rose eventhough hidden in shadows were place beside the mother figurine ? Nesta even feel the need to put the rose in that position.

Is this the foreshadowing sjm used that the shadows would represent Elain’s love life and the mother as the arc for her power?

We don’t know what are the whole scope of power Elain possessed and how powerful she is but the thought that the Cauldron itself BLESSED HER with such gift must have some sort of meaning and reasoning and not just because it found Elain to be lovely. There must be something beyond that.

The voice

If i’m not mistaken, Nesta started to hear this voice after Elain volunteered to search for the dread trove and reacquainted with her power.

For Nesta

The voice was female, gentle. Wise and serene.

The gentle female voice in her head pleaded, Run, run, run.

A soft, familiar voice whispered the words. As they had been whispered to her long ago. As it had warned her in Oorid’s darkness. A lovely, kind female voice, sage and warm, which had been waiting for her all this time.

For Cassian

His stomach twisted. Instinct bellowed at him to wrap himself around her, to comfort and soothe, but another voice, an ancient and wise voice, whispered to keep going. One more mountain, that voice said. Just one more mountain. He trusted that voice. “We’ll camp here tonight.”

After read the description of the voice, i couldn’t help myself to relate it with Elain. Sjm also in this case, purposely gave us a really detailed ass description about the voice.

The voice was described as Female, familiar, gentle, soft, warm, serene (calm), lovely, kind, wise and ancient.

Let’s take a look the way Elain was describe throughout the books

Gentle and sweet

Nesta hadn’t wanted any dealings with the Fae, and Elain was so gentle, so sweet … how could I bring them into this?

Elain, who had been gentle and sweet.

But Elain, the flower-grower, the gentle heart …

Warm

Nesta met her sister’s warm brown eyes.

Serene ( calm)

Elain crossed her arms and said calmly, sadly, “Feyre warned me this might happen.”

“I still wanted to come,” Elain went on with that focused calm, the quiet steel building in her voice. “I wanted to see you, to explain.”

Soft & Lovely

Beautiful—she’d always been the most beautiful of us. Soft and lovely, like a summer dawn.

Kind

Something in my chest broke at Elain’s voice from the hall behind her. At the sweetness and youth and kindness, untouched by Prythian, unaware of what I’d done, become—

To look at the hardness of the world and choose, over and over, to love, to be kind.

Wise and sage

“It’s already ended badly. Now it’s just a matter of deciding how we meet the consequences.” “Wisely said,” Mor offered,

For a moment, I just stared at my sister, the wisdom she’d spoken. Not a whisper of those oracular abilities. Just clear eyes and an open expression.

Ancient

With Cassian the voice was described as ancient and wise. It remind me the time Feyre and Cassian met the bone carver in acowar and he talked about what happened in Hybern

“How lovely she is—new as a fawn and yet ancient as the sea. How she calls to you. A queen, as my sister once was. Terrible and proud; beautiful as a winter sunrise.”

At first i thought the bone carver talk about Nesta but the word lovely,fawn and sunrise(dawn) really associated with Elain

“I can see so very far now. All the way to the sea.”

Elain stood by the rail, the breeze caressing her hair. “She’s not getting any better. She’s not even trying.” She wrapped her arms around herself and stared toward the distant sea.

Could it made sense that Elain as a seer have knowledge that are as ancient as the sea.

The dread trove

“You were Made by the Cauldron. You may track other objects Made by it as well, as Briallyn can. And because you are Made by it, you are immune to the influence and power of the Trove. You might use them, yes, but they cannot be used upon you.” A glance to Elain. “Either of you.”

So, since Elain was also made by the Cauldron she will not be influenced by the power of the trove. But it strike me as odd as why does Elain froze as well when Nesta use the Harp to stop time.

Is it so to give opportunity for Elain to use her power to whisper as the voice to Nesta ?

Do you see how it might be? that soft female voice whispered, What you might do?

The voice talked about the vision of Feyre’s death and what Nesta could do to prevent it. Seer abilities??

Even the things that hurt and hunt you? Only curiosity laced the question. [...] That wise, soft voice whispered, So live, Nesta Archeron.

Pain slowly washed over Elain’s face. And understanding. “Is that what this is all about? Father?”

Other than Cassian, Elain is the only person that knew the thing that haunted and hurt Nesta was her father’s death.

