#jurdan theory

[azrielsshadows42]

YOU GUYS!!!!

I've been re-reading the cruel prince and in chapter 1, it mentions three of Judes favorite toys when she was a child. The ones that she couldn't find it in her heart to throw them away

A koala, a black cat and most importantly...

A SNAKE.

This is why you always have to reread a good book at least once

[clockworkbee]

Jude's dress for Dain’s Coronation

I think it’s important that we note how Cardan had seen Jude in Liriope’s dress at Locke’s gathering, and according to Jude, he had spotted her while saving Sophie as well, even though she’d thought he hadn’t actually seen her, but come on? Faerie sight and Cardan always recognizing Jude?

So, I think it’s safe to say that he was mesmerized by the sight of her, both, in that dress, and in the dark, the woods behind her and the moonlight and whatnot, and that he’d decided he’d like to see her in the same style as the dress she wore at Locke’s, but in the colors he’d seen her (or envisioned her) in that night. I like to think that the seamstress incorporated both Dain’s and Cardan’s wishes, btw. It’s very likely, too, since Jude got to see her dress’s final look after the aforementioned two events. I know she thinks/says,

Over that is stitched the stark outlines of trees, the way I see them from my window as dusk is falling.

But can’t it be that her view of the trees from her window was similar to Cardan’s view of her, while she was helping the mortal girl?

[deathsweetblossoms]

Am I just an absolute fool, an absolute sap? Has my bleeding heart turned me into an eternal clown again???? Have I read too much fanfic?? Or does it actually feel like such a slap in the face that there is (potential) animosity between Oak and Cardan Greenbriar?

[im-fostering-it292]

I’ve been pushed so far into so much shit that I can’t escape any of it anymore

[viivdle]

nothing else, just this

[murasaki-cha]

.....First of all OP amazing theory I actually didn't notice this during my reread, you're cooking keep going

Second of all, basically what we've gathered from this information is that not only did Cardan absolutely SUCK at keeping his feelings for Jude a secret, but also that Jude's denial was so SO much worse than we though seeing how obvious this man was....

The folk of the air/ the cruel prince theory spoiler warning for the series (not including tsh or tpt)

so i’m doing my seasonly tfota read, specifically tcp rn, and i just reread a line balekin said to cardan when jude breaks into hollow hall.

he says romances PLURAL, which ofc mainly insinuates Nicasia, but it got me thinking. cardan states that balekin never failed to throw jude’s existence in his face to insult cardan, which he admits to her when she’s kidnapped him. and then of course the infamous scene in book 2 where balekin is all like “i heard the feeling of falling in love for mortals is like fear” but like, what compelled him to say that ? maybe it can be dumbed down to him being confused abt why she’s seneschal, or maybe he thinks that the reason that she helped cardan get the throne from balekin is bc she loves him.

, and we all know the scene in twk when balekin is all like “kiSs mE liKE i’m cArdaN”(🤮) which means he knows of the feelings they have for each other, but when exactly does he realize cardans feelings for jude?

which brings me back to when balekin says romances plural. does he perhaps already know of cardans feelings toward jude even in the first book? he’s aware that cardan frees his mortal servants, and refuses to kill them, and even takes beatings for them (which he recognizes as weakness), and nicasia knew that cardan had feelings for jude, she knew the dress he sent her for dains coronation, did balekin also?

in a short story, “a visit to the impossible lands” focusing on kaye and roiben(the modern faerie tales), kaye IMMEDIATELY sees cardans feelings for jude, describing the way he looks at her, like she were made of glamour and smoke, comparing it to the same way her lover and emo bf roiben looks at kaye.

and even locke knew cardan wanted jude “i knew you wanted her, which is why i had to have her first”(mean!) and even in taryns novella, she notices that cardan looks at jude with a “lascivious” heavy lidded stare. DAIN also partook in the acknowledgment of jude and cardans lovers quarrel after the tournament in tcp, so does this mean that perhaps balekin did also?

anyway i think this is a really interesting theory, i really like reading abt cardan and balekins dynamic, abt how balekin refers to mortals as “mice” and how cardan is confused and empathetic toward them. (and fascinated by jude)

feel free to add on or let me know your thoughts!

[ezziefae]

Things I'm excited to see in The Prisoner's Throne (March 2024)

I still can’t believe we have to wait till march 2024 for prisoner throne, y’all don’t understand the amount of excitement I have about going back to the world of Elfhame and seeing my favorite beloved characters. Here’s a list of some things I’m really looking forward to see or find out.

Taryn’s Child

Like we’re finally going to meet Taryn’s Child (who I’m assuming is a boy), I wonder if Holly Black has any plans of making them a big part of this book or if she has any plans of writing a separate book with the focus on Taryn’s kid.

Oak’s POV

Holly Black confirmed that we will see Oak's perspective of Elfhame, which wasn't discussed in TSH due to Wren's POV. From my understanding, there’s a lot of problems in Elfhame that we still don’t know about. All of the unknown will finally be revealed in Prisoners Throne, and that’s sooooo exciting!

Jude and Cardan

Its obviously very clear that everyone who is a fan of TFOTA series is very excited to see how the King and Queen of Elfhame are doing!!

I am very excited to learn more about Jude and Cardan. They have been together for around 9 years since the time of The Queen Of Nothing. I am eager to see what challenges they have faced during this time and how their relationship has progressed. We will not be reading about their teenage years, but rather their adult years. I am looking forward to seeing how Holly has portrayed their growth and transformation !!!! LIKE HELLO, MATURE CARDAN AND JUDE?? I just know both are going to give DILF and MILF energy, Jurdan fans will not survive. I will not survive.

