#what is cassian and AZ's ship name actually

[thedickgraysons]

going to start listing canon interactions men in acotar have had, and then just add "which could mean nothing" to the end à la matt damon and ben affleck.

rhysand was 'the one who taught tamlin how to fuck.' which could mean nothing. rhysand also fell in love with feyre because she reminded him of cassian. which could mean nothing.

cassian slept with mor because he was jealous of how much of azriel's attention she took up. which could mean nothing.

[acourtofquietdreamers]

If you have a problem with this:

"The Cauldron chose three sisters. Tell me how it's possible that my two brothers are with two of those sisters, yet the third was given to another." He had never before dared speak the words aloud.

You should also have a problem with this:

“Why are you here?” Cassian asked, unable to help the sharpness. “Where’s Elain?”

“I am not always in this city to see my mate.” The last two words dripped with discomfort.”

Notice how Azriel didn’t refer to anyone by name - “three sisters” “two brothers” “the third”. He spoke very prophetically imo. It was something he never dared to speak aloud, as if it’s been consuming his thoughts. He’s being vulnerable by sharing this with Rhys.

In Lucien’s case, Cassian referred to Elain by her name yet Lucien chose to call her “my mate” instead. His voice dripped with discomfort. The mating bond and circumstances surrounding it are a source of pain for Lucien. He doesn’t actually know her as a person, she’s just “his mate”.

In both instances, Az and Lucien didn’t call Elain by name so why is it only disrespectful in Azriel’s case? It’s because there is crazy selective outrage in this fandom with anything regarding Azriel’s feelings for Elain. Ship what you want, but the twisting of these characters needs to stop 🥲

[meeksyyy]

Feyre's "Ship Names" for Elain/Az & Vassa/Lucien

This post will explain why I believe "Death & his Lovely Fawn" and "Bird of Flame & Lord of Fire" are ill suited ship names for these characters and were never intended to be perceived as romantic.

Death & His Lovely Fawn

This comes from when Azriel gives Elain truth teller and Feyre describes a painting she envisions in her head.

The first issue I have with this alleged ship name is the fandom throwing in the possessive noun and romanticizing it. Death & HIS lovely Fawn makes the Fawn, which is Elain, an object of Death's, who is Azriel.

A Fawn in literature represents a gentle but fragile animal. We have it standing before death with terrors lurking behind him. In the series, there is an abundance of Fawn imagery with Elain and we see Elain struggling with the exact stereotypes a Fawn is used to represent - being weak, naive, needing protection, etc. We see the IC, including Azriel, projecting these Fawn stereotypes onto Elain. Knowing how they view Elain and use fawn imagery to project those stereotypes onto her, it further paints the picture of an imbalance of power between the Fawn and Death.

Next, in this ship name, Azriel is personified as Death. We are aware of the issues Azriel has with himself. There is a deep self-loathing there. In the BC, he thinks of himself as tainted and unworthy of touching Elain. He talks about how she does not even know the things his hands have done. So to describe this man who feels so tainted as Death in contrast to Elain's Fawn seems like the embodiment of the exact negative thoughts Azriel has about himself in relation to Elain. I personally feel that if Azriel were to hear this is the ship name for him and Elain, it would only further contribute to his feelings of unworthiness.

Lastly, the personification of a character as Death has already been done with Nesta. Nesta is Lady Death. She and Cassian are Lady Death & the Lord of Bloodshed. The below quote is Cassian himself personifying Nesta as death. This usage of Death in a couple has already been used with Nessian and it better suits them given who Nesta is and what her powers are.

This point is just an interesting parallel: Feyre imagines a similar painting with Lucien and Rhysand. She imagines Lucien as a Clever Fox staring down Winged Death who is Rhysand. Elain as the Fawn and Lucien as the Fox is just another example of the complementary imagery SJM has between the two of them. She has them both facing death represented by two different men from the NC to create this juxtaposition that is not romantic. It actually furthers the complimentary imagery of Elain and Lucien. I also want to call out how Feyre creates the imbalance of power between the Fawn and Death while she has the Fox staring Death down. This reaffirms that Feyre uses Fawn imagery to undermine Elain and her strength. The use of Fawn imagery by Feyre and the IC with Elain is not a positive thing. It is further proof of their infantilizing and underestimating her. Lastly, if Feyre's painting ideas are representations of 'ships', is she a Lucien x Rhysand shipper? Is this Feyre's Lucien x Rhysand ship name then?

Bird of Flame & Lord of Fire

This comes from the scene where Feyre realizes Lucien's true parentage and is conversing with Rhysand about him being Helion's son, not Beron's. She then thinks of Lucien who is currently looking for Vassa after following one of Elain's visions.

My issue with Bird of Flame & Lord of Fire is that both titles are rooted in parts of Lucien and Vassa that they actively do not like about themselves. Being a Bird of Flame or Firebird is literally Vassa's curse. It is her curse and she wants it broken. It is a curse from a villain who took away part of her bodily autonomy through the curse and she wants to be freed from it. We know Vassa desires to return to being human and to continue to be a human queen. It has never sat right with me that people romanticize her curse to fit her into a ship. SJM writes happy endings. Vassa will not be permanently confined to her curse.

Lord of Fire alludes to Lucien's Autumn Court heritage. Just before the "Bird of Flame and Lord of Fire" line, Feyre and Rhys have a whole conversation about Lucien's fire powers being what connects him to the AC and ultimately disguises him as Beron's son when in truth, he is Helion's son and those powers actually come from LoA. Lord of Fire limits Lucien to Beron and the AC who he has actively distanced himself for decades at this point. Beron and Lucien's brothers (minus Eris) do not care for Lucien either. They murdered the woman he loved in front of him, hunted Lucien down to kill him since he was a potential candidate for AC HL, and even attacked Lucien when he was traveling through the AC with Feyre. Calling Lucien Lord of Fire is not a true representation of who Lucien is and minimizes him to the part of his story he has separated himself from when we as readers know the entirety of his truth. It is not an accurate representation of Lucien's truth and identity as the heir to the Day Court as the son of LoA and Helion.

This part is also another interesting parallel between Elain and Lucien. I find it interesting how they are both associated with seasonal courts. Elain with Spring and Lucien with Autumn. My theory is that this is done on purpose. They are both mistakenly associated with a seasonal court. Nesta and Feyre speak about how Elain would love the Spring Court. Feyre looks at Lucien and describes him with AC imagery. However, they do not see the true depths of Elain and Lucien. They are mistakenly associated with the seasonal Spring and Autumn Courts, when their truth and destiny lies with a solar court, the Day Court.

[glossamerfaerie]

This is obvious, but bear with me.

2020: publication of Crescent City 1, which introduces the concept of the four Houses of Midgard and how the series titles will mirror them.

2021: A COURT OF SILVER FLAMES (Nesta’s book with Cassian as love interest)

2022: CC2 releases. We find out about upcoming crossover.

2024: HOUSE OF FLAME AND SHADOW (CC3 crossover in which Nesta and Azriel are the main ACOTAR characters)

Double meaning: Nesta is Flame and Azriel is Shadow.

2025 (?): upcoming ACOTAR title. Extremely likely to be A COURT OF [ADJECTIVE] SHADOWS. (Azriel book with Gwyn). The phrase could also be “SHADOWY + NOUN” but I think that looks messier. Nesta’s book also used the plural noun with Flames.

***

Assuming that my 2025 guess is correct, HOFAS is literally bookended by two ACOTAR books with the ✨exact same title word as HOFAS.✨

“But wait,” you say, “this is just a coincidence. HOFAS is named after a House of Midgard, the one with the reapers and necromancers. CC1 was published way before these ACOTAR books. Flame and shadow are super common words!”

I think these titles and book order have been planned for a long time. It’s possible that SJM had shifting ideas when she wrote ACOFAS in 2017, but by the time she wrote CC1 (which clearly introduced multiverse concept with Bryce’s tattoo) in 2018/2019, SJM knew that she wanted Nesta and Az to be the prominent characters in CC3 and the upcoming ACOTAR protagonists. The crossover details may have changed over the years, but Nesta and Az prominence didn’t.

Definition of House of Flame and Shadow: “Daemonaki, Reapers, wraiths, vampyrs, draki, dragons, necromancers, and many wicked and unnamed things that even Urd herself cannot see.”

There is literally no reason why this House HAD to be named Flame and Shadow. The other Midgard houses have elements (Earth, Sky, Waters), but why use the word FLAME specifically? It could’ve been Embers, Blaze, Inferno, etc. SJM could’ve also used “Fire” — it didn’t need to be fancy since House of Many Waters just used Waters.

Same analysis with Shadow. What about that creature classification necessitated the word Shadow? There are lots of natural phenomenon associated with darkness and death and wickedness — the use of Shadow is a deliberate choice.

I genuinely think that this fandom overreaches with the theories. It’s like Taylor Swift — Swifties overthink every Easter egg, but sometimes the answer of the album title is just a giant billboard in a music video.

HOFAS is that giant billboard. SJM is not a complicated writer re: worldbuilding or foreshadowing. It is as simple as “the next ACOTAR books are Nesta and Azriel — what if I represented them in CC3 with the crossover title?” It’s obvious. Setting aside foreshadowing in the actual story, the answer can solely be found in the title.

I love Elucien and know it’s been a long wait, but I’m afraid that the wait is going to be longer than some people hope. I know people think Elain’s book is next but I really don’t see how that’s the case. Not interested in debating or explaining the Gwynriel ship rationale since there’s a million other posts out there.

Re: Azriel’s title being A COURT OF [ADJECTIVE] SHADOWS. I’ve seen people on all sides of the ship war suggest that the adjective be related to the heroine (Gwyn or Elain). I really don’t think so. The title will solely focus on Az, just like how SILVER FLAMES solely focused on Nesta. It could be MELODIC SHADOWS or WHISPERING SHADOWS or something else. But the adjective will fit an ability that we’ve already seen from Az’s shadows (we know they whisper to Az and can sing). Similarly, Elucien book title will solely focus on Elain. Cassian and Gwyn and Lucien are extremely important characters, but they won’t be represented in the title.

[acourtofthought]

About who MC of the next book will be....I honestly agree with you. I mean, taking out ship discourse, all the arguments I've seen to support Az being the MC for the next ACOTAR book are using points from the CC series. But guess what....I've never read CC! I don't know what the heck a Starsword is or whatever connection that has to Bryce or whatever. And I bet there are plenty of people who've only read ACOTAR. (1/2)

Happy Saturday!!

I have found, not just in the book world, that people struggle to think outside of what they know.

For example, I remember getting into an argument with my mother who had been a teacher. Two years ago, my kids school announced that in two weeks time, the teachers would be getting a day off for a mental health day and I was discussing how that is inconvenient for the parents.

I know how hard teachers work, I truly do, But around here, children are expected to go to school 180 days and as parents, they plan on their children being in school as scheduled. So it's very difficult for a working parent to suddenly make plans to keep their children at home outside of the already "budgeted" for sick days, snow days, etc. It's an extra day where a working parent either can't be present for their employer or they need to pay for childcare.

But my stance upset my mother because she thought I wasn't respecting how hard she worked (even though she had retired so it was a moot point), that parents should be expected to take care of their own children.

I wasn't arguing against the fact that teachers worked hard or that parents shouldn't be responsible, just that it did put working parents in a difficult situation that they hadn't been expecting. But she was only focused on what she knew as a teacher and not how she might have felt as a working parent who lost income by this surprise mental health day.

When it comes to the fandom, I think there's a bit of that mentality because the fandom thinks in terms of what they know because they are in the fandom. Understandable but I do think it's important to step back and remember the many people who aren't immersed in the world of SJM in the same way. Something you understand with not having read CC.

Yes, there was a bit of buildup for Az's future story in SF (his name was mentioned often but that doesn't equal buildup, it simply means he shared dialogue and Cassian's plotlines). Hell Emerie was mentioned 421 times and no one is claiming she's getting the next book.

