aroace sky & alex: some thoughts on (my view of) skylex
hey guys. hey. hi. im thinking about them again so i need to immortalize my thoughts on tumblr dot com for all to see
discord people have already seen this and forever shoutout to anxiousasalex for opening my eyes to the wonderful world that is aroace alex!! you are my hero and hearing your thoughts on it has genuinely been amazing, thank you forever and ever <3
ive also already written partially about aroace alex in a few fics so sorry if this is redundant but i wanna talk about it in my own words without having to have the characters themselves explain it in terms they dont really have and wouldnt admit to. so. yeah.
both sky and alex are aroace to me, but their romantic relationship is, to me, still an important part of what they mean to each other. and i know that the books spin it in a very explicitly romantic way, but hear me out... (this'll be a long post. sorry.)
to me, alexander stowe is a character defined by how much he loves people, as well as his loneliness. his family pushes him away and sends him off to die, and still he tries to reach out and/or defend their decisions. he's always on the outskirts of his friend group, whether by choosing to isolate himself or through having to be the leader--and still, he longs to be close to his friends time and time again, and feels his best when he's part of the group again. he loves his sisters to death and back, and yet he smothers them so much that he ends up pushing them away.
alex is also a character who is abandoned time and time again. aaron tries to kill him, marcus tries to fake his death to get away, meghan and lani and samheed leave without him because he's too busy to follow, he loses simber and cole and carina and sky tries to save her mother alone and then his sisters leave him in quests, too, and he's so used to it that it feels like an inevitability. so maybe he'll do whatever anybody wants to keep them around.
and i feel like that interacts with his romantic relationships in a really interesting way. lani bullying him is part of what pushes him away in the first book, but he still kisses her on the cheek and seems to have crush-y feelings on her. he pushes sky away time and time again for a variety of reasons, and yet they continue to come back to each other, over and over, especially because they work together so well as a team and he feels as though he cant succeed, cant survive, cant live, without her.
along with this, alex is someone who struggles with saying no. he plays along with what people want from him often when it comes to his role as head mage; even after telling marcus no, marcus simply ignores him and insists that he takes the job anyways. and it seems to go well, everyone tells him that he's an amazing leader even if he doesnt always feel like it.
so what about him being aroace? well, here's a boy who's been told time and time again that he just doesn't fit in, no matter how hard he tries. even in a world of misfits, even in a world where he's finally seen as talented and amazing, even in a world where he's allowed to be himself, he doesn't quite fit in. but he's so desperate to! he's always been desperate to be loved, to be part of the group, to not miss out on things, even when he gets pushed away over and over. everyone else is feeling all these romantic feelings, samheed and cole have crushes on meghan, lani's got a crush on him, etc. etc. and he wants to be just like them, he wants to fit in, so it's not that hard to just play along with what people want, right? he's already doing what marcus wants, even though he doesnt like it, so what's one more thing? if this is what keeps the people he cares about in his life, then shouldnt he play along and try to feel the same way?
side tangent: to me, quill is a society devoid of romance. strong feelings about anyone, or really anything, aren't something that's really allowed. parents don't even feel strong love for their children, and i doubt they feel strong love for each other, in almost all cases. however, artime is a world filled to the brim with feelings, with love, with care, with art of all kinds and color and magic, where those feelings are allowed and encouraged. along with this, artime does have access to records from the outside world--works by shakespeare and ovid, along with books like moby dick, are all canonically available in this world, and all feature strong romances that literally discuss our world's feelings on things like marriages. they take inspiration from our world in the fragments theyre given, and, well, those are fragments they canonically have...so i can see that being part of where artime gets its views on romance from, and thus, i can see it being something they encourage as well.
and, again, he's surrounded by it in his close friends. carina's already been married and had a child; sean's got a crush on carina; samheed and lani end up getting together; the list simply grows as the series continues. this is all normalized for him. this is something he should want, right? this is what it is to be normal?
enter sky. sky, who latches onto him quickly, who gives him a shoulder to cry on time and time again, who's caring and intelligent and helps solve his problems and never complains about it. sky, this girl he feels as though he has to help, once she helps him; sky, adventurous and willing to fight for what's right, who understands him and will be by his side no matter what.
and, like, obviously he should love her, right? isnt that what he's meant to do? he's supposed to kiss her and hold her close and do whatever he can to help her, right?
along with this, alex is an artist. he sees the beauty in everyone and everything around him, all their little quirks and mannerisms and the way their hair falls and...you get it. and that kind of aesthetic attraction is really, really easy to confuse for a romantic one.