Taryn and The Ghost?

It's possible that this book will give us insight into whether Taryn and the Ghost are romantically involved. In TQON, there were some hints that The Ghost had feelings for Taryn. It's worth remembering that Taryn saved The Ghost and they were both victims of Locke's abuse.

Some people don't think the Ghost and Taryn should be together because they find it strange. They have two main reasons for this. One is that the Ghost is about 100 years older than Taryn. The other reason is that some people don't think Taryn is good enough for the Ghost. (People don't like Taryn. Do I blame them? of course not)

Any opinions of this? I have a feeling that the ghost might of become overprotective of Taryn and owes her debt for saving his life. Could they be romantically involved? Maybe, we’ll have to wait and see!

Wren’s Family

In some way Wren will finally reunite with her human family. How?…i have no idea with the nature than the stolen heir ended in. But i’m excited to see how that goes, Wren deserves her happiness. It will probably be emotional, i’ll probably cry.

Jude, Cardan and the idea of having children?

OKAY!! I made a seperate post about this months ago (if you haven’t read it, please do!! click here)

Opinions on whether Jude and Cardan should become parents are divided among fans. Personally, I wouldn't be opposed to the idea. It's important to remember that Jude and Cardan are now adults and have grown since the last time we saw them.

Holly Black has already confirmed that Jude and Cardan are aware of the idea of having children. “they are all aware of it, it will be talked about more in Prisoners Throne”

Flowers blooming in Mab’s grave have fans speculating and making theories that Jude could be possibly pregnant.

According to Holly, it would be complicated for many people if Jude and Cardan had children. This is because if they did, Oak would be removed from the throne line. However, if Oak were to become the King of Elfhame, any children that Jude and Cardan have would also be cut from the line.

I still don't see why Jude and Cardan having kids would be complicated, I think it would make perfect sense. Oak wouldn't have to rule, and Jude and Cardan could keep their Power.

We’ll see where Holly goes with this in Prisoner's Throne.

Oak becoming King of Elfhame?

Okay soooo, Oak has already stated that he does not want to be King of Elfhame, we’ve known this since the beginning of TFOTA.

If Oak were to become king, Jude and Cardan would be forced to relinquish their throne and all of their power. Personally, I would prefer that Jude and Cardan maintain their position. The people adore Cardan and are terrified of Jude, which has been their longstanding desire. I don't want them to lose it all just so that Oak can take the throne.

There’s been theories that Oak will become the King of the Court of Teeth along side Wren. But that’s the part that confuses me, Wren never wanted to become queen, neither does Oak. So i’m wondering how that’s gonna work.

Oak and his sisters

I’m excited to see them all together again. Vivi, Taryn, Jude, and Oak. Holly did say something about how the the siblings dynamic will be important in Prisoner’s Throne. UGH I MISS THEM.

Madoc, The Traitor of Elfhame

With the ending events of TSH, i’m curious to see what’s gonna happen to Madoc. I soooo doubt Jude will forgive him. Madoc is known to be a traitor, If Madoc's exile is lifted back by Jude and Cardan, it may not be well-received by the folk. It will not look good for Jude and Cardan. Will Madoc betray them again? will he fight against Jude? or will he reedeem himself?

Tiernan and Hyacinth.

Soooo this is very ANGSTY. Tiernan and Hyacinthe were in a relationship, but things fell apart when Madoc betrayed Elfhame. Tiernan remained loyal to Elfhame, while Hyacinthe joined Madoc, turning them from lovers to enemies.

To make matters worse, Hyacinthe later became loyal to Wren, who is a new enemy to Elfhame. (Things do not look good for Hyacinthe). This turn of events is quite tragic, and it leaves us wondering how they will resolve their conflicts. So it’s TRAGIC, and i wonder how they’re going to resolve it all. Like where the hell do they go from there??? HOLLLYY TELL USSSS

The Undersea

It was repeated throughout the entirety of the book that the undersea is in chaos. Queen Orlagh is not doing well, and Nicasia is too weak. Will they be dethroned? Will Jude and Cardan be involved? (I'm guessing they will)

Jude’s Political Problem

I made a seperate post about this, click here to see.

. Holly has confirmed in a livestream that Jude will have a political problem by the End of Prisoners Throne. She didn’t say Jude AND Cardan…no, she said only Jude's name. So….MISS HOLLLY BLACK WHY ARE U TORTURING US. i'm dying to know what the problem will be.

(Id also like to point out that I think holly might’ve accidentally spoiled the fact that Jude and Cardan will still be king and queen of Elfhame by the end of prisoners throne)

Wren’s Magical Powers

Wren is a scary woman now, and she’s POWERFUL. Is she more powerful than Jude and Cardan? maybe? i hope not, but maybe. She was able to “kill” her abusive mother by speaking it into EXISTENCE. WTF. Have mercy Wren!

How Elfhame will approach Wren

Our girl Wren has made Elfhame her enemy by making the ONLY heir to Elfhame her prisoner. It’s obvious Jude will be furious, not just with Wren but with Oak. For going against her and Cardan’s orders of saving Madoc. Will Elfhame go to war? will Jude be angry at herself for freeing Wren in TQON?

Lady Asha

So, I'm assuming she still lives in the palace along side Jude and Cardan. Although I wouldn't be surprised if Jude kicked her out and sent her away. This lady is a B*tch. I'm curious to know what Lady Asha has been up to or rather what she's been scheming.