The Cauldron

So, Nesta bargained to give back what was stolen in return to save Feyre’s, Nyx’s and Rhys’ lives. But somehow, someone had prevent the Cauldron to take all of the power

“But a little remains. I think something else—someone else—stopped the Cauldron from taking all of it. And I made some changes of my own.”

This person literally stopped the Cauldron. The Cauldron have every intention to take it all back but stopped because of this someone.

Remember when the Cauldron came for Nesta in Acowar but retrieved as it saw how important Nesta is to Elain and it also purr in her presence as if Elain has a certain influence towards the Cauldron.

What if Elain persuade the Cauldron to not take all of Nesta’s power. Maybe from her seer abilities, she saw that it is vital for Nesta to have some of her power for the upcoming war?

Invisible hand

And a soft, invisible hand brushed her cheek in answer.

The sun was a warm hand on her shoulder, like the one that had prevented the last of her power from vanishing, as if telling her that the apology, the begging for forgiveness … it was no longer needed.

Nesta described the hand as warm coming from the sun. Is it coincidence that Elain also often describe as sunlight🤔

Yes, they’d have to figure out what to do with the entire Dread Trove now that they possessed all three objects. How Nesta had summoned it despite the spells Helion had placed on the other two … He’d think of that another day. Along with the fact that she’d stopped Time with the Harp. And that she seemed to have some sort of connection—or understanding—with the Mother. The Mother.

Notice that Cassian mention all of this to be done in the future. Since Nessian will not be the MC in the next book, it is obvious the next book’s MC will be the one that handle it.

they’d have to figure out what to do with the entire Dread Trove now that they possessed all three objects

The 4th dread trove object is still a mystery and only the one that was Cauldron made can find it and who is the remaining Cauldron made? Elain. It’s obvious enough that the DT will still play a major role in the next book

How Nesta had summoned it despite the spells Helion had placed on the other two

“In the end, Helion created the wards and keyed them to Nesta’s blood.”

“Once we leave this room, no one shall be able to enter it. Even you, if you do not unlock my wards, cannot enter.”

We have no idea how Nesta could actually summoned the objects despite Helion’s spell. And only Rhys and Helion the one who know how to unlock the spell.

I don’t want to be too reaching but what if Elain was the one that unlock it. Nesta’s blood run through Elain’s vein and maybe her seer abilities that provide knowledge as ancient as the sea could be the reason she knew to unlock the spell. ( again this is just my interpretation)

In conclusion

Is it coincidence that Nesta connection with the mother will still be a topic in the next book and at the same time there are foreshadowing mention the wooden rose was put beside the mother figurine?

Is it coincidence that Sjm never mention about whether Elain do reacquainted back with her power? Amren whom really eager for Elain to start finding the trove could have train Elain herself especially when she frequently mentioned how Elain should not be underestimated.

Is it coincidence that Elain is mentioned to even beat Azriel in secrecy that Cassian sometimes suspected Elain early dismissal was not to tend some elderly fae garden but what if she’s on the roll to train for her power. When sjm mention ‘secret’ it was not only to reflect the forbidden love but also Elain true power.

Is it coincidence that we only knew the surface of the seer abilities and somehow sjm haven’t elaborate it much further. As an Elain stan, i admitted that i actually know little of her as sjm never provide Elain with her own pov. Its like if we enter Elain’s head, there will be a major spoiler considering she will be the next MC.

If this theory turn out to be true, do you think that the Cauldron use Elain as his messenger or a puppet by giving her vision and image? Remember when the IC were lost and suddenly Elain were given image about Vassa. When Elain could search for the Suriel with only one try.

Why was Elain captured by the Cauldron when it clearly mentioned that the Cauldron will never harm her. It was as if in order for something to happen, Elain must be captured. What was the outcome:

Trigger Feyre to fly where she only have been training for a short time.

A human girl name Briar were saved. Will she be important in the series as her character were given a name?

To alert that Tamlin was in fact on the good side

When Elain was captured, she was lured by the image of Greysen offering her safety and protection but who was the one that rescued her?Azriel. Like she was expecting Greysen to come but instead it was Azriel. Was the Cauldron use this to show Elain who will matter to her the most?

“Nothing is a fluke. The Cauldron’s power flows through Nesta, and could use her as a puppet without her knowledge. It wanted those weapons Made, and thus they were Made.

