I wrote an ask to you several weeks ago with some thoughts, as someone working in publishing with marketing/PR. I see Elriels are still being harassed for simply picking up what SJM/BB put down and it saddens me. Sometimes it feels like this fandom needs adult supervision. I'm in my mid-30s and never feel as old as whenever I venture into this fandom.
This might be really long but since you are one of the biggest Elriel accounts I hope it would be alright if I provide some very general knowledge about media-publisher relations that I think a lot of people would benefit from knowing. I am absolutely no ACOTAR insider. Everything I say, I only say as someone who has worked within publishing/PR for a long time (never with anything ACOTAR related!) and who has been following this upcoming release closely out of an interest in the publishing side of things.
In general, this is all you need to know:
What the publishers back = what reputable media outlets mention.
This is simply standard industry practice. It is no secret. Every single thing about a high profile book release is carefully coordinated between publishers and media outlets. It serves them both. Publishers manage expectations by shaping the narrative surrounding their releases, all to maximise sales and foster a positive reception of the release. Reputable media outlets maintain their credibility with readers and their relationships with publishers by not publishing random nonsense.
Fandoms often seem to lack self-awareness about their importance amd influence on publishing decisions. While publishers certainly keep an eye on fandom discussions, their primary focus is not on fandom-driven narratives (fanon) and preferences but on the massive casual readership, which drives the majority of book sales (and SJM is HUGE).
Fandoms are disproportionately populated by readers who were dissatisfied with canon, who seek alternate narrratives or ships. This is what makes fandom spaces so dynamic, but it doesn't reflect the general readership. Fandom is a tiny fraction of it. Publishers are very aware of this. So fandom theories and fanon ships will never be acknowledged by a publisher unless it serves a strategic purpose. Why? Bevause every PR and marketing decision is made to guide expectations in a way that maximizes book sales. Acknowledging fanon doesn’t serve that goal. It only risks confusing casual readers, weakening pre-orders, or generating negative buzz.
In fact, media-publisher relations can work to "combat" spiraling fandom narratives ahead of major releases by adjusting expectations rather than fueling speculation. This is, I think, why BB has never entertained the ship wars: because the only narrative they care about is the one in the books. They want the general readership to have appropriate expectations, not to confuse them.
So (and here is simply how I judge these events), why has an Az-Gwyn-Elain love triangle never been mentioned anywhere reputable, despite it dominating fandom discourse? Well, you guessed it. Because it doesn't exist to BB. It is a fandom creation. A gwynriel ship is simply not part of BB's narrative surrounding the upcoming release, as seen in the past year's media coverage. It's Elain and Azriel all the way. Even Lucien barely receives an honorary mention. We're talking the credible, reputable sources here (like TIME, E! News, etc). The only sensible conclusion is that BB wants the casual readership to focus on Elriel. Becasue, again, the last thing a publisher wants is confusion ahead of one of the biggest releases of the last decade.
To the Elriels that feel harassed and tired: You are not delusional. You’re picking up exactly what SJM and BB are putting down. Don’t let anyone bully you into thinking otherwise. When people call you insecure for being excited about Elriel's media attention, it is a deeply naive view. There’s no “winning” the ship wars because there was never a competition, at least not from the publisher’s perspective. There is one narrative, one endgame couple, and no other ship was ever a real contender. Fandom discourse may create the illusion of an open-ended outcome, but publishing doesn’t work that way. Writing is not the throw of a dice. Writing and producing a book of this scale is a years-long process involving immense financial investment and coordination betweem multiple large actors. The story’s direction is set long before fandom discourse begins, and no publisher would gamble that investment on shifting fandom opinions that reflect neither the general readership nor, and most importantly, the author's vision (which is what they have invested their money in).
Sorry for coming to you on anon to say all this. I just feel for Elriels and want them to know this. I'm sick of seeing them gaslit and ridiculed and questioning their own perception of reality. I'm not active in this fandom and don't really want its attention directed at me (I've seen too much over the years) so I prefer being anonymous.
I say this is standard industry practice but of course, always take what I or anyone else say with a grain of salt. Especially someone who anonymously claims to have credentials of some sort. None of this information about the industry should be difficult to confirm with a little bit of research (and please do look into this, double check what I've said, because the more you know about publishing, the less susceptible you will be to gaslighting!).
Thank you so much for this!
Everyone: PLEASE READ -- super interesting. But also kind of confirms what we've been saying all along. Nothing is accidental and of course everything in terms of publicity runs through BB and from them.
And you are so right about fandom usually being against canon and making up alternative options for their fave characters. I see it even with couples outside of Elriel/GA. Look at Nessian, and the stans who weren't happy with Cassian, and moved on to Eris (as if he is a better choice?! WTF). Same with Bryceriels, who weren't happy with Hunt, and now made up Azriel and Bryce connection. The anti Rhys campaign, and pro Tamlin one, because 'Tamlin is sad' and therefore Rhys is the devil. Many such examples.
This is really informative and I think would bring some calm to Elriels who've been hassled like hell in the past few weeks.
"Azriel showed mate behaviour towards Gwyn! Not towards Elain!!! The only thing he feels towards Elain is lust, while Gwyn is obviously his mate!!!"
You're absolutely correct! Remember when only Azriel noticed she was missing and decided to march into the enemy's war camp to get her back, even if it meant he could lose his life? And how he cradled her towards his chest after they fought for their life escaping, even though it was him, not her, who was badly injured, refusing to let her go until she was perfectly safe? And when he was the one she accepted the dagger from - his own, magical dagger, no one was allowed to touch before him and her, so she could protect herself? Wait. My bad, it was Elain, not Gwyn.
Remember when he was the only one to take her to the garden & remember how she let him and took his hand, despite shying away from others including her own sisters? Remember how a healer said "if anyone can sense if something is amiss, it's her mate" & then he was the one sensing it? Remember how this alone kick-started her healing process? Oh no, it happened with Elain as well.
Remember when he monitored her laugh to see what caused it, how carefully he was looking at her to the point that even Mor noticed it and when he literally pushed himself through everyone to be the first to wish her happy solstice & then proceed to be the perfect gentleman for her? When he was the only one who stayed up late night listening to her talk about her gardening plans? When he was spouting poetry after she asked him a simple question, because his own calmness calmed her? And when his shadows were ready to strike Nesta after she hurt her feelings? How protective and quietly mad he sounded when he heard about the sisters fight? Ah, no, it was also Elain.