But it's not just about SF or even the crossover which happened months after SF. It's about the ACOTAR series in it's entirety (something I think fans forget when they focus only on SF) and there has been SOOOOOO much buildup for both Elain and Lucien. Two characters with unexplored powers. Two characters with an unaccepted mating bond that snapped. Two characters who haven't found a court to call their own. Two characters who have not gotten to share their traumas though their traumas happened on page since books 1 and 2 and beyond (versus both Az and Gwyn where we were told of their traumas after the fact. I'm not saying that lessens their traumas, simply saying we didn't experience them with the character in "real time", at least not Gwyn's trauma that was the reason for her going to the library).

We watched Lucien nearly killed by Rhys and almost killed again in the second trial, saw that he was whipped for helping Feyre, watched him being pushed down by Tamlin, read as he was forced to flee Spring, witnessed his SA by Ianthe, we witnessed his sadness over Elain and his past when Feyre slipped into his mind and he was given a POV (actually, SJM had Feyre slip into his mind on three different occasions in the actual book, that means just as much as an Az bonus), we saw his brothers try to kill him yet again, it was revealed that he has an unknown father, he met Elain's father and has untold stories with that, he developed a friendship with a female who, at the end of SF was about to be called back to Koschei, was living in the human lands but then was permanently stationed in Spring.

With Elain, she was taken against her will and forced into a Cauldron. Changed into an entirely new species. We had the chance to read how traumatic that experience was for Nesta but some do believe SJM is just going to skip over Elain's experience in favor of Az. Skip over Elain finally being able to talk about the loss of her father. Skip over Elain finally making a decision about her bond and her fiance and Az's rejection. Skip over Elain finally proving that she is capable. Skip over Elain finally finding her home.

I understand that SJM wanted to tell Nesta's story first but Nesta is also an Archeron sister. SJM has always spoken of wanting to tell the stories of these three sisters. So why would she skip over the final sister in favor of Az who the fandom knows is a capable warrior, who knows he belongs in the NC despite his struggles? Who isn't even fully aware that he has a mating bond?

Does it really seem like SJM would bench a FMC in favor of a guy? That Az's story is more important than the 24 year old who was violently taken from the life she knew and forced into a new one, where she recently lost her father and her friends and her fiance, is possibly struggling with her snapped bond and she just doesn't get a voice until Az has his story told?

This isn't meant to sound Anti Az because he deserves his HEA too, I'm just not sure his story is more important to tell than Elain's at this moment. Or even Lucien's.

Because regardless of what we learned of Az in SF or the CC (like you said, some won't read the crossover and from a publishing standpoint that means the next ACOTAR book still has to make sense for those readers), that doesn't erase what we were told of Lucien and Elain long before that.

The layout is:

Elucien bond plot introduced in 2016

Lucien being abused by Tamlin in 2016

Elain being made introduced in 2016

Lucien having to flee Spring /Koschei / Vassa / Helion as Lucien's Father / Lucien meeting Papa Archeron / Eris showing sadness over his relationship with Lucien introduced in 2017

Graysens Rejection / Seer powers Discovered / Elain killing the king / Elain's fathers death introduced in 2017

The IC needing Spring's borders protected / Lucien living with Vassa and Jurian introduced in 2018

Elain's powers gone dormant / Elain moving quietly being mentioned / Elain mourning Graysen and her father introduced in 2018

Elain's powers still dormant / Elain starting to stand up for herself / Rhys and Amren saying others have underestimated her / Elain reminding others of her trauma / Elain not fitting in with the NC / Elain being made for Spring, her scent a promise of spring / Reminder of Elain wanting to travel to the continent / More mentions of Elain moving with stealth introduced in 2021

Lucien commanding Cassian with a single word / Lucien being permanently stationed in Spring to be their eyes and ears because they need a strong ally / Lucien's "father" wanting to ally with Koschei / Lucien's friend Vassa ready to be called back to Koschei / Mor not able to get the peace treat signed in Valhallan / Lucien's brother becoming a character heavily involved in the plots and visiting the human lands where Lucien is living introduced in 2021.

Az got buildup in SF (2021) and he is part of the crossover (2024).....but she's playing catchup for him because he didn't have a lot setting him up to be an eventual MMC before that.

His newly introduced plots (of which they are still a little unclear outside the Illyrians) don't automatically take precedence over Lucien and Elain's plots. It doesn't mean she's pushing Elucien to the side in favor of Az.

It could just mean she's planning ahead for what comes after Elain and Lucien's story and the crossover isn't necessarily some sort of trump card when we have no idea exactly when or how SJM plans on introducing what happened in the CC into the ACOTAR series or when the next ACOTAR book will start on the timeline. The crossover doesn't eliminate the very real threats they were facing in their world in SF and if people are saying that she can "shelve" Elain and Lucien's stories regardless of the buildup they had in books 1, 2, 3 (etc), then why can't Az's story also be temporarily shelved regardless of the page time he got in SF / the crossover so she can first tell us Elucien's story and take us to other courts outside of the NC? Wouldn't the series ending in the NC make the most sense?

Shouldn't they deal with threats on their own world before they really start worrying about threats from outside their world?

You're right though (in regards to your second anon), whatever story she tells next is fine. But the arguments saying why it has to be Az don't make sense to me because if she could sideline Elucien then she can do the same to Az.

[famouscyclenerd]

I gotta say, I've been shipping elucien since acomaf.

But after acowar I kinda forgot about the series. I was not following Sjm, was not on tumblr, not really paying attention. 2018 rolled around and nothing! I wasn't sure if we'd get more. Or when.

And then, a few months after Silver Flames came out, I saw a post about it, and it being about Nesta and Cassian.

So as I was reading sf for the first time, I saw a connection between Azriel and Gwyn. It was evident to me as there was a lot more interaction between them than, let's say him and Emerie. Even him and Nesta. Always glancing toward each other, the competitiveness, "you're the new ribbon", Az being amused and encouraging, dagger lessons, etc...

And after I discovered the bonus chapters, it (to me) only confirmed what I had already suspected.

Both elucien and gwynriel were not just pulled out of thin air. They have moments, banter, tension and conversations that makes thousands of people want them to end up together.

-Elucien are actual mates.

-Sjm retconned Lucien's heritage after changing her mind and making them mates instead of him and Nesta.

-She has publicly talked about them (as a couple) twice.

-Both their names means 'light' in some form.

To state that casual (or new) readers would be surprised and upset to read a book about them is the dumbest shit I've heard in a while.

Because not everybody sees the e/riel appeal, believe it or not. Regardless of being a casual reader or in the cult. It is not so obvious to everyone.

And just because gwynriel happens, it doesn't mean that Elain won't get a book smh🤦‍♀️elucien is there for a reason...

Sjm stated that each book will follow one couple getting together.

Just like Nesta got a book with Cassian. where Nesta was the lead.

Elain could get a book with Lucien, where Elain will be the lead.

Azriel could get a book with Gwyn, where he will (likely) be the lead.

Or... Elain and Azriel could get a book, where I guess she will be the lead.

To claim casual/new reader's opinion is weird as hell. "My friend has never read acotar before and she ships Az and Elain." Okay? Great? I'm sure you had nothing to do with it?? I could easily try to influence my friends to ship the people I ship. So they wouldn't get the chance to really make up their own opinions of each potential couple.

Even ten or twenty years down the line... how do you know how people will perceive these books, the characters, when the fandom is as split as it is currently? It's a stupid argument.

Nothing's been confirmed yet (let's hope that changes soon 'cause I'm hanging on by the thinnest of threads rn) so hold your horses!

Anything could happen.

[yennas-stuff]

“Some of E/riels talk about Elain and her choice and consent to shipping as if she were a real person. But in the same breath, they will spew hateful things about Gwyn. It is hypocritical and sometimes even evil because the things they say about Gwyn ACTUALLY affect some people like eg. SA survivors. These are real people and should be treated and talked about with respect e/riels grant only to a fictional character...”

THIS! Exactly! They talk about choice, but only care if Elain’s choice is Azriel. Most E/riel’s seem to not think about or care of their words and the potential harm it has towards survivors of assault (like myself). It deeply disturbs me when I see people say that Gwyn can’t be with Azriel because he’s a freak, that she’s damaged goods, she’s a whore/slut/cum-bucket (and that’s not even all of the disgusting stuff that has been said). It’s revolting and ignorant.

Gwyn asked Nesta if the sex with Cassian was good and has been reading romance novels that contain smut. She does want to leave the library, but is nervous and scared which is understandable. Being assaulted is deeply traumatizing and makes you look at things differently (or at least with me it does). One thing that I think some people overlook is when Gwyn (and Emerie & Nesta) was kidnapped and forced into the Blood Rite. She was abducted in the middle of the night by men and it’s very possible that triggered her.

I’m the anon that sent in the various asks:

“What is it with E/riel's and them trying to villainize Gwyn and other Priestesses?”

“Didn't SJM say in an interview that originally Nesta & Elain weren't going to be that important in the series but eventually changed her mind?”

“I saw an e/riel talk about how what Rhys said to Azriel in the bonus chapter was character assassination because Rhys would never talk to him like that.”

I guess from now on, if it’s not taken, I’ll go by 🍒 anon!

And genuine question, are you supposed to capitalize ship names? I keep going back and forth between “Gwynriel/gwynriel” and “E/riel/e/riel” and same with books: ACOSF/acosf. This is probably a stupid question.😂

Hi, 🍒 anon!

If you wish to be called it, so be it! Thank you for the previous asks.

Thank you for sharing, and I'm very sorry it happened to you. I hope you are doing well.

I think it's ridiculous that they think only about smut when considering Azriel's potential partner. Personally, I'm still not sure, but I would put myself somewhere on the asexual spectrum (demisexual, most likely). So, for me sex is not as important as baring yourself emotionally in front of someone. Sure sex is important for most people, but it's not everything. Its about finding solace in the other person and them being your safe haven. That's what I wish for my fave characters. And that's what I think Azriel has been missing in his life.

I think being sexually intimate comes easy for him (the whole freak reputation). It's the emotional vulnerability that's something he's been missing. I actually have my own headcanon that Az is freaky and dominant with random people he doesn't care about, but he reads pretty submissive to me when he actually likes someone (he was so blushy and subby with Mor, cmon now). He's no dom. I'm sorry to break it to anyone, but I'm sure he will let his partner lead the way anytime they want.

When it comes to the SA victims not being able to have freaky sex... So many people experience it and still enjoy sex. Also, having a set of rules like in BDSM helps, so I heard. I will not even address the vile things and ugly words some people use. It's below us to even give it any attention. But to me, it sounds so misogynistic when they say these things about Gwyn being not ready, while having no problem with Rhys being sexually active quite fast after leaving UTM.

Also, another thing that someone wrote (I'm sorry, I don't know who. I can't give credit), I truly believe Azriel's scarred hands will be actually a thing that makes Gwyn comfortable with not seeing him during sex (like in some positions or with a blindfold if sjm wants to go to town lmao). She will easily recognize his touch. She will always know it's him touching her.

I personally worry more about Azriel being ready for emotional intimacy than about Gwyn being ready for sex. She has all the time in the world to heal, and nobody will rush her. He needs to grow a bit and pursue a real friendship with a single female (who's not mated). He needs to heal his savior complex and self-esteem issues. I think these things take even more time considering he's been alive for so long and still struggles with it...

OH, and about the capitalization. Like Brangelina, Toe (Joe and Taylor, haha), or any other ship names, I think we treat it like normal names? Hence, capitalization. But when talking about E/riels, isn't it like fandom names? Swifties and Gaga's Little Monsters... Jesus stans, aka Christians, are capitalized, tho. Hahah, I think all is allowed on Tumblr.

[olenvasynyt]

Are you becoming an e/riel shipper? You're always liking fan art of them and anti-gwynriel posts

Hi anon! I am very much not an e/riel shipper lmao, as you can see from the 3,000 word paragraphs I write and several part tiktok discussions discussing why I think Gwynriel and Elucien are endgame.

