wingedblooms

[wingedblooms]

I love this title, post, and all the connections that are summarized. Elain being able to appear as someone else (Balthazar and others) like the ever-changing, unseen force of fate is one of my favorite theories. Sarah has sprinkled enough hints across books to pay this one off, and I really hope she does.

Acotar:

Feyre commenting on Elain’s desire to appear lovely, even in poverty.

Acomaf:

Elain being compared to the grace of a doe as she sets out on a mission.

Elain being thrown from the Cauldron, her delicate body and appearance described in detail as she rises from the floor.

Acowar:

Elain finding friendship and healing with three characters who can shift their appearance (Nuala, Cerridwen, and Azriel).

Elain asking to be glamoured to convince her former fiancé to help save humans during the battle.

Elain’s sudden appearance and beast-like snarl as she assassinates the King of Hybern with Azriel’s knife.

Acofas:

Elain’s unexpected and persistent questions about Amren’s ability to change her body.

Acosf:

Elain spooking the deadliest warriors with her stealth in broad daylight.

Elain clearly working on something in secret, and mysterious characters and creatures popping when needed.

Elain’s shift in appearance being remarked upon by Cassian and Nesta, with the latter suggesting she’s training with the twins and/or Azriel.

Whether it’s moving through the world as a force of light and shadow, or truly shifting into another body, it’s clear that Elain is quietly weaving a more hopeful future unseen…in spite of what her mother once expected of her, and boy, do I love that for her.

Elain is pleasant to look at, her mother had once mused while Nesta sat beside her dressing table, a servant silently brushing her mother’s golden-brown hair, but she has no ambition. She does not dream beyond her garden and pretty clothes. She will be an asset on the marriage market for us one day, if that beauty holds, but it will be our own maneuverings, Nesta, not hers, that win us an advantageous match. (acosf)

The Many Faces of Elain

A big thank you to @wingedblooms for her Elain/Balthazar theory. This post would not be possible without her amazing mind! Please make sure to read her theory before you continue. I would also like to thank @offtorivendell, @psychologynerd, @elrieldreamer, and @cassianfanclub for adding to this theory as well!

After looking into Sarah’s goodreads, I noticed she read The Merchant of Venice and gave it 4/5 stars. If you’re not familiar with that story, the female protagonist disguises herself as a man named Balthazar to save a friend 👀

If Elain was Balthazar, I feel like she would be the type of character who would want to train before jumping into the blood rite to help Nesta. I think it’s possible she might have taken the form of a priestess in order to practice some fighting techniques, while also working on her shapeshifting abilities.

Elain rasped, “Nice to meet you,” before hustling after her, the silk skirts of her cobalt dress whispering over the parquet floor.

We followed the sloping path in silence, the rustle of paper and occasional whisper of a priestess’s robes along the stone floor the only sounds.

I looked into the priestesses in acosf and one of them seemed very similar to Elain.

Ananke had such terrible balance she’d fallen over trying to plant her toes in the dirt.

golden hair on Ananke, their skin as pale as cream.

She was a rose bloom in a mud field.

Elain’s golden-brown hair was half up, her pale skin creamy

Offtorivendell pointed out that Ananke is a goddess of fate in mythology, which would fit well with Elain’s story of deciding her own fate, and maybe even influencing certain events.

Wingedblooms has a great post about fate you can read here:

Ananke is first introduced to us right after we find out Elain could be lying about tending to an elderly fairie’s garden. This all happens in ch 29.

Elain had already departed with Feyre, claiming she had to be up with the dawn to tend to an elderly fairie’s garden. Cassian didn’t exactly know why he suspected this wasn’t true. There had been some tightness in Elain’s face when she said it.

They all paused at the three hooded figures who emerged, hands clasped so tightly that their knuckles were white.

But the priestesses stepped into the sunlight, the open air. Blinked up at it, as if remembering what such things were.

Gwyn nimbly rolled to her feet, grinning so broadly that Nesta was momentarily taken aback by it. The priestess had been pretty in the library, but with that joy, that confidence as she aimed for the three priestesses, she had emerged into a beauty to rival Merrill and Mor.

Or maybe nothing had changed at all beyond that confidence, the way Gwyn’s shoulders were pushed back, her head high, her smile free as she said, “Roslin. Deirdre. Ananke. I was hoping you’d come.”

I find it interesting how Gwyn’s appearance seemed to change in the scene when Ananke first appeared. It reminded me of Elain’s necklace in the bonus chapter, “a thing of secret, lovely beauty”. We see that line repeated in the bonus and it makes me think Elain’s powers could have been involved.

Please read one of my favourite theories from offtorivendell about Elain possibly making her necklace before you continue:

I found some parallels with the opal Hunt gave Bryce, and the Elain/Az situation.

“I thank you for the joy it shall bring her.”

Something sparked in Azriel’s chest, but he only nodded his thanks and left.