(i also do view alex as someone who experiences attraction and romantic love sometimes. i think it's closer to demiromantic/sexual than grayromantic/sexual, but i dont want to label him that closely, especially if it's not really words he would have access to. but i could see him, somewhere beneath all of his other feelings about sky, of obligation and trust and care and understanding etc., loving her, at some point.) (he's someone who craves affection and attention, so romantic relationships are something that i think he does enjoy, even if he doesnt necessarily feel the same way. he doesnt mind sharing his life with someone.)
now, onto sky.
sky is different from her unwanted peers because she's not unwanted, a fact that she brings up time and time again. she's not creative, she's not magical, and she knows that she doesnt really have the same context of a quill upbringing that everyone else does. at first, she doesnt really know anybody else; theyre all closer friends than she is, and she hovers at the edges of the friend group, not really getting close to anyone besides alex.
another side tangent: i dont think warbler has traditional families or parental pairs, let alone romance. again, this is a form of control by eagala; let people feel strongly about each other, they might pair up against you. obviously these kids know their mothers, but fathers are never mentioned by any of the warbler characters, so i wouldnt be shocked if parents just dont stay together past, yknow, making a child. along with this, i view warbler kids as being raised moreso by all the adults underground, allowing most parents to go back to their normal jobs at a certain point. it's not fully giver-esque where birthmothers and babies are fully separated, obviously sky and crow still love copper and scarlet knows her mother, etc., but it's not like quill, either.
so, along with missing out on the literal experience of being unwanted, she feels like she's had so many other things stolen from her, including this idea of romance. what's one more thing for her to learn, you know? she's surrounded by it, so surely she can pick up on it easily enough.
and alex is her closest friend in the world, someone who looks at her like an actual human being rather than just another cog in a silent machine, who listens to what she has to say and chases her down to help her and theyve been through so much together. she knows him so well and cares about him so deeply and theyre already so close--if she has to be in a relationship with anybody, then he's her best option, and she doesnt mind it. she can already see herself spending the rest of her life being close with him, so what difference does this make?
their relationship is still founded on so, so much love and trust and care for each other, i just dont necessarily think it's romantic. at the end of the day, they really are a pair, through and through, balancing out each other's weak points in some places and amplifying each other's flaws in others. but they saved the world together! i genuinely dont think the two of them could ever be just normal friends about each other, if that makes any sense. they are best friends at the very least, no matter what.
not the end of the world if you dont view them this way as well, i just think it's a fun way to play with the worldbuilding and their characters at the same time!
Now it's time to discuss Sky and the romance side of this book. We haven't really gotten romance as the main focus of a character's arc in the series before this book, and this one does two (and a half if you count Carina and Sean): Lani and Samheed, and Alex and Sky. Alex is (as always) a mess, and that leads to some interesting issues.
First off, a bit of a disclaimer. I love the headcanon/theory of Alex being aroace. It’s a completely valid reading of his character. Also, it adds a lot to his character arc and his consistent struggles to maintain a romantic relationship. However, both Alex and the books themselves treat his relationship with Sky as romantic. So that’s how I’m going to treat it (even though I like them as a qpr more tbh).
What's Left Over
"She [Sky] moved closer and took Alex's hand, and for a moment, he forgot to breathe. Without thinking, he brushed a finger across her cheek, wiping away a smudge of dust. 'You're pretty. . .awesome,' he said. Saying it made him feel like a dolt, but she didn't laugh. She blinked and looked down as the blush rose to her cheeks. He didn't know why she made him feel so weird. Maybe because she seemed to understand so well all the anxiety he was feeling, all the responsibility. And all the pain, too. Whatever it was about her, it was starting to make him act like a total dork."