And do not forget that Nesta herself—and Elain, with whatever powers she has—is here. Feyre is here. All three sisters blessed by fate and gifted with powers to match your own.

[nanstgeorge]

“little garden” implications

starting to think that “little garden” = fandom elain and this was sjm’s way of subtly tackling how she has been reduced to her hobbies and overlooked by characters & the fandom for her traditionally feminine characteristics. this has even led some people to determine her possible endgames (ex; lucien and tamlin) for the series just because she likes gardening. not because she has expressed interest in them, but because she likes gardening so that automatically means she must end up with someone associated with flowers.

im not opposed to elain somehow taking over spring court or ending up with lucien (if the story convinces me lmao) but there’s an issue with sticking her there just because it seems like it works. like elain residing at spring court has been a popular fan theory since the beginning of the series but every book that has been released only seems to disprove it even more? she has never explicitly said she wanted to live there, even chosen a life for herself at night court, but fans and the inner circle just took this idea and ran.

“But Elain.... The Sprint Court had been made for someone like her.” (Nesta)

“Elain in black was ridiculous. Yes, she was beautiful, but the color of her long-sleeved, modest gown leeched the brightness from her face. It wore her, rather than the other way around. And he knew the cruelty of the Hewn City troubled her. But she hadn’t hesitated to come. When Feyre had offered to let her remain home, Elain had squared her shoulders and declared that she was a part of this court—and would do whatever was needed. So Elain had let her golden-brown hair down tonight, and pinned it back with twin combs of pearl. He’d never once in the two years he’d known her found Elain to be plain, but wearing black, no matter how much she claimed to be part of this court … It sucked the life from her.” (Cassian)

i’d say that it’s arguable whether or not nesta truly has an accurate depiction of elain now that we have a more in-depth portrait of nesta’s mind and childhood. of course this was not cultivated by nesta herself, with much help from her mother, but elain is still a child to nesta. a child who is a bartering tool between her and her disfigured dynamic with feyre. a child who is a reminder of her own insecurities. essentially, this quote from acosf sums it up, “nesta made her own choices, but our mother laid the ground work.”

“Elain is pleasant to look at, but she has no ambition. She does not dream beyond her garden and pretty clothes. She will be an asset on the marriage market for us one day, if that beauty holds, but it will be our own maneuverings, Nesta, not hers, that win us an advantageous match” (Mama Archeron)

“It doesn’t matter what I think. Go back to Feyre and your little garden.”

Elain, sweet and oblivious.

Elain was like a dog, loyal to whatever master kept her fed and in comfort.

But to let Elain involve herself, jeopardize her safety—

“Look who decided to grow claws after all. Maybe you’ll become interesting at last, Elain.”

“Always defending sweet, innocent Elain.”

Challenge filled each word. Challenge—from Elain, of all people.

Elain stepped closer, brown eyes wide. Undoubtedly wholly convinced of her own innocence, her innate goodness.

Elain had accepted his death as inevitable. She hadn’t bothered to fight for him, as if he hadn’t been worth the effort, precisely as Nesta knew she herself wasn’t worth the effort.

It was inevitable, Nesta supposed, stomach churning. She was the monster. Why shouldn’t the two of them band together and shove her out? Even if she’d foolishly believed that Elain had always seen every horrible part of her and decided to stick by her anyway.

now onto feyre, who has always had a softer but different opinion of elain. this doesn’t mean it’s accurate to how elain is or was, but it’s safe to say that this was an opinion that wasn’t stemmed out of their mother’s mind. this is not to villainize nesta, but merely explain how elain was never made out to only be a “pretty face” to feyre. but of course it’s important to remember that she isn’t scotch free for how she acted in their childhood.

It wasn’t that Elain was cruel. She wasn’t like Nesta, who had been born with a sneer on her face. Elain sometimes just … didn’t grasp things. It wasn’t meanness that kept her from offering to help; it simply never occurred to her that she might be capable of getting her hands dirty.

Perhaps buried it a bit, but she was generous, loving, and kind—a woman I found myself proud to know, to call sister.

Elain mouthed my name but kept cowering, kept her head down.

Elain, who had been gentle and sweet.

I had not painted in years at that point, had not dared spend the money on myself … But Elain had.

She had looked at that cottage with hope; I had looked at it with nothing but hatred. And I knew which one of us had been stronger.