“You could use some joy,” Hunt said quietly.

Something bright sparked in her chest. “So could you,” she said, attempting to press the opal back into his palm.

He found Elain’s necklace amid the pile. He pocketed it.

The opal had been stupid. Impulsive. Likely bullshit, but Bryce had pocketed it.

Shahar would have smiled at the opal—and forgotten about it soon after.

She’d have appreciated the gift but, ultimately, let it disappear into a drawer somewhere.

“I’m fairly sure Azriel has a drawer full of daggers I’ve bought him throughout the centuries that he’s too polite to throw away, but won’t ever use.”

“You honestly think he’d ever give up Truth-Teller?”

“He gave it to Elain,” Mor said, admiring the moonstone necklace in the counter’s glass.

“She gave it back,” I amended, failing to block out the image of the black blade piercing through the King of Hybern’s throat. But Elain had given it back—had pressed it into Azriel’s hands after the battle, just as he had pressed it into hers before. And walked away without looking back.

But Hunt paused at the end of the row of stalls and took her hand. He pressed the opal into it, the stone warm from his touch.

Something bright sparked in her chest. “So could you,” she said, attempting to press the opal back into his palm.

She grabbed the white opal from her pocket and hurled it at him.

“BRYCE!” Hunt roared.

She didn’t look back.

We’ve already seen Elain bring Az some joy/light in acofas when she gave him the headache powder.

Then Azriel tipped his head back and laughed. I never heard such a sound, deep and joyous.

Azriel mastered himself enough to say “Thank you.” I’d never seen his hazel eyes so bright.

That sounds very similar to the end of the Az bonus.

“I thank you for the joy it shall bring her.”

How Gwyn’s teal eyes might light upon seeing the necklace.

It really feels like Sarah was giving us a little hint of Elain’s powers being involved. Does her magic influence others? Can it bring joy/light? Is that what we saw when Ananke first appeared for training?

What’s also interesting about Ananke’s introduction is the fact that she is grouped with Roslin and Deirdre for the rest of the book. Psychologynerd pointed out that Nuala and Cerridwen could be those priestesses.

We first meet Roslin and Deirdre in ch 9 when Gwyn figures out it’s them by their scents.

Gwyn tracked the focus of her attention. “That’s Roslin and Deirdre.”

“How can you tell?” With their hoods on, they appeared nearly identical, save for their hands.

“Their scents,” Gwyn said simply,

Later on we find out Gwyn and Catrin had nearly identical scents.

Gwyn swallowed. “I told him the children had taken the mountain road to get help. He didn’t believe me. So he grabbed Catrin, because our scents were nearly identical, you see,

It’s possible the twin wraiths have been secretly looking for a spy within the NC, maybe even looking into some of the priestesses 👀

“The High Priestesses have burrowed into a few other courts—Dawn, Day, and Winter mostly. They’ve entrenched themselves so thoroughly that their spies are everywhere, their followers near-fanatic with devotion.

Did they help Elain learn how to take another form?

Wraiths wore bodies the way some people owned cars. (hoeab)

“You came,” Elain said behind her, and Nesta started, not having heard her sister approach. She scanned Elain from head to toe, wondering if she’d been taking lessons in stealth either from Azriel or the two half-wraiths she called friends.

Wingedblooms has an amazing Wraith post you can read here:

In ch 44, Elain is compared to a Valkyrie.

“They must have been fearsome creatures.”

“Some were as lovely as you, Elain,” Rhys said from beside Feyre, “from the outside. But once they set foot in the arena of battle, they become as blood thirsty as Amren.”

This reminded me of something from the Feysand bonus chapter.

“Elain showed some teeth.” I observed. “I wasn’t expecting that.”

Rhys held up his hands. “Not you alone.” He surveyed the study as he thought. “But I wonder if everyone has spent so long assuming Elain is sweet and innocent that she felt she had to be that way or else she’d disappoint you all.” He sighed toward the ceiling. “With time and safety, perhaps we’ll see a different side of her emerge.”

The “fearsome creature” and “showed some teeth” lines stood out. Cassianfanclub wondered if Elain could have also taken the form of a beast in the rite.

The chapter after Balthazar leaves Nesta, we see her and Emerie basically being saved by a beast when Bellius and his gang show up.

Bellius stepped toward them. And then the blood splattered across the side of his face as the guts of one of his cronies spilled onto the snow before him.

The thing that crawled over the ridge had been crafted of nightmares. Part cat, part serpent, all black fur and sharp claws and hooked teeth. It halted at the edge of the camp. Didn’t look down at the gutted corpse of the warrior whose abdomen it had sliced open with a single swipe.

Gwyn appears after this to help Nesta and Emerie hide. We then learn she was able to lure that beast to the camp and I noticed something very interesting

“I learned where the beasts sleep during the day,” Gwyn said. “And they get very angry when awoken.” She pointed to the cuts on her face, her hands. “I barely outran that one as I lead it toward the camp. My timing was just good luck, though.”