Alex and Sky build this really beautiful relationship based on trust and mutual respect. Alex is drawn to her and relies on her in ways that he doesn't let himself with other people. In a similar vein to what drew Alex to Lani in book one, Alex is drawn to Sky because of the character traits she has that he doesn't. And those have shifted from what he was attracted to in Lani. He was attracted to Lani's boldness and spontaneity when those were things he was lacking in himself. But he has both of those things now. He's good at adjusting to things on the fly. He can face down an army without flinching. He's no longer that scared little kid. He doesn't need someone to push him to be more outgoing. He needs someone steadying. And that's exactly what Sky provides. Alex is attracted to her steadiness and independence. Alex at this point is an anxious mess who is always worried about the people around him. But with Sky, he knows that he can rely on her but that she doesn't need him to rescue her. It's freeing for him. Like I mentioned earlier, Sky also reminds him that it’s okay to live. That it’s okay to be selfish and have things for himself.
"'You're just really, really cool, and amazing, and smart, and levelheaded-'
Sky covered her face with her hands, embarrassed.
Alex stopped talking and waited for her to look at him again.
She spread her fingers and peeked between them.
'And clever,' Alex said.
She pinched the space closed again.
Alex grinned. 'Okay, he said. . .'I'll stop. I promise.'
She pulled her fingers away and raised an eyebrow.
'Promise,' Alex said again."
On Sky’s side of things, she appreciates how dependable he is. She’s used to having to be the one to take care of herself. She can’t rely on anyone else to keep her and her brother safe. She can’t trust authority figures not to try and control her. But Alex is loyal to a fault and shows Sky time and time again that, even when they’re fighting, he will come for her. He will follow through on his word for her. But he’ll also respect her decisions and not try to change her into someone she’s not.
"'Who am I kidding? Look at Mr. Today-he left his family to do this job, and he never seemed to have time to like his wife or anybody again, and I know why. It's because this job is endless. So don't even talk to me about who I should like or shouldn't like, because I'll never be able to have anything resembling. . .that. Ever.'"
But then Artime comes back and things are more complicated for Alex. He has less time to spend on things he enjoys and with the people he likes. Instead of sitting and planning and desperately brainstorming all day, Alex is now doing all the things he's planned. Everything is happening all at once and it's a lot for a teenage boy to handle. He doesn't think he can handle a romantic relationship on top of all that. Or, he views his responsibilities as more important than doing the things he enjoys, one of which is spending time with Sky. Which leads to him starting to push her away. I always forget that the initial reason Alex pushes Sky away isn't that he's blaming her for his mistakes, but that he feels like he doesn't have the time to give her the relationship he feels like she deserves. This job is consuming him and there's very little of him left over for other people.
"Maybe it was because he liked her both as a friend and as a girl. Kind of like Lani, only this girl was. . .
His eyes sprang open, and he pulled his hand from hers. What was he doing? What would Meghan think if she saw him holding hands with Sky? How could he do that when Lani was out there somewhere, probably suffering?"
But that’s only one thing that's driving the conflict in the romance part of this story. The other is the love triangle that Alex made up in his head. Even at the beginning of this book, he knows that his feelings towards Lani have changed. That what he feels for her is friendship rather than romance. It doesn't make him care any less about her or want to try and rescue her less, but it does mean that he feels guilty for being attracted to Sky when he never officially cut things off with Lani.
"There was something in that one impulse-Lani turning to Samheed for comfort instead of him-that said more than anything else could have. . .And even though Alex's feelings for Lani had changed, he couldn't help but curl inward a bit to protect the new emptiness he felt inside."
I say that Alex made up this love triangle because Lani has zero romantic thoughts about Alex in this book and no guilt about falling in love with Samheed. Sam does acknowledge that it's a little weird that Lani's clinging to him now, in terms of her previous pseudo-romance with Alex, but there's really no jealousy there. The whole love triangle is Alex's own creation. It also gets resolved with minimal fanfare. Samheed and Lani clearly are a couple when they come back from Warbler. A part of Alex does feel like he 'failed' by 'losing' Lani to Sam, but he gets over that quickly. I think he's more hung up on it because now he can't blame the whole love triangle thing on why he and Sky aren't together. And if it's not Lani that's the issue, it must be him.
"'The problem is, I just don't know what to do. Because there will be a lot of times where I'm plastered with all the messes this magical world makes. And I guess that's a lot-I don't know. All I have is what I've experienced so far, and this job about killed me. So I don't know. . .exactly what, or how much, I'd have left. . .over. . .for someone.'