So maybe, when he could smell the bond between her & another male, which alone is curious, since no one could smell a bond between Nesta and Cassian or Feyre and Rhysand? And when he couldn't stand said smell? Right. Also happened with Elain.
Oh, you mean "a spark in his chest" = mate behaviour! The same "spark" Feyre felt for Tamlin & Lorcan felt for Aelin! Yes, absolutely - this little sentence in the bonus chapter alone discredited everything he & Elain shared on pages of four books. It's how it works.
The interesting part of the Elain / Azriel / their respective red heads ship war is that only one side of said argument actually comes from a place or love and adoration of the characters.
Never have I ever seen the Elriel community collectively tear down one of the ACOTAR characters. Sure some of us aren’t a part of the Lucien fan club, and some people might not connect with Gwyn. But overwhelmingly this group has no ill will towards ANY character in the series or in the ship.
Most of us want to see EVERYONE find a happy ending. And that is the biggest difference I see in these “ship wars”. Most Elriels do not hate Lucien or Gwyn. Rarely is anything hyper critical written about either character. And any criticisms come from what is written in the books themselves.
Elriels did not make Azriel say “he wouldn’t consider Gwyn a friend.” Elriels did not make Lucien say “I want to know if she is worth fighting for.” All of that came from the author herself.
Many Elriel theories are natural progressions or romantic tropes that would follow this now established couple. No characters need to be disparaged for Elriel to work. Gwyn can stay in Velaris, Lucien could move to Velaris. Gwyn could have a major role in upcoming books, Lucien could become the story’s biggest hero and none of that would impact Elriel. Because Elain and Azriel have already chosen each other, despite those other options always being available to them.
No vast changes need to be made to the story or the characters for Elriel to happen … because they already are happening. We do not need Elain to be a Star Born or to save Illyria or wield a specific weapon. Heck she doesn’t even need to be a spy in order to be relevant to Azriel. Elain is already a part of Azriel’s story because Azriel CHOSE her to be in it. Azriel doesn’t need to be Elain’s second mate for him to be paired with Elain, because Elain CHOSE to fall in love with him. Despite the bond.
All Elriels are trying to do is enjoy the couples that the AUTHOR wrote for us. The reason why casual readers favor Elriel is because that is what the author is telling readers is the next couple.
It is exhausting to see readers willfully misinterpret these books just because they don’t like where it is clearly headed. And it’s impossible to ignore that damn near every anti Elriel also happens to hate Elain.
No matter how you personally feel about Elriel or Elain, the author herself loves those characters. Everything in cannon points to Azriel and Elain, for a reason. That’s not up for your personal interpretation. Don’t come online and gaslight or bully people who read the books the way the author wrote them. There is no real ship war because at the end of the day, there is only one real and confirmed ship. It is not Elriels fault that you can’t understand that.
“Azriel rescued Gwyn from Sangravah, it was so romantic how he saved her.”
But he didn’t really know who Gwyn was then, so he was going there to save all the priestesses not just Gwyn.
“You don’t understand, he went feral when he saw what had been done to her! It was total mate behavior!”
When he saw what was done to Gwyn? Only Gwyn? Not the 3 corpses that were also there? Not her sister’s beheaded body in the temple? Those things couldn’t also have explained his behavior?
“He gave her his cloak and carried her out of the temple!”
And moments later handed her to Mor. Like Azriel and Mor have done many times on rescue missions. Was there at least some heart warming language used for the rescue? Like he cradled her to his chest? Refused to set her down?
“He broke protocol by slaying ALL of Hybern’s men! He’s supposed to keep some alive!”
So if Azriel was ok breaking protocol “for Gwyn” in this situation. Why didn’t he break protocol to go save her in the Blood Rite?
“That’s different! The Blood Rite is an Illyrian tradition, he couldn’t break those rules! If he did the Illyrian’s would have hunted down and killed Gwyn!”
Gwyn …. Who lives in Velaris … In a library under the sworn protection of the most powerful High Lord … that the Illyrian’s serve.
“Well it doesn’t matter anyways, he totally has a savior complex. But Gwyn is his mate and can help him fix that!”
But why would you think they are mates? They aren’t especially drawn to each other, with one notable and suspicious exception.
“Omg he rescued her! Then he trained her!”
But weren’t there other priestesses at these trainings? What about Emerie and Nesta?
“HIS CHEST SPARKED! IT SPARKED! THAT MAKES THEM MATES BECAUSE THERE IS NO OTHER EXPLANATION FOR SPARKING!!”
But what about like sparks of magic? And there are other uses for the word -
“YOU’RE JUST MAD THAT HE DOESNT WANT USELESS ELAIN ANYMORE! THE BONUS CHAPTER ENDED ELRIEL!”
This is all so true but I want to touch upon this part…
“HIS CHEST SPARKED! IT SPARKED! THAT MAKES THEM MATES BECAUSE THERE IS NO OTHER EXPLANATION FOR SPARKING!!”“But what about like sparks of magic?And there are other uses for the word-“👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Feyre & Tamlin- Acotar
Lorcan & Aelin- Kingdom Of Ash
Lidia & Irithys- Hofas
Cassian Finding out Nyx has wings-Acosf
Here are a few examples of “spark/ sparked” reactions going on between people who are not mates/endgame & a few examples that are platonic.
A ray of hope there still may be in this, the gift I give to thee...
My darlings, have hope. SJM had been letting us know where this is headed for many years, and she continues to speak to those who understand what to listen for.
I have already made a post sharing the meaning of The Glass Coffin ballet Bryce played for Nesta and Azriel in the bonus chapter, which is Sleeping Beauty.
Let me repeat that again: in the bonus chapter where Azriel is asked if he has a mate (or spouse, or partner), the bonus chapter where he looks down at Truth-Teller, thinking of Elain when describing how the King of Hybern was killed, the bonus chapter where he listens particularly close to Nesta describing if she now finally prefers being Fae to human.... Bryce played Sleeping Beauty for them.
Now, the Elriel being a Sleeping Beauty retelling has been theorized for YEARS.
I will link some of these below, but I want to touch some of my favorite ideas and easter eggs.
Many have pointed out the significance of Briar, the human woman Azriel and Elain carried back from Hybern after Azriel rescued Elain as a Sleeping Beauty clue. Briar Rose is the Alias that Princess Aurora lives by under the protection of the three good fairies.
The fairies are:
Flora (flowers) in possession of the Sword of Truth
Fauna (fawn) who gives the gift of song
Merriweather (the blue fairy) who attempts to give the gift of happiness, but is cut short by a spell
It's actually kind of insane when you start to look at all of these details. Flowers, fawn's, and happiness from the blue fairy being interrupted by a curse or a spell. Something only true love can break.