I do like Elriel fanart sometimes and I actually have many Elriel fanarts saved on my Pinterest because I just think the art is gorgeous. I have an entire folder that includes Az ships including Gwynriel and Azris, my two favs, and yes, Elriel, as well as some Lucien x Az fanart and Cassian x Az fanart, whatever their ship names would be.

I like supporting artists no matter what, as long as they aren’t assholes or drawing gross stuff.

Also I did accidentally like an anti-Gwynriel post, I enjoy scrolling on tumblr without my glasses on and I thought an asshole anon (maybe it was you!! 💕) was in a mutual’s asks and the mutual was debunking them. I automatically like a mutual’s post no matter what, I just did not read lmao.

Anyways, get out of my asks, thanks! 🥰 And follow me on TikTok @ olenvasynyt!

[bookofmirth]

I know HOFAS doesn’t confirm ships, but I feel like it does lean in favor towards Gwynriel. Just a little bit. That bonus chapter with Nesta & Bryce & Az ending very similar to how Az’s bonus chapter in SF did. And Ruhn feeling a spark in his chest just like Azriel. Hmm. I think it’s a little interesting.

And Sarah’s interview today:

“Sometimes, I will write a scene with two characters that I've planned for them to get together, and then they have no ..." She shakes her head slightly at me. "It's like holding two dolls and being like, now kiss!And they won't. ... And then sometimes a different character will walk in and they will just”- she snaps. The meme @yazthebookish used had me dead 💀😂

I don’t think she ever planned for Azriel + Elain to get together, though.

The fact that Az is angry and tense and upset around Elain, versus the way he feels around Gwyn, and then this:

And they usually wind up with the people that they need to be with and who offer them the most growth and joy. [...] I always want people reading my books to come away with joy and hope that tomorrow can be better. That tomorrow’s worth fighting for.

She's not going for a ship that causes the characters to feel badly about themselves, to doubt or feel ashamed. That's why I think the forbidden romance trope would actually be so bad for Azriel in particular - no matter who that romance is with.

Anyway, all of that is to say that I agree with you, that I don't think she ever planned for them to be together in an endgame way. I know that not all my fellow eluciens/gwynriels agree with me on this - we've had many conversations - but it's still what I think!

We have plenty of other examples of ships that we know she had planned and then backed out of:

Nesta and Lucien

Bryce and someone she didn't name (Connor?)

Aelin and Dorian

And there's no telling which others she backed away from but just hasn't mentioned in an interview. Perhaps she had someone else in mind for Cassian, too, until he and Nesta were in that room together?

[bloodycassian]

COLD NIGHTS - Cassian x Azriel x Reader - Prompt: 

hi i love your work so much!!! I was thinking a cassian x azriel x reader (i just love them sm, why have one when you can have two ) where the reader is sister of a high lord maybe day or winter court, and reader goes missing (kinda angsty) and her brother (a high lord) panics and goes to the night court for help (bc if her two bat boys can’t find her who will)  and az and cassian go full on panic mode and search for the reader, i was also thinking a fluffy cute ending where reader is just cuddling with azriel and cassian while her wounds heal take as much time as you need to write this, don’t pressure yourself. Take care lovely

Kallis would never forget the screams. The terror and panic that rushed through him when he realised that you were gone.  He sent half the city to search for you. He called upon Helion to inspect the magic. He was frantic in finding you. But it was like you had just disappeared out of nowhere. No sign of struggle, not a drop of blood spilled. The offender was sloppy in their ways, but their magic was strong. Helion could sense it.  They had a deathwish from Kallis himself if he ever found them. +  The first thing you saw were your cracked and bloody hands. They were split open from the dry cold wind. Sea air drifted into the cave. The cold brutal howling outside mixed with the roar of waves breaking confirmed your nightmares. Cape Tragedy. 

The islands off the coast of winter were known for their unforgiving nature to ships. Hence their name, Cape Tragedy. Also known as the Tragic coast, no stories were ever heard of any survivors of those crashes. If they had managed to survive the churning water, then the false salvation of the islands would kill them. It happened often enough that there were lighthouses set atop many of the bigger islands for ships to avoid on stormy days.

You coughed from the dry air, earning a pair of yellow eyes to dart to you. One of the three lesser fae males noticed you were awake and clapped. "She wakes! We've been waiting for you, sweetheart." His green skin was pale in the overcast light streaming in from the mouth of the cave. Snow Bear pelts lay all around. A disgrace in your culture. No citizen of Winter court would do such a thing. You looked to the walls to find weapons, and strange markings along the stone. Sailors from far away lands. 

Not even sailors. Pirates. A chill ran through you.  

"We're going to get your weight in gold, pretty one." The scaled male curled a piece of your hair behind you ear. Your stomach turned, and you tried to scoot away. "My brother will kill you first. And he'll take a long time doing it." You promised, trying to make your voice sound strong. Terror had you by it's grip though, and it was hard to do anything other than panic

. "Your brother? The pretty one that shears the Elk?" The green one asked. You laughed, and then were hissing in pain when the scaled male yanked on your hair. "What's so funny?" 

"You think my brother is an elk herder?" You spat "You must be dumber than you look." The males glanced between each other, then to the one who hadn't said anything yet.

"Who ye think you are then?" The male holding your hair stammered, trying to keep his panic under wraps. 

"Kallis' sister." You said with deadly calm. "And the high lord does not negotiate." 

"If you're so noble why you got such a mouth on ye?" The third male finally spoke.

They laughed.

"Maybe we will see just how much of a mouth-" He started again. He didnt have a chance to finish his disgusting words. You kicked, bending an ice spear straight up from the rocky ice floor and through the third male's body. Then the beating from the other two came. 

They bound your wrists and ankles in rope and tar. Their hands shook when they did it. It gave you a small bit of satisfaction. The potion they gave you to knock you out was just barely strong enough. You fought it as best you could, but it won. You could only hear the faint sounds of arguing then a crash of glass, then the cold winds whipping around you. And when you woke, your body ached.  The cold bit into your limbs. Your fingers were pale. Far too pale to be healthy. You knew frostbite when you saw it. Your body refused to move under your own power. Your blood was frozen to the icy ground. They had used a potion and transported you to a peninsula, and you could only faintly hear the ocean below. You could feel the potion wearing off, but you knew you weren't healing. Not yet. You reached down into your own mind, picking up the fading tendrils of power. Of your bond to the two you knew could save you. And you pulled as hard as you could manage.  --- "Fuck." The roaring thought shook Cassian awake. Bleary eyed, he glanced about the room as if there was someone actually shouting at him.  Then he felt it. The weak tug that had been silent for so long. And he knew it was nothing good. Frenzied, he met Azriel at the dining area. Where they spent the rest of the night planning, deducing a probable reason for you to be calling so weakly. They sent their worries to Rhys, but they were shooed away. "I'm researching. Meet me in the library at dawn." The two males tried to comfort each other. But the worry pulsating through the bond was too much to focus on. So they waited. Kallis appeared that morning. He spat his story and begged for help, practically in tears as he spoke to the three Illyrians. Cassian and Az knew something was wrong the moment you were attacked. Court laws forbade them interfering on Winter Court territory though.  As soon as the approval was given, the brothers winnowed to the border of Winter and started flying. + You were coming to terms that you would die in the cold. You had imagined death differently. Battle was the primary way you thought you'd die. Or at the end of a High Lord's magic for being too much of an advisor. Smiling at the memory of putting Tamlin in his place, you gave another tug down the bonds to your mates. And like a snap, they both tugged back. Almost in unison. It was hard to tell. You closed your eyes, listening to the soft waves below. They lulled you into a cold sleep yet again.  + Despite the cold, the Illyrians flew as fast as they could. They could sense your light fading, and chased it for mile after mile. Their wings cut through the harsh winter winds, fueled by rage and desperation. Then they spotted the dark figure frozen to the snow below. Cassian landed first, a few feet away. The ice cracked beneath him. "Get us out of here." He growled to Azriel.  "We need to make sure she's okay before we move."  Cassian growled, but didn't protest. Azriel understood. He felt the anguish and frustration through the shared bond. Az's hands pressed gently to your neck, checking your pulse. He swore. "Baby, we need you to wake up for us. We're here. We got you." Cassian put a hand to your cheek and fought back the tears that threatened.  You groaned in response. They both sighed in relief, their breath making clouds in front of them. "I'm stuck..." You managed through your stiff jaw.  Cassian stroked a thumb over your cheek. "Stuck? Honey you're-"  "Cas..." Azriel nodded to your side, to the ice that crept its way up your damp clothes. Azriel could have taken a very very long time torturing the beasts that did this to his mate. The rage coiled in his gut at the sight of your injuries. The only reason you hadn't bled out was the blood and water mix turning your wounds to ice.  Cassian pulled at the ice web that encapsulated you. Under the heat of his rage it broke, and broke and broke. Azriel placed small patches of his shield over your frostbitten fingers. "We're gonna get you out of here. Just stay still." Azriel smoothed back your hair, and darkness swirled over you. The change from the harsh overcast light of Winter court to the soft sun of Night court was jarring.  Madja put her hands on you and you were asleep in an instant. Her warm hands were a blessing from the Mother.  +  "She's lucky she has that Winter blood in her or she'd be dead." Madja wiped her hands off and handed both the Illyrians a small vial. "That is the scrap from a poisoned sword that broke off in her shoulder. I got all the pieces out, but the poison lingers. It may heal slowly, but it should get better."  Anguish burned both of their stomachs. Azriel's throat tightened and he looked away, but gripped the vial tightly. Cassian stared at it, his eyes murderous. Madja left without another word. "She was almost killed. And we couldn't do anything." Cassians' voice was low, with violence dripping from it. "We need her here. In Velaris where we can... watch her." He didn't know what he was saying, but the instinct to protect was overriding every other logical thought he had. Anger burned and burned in his stomach, swallowing him with rage. He could feel Az mirroring the same feeling, but with a cold deadliness that begged to simmer out of him.  "You know she wont go for that. She loves her home too much. Her brother." Azriel whispered back. "We're her mates. She should be with us." Cassian was looking for a fight. All the tension and anger of the day had to be worked out. Azriel felt it too. His shadows ran anxiously through the room.

The wind outside howled. It shifted the dark clouds that covered the moon. It seemed to be a cold day in all of Prythian. A cold day in your mates hearts to the pirates that had taken you. They spoke their rage mind to mind, imagining the ways to torture the bastards. 

How to find them would be the first priority. Azriel kept circling back to that part. + The healer cleared his throat at the door. "She's asking for you." He nodded to Rhys' brothers. They left Rhys behind in unison, walking in perfect step with each other. Their minds hummed together over that bond they shared with you. "Protect protect protect." They both seemed to demand.  Azriel knocked softly, his heart flipping when he heard your voice again. "Get in here." You demanded, giving them a broad smile when they practically shoved each other out of the way. 

"Come keep me warm." You weakly folded the blanket back, exposing some of the bruising on your skin. 

They complied with enthusiasm. Azriel's hands were cold at first, but they got better when he reached around you to hold Cassian closer. They worked in tandem to keep you covered, making sure that you weren't too crowded or too warm. Azriel summoned his cool shadows when you got too warm and had to kick the blankets off. Cassian's warm breath would keep you warm when they became too much. You traced Azriel's cheekbones, the sharp edge of his jaw while falling alseep. Cassian's muscled forearms hugging you from behind were like a heavy pillow. 

"Rest now, we can have more fun later." Az winked, making your stomach flutter. Cassian groaned and pulled you further to his lap. You tried not to think of the hardness that pressed to you now.  "Goodnight." The shadowsinger kissed your forehead and like a light, you were out. Finally resting peacefully wrapped between your two mates and their warm bond you all shared. 

[elriell]

Two Mates? Elriel & (El)ucien Theory.

