let’s talk about natalie kabra for a minute
this bitch grew up idolizing her mother. just as ian fears to disappoint vikram, natalie fears to disappoint isabel – but for an entirely different reason. ian feared vikram, natalie wanted to be isabel. she wore the same perfume, the same clothing styles, the same makeup. when ian called her “mum”, she always called her “mummy” because she knew that’s what isabel liked. when isabel was knocked out in storm warning, blood gushing from her head, natalie stayed with her to make sure she was okay.
and yet, isabel isn’t the most important person in her life.
ian is. ian was the only constant that natalie had, besides material things like money and clothes. very likely, ian was the only genuine human contact natalie had. and the same goes for ian – both vikram and isabel were away all the time and their “friends” were spies from the other branch or were bought. when ian started to show signs of doubting isabel and her motives, natalie caught on to them. but what did she do? she didn’t make a blatant show of it, like ian did. she doubted her idol but didn’t let it show because she knew it would hold consequences. isabel had all the more reason to shoot ian in into the gauntlet because of his lack of compliance since book 6, isabel had very little idea that natalie was against her as well.
but why did isabel shoot natalie? obviously to get ian to do what she wanted, but why didn’t she shoot amy then? not only would it bring isabel more satisfaction since amy had been in her way since the beginning, but it would also cause ian to get jonah like she wanted. so why natalie? because it would have hurt ian more. despite what fanfiction would have you believe, ian’s life does not revolve around amy after book 3, it’s revolved around natalie since the beginning. he risked his own death during their first mission to insure her life. multiple times.
of course they were close. of course he was her most important person.
of course she was ripped from him when she needed him most.
