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xcruelprincessx · 3 days ago

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I've seen this question so many times and I have posted about it before here, but I want to do it again, cuz it frustrates me when people claim Cardan isn't loyal to Jude just because he's a faerie. If he had other lovers while being with Jude, Holly would have definitely made it very clear. But she not only didn't, but made sure to point out that Locke hooking up around while being with Taryn is considered a very bad thing and Cardan isn't like this.

First of all, everything Cardan wanted during his whole life is love and affection. Not just romantically, but in general. This is what Madoc has to say about him:

The guy would do ANYTHING to be loved. And when he finally has even the tiniest bit of affection from Nicasia, he wasn't going to let it go away. He was faithful to her too and expected the same loyalty from her too, as it's very much obvious by his reaction to her betrayal.

Besides that, it's true that most fae have multiple partners and that's the exact reason most of them never marry. For example Eldred had only consorts and a lot of lovers and flings. He never was married. For the fae marriage is just as monogamous as it is for humans. As we can see with Madoc who was married to Eva and literally murdered her and the man she left him for. After Eva he got married to Oriana and even though it started simply because of Oak's safety, they don't have other lovers.

Something more. Here is a scene Cardan basically called out Locke on being unfaithful to Taryn:

Then in the queen of nothing he states that love never was a game for him. And when Jude mentions that he didn't come to bed last night, he looks at her as he didn't really understand what she was implying or at least thought he was misunderstanding her, because the thought about being with someone else didn't even pass his brain.

It's important to remember what happened right before that moment. The previous day they talked in the gardens and she slapped him, because of the exile and the riddle she couldn't solve. Something about Cardan is that he would never go somewhere he thinks he's unwanted. In HTHKOELTHS it's said that he would often sleep in the stables, because his mother didn't want him in her rooms or in the palace at all. And after that fight they just had, and Jude healings from her wounds, he might have thought that she would be more comfortable if he's not there. Then he even proceeds to ask her if she's sure she wants to spend the night with him at least 10 times before they do the deed

Anyways, about the courtiers around him, that's pretty much just them being asskissers as my mutual said in her post and it's not really his fault. He did have multiple lovers during the cruel prince and the first half of the wicked king, but he was single at that time so he can do whatever he wants with whoever he wants. I believe he stopped after what happens in chapter 15, because he was suddenly stopped being seen with others after that. Jude even multiple times states he's alone in his chambers and his bed is free from couriers and she doesn't know what to think or do with this information. He tried to talk with her about that night and was very disappointed when she said he was out of her system, cuz he probably thought they were getting serious.

At that time he was fully aware he wanted her and what he feels isn't just lust.

He was obviously upset when she commanded him not to be alone the night of Taryn's wedding. He looked offended by her request and mockingly said he will do whatever she commands. However not being alone doesn't necessarily mean sleeping with someone else. That night Jude was kidnapped so he surely didn't have time for intimate actions AND probably wasn't alone cuz his guards, the rest of the court of shadows and Madoc were all there. When she returns from the undersea and sneaks into his room, he's very much alone in there even though she's been missing for months.

In conclusion, Cardan is definitely monogamous when it comes to a romantic relationship. And while fae are known for having multiple partners and love is commonly considered a sport and many of them are exactly like Locke, it doesn't mean they all are like this. They're all different and there are many of them that prefer being with one person (like Cardan, Madoc and Oriana, Oak and Wren, Kaye and Roiben etc)

I just finished Elfhame series and came across your tumblr and your post about "Cardan just wanting love" and your analysis was enjoyable to read.

However, after finishing books 1, 2, and 3, I get the feeling that Cardan isn’t... faithful to Jude. Fae are very poly, and Cardan was/is definitely a thot, and Jude's insecurities over that never go away.

Do you believe Cardan is monogamous after The Wicked King?

Will cardan stay loyal to jude? / cardans views of faith / his love for jude

😭😭no hate to anon but i can’t ever picture cardan NOT being faithful to jude. Also anon did you read “how the king of elfhame learned to hate stories”

btw I’ve made posts like this before(regarding his faith) and they dive into other aspects of why i think he was faithful: this one!!!

he singled jude out from the very beginning during palace school, he fell for jude WHILE he was with nicasia, for so many reasons.

he at first found her infuriating and frustrating for her advantages that she had and he didn’t, despite being raised on the idea that humans were garbage.

then he fell for her determination and audacity, her cunning and strength. even as jude made him look weak, he wanted her and only her.

Meanwhile, cardan hates ass-kissers, which is nicasia, and the rest of the court. He hates that courtiers will allow him to slap and use them, all while going home to people that actually loved them. This is stated in his novella.

Cardan is brought up on the idea that he is a prince that has nothing, that he is worthless despite his title, and he hates it. And that’s how the people treat him, adored and petted on for short times (mostly for favor), but ultimately abandoned and unloved.