These are just a few of my thoughts compiled together regarding having two mates, the signs and breadcrumbs Sarah has incorporated. If you know me you know am a Lucien fan so this is nothing hateful towards him and we will be looking at his place within it all as well, that being said this will have bond rejection/misalignment talk so if that is not your cup of tea I understand and you can skip this! As always I would love to hear everyones thoughts so long as we are all respectful ♡

Let's start by discussing the where the two ships align and parallel mates behaviour, and then we will discuss where their arc's veer from each other...

“TOUCH HER, SMELL HER, TASTE HER– THE INSTINCTS WERE A RUNNING RIVER.” (Lucien in ACOWAR about the mating bond.)

“Letting his scarred fingers touch her immaculate skin. Letting them brush the side of her throat, savoring the velvet-soft texture.”

“Azriel's fingers lingered at her nape, atop the first knob of her spine. Slowly, Elain pivoted into his touch. Until his palm lay flat against her neck.”

“They'd exchanged looks, the occasional brush of their fingers, but never this. Never blatant, unrestricted touching. ”

“He prayed she didn't peer down. Prayed she didn't understand the shift in his scent. ”

“Her arousal drifted up to him, and his eyes nearly rolled back in his head at the sweet scent. He'd beg on his knees for a chance to taste it. ”

“He needed to know what the skin of her neck tasted like. What those perfect lips tasted like.”

“This one moment, and maybe a taste, and that would be it.  

“Yes" Elain breathed, like she read the decision. Just this taste in the dead of the longest night of the year, where only the Mother might witness them. ”

Now you can easily parallel this to any of SJM's mates, like Feysand or Nessian. But for the sake of brevity I will leave you with the original link to the wonderful @suelky post where it was pointed out w/ Feysand quotes as well. [source]

Also "The instincts were a running river.” sounds a little like “Azriel’s Siphons guttered, the stones turning as dark and foreboding as the deepest sea."

The Bonus POV has a lot of typical "Mates" behaviours manifesting between Elain and Azriel, and it would make sense this would be a extreme POV shift as we have never been inside either of their heads before so we were bound to have a major learning curve, especially with Az who is so reserved with his emotions.

“But Lucien’s attention went right to the hallway toward the back, his nostrils flaring as he scented Elain’s direction. And who she’d gone with. A low snarl slipped out of him—”

“So you will leave Elain alone. If you need to fuck  someone, go to a pleasure hall and pay for it, but stay away from her."  Azriel snarled softly.”

There are countless main trio parallels but most of you are aware of which one is my favourite...

“Knelt on those stars and mountains inked on his knees. He would bow for no one and nothing— But his mate. His equal.”

“Her arousal drifted up to him, and his eyes nearly rolled back in his head at the sweet scent. He'd beg on his knees for a chance to taste it.”

"Every instinct in his body came roaring to the surface, so violent he had to choke them with a brutal grip or else he'd find himself on his knees, begging her for touch, for anything."

And on to where they go their separate ways from a textual perspective;

"Elain only shrank further into herself, no trace of that newfound boldness to be seen.”

“Rhys kissed the hollow of my collarbone, and my core went utterly molten. “My brave, bold, brilliant mate.”

“You can give everyone that I Will Slay My Enemies look—which is my favorite look, by the way. You can keep that sharpness I like so much, that boldness and fearlessness. I don’t want you to ever lose those things, to cage yourself.”

“And he had the nerve once his powers were back to shove me into a cage. The nerve to say I was no longer useful; I was to be cloistered for his peace of mind.”

“Remember that you are a wolf. And you cannot be caged.” He kissed my brow one more time, my blood thrumming and boiling in me, howling to draw blood.”

I think finding freedom and power from within is something that the books have emphasized through Feysand and Nessian's journey's. Which is so interesting considering Lucien and Elain are both feeling tied to each other, as if in a cage of sorts.

Elain herself has been stuffed in to a box of other peoples making throughout most of the series, it quite prevalent she might feel caged by their opinions of who she is.

"Maybe she was never given a chance to be that way." I whipped my head towards him. "You think I stifle her?" Rhys held up his hands. "Not you alone."

“Nesta had been right. It was like a prison, this place.” [Graysen's Manor]

“Shall I tend to my little garden forever?” When Nesta flinched, Elain said, “You can’t have it both ways. You cannot resent my decision to lead a small, quiet life while also refusing to let me do anything greater.”

“She ignored me, and saw Elain as barely more than a doll to dress up, but Nesta was hers. Our mother made sure we knew it. Or she just cared so little what we thought or did that she didn’t bother to hide it from us.”

And as for Lucien I think his duty and honour to her is what is caging him;

“I can’t stand to be in the same room as her for more than two minutes. I can’t stand to be in this court and have your mate pay for the very clothes on my back.”

“Why are you here?” Cassian asked, unable to help the sharpness. “Where’s Elain?”

“I am not always in this city to see my mate.” The last two words dripped with discomfort.”

“Why?” Not a flicker of emotion. “He is Elain’s mate.”

I waited. “It would be an invasion of her privacy to track him.”

Godbless Azriel for respecting Elain's privacy.

I think we would see/understand a lot more if we got a chance inside their heads but the one time we did see Lucien's POV we got a good glimpse at how he feels about his situation with Elain and it wasn't particularly positive and reminded me of Rhy's parents.

"She’d seen him not as a High Lord’s seventh son, but as a male. Had loved him without question, without hesitation. She had chosen him. Elain had been … thrown at him.”

“...to remember that she picked it. Picked me. That it’s not like my parents, shoved together.”

Not using the word cage per say but the implication isn't much better.

“You know them better than I do. But I will say that Lucien is loyal—fiercely so.”

“So is Azriel.”

I don't think the debate is really whether Lucien is deserving of her, or even Azriel for that matter, it is a question of who is actually right for her and vice-versa, who has she been consistently written to thrive and smile alongside. And that is Azriel.

Why does Sarah constantly put Azriel in the picture, from day DOT. She was screaming "hey look Azriel is here, and they would work magically together"

“And I think Elain—Elain would like it, too. Though she’d probably cling to Azriel, just to have some peace and quiet.” I smiled at the thought—at how handsome they would be together.”

There are several instances/evens that occur throughout the series that set both Elucien and Elriel's relationships apart, and I think it is highly intentional on Sarah's part...

“I said quietly, “We will get her back.” But Lucien was watching me warily. Too warily.”

“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, rage glazing that stare, “I’m getting her back.”

Or we can look at both Solstice's and the clear differences in how their relationships are growing, and also how well one and other know each other.

“Tell me when you knew,” he demanded, his knee pressing into mine. “That Rhysand was your mate. Tell me when you stopped loving Tamlin and started loving him instead.”

“He left the rest unspoken. Because her mate was here, sleeping a level up. Because her mate had been in the family room and Azriel had needed to stay by the door the whole time because he couldn't stand the sight of it, the scent of their mating bond, and needed to have the option  of leaving if it became too much.  Elain's large brown eyes flickered, well aware of all that.”

&

“I want to see her. Just once. Just—to know.” “To know what?” He hitched my damp cloak higher around us. “If she is worth fighting for.”

“Azriel stiffened. “I know. I helped rescue Elain, after all.” Az hadn’t so much as hesitated before going into the heart of Hybern’s war-camp.”

GIFTS REFLECTING THEIR RELATIONSHIP MILE MARKS

“Az ran a hand through his dark hair. “Are we …” Unusual for him to stumble with words. “Are we supposed to get the sisters presents?”

“I handed Elain the small box with her name on it. Her smile faded as she opened it. “Enchanted gloves,” she read from the card. “That won’t tear or become too sweaty while gardening.” She set aside the box without looking at it for longer than a moment. And I wondered if she preferred to have torn and sweaty hands, if the dirt and cuts were proof of her labor. Her joy.”

“Don’t forget that gardening often results in something pretty, but it involves getting one’s hands dirty along the way.” “And torn up by thorns,” I mused,”

“I didn’t dare mention that if she had been wearing the enchanted gloves Lucien had gotten her last Solstice, nothing would have pierced them at all.”

“He and Lucien did not exchange gifts, though the male had brought a gift for Feyre and one for his mate, who barely thanked him after opening the pearl earrings. Cassian’s heart strained at the pain etching deep into Lucien’s face as he tried to hide his disappointment and longing."

Not only is she visibly uninterested which is painful to watch, it also highlights how little he knows about her. SJM is creating a visible gap in their dynamic.

“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 the colors would become visible. A thing of secret, lovely beauty. “It's beautiful," she whispered, lifting it from the box. ”

“My Nesta. Elain shall wed for love and beauty, but you, my cunning little queen … You shall wed for conquest.”

“I painted flowers for Elain on her drawer,” I said, sawing and sawing. “Little roses and begonias and irises. And for Nesta … ”

“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 bit her lip and then smiled sheepishly. “It’s for the headaches everyone always gives you. Since you rub your temples so often.”

“I led her into the sitting room, where Cassian had a bottle of amber-colored liquor in each hand, Azriel was already rubbing his temples,”

“She hadn't bought her mate a present. But she'd gotten Azriel one last year -- a headache powder he kept on his nightstand at the House of Wind. Not to use, but just to look at. Which he'd done every night he’d slept there.”

“Azriel unwrapped the box, glancing at the card that merely said, You might find these useful at the House these days, and then opened the lid.  Two small, bean-shaped fabric blobs lay within. Elain murmured, "You put them in your ears, and they block any sound. With Nesta and Cassian living there with you...”

See yet again a very thoughtful and funny gift on her part. Now at it's core even just simply comparing their general reactions says a lot about the story Sarah is putting forward.

"Silence again. Then Azriel tipped his head back and laughed. I’d never heard such a sound, deep and joyous.”

“He chuckled, unable to suppress the impulse. "No wonder you didn't want me to open it in front of everyone."  

Elain’s mouth twitched into a smile. "Nesta wouldn't appreciate the joke.”

“Elain bit her lip and then smiled sheepishly."

"Cassian’s heart strained at the pain etching deep into Lucien’s face as he tried to hide his disappointment and longing."

“She hadn't bought her mate a present. "

The writing is nothing if not clear about the discomfort both Lucien and Elain feel in regards to each other, though they lay under different reasons.

We are given multiple incidents in which we are told about how mating bonds are not perfect and we are given clear examples of it repeatedly, about woman enduring out of obligation, and do not forget this is heavily discussed literally in regards to Elain and her circumstances.

“She’d been revealed as his mate, and endured the miserable union mostly from gratitude for her unharmed wings.”

“You said your mother and father were wrong for each other; Tamlin said his own parents were wrong for each other.” I peeled off my dressing robe. “So it can’t be a perfect system of matching. "

“She glowed with good health. Except … Her brown eyes were wary. Usually, that look was reserved for Lucien. The male was definitely in the family room,”

“Elain had already departed with Feyre, claiming she had to be up with the dawn to tend to an elderly faerie’s garden. Cassian didn’t exactly know why he suspected this wasn’t true. There had been some tightness in Elain’s face as she’d said it. Normally when she made such excuses, Lucien was around,”

“Elain, the wretch, had taken the seat between Feyre and Varian, about as far from Lucien as she could get.”

VS

“That smile grew, bright enough that it lit up even Azriel’s shadows across the room. “I would like to build a garden,” she declared. “After all of this … I think the world needs more gardens.”

“Then his gaze shifted to Elain, and though it was utterly neutral, something charged went through it. Between them. Elain’s breath caught slightly, and she gave him a shallow nod of greeting before brushing past, leading Nesta into the room.”

What if ”—I jerked my chin toward the window, to my sister and the shadowsinger in the garden—“that is what she needs? Is there no free will? What if Lucien wishes the union but she doesn’t?”

“Can you truly fly?” He set down his fork, blinking. I might have even called him self-conscious. He said, “Yes. Cassian and I hail from a race of faeries called Illyrians. We’re born hearing the song of the wind.” “That’s very beautiful,” she said. “Is it not—frightening, though? To fly so high?”