WHY DID JUDE KICK WREN OUT OF THE PALACE OF ELFHAME??

(Note: Jude is so petty for this, although I believe there is more to this than we might currently know, maybe Jude didnt do it, maybe it was Oriana or Lady Asha)

It was revealed that Jude ordered her guards to remove Wren from the palace. but WHY?? Why didn’t Oak intervene? Why did jude do it?

In TQON, Jude suggested to Oak that if he decided to wed Suren, then she could reside in the palace with them. This implies that Jude was comfortable with Suren living along side them in Elfhame. SOOO IM CONFUSED!!! I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS! and I want ANSWERS HOLLY BLACK !

Family Reunion: Oriana, Madoc, Oak, Taryn, Jude and Vivi.

Jude lives in the palace, while Madoc has been exiled and captured. Taryn has a kid and lives in Locke’s estates, Vivi lives in the mortal world with Heather. It's evident that they have gone their separate ways. It’s not TCP chapter 1 anymore, where they all eat dinner together and play games.

i have to be honest and say that i miss them together. and so does Oriana. In TSH she admitted to missing and wishing they were all together again. I hope to see some kind of reunion.

"I know," She [Oriana] said. "I cannot hope for one side to win neither. I used to wish that Madoc never went looking for those girls, and now all I wish is that we could be together again as we once were." (TSH, Chap 3, pg 55)

Locke’s Father

Holly has said many times that she wanted to do something about Locke’s Father (Yes, he’s still alive) I wonder if he’ll be introduced in this book.

Vivi and Wren

Wren was very hurt when Vivi stated she wanted wren away from oak in TQON. I want to see them together, maybe Vivi will apologize. Maybe they’ll become besties.

i hope they do, they just HAVE TO.

-

I’ll probably make a part 2. But what are you guys excited to see?

[gwynrieldreams]

[MASTERLIST]

Greek Mythology in the Maasverse

Greek Influences pt 1: Throne of Glass

Greek Influences pt 2 i: ACOTAR

Greek Influences pt 2 ii: ACOTAR

Greek Influences pt 3 i: Crescent City

Greek Influences pt 3 ii: Crescent City

Acotar: An Eros and Psyche Retelling

Why Feysand is the Hades and Persephone trope

Night Court parallels with the Greek Underworld

The Archeron sisters and their connection to triple deities in greek mythology

The Crescent City Drop Analysis: How it's inspired by the Eleusinian Mysteries, one of the most famous religious rites in ancient Greece.

Theories

Dusk Court Theory/Gwyn is Starborn pt 1: Similarities with Bryce

Dusk Court Theory/Gwyn is Starborn pt 2: Connection to Gwydion

How Gwynriel and Elucien mirror Quinlar and Satharion

Amren and Fury Axtar Parallels

Literary Analysis and Authorial Intent

Gwynriel

Azriel Bonus Chapter Analysis pt 1: Literary devices

Azriel Bonus Chapter Analysis pt 2: Mating Language

More reasons why I believe Gwynriel is endgame

Azriel's Shadows Analysis pt 1

Azriel's Shadows Analysis pt 2

Reasons why I believe the gwynriel book will be Gwyn-centered

Debunking the "evil" Gwyn theory

Gwyn is not a child

A thing of secret lovely beauty ~ Analysis

Gwyn and Rhysand Parallels

Elucien

Elain - Lucien - Azriel: Parallels to Greek and Welsh Myths

Elucien vs E/riel pt 1: Why Lucien is the better choice for Elain

Elucien vs E/riel pt 2: Why elucien makes more sense from a narrative standpoint

Defending Lucien Vanserra

Elriel - Cheating trope

The Elucien Bond - The word thread(s) - Debunking that it's a spell

Nesta/Valkyries

ACOSF: A Taming of the Shrew Retelling

Why Emerie wasn't the only one worthy to win the Blood Rite.

Translations in Greek

All the bonus chapters translated in greek

My fanarts

Gwynriel

My fics

• gwynrieldreams on AO3 (you have to be a registered user)

Fun Posts

Moodboards: Gwyn i ii iii iv, Azriel, Gwynriel, Lucien, Elain, Elucien, Emerie, Emerie x Nuan

Picrews: Acotar, ToG, CC, jurdan, vaxleth

Gwynriel/Elucien Bingo Cards

Gwyneth Berdara High Lady of Dusk Court Headcanon: Gwydion Dress

Gwyneth Berdara Priestess, Water~Nymph

Biblically accurate Gwyn

Gwyn Berdara Aesthetic

Colour Analysis: ACOTAR Pt 1 Pt 2

Colour Analysis: Throne of Glass Pt 1 Pt 2

Colour Analysis: Crescent City Pt 1 Pt 2

The ACOTAR girlies in formal dresses

Nails for the ACOTAR girlies

Nails for the TOG girlies

Nails for the CC girlies

Nails for each ACOTAR Court

Feysand wedding ring

Acotar girlies wedding rings

Rowaelin wedding rings

Day Court is inspired by Ancient Egypt headcanon

pfp: mistilteinn.art | banner: aikuchin | dividers: kindpng

[hereforthenessian]

Is there a 30something fan club in nyc that just gets together to obsess over tota?!? Like where are we going to talk theory’s and try to make jurdan crafts.

Book club but just this book series

[clockworkbee]

The Cruel Prince, chapter 15

The Queen of Nothing spoilers!

I do still wonder, though. If this particular instruction was from Dain or Cardan. Seems to me that it was from Dain and that Cardan later on instructed to have it sown in a different fabric, and based on the result, the seamstress probably indulged both the princes.

