What does Cassian think of Aisling?
I had to take this one to the Socratic seminar for debate and discussion
First of all, I think there’s parallels to be made between Nesta and Aisling that would affect Cassian’s overall view of Aisling: they’re both noblewomen, they’re both difficult and can be bitchy, both perceived as outsiders in Velaris, both are arrogant, brutal, and cowardly in ways that the IC doesn’t necessarily understand or relate to. So that’s a bit of a double edged sword for Cassian - Nesta certainly remembers Mor’s comment comparing Nesta to the hewn city fae, so any disparagement of Aisling for her heritage could be taken as an unintended criticism of Nesta, too. I don’t know that Cassian would see Nesta in Aisling, but I feel like Nesta would see Nesta in Aisling. That could play out in a variety of ways, depending on how you like your nessian.
I don’t have a strong voice for Cassian because I find him so contradictory. He has a soft spot for women, particularly women in bad situations, because of his mother - but then he was aggressive and dismissive with Nesta. How much of that was because of his underlying insecurities, and how much of that was because he was grappling with his attraction to her? He’s not a brute but not a golden retriever himbo either, just like he’s not politically savvy but he’s also not a dumbass.
As to how he treats Aisling, I think it depends on whether erisling or aisriel is happening. I feel like he’d be more likely to view Aisling as a version of Mor and to be sympathetic to the parallels between them. In an erisling fic, I can see him being much more sympathetic to Aisling, assuming she plays her cards well and isn’t a cunt to him: look at the poor doomed female, living the life he helped Mor escape from. Passed into the hands of the Vanserras, a little bride for Eris to torture. In a karmic way, he might take emotional responsibility for it, since he’s prone to doing that - he could save one female, but by doing that, he had to damn another. He’s attracted to that sort of suffering, even when it’s not warranted in my reading of him.
Conversely in an aisriel world, where he’d likely get to know aisling better, I can see him actually being less sympathetic to her because she isn’t softening and being grateful like any “saved” female from the hewn city should be. Instead she acts like she hates Azriel, and he’d view that with skepticism and resentment. Depending on how azriel felt about the situation, I can see Cassian getting very overbearing very quickly.
For the record, Aisling dislikes him because he’s Illyrian, he’s uncouth, and he’s a big violent scary man in her house. She’d handle him like she does Rhysand: only give him as little respect as she can get away with and reveal as little as possible about yourself lest it be used against you. Arms length and disdainful at all times, and do not ever show any weakness. Very counter to Cassian who thrives on connection and vulnerability