I agree with the take (which I originally saw on @elriell post found here) that Sarah might invert the Sleeping Beauty retelling for Elriel. Azriel has a few building blocks to indicate he is at a high risk. Koschei is specifically trying to get his hands on Azriel, stating he planned for him for months, and he is in close proximity to the priestesses, some of whom at this moment have the ability to lure and lull. Whether it's G/wyn and her theorized lightsinger and/or siren abilities, the sermon's Clotho suddenly discovered one day amongst random books shelved below Level Seven:
Or Merril, the descendant of the Lord of the Western Wind who considers G/wyn a lackey to be dismissed (while Koschei plants words in courts through whispers on the wind)
There is no doubt in my mind that as Rhys was captured by Hybern and Cassian was captured by Briallyn and the crown, Elain will step into her power to save Azriel from whatever it is Koschei needs him for.
The Sleeping Beauty theory moved beyond theory in HOFAS, in my opinion. I'm not saying Sarah dropped The Glass Coffin specifically for Elriel's, as we all know SJM doesn't have social media on her phone and she tends to keep away from too many fan theories. What I am saying is Elriel's have long picked up on the Sleeping Beauty threads Sarah has been dropping for years, and SJM has done nothing but continue to build on that narrative.
In this year of 2024, in Sarah's most recently published book, after years of speculation:
Azriel confirmed something was indeed wrong with the Cauldron.
Azriel literally listened to a Sleeping Beauty symphony.
Briar Rose, flowers and fawns and the Sword of Truth, sleeping spells which can only be broken by true love, the inside of Elain's mind being described as a sleeping garden.
I'd like to give my perspective on something, from someone who started out in the ACOTAR fandom as part of the general audience, and who has a sister that is not apart of fandom but has read the books.
I read the series back in November 2023 in about 2 weeks. I stayed off of social media for a bit until I decided to make a Tumblr account.
After reading the books, I wasn't sure if the series was complete. It didn't feel complete. The first three books focused on Feyre. Nesta had an entire, almost 800 page book dedicated to her. For me, it was natural to assume, "Oh, Elain is next!" because logically, that was the only thing that made sense. Why would two sisters have books, but the third wouldn't? The series would seem incomplete.
Flash forward, and I find out that yes, there will be more to come in the series. However, at this point, I was still unaware that a bonus chapter for Silver Flames existed until a friend casually mentioned it. I asked where to find it and I began reading.
The first part of the bonus chapter confirmed what I already believed from reading the books. Azriel and Elain share mutual feelings. Truly, I didn't need confirmation in the bonus, because there were moments in the books that I already had picked up on. The bonus was just a nice surprise. Something fun.
But imagine my shock when I decided to insert myself into fandom space as a casual reader, and see folks who are 110% convinced that the next book's main character is going to be a secondary side character that was introduced about 40% of the way into the 4th book.
You don't have to imagine my shock, because I'll tell you. The moment I set foot into this fandom, I have been beyond confused. Bamboozled. Befuddled. And honestly, a bit gaslit.
Prior to this bonus chapter, I assumed everyone thought it was obvious and picked up on the pattern. The first sister gets a few books to explore her powers, heal, and fall in love. The second sister gets a book to do the exact same thing. The third sister would get a book...to do the exact. same. thing.
There was a week where I had zero idea that the bonus chapter existed. There are STILL people who have no idea that the bonus chapter exists, and may never end up reading it. These people are not on Tumblr, Reddit, Instagram, or Discord, discussing in depth theories and potential love squares. They are solely relying on canon text.
So, genuinely, what do you think their reactions are going to be, if the next book does not focus on Elain, the third sister, but rather a priestess, who was part of someone else's story, who was only just introduced in the very last book, who does not have any ties to the plot? Yes. They will be lost, too.
My sister, who is part of the general audience, and is not present in fandom spaces, has the same opinion. The idea of Azriel and Elain not ending up together doesn't make sense to her. Prior to showing her the bonus, she had already assumed Azriel and Elain would be the next pairing in the next series. Because she had only read the canon text. The canon text that is available to everyone. The bonus is not.
So, essentially, what I'm trying to say is, if the next book does not feature Elain as the main character, and Azriel as the main love interest, with sprinkles of Lucien here and there because he is still important because of the mating bond, then there will be a gigantic chunk of casual readers, who are not involved in fandom spaces, that will be utterly confused at the direction of the story. Because for people who are not on social media, they are only using the canon books. Their information is only coming from the canon books that are available for all readers. If information in bonus chapters is supposed to be important, then it would be featured in books for everyone to read.
Some people really forgot where Sjm has used "was given to another" before 👀
Spoilers for the throne of glass series
In Empire of Storms, Maeve tells Aelin that she "gave" Rowan to Lyria :
Maeve said, “So your mate was given to another. And I let him fall in love, let him get her with child. And then I broke him. No one ever asked how those enemy forces came to pass by his mountain home.”
And, in Azriel's bonus chapter, Azriel questions why Elain was "given" to Luc*en :
Azriel ignored the question. "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.
When we get to Kingdom of Ash, Rowan explains that he wondered if Aelin was his mate even as early as Heir of Fire (at that point, he still thought Lyria was his mate) :
“I wanted it to be you,” he breathed, closing his eyes. “For months and months, even in Wendlyn, I wondered why you weren’t my mate instead. It tore me up, wondering it, but I still did.” He opened his eyes, and they burned like green fire. “All this time, I wanted it to be you.”
The bonus chapter was the first time we see Azriel daring to say something about feeling that Elain was his mate. He must have been wondering it just like Rowan did but when he finally dared to voice it out, he was shut down by Rhys.
Whether some people like it or not, Azriel does behave like Elain's mate and the bond between Elain and Luc*en has already been questioned 2 times.
Azriel is doing the same thing Rowan did before he learned Aelin was his mate but some people aren't ready for that conversation.
OK! I'm not the type to post on Tumblr but rereading "Persephone the Torment of Hades" I can almost replace the characters with Elain and Azriel, it's so them, I love it. I'll let you discover some extracts, I love this book by Allison Shaw ❤
Is an oily residue corrupting Azriel's hypothetical mating bond and making him feel off kilter? Is it related to Valg-type magic?