“She loves her garden. Always loved growing things. Even when we were destitute, she managed to tend a little garden in the warmer months. And when—when our fortune returned, she took to tending and planting the most beautiful gardens you’ve ever seen. Even in Prythian. It drove the servants mad, because they were supposed to do the work and ladies were only meant to clip a rose here and there, but Elain would put on a hat and gloves and kneel in the dirt, weeding. She acted like a purebred lady in every regard but that.”

nesta and feyre both have two different feelings regarding elain but they are similar in that they both believe she needs to be protected. it’s pretty clear when elain reminds them of how they only thought of her trauma when it affected them.

“Elain was right. We’ve become so focused on how her trauma impacted us that we forget she was the one who experienced it.” (Feyre)

quite honestly, it’s the inner circle members who are aware of elain’s potential and look at her as not defenseless compared to her sisters. this of course makes it’s quite ironic that she’s used as “pawn” to get nesta to stick her neck out. moving on, it’s specifically azriel, who is someone she chose to create a bond with and probably knows her best. cassian also may be someone who considers elain to not truly belong to night court but does shift his opinion on her overall character.

“Including Elain, who is more than capable of defending herself against the darkness of the Trove, if she chooses to. Don’t underestimate her.” (Amren, oops)

“Nesta was wrong, Cassian realized, to think of Elain as loyal and loving as a dog. Elain saw every single thing Nesta had done, and understood why.” (Cassian)

“I think she’s kind, and I’ll take kindness over nastiness any day. But I also don’t think we’ve seen all she has to offer.” (Rhys)

rhysand is also someone who slowly begins to see elain in a different light as well as feyre by the end of the book. in fact, it takes rhys expressing his opinion of elain, as someone who didn’t grow up with her, for feyre to see things differently. it takes rhys, who brings back up the first description of elain in the series, for feyre to recollect another element of elain.

“It wasn’t meanness that kept her from offering to help; it simply never occurred to her that she might be capable of getting her hands dirty.” (Feyre, ACOTAR)

“Don’t forget that gardening often results in something pretty, but it involves getting one’s hands dirty along the way.” (Rhys, ACOSF Bonus)

“Have you ever seen Elain act like that before?”

“No. I mean, she’s been brave when she had to be, but she’s never been confrontational.”

“Maybe she’s never been given a chance to be that way.”

“You think I stifle her?”

“Not you alone. But I wonder if everyone has spent so long assuming Elain is sweet and innocent that she felt she had to be that way or else she’d disappoint you all.”

in conclusion, elain is a character who’s journey is yet to be complete. the first real choice she had was to not hunt for the family but essentially, she’s been deprived of real choice and independence her entire life. besides being pretty and marrying well, not much has ever been expected of her until she left the garden of her childhood and planted her own. while she may have been turned against her will, elain found solace in dedicating her attention towards the garden in the archeron mansion, night court and all those who resided there. gardening and growing things is something she chose; not something that was inflicted upon her (such as a mating bond.)

elain does not belong somewhere or with someone because she gardens. we have seen countless times over that she can make her own place anywhere but she chose to make a home at night court.

[acourtofthought]

Why Rose is one of the things that describes Elain? like was it mentioned in the books? I feel like Feyre can be more assosiate to roses than Elain since book one was literally that and Sunflowers were always the one which reminded me of Elain. but since I joined the fandom everyone start talking about Rose and Bread and I was like??? yeah bread can be a hint for Elain but Roses? idk man I think sjm only used that to show wherever Bryce was, was not Hel... I mean yeah it sounds a little specific but also she mentioned grass so...

ig I'm the only one who thinks Rose and Bread was actually an observation of Feyre's world

Roses are a bit symbolic of Elain

ACOTAR

"I slung off my outer clothes onto the sagging dresser - frowing at the violets and roses I'd painted around the knobs of Elain's drawer." ACOMAF "I painted flowers for Elain on her drawer" I said, sawing and sawing. "Little roses and begonias and irises." (not sure why SJM swapped out violets for begonias and irises but roses remain the same" ACOWAR

