I feel like the fandom really mischaracterizes Cardan sometimes, and it’s honestly frustrating. People love to paint him as weak, dumb, or completely reliant on Jude, and it’s just… not true.
First of all, Cardan isn’t weak. The man survived an absolutely hellish upbringing—abuse from his family, neglect, and being treated like he was nothing—and still came out on top. He may not be a sword-swinging warrior like Jude, but he’s got his own kind of strength. He’s clever, manipulative when he needs to be, and knows how to play the long game. Jude might be the strategist, but Cardan is the one who can pull people to his side with words alone.
And let’s talk about this ridiculous idea that “Cardan probably wouldn’t be able to pick up Jude.” I saw someone saying that under a fanart of Cardan carrying Jude. Like, have you read the books? He’s described as tall, lean, and fit. Just because he’s not a muscle-bound tank doesn’t mean he’s not strong. The man is Faerie, which means his physical abilities are likely leagues above a mortal anyway. Not to mention, we’ve seen him hold his own in fights when it comes down to it (he killed half an army)
Here are some paragraphs where he does in fact pick up Jude.
What bothers me the most is how some people ignore the layers to his character. He’s not dumb or helpless—he’s strategic and emotionally intelligent in ways that complement Jude’s tactical mind. He might not plan ambushes or train for battle, but he reads people better than almost anyone.
Honestly, the whole “Cardan is weak and silly” take feels like such a disservice to his character. He’s a survivor and a very complex character, a king who learned to wield his power in his own way, and yes, I fully believe he could (and would) sweep Jude off her feet—literally and metaphorically.