I also wonder what exactly was the reason while also holding on to the theory that he did so because Locke had planned to ask for Taryn’s hand in marriage and since Cardan was the only one who could really tell which twin was which, he probably told his circle of friends that they’d be able to tell by the dresses the twins would be wearing.

[cromulentreader]

Theories for The Prisoner’s Throne - Part II

4. Oak being a king

So Oak has expressed he doesn’t want to be King, which seems to be the surest path to get a crown in Faerieland.  How can he become King? A few different alternatives:

He becomes the High King. Either because Wren or Jude make him. I don’t think this will happen. I’m guessing ⅔ of the readers of this duology are mostly reading it for Jurdan content. I wasn’t in TSH - I’m mostly doing that for the next book. 

He marries Wren, the Court of Teeth is reinstated and HEA for all. A tad bland, but it would be ok.

We go really dark and get a retelling of Robin Redbreast and Jenny Wren where they marry but “Robin Redbreast lost his heart”. I like Suren, but not enough that I would care.

Oak has some sort of political marriage arrangement with another court (most likely the Undersea).

5. Thistlewitch returns 

I’m expecting a comeback of the Thistlewitch. Obviously because of her bargain with Oak. 

But also, it would be really interesting to learn more about her talk with Jude’s mother. Assuming this is her.

The Thistlewitch was the one who told Kaye she was a pixie glamoured to look human in Tithe. She told Suren she was Nothing. I don’t believe she would accidentally stroll into the estate of a Redcap War General. Perhaps Jude’s bellic nature will come into play in this next book.

[discountsoysauce]

I always thought something more would come out of the hairpin when I first saw it but nothing ever did lol

I got the Waterstones version of The Stolen Heir which had some some of Holly Black's writing notes and I noticed something!

I noticed that the notes have two mentions of Grimsen that are cut out of the book.

In one of the drafts of the war-camp flashback Wren worries that the silver fox game pieces are made by Grimsen and are cursed (as all of his works are in some way).

In an early plan of the book it is mentioned that Oak and Wren meet 'Grimsen's apprentice' at the Undry Market.

Now this is the part I'm really interested in because this is not in the final book and yet at the Undry Market oak and Wren meet the vendor who sells them the bird hair pin.

Is the vendor Grimsen's apprentice? Is the hairpin more than it seems?! Someone mentioned that at the end of the book Oak has the hairpin- will it aid him in getting out of prison? Will it help him get the upper hand on Wren? It would make sense in the vendor was ssshneaky since he a SNAKE 🐍

Anyway I'll put my detective hat away sorry

[lisbethtylanhnem]

i love your analysis/theories on cruel prince. so… do you write somethingggggg about Jurdan on ao3? what’s your account?

Hiiii!! Omg... first ask ever...

First of all, thank you!! <33 I honestly never thought anyone would read my silly takes, so this means a lot.

I do have an AO3 account (same username), but it only has the start of a LOTR fic on it.

Right now, I'm working on a bunch of one-shots and one longfic set in the DC universe, but no Jurdan planned yet, sadly.

I’m starting to get a pretty solid grasp of Jude, but Cardan is still opaque to me, so I don’t quite feel legit enough to write him yet. Once I get over that mental block, maybe?

I do love TFOTA and have a bit of an obsession with Celtic folklore, so I’m pretty confident I could nail the vibes, at least universe-wise.

Thanks again for your ask, that was sweet! :D <3

[slightlyrebelliouswriter23]

Theory: Eldred is not Cardan's father

Listen. I don’t know if anyone has said this before, but I’ve been mulling this over for a while now, so I’m going to throw it to the void before The Stolen Heir comes out, for posterity.

Buckle up, folks and Folk. I’m monologuing.

(PLEASE DO NOT INCLUDE TSH SPOILERS IN THE COMMENTS/REBLOGS/TAGS AS I HAVE NOT READ IT, AND WILL NOT BE ABLE TO READ IT UNTIL 8th JAN 2023!)

A big caveat of this theory is that I have basically no solid evidence for this apart from a few faint dots vaguely connected through a strange fog. But I am nothing if not someone who will scrounge around in the dirt for answers. So let’s get some filth under our fingernails.

(I promise it will maybe make sense. Eventually)

I. EPISTOLARY SEMANTICS

Much of this theory centres around the note Jude steals for Dain from Hollow Hall in The Cruel Prince. It reads:

“I know the provenance of the blusher mushroom that you ask after, but what you do with it must not be tied to me. After this, I consider my debt paid. Let my name be stricken from your lips.” (TCP, p.115)

There are so many layers to this note, but I’ll start on the surface level before digging deeper.

When Jude gives the note to Dain, he reads it, then says, ���So he’s blackmailing Queen Orlagh” (TCP, p.123). During a first read, one would think Dain is implying that Balekin is blackmailing Orlagh, since Jude stole the note from Balekin’s study, and that Orlagh is the one who wrote the letter to the eldest Greenbriar child.

And no one questions it, because Jude even makes this supposition herself.

But my question is this: Why would Balekin be blackmailing Orlagh? We learn in The Wicked King that they are very much allies, and as far as I’m aware, blackmailing isn’t something you typically do to your allies.

My other question is: Why do we assume that Orlagh is the one that wrote the letter? Because Dain said so? We know him to be unreliable at best, manipulator at worst.