Disclaimer: this theory is a continuation of a few of my others that I've been too lazy to post until now - first I was going to post it for Elriel Month 2023, then Azriel Week 2023... it never happened - but like everyone else I'm having massive FOMO before HOFAS, so here we finally go, even though I know I've forgotten something lol. As usual, this makes no claims of being accurate, it's just theorising for fun.
A massive thank you goes out to @wingedblooms, @tswaney17, @silverlinedeyes, @psychologynerd, @ladynightcourt3, @cassianfanclub, and anyone else I've forgotten (sorry!) for all of our discussions that finally became this post. Love you guys. 💜
Spoilers: this is a Maasverse post, and draws from the ACOTAR series, CC 1 & 2/HOEAB & HOSAB, and the TOG series. It is CC 3/HOFAS spoiler free, as I'm waiting to read it in its "original English" 🤓 on the 30th of January. Please be respectful of that if engaging in the comments before it's published!
Plenty of people, including @silverlinedeyes, @icedflames and myself, have posted our thoughts on mating bonds in the Maasverse, and this theory builds on those previously established - though again, as yet hypothetical - ideas. Specifically, this post about the use of “oily” throughout the ACOTAR series is recommended reading.
What we do know is that:
Mating bonds contain threads, and so do spells.
Mates are the song/music of the soul, and their laughter is likened to music.
Different fae, and magics, contain different scents, be that personal or regional
First, let's go back to ACOWAR, when Feyre described the Ravens' entrance into the library as being like an off-kilter chord:
I felt it at the same moment she did. The ripple and tremor. Like … like some piece of the world shifted, like some off-kilter chord had been plucked. We turned toward the illuminated path that we’d just taken through the stacks, then to the dark far, far beyond. - ACOWAR, chapter 30
Initially, I had wondered if the King of Hybern had had Jurian use the Harp to infiltrate Velaris, but it was @merymoonbeam (I think) who theorised that the Cauldron might be mimicking the Harp, and maybe not doing the best job of it. Which made me wonder, could it do the same with mate bonds?
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. - ACOSF, Azriel's bonus chapter
Looking at her now … She was pale, yes. The vacancy still glazing her features. But he couldn’t breathe as she faced him fully. She was the most beautiful female he’d ever seen. Betrayal, queasy and oily, slid through his veins. He’d said the same to Jesminda once. But even as shame washed through him, the words, the sense chanted, Mine. You are mine, and I am yours. Mate. - ACOWAR, chapter 24
What if the Elucien bond, as either a spell or piss poor Cauldron-Made approximation of a bond, causes Azriel - and maybe Elain, possibly Lucien - nausea when Lucien is around because it's constantly changing, or reverberating over the top of, what remains of a hypothetical Elriel bond?
What if it's making the Elriel bond off-kilter, out of whack, imbalanced?
Does this make Azriel feel sick, nauseous, or simply overwhelmed/overstimulated?
When people are feeling off-balance, for whatever reason, they can feel sick or nauseous. It's one of the symptoms of vertigo, which can be triggered by severe headaches such as migraines. And guess who rubs their temples? Azriel!
Alternatively, certain chords played loudly enough on a string instrument can really mess with your chest - and where do mating bonds attach - if you're standing close enough for them to vibrate through you (at least, they do for me haha). It can be weirdly disconcerting, and I'd imagine that if Azriel or Elain feels something like this, no wonder he describes such severe discomfort that he needs to leave, and she shrinks away from Lucien, the unintentional cause of her pain.
Same with the smell; if the magic of the Cauldron, in whatever way, is messing with the smell that should be there? Contaminating it? Unbearable.
Is this too crack for you? Well, let's get even crazier.
I have previously suggested that the Cauldron's actions throughout the series could be tracked, in part, by SJM describing a feeling or quality as “oily,” and I've also wondered if the dark maker of the Cauldron - Koschei? - could have hijacked it in some way, as the Book of Breathings being made from leftover iron gave me “One Ring” vibes. I still stand by that, but with a clarification (and here is where the TOG and CC spoilers come in, FYI). I think it's only half of the magic belonging to the Cauldron that is "oily":
Throughout TOG, the Valg are heavily associated with “oiliness,” in terms of their blood and magic. The smell “reeks” and always results in the involved characters experiencing extreme revulsion, including headaches. Sound familiar?
Wyrdstone has an oily, hideous aftertaste.
Even in CC 1/HOEAB, Danika was described as oily when she came into Griffin Antiques.
Celaena looked at the sealed door, her stomach turning. A half-dried pool of blood lay at the base of the door, so dark it looked like oil. She crouched, swiping a finger through the puddle. She sniffed at it, almost gagged at the reek, and then rubbed her finger against the pad of her thumb. It felt as oily as it looked. - COM, chapter 45
“What the hell is that?” Rowan demanded, kneeling beside her, sniffing her outstretched hand. He jerked back, snarling. “That’s not dirt.” No, it wasn’t. It was blacker than night, and reeked just as badly as it had the first time she’d smelled it, in the catacombs beneath the library, an obsidian, oily pool of blood. Slightly different from that other, horrific smell that loitered around this place, but similar. So similar to— “This isn’t possible,” she said, jolting to her feet. “This—this—this—” She paced, if only to keep from shaking. “I’m wrong. I have to be wrong.” There had been so many cells in that forgotten dungeon beneath the library, beneath the king’s Wyrdstone clock tower. The creature she’d encountered there had possessed a human heart. It had been left, she’d suspected, because of some defect. What if … what if the perfected ones had been moved elsewhere? What if they were now … ready? - HOF, chapter 45
The overseer roared, thrashing as her magic swept into him, melded with him. But there was nothing inside to grab on to. No darkness to burn out, no remaining ember to breathe life into. Only— Aelin reeled back, magic vanishing and knees buckling as if struck. Her head gave a throb, and nausea roiled in her gut. She knew that feeling—that taste. Iron. As if the man’s core was made of it. And that oily, hideous aftertaste … Wyrdstone. The demon inside the overseer let out a choked laugh. “What are collars and rings compared to a solid heart? A heart of iron and Wyrdstone, to replace the coward’s heart beating within.” - EOS, chapter 15
* Side note, it's giving Tamlin and his stone heart.