"It drove the servants mad, because they were supposed to do the work and ladies were only meant to clip a rose here and there, but Elain would put on a hat and gloves and kneel in the dirt, weeding". She was a rose bloom in a mud field. ACOFAS "the apron over her rose-pink gown dusted with flour" ACOSF "And torn up by thorns," I mused, recalling a morning this past summer when Elain had come into the house, her right palm bleeding from several gashes thanks to a stubborn rosebush that had pierced her gloves. ACOSF It was a small flat rose, fashioned of stained glass, designed so that when held to the light, the true depth of the colors would become visible. (Is that not what SJM has been building up to since she made Lucien the Heir to Day and Elain claiming she needs Sunshine? Her true depth will emerge when she's where she's meant to be and with who she's meant to be with). Feyre was associated with the scent of roses while pregnant but that wasn't necessarily Feyre herself. The scent of new life was roses. So I do think when a reader sees "Bread and Roses" it's normal to think of Elain. But where I think E/riels have it wrong is that she's living there with Az. First off, SJM doesn't reveal endgame couples living together before it happens on page. There is no chance we're going to start CC3 and see them cohabitating. Also, Elain gave the necklace back to Az and he gave it to someone else. Exactly how did they fall in love and start living together when SF ended with Az showing more interest towards Gwyn than Elain? Second, the entire point of the necklace and roses are that they need light to have their full depth / beauty revealed. If roses are symbolic of Elain than what's also true is that she needs to be with her mate in order to thrive in the same way Feyre thrived with Rhys while in the NC and Nesta thrived with Cassian while living in the library. A person likened to a flower needs a place of sunshine to bloom. I do think it's possible the mention of bread and roses was a clue but not that she's living with Az in the townhouse. I think the clue is in how it makes you think of Elain only to realize she's not present with the IC for a pretty major event. Neither Mor or Elain are in the scene with Bryce and that makes you question where they are. Considering they were both pretty absent in SF and they're again absent 9 months later, it has me wondering if they're no longer living in the NC.

[wingedblooms]

Far larger forces

The rebirth of the Valkyries has destiny written all over it. But there is one phrase in particular that makes me wonder, especially after reading HOSAB (CC2).

Emerie said, “Nothing can break us.”

The world seemed to pause at the words. As if it had been following one path and now branched off in another direction. In a hundred years, a thousand, this moment would still be etched in his mind. That he would tell his children, his grandchildren, Right then and there. That was when it all changed.

Azriel went wholly still, as if he, too, had felt the shift. As if he, too, were aware that far larger forces peered into that training ring as Gwyn moved.

Azriel’s heightened senses seem to pick up on another presence. The question is, which larger forces are peering into the training ring? There are endless possibilities, but three stand out to me: (1) farseeing and benevolent Urd; (2) Princes of Hel; or (3) mystics of the Asteri. Since “forces” is plural, it could also be all three interested parties.

Farseeing and benevolent Urd

Urd is the goddess of fate and most associated with the House of Shadow and Flame in the CC series. We learn more about this mysterious goddess in HOSAB through various characters, particularly the Under-King:

No statues ever adorned Urd’s Temple—no depiction of the goddess had ever been made. Fate took too many forms to capture in one figure.

The Under-King rose, black robes drifting on a phantom wind. “I thought the Fae bowed to Luna, but perhaps you remember the old beliefs? From a time when Urd was not a goddess but a force, winding between worlds? When she was a vat of life, a mother to all, a secret language of the universe? The Fae worshipped her then.”

The goddess of fate is quite elusive; she is described specifically as a force, a vat of life, a mother to all. I talked about this in a post connecting fate’s shifting forms to Elain, but it also reminded me of what Gwyn says regarding the worship of priestesses in ACOTAR:

Nesta knew she could let the conversation end there, but she asked, “And what do you do with the time you’re not in the library? Practice your … religious things?”

Gwyn huffed a soft laugh. “In part. We honor the Mother, and the Cauldron, and the Forces That Be. We have a service at dawn and at dusk, and on every holy day.”

That sounds awfully familiar, doesn’t it?

Mother = mother to all

Cauldron = vat of life

Forces That Be = a force, winding between worlds

The Forces That Be mentioned by Gwyn may be synonymous with the Fate Rhysand references when he tells Feyre who determines mating bonds:

“I’m serious.” I turned toward him and crossed my arms. “What decides it? Who decides it?”