During a second read, one might realise that Dain is in fact being tricky here. He knows exactly who and what this note is referring to. But he’s deliberately trying to lead the Court of Shadows to the wrong conclusion, because the right one would reveal his guilt, as shown in the latter part of The Cruel Prince when Jude figures out Dain poisoned Liriope with blusher mushroom.

The way Dain is able to lead us off track without lying is through implication alone. This is why he’s not specific about who is blackmailing Orlagh. He just says someone is (a likely statement, considering Orlagh’s title) and that someone might be a man (plausible enough).

Thus, the sentence “He’s blackmailing Orlagh” can still be a perceived truth, and we are only ascribing it to the note because it is the closest context.

But we find out later that Dain’s statement has nothing to do with the note, since the note is about Liriope’s poisoning.

After having read TCP [redacted] times, one might begin to think: Is Orlagh even the sender of this correspondence? And if not, who is? And what does the note mean if we’re giving it a different context/sender?

For this, we have to peruse the parts of the sentences written in the note.

A. “Provenance”

For me, this phrase has always seemed a bit strange when referring to blusher mushrooms.

The word “provenance”, as most people recognise it, is used to describe the place from which a particular thing or subset of things comes from (i.e. the provenance of “Champagne” is Champagne, France, and the provenance of “Iranian rugs” is Iran, etc.).

So when we put it in the context of blusher mushrooms, as the note does, it seems to be saying there is a particular place where one can find blusher mushrooms, and the recipient is trying to acquire them for one reason or another.

But Jude, when first dabbling in mithridatism, describes picking blusher mushroom in the palace gardens (p.148-150, TCP). So if Balekin was planning on acquiring the poison, he needn’t look farther than the palace itself.

Which says, to me, that acquiring blusher mushroom for his own purposes wasn’t the subject of Balekin’s original inquiry, since it is common enough for a seventeen-year-old girl to find on her walk to school.

Additionally, the sender says “the provenance of the blusher mushroom”, when “the provenance of blusher mushroom” would be more grammatically correct if the sender was indeed informing Balekin about where he could get the poison.

Implying that they are referring to a single specific blusher mushroom. Perhaps, the very one which poisoned Liriope.

Which means, “provenance”, as it is used in the note, could be referring to the less common definition: “record of ownership”.

My guess is, Balekin asked the sender of the note if they knew who killed Liriope with blusher mushroom. The sender, wanting to remain cryptic in case the message was intercepted, phrased their confirmation so only the person who knew the full context of the message would be able to understand it.

Leading me to believe the sender may be saying, “I know who owned/used the blusher mushroom that you’re asking about”.

B. “It”

Here’s another tricky thing about English grammar: sometimes the subject that “it” refers to can be a group of things.

We might assume right off the bat that “What you do with it” means “What you do with the blusher mushroom”. But, given the previous specification, our sender might actually just mean “What you do with this information must not be tied back to me.”

Essentially, “Don’t tell anyone I told you this but I know who Liriope’s murderer is.”

C. “Let my name be stricken from your lips.”

To me, this last sentence of the note wreaks of faerie bargain.

The sender mentioned they had a debt to pay Balekin, and after divulging who poisoned Liriope, they would consider that debt paid.

But why not just leave the message at that? They already basically said, “Don’t tell anyone I told you this”, so this sentence seems redundant if not included for an ulterior purpose.

It could be a dramatic sign off. More likely, though, it’s a final clause of some bargain made previous to this message. Such as, “You owe me. Tell me who poisoned Liriope and I’ll never speak your name again.”

Either way, it sounds like the sender does not want to be tied to Balekin in any way (understandable tbh).

