Emerging to say some things and unpopular opinions that have been going through my head lately:
Btw, maybe all of this has already been discussed by the fandom, but I have been really disconnected for several months, so bear with me please!
Also, this post ended up becoming longer than expected, and it's quite disorganized. Oh well.
Sjm has said that the next book's main characters is obvious. While all signs seem to point towards Azriel or Elain, but I think that the last chapters also put a HUGE spotlight over another character: Eris.
- He was the main focus of the second-to-last chapter, in which we learn A LOT of things about him: how he is routinely tortured my his father, how he is somehow jealous of the Summer and Winter courts because of their closeness to Night, and, most of all, how Cassian comes to the realization that maybe, deep inside, Eris IS a good person.
- We also get teased yet AGAIN with what really happened between him and Mor.
So, while I'm positive that the main character is going to be either Az or Elain, I think that Eris if going to play a huge rule in future books. And when you look at the entire Gwyn & Az & Elain & Lucien mess, it's not difficult to start theorizing how he would fit in.
First of all, let's look at this love square we have going on, because when you think about it Eris has (or might have) a very close connection to every single member expect Elain (and I think this might change).
Azriel - infamous enmity, he hates Eris because of how he treated Mor (and remember, we have been insistently teased about what really happened between them, so it is reasonable that we will learn about it soon) (also, I personally agree with the theory about Mor and Eris being mates)
Gwyn - One popular fandom theory places Eris as Gwyn's grandfather. While I personally wouldn't really like this theory to be confirmed, it IS the type of thing sjm would do, and it does have some possible foreshadowing scattered around. If it is confirmed, Eris would play a huge role on Gwyn's arc.
Lucien - They are brothers. Moreover, now we know that Eris was the one that made sure Lucien could scape to Spring, so I think that this fact is going to become a plot point between them and their relationship with each other, their family and Tamlin (and maybe Elain)
Elain - She has not had any connection with Eris till now, except when he was looking at her as a possible dance partner just before Nesta stepped in.
More hints about Eris' possible future involvement: Sjm has been talking constantly about how mates do not necessarily have to be endgame, and how their bond can be ignored/there can be more than one bond, etc. It seems like free will to choose a partner is going to be a pretty big theme going forward. We have been focusing on Elain as the recipient of those statements, but if Eris and Mor are revealed to be mates (which I do think is going to happen), it can be applied to them as well. Through this shared experience (having a mate they do not want to be with (Eris) and not being sure of wanting to be with her mate (Elain)) Elain and Eris would have a reason to bold with each other through shared experiences.
So, taking all of this into account, I think it would be pretty fair to say that Eris has a lot of chances of being a very important character in the next book.
Now, here is my unpopular opinion:
While my crack ship is Azriel x Eris, it is very obviously not going to happen (a shame, just look at all that potential). I personally do not care whether Elriel or Gwynriel end up being endgame, I think both couples cute, but while I absolutely love Lucien, if Gwynriel becomes canon I would rather see a relationship develope between Eris and Elain than Elucien ending up together as well. Why?
Elain has been a hidden badass up until now, but she is starting to show her true worth now. Eris is somebody who is constantly monitoring the people around him and trying to stay on top of the situation, so I'm positive that he would notice the steel in Elain (and therefore "seeing her", something we know Elain appreciates). In the same vein, we have seen how much Elain actually sees and understands the people around her (her talk about Nesta and her dancing), so she would realize that there is more than meets the eye with Eris pretty soon. They are both involved in mating bonds they might not want (if Eris does turn out to be Mor's mate), so they could bond through their experiences, fulfilling the theme of choosing their destiny and rejecting mating bonds that has been hinted at in future books. And I can actually see sjm making them end up together in a plot twist.
So, this has ended up becoming a pretty long, disorganized post, I hope it is somewhat understandable. The bottom line is that Eris could be involved with every single member of the Love Square, so I would be really surprised if he doesn't play a huge role in the future, specially because he could be a plot point in every single character's journey.
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