The “good luck” part caught my eye because it’s the last thing Balthazar said to Nesta.

A brisk wind ruffled Balthazar’s dark hair as he walked away. “Good luck, Archeron.”

Now this might not mean anything if luck was only used in those moments, but my friends and I found some more examples that fit with this theory.

When Nesta talks about killing the King of Hybern with Truth-Teller, she says it was “luck and rage”.

“You slew the King of Hybern,” Gwyn repeated. “With the shadowsinger’s knife.”

“Luck and rage.” Nesta admitted.

But it wasn’t just Nesta who killed the king.

Elain stepped out of a shadow behind him, and rammed Truth-Teller to the hilt through the back of the king’s neck as she snarled in his ear, “Don’t you touch my sister.”

Could Elain be connected to luck?

If we go back to the opal and necklace comparison I made earlier, we are told they are charms, and that the gem is said to bring luck.

“They’re luck charms,” the magpie said, waving a feathery hand over the trays of gems.

the amulet tiny enough that it could be dismissed as an everyday charm.

We also have this line in acomaf:

It took hours for Elain to work her charm on the staff.

Something tells me Sarah wanted us to make those connections.

Elrieldreamer has a great theory about the vision Elain had in acowar.

Elain turned to the sunny windows again, the light dancing in her hair. “Will I hear the earthworms writhing through the soil? Or the stretching of roots? Will the bird of fire come to sit in the trees and watch me?”

I know most of the fandom believes this is about Vassa, but what if it’s actually about Gwyn? Elrieldreamer has wondered if Elain’s vision was of Gwyn watching her in a tree when she was in beast form.

Gwyn’s eyes sparkled, and before Nesta could avoid the emotion shining there, the priestess sprinted toward Merrill’s chambers, robes flying behind her.

Gwyn’s voice soared like a bird through the cavern

“My grandmother was a river-nymph who seduced a High Fae male from the Autumn court.

“I kept to the trees the first two nights, watching the beasts.”

If Elain knew certain events would happen in the blood rite, did she influence some of the Valkyrie training with the help of the twins to ensure the girls were ready?

Roslin, Ananke, and Deirdre were close on theirs heels, propelling Gwyn to push her group harder. She wanted to be first. Wanted Nesta and Emerie and her to be the ones who wiped the smirks from Azriel’s and Cassian’s faces. Especially Azriel’s.

And what if part of the “far larger forces” include Elain’s potential powers of influence?

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

Especially once she began using the books to train. While striding up the ramp, she’d hold a heavy stack and execute an assortment of lunges. Several times, she caught passing priestesses a level above peering at her while she did so.

Thank you so much for reading! I really hope our flower girl has been secretly helping out behind the scenes this whole time. Subtle and unnoticed, a thing of secret, lovely beauty.

[wingedblooms]

Thank you so much for this lovely post and reading all the swirling thoughts I’ve woven together! Marked by Wyrd is one of my favorites. Not sure if you’ve read Blooming Dreams, but I talk a little bit about how maybe Elain saw Wyrd differently than Nesta did, and that is why it gave something to her. I’d like to think it gave her access to the language of creation, but we’ll just have to see. 🥰

I'm ready to understand what Elain went through inside the cauldron.

Was is it all pain and living nightmares?

Was it ecstasy? Was it a mix of both?

Did it feel like being thrown across time and space?

Did she burn from inside out as if she was a star reborn?

Did the cauldron show her its heart and history?

Did the cauldron love Elain so much because Elain's heart and soul reminded it of its origins, of The Mother?

If Elain has a moment where she must buckle down and face her trauma, will she remember that she was shown the full history and potential future of Prythian? Will it all come racing back like an unforgiving tidal wave?

Did the cauldron show Elain her futures?

Did it show Elain that she was meant to be with Azriel? That he was slowly dying in that moment she was Made, and so it defaulted to the Asteri's will of pairings and gave her another? Is that another reason why she has not accepted the bond the Lucien?

Did a warm iridescent hand reach into the dark depths and pull her to the surface? A kernnel of the Mother's power transfered. A bargain Made. See and restore what has been lost, so that you may forge your own fate.

Did the cauldron give Elain starborn power? Pure, undiluted, starborn power that has been left slumbering in the depths of her heart and mind? The Light to match Rhysand's Darkness. @wingedblooms I've been spiraling down down down after coming across the theories that you've put together. Especially, Marked By Wyrd.

You could rattle the stars. You could do anything, if only you dared.

The Cauldron gave to Elain.

What did it give her?

[wingedblooms]

Are you working on any new theories?! Any sitting in your drafts? Taking a hiatus waiting for this next book? 🖤

Hello there! ☺️ Thank you so much for your kind ask. I’m not working on any new theories right now, though I do occasionally draft connections like this one that has me 👀.