***This line is important for later, so remember this.***

~~~

So, after these specifications have been made, the note reads:

“I know who owned/used the blusher mushroom to poison Liriope, but what you do with this information must not be traced back to me. After this, I consider my debt paid. As per our bargain, you’re not to speak of me again.”

II. THE SENDER OF THE LETTER

There are many people who could’ve sent this letter. So let’s narrow it down.

Since the letter is in Balekin’s study, we could surmise that it is something Balekin has written and plans on sending. But Jude describes it as being written in “an elegant, feminine hand” (TCP, p.115).

Which doesn’t necessarily rule Balekin out as the sender, but I’m thinking it is much more likely he is the recipient, and that the sender is a woman.

The sender also knows who killed Liriope, so they probably know why Liriope was poisoned, as well. Meaning, they would have had to have ties to her—whether in proximity or in intimacy.

Oriana mentions in TCP that she and Liriope were close friends. She also tells Jude that she knew about Liriope and Dain’s affair.

However, in this same conversation, Jude asks Oriana if she knew Dain was the one who poisoned Liriope, and this is her response:

“Oriana shakes her head. ‘Not for a long time. It could have been another of Eldred’s lovers. Or Balekin—there were rumours he was the one responsible. I even wondered if it could have been Eldred, if he had poisoned her for dallying with his son. But then Madoc discovered Dain had obtained the blusher mushroom. He insisted I never let Oak be anywhere near the prince.’ ”(TCP, pp. 294-295)

Since faeries cannot lie, the truth must be that Oriana is not the one that knew who poisoned Liriope.

And since the letter is left unsigned, Dain attributes its origins to the Queen of the Undersea.

Here’s why I don’t think Orlagh sent this message:

Orlagh is seen in cahoots with Balekin plenty throughout the series. Yet, the sender of this message implies they want nothing to do with the eldest prince, and furthermore explicitly tells Balekin to never speak their name again. If Orlagh were the sender of this note, we would not have much of the scenes which take place in the Undersea during Jude’s kidnapping in The Wicked King.

Orlagh is the Queen of the Undersea. Why would she know or care about the details of a murder of one of the High King of Elfhame’s lovers?

Orlagh also has no ties to Liriope, or Dain for that matter, so why would Balekin go to Orlagh for information regarding Liriope’s murder?

But do you know who does have ties to Liriope, who might also have reason not to want Balekin to speak their name ever again?

Lady Asha.

So how exactly does Lady Asha have ties to Liriope?

It is common knowledge that they were both lovers of the High King. Asha could’ve known of Liriope’s affair with Dain because of their proximity at court. She was also known for being a lover of gossip and secrets. It’s not too surprising that she might know of Liriope’s secret.

But how does Lady Asha know that Dain specifically poisoned Liriope? And why might she want to sever her ties with Balekin?

Let me back track for a moment.

III. EMERALDS FOR HEIRS?

In the prologue of The Queen of Nothing, Lady Asha receives a heavy necklace of emeralds for her “contribution to the Greenbriar line”.

In The Cruel Prince, when Jude is dressing in Liriope’s clothes for the party at Locke’s estate, Locke offers her his mother’s jewels, specifically a heavy necklace made of emeralds (TCP, p. 168).

At first, when I noticed this connection, I thought emeralds must be Eldred’s standard gift given to any mother who births a Greenbriar heir.

But if you recall, Locke wasn’t born to Eldred, and Liriope would have had to receive the necklace while she was still alive, meaning Oak had not yet been born.

It is significant that both of these women have necklaces of emeralds, for the meaning of emeralds—amongst loyalty, love, and strength—is truth.

“A revealer of truths, emerald reputedly could cut through all illusions and spells, including the truth or falsity of a lover’s oath.” (International Gem Society)

Indeed, it’s curious that the only other person known to possess a string of emeralds similar to the one Lady Asha receives in QON, is Liriope.

Liriope, who, to common knowledge, never had a royal child with the High King. Liriope, who, through the events of TCP, we know to have been having an affair with Dain while still in the High King’s favour.

Liriope, who, like Lady Asha, met an unfortunate fate.

If emeralds represent the falsity of a lover’s oath, and Liriope possessed such a necklace before her passing, it could be that the emeralds Asha received were less a gift as much as they were a warning.

One that Asha was either too arrogant or too oblivious to figure out when she first received them, but that she might've pieces together after Liriope's death.

IV. PUNISHMENT BY PROXY

In the prologue of Queen of Nothing, the narrator informs us that Cardan’s punishment for “killing” a mortal man was that his mother was locked in the Tower of Forgetting.

It’s unsurprising that a mother should shoulder the blame for the crimes of her royal son, but this seems like a steep price to pay for the death of someone only tangentially related to the High King’s concerns.

It wasn’t even a lover of Eldred’s own who was killed. It was the lover of his lover/seneschal.

Incarcerating Asha because her son allegedly killed the lover of the High King’s lover feels like an overreaction. Why not simply cast Asha from the court? Or send her to the mortal lands?

Unless…

The High King suspected (or knew) that Lady Asha had committed some other serious offense against him, but had no sufficient evidence to lock her away. Or perhaps he did not want to risk the humiliation that would ensue if everyone at court found out that Lady Asha had been dallying with his son at the same time as she was his own lover.

And, to give her what he thought she deserved without inciting speculation from the court, used the excuse of Cardan killing the mortal to finally serve justice.

Furthermore, we know Cardan and his mother were not close. We know Asha did not raise Cardan as normal mothers do. Why is sending Cardan’s mother to prison a punishment to him?

Other than a small blot on his reputation (upon which, there are many, much larger blots), Asha’s punishment by proxy largely shouldn’t effect Cardan.

It seems as if Cardan’s true punishment was being virtually disowned by his father, and banished from living in the Palace of Elfhame.

Meaning, Asha’s punishment wasn’t really Cardan’s, but her own.

V. THE DEBT

In the letter Jude stole from Balekin’s desk, a “debt”, which has been paid through the information provided, is mentioned. If Asha sent this letter, what debt could she possibly owe Balekin?

Well, for starters, he did raise her son when no one else would.

Though, it’s unclear to me when in the timeline Asha wrote the letter and when she was imprisoned, if this is the aforementioned debt, Asha would’ve had to have written the letter after she’d been sent to the Tower of Forgetting. Because her being sent to the Tower was the catalyst for Balekin raising Cardan.

This debt also begs the question: Why would Balekin offer to raise Cardan?