“ I couldn’t tell if she was looking at his blue Siphon or at his scarred skin beneath as she breathed, “Beautiful.” Color bloomed high on Azriel’s golden-brown cheeks, but he inclined his head in thanks and led my sister toward the back doors into the garden, sunlight bathing them.”

“This is Truth-Teller,” he told her softly. “I won’t be using it today—so I want you to.”

“Never, Rhys said from where he finished buckling on his own weapons against the side of the wagon. I have never once seen Azriel let another person touch that knife.”

The romantic subtext is there and has been for quite some time, they prove it book after book when SJM continues to grow their bond and nurture it whilst breaking her connection with Lucien further apart, and for what reason?

“A mating bond can be rejected,” Rhys said mildly, eyes flickering in the mirror as he drank in every inch of bare skin I had on display. “There is choice. And sometimes, yes—the bond picks poorly. Sometimes, the bond is nothing more than some… preordained guesswork at who will provide the strongest offspring. At its basest level, it’s perhaps only that. Some natural function, not an indication of true, paired souls.”

“Why not make them mates?” I mused. “Why Lucien?” [...]

“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 …”

“What if the Cauldron was wrong?”

“Just this taste in the dead of the longest night of the year, where only the Mother might witness them.”

“The Cauldron chose three sisters. Tell me how it's possible that my two brothers are with two of those sisters, yet the third was given to another.”

It is remarkably interesting to me that we are told about what Rhys suspects/believes is responsible for mating bonds, paralleled alongside Azriel questioning it all, I also think it is abundantly clear from his answer to Feyre he doesn't truly know for sure.

We also have several lines of dialogue talking about the sisters and fate, their reason for entering the IC's life. Not only that but we get a glimpse at Azriel's personality and how despite the world (Rhys and the mating bond in general) telling him to despair, he still found it in him to have hope the Cauldron could be wrong.

This is so significant, and she has carefully woven his character throughout the series to make this incredibly plausible.

“If I had not met a shadowsinger, I would not have known that it is the family you make, not the one you are born into, that matters. I would not have known what it is to truly hope, even when the world tells you to despair.”

“And then he said to my sisters, “We have not known each other for long. But I have to believe that you were brought here, into our family, for a reason, too. And maybe today we’ll find out why.”

“All three sisters blessed by fate and gifted with powers to match your own.”

“Even after the bond is rejected, they see her as belonging to them. Sometimes they return to challenge the male she chooses for herself. Sometimes it ends in death. It is savage, and it is ugly, and it mercifully does not happen often, but …”

“Oh, I can, and I will. If Lucien finds out you're pursuing her, he has every right to defend their bond as he sees fit. Including invoking the Blood Duel.”

As you can see even back in ACOWAR she was weaving the web for Elriel's journey and an upcoming Blood Duel/The threat of one.

“Many mated pairs will try to make it work, believing the Cauldron selected them for a reason. Only years later will they realize that perhaps the pairing was not ideal in spirit.”

I think it is pretty clear from all the quotes above that Lucien is no her ideal spirit and vice-versa to be frank when you put it side by side his budding relationship with Vassa or hers with Azriel they are clearly very different.

“On the continent, there are territories that believe the females literally belong to their mate. But not here. Elain would have our full protection if she rejects the bond.”

“Azriel's hand slid up her neck, burying in her thick hair. Tilting her face the way he wanted it. Elain's mouth parted slightly, her eyes scanning his before fluttering shut.  Offer and permission.  He nearly groaned with relief and need as he lowered his head toward hers. ”

Elain is choosing Azriel, choosing their bond over the one assigned to her time and time again... Back to mating bonds;

“The ancient healer jerked her chin toward Lucien. “See what he can do. If anyone can sense if something is amiss, it’s a mate.”

“The mating bond. It is a bridge between souls.”

"She pointed at Lucien as she saw herself out. “Try sitting down with her. Just talking—sensing. See what you pick up. But don’t push.”

“Can you hear mine?” He wasn’t sure if she truly meant to address him, but he said, “No, lady. I cannot.”

Her too-thin shoulders seemed to curve inward. “No one ever does. No one ever looked—not really.”

"Azriel’s hazel eyes churned as he studied my sister, her too-thin body. And without a word, he winnowed away. Mor watched the space where he’d been standing long after he was gone.”

“Should we—does she need …?” “She doesn’t need anything,” Azriel answered without so much as looking at Lucien.

Elain was staring at the spymaster now—unblinkingly. “We’re the ones who need …” Azriel trailed off. “A seer,” he said, more to himself than us. “The Cauldron made you a seer.”

“It made sense, I supposed, that Azriel alone had listened to her. The male who heard things others could not … Perhaps he, too, had suffered as Elain had before he understood what gift he possessed.”

“But Azriel nodded. “You knew,” he said to Elain. “About the young queen turning into a crone.” Elain blinked and blinked, eyes clearing again. As if the understanding, our understanding … it freed her from whatever murky realm she’d been in.”

Are you telling me that Madja saying a mate would know, would sense whatever is going on with her, and as it turns out Azriel was the one to sense and uncover it is solely what, a coincidence? Also to emphasize what she said about "A bridge between souls..." Where else have we heard that terminology? The Truth-Teller scene.

“I saw the painting in my mind: the lovely fawn, blooming spring vibrant behind her. Standing before Death, shadows and terrors lurking over his shoulder. Light and dark, the space between their bodies a blend of the two. The only bridge of connection … that knife.”

Not to mention this scene is simply iconic for a multitude of reasons, how poetic Feyre describes them, the clear soulmates/ying-yang subtext and him giving her something he has given no other but that's another story.

Azriel has also been displaying some very protective fiercely so mating vibes towards her,

“Azriel stilled. “What happened to Elain?” Cassian waved a hand. “A fight with Nesta. Don’t bring it up,” he warned when Azriel’s eyes darkened. ”

“Cassian surveyed the shadows gathered around Az. “You all right?” His brother nodded. “Fine.” But shadows still swarmed him.”

“Nesta saw the blow land, like a physical impact, in Elain’s face, her posture. No one spoke, though shadows gathered in the corners of the room, like snakes preparing to strike.”

“Azriel’s Siphons guttered, the stones turning as dark and foreboding as the deepest sea. “Where did Lucien go.”

I think there are some mixed opinions on Lucien and whether he deserves her (and vice-versa in this fandom) but I don't think that is what this comes down too, they are both handling it in the way they think best/following their instincts.

Lucien is hurting throughout this process as well, but I think ultimately it is honor and loyalty binding him to her not any genuine emotion for her as a human being fae. I think realising they are not meant for each other and supporting each other developing true bonds with other people will be their journey. And it would be a completely fresh and new view of a mating bond.

Smaller pieces of dialogue that need little explaining and a rather oddly specific choice of words in the latest book that is meant to set up the next one in the series:

“You’d know if she’d died,” Azriel said, pausing his work and looking up at Cassian. He tapped his brother’s chest with a scarred hand. “Right here—you’d know, Cass.”

“Elain and Feyre—that was the new status of things. The bond Elain had chosen.”

"I'd never do such a thing. you must be thinking of your other mate."

Honestly? At this rate I have no doubt Elriel are endgame and everything within canon text spells that out but I truly believe he will be her second mate/the will form a bond via some circumstance that shall arise due to these little hints.

I would love to hear your thoughts and/or additions because I by all means didn't do a massive deep dive and there are most likely tons more examples to add but I didn't want it to become overwhelming to read!

Hope everyone has a spectacular and magical evening <3

[aelingalathyniusrailme]

gwynriel appreciation week-day 5

au day

Pirate headcanons

They start out as rival captains of their own ships

Gwyn’s ship is called the silver majesty. gwyn used to work for the crown but went rogue and took her crew with her. She kept the name. But don’t be fooled by it’s cuteness because her crew is as cut throat as they come

what they lack in resources, they make up for in ruthlessness and determination  

Azriel’s ship is called the shadowsinger. His boat is dark as night and if they don’t want to be found, you could scour the entire world and won’t find a damn thing

they are clever and brutal. they do not make mistakes and when they hit, they hit fast and hard 

Gwyn’s first mate is Nesta: the strategist with a grudge. She’s the fire of the group. you do not cross nesta, And her quarter master is Emerie: the responsible rock of the group with a secret vicious side. emerie always has been the most creative. Gwyn is the captain. She won her crew and position through sheer will. Gwyn is the glue that holds them together

Azriel’s first mate is Rhys: he’s cold and calculating. Always thinking, always plotting. And his quarter master is Cassian: he provides the brute force. You need to get rid of someone, cassians your guy, for the right price of course. he is the friendliest of them all. Azriel is the captain: azriel is lethal and quiet. He lets Rhys and Cassian deal with the rest of the crew while he acts as the mysterious captain with secrets for days. He keeps his position because he never fails to provide. Azriel’s got grit and a way of knowing everything that goes around him. 

The silver majesty and The shadowsinger have crossed paths only once before when they both cost each other a job

To gwyn, the shadowsinger is a myth just as the silver majesty is a legend to azriel. Neither knew that they had crossed paths. But they both vowed when they found the ship that ruined that job, they would get revenge.

both respect the other as the second best in the business

Gwyn docks her ship in the summer court. There she takes her crew to a bar. 

they walk in, a bunch of scary ass pirate ladies and everyone turns away, not wanting to draw their attention 

Gwyn walks to the counter with Emerie and Nesta in tow. She asks for a women named Mor. 

Mor is the sweet blonde bar tender. Although she has been known to hear things she shouldn’t and well gwyn may or may not pay for that information 

“What do you got for me blondie” 

“I got a lot of things, depends what you want” mor looked her up and down and smirked. 

“maybe later, you hear anything since the last time we were around?”

“Maybe I have, Maybe I haven’t” 

Gwyn knows to be patient with her, they continue this back and forth for a couple minutes before finally mor mentions she been hearing of possibly the biggest hall they ever came across. but it’s hidden and you need the map to get there. and it is very possible that mor has someone willing to trade for the map. 

I’m just going to cut to the chase, she stalls the buyer (his name is tamlin) with pretty words and false promises while nesta and emerie steal it 

They get back to the silver majesty triumphant and drunk as fuck

But then they realize, the map is blank. Nesta has already pulled out her two katanas and is ready to start slitting throats. specifically tamlin

emerie has yanked her daggers from their sheaths and is halfway out the door

but gwyn holds them off. she examines the map more closely, she has a hunch but she need to meet with another acquaintance first

The silver majesty makes the rough trip to the dreaded spring court. terrible place. truly terrible. said to be haunted. 

They find elain archeron in her manor. it is overgrown with plants but gwyn knows she likes it that way. Elain is a witch but her gifts tend to fall into the prophecy sort. Nesta stays a step behind, refusing to look at her sister. 

“Hello sister, sister’s friends” nesta grits her teeth ready to bite but gwyn hushes her. 

“Witch” 

“Seer” Elain corrects. “Witch has such an awful stigma around it, it’s bad for business. but seer has the perfect balance of ‘I can tell you your future but you shouldn’t fear me’ brings in a lot more people this way.”

“so let me guess, you need my help for a certain treasure I’ve heard about recently” 

“guessing games aren’t fun when you can see the future but yes” 

“ah my dear-”

gwyn cut her off “I am older than you”

“Gwyneth, sweetie, the wise witch persona brings in business” Gwyn refrained from rolling her eyes, out of all the batshit crazy people she had to deal with, her first mate’s sister was by far the worst. 

it didn’t help that they used to date and everything gwyn used to find endearing now pissed her off

Elain brought out a pearlescent ball, she put her hands over it in a dramatic spectacle. Gwyn knew she didn’t actually need the whole get up but Elain lived for the performance so she let it slide. Her eyes began to change, one glowed a bright white while the other was pitch black.