Danika didn’t just look like she’d been rootling through the garbage. She smelled like it, too. Wisps of her silvery blond hair—normally a straight, silken sheet—curled from her tight, long braid, the streaks of amethyst, sapphire, and rose splattered with some dark, oily substance that reeked of metal and ammonia. - CC HOEAB, chapter 1
The Hind held Ruhn’s gaze as the game began. She was the spitting image of Luna, with her upswept chignon, the regal angle of her neck and jaw. As coldly serene as the moon. All she needed was a pack of hunting hounds at her side— And she had them, in her dreadwolves. How had someone so young risen in the ranks so swiftly, gained such notoriety and power? No wonder she left a trail of blood behind her. “Careful now,” the Harpy said with that oily smile. “The Hammer doesn’t share.” The Hind’s lips curved upward. “No, he doesn’t.” - CC HOSAB, chapter 33
I think the dark maker of the Cauldron could have been Valg, whether that's Koschei or someone else I don't know though Koschei currently makes the most sense. I also don't know when the dark maker would have had the chance to influence the Cauldron; was it always made from dark and light, or - as @fawnandshadows theorised a while back - did Koschei bastardise it after the fact? Where the Valg would fit in with the Daglan and the Asteri is also a mystery, though my current train of thought is that they could be family names or allegiances, like different clans of the same parasitical species, thanks to the description of Danika in HOEAB.
But, back to Azriel and his severe reaction to the Elucien bond.
I know I'm not the only one who wonders at the very Valg-ish themes with which Rhys and Azriel's powers have been described - maybe one day I'll post my thoughts about the possible link between lightsingers, shadowsingers, daemati and the Valg (but it is not this day lol) - and how that may have come about. For example, are the Valg interwoven, genetically, with the Avallen people, or is it because the Princes of Hel are also involved, and have similar magics? Are the Princes of Hel a similar species as the Valg, Asteri and Daglan, or completely different? Ugh, let's stop this spiral here.
Oily: the obvious train of thought being that oily things are slippery, which can lead to an imbalance… ie. becoming off-kilter.
Sounds like Azriel could be suffering from some sort of vertigo, of which symptoms can include nausea; severe headaches, such as migraines, may trigger an episode… and who rubs his temples enough that Elain noticed it?
Maybe Azriel can sense the corruption in the bond, either the current Elucien bond, or the hypothetical original bond between Elain and himself; if like calls to like, and his shadows are Valg-ish, maybe it is because his OG bond was fucked with. So, what if:
Azriel's shadows can slip away from spells and binding magic (Slippery > oily > Valg).
The guards at the prison know what he is.
Valg magic making Azriel nauseous and Elain sourcing/making a healer's powder for him? It's giving Chaol and Yrene. Especially since Elain (and Mor) make his shadows brighten.
So, we have in-text mentions of Azriel feeling overwhelmed due to the proximity of the Elucien bond, as well as Elain shrinking from Lucien - an action that parallels Azriel hanging out in the doorway, and even Lucien retreating to the human lands, if he feels any bond-related discomfort around Elain. But what about his initial response to seeing Elain, and thinking she was the most beautiful female he'd ever seen? The quote that sent me down the “oily” rabbit hole to begin with?
Looking at her now … She was pale, yes. The vacancy still glazing her features. But he couldn’t breathe as she faced him fully. She was the most beautiful female he’d ever seen. Betrayal, queasy and oily, slid through his veins. He’d said the same to Jesminda once. But even as shame washed through him, the words, the sense chanted, Mine. You are mine, and I am yours. Mate. - ACOWAR, chapter 24
Well, Aelin felt oily disgust at the thought of marrying someone who wasn't Rowan:
“There are no allies,” Darrow said. “Unless Her Highness decides to be useful and gain us men and arms through marriage”—a sharp glance at Rowan—“we are alone.” Aelin debated revealing what she knew, the money she’d schemed and killed to attain, but— Something cold and oily clanged through her. Marriage to a foreign king or prince or emperor. Would this be the cost? Not just in blood shed, but in dreams yielded? To be a princess eternal, but never a queen? To fight with not just magic, but the other power in her blood: royalty. She could not look at Rowan, could not face those pine-green eyes without being sick. - EOS, chapter 5
This example from Aelin could describe Azriel and Elain’s potential future if Elain accepted a theoretically Cauldron spelled bond to Lucien, but also for Lucien and Jesminda, if they were originally true or fated mates before she was murdered.
Some final thoughts:
We know from TOG that healing light is known as the Valg executioner. In a parallel to Yrene killing Erawan with her healing light in KOA, Elain killed the King of Hybern - who I suspect was possessed or assisted by a Valg, as Feyre described his magic as a “galaxy” in his palms - with Truth-Teller, which had recently devoured the (her?) sunlight; does this mean that Elain could heal or purify Valg possessed things, with or without the magical, Made dagger? Could this be extrapolated to Azriel's magic, the Dread Trove, or even the Cauldron (possibly with Feyre and Nesta for the bigger ticket items)?
If the Asteri are the same species as the Valg, and the Valg somehow had a hand in making or twisting the Cauldron, it could follow that they used the Cauldron to create offspring bonds for a more powerful food source. If this pans out then Elain, bright light, could hypothetically heal the Cauldron. Maybe that is why Azriel describes her with purity language? Not because SJM wants to display Azriel's apparently toxic thoughts about her (🙄), but because she, along with her sisters, will be his/their salvation? Rhys once said as much to Feyre!
@mrspettyferr has suggested that Azriel's shadows ability to hide him from binding magic - see: the High Lord's meeting in ACOWAR - could have prevented his true bond from snapping with Elain when she came out of the Cauldron. This could be supported by any Valg/shadow link.
Thank you for reading! Please don't mention any CC HOFAS spoilers in the comments or reblogs until after it has been officially published. 💜
Thinking back to the first kiss of each couple, two things become pretty apparent:
Each first kiss is interrupted.
Each first kiss is interrupted by the future antagonist of that couple.
Twice is a coincidence, but three times is a pattern.
Let's start with Rhys and Feyre. Their first kiss happens Under the Mountain, under less than ideal circumstances, when it's essentially forced by Rhys in order to protect Feyre. The kiss is interrupted and witnessed by Amarantha and Tamlin, as well as the rest of the Court. Now, interestingly, who becomes the main antagonists in Feysand's story? Tamlin and Amarantha/Hybern. The next 2 books deal with the aftermath of UTM, Feyre's relationship with Tamlin, Rhys's 'relationship' with Amarantha and the eventual conflict with Hybern, which is directly related to Amarantha.
Cassian and Nesta are next.
Their first (almost) kiss takes place in a bonus chapter called Wings and Embers. Cassian visits the still-human Nesta and comes on to her. They almost kiss. The kiss is interrupted by Nesta kneeling him in the balls.
No one else is involved. It's just the two of them. No external factors interrupt them. It's Nesta herself.