Surely having Lady Asha, an incarcerated ex-lover of the High King, in his debt isn’t so valuable as the immense responsibility of raising a child he has no obligation to.

Which points to a motive that indicates perhaps Balekin does have an obligation to this child.

When Madoc kills Eva and Justin in the prologue of TCP, he takes Jude and Taryn in, claiming it as his “duty” after he rendered them parentless. We know the fae value their honour, and so even someone as opprobrius as Balekin might be subject to upholding duty in the face of a faerie child’s mother being sent to prison.

But as we know, he did not cause Lady Asha’s detainment (Dain did). So where is this sudden sense of duty coming from? None of the other Greenbriar siblings seemed to have the same moral inclination.

Balekin taking Cardan in could be purely out of selfish motives. Such as, being able to shape Cardan to his will, which he might then use in a potential coup.

But it could be that, through everything, Balekin has an inkling of an idea that Cardan might not be his brother, but his son.

There is another debt which is possible in relation to the letter if it was sent prior to Lady Asha’s imprisonment. But for this, we must consider why Lady Asha would want her name to be stricken from Balekin’s lips in the first place.

The most obvious answer to this which I could think of is that Lady Asha knows she has committed treason by sleeping with Balekin, the High King’s son, and claiming their child as one of the High King’s own, staking her place at court as higher than is deserved, while also playing the High King for a fool.

So the debt could simply be that Lady Asha, seeing what happened to Liriope and knowing what happens to lovers of the High King after being found adulterous, wanted Balekin to never be able to speak of their affair ever again.

Balekin, not being of the sort to do things for other people without a price, might have said that he’d agree to this if she offered him information that he wanted. After she gave it to him, their bargain would be complete, and Balekin would henceforth never be able to speak Lady Asha’s name.

Regardless of which debt is the truth, indeed, I do believe we do not hear Balekin utter Asha’s name once throughout the course of the series. Despite the fact that it is almost certain they knew each other before.

VI. PRIOR ENTANGLEMENT

How do we know that Asha and Balekin knew each other well enough to be sending letters like this back and forth to each other, if we are not yet certain that they had an affair?

In the prologue of TCP, Madoc states that he didn’t believe it when Balekin told him his wife and child were not dead, but living in the mortal world. This indicates that Balekin had knowledge of how Eva faked her death.

Now, we could owe this to the presence of spies at court. It’s likely that Balekin has his own hoard of spies, as do most of the prominent figures in Eflhame.

Or we could consider that perhaps Lady Asha, who is the other person confirmed to have known that Eva faked her death (TWK, p.129), was Balekin’s informant on this matter.

After receiving this information, he was then able to pass it on to Madoc in order to gain his trust (with the ulterior motive that Madoc might trust him enough to help him with his coup).

But then, we must also consider why Lady Asha would tell the eldest prince of her friend’s plan in the first place.

One thought I had was that perhaps Balekin, having a slew of mortal servants under his roof, was the person who offered Eva the unidentifiable mortals left in Madoc’s house as “proof” of their death.

He’d have to have motive to do this, however. Which indicates he either had some sort of attachment to Asha, who was trying to help her friend escape Faerie, or Balekin valued the knowledge of their plan enough to help them carry it out.

Another less complicated motive for Lady Asha telling Balekin of Eva’s escape would be that Asha and Balekin had a history of being in cahoots with one another, which would point to a connection deeper than a passing acquaintanceship due to proximity at court.

VII. AN UNCANNY LIKENESS

It is a truth in The Folk of the Air series that children look very much like their biological parents.

Oak, biological son of Dain, looks an awful lot like Dain:

Oak is described as having deer legs, little horns on his head, and brown hair with streaks of gold.

Dain, in turn, is described as having deer legs, little horns, and golden curls.

This striking resemblance is what initially got me thinking on Cardan’s parentage. And it is further backed by the many other child-parent resemblances in the series:

Vivi is described as having inherited her father’s golden cat eyes and fur-tipped ears.

Locke has obviously inherited his mother’s “sunrise hair”.

And it could be argued that Oak inherited Liriope’s “starlit eyes”, as his are an amber-gold colour that might resemble an old star.

Lady Asha even states that Jude resembles both Eva and Justin greatly (TCP, p.129).

And in kind, Jude thinks that Lady Asha and Cardan look very alike, though she does not admit to this out loud.

These likenesses do not necessarily indicate anything other than a pattern, which could be total coincidence. But it does mean that we could reasonably conclude that faeries, as with humans, often take on characteristics of their parents.

Balekin is described as having black hair, pale skin, and silver eyes.

Cardan’s description in the series is quite similar:

He is said to have black curls, pale skin, and metallic-rimmed black irises.

When we compare that to Eldred’s description—golden hair and bronze owl-like eyes—it doesn’t seem like Cardan inherited many traits from the High King at all.

Now, this could be because Lady Asha’s characteristics were more dominant in Cardan’s inherited genes.

She is described as being pale, with raven hair, and black eyes. She also clearly passed her tail on to her son.

But the similarities between Cardan and Balekin go beyond the obvious. When Jude is hiding under a chair in Balekin’s study, she notices the following:

“In two strides, Balekin is in front of his brother. They look so alike standing close. Same inky hair, matching sneers, devouring eyes.” (TCP, p.119)

Indeed, this resemblance is echoed across the series. In The Wicked King, when Jude goes to visit Balekin in the Tower of Forgetting, she states:

“As I ascend, I glance back at Balekin’s face, severe in the green torchlight. He resembles Cardan too much for my comfort.” (TWK, p. 26)

And again, in the Undersea, when Balekin comes to interrogate her, Jude thinks:

“They have the same black hair. The same cheekbones.” (TWK, p. 240)

There is also the matter of Cardan’s name, which bears resemblance to Balekin’s physicality.

Balekin is described as having thorns on his forearms. Cardan is a name which is derived from Cardon, which means thistle. Thistles are a prickly flower that grow from stems of thorns.

We know Holly Black is very intentional with her descriptions and words. My question is, why would she go out of her way to draw these physical comparisons, to echo the sentiment that the two are strikingly similar, if Cardan and Balekin were merely brothers?

