The solstice gift exchanges tells a lot about endgame couples.
I see people talking about the Solstice gifts between Elain, Lucien and Azriel and how Elain not wearing Lucien's gifts means she wants nothing to do with him and how she returned Azriels's means it's going to be a set up for misunderstanding. As I thought about it, something suddenly clicked, and I realized that what Elain and Azriel have done with their solstice gifts, is more symbolic than I think people account for.
Elain has yet to interact with Lucien's gifts. She's taken them but hasn't worn them, nor has she left them in a pile. How Elain has dealt with Lucien's gifts the same way She's approached the mating bond. She hasn't accepted it, but she hasn't rejected it either. All we know is that she's stubbornly avoiding the bond, the same way she stubbornly avoided wearing Lucien's gloves and got hurt.
Elain has canonically worn gloves while gardening before she turned Fae.
When Fayre mentions that Elain got hurt and had she worn "Lucien's" gloves, nothing would have pierced her at all, that was 100% foreshadowing and symbolic for Elain accepting Lucien and knowing Lucien would never hurt her (the way Graysen and soon Az would).
Then Lucien gifts her pearl earrings. Again, barely a thanks, but she took them, she did not reject them. Later on, we see Elain wearing a pearl comb, the only thing that seems to stand out against the Night Court dress that sucks the life out of her. Another perfect gift but Elain just isn't ready to accept right now. She didn't give it back, she could have, but she didn't and that's such an important detail!
I think Elain not returning Lucien's gifts to her, but holding onto them is a perfect symbolism for her bond with him. Each gift he's gotten her has fit her personally. You want to garden? Here's gloves that will protect you from getting hurt while you do the thing you love! You like pearls? Here are pearl earrings!
Lucien, her mate has a deeper connection to her than any other male would, and fits her perfectly and while she has yet to engage with him and accept that, she has not outright rejected him either. Elain has yet to give Lucien a gift, and while many say that means she wants nothing to do with him, I think it has more symbolic tones of the fact she has not accepted the mating bond, and is not yet ready to reciprocate that sentiment.
Now Elain has given Azriel gifts for both solstice. They didn't seem deep or meaningful in the ways that felt personal. Headache powder and earplugs, and the reasoning behind them were more as gags. It's the kind of gifts you give to friends. With Azriel, it isn't anything serious and deep, it's that light and airy no strings attached kind of thing. Azriel didn't even give her a gift the first solstice and was relieved he did not have to.
Now, during Solstice in the BC, we see Elain heading down to put Azriel's gift with the others, but she did not expect to see him. He had his gift to her, and decided right then and there he was going to give it to her. The gift he got Elain was described as simple and plain on the outside, but when held up to the light, it's true beauty shines.
There are lots of interpretations for who that symbolizes the most and who it is referring to. However, I'm going to focus more on the symbolism of the exchange of this gift.
Azriel presents this to Elain, and she asks him to put it on her. He puts the necklace on, but all he can think of how wrong it is, how his hands somehow stain her, and how she doesn't know of the things he's done with them. The whole feeling in that moment is "wrong". Finally, things rise and he's about to kiss her until Rhys catches him just before he can make his move. Azriel says, "This is a mistake," and Elain has genuine hurt in her eyes before she leaves. (Remember that stubborn rosebush that hurt her? Remember the comment that if she had worn Lucien's gloves, nothing would have pierced her? Hmmm!)
When Azriel is discussing with Rhys about his intentions, we learn that he hadn't gotten far into his planning, only as far as his sexual pleasure. This is emphasized by how he jerks it to the headache powder, Elain's gift to him. Azriel looks at Elain's gifts as a sexual object, mirroring back to how he views Elain as only something sexual. He hasn't thought of any future with her and the only time he thinks of her is in something sexual.
The next morning his gift to Elain is placed on a pile of his gifts and from there on to the end of SF, neither continue to have any charged looks or interactions. Elain returning the necklace isn't a set up for misunderstanding, it's her being done with that side of the relationship. It's Elain making a stance that says "I'm done, I no longer want this." Vs. Elain keeping Lucien's gifts, someone people assume she wants nothing to do with and yet she hasn't outright returned his gifts like she did with Az.
Antis compare the exchange to Nesta and Cassian, where Nesta didn't want Cassian's gift, and he threw it into the sidra. The main difference here is that Cassian got rid of the gifts by throwing it so far away that no one could have it. It was Nesta or Bust. Nesta didn't want Cassian's offer in that moment, but he did not give it to another. He tossed it away.
Azriel however not only asked Clotho to give the gift to Gwyn, but he imagined how she'd look and light up when receiving it. The thought of her getting that gift caused him to smile and keep that image deep down in his chest. It's so interesting how he did not once think of how Elain might smile or light up when she gets the necklace. He didn't think about the joy it would bring to her, but he did with Gwyn. That's something that cannot be ignored and feels so intentional by SJM to show the juxtaposition between how he views Elain and Gwyn.
I can't imagine how some people take that as a sign that Elain and Az are going to have future build up. If Lucien gave Elain a gift, then hurt her in the process to only then give the same gift to Vassa or another woman, it would feel really shitty.
I believe that the gifts and the exchanges really are symbolic for where the characters are and hinting to what we will see next with them. When Elain finally truly accepts her bond with Lucien, I see her being able to not only accept his gifts but in return, give him one of his own. Knowing Lucien, just having Elain in his life will be the best solstice gift he could ever hope for.