Who becomes the biggest stumbling block to their relationship in ACOSF? Nesta herself. Their story was about Nesta and her struggles. There was no external enemy to fight, no war to wage, no scorned lover to avoid. The conflict was the internal war that Nesta was waging within herself.
That brings us to Azriel and Elain and their almost kiss.
Just like Cassian and Nesta, their almost kiss takes place in a bonus.
They are not like Feysand, where Feyre actively fights and despises the kiss. They are not like Nessian, where Nesta fights even perhaps when she doesn't really want to. No, for once, we have a couple who are fully into each other. There is attraction, there is desire, there is lust. There is offer, and there is permission.
But, they are interrupted. They are interrupted by an external force, but it should've been a friendly ally, who suddenly became an antagonist. It's an interruption influenced by politics and another party (Lucien). However, unlike Tamlin with Feysand, who witnessed their kiss and was an active player in their story, Lucien is there as an idea. He isn't an active participant. He doesn't catch Elriel in a kiss. He is a symbol--of a mate bond. Of the shackle that was placed on Elain, and which leads Rhys to forbid his own brother from seeking her out. The bond affects ALL of them. What's more, Rhys forbids Azriel from pursuing Elain as a High Lord. He pulls rank and forces his will upon his brother.
All of this leads me to believe that Elriel's book will be political in nature--the conflict, I think, will be between Rhys and Azriel, and I think it will have to do with Azriel's power and what we'll find out about him and his heritage in the next book. The other conflict will be around the Elucien mate bond. The bonus did not indicate a conflict between Elain and Lucien as people, but rather, a conflict around the concept of duty, obligation and expectations.
I think the way SJM structures the first kisses tells us everything we need to know about the couple and their journeys.
I hate the when fans mischaracterize Elain as someone who is "weak and useless" when she's been someone who's always been brave and resourceful but it was hidden because her role as the marriage cattle was just to be pretty . I'd like to know your thoughts on this topic
Hi anon!
Oh my gosh, I love this question SO much and really appreciate you sending this! I have actually been mentally organizing some thoughts on the topic for a while, and this is the perfect opportunity to address them.
To take in a complete view of Elain, her role in the marriage market, the Inner Circle, and the role her specific brand of grooming will likely play in her future and book, I have found it fascinating to take a birds eye view of the grooming done to all of the Archeron sisters at the behest of Mama Archeron. The details of the roles and dynamics of each sister has played a huge role story-wise, plot-wise, and even romance-wise. I have no doubt the same will prove true for Elain, and in my opinion we have already seen what Elain's particular skillset is and how she can use it, despite the horrendous and unloving conditions in which she and her sisters developed them and the general lack of the fandom acknowledging them.
For Feyre, her theme is "bearing the burden," and she shares it with Rhys. I think of Clarke's "I bear it, so they don't have to" stance on leadership. Mamma Archeron gave the orders for Feyre to take care of her family (who knows why, jfc Mamma Archeron) and it influenced her skill-wise and psychologically. However, one of the most powerful and significant moments came into play when Feyre had to use her tracking abilities to find Rhys after he had been shot through with arrows and taken by Hybern. She single handedly saved the most powerful High Lord of Prythian and impacted the future of the world because she was able to track him. Romantically, their story moved forward after that show of her skillset, and the discovery of their mating bond came soon after.
Nesta of course, turned ballrooms into battlefields. She was her mother's creature. Thematically, she shares this with Cassian. While of course trope wise they are black cat and golden retriever and we love to simp over Himbo Cassian, he is a brilliant strategist and commander. They are the strategizers and the bulldozers. They enact physical and psychological warfare. I loved the scene when Cassian gifted Nesta the book The Dance of the Battle, and Nesta discovered how much she and Cassian actually could understand each other, and how similar their thought processes were:
And that little easter egg- the dance of the battle, Nesta would use her training and dancing to enact finding allies amongst the enemies with her dance with Eris... I mean. Chills. And of course, her dance with Eris and offer of marriage played a role in the convo when Nesta and Cassian's mating bond snapped:
Ultimately, Nesta was taught to use marriage as a weapon. And her court would have secured a powerful ally if she had married Eris. But love will never take a back seat. She both used her grooming, but also overcame it and moved beyond it. The grooming informs them, but no longer controls them.
Now, I love all the Archeron sisters, but let's put RESPECT on Elain's name. Elain provides what we call invisible labor. She was taught to do a *lot* more than just sit and look pretty. She takes charge. She organizes and executes and is action forward. She was just taught to do it privately. Elain shows her strength behind closed doors. Of course, being an Elriel, I believe she and Azriel are tied together thematically as well. Their work and labor for their court is done in secret, in the shadows. She showed us this in her first scene returning back to the page in ACOMAF:
Elain takes control of the entire situation and lays out the plan on how to keep the secret of using the Archeron manor as the meeting place with the human queens to move the war and search for the Book of Breathings forward. She manages the house, the servants. She will step up and do what needs to be done, and she understands how to keep things behind the scenes.
She stabs the King of Hybern in the neck by sneaking up on him, stepping out of the shadows.
She surprises everyone on Solstice, privately working with healers and local vendors to provide the most thoughtful gifts for her family and friends:
We see in ACOWAR how she already had plans to run and organize Lord Nolan and Grayson's manor, adding a woman's touch to it, but she also possessed all of the details of their defenses and war -readiness, things that were likely not expected of her, nor did Grayson likely even realize she knew or understood:
Again, Elain is the one organizing and executing this plan. Glamoring Elain, bringing the other Fae to hide and obscure her scent, protecting the humans behind Grayson's barricade, all her ideas. She is smart. She is always aware of her surroundings. Time and time again, Sarah has shown us on page through her writing that Feyre and Nesta both misunderstood Elain. That they didn't realize that Elain saw and understood everything:
Elain is the queen of invisible work. Of silent labor. She was groomed to run and organize a household, but stay quiet and in the background.
Elain is not, and has never been, useless. She has been smart, she has been brave, she has calculated moves that have saved lives. She does not cower. She does not hide.
But secrecy is her theme. Working in the shadows, in the background. Laying invisible ground work.
She doesn't have to prove her value in her book. She already is valuable. But we will come to understand how she was shaped by her grooming. And I believe there is very good reason to assume the themes of that grooming will play a huge role in her story and romance, as her sisters before her.
I have no doubt she will blow everyone away with her bravery, her intelligence, and stealth. And I for one cannot WAIT for it. If people want to continue to discredit and devalue her, it is frankly their loss. We already know who Elain Archeron is and what she can do.