She could have said that Cardan, being raised in Balekin's household for much of his formative years, was moulded to adopt his brother's mannerisms and propensity for cruelty. She could have said the way that they talk, walk, carry themselves, etc. were extremely reminiscent of one another, and we as readers would've gotten the point: that Jude thinks Cardan and Balekin are alike in many ways.

But this isn't what Holly Black does. Which leads me to believe there is something else to the constant parallels she chooses to include.

VIII. IN CONCLUSION

I’m aware this entire post reads like a conspiracy theory. So to those of you who stuck it out this far, congratulations and welcome to the circus.

I’ll be the first to admit that it is a big reach to say that this is fact rather than the speculation that it is. There are a lot of holes, which I can only hope might be filled in the coming duology.

That being said, this theory brings many questions to light.

How would Balekin know of Eva’s escape without having a more intimate relationship with her friend than previously thought?

Why would Lady Asha want her name stricken from Balekin’s lips so desperately as to make a bargain with him?

How could Lady Asha possibly be indebted to Balekin?

Why would Liriope and Asha be the only two characters with heavy necklaces of emeralds on their person if it didn’t mean they shared a similar history with the High King?

Why would Holly Black continuously compare Balekin and Cardan, indirectly pointing out that neither look much like their father or other siblings, but look undeniably like each other, if not to draw a deeper connection between the two?

And finally, and perhaps most importantly, if Lady Asha’s dalliance with Eldred was so brief—as is confirmed by Oriana in chapter 12 of QON— how did she come to be pregnant by him? We know faerie menstrual cycles don’t happen as often as mortals’.

Is this as simple as good luck, or does it speak to an affair no one knew was happening?

–Em 🖤🗡

more theories & analysis

[beezpajamas]

Control vs. Letting Go in TFOTA

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It is getting a little late but I finally have somewhat been able to articulate my thoughts on how Cardan ties into the anxiety Jude faces for most of the series.

Reminder that these are my opinions and how I interpreted the book and these characters. If you have anything to add or disagree with, do so respectfully

Control

Anxiety can stem from the feeling of being out of control, particularly about the future or things that haven’t happened yet. Given the circumstances of Jude’s life, it’s no surprise she has a lot of anxiety. She lives in a land of people who despise her and actively belittle, humiliate or flat out hurt her. Even though she was raised by the gentry, she would always be seen as less. 

When she begins to fight back, she gets some control over her life but also loses some. Her life before had been... predictable doesn’t seem to be the right word, but she knew what to expect. She doesn’t exactly know what to expect now that she has made herself a bigger target.

I believe Cardan ties into this in two ways. The first being becoming High King. The second being Jude’s romantic feelings for him. 

When Cardan becomes High King, Jude has him under her control. She has more power than she ever thought she would, and it soothes her. I’ve personally found that when your anxiety gets bad, you grasp onto anything that gives you that control back. It helps keep you grounded. Anyway, Jude would have done anything to keep her control on him and she did. She killed and lied and kept secrets. She schemed and fought tooth and nail for her position, and she did this by herself. Which brings me to my next point. 

Jude felt she couldn’t trust anyone for a lot of the books. She couldn’t trust Taryn who kept betraying her. Vivi was always off in the mortal world, and Jude didn’t really have any friends. You know who she did have? Cardan. Though she tried her best to hate him, he was a constant in her life. Jude couldn’t rely on a lot, but she could rely on how Cardan felt about her. When he was angry with her or snarky, it was familiar. In a way, it kept her grounded. So much was changing or moving without her but at least she could keep track of how she thought Cardan felt about her. More importantly, how she thought she felt about him. 

She relied on his hatred, but she also relied on her own hatred. As I’ve said before, so many things were changing that she couldn’t predict. The one thing she could always predict was the little dance her and Cardan did around each other. But feelings are often out of our control, and Jude has to learn this. The more she feels for Cardan, the more she shoves it down because if she can’t rely on her own hatred, what can she rely on? If their relationship changes, how can she know what to predict? It was completely unknown territory. 

Letting Go

For the majority of The Queen of Nothing, we see Jude give into her feelings more. She does not have the same guard up that she did in The Wicked King. She confesses to Cardan that the exile hurt her and they also sleep together. But I believe she is still holding onto her power for comfort. 

The tipping point of this is when Cardan is turned into a serpent. This time, Jude is offered more power than she has ever had. She could be a feared queen with a serpent by her side and Madoc and Lord Jarel tied to her bidding. A mortal turned into the most terrifying faerie high queen. She could have all the control she wants, and she would never have to feel fear again.

But as I’ve said, Cardan has been a constant in her life. He is always there, ready with a quip or an eye roll or staring at her intensely. Jude thinks of what he would do if their roles were reversed. She sleeps in his bed. Those few days without him and she comes to the conclusion she does not want to do it without him. She wants him by her side.

Because she loves him and wants him to be free, this is where she lets go of her control. 

“But I don’t want to win like this. Perhaps I will never live without fear, perhaps power will slip from my grasp, perhaps the pain of losing him will hurt more than I can bear.

And yet, if I love him, there’s only one choice.” (p. 278, The Queen of Nothing)

She makes the conscious choice to chop off his head fully knowing she could end up worse for it or right back where she started but she makes that choice because she cannot bear Cardan being stuck as a serpent. She loves him, and that alone helped her to make the choice between always having control and being fearful of losing it or doing things in the moment and dealing with the consequences after. Sometimes all you need is a big jump to realize you do not need to anticipate everything that’s going to happen. And she did not know what was going to happen when she cut his head off. 

So yes, Cardan has always been tied into Jude’s anxiety. He gave her power, and his supposed hatred or their quarreling was a constant in her life when everything was becoming increasingly unpredictable. It wasn’t until she lobbed his serpent head off that she finally let herself be free from the unpredictability of the future.

[chaiichait]

You're so real for this. I've officially run out of smart theory lore Jurdan stuff and am now just left with an incomprehensible primal burning excitement for the pair.

me when i have no idea what to post