Yes, cardan has had lovers, as seen in tcp, in twk, but never after the beggining of the wicked king when he’s shot at. of course courtiers drape themselves on him, but he is aware that they do not love him and that he does not love them, he has only grown not to lash out at them, at which i imagine was based on the fact that he was no longer under balekins suffrance (his beatings) and because he now had jude (even if they weren’t really allies at this point, he still craves Jude’s favor and acts accordingly, as seen as when he gives Taryn his army bc he thinks she’s jude, as seen as him trying time and time again to gain her favor in twk)

Because he wants jude to trust him. Even in the first book, even BEFORE the first book, in his novella, cardan WANTS jude to admire him. he wants jude to see him as he wishes to be seen, princely and powerful, i will attach a pic below from his novella:

(Honestly this pic ALONE pretty much seals the deal for me that he wouldn’t so much as look at another, let alone cheat on jude)

now, onto monogamy and fae standards:

Cardan has shown a clear dislike for many fae standards and cultures.

He sees humans differently from others, he sees life as precious and as something to hold onto, (I’m talking about his morals and his unwillingness to kill even someone that another faerie would consider beneath him), he is unlike his brothers in the power-hungry sense, he likes taking the easy way out, and he craves true love above all.

Jude’s monologue once said that faeries view lovemaking as a sport, as a game. But cardan also said that he never saw love as a game. And he cannot lie.

Add on: bro LITERALLY called jude his GOD. and he cannot lie… so why would he ever have anyone else? exactly!

Another thing, his view of human culture. We know he read Alice in wonderland. We also know that to humans, exchanging rings is commonly our wedding/marital tradition. It it not a fae tradition, for a bride and groom to give each other rings.

Cardan went out of his way to learn about Jude’s culture when proposing to her, and he also stole her ring very early on in the wicked king, so i can imagine that he was planning to propose for a while. To make her his queen.

It is also human culture to remain loyal and monogamous.

Then, when she left during the exile. he was devastated, and begged her to come home in letters that his mother did not send.

In twk, cardan learns, slowly but surely, how to be good. How to be a good king, a good person. For Jude. He learns that he doesn’t have to resort to drinking himself sick to avoid all the misery he endures, but to overcome those miseries and become a good man. and he does it partly for jude and also of course-for himself.

Cardan never knew he could be good, he could be loved. But jude taught him that. (If that isn’t enough to think that he wouldn’t remain monogamous then damn)

Then of COURSE there’s the fact that jude is human. there aren’t many unglamoured humans in elfhame, and obviously Jude’s body is different from a faerie. i like to think that cardan has a specific attraction to Jude’s human body, rather than the same old faerie bodies he’s seen. (I get it king)

LASTLY, i just want to remind us all of how cardan reacted when he found nicasia (of whom he was in a royal relationship with, like him and Jude) with Locke. the photos from his novella are below:

He views nicasias little fling with Locke as excruciating, as a horrible painful betrayal, and he trusted her not to hurt him. (Similar to him and jude, how they trust each other by the end of it, not to hurt one another)

and also, i highlighted “pretend” because although it is faerie standard to be poly in many relationships, cardan STILL is pained by her actions and his dignity and heart are both in shreds. he will pretend to love her after, if the opportunity arises and nicasia doesn’t love him, if it turns out to be just a fling, but he would still be pained by being with her.

if that is how cardan feels about being with lovers, about jude being poly or him being poly, why would he go and inflict that on jude?? he wouldn’t. what him and jude have is much more real than what he and nicasia had because it wasn’t built on obligation (and also the idea that nicasia was going to eventually murder him and steal his throne)

Moral of the story, cardan would not be with other lovers for these reasons: he loves her and he loves to be loved by her, he has learned human cultures to make himself a better husband for her and he follows those traditions, he is heavily distrustful and he dislikes courtiers. also him and jude are MARRIED ROYALTY, at which they are bound by the throne and the land to be together or whatever

anyway thanks for coming to my Ted talk! it shocks me that anyone would think that he would be with others, even if it is faerie culture, cardan is absolutely DEVOTED to that woman (i understand you king)

add on: also ofc jude is scared to get her heart hurt, she guards her heart the ENTIRE series until the end w cardan- and she’s sad when she sees him w nicasia when she asks cardan to get w her in twk. also he’s smoking hot and the king so yeah i would be thinking abt his sex life too lol. also- bro doesn’t even consider the thought that she thinks he may have been w another lover (in qon when they are about to bang) like he is so madly in love w her and she doesn’t even see it, they’re so cute! ALSO cardan has finally found love w jude so it doesn’t make sense for him to go and seek out another, especially since he’s distrusting and hates boot lickers lol

sorry for being so dead on here, I’m from the US so i was saving this last week for rotting my brain on TikTok for the last few days !! I’m working on more asks and ily 🫶 also feel free to add anything i probably missed!! This was messy and lmk if there are any typos!! ok bye