Yesterday I came across a Gwynriel comment on a pro-Elriel post that said: “I like Azriel. Which is why I want him to find his mate.”
I’ve always found this Gwynriel/Elucien rhetoric ironic because they’re making it clear they don’t actually like Azriel. Because if they like Azriel, wouldn’t they want him to find LOVE, first and foremost? SJM has mentioned multiple times that a mating bond is not equivalent to romantic love, and yet Gwynriels, especially, only ever argue that they want Azriel to find his mate.
I’ve found that this is the biggest differentiator between Elriels and Gwynriels/Eluciens: Elriels want Az to find happiness. We want him to find LOVE—whether it’s through a mating bond or not. The emphasis is always on LOVE.
To be honest, it took me a really long time to think through this, because I have SO many things to say on the topic! But in the interest of keeping this concise (false when have I ever kept things concise), and addressing this issue head on, we are going to go ahead and say yes, sure, maybe SJM is a "fated mates only" author (even though some of my favorite SJM couples are not mates) and that has no bearing on whether or not Azriel and Elain are still likely to be endgame.
It comes down to active and inactive storylines, as well as facts from the books versus ideas and theories of what could be true.
Throughout her multiverse, Sarah has told the "Fated Mate" story in a variety of ways, and she continues to tackle it in new ways. We have had faked mating bonds, villainous cosmic interference with mating bonds, bonds that were revealed slowly, bonds that snapped quickly, bonds that solidified over oceans before two people even met, two people literally just *deciding* they are mates and making it so, and mating bonds where the pairs were miserable and not well suited, and they lived in misery until they died.
Prythian is the only world in the multiverse where there is even a conversation about the female being able to reject the mating bond. Those are the rules set forth in Prythian. You cannot ignore them. If Elain doesn't want Lucien, she gets to reject him. Them's the rules. This isn't even an *option* or mentioned on the other worlds. Prythian is the only one where, time and time again, we are reminded that there are many unhappily mated pairs. Rhysand's own parents were miserable. So miserable that Cassian thought the mating bond was all lies and bullshit for over 500 years, until Rhys and Feyre, for the first time in his centuries of life, proved him wrong. (ACOFAS, Chapter 2.)
Narratively, Prythian has set up and established a mating bond rejection. No other SJM world has. More than that, Feyre questioned why Lucien and Elain were paired together, and seeing Elain be placed with Lucien even though Feyre thought Elain and Azriel would be a better fit made Feyre realize how lucky she and Rhys were to be mated *and* in love. Directly comparing Elain and Lucien to Feyre and Rhys further proved how special Feysand was.
Then Azriel questions the Cauldron, asking if it could be wrong. (again, the second time this question has been asked in regards to Elain and Lucien specifically.)
Now, in HOFAS, the most up to date publication, that narrative continues as we discover the Asteri pooled their power into the Cauldron to make it serve their will. (HOFAS, Chapter 25) This answered Feyre's question; Who are the powers that decide to force people who don't like each other to be mated and create the most powerful offspring? (the Asteri, because they need to eat their souls for sustenance and gain control of the world) And of course Azriel is the one watching this all unfold and learning this information. Azriel questioning the Cauldron has now been laid out not only in ACOSF, but the last two books Sarah has published. These are the facts that will set up the next book, just as Feysand and Nessian were set up in previous books.
Feyre and Rhys were already tied together in book one. We knew, heading into book two, that Feyre and Rhys had connected. They trusted each other. And while their bargain was not consensual, she chose to go to him when he called through her bond of her own free will, because they had developed a connection. We head into book two knowing exactly where things were headed. She has an interesting/developing relationship with Rhys, and she is guaranteed to see him again. This sets up the "Ordinary World" (I've made a few posts on the hero's journey book structure SJM follows, more on that here) for book two. By the end of ACOTAR, Rhys and Feyre are in an active storyline together that picks up in ACOMAF.
Nesta and Cassian had their entire plot laid out in A Court of Frost and Starlight. Cassian is dealing with Devlon and the struggle to get Illyrian females training. He describes the Blood Rite, and muses on what the one from the upcoming spring will bring. Nesta is in her alcoholic I hate my family era, and Cassian is fighting to get back what occurred between them during the war. The kiss they shared, and the willingness to die together. And they are both fighting like wildfire. By the end of ACOFAS, these are active storylines. Everything discussed about or between them in ACOFAS picks up and comes to pass in ACOSF.
Whether you want them to be together or not, the active storyline in ACOSF and HOFAS is between Elain and Azriel. Questioning the Cauldron, fighting their feelings for each other, and the tension between them escalating was their story in ACOSF. People who argue the bonus chapter ended their story are factually incorrect. Because as of this day, in this year 2024, Azriel's "What if the Cauldron was wrong" storyline CONTINUED in House of Flame and Shadow.
Azriel stood there and learned first hand how the Cauldron had been corrupted and warped by creatures who came to Prythian in search of sustenance, and, as previously mentioned, "pooled their power into the Cauldron so that it would work their will." (HOFAS, Chapter 25) They then "protected their interests" by turning the Cauldron into a killswitch, ensuring it could never be destroyed and that their will could continued to be enacted on Prythian or the world would cease to exist.
So, these are the active storylines when Azriel and Elain wake up in Prythian today (thus setting up the Ordinary World in the three act structure) that expand upon the previous two books:
Elain and Azriel have feeling for each other.
Azriel's feelings for Elain are so strong that he questions the Cauldron, and is willing to fight to the death over it.
Azriel has learned that the Cauldron was completely corrupted and fucked up by an evil species that used to rule over Prythian, and now rules over Midgard, and eats souls by churning them through a "soul meat grinder for food." (HOFAS, Chapter 16)
Azriel has learned that all of the Dread Trove items were created by the Asteri in the Cauldron, the same beings that warped the Cauldron and turned it into a kill switch to ensure power over their world. (HOFAS, Chapter 24) Only the Archeron sisters can wield the Trove, and are protected from it being used against them.
Azriel learned that Truth-Teller and the Starsword were also made in the Cauldron by the Dusk Court ancestors to destroy the Asteri. Currently, only Azriel can wield both Truth-Teller and the Starsword. Elain can also wield Truth-Teller. (Possibly Nesta as well, but Elain used it to travel through shadows while Nesta used it to cut off a head.)