Emerie shifted uncomfortably. She never did like magic. minutes passed before  Elain’s eyes went back to normal and she regained consciousness

“Name your price Seer” 

“I want one day with my sisters”

Nesta snapped to attention. her voice was cold, soft but lethal “did you say sister or sisters”

Elain to her credit did not flinch “yes feyre is here, it was just a happy coincidence that you both came today.” Elain winked. but they all knew nothing was ever a coincidence with the walking oracle. 

Gwyn looked at Nesta. Silently they conversed. Elain waited patiently while Gwyn tried to convince nesta to take the deal. finally they came to a conclusion

“One hour, I will spend one hour with you and her” Feyre was an assassin for the crown. Gwyn didn’t know how someone who murdered for a living could be so righteous but the archeron sisters were something else. The silver majesty spent a lot of time with her before they abandoned post and well feyre and nesta have never gotten along. but the falling out was not pretty. they haven’t spoken since 

“leave the katanas, If I get one hour with my sisters it will not be spent fighting” 

nesta begrudgingly disarmed and handed her legendary swords to emerie. “take care of my babies” 

“not a scratch” emerie said with a mock solute 

....

exactly one hour later nesta came back to the ship alone. Nothing shook her second and yet nesta’s eyes were wide. 

“well what do we need?”

“Not what, who”

“we need a myth. we need a pirate folktale. we need”

“The shadow singer” emerie finished with a whisper. an eeriness spread over the ship at the mention of that name. Shit, they were in such deep shit. 

Honorary headcanon but no scene: gwyn and az get down and dirty on a boat. I’ll let you guys imagine the rest. (though there is a chance I will get back to this and write it out)

[julemmaes]

singer of my heart - nightmares

prompt: Az singing to Gwyn when she has a nightmare and it is the only thing that calms her down

warnings: mentions of SA, death

A/N: hoping these won't be the usual warnings, here it comes the first one shot of Singer Of My Heart, my new collection of Gwynriel stories. Many of the people in my taglist might not be really fond of this ship, so if you only comment to say just how much you hate anything that's not Elriel, I ask you not to:D

Word count: 3,263

Gwyn instantly awoke to the dim light of the ever-burning candles in the kitchens of the Sangravah temple. The din hit her immediately afterwards. She could hear the screams of her priestess friends, felt the sharp metal of her enemies cutting through flesh and blocking out those heartbreaking cries. She could distinguish the voices of the people who had lived with her all her life. She knew what was happening. She had been in that place before, that same night, so few years before. They were coming.

She looked down, fixing her eyes on the bright, wide-open eyes of the little girl whose hand she was clutching. Her heart clenched even tighter in her chest and she tried to clear her thoughts before Hybern's soldiers reached them. If she hurried, maybe this time she would be able to get in with them. Maybe she could get to safety, escape the carnage.

She looked at the passage in the wall, where the last of the children had now entered, and let go of little Sankora's hand. The child wailed, shaking her head, but Gwyn had no time for such things, she had to make sure she was safe. They were coming, they were coming.

The footsteps and screams were getting closer by the second, louder and louder behind the large wooden door that separated them from what she knew was certain death. She pushed the little one through the trap door, ordering one of the older children to run as fast as they could down into the catacombs, hiding as best they knew until someone came for them.

Sankora had just disappeared behind the wall when Gwyn heard Hybern running towards her. They were coming.

Knowing what was about to happen, she let go of a throaty noise. She wanted to escape with the children, she knew she could, but her body didn't move until it was too late and she had only time to throw a rug over the trap door and place the table right in front of it so it was no longer visible.

She had just turned to face the opening when the door swung open, slamming into the wall with such force that the pots and pans hanging from the nails shook. Gwyn held her breath, her legs ready to finally run, following what her brain was begging her to do, but the commander saw her and his nostrils flared as he caught her scent.

A creepy smile appeared on the man's face and Gwyn felt the hairs on her arms rise.

She knew what was coming.

And from the looks the guards were giving her, it was as if they, too, had been there before. It was as if they were all actors, doomed to relive that night every time she closed her eyes.

Gwyn shifted her gaze to her sister, to the other priestesses, to return her eyes to the commander. She tried to stand straighter, not to let on.

When the man spoke, she felt her stomach churn so hard she was afraid she would vomit.

"Where are the little girls?" he asked, taking a step towards her. Gwyn took one back, her breath caught in her throat still. "Where are the girls?" he repeated, reaching a hand up to her face, smiling as he took a strand of her hair and curled it around one finger.

When rough fingertips brushed the skin of her cheek, Gwyn closed her eyes.

"They took the mountain road to go get help," she murmured, trying to sound more confident than she actually was.

The guards laughed behind the commander. He grinned, leaning towards her so far that she could smell his breath, felt the air penetrate her soul. She would never forget the alcohol-heavy scent of that beast. "You're lying." he whispered, cupping her face completely and tightening his grip on her head, crushing her ear. Gwyn whimpered, a sound between a sob and a cry of pain, and he laughed. "I can feel your fear," he continued in a louder voice, "you're lying and if you don't tell me the truth soon-" he clicked his tongue, violently pulling his hand away from her delicate face and jerking her forward as her hair got caught in his armour. Gwyn let out a scream of pain, but the sound was choked off when she heard someone else wailing. Catrin looked into her eyes, only pure anger and determination on her face.

Gwyn felt the wave of shock hit her in one breath and felt her knees giving way beneath her.

She knew what was coming.

She knew, as did her body.

She felt the commander ordering her to tell him the truth again. Threaten her. She heard him promise he would kill her sister if she did not speak. She heard the sound of the sword being drawn from its sheath. She heard the final warning and heard the screams as her sister's head rolled before her eyes.

But she did nothing.

It was useless.

She had tried so many times to change the outcome. She had tried so hard to save everyone.

She didn't move from her spot on the floor, her face wet with silent tears, when the commander moved Catrin's decapitated corpse with one foot and bent down to her level and without taking his stare from hers, said to his guards, "Go to work on them."

She heard the cries of her companions, but did not react. It was meaningless.

The smile the commander gave her made her brain scream to run, but it made no sense.

"That one is mine," he spat.

She felt something caress her neck, call her name. She turned her head slowly as the commander took her by force and two other guards pinned her against the table. She felt the same gentle caress on the exposed skin of her face and then all black as the shadows took over.

***

Gwyn woke up screaming, clawing at her chest so that air could flow directly into her lungs.

The figure of the commander she had come to appreciate and trust was too similar to that of her nightmare. The title both men bore was all too equal for Gwyn to realise that Cassian posed no real threat.

When Nesta tried to approach as well, she only screamed louder and the broken sound that came from her throat made her friends curse.

Gwyn tried to gasp for air, failing miserably between sobs and spasms, and it only got worse when Cassian knelt in front of her on the bed, placing one leg on the mattress and shifting the weight of his body towards her.

His outstretched hands to help her up, to see if she needed him, was just another trap in the eyes of the girl who still believed she was trapped in the nightmare.

Gwyn closed her eyes, clutching the blanket in her hands so tightly that the bones rattled in her fingers.

Get out. Get out. Get out-

And a moment later the mattress shifted beneath her once more and a low growl filled the room.

She let out a sigh of relief, of freedom, as she let herself fall back onto the pillows, opening her eyes now tired of struggling, knowing full well what the sound meant.

The Shadowsinger stood beside her bed breathing heavily as he held a sword and kept his gaze fixed on the pair before him as if he had never seen them before. As if they personified his worst nightmare.

Cassian remained lying on his back on the floor as he looked at his brother with wide, confused eyes. Nesta, crouched beside her mate, was shouting at Azriel.

What, Gwyn could not have known, for to her ears all sounds came muffled.

The only voice she heard clearly was that of the dark shadows dancing around her, asking her what had happened, if she was hurt.

Gwyn found the strength to turn her body towards the other wall, whimpering softly as the cold of the room hit her bare back. At that faint cry, another menacing growl made its way into the room, threatening anyone who would even touch Gwyn again that things would not end well for them.

She heard Nesta retort that if she heard her scream again, she would bring Ataraxia too and that he needed to calm the fuck down and stop growling at them.

And Gwyn wanted to tell them to stop. She wanted to shout at them that it wasn't necessary, that they were only scaring her more, that they should leave her alone.

Azriel's shadows danced around her and then shifted, and Gwyn only then realised how clear and sharp they were to her. She reached out a hand towards one of them and-

"Go away," said the Shadowsinger, "If she needs one of you, I will come for you. But now you must go."

It was Cassian who replied, "Az-"

"Please."

Gwyn hadn't even realized she'd spoken, but Nesta's gasp made her realize it.

"I'm fine. Go." she continued in a weak, husky voice.

No one said anything more, and the sound of the door closing behind her friends was the only sign that they had actually left.

But Gwyn knew he remained there.

She could hear his panting breath, could sense his uneasiness. She could feel his heartbeat through the shadow twirling around her fingers. As if they were trying to steady her with that continuos drumming.

Do you want him to leave too?

She held her breath for a second, before realising that the shadows had spoken to her.

"No." she whispered back, not knowing if they would hear her if she just thought the word.

Azriel turned to her, and Gwyn knew that he was just waiting for her to command him, that whatever she would order him to do, he would do.

"Azriel..." she didn't need to say anything else as he shifted and moments later he had crossed the room and was before her, crouched beside the bed with pleading eyes. Gwyn looked up at him and it was like the first time, when he had walked into that kitchen so long ago and saved her.

"I'm sorry," he said suddenly.

And the raw emotion, the bitter sorrow that bound each letter made her stomach clench. His eyes had never been so clear and he had certainly never looked at her like that. It was as if he was allowing her to see a small portion of what he actually felt every minute of his eternal days.

Before she could even answer him, he had gotten up and was heading for the door. Only then did she notice that he was wearing only a pair of light black silk trousers.

She spoke before she could repent, "Stay."

Azriel froze in his tracks and the shadows that had so far only looked calm and composed went mad, crawling everywhere on the walls and around his shoulders, over his head. The ones that had remained on her moved with more fierceness and Gwyn felt as if she could touch them, as if they were solid objects around her.

A second later, they were still again, swaying with that deadly calm that belonged only to darkness waiting for something, anything.

He turned slowly towards her, his lips pressed into a thin line, "Why?"

Gwyn blinked, "Stay."

And Az watched her for a few seconds, before placing his sword against the wall and making his way to the bed. He was about to lay down, touch her, but he stopped, holding his breath.

"May I?" he asked in that low tone of his, pointing to the bed.

Gwyn only nodded.

Her room wasn't really meant to house an Illyrian warrior, much less her bed to hold both her and him at the same time, but when Nesta had offered her a room in the House of Wind, neither of them had thought Azriel would be entering her private chambers.

Certainly not so soon.

He was looking at her like she was going to break down at any moment, but she'd stopped crying the second he'd appeared and had resumed breathing normally when Cassian and Nesta had finally left. Her heart was still beating wildly, but her brain couldn't tell if it was because of what she'd seen in her sleep or the presence of the male beside her.

She ran her gaze over his chest, over the intricate weave of ink that marked his skin. Nothing she hadn't seen yet during their training sessions, but this was different. She saw him shiver as her eyes traveled further down, over his sculpted abs, and when she saw the hair on his arms stand up, she went back to look at his face.

"Are you cold?" she heard herself ask.

He gave no sign that he had heard her and for a moment Gwyn thought she had only thought it, but then he looked away, sighing and leaning his head against the headboard. "I haven't felt cold in ages now."

She frowned, ready to ask questions, wondering why then his body was covered in what was obviously goosebumps, but he beat her to it.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Gwyn shook her head, turning on her back and looking up at the ceiling.

"Do you need me to do something for you?"

She repeated the gesture and sighed. Even just his presence would be enough for her until dawn came.

He made a nod of assent, crossing his arms over his chest, and she had to force herself not to look at the way she knew his muscles were pulling on his perfect, solid forearms.

She thought she owed him something though, for coming to her rescue again, for staying.