Back in acomaf, when Feyre was in Summer Court, Tarquin shares that he’d like the lesser faeries to have a voice in his home (eeeeeee!) and beyond it. It’s in a conversation about the old order coming to an end and I do think that is where Sarah is heading in the spin-off series.

Even within my own residences, the confines of tradition pressure me to enforce the rules of my predecessors: the lesser faeries are neither to be seen nor heard as they work. I would like to one day see a Prythian in which they have a voice, both in my home and in the world beyond it.” (acomaf)

Now, the word voice caught my eye because a few books later, we are introduced to a lesser faerie who acts like summer and has a voice that needs to be loose in the world.

“Nesta had never heard a voice like Gwyn’s—by turns trained and wild, as if there was so much sound fighting to break free of Gwyn that she couldn’t quite contain it all. As if the sound needed to be loose in the world.” (acosf)

It feels like a very intentional call back to Tarquin, his court, and a future change in power in their world. It would be fun to see his dynamic with Gwyn in the future; I have a feeling it would be absolute fire.

There are other connections floating around in my head as I tear out invasive plants in my garden (and how tedious and painful it is, Elain is so strong 😩) and enjoy other lovely romances (I’m on a small-town romance marathon rn and loving it), but I just don’t feel the desire to post them, at least not until we receive confirmation. It is always nice, however, to hear from people when they are reblogging posts, linking them with their own thoughts, or reaching out to send me a direct ask or message. Thank you so much for stopping by and checking in! 💕

[wingedblooms]

She can have my soul <3

[wingedblooms]

Red Wine Supernova, Part 2

Pairing: Elriel Part: 2 of 3 Summary: Something clicks in place, some last tether to rational thought and he forces the question out. "What kind of wine is this?" Her cheeks are burning scarlet now as she whispers. "It's not wine," she says. "Not exactly." Tired and sullen, Azriel steals away to the townhouse for a night alone with his thoughts and a mysterious bottle of wine. Little does he know, the wine has some very curious properties. Elriel Sex Pollen fic, that's the tweet.

Notes: For @elriel-month

Read here on AO3. Snippet beneath the cut!

The first time Elain had been kissed was under an apple tree.

Graysen had taken her for a picnic on the grounds of his estate. It was a warm summer morning and so they'd left early, walking with their chaperone, Lady Ferndon, until they had reached the small orchard at the top of the hill behind the manor.

They'd sat under the shade of a great oak, eating finger sandwiches and small pastries the Nolan's cook had sent with them, talking until the sun was high in the sky.

When their elderly chaperone had dozed off briefly under the shade of the oak, lulled into slumber by strawberry wine and a belly full of sponge cake, Graysen had taken the opportunity to suggest a short walk for a better look at the fruit trees.

He'd shown her where the branches had recently been pruned, using it as an excuse to take her gloved hand in his as he guided her to the small cut marks, the branches that had been removed while the tree lay dormant.

He glanced over his shoulder at the still slumbering chaperone before turning back to Elain and drawing her hand against his chest so that she took a step forward closer to him.

"You are so beautiful," he told her, before lowering his lips to hers in a stolen kiss.

It had lasted only a moment, but she'd clung to the memory of it for long after. It had, she'd once thought, been the sort of memory she ought to hold onto for a lifetime, the first blossoming of a love she'd thought would sustain her.

But Graysen was gone now, and at some point she'd ceased loving him, though once that had seemed an impossible task. She could no longer remember the exact blue of his eyes and had long since lost the taste of his mouth on hers.

But she was sure he'd never kissed her like this.

She could taste the wine on Azriel's lips as she pulled his mouth to hers, the blend of herbs and flowers she'd crushed and prepared into a wine only last week. He groaned when her lips parted for him, his fingers bunching the fabric of her skirt as they dug into her hips.

His skin was warm and there was a dusting of stubble along his jaw and cheeks that was not usually there, as sure a sign that he'd been neglecting himself again as the dark hollows under his eyes.

He did that so often these days.

They'd not spoken in months, nothing beyond awkward pleasantries in passing. She'd been afraid to look too long at him each time he came by the River House, too afraid she'd see remorse or, worse, pity in his eyes as he looked at her, at the silly female who'd thought to steal a kiss from him on a dark Solstice night.

She'd been so sure he wanted her too, so certain that she hadn't misread all their quiet moments or shared glances that lasted just a beat longer than was entirely proper. When he'd tilted her head toward his on Solstice, his fingers tightening in her unbound hair, it had felt like the answer to a prayer she hadn't realized she'd been making.

Secret. Lovely. Almost forbidden.

Then he'd left, and she'd felt so foolish she'd practically ripped the necklace from her neck, leaving it where she knew he'd find it before silently crying into her pillow until her body gave out from exhaustion.

