I'm stating now that there is a possibility this tangent may have spoilers for the series so, do read at your own caution? I guess? I'm only halfway through the second book, so anything that happens up until now is fair game.
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All right, we are back on another "Blood and Ash" rant...thing. I'm currently reading the second book of the series ("A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire") and have choice words about one of the characters. Theories. I have theories about Alastir in particular.
So, Vikter dies towards the end of the first book. Vikter, throughout the entire first book, "From Blood and Ash", serves as a father figure to Poppy, along with being her personal guard. Described to be somewhere in his 40s, golden hair and blue eyes, this man screams dad vibes the second the dynamic between him and Poppy is explored. It's almost instant that you can't help but trust Vikter. This is also why his death at the end of the first book is fucking heart-wrenching. There's no easy way to say that, especially since Armentrout does such a stellar job of putting the reader in Poppy's shoes. We feel her grief when Vikter is fatally wounded and dies in her arms, when he apologises. It isn't long after his passing (like, literally no more than a few seconds or minutes) that Hawke and the Duchess whisk her out of the room. Poppy doesn't get to say goodbye or prepare for a funeral like she did when Rylan was killed early on. She doesn't get to properly grieve the way that anyone deserves.. it's just go go go and it sucks because Vikter was, like I said before, more of a father figure to her than anything.
It's explained early on in the second book that Poppy doesn't...remember Leo, her birth father, all that well. In her nightmares, he's nothing more than a blur or muddled in appearance, and his voice is never quite right. And sure, one could argue that it's a dream /nightmare, but that isn't..a just argument. She remembers her mother with vivid detail, down to her dress and her voice and just little tiny details that can be discussed in a whole other micro essay.
Enter Alastir ..Last name. I don't remember his last name, but! He's a Wolven. He's the right hand man to the Da'Neer family and serves as an advisor to them. He's close with Prince Casteel and his bestie Kieran, which makes him seem cool and trustworthy. It cannot just be coincidence that his description is eerily similar to that of Vikter's.
Yes yes, blonde and blue eyes is common, but in this circumstance, I think it's intentional. Poppy comments when she first meets him that Alastir reminds her a fair bit of Vikter, and that she can't help but trust him. The repetition of this statement is...odd, to me. We get it, you trust him, but...why would it need to be repeated unless there's something else?
Alastir is guarded, but compassionate. Casteel makes a remark that Alastir can't keep his mouth shut, which only leads me to believe that...maybe Alastir has his own plan? Maybe this once, he has a completely different motive than the royal family. He's quick to offer Poppy a way out if she doesn't want to marry Casteel. If he was as loyal to the family as everyone is letting on, then why would he help a young woman who has been a key tool in creating those that have decimated his own people. If he was as sweet as they say, why does he speak to Poppy alone? Every interaction between Poppy and Alastir has been a father-daughter bond...behind closed doors. Never in front of Casteel, who is like a son to him, and Kieran.
NOT TO MENTION THE GUY HAD A THING FOR CASTEEL'S MOTHER. So, you know.
In summary? I don't trust Alastir and he's written so well that it's all up in the air..