"Thank you."

Azriel was silent again, and Gwyn thought she should teach him how to have a proper conversation one of these days, because she knew he'd respond in a matter of seconds, but those melodramatic pauses he made every time he had to say something gave her far too much time to admire him, distracting her from the topic.

Besides, how much willpower did you need to say a simple you're welcome-

"I felt you," he murmured. Gwyn's head snapped in his direction. He continued to keep his gaze fixed on the wall. He drew in a deep breath that made his chest heave and his arms move, but she didn't have time to admire the sight, too curious to know what he meant by those words. "I felt you, as you slept. The shadows, they..." he swallowed, "they warned me that you were suffering. That you were in pain."

He finally looked at her and Gwyn's breath caught.

"You were in pain."

She curled up on her side, facing him, "I'm sorry." she said, "I didn't mean to wake you."

Azriel shook his head, almost as if to say that she didn't understand, but Gwyn saw the way he gave up even voicing his doubts, and she had absolutely no mental strength to be able to go so far as to ask him what was flashing through his mind.

There was only one thing she could think of.

"Azriel?" she called to him, despite knowing she had his fullest attention, "A few weeks ago, you told me you sing."

He nodded, now even more on alert.

She managed to crack a small, weak smile and the surprise on his face was like lightning striking her in the chest. A second later it had vanished.

"Would you sing for me?"

He watched her a few moments and hope had already planted its seed in her stomach when he said, "I'm not in the right spirit right now, sorry."

Gwyn huffed softly, getting closer, just a few inches. Nothing that could escape the Shadowsinger, of course, but she noted with no small amount of satisfaction that he didn't move or pull away from her.

He might not have felt the cold for the last five hundred years, but Gwyn was freezing now that the adrenaline was completely gone and the blankets were blocked by his mighty legs.

An idea formed in her head.

"You asked if you could do something for me," she reminded him. Azriel seemed ready to retort that he would not sing right then and she raised a hand just enough to keep him silent. "I won't ask you to sing again. Not tonight, but..." she trailed off, eyeing him suspiciously, "could you hold me?"

He opened his eyes wide and Gwyn thought she had never seen so much emotion on the male's face in the span of so few minutes.

He began to shake his head, "I don't think that's a good idea."

"Please," she begged him, closing her eyes. "Just until I get back to sleep," she lied.

She wasn't going to tell him that she needed to feel his arms around her to know she was safe. To remember the way he'd held her when he'd rescued her that day.

She felt him shift on the mattress, looking for a more convenient position for his wings, and when his hand brushed against her shoulder, he gasped. Gwyn opened her eyes, meeting his, now closer than ever.

His breathing became ragged as he shifted his gaze to his hand and withdrew it.

Gwyn realised she had been wrong to ask him when she recognised the look in his eyes, the pure hatred for those hands she revered and considered her greatest salvation.

She sat up, pulling the sheets from under their legs and, covering herself up to her neck, turned to him, "Is that better? You think you can hold me, if you don't touch me directly?" she asked softly, trying to wipe that look of self-hatred off his face.

Azriel looked at her, blinking once, twice, and then gave a small nod.

She sighed, getting even closer, until one of his arms slipped under her head and she was careful not to touch his hand as the other wrapped around her from behind and pushed her against his chest.

Feeling brave, she put a hand on his pec, resting her head against his chest.

"Are you comfortable?" he asked once they were settled. She merely nodded. "Good."

Minutes passed, hours perhaps, and Azriel didn't move an inch as Gwyn sought sleep more than anything else in the world, mentally exhausted from everything that had happened.

It was only when light began to seep in behind the curtains that the hand over the blanket between them began to trace a path down her back. She smiled in her sleepy state and couldn't hold back her gasp of surprise when he began to hum a tune and it rumbled in his chest.

Gwyn moved her head slightly, pressing her ear against his chest and the arm around her tightened only imperceptibly, but the faint low singing did not stop until she closed her eyes again, finally finding the peace of sleep.

When she awoke hours later, the bed was empty and there was no sign of the male who had kept her company that night.

It wasn't until she pulled herself upright that she saw a shadow hovering in the opposite corner of the room. It seemed to watch her intently for a few seconds and then the uppermost end rolled in on itself, almost as if it were bowing, before sliding under the door and out of her room.

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[feysandfeels]

I gathered you read the chapter... how are we feeling, any thoughts you might want to share?

There I was, writing on my journal after a decent day at work when this fucking bomb exploded quite literally on my lap. But fear not I am here and we shall discuss until we can make fucking sense of it.  Should I even warn you of the length of this post, or are we all on the same “Luisa can’t synthesise for shit” boat now?

I. Azriel

I will start by saying that this does not make me hate Azriel or stop caring for him and wanting what’s best for him. I still do very much love him. This however does not mean I applaud or get behind how he expressed himself during this specially chapter. For me it was quite disturbing to see how he saw Elain merely as a sexual partner and thought that that translated into love. If he had made the distinction between being physically attracted to her and being in love with her, then I don’t think we would all be feeling like we are. Because it is fair to be sexually attracted to someone but not necessarily in love with them.

From what we saw I think we can gather that Azriel knows Mor is not into him and in his grief from all those years being in love he wants something immediate and there. On top of that he sees his brothers settled and feels like he is owed from the cauldron, so of course he starts seeing Elain as the perfect “solution” to his pain. Now, of course Elain (and no one for that matter) should be seen a solution to anything really. Much less he should jump on that boat and already think of her as his. Az, my sweet, possessiveness is not love. 

When I first read the chapter something stood out for me, he said he’s envious of his brothers and the emotional stability they both have, the fact that they were both chosen by the ones they love. We know Az loved Mor with all his heart and although she loves him too, it was not corresponded on the same energy since she is well bisexual homoromantic. He, so far, does not feel chosen in that same sense, which only feeds his insecurity of being unworthy.

In his envy he oversimplified things, he saw what both Rhys and Cassian now have and did the simple most stupid math ever: he went Rhys+Feyre = love, Cass+Nesta = love... hummm then If I’m single and Elain is single then it must mean Az+ Elain = love. (Sugar I love you but that is dumb as fuck). This has the same energy of when you are in high school and you let your friends convince you that you are actually into someone when you are really not, but then you buy into it and start believing in it yourself. In this case he was the one who created that push and convinced himself that it was the right thing.

I think so far we can gather a few things of the place Az is at right now: he is feeling extremely lonely, extremely envious and extremely sad. I do not think this excuses his behavior at fucking all, but at least we know where he is coming from. He is clearly mistaking sexual attraction and possessiveness as love. But I do think it all stems from this turbulent place he is at emotionally, not because he is a bad person. 

I do not thing he is a bad person for thinking of Elain as he does, because I truly think this is a set up for the growth he will experience. Is it a good look? honey no. But is it a realistic one? I dare say it is. As I said when I read this I got full on high school bull shit vibes, I thought “ohh I’ve seen this film before and I have lived it”. He is being immature and there is no denying. Which was only confirmed with him regifting that necklace... sugar... that was a dick move, very fucking dickish move -specially since it was alluded that they might have feelings for each other–. My man needs to do some emotional growth because yikes. 

II. The Narrative

Now, I have said before that for me, Sarah’s strength lies not so much on her world building or the originality of her works (which is not to say that her worlds suck or her narratives are not interesting and offer something new), but it lies more on her characters. To me she has always excelled at creating characters that do exemplify the range of humanity in its good, its bad, and all that’s in between. Even you can look at stuff that your fave did and go “yeah not cool at fucking all”. At least I know I can and I adore almost every character in this series. I love characters not because they are perfect but because I can either relate to them or because they allow me to understand and experience points of view that are alien to my own experience. Sarah has never made characters black and white. Your faves will make mistakes. Feyre has, Rhysand has, Cassian has, Nesta has, Elain has, Lucien has, Mor has and Az has. 

What make her books interesting from this perspective is that she says “characters development does not equal character growth”. Take Chaol for example –if you haven’t read ToG do yourself a favor and read it– his character arc is one of the most interesting and best fulfilled ones in that series because we saw him at his lowest, when we couldn’t empathize exactly and he was being an ass, and then we saw him question his problematic behavior and move past it. Character development means just that: that the character move from point a to point b. It doesn’t mean he will be better by the end, but it means movement. Character growth does mean he will hopefully get  to a place where they are “good”.

I think she knows exactly what she is doing with Az and with this teaser. Need I remind you of the chaos the bonus chapter in ACOFAS left this fandom in for a solid two years. This got our emotions high and got us one way or another expecting to see where this will all lead. I don’t think any of us were expecting this chapter when it was announced that Az would get a pov. 

III. Conclusion

To conclude I just want to reiterate that I don’t support how he’s is behaving. I think I am accepting how he is behaving. Acceptance however does not meant that I am behind it, it means that I accept it and I am willing to stick around to see him grow out of this and realize why this is all so wrong (because well you know I can’t actively engage with him since he is... you know... fictional). I have had moments like this with some of my closest friends irl with whom we’ve had talks about previous behavior and have had the “be fucking better” talk, which is something that Rhys essentially said (GOD BLESS YOU BOO), and is also a sentiment most of us shared, even Feyre, when Rhys forced Mor to face both of her abusers and then didn’t consult her when selling Velaris off to her dad. And to me that is part of what friendship means, it means being there through the growth.  

Everyone has their own limits of what they can understand of a character/person. If this is your own then it’s fine, no harm no foul. If this is what makes you jump ship from Elriel (that’s their ship name right?) then hey all good, I’m sorry for your loss.  

I am not an Azriel hater, nor I think I will ever be. At least not from the information I have right now. I do still love him and as I have said before I want to see him happy and with a healthy amount of self confidence (and no Azriel saying you could easily kill Lucien is not the healthy self confidence I am talking about). So if anything I am interested in the arc his character will face, we just caught him at a moral low –which to me still has a solid chance of growth–.

I hope this offer some light or whatever. And remember take it easy, it’s okay to feel things deeply but don’t quit in the middle of the war, we still have his book coming up and I am 100% that will enlighten us more. 

ANYWAYS, LONG LIVE ELUCIEN BITCHES.

[acourtofthought]

Do you have any concerns that, in the years that have passed, SJM has changed her mind with the ships? Like you said, Azriel is a pretty popular character and the possibility of him and Elain are constantly brought up. I know she must see some of that and I wonder if it’s effected her plans? I know she’s said the new characters introduced in ACOSF won’t change the outcomes she’s planned but this just makes me wonder if she’s planned Gwynriel for a while or if that actually disproves Gwynriel?

 

I think the ships SJM changed her mind on were Nesta and Lucien and Mor and Azriel.

But I think that when a ship falls apart, it's not quite so late in the game. When she initially wrote ACOTAR, she had thought Lucien and Nesta would end up together and I think I understand why when you consider Lucien's personality at the start of the series. He held a bit of disdain for humans (as Nesta also held disdain for humans), he was very flippant in the way he spoke to Feyre and he came off as slightly more aggressive than he is now.

But as the story progressed, you could see the events that happened that took his character in a different direction. The way he responded to the faerie that has his wings cut off, the backstory we heard from Tamlin regarding the loss of Jesminda and being chased out of Autumn, the way he was quick to apologize to Feyre for hesitating with the Suriel. The self sacrificing behavior UTM when he refused to give up Feyre's name and when he yelled out for her with the Wyrm. Now, all that snarkiness and disdain from before no longer seemed a defense mechanism born out of anger (the way Nesta's defense mechanism presented) but of sadness and loss. At this point, Lucien became a lot softer than we initially thought and Nesta kept right on developing with self hatred and rage at the world around her. And I think those differences in their personality are why SJM said they would end up worsening the hurt they were experiencing if they ended up together. Nesta would keep biting back and Lucien would become withdrawn and bitter toward her.

