Will Elain Archeron become "the Shadowsinger's Knife"?
Or has she already taken on this nom de guerre?
Please don't share or screenshot this post without credit. Art used with permission from the amazing theclever.crow on Instagram.
Disclaimer: this post is really more of a meandering discussion than a theory, which makes no claims of accuracy. It's just something I've been speaking about with @wingedblooms and @silverlinedeyes as a continuation of my posts about the parallels between the Archeron sisters - specifically Elain - with Bryce Quinlan and Theia, as well as Elain's association with Truth-Teller.
Spoilers: ACOTAR, CC and TOG series to date.
Relevant previous posts:
Could the Archeron sisters be descended from Theia, the Starborn Queen? Here.
Powerful parallels between the Archeron sisters, Bryce Quinlan and Theia. Here.
Theia's secret legacy: is "Gwydion" code for Theia's own deeds in the Prythian history books; was she forgotten on purpose? Here.
Does Truth-Teller portend a future relationship between Azriel and Elain Archeron? Here.
Azriel and Elain Archeron live up to their names: Here.
To clarify, I'm not suggesting that Elain will become known as "The Shadowsinger's Knife" as a title - she is a Seer, with possible mystic or oracle* powers, so something along those lines seems more likely to me (although even then I can understand her not wanting word to get out, because she'd never be left alone) - but that she, or another being, might have nudged a cosmic thread or two in order for her name to be replaced by that of the blade she used to pierce the King of Hybern's throat in any historical accounts of the event, or even in the minds of her family and friends.
* Post by @wingedblooms.
Does Elain have a nom de guerre?
Many have noticed the fact that, as of ACOSF, Elain's crucial role in killing the King of Hybern to save Nesta and Cassian - and their world! - appears to have been erased, with Nesta herself claiming to Gwyn that it was "luck and rage" that allowed her to slay the faerie who was seconds away from ending both her and Cassian, before Elain stepped out of a shadow and stabbed him through the neck so hard that she created an exit would on the other side.
We've all seen the following parallel between Elain and Azriel, with Feyre calling Az "the knife in the dark," but Elain actually performing the deed:
But the second male, the more classically beautiful of the two … Even the light shied from the elegant planes of his face. With good reason. Beautiful, but near-unreadable. He’d be the one to look out for—the knife in the dark. Indeed, an obsidian-hilted hunting knife was sheathed at his thigh, its dark scabbard embossed with a line of silver runes I’d never seen before. - ACOMAF, chapter 16
The king’s hand began to drop. And then halted. A choking noise came out of him. For a moment, I thought the Cauldron had answered my pleas. But as a black blade broke through the king’s throat, spraying blood, I realized someone else had. Elain stepped out of a shadow behind him, and rammed Truth-Teller to the hilt through the back of the king’s neck as she snarled in his ear, “Don’t you touch my sister.” - ACOWAR, chapter 74
I have previously discussed the idea that "Gwydion" might be synonymous with "Theia" in Prythian's history books and, to me, Elain's erasure appears to be in the same vein. Elain - possibly - either already is, or could become known as, "the Shadowsinger's knife" when the King of Hybern's assassination is referred to in the history books. Again, I don't think this will be a title, simply a way for her to remain private and fly under the radar. When Gwyn said to Nesta that she killed the King of Hybern with "the Shadowsinger's knife," could she have inadvertently been referring to Elain? Was Nesta lucky that Elain was enraged at the threat the King posed to her life?
If Elain does end up working in the intelligence field in some capacity, it would make complete sense for her actions to remain as hidden as possible, given her very public identity. Additionally, if Theia* was a Seer - and I wouldn't be surprised, Theia being the Greek goddess of Light and Sight - it would fit with the theory that Seers, and the fact that Cauldron Made beings, can make themselves be forgotten.
“Made objects tend to not wish to be found by just anyone,” Amren cautioned. “That they have faded from memory, that even I didn’t think of them immediately in the fight against Hybern, suggests that perhaps they willed it that way. Wanted to stay hidden. True things of power have such gifts.” - ACOSF, chapter 20
Given Nesta didn't think, even once, of Elain's crucial actions when Gwyn asked her about the King of Hybern's death, I lean towards Elain - who is Made - or another being - maybe a mystic or god, who can nudge psychic threads - being responsible for this (consciously or not on Elain's behalf), and not Nesta deciding that Elain needed to be protected, though I could be incorrect, of course.
Is Elain Truth-Teller's chosen wielder?
