the fact the tbos universe so far has minimum six books and yet i dont have a SINGLE prophecy unless you're counting what's written on the walls of that cave (and that's more of a treasure map/riddle if anything) is bonkers bc one thing about me is that i LOVE a prophecy, and writing the plot for the lone queen (tlq) lately ive been thinking about adding a prophecy, and obviously being a bastard and a scoundrel i was like 'wouldnt it just be the sexiest thing if there was a prophecy in hammari's story that totally encapsulates the events of her book, the three books of tbos, and the two books of the quest'. and listen. ive seen all that bs writing advice that's like 'the prophecy trope is overused!' 'stop adding prophecies to fantasy stories it's lazy and worn!' and for YEARS i have been an active pro-prophecy truther bc HELLO there's a reason it's a trope and that's bc the people have declared that it fucks stupendously. im never gonna be an anti-prophecyer.
however.
HOWEVER. what if there was a prophecy.... and it was wrong. like you know fantasy stories often have the 'this is the destiny each character is bound to and if they stray even a little bit then the entire course of history changes' and the stakes come from anxiously watching them come CLOSE to straying but ultimately things work out? i dont want that. i want the prophecy in tbos to state what was SUPPOSED to happen. it starts as a warning to hammari for her brutality and that will stay the same, but this prophecy states that hammari will be too cruel and if she doesn't form a peace with the wisers then it will birth a new war (all true so far), and that her own kin will suffer for it when a new wiser, a worse wiser than isenia, colder and less inclined towards a peaceful resolution, a wiser who wants only revenge, will emerge and they will slaughter the house of harasaeon and rule over a land of ash and blood and monsters.
this is the prophecy. a world where nate and the brotherhood attack the royals. a world where the morrigas never return to burnos and the west is devoured entirely by monsters. a land of death and ruin and war. always war.
this is what was supposed to happen if herines hadn't done something first.