He hadn't wanted her.

Of course he hadn't wanted her. No one ever had.

She'd done her best to avoid him in the months after, but the task had proven impossible. He lingered in the empty spaces, in the garden chair he'd once sat in while she'd taken tea or the dining room chair that was always reserved for him regardless of whether he came. He was never there, of course, content to avoid the house and her and everything in between.

Still she could remember him there like a phantom ache, a blade between her ribs, a wound that could not heal.

She couldn't even bear to look towards shadowed corners lest she see one of his, curling there in the darkness.

And when she did see him again, something had changed. She'd told herself that his hard expression, the hollows that grew under his eyes was only because of his work, his scouting on the continent or the things he did in the Hewn City that he never liked to speak about but that she heard whispers of all the same.

She knew what was whispered about him, about the spymaster of the Night Court. Even in Velaris, where the citizens were used to his presence, you could sense the undercurrent of it, the respect and wariness his presence often drew. She'd heard more of it the night they'd gone to the Hewn City, when Nesta had seduced a prince of Autumn with a dance.

Elain had kept to the foot of the dias that night, offering polite smiles and bland conversation to the citizens who'd been bold enough to approach their High Lady's sister. Some were simply curious, while others came hungry to see what information they might glean, pieces of gossip they could steal from her in the hopes of spreading it wickedly. A few males with a different sort of hunger in their eyes had approached her and she'd infused her voice with false regret each time she turned down their offers of dance or wine and even one's flagrant offer to slip away to chamber for the rest of the evening.

Azriel had watched each person with thunderous silence, though he'd known better than to make any sort of scene, pulling attention away from Nesta and her masterful performance that night. She'd seen how the fae of the city watched him warily, some outright cringing when his gaze fell on them. She heard their muttered whispers about the chambers below the city, the things that were done there.

Perhaps some of it was true. Perhaps all of it. Perhaps they were right to fear him, the bloody symphony he played with shadow and knife.

But Elain? She could never fear him.

She still remembered the male who'd sat at her table in the human lands, who'd offered polite smiles and words that had comforted her even when she'd been sure she would faint there in the presence of the fae, their bodies covered in scaled armor the likes of which she'd never seen. She remembered how, when she'd been turned, half lost to the madness of her visions, he'd chosen to sit with her in gardens, listening patiently as she'd rambled about nonsensical things as though he might find some truth in her words.

And when he'd given a name to the thing she'd thought madness she'd nearly wept with relief that someone, someone had finally looked at her and understood.

She could have loved him for that alone, but in the following months she'd found a thousand other things to love him for, in stolen moments and shy glances, in bits of information he'd offered her about himself in quiet conversation.

No, whatever sins he might have committed, whatever dark things were said of him, the male she knew was a gentle one, loyal to a fault and willing to lay down his own life for those around him.

How could she not have fallen for him?

She hadn't expected to see him here tonight. No one was ever at the townhouse these days except on the holidays or when Mor came to visit and was feeling nostalgic. It had been the perfect place to sneak away to make the wine. There would have been no getting away with it at the River House right under Rhys and Feyre's noses, and while Nesta and Cassian might have been persuaded to let her come there, she had her own reasons for wanting to avoid the House of Wind these days.

She'd certainly not expected that reason to be standing here in the townhouse, half drunk on damiana wine.

She'd considered leaving when she saw him sitting there. But then she'd seen the wine and in the time it had taken her to process what it meant, she'd already said his name and there he was, rising from his seat to look at her.

She'd seen the desire for her in his eyes, plain as day, though her hateful mind could have simply dismissed it as nothing more than the wine's influence.

But then a moment later she'd seen the torment in his eyes too and she'd known, she'd known that she hadn't been fooling herself on Solstice night after all.

He wanted her.

He still wanted her.

[wingedblooms]

Hello, friends. I am going on hiatus. I usually try to make the best of the non-answers, strange secrecy, build up for nothing that we receive, but I cannot muster it this time. I am tired. I wish you all nothing but health and happiness. 💕

[wingedblooms]

[wingedblooms]

ᴇʟʀɪᴇʟ ᴍᴏɴᴛʜ 𝟤𝟢𝟤𝟧 | ᴘᴇᴀᴄᴇ & ǫᴜɪᴇᴛ

✨ 𝓢𝓸 𝓰𝓸 𝓪𝓱𝓮𝓪𝓭 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝔀𝓻𝓪𝓹 𝔂𝓸𝓾𝓻 𝓪𝓻𝓶𝓼 𝓪𝓻𝓸𝓾𝓷𝓭 𝓶𝓮 ✨

Azriel and Elain share the secret language of silence. Their love lingers in the fleeting brushes of fingers, the flickering of eyes, their unwavering commitment to protect each other. They didn't need words when they rescued each other in Hybern's war camp. They didn't need words to communicate that they saw each other's pain and desire on solstice. They just needed each other, and the peace and quiet they find together. I can't wait to see them linger in the comfortable silence together, speaking their own silent language of love.