Rhys straightened his lapels before plucking an invisible piece of lint from them. “Fate, the Mother, the Cauldron’s swirling eddies …”

It would make sense if these sacred three were connected, and perhaps even parts of the same whole as the Under King suggests. When Nesta scries for the Cauldron, the language hints at this sacred, interconnected force as well:

It had taken a few moments the first and only time she’d done it. To let her mind go empty, to wait for that tug through her body that had hauled her toward an unseen force. She’d been whipped across the earth, and when she’d opened her eyes, she’d been standing in a war-tent, the King of Hybern before her, the Cauldron a squatting, dark mass beyond.

The Cauldron. Yawning emptiness answered. Nesta furrowed her brow, clenching the items harder. Pictured the Cauldron: the vast bowl of darkest iron, so large multiple people could have used it as a bathtub. It had a physical shape, yet when that icy water had swallowed her, there had been no bottom. Just a chasm of freezing water that had soon become utter darkness. The thing that had existed before light; the cradle from which all life had come.

Sweat beaded on her brow, as if her very body rebelled against the memory, but she made herself recall how it had sat in the King of Hybern’s war-tent, squatting atop the reeds and rugs, a primordial beast that had been half-asleep when she’d entered.

And then it had opened an eye. Not one she could see, but one that she could feel fixed on her. It had widened as it realized who stood there: the female who had taken so much, too much. It had narrowed all of its depthless power, its rage, upon her, a cat trapping a mouse with its paw.

The Cauldron seems to be an unseen force of Urd, and as I have discussed both here and here, it may be intimately connected to Void: the cradle from which all life came, including our Princes of Hel and Under King.

If Urd is indeed this sacred three, then it is even more likely that her influence truly winds between worlds. In HOSAB, we learn that both shifters (who may descend from fae in TOG) and fae (who descend from fae in ACOTAR) have similar concepts of fated mates, one that is explicitly connected to Urd.

There were several definitions of the term mate—though Bryce supposed that to Ithan, to a shifter, only one mattered: one’s true lover, predestined by Urd. The Fae had a similar concept—a mate was a bond deeper than marriage, and beyond an individual’s control.

And yet, in the CC series, we learn that there might be an even more powerful force than fate:

It was the ancient Prime of the wolves who answered, his withered voice rising above the pinging of the graph. “With the strength of the most powerful force in the world. The most powerful force in any realm.” He pointed to the screen. “What brings loyalty beyond death, undimming despite the years. What remains unwavering in the face of hopelessness.”

That powerful force is love. Through love, all is possible. As the Prime confirms in HOEAB, love is at the heart of loyalty and hopefulness, and that is what we witness between the Valkyries when they are reborn as a fighting force. That love may have altered fate, which branched off into a different direction than was planned. And this deviation may have caused Urd—the Mother, Fate, Cauldron—to sit up and take notice. It is that very love and devotion between the Valkyries that will be needed to weather the other forces that might be at play in this scene.

Princes of Hel

Was it Urd Azriel felt in the training ring, or another force entirely? Hel might also have its reasons for witnessing, or even influencing, the events taking place in Prythian. According to Apollyon, Prince of the Pit, Hel has been preparing its armies to return to Midgard and defeat the Asteri once and for all. Both @offtorivendell and @silverlinedeyes have theorized that Hel may have found a way to access Prythian through cracks between the worlds, one of which might be in the Night Court library. They also believe that the Illyrians may descend from relations between fae and Princes of Hel, such as Apollyon, who seems to bear the leathery wings that make the Illyrians distinct among winged fae in ACOTAR. Is it possible that a Prince of Hel could have nudged certain priestesses to learn about other worlds and the Valkyries, just like they have been nudging Bryce and Hunt in Midgard?

At the same time those pieces are being put into place, the Trove has resurfaced for the first time in centuries. The Trove, when united, can do a few important things:

Nesta forced herself to ignore the nauseating thought as Amren continued, “If you were to gather all three objects, you could use the potency of their combined Made essence to track down the Cauldron, no matter where it is.”

“Not to mention gain three objects of terrible power,” Azriel added grimly. “Capable of granting even a human army an advantage against the Fae.”

“Raise the dead,” Cassian mused, his face tightening, any trace of that approving smile gone, “and you’d have an unstoppable force, able to march without rest or food. Open any door, and you could move that army of the dead wherever you wished. And with unrestrained influence, you could make any enemy territory and its people bow to you.”

So, to recap, we now have:

a reborn female fighting force combining Valkyrie and Illyrian methods,

an existing Illyrian fighting force that might descend from Hel, and

three objects of terrible power that can locate the Cauldron, raise an unstoppable force, and take them wherever the bearer wished.