All Cauldron Made items, both for and against the Asteri, are now in possession of the Inner Circle along with the knowledge that they need to discover what they can truly do, and to find the hidden cache's of magic stored in their world.
Elain has stated that she is a member of the Night Court and will do what is needed to serve it.
Elain is reacquainting herself with her powers, and is ready to be used to locate and wield Trove items.
Elain has feelings for Azriel.
Azriel has feelings for Elain.
Here are inactive storylines:
Elain using her sight to deal with Koschei, which is what I understand to be the largest E/ucien theory at play tying Elain to the BoE. Elain has not been involved in the Koschei storyline since ACOWAR, nor does she have an active storyline with Lucien besides shrinking into herself when he is around, not speaking to him, and not liking his presents.
Lucien however, is involved in the Koschei storyline as of ACOSF as it pertains to Vassa. He stares at the sea, as if setting his target on Koschei, (ACOSF, Chapter 7) and is living with Vassa and Jurian. This is what is active for Lucien. Nothing else. Any possible storyline for him outside of this is theory and speculation does not exist yet.
Gwyn does not have an active storyline at the end of ACOSF. "Gwyn, despite the Rite, had returned to living in the library. Gwyn had said she might leave for Nesta and Cassian's mating ceremony in three days." (ACOSF, Chapter 80) Her story as a Valkyrie completing the Blood Rite with Nesta has resolved and she has not presently been tied to anything else. Any ideas on how she might have a plot created are theories and speculations, but she is inactive.
Elain and Azriel are both active regarding the Trove, the Star-Sword and Truth-Teller, their feelings for each other, and Azriel is personally so propelled forward in being the Cauldron's number one hater that if a mating bond were to suddenly snap between him and Gwyn in his current headspace, he would not just forget about Elain and the dark damage done to the Cauldron and would likely not entertain the bond without more information.
If Sarah wants to make Azriel and Elain fated mates, she will. She has done everything under the sun with mates and will do more. She can do whatever she wants with magic. But you have to understand that the next book will start, as Sarah always structures it, with the "ordinary world" picking up where the last books left off. And it left off with Azriel and Elain, the fight against the Cauldron, their feelings for each other, and the reveal that all Trove items as well as the Dusk Court and Starborn heir items are now in the Inner Circle's possession, to be wielded by the sisters and Azriel alone.
And yes, as mentioned by @enigmaticexplorer we want Azriel to find love. He already has found it with Elain. Now it's just a matter of if Sarah chooses to make them mates, or if they say to hell with mates because we chose each other. Either option is great in my book!
On Disrupting the Status Quo: The Archeron Sisters
First of all, I want to thank everyone so much for the love on my previous post! I genuinely thought I was sending a Vassien Hero's Journey dissertation out into the void and not a soul alive would read it. I am thrilled and delighted to have been met with such welcome in this space!
I'll keep this next one short and sweet, (retcon- I did not keep it short and sweet) but one of my additional favorite topics to break down regarding the structure of the Archeron sister's and their journey's is a disruption of the status quo to the world at large. Through their stories of healing, love, and coming into their power, both Feyre and Nesta have tackled a system of patriarchy within Prythian/Illirya and improved conditions for females in a way no one has been able to do before the arrival of the Made Sisters. I truly hope Elain gets her chance to do the same!
Feyre at the beginning of her Hero's Journey: There are no High Ladies. Only males have the power to oversee a court. Feyre, not only through her relationship with Rhys but through her own healing journey and establishing her power, takes his side as an equal. She is High Lady. Feyre showed that females can be more. They do not simply have to sit by the side with no titles or agency and let males fight over who gets to keep them as Lady of their court. They can be equal in power. Even Tarquin, who has his own plans to disrupt power imbalances, was surprised.
And of course, my hope is we got some foreshadowing for more High Ladies to step up with Viviane. She single handedly held the Winter Court together during those harrowing years Under the Mountain, both as a warrior and a leader.
Moving on to Nesta, her Hero's Journey led her to solve a problem that her mate and the High Lord of the Night Court hadn't been able to solve for HUNDREDS of years- getting females training.
More than that, she and Gwyn and Emerie became not only the first females to ever participate in the Blood Rite, but they also won.
By coming into her power and going down her path to accept her life as Fae and heal, The Valkyrie's have been restored and females of any heritage now have a safe space to train without the leering contempt of Devlon and the Illyrians. I certainly hope Illyria continues to progress, but this is a huge start. And it is all because of Nesta and her choice to lean into who she would be in this new life now that she had chosen to face it.
Aaaaand I'm crying. Please hold.
Now we move onto Elain. And this is my question- if Elain is *not* going to disrupt the status quo by challenging the mating bond, by pushing against the expectations of her court to satisfy political conflicts and taking away her agency in who she wants to love, then who is going to do it? And what is going to be done for the females of Prythian who are unhappily mated? What is going to be done for Lady Autumn, for females like Rhy's mother, for all who *tried* to make it work because females have little to no choice in who they are paired with?
*Someone* is going to tell this story. And in doing so, they will not only be making the best choice for themselves, but they are going to challenge the very foundation of another way females are kept in submission like Feyre and Nesta did. They are going to demand that no one else goes through what Feyre did-giving Tamlin the right to wage a war simply by putting a ring on her finger then deciding not to go through with the wedding and leaving him by choice. Someone is going to ask why anyone had the right to sell Lady Autumn into a lifetime of abuse. Why Morrigan was allowed to be sold as a commodity. Someone is going to remember what it felt like to lose their fiancé because the mating bond meant they "belonged" to someone they didn't even know.
Someone is going to say no more. No more of females being political pawns, being objects to be sold and traded, to having their choices stripped and lives controlled over a system that is widely accepted as deeply flawed and not entirely understood.
This story will be told. And if it is not told by Elain Archeron, then I simply ask, who will?
So a little Elriel, sorry to those who don't like this couple :') but I've loved them since the beginning ❤ before Nesta's book and even more after the rescue scene.🦇🥀 So I'll post about them often, then if you have any questions I can always see and answer them. However, know that I'm French and the bonus chapter of Azriel was never published here :D, so before I looked closely at the theory I didn't even know why people were sending Az and Gwyn. 🥲
So a little Elriel, sorry to those who don't like this couple :') but I've loved them since the beginning ❤ before Nesta's book and even more after the rescue scene.🦇🥀
So I'll post about them often, then if you have any questions I can always see and answer them. However, know that I'm French and the bonus chapter of Azriel was never published here :D, so before I looked closely at the theory I didn't even know why people were sending Az and Gwyn. 🥲