Babies, this was my first commission ever 🥹 I am so in love with everything morwenaert creates, but her sketches are especially stunning to me. I am so happy and honored to finally be posting this gorgeous piece of art that I've been clutching for weeks.

🌸🦇 Art by morwenaert

🌸🦇 Commissioned by me, @lunaatthezoo

🌸🦇 @elriel-month 2025

✨ Please do not repost. Likes, shares, reblogs, and comments are appreciated. ✨

[wingedblooms]

Peace & Quiet

Azriel, graceful as any courtier, offered her an arm. 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.

⟢ Art by @litafleur

⟢ Commissioned by me

Instagram | Twitter | @elriel-month

Please do not repost.

[wingedblooms]

𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒑𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒒𝒖𝒊𝒆𝒕

༻𖤓༺

⁣⁣⁣⤞ art by trxxvon_

⤞ commissioned by me

⤞ Peace & Quiet

༻𖤓༺

Instagram | Twitter | @elriel-month

please do not repost.

[wingedblooms]

𝔽𝕒𝕚𝕣𝕪𝕥𝕒𝕝𝕖𝕤

💙 Art by @sunshinecovey

🩷 Commissioned by me

Instagram | Twitter | @elriel-month

Please do not repost.

[wingedblooms]

Elriel Month: Peace and Quiet

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. 𝑶𝒓 𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒎𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒍𝒆𝒆𝒑 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆.

I’m hoping to get many soft and intimate moments between Elain and Azriel in their book and in this commission, I wanted portray the moment Elain spends the night in Azriel’s bed for the first time. After spending months staring at Elain’s gift with longing throughout the night, Azriel is finally able to worship Elain in his bed till sunrise. They are each other’s soft place to land and in each other’s arm, they’re truly at peace.

I have been obsessed with Elizabeth’s work for years now and I’m so grateful I got the chance to work with her! She is so incredibly talented and truly delivered a masterpiece 🥹 Thank you so much for creating this for me!

Art by diielliee and commissioned by me!

Characters belong to Sarah J. Maas

Please do not repost without permission. Likes and reblogs are appreciated!

@elriel-month

[wingedblooms]

Elriel Month // Peace & Quiet

For some prompts, I have longer captions but for today’s the idea is simple: I just wanted to show a peaceful, intimate moment between these two, and bonus points since it includes Azriel worshipping Elain exactly how she deserves. I truly think their quiet moments together are going to be so special and beautiful 💜

*******

🎨 Art by @trxxvon_

✨ Commissioned by me for @elriel-month

💙 Please do not repost. Reblogs are welcome! 

[wingedblooms]

“True loves kiss conquers all, even the deepest slumber.” – Sleeping Beauty

“I truly believe love conquers all – love is an incredibly powerful force, both in this world and in fantasy ones.” – Sarah J. Maas

•❅───✧❅✦❅✧───❅•

Elriel Month 🩷 Fairytales

This piece is inspired by the tale of Sleeping Beauty, with a slight change – the maiden rescuing the prince. We love the theory that Koschei will lure Azriel and Elain – Elain – will be the one to save him, with none other than a true love’s kiss.

•❅───✧❅✦❅✧───❅•

A huge thank you to (unii) for creating this gorgeous artwork. You were an angel to work with and so communicative at every step of the process 🩷

•❅───✧❅✦❅✧───❅•

Art by @x_x.uniii

Commissioned by @theseersgarden, @aoitavacorte, @lovelyfawnxx, @rae2velaris, & @landofthefaerie

Characters belong to @sarahjmaas

For @elriel-month

•❅───✧❅✦❅✧───❅•

Click here for Instagram post

Click here for Twitter post

🚫Absolutely no reposts please!🚫

[wingedblooms]

Peace & Quiet | @elriel-month

There’s a kind of love that doesn’t need to be loud. It exists in glances, in quiet rooms, in the soft peace of simply being seen.

That’s Elain and Azriel.

He is the love that would trump a mating bond, the choice that defies fate. And she is the love that makes his shadows still... and his mind go quiet.

No pretending. No posturing. Just two souls who see each other for who they are not what they are.

And choose each other anyway.

Because sometimes, true love isn’t destiny. It’s peace. And that is the most powerful kind of magic.

Thank you to the lovely and wildly talented @jessamyart for capturing this sacred softness between them. Your art feels like a breath of calm in a loud world. 🩷🫶🏻

⊱❊⊰⁣⁣⁣

⁣⁣⁣⤞ Art by @jessamyart and jessamyart on IG

⁣⁣⁣⤞ Commissioned by me

⁣⁣⁣⤞ Please do not repost without permission

⁣⁣⁣⤞ Instagram

⊱❊⊰⁣⁣⁣

[wingedblooms]

Elriel Month 2025 🌸 Prompt: Peace & Quiet

This was such a wonderful commission, and I am so grateful to my co-commissioners for helping me make this happen—and to @tpiola_ (IG) for working on this with us! We had a hard time finding a good reference at first, and she was so kind and helpful in translating a verbal description to this gorgeous art! Thank you a million times over!