But Cassian was basically who Lucien would have been had Lucien's trauma not caused him to go the route of sadness but instead, anger. Had he become someone who preferred revenge over acceptance of the way things were. Cassian felt a challenge in Nesta rather than letting her dismissal of him and degrading comments become something that caused him to retreat further into himself. And once Lucien and Nesta fell apart midway through ACOTAR (at least that's what I think), SJM never looked back. Every since ACOMAF, she's been building toward the compatibility of Elucien and that doesn't seem to have changed.

As for Mor and Az, I definitely think she was considering them as endgame during ACOMAF. The scene with Hybern especially stands out as having romantic coding. In that entire book, Mor is a lot bolder, a lot stronger and a lot more confident as she didn't allow her father to get to her. She seemed to delight in looking down at him while feeling pride over Rhys being in charge over her family. And the main issue why she and Az weren't together then is that even if she offered herself up to him he wouldn't see himself as worthy.

But that seemed to change in ACOWAR because suddenly Mor preferred females, Az's actions began to scare her, and she seemed cowed by her father.

I'm not sure if that was a result of SJM's decision to include more diversity with an LGBQT character or something else but that seemed more intentional than a ship that fell apart because the characters spoke to her.

But again, since that decision was made, SJM has made every effort to include examples of why Mor and Az wouldn't be right for one another and that Mor might not belong in the NC quite as well as she once did.

I'm not sure when she decided that Gwyn would be a possible love interest for Az but they seem more well thought out than Nesta and Lucien ever did. Could she change her mind on Gwynriel? Sure. But I don't think she'll change her mind of Gwynriel in favor of E/riel and this is why:

Mor and Az shared some language hinting at their compatibility or endgame potential (staring at her with longing and hunger, giving them a more like minded view about revenge) which means in ACOMAF she was only including things that would have hinted at a possible endgame.

Nesta and Lucien didn't share mate coded language but in ACOTAR, there was language that suggested their personalities could have been a match (at least until halfway).

But Elain and Azriel have never shared language hinting at their combability. E/riels will argue against that but it's true. Even Feyre mentioning that Elain would turn to Az for "peace and quiet" fails to account for why she needed peace and quiet and why Az is the person giving it to her. Elain needed it while she was depressed and Az is quiet because he literally doesn't communicate openly with people which isn't a good thing. That's not Mate like coding, that's something providing a temporary reprieve while things never getting too deep.

Instead, SJM has constantly been placing hints as to how incompatible Elain and Azriel would be. That the Az, as he presents himself to Elain, is not actually the real Az at all but the version of himself he thinks he needs to be around her. And how the real version of Az is things that Elain is bothered by.

I think ships can fall apart after she tried to make them work, included language as to why they might end up together, but then has the character end up in a new direction. But I don't know that a ship can happen after she's made repeated efforts to hint at why they wouldn't work. And I'm not talking about "Elain won't even talk to Lucien so how can you say they'd work?!" I'm talking about blatant personality differences and reasons why the could would not be well matched in a relationship, things that would eventually cause problems between two characters. Why would SJM continually say, "Elain is bothered by cruelty" only to have her end up with the character who is possibly the most violent of the IC?

So could SJM have Elucien fall apart? Sure. Though this late in the game I find it unrealistic because of everything she's written to put them on the same paths.

Could SJM have Gwynriel not end up together? Again, sure. But as these were meant to be standalones and she needed to have some idea who the pairings were going to be about (versus Feysands trilogy where she didn't necessary HAVE to commit to any other romantic pairings), it would surprise me if she changed Azriel's love interest yet again. Seriously, this guy doesn't need to be interested in any other females. I think he'd literally become a joke at that point.

But do I see her making E/riel a possibility at this point? That seems less likely to me because she's spent multiple books building to them sharing a rebound while simultaneously telling us they are not right for one another. E/riels can point out all the cute moments for E/riel that they want but it doesn't change the fact that in between it all:

Elain is bothered by cruelty and Az is violent.

Elain does not seek revenge and Az does.

Elain values tradition and Az only respects tradition because it means something to others.

Az has never thought of a future for he and Elain.

Az still looks at Mor with hunger and longing, even in SF (just not as often).

Az doesn't support Elain doing anything dangerous.

Az refuses to talk to Rhys about whether he's over Mor.

Elain has still not addressed her mating bond with Lucien.

Az got Elain jewelry for Solstice yet for the second year in a row she got him a gag gift.

After a year of freely being able to get to know one another, they barely talk and Az says Elain still doesn't know who he is.

His shadows disappear around Elain.

Elain craves sunshine and Az likes the shadows.

He thinks she's too pure for his darkness

These aren't insignificant things and I'm not sure how, based on the kind of author SJM is and what she likes for her pairings, she'd be able to undo all that she's already said and have E/riel end up together in a way that's realistic. She put a lot of careful thought into why they wouldn't work out and I don't think that's the same thing as what people refer to when they talk about her changing ships.

[flowerzchild]

WHY I BELIEVE ELRIEL IS ACOTAR 5

DISCLAIMER: As you have read from the title, this post is strictly pro-elriel and my personal opinion. If you don't agree or don't ship them then kindly move along no need to be mean to people on the internet over their personal preferences and opinions.

THE CASE OF THE BONUS CHAPTERS

In my opinion, if you base your argument that Elain and Azriel will not be together by only using his bonus chapter alone then it is very unwise.

As it stands, Azriel’s bonus chapter is only extra content that can be not read by the readers. This is proven by its accessibility only extends for US readers, even then the book that contains the chapter is only sold by one bookstore chain so many US readers don't have the chapter unless they are engaging in the fandom.

The same goes for Feysand’s bonus chapter. Granted, there is nothing altering in Feysand’s bonus chapter except to give us a little insight into how they came to name Nyx and them discussing Elain and her potential. However, there is one major line that makes it clear Elain’s book is next.

“Let’s focus on helping one sister before we start on the other”. (FEYRE’S BONUS CHAPTER IN ACOSF)

The line above had no business to be in Feysand’s bonus chapter if Elain’s book is not next.

Why? Well, the bonus chapters are placed at the end of the book and by the time we arrive at that chapter Nesta’s story is very much told.

Like, Sarah has said, I don’t think Nesta’s journey is finished, what I am saying is that her story is been told then it will go to the other sister, Elain.

Thus, for me, those two chapters only intend to be a confirmation of Elain’s book and Azriel as her love interest.

Now, if you want to argue that Azriel’s POV is a confirmation that he and Gwyn are mates then it should’ve been included in the actual book.

What I mean by included is his apparent ‘mate behavior’ toward her or hell anything resembling romantic interactions.

Why? So that casual reader also notices there is something going on between them.

Now, what is the purpose of Gwyn being in the bonus chapter? When you look back at the actual book, you will notice one thing that is mysterious about her: her singing/voice.

Nesta reacted to her singing and so did Azriel’s shadows. No, I am not saying she is 100% a lightsinger, I am saying that her presence in the bonus is meant to give us a little clue of her power not her and Az as mates. Like I said, there should've been something romantic between them that is included in the actual book. Their interactions in ACOSF are incomparable with Elriel's interaction.

But again, we shouldn’t base our argument on chapters that many may think not exist. The main evidence of the next book should be from ACOSF itself.

ELAIN AND ELRIEL’S BOOK CONFIRMATION IN ACOSF

Elain who seemed to be very compliant and passive suddenly show the other side of herself in ACOSF that take everyone by surprise.

Elain who everyone thinks is a people pleaser suddenly talked back to Nesta when she was about to be coddled.

Elain who has been passive since the original series suddenly volunteered to help find the dread troves or anything to help resolve the Koschei situation.

Now that Nesta couldn’t find the missing trove because she lost her powers and Feyre bound by the death bargain with Rhysand, who else the inner circle turned to?

Now, that Koschei is still a threat, which female character that was from the original series side character that had a connection with him and that’s been highlighted the glimpse of change in character throughout ACOSF?

You may argue that Elain showed little development in ACOSF, however, she is set to be the main character.

If she is not set to be the main character then it would make sense for her development to be in the background of another character’s story.

A main character’s character development is a part of their narrative journey to become a developed character at the end of the story (as we’ve seen with Nesta and Feyre). Therefore, we need to read it from their inner thoughts to witness and make sense of the scenes that make them a changed character.

Also, may I add that Nesta’s development was regressing not developing in ACOFAS but her book is next, isn’t it?

Now, when we have established that Elain is the next main character based on ACOSF alone, we must now analyze who will be her love interest.

It is either to be Lucien and Azriel (Tamlin never in the equation just because they are associated with flowers and no Elain doesn’t want to be coddled she literally talked bak to Nesta when Nesta doesn’t let her scry, where do you get that Tamlain shipper?).

Let’s compare their last interactions in ACOSF, shall we?

“Cassian’s heart strained at the pain etching deep into Lucien’s face as he tried to hide his disappointment and longing. Elain only shrank further into herself, no trace of that newfound boldness to be seen.” (ACOSF, CHAPTER 58)

vs

“...Then his gaze shifted to Elain, and though it was utterly neutral, something charged went through it. Between them. Elain’s breath caught slightly...” (ACOSF, CHAPTER 58)

We have these two interactions between Elucien and Elriel in the same chapter as if Sarah herself wants to point out the obvious where Elain’s feelings truly lay.

I know Elriel's confirmation is probably not very convincing for some people. However, we must take into account both characters’ personalities.

If you have read Azriel's bonus then you will notice that Elain is very shy around Azriel (she was shaking and nervous when she gave his present remember?) and Azriel tends to mask his emotion when he is in the presence of others (Nesta is the one narrated their charged glance).

So yes, that scene is enough confirmation for their attraction, they are naturally quiet and shy. I expect no less from them as a confirmation especially when we don't have their POVs when we initially reach that part in ACOSF.

A POSSIBILITY OF GWYNRIEL/ELUCIEN BOOK IS NEXT?

The only way I could see Gwynriel getting a book is if their book is a novella.

As I have made a post here, Azriel and Gwyn do not have a direct (read: major) relation to the main plot that can carry it to its peak in ACOTAR 6.

Because of that their book should be a novella since nothing major happen in their book except that maybe they got together.

However, we know that the novella’s release date has been pushed back and forth and Sarah herself admitted in her March Instagram live that she doesn’t know what the novella is going to be.

So it safe to assume that the next installment will not be the novella, rather, the full book or the actual book which inherently will be Elain's and by default Elriel's.

The next book could be about Elucien if only they have interactions at all in ACOSF so that it will build up their unresolved conflict. I’m basing this argument on Nesta and Cassian’s interaction in ACOFAS.

In ACOFAS, despite the fact that Nesta and Cassian were fighting there were indeed interactions between them that must be resolved. Instead, in ACOSF the only interactions that actually happen and need to be solved are between Elain and Azriel.

“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.” (ACOSF, CHAPTER 59)

The thing that needs to be resolved between them is explained by their misunderstanding that happened in his bonus chapter.

Yes, I am aware that I said we shouldn’t base our argument on his bonus chapter, however, the line above is a direct callback and outcome to what happens between Elain and Azriel as well as Rhysand’s warning in his bonus chapter.

How else you’re going to explain why Azriel became more aloof than usual if not resorting back to that particular fight between him and Rhysand because of Elain? How else you're going to explain why Elain and Azriel suddenly stop interacting after they are confirmed to be attracted toward one another?

Regardless of our contrasting opinions and interpretation of Azriel’s POV, we must remember that it is a bonus chapter and those scenes in his bonus might not be canon for those who have not read it or learned of its existence.

Also, in order to speculate the next book's main character, we need to get past the barrier of romantic interactions and actually think about what the next main character will contribute to the main plot of the story.

As it stands, only Elain can carry a book by herself regardless of any romantic subplot. And because Elain’s book is next and we’ve seen close to zero interactions between her and Lucien then her love interest will be Azriel.

Elucien and Elriel have been built up alongside each other since ACOMAF, and yet only one of them that’s progressed and is being set up when it comes to the plotline. So yes, Elriel is the endgame.