For my dearest @rosehallshadowsinger. And all the Elriel shippers. :) Consider this an index of sorts for all the Elriel moments in ACOMAF, ACOWAR, and ACOFAS. Obviously there will be spoilers, so tread with caution! Not all of these moments are shippy, per se, although some could certainly be considered so. Iโve simply tried to compile a list of all the times theyโve interacted or where other characters have discussed them together.
(On a related note, some of you may remember me saying a while back that I was going to do something like this for Rowaelin. Iโm still planning on it, so stay tuned!)ย
One more thing before I get started, because I feel it needs to be said given the climate of the fandom right nowโthis post is NOT meant to bash the Elucien ship or Lucien as a character. I have absolutely no problem with Elucien as a ship, and to be honest, I still swing back and forth on which one I want to be endgame. ACOFAS just seemed to be leaning more in the Elriel direction, in my opinion, and so I was curious to see if there were other clues pointing to it throughout the series. But so long as Elainโs happy, Iโll be happy with whomever she ends up with. :)
Elain and Nesta are introduced to Cassian, Azriel, and Rhys. Azriel smiles when he sees Elain clutching her fork at the dinner table.ย
Later, Elain tries to make up for Nestaโs rudeness by explaining how humans are raised to fear the Fae.ย โElain cast pleading eyes on Rhys, then Azrielโฆโ Azriel agrees with Elain that it must be very disorienting to have them in her home.
Elain relaxes after Az talks to her.
Elain tries to make conversation with Azriel by asking him if he can fly.
A Court of Wings and Ruin
Azriel carries Elain from the House of Wind to the town house.
There areย โno shadows to be seenโ around him as heโs carrying Elain.
Azriel asks Elain if sheโd like him to show her the garden. Elain agrees, and calls either his Siphons or his handsย โbeautiful,โ causing Az to blush.
Later, Rhys tells Feyre that Azriel knows sheโs watching him. He is in the garden with Elain, reading reports while Elain has tea.
Feyre asks, โWhy not make them mates?โ and goes on to talk about how Rhysโs parents and Tamlinโs parents were mates but wrong for each other. Then, talking about Az, Feyre says,ย โWhat if that is what she needs?โ Rhys assures Feyre Elain will have their protection if she rejects the mating bond with Lucien.
Elain comes downstairs in the middle of the meeting with the Inner Circle. She says she thinks sheโs always dreaming, and Azriel asks her what she has seen. Elain answers in a riddle, and Feyre asks Azriel what he thinks Elain means. Azrielย โstudiesโ Elain and then winnows away. Morย โwatches the space where heโd been standing long afterโ heโs gone.
Cassian and Azriel come to the town house while the sisters are having breakfast. They both goย โa bit stillโ upon seeing Nesta and Elain. Azriel bows to them. Elain comments makes a cryptic comment to Cassian about how it wonโt take more than snapping his wings and breaking his bones to kill him. Feyre offers to help Elain to the garden, but Azriel steps in to do it. Again, Feyre notes there are no shadows or darkness around him when heโs near Elain.
Elain tells everyone that the other queen might come to help them in the war. Azriel asks Elain which one, and she responds,ย โThe queenโwith the feathers of flame.โ This is when Azriel announces that the Cauldron made Elain a seer.
Feyre says,ย โIt made senseโฆthat Azriel alone had listened to her. The male who heard things others could not โฆ Perhaps he, too, had suffered as Elain had before he understood what gift he possessed.โ Azriel continues to question Elain about what she has seen.
As the group prepares to winnow to the camp, Feyre notes that Elain is at Azrielโs side.ย โThen Azriel, gently taking Elainโs hand in his own, as if afraid his scars would hurt her.โ
Azriel is the first to notice Elain missing after Feyre wakes up from her nightmare about the Cauldron. He goes to her tent and finds her blankets are still warm.
Azriel says, โIโm getting her back.โ Nesta tells him heโll die. Azriel just repeats,ย โIโm getting her back.โ
Azriel swears to Rhys that heโll bring both Feyre and Elain back.
Azriel and Feyre find Elain, Az removes Elainโs gag and asks her if sheโs hurt. Elain isย โdevouring the sight of him as if not quite believing itโ and then says,ย โYou came for me.โ
Az tries to break the chains using his Siphons, but it doesnโt work. He carries Elain while they escape, telling her,ย โHold tight, and donโt make a sound.โ
Az is attacked by one of Hybernโs hounds but Elain kicks it away and it falls into the ravine.
When they arrive back in the camp, Azriel isย โstill cradling Elain to his chest,โ despite his bleeding wounds. Rhys arrives and takes Elain away from him, but Az tells him they need Helion to get the chains off her. Elain kisses Azrielโs cheek.
Azriel gives Truth-Teller to Elain.
Cassian gawks at Azriel in shock and Rhys tells Feyre that Az has never given Truth-Teller to anyone.ย โI have never once seen Azriel let another person touch that knife.โ
โElain looked up at Azriel, their eyes meeting, his hand still lingering on the hilt of the blade. I saw the painting in my mind: the lovely fawn, blooming spring vibrant behind her. Standing before Death, shadows and terrors lurking over his shoulder. Light and dark, the space between their bodies a blend of the two. The only bridge of connection โฆ that knife.โ
A Court of Frost and Starlight
Azriel tells Rhys he doesnโt keep tabs on Lucien because heโs Elainโs mate andย โit would be an invasion of her privacy to track him.โ
โYou mean to tell me that you werenโt bluffing when you said you didnโt track Lucienโs every movement?โ Nothing. Absolutely nothing on that face, on his scent. The shadows, whatever the hell they were, hid too well. Azriel only said coldly,ย โIf Lucien kills Graysen, then good riddance.โ
Then Az asks if theyโre buying the sisters presents, but heย โstumblesโ and Rhys notes how odd it is for him to do this.
Elain carries out potatoes to the dining room and Azriel enters the room. Feyre:ย โI felt, more than saw, my sister go still as he approached her. Her throat bobbed.โ
Elain says hello to Az, but he moves toward her, tells her to sit, and takes the potatoes from her, telling her heโll take care of it. Elain freezes for a second and then goes back to the kitchen to tidy herself up.
Cassian tries to grab some potatoes, but Azriel grabs his wrist:ย โWait,โ Azriel said, nothing but command in his voice.โ Mor is gaping and Azriel and Amren in smirking.ย โWait until everyone is seated before eating.โ
Rhys tells Feyre that Az is sensitive to things like that because of how his mother was treated. Feyre comments that Az has never had that reaction before, but Rhys just tells her it comes at odd times.
Amren tells Elain that she canโt go back to being human. Feyre looks at Azriel andย โIt was pity on his beautiful face. Pity and sorrow as he watched my sister.โ
Azriel makes a joke that eases the tension at the table and makes Elain smile.
While Amren and Feyre are discussing Nesta, Amren comments that Elainย โhas her own problems to focus on.โ When Feyre asks what she means, Amren just gives herย โa Look.โ
Cassian wants to take bets on whether Lucien shows up, but Azriel refuses, even though Cassian says heโs made bets on people all the time.
On Solstice, Azriel goes to stand by Elain and wishes her Happy Solstice. Elain says sheโs never participated in the holiday before and Az tells her itโs overrated.
Elain opens Lucienโs gift, but immediately sets it aside. Mor gives Azriel Elainโs presentโthe powder to mix in his drink to ward off headaches brought about by the Inner Circle. Azriel laughs, and Feyre says sheโsย โnever heard a such a sound, deep and joyous.โ Azriel tells Elain it will be invaluable.
Azriel and Elain stay up on Solstice night, and Elain shows him her plans for the garden.