We really wanted to capture the comfortability Elain and Azriel have always had, even from their first meeting. I’ve always thought that both Elain and Az would be great huggers, so what better to commission for the @elrielmonth Peace & Quiet prompt than the two of them in an adorable embrace. 🥰 The soft purple-pink dusk setting is so perfect for Elriel, and I’m honestly never recovering from how adorable they are in this art!

“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.” — A Court of Mist and Fury

“Elain sat silently at one of the wrought-iron tables, a cup of tea before her. Azriel was sprawled on the chaise longue across the gray stones, sunning his wings and reading what looked to be a stack of reports.” — A Court of Wings and Ruin

“Azriel and Elain remained in the sitting room, my sister showing him the plans she’d sketched to expand the garden in the back of the town house.” — A Court of Frost and Starlight

Art commissioned by:

@elrielsgarden

@saraannereads

@rae2velaris

@greenleaf777

Artwork by the lovey @tpiola_ on IG

Please do not repost. 🫶

Likes, shares, etc. are greatly appreciated!

[wingedblooms]

There's something about Merrill

Disclaimer: this is a theory that makes no claim of being canon. It's been percolating in my mind since 2021, I'm just finally getting down to posting it, although not as part of the "Lightsingers in the Library" meta I keep delaying - that will hopefully happen soon. Ish. 🫣

Spoilers: ACOTAR series only, nothing from the extended Maasverse.

These two lines, both from Azriel's bonus chapter in ACOSF, have bugged me no end since 2021:

Fury was a moonless night on Rhys' face.

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

Amongst my friends, I have previously suggested - but never fully discussed on Tumblr - that Merrill may be inspired by the Erinyes (also known as the Furies) of Greek mythology, and that she may have been acting on Koschei's behalf (though not necessarily as his true ally, I still think any involvement on her behalf will be complex) throughout ACOSF. The notion that Merrill may be a spy is not a new one, as many of us found her suss right off the bat, but I haven't seen this take on the theory before.

Has Koschei been using Merrill to spy on - or "witness" - the Inner Circle or others, and even possibly on Winter Solstice evening, having been tipped off by Death's shadows (who are monitoring the situation in Velaris), or by using her own ties to the murky realm?

Merrill laughed, that phantom wind around her whispering. "Do you not know who I am, girl?" "I know that you are keeping us from our work," Nesta said with that flat calm she knew made people irate. "And I know that this is a library, but you hoard books like it is your own personal collection." Merrill bared her teeth. "You think I do not know you? The human girl who was shoved into the Cauldron and came out High Fae. The female who slew the King of Hybern and held up his head like a trophy as his blood rained upon her." Surprise lit Gwyn's face at the graphic description. Nesta didn't allow herself to so much as swallow. "The wind whispers to me even here, under so much stone," Merrill said. "It finds its way in through the cracks and murmurs the goings-on of the world in my ear." Merrill snorted. "Do you think you are entitled to do as you please now?" Nesta's power rumbled in her veins. She stomped on it, shoved it down and strangled it. "I think you like to hear yourself talk too much." "I am descended from Rabath, Lord of the Western Wind," Merrill seethed. "Unlike Gwyneth Berdara, I am no lackey to be dismissed." To hell with this witch. To hell with restraint and hiding. - ACOSF, chapter 29

Merrill claims to descend from Rabath, the Lord of the Western Wind, but many - myself and @wingedblooms included - have long questioned whether her "twilight eyes" hint specifically at some sort of Dusk (or Starborn) heritage. Would this be why she is able to understand the wind (which I suspect speaks Wyrd), just as I think both Azriel and Elain can speak the language of "shadow, wind and stone"? Can she also understand shadow and stone, as well, and is this how she was able to hypothetically spy on, and maybe even control Rhys on solstice evening?

In addition to being Chthonic goddesses of vengeance, or personified curses, some sources suggest that the Furies or Erinyes possibly began their mythological lives as the ghosts of the murdered, especially those concerned with children murdering their parents; this ties in nicely with the Slavic Rusalki, which many have discussed in terms of lightsingers (see @silverlinedeyes, @wingedblooms and @merymoonbeam), but it might also fit with the wards set around Velaris, which were made by a past High Lord spilling his blood into the earth as the spell was cast.