It seems no coincidence that we now also have one returned Starborn princess who is searching for the Princes and armies of Hel—in Prythian. What if the armies Apollyon referred to weren’t exclusive to his world? If my friends’ theories are correct, Apollyon and his brothers (particularly Aidas) may have found a way to influence their theoretical descendants into preparing for a war against the Asteri, including raising an unstoppable army of the dead. If they have access to the Void—which is where all souls return—through the Cauldron, could they bring back long-dead warriors, such as the fierce Valkyries, to fight alongside the living armies of Prythian, Hel, and Midgard? Are we in for a Return of the King moment of ghostly battle, like @silverlinedeyes and @offtorivendell brilliantly suggested? Or would they be mere reanimated corpses like Nesta’s experience at Oorid? Either way, this would ensure that Hel has the forces to face the threat of the Asteri again and come through victorious this time around. But given their past betrayal of the fae, it is possible that the defeat of the Asteri would simply lead to the rise of yet another conqueror: the Princes of Hel.

Mystics of the Asteri

Urd and Hel may not be alone in their influence. The rifts are closed, which @offtorivendell, @silverlinedeyes, and I suspect is related to the protection the death-god siblings may have offered. Like the interlocking circles of the Archesian amulet, the death-god siblings together may have kept Prythian from enemy detection and access that weakened with each sibling’s death. Hence, the arrival of not one, but two beings from the worlds of TOG and CC after the Carver’s and Weaver’s deaths. @offtorivendell theorized that Koschei’s demise could unlock the rifts entirely and give Asteri access to Prythian after centuries of being thwarted. They desire to return to Prythian above all else:

“So that star will lead us back to that world. Through you. They overthrew our brethren who once ruled there—we have not forgotten. Our initial attempt at revenge was foiled by your ancestor who also bore that star on her chest. The Fae have still not atoned for the deaths of our brothers and sisters. Their home world was rich in magic. I crave more of it.”

Even if they are cut off from the cosmos physically, the Asteri have a host of mystics to spy across the cosmos for them.

“In the Eternal City, I heard they have a thousand mystics in the palace catacombs, mapping farther and farther into the cosmos. Speaking with creatures we shall never know.”

Rage rippled through his every word. “Your Starborn ancestors shut the gates to stop us from invading their realm once more and reminding them who their true masters are. And in the process, they shut the gates to all other worlds, including those to Hel, their stalwart allies. And so we have been trapped here. Cut off from the cosmos. All that is left of our people, though our mystics beneath this palace have long sought to find any other survivors, any planets where they might be hiding.”

These mystics aren’t mere spectators, either. According to Rigelus, they can pry into and influence minds, similar to the daemati gift Rhysand possesses. Can that ability expand beyond Midgard, as their exploration does?

“We were eventually notified by one of our mystics here, who learned it from prying into the mind of one of Ophion’s Command. So we did a little tugging. Pointed Micah toward synth. Toward Danika.”

“You think Micah acted alone? He was a brash, arrogant male. All it took was some nudging, and he killed her for us. Had no idea it was on our behalf, but it played out as we planned: he was eventually caught and killed for disturbing our peace. I thank you for that.”

Could they be one of the larger, unseen forces that Azriel sensed? Are they capable of not only watching, but also manipulating characters in Prythian? They crave access to Prythian for revenge, to show them once again who their conquerors are. By locating the Trove items, someone might also be able to open the gates—either as part of, or a back-up plan to, using the Horn tattooed on Bryce. Is it possible for someone who isn’t Made to use the Trove if they wear a powerful amulet, like Bryce did in HOEAB? Is that why Elain’s necklace, described as an amulet, made it’s way into someone else’s possession after Azriel found himself at the library, despite his every intention otherwise? Was that fate or another unseen force that influenced his behavior? Was he nudged in a different direction, like Micah, when his defenses were weakened? If the Asteri are at play in this scheme, they would need to create discord and instability to weaken a powerful enemy, including the most powerful court in that world. This influence might also explain the conflicts arising from multiple directions: Koschei, Autumn Court, the human territories, continental fae territories, Illyrians, Day Court, and even within the inner circle of the Night Court. Are these issues a coincidence, or an intentional unraveling by the unseen force of the Asteri and their mystics?

As always, only time—and Sarah J. Maas—will tell.