This is an incomplete discussion, because metas are hard work, but consider the following... we saw Truth-Teller devour sunlight in ACOWAR:
Elain’s eyes widened at the obsidian-hilted blade in Azriel’s scarred hand. The runes on the dark scabbard. “It has never failed me once,” the shadowsinger said, the midday sun devoured by the dark blade. “Some people say it is magic and will always strike true.” He gently took her hand and pressed the hilt of the legendary blade into it. “It will serve you well.” - ACOWAR, chapter 69
And then in HOSAB, Truth-Teller and Gwydion's (aka the Starsword) relationship was revealed:
The male dropped the dagger to the plush carpet. All of them retreated as it flared with dark light, as if in answer. Alpha and Omega. “Gwydion,” the dark-haired female whispered, indicating the Starsword. - CC HOSAB, chapter 78
Elain "stepped out of a shadow" to save Nesta and Cassian, answering Feyre's prayers.
Elain, in Hebrew, means my god has answered me.
I've been wondering for a while if the dark light with which Truth-Teller flared in answer to the Starsword could potentially be shadows, similar to Azriel's own, because we don't actually know what Az's shadows truly are. So, did Truth-Teller...
Allow Elain to focus some latent shadow magic of her own; ie. could she be a Singer of some sort? These posts here, here and here discuss this,* but additionally, I wouldn't be surprised if Truth-Teller allowed Elain to pierce the fabric of reality and shadow walk to save her sister.
Forge a carranam bond with Azriel that let her access his powers?
Does the magic reside within the blade itself, and Elain managed to recharge it with her (hypothetical) light?
* Reblogs of posts by @silverlinedeyes and @wingedblooms.
Could it be a combination of these scenarios, or something else entirely?
“You honestly think he’d ever give up Truth-Teller?” “He gave it to Elain,” Mor said, admiring a moonstone necklace in the counter’s glass case. “She gave it back,” I amended, failing to block out the image of the black blade piercing through the King of Hybern’s throat. But Elain had given it back—had pressed it into Azriel’s hands after the battle, just as he had pressed it into hers before. And then walked away without looking back. Mor hummed to herself. - ACOFAS, chapter 4
Given the above ACOFAS quote with Mor and Feyre it wouldn't surprise me if Elain wielded Truth-Teller once more... or even permanently. This could lead to another parallel between Elain and Bryce Quinlan, who currently wields Gwydion/the Starsword.
Bryce and the Starsword seems to be a foregone conclusion:
Given the a possible link between:
Theia (and now Bryce) wielding Gwydion, which is known in Midgard as the Starsword,
Elain wielding Truth-Teller, Gwydion's paired blade, and
The blades hypothetically being known for their deeds, rather than the person who used them...
How will this affect Bryce going forward? Will her actions also be forgotten by history, or be labelled with the Starsword's name? Or is this phenomenon only applicable in Prythian? Alternatively, will something change in the future, as the Starsword and Truth-Teller have now been reunited, or perhaps only once the Asteri have been defeated?
I know I've mentioned it before, but I do hope that any link between Elain and Bryce is more intrinsic to themselves, and not just because they are the hypothetical "chosen" of each blade - which, I really think they may be, as each blade was found by a shadowy male (Azriel and Ruhn, respectively) who is important to them, and then used by him for years, but they were never fully utilised, as Bryce and Elain appeared to do so with little training.
As if it was meant to be.
What could this mean for Azriel?
These parallels are part of why I think Azriel could be Starborn, with a little light. Like Ruhn Danaan, is Azriel's (hypothetical) Starborn light hidden beneath his shadows, and could his discovery of Truth-Teller parallel how Ruhn once found the Starsword (aka Gwydion) during his ordeal?
How could this impact the plot?
The Starsword belongs to Bryce (and Ruhn), but could Azriel wield it for a time? In ACOSF, Azriel mentioned that he preferred swordplay to close quarters fighting... could that have been a hint that he would wield Gwydion, while Elain used Truth-Teller (thus fulfilling the ACOFAS conversation between Feyre and Mor)?
Will there be some sort of lending of the blades between their worlds - and is there a difference in timelines that could allow this - such that they can each use the magics at full strength to defeat their respective enemies and then give the blades back? Could Hunt possibly use Truth-Teller to power up the Starsword from a distance, instead of the risky and inconvenient practice of throwing lightning bolts at Bryce?
Like I said at the start, this is more of a meandering discussion than a fully fleshed out meta, but I'm excited to see where it goes.