No one in the other courts knows of its existence, either.” “How?” “Spells and wards and my ruthless, ruthless ancestors, who were willing to do anything to preserve a piece of goodness in our wretched world.” - ACOMAF, chapter 15

“To preserve it,” Rhys continued, “he kept it a secret, and so did his offspring, and their offspring. There are many spells on the city itself—laid by him, and his Heirs, that make those who trade here unable to spill our secrets, and grant them adept skills at lying in order to keep the origin of their goods, their ships, hidden from the rest of the world. Rumor has it that ancient High Lord cast his very life’s blood upon the stones and river to keep that spell eternal. - ACOMAF, chapter 29

Given what we learnt from Silene in HOFAS, it is unlikely that Merrill was actually the High Lord (Lady) who was sacrificed, but was she their child, or related in some way? Did she possibly wield the knife herself? She was almost certainly high born, we just don't know how high, but regardless - if the Erinyes sprang from Uranus' blood as it hit Gaia/Earth, what if Merrill's metaphorical journey began as the High Lord's blood hit the ground in Velaris?

She knocked on the shut wood door. "Enter." Nesta opened the door to a rectangular cell of a room, occupied by a desk on the far side and two bookshelves lining both long walls. A small pallet lay to the left of the desk, a blanket and pillow neatly aligned. As if the hooded priestess with her back to Nesta sometimes couldn't be bothered to return to the dormitory to sleep. - ACOSF, chapter 13

Merrill turned at that, and Nesta was greeted with a surprisingly young face—and a stunningly beautiful one. All the High Fae were beautiful, but Merrill made even Mor look drab. Hair white as fresh snow contrasted against the light brown of her skin, and eyes the color of a twilight sky blinked once, twice. As if focusing on the here and now and not whatever work she'd been doing. She noted Nesta's leathers, the lack of any robes or stone atop her braided hair, and demanded, "Who are you?" - ACOSF, chapter 13

Gwyn mastered herself enough to say, "I don't know how, but Merrill learned you swapped the book out." She gasped for air as she pointed up to a level high above. "You should go." Nesta frowned. "Who cares? I'm not going to let her scare me off like some errant child." Gwyn blanched. "When she's in a fury, it is—" "It is what, Gwyneth Berdara?" crooned a female voice from the stacks. "When I'm in a fury, it is what?" Gwyn winced, turning slowly as the white-haired beauty appeared from the gloom. Her pale robes flowed behind her as if on a phantom wind, and the blue stone atop her hood flickered with light. Gwyn bowed her head, face paling. "I meant nothing by it, Merrill." - ACOSF, chapter 29

Where Nesta had been in contented silence before we found her, Elain's silence was... hollow. Empty. Her hair was down-not even braided. I couldn't remember the last time I'd seen it unbound. She wore a moon-white silk dressing robe. She did not look, or speak, or even flinch as we entered. Her too-thin arms rested on her chair. That iron engagement ring still encircled her finger. Her skin was so pale it looked like fresh snow in the harsh light. I realized then that the color of death, of sorrow, was white. The lack of color. Of vibrancy. I left Cassian and Rhys by the door. Nesta's rage was better than this shell. This void. - ACOWAR, chapter 15

IF Merrill is the ghost of a murdered faerie (or if the fate of the ghost of her ancestor is being used to control her), then the following would make a lot of sense:

Merrill's room was described as a cell - I suspect she may be trapped in service to Koschei, but also that she might be acting as a double agent against him

The dormitories have windows which would allow for easier access to her - maybe she sleeps in her study to avoid unnecessary contact with Koschei winds

She was wearing a hood, and even blinked herself back to the present, which could tie in nicely with both @wingedblooms and my theories that discuss Elain and her powers - specifically the way she appears to blink when she has a vision/comes out of it (here) or the way she may need darkness to access her powers/the murky realm (here)

Merrill has hair the colour of "fresh snow," and Elain's skin was described the same way - death and misery

Elain's "moon white" dressing robe could be further tying her to (as of ACOWAR) an unnamed priestess whose story might intersect with hers one day

Whom might she be seeking vengeance against? Did someone lie to her, or swear a false oath?

Now of course, these could all be plot seeds that have since been given away to others, but I know I'm not alone in thinking that Elain's journey will still involve the priestesses in some capacity, even after the latest couple of books. How important is it that Elain and Merrill might both be able to access the space between, and will they ultimately work together, or against each other? Only time will tell, but I do think it's suspicious that Rhys has been acting off, and "fury" was a "moonless night" on his face. Moonless. Was he - or the person who was hypothetically controlling him - free or hidden from the Mother/Wyrd? Compromised by Death, or the Deathless? Has Merrill been channelling Koschei, or acting as his conduit? Is she the Night Court mole, or a member of the IAFT headcanon that I love so much (shared by @silverlinedeyes and @merymoonbeam), or both?

It has to mean something, even if it's just that Merrill's illustrious ancestor became the Suriel lol. I hope to discuss at least one of the possible theories soon. 🤞🏻