elains book is going to be full of plot twists and surprises. (ik i’m late, but elain archeron appreciation week: favorite trait being her sneakiness and cunning n fav ship: elucien)
in acosf it’s obvious that elain is hiding something. she downplays her abilities to the point where the ppl around her forget she even had them. but let’s look at her actions before acosf. bc i think sjm has been foreshadowing elains secretive and sneaky nature for a while now.
elain is the most socially active sister. while feyre n nesta both have an aversion to large society parties n gatherings, elain turned being a socialite into an art form. she mentioned in acotar how the people around her were very two faced, and how her so called “family friends” were praying on her family’s downfall. (which is a similarity she has w lucien, they both have an extensive background with two faced and fake courts/societies) who’s to say she didn’t learn anything from this experience. that she learned how to read people, how to get what she wants- but not by using brute force and power, by using a smile. in the months between regaining their fortune and feyres return to the human lands, she secured one of the most wealthy and influential eligible men in her realm to marry. she’s a social climber. and while she loved graysen, i think she understood that she lived in a patriarchal society where the only was to rise above is to marry well. she was raised with the mindset that a woman’s purpose to have an advantageous marriage. she had one foot in each room, was engaged to a faerie hating bigot all while supporting the magical beings. she harbored faeries in her own home, without any human knowing. even when she was nervous and apprehensive around the bat boys, she made small talk and was kind, and she made sure they liked her. she knows how to play the field.
when nesta gets angry, she lashes out immediately. she stole from the cauldron and told feyre abt the risks of her pregnancy without thinking. (this isn’t a dig towards nesta, i love her, but she can be impulsive) when elain is angry, she waits for the best time to strike. she didn’t react abt the wrongdoings she faced at the hands of the king, then she waited until she had the right opportunity and stuck a dagger in his throat. she wasn’t at nestas intervention, even though she agreed with feyre n the ic, she waited until time had passed and approached nesta separately to offer her opinions on her sisters actions.
now this isn’t a post to support the elain spy! theory, bc she wouldn’t do well in espionage. she’s well known, easily recognizable, and fits in with people- not watching them from a distance. feyre even said her ability to keep a secret rivals azriels, she hid the fact that she still has her powers and wanted to use them from him. azriel was just as surprised as everyone else that her abilities haven’t been laying dormant. he also wants to shelter her from every danger, there’s no way in hell he would allow her to spy with him.
now bc i am a hardcore elucien shipper, let’s look at how they mirror each other in this way. (i explain it in a simpler way in this post) lucien is a sneaky fox. he went behind feysands back to help nuan, and avoided the high lords meeting and the war in general. we then later learn that he had been calling in favors, striking deals, gathering and rounding up an entire army to help prythian. he waited until just the right moment, and he struck. (i personally believe we were robbed of an eos type moment for lucien, where everyone was shocked when they realized that aelin secretly gathered an army but that’s just my opinion.) he also works for two different courts at the moment, in addition to the human lands. he plays both sides of the field, he knows how to play people. also feysand thinks they’re so sneaky, just wait until elucien forms their own plans. also wanna know who else is sneaky and played double agent for a bit... JURIAN. i’m calling it now, the band of exiles is going to be prythians rude awakening!!!!
we all know that there is more to elain than meets the eye. she’s cunning, she’s manipulative, she’s calculated, and she’s a lot smarter than she lets on. she sits and waits, all while playing nice, but when she’s ready to hit, she hits hard. this post is so long i’m so sorry