He swallowed hard, and his foot brushed the sandy bottom. 'But the one thing I do know, and I'm not just saying this to get you to come home, is that I told you on the ship that I would help you get your mother out of there. And I meant it. I meant it then, and I mean it now.'"
Which leads us to the scene on the raft, which is the culmination of both Alex's arc of working himself too hard and his romance arc with Sky (at least in this book). Alex chases after Sky, making sure that she knows that she's wanted. He is open and honest and vulnerable with her about why he's been so absent lately, with the whole recovering from his injuries thing. Alex tells her that he doesn't know if he'll have much left over for a relationship, with how busy the head mage job is keeping him, but that whatever is left belongs to her. Sky is someone who is independent because she has to be. She's not used to people taking care of her and doesn't like relying on anyone else for anything. But Alex shows her that people are reliable, that she does have a home in Artime, and that it's okay for her to be taken care of. Sky reminds Alex that there is a life outside of his job. She looks out for him when others just assume he's fine, like when she waits back for him when they're fleeing from Warbler. They can be vulnerable and honest and respectful and dorky and teasing with each other and I love seeing the sweet and wholesome side of their dynamic.
Of course, I also love their break up arc in the next couple books, but that’s a topic for another time.
"It was something very soothing for Alex-an enjoyable, creative task he could do alone. It gave him the opportunity to decompress from his day and think up new ideas for Artime. Now he understood exactly why Mr. Today had spent so much time fixing up the pirate ship. It was a relief to realize that not every day as mage of Artime would require him to work at a breakneck pace."
After the raft scene, things finally calm down for Alex. He has time for Artime, himself, and Sky. He's working on the next rescue mission but still taking time to be an introvert and rebuild the whale skeleton. He's planning a masquerade ball to welcome in the next generation of Unwanteds. He's seeing that this job can be enjoyable and rewarding. And Alex does love leading. He loves the attention. He loves feeling like he's succeeding. And he loves his people. By this point in the book, Alex has really developed his own leadership style. He started the book trying to lead like Mr. Today did, like when he made the crow and warbler joke to try and comfort Crow. But that ‘wise old man’ style of leadership didn’t really work for him (probably because he’s not a ‘wise old man’). He discovers that he doesn’t want to hide things from his people like Mr. Today did. He doesn’t want to be a hard-to-approach, mysterious leader. Alex also knew from the start that he didn’t want to lead like Aaron does, with a firm hand, manipulations, and bribes. Alex discovers that he wants to be his own leader. He wants to be inspiring but honest; speaking from the heart with passionate speeches. He refuses to talk down to his people, treats each and every one with respect, and hides nothing from them. In a way, the masquerade party is symbolic of him finding this leadership style. It’s his own tradition that he starts and that carries on for years to come.
"Alex tried not to panic. He stood by Simber's side collecting his wits and gathering courage through a few mostly painless deep breaths. Florence moved over to them as well. Alex turned to face the partygoers, his face stricken, as hundreds of tiny lights appeared, dotting the surface of the sea between Warbler and Artime.
The time for merriment and discussion of flying objects was over."
Of course, this time of peace doesn't last, but, when Artime is facing an attack on the horizon, Alex is confident that he can deal with it. He would really rather not fight, but he doesn't panic or give up. He confidently gives his people instructions and prepares for what's next. Which is beautifully contrasted with Aaron freaking out. By the end of this book, Alex has really matured as a person and as a leader. He is level-headed under pressure and can deal with multiple stressful situations without caving.
But this maturity has come at a cost: the loss of the innocent, wide-eyed kid he was at the beginning of the series. Never again will Alex be able to play while the grown-ups deal with things. Never again will he be able to approach strangers without wariness. Never again will he get to go to class and do any of the other things fifteen-year-olds should be able to. He's stepped into this role beautifully, but it's a lot of pressure for a teenager.
And he will feel all of that pressure in the coming years.
Note: this is just my opinion and I do not mean to offend anyone, you can ship whoever you want to ship, it does not effect me. This is just for fun and my opinion.
Sky x Alex: 6/10 Why: so in general I don’t think Lisa McMann is good at writing romantic relationships in general. She, in my opinion, does not understand how to do ‘show and not tell’ when it comes to writing romance.
This ship, while interesting in idea, does not do so well in execution. Lisa McMann most of the time has to tell us that Sky and Alex like each other and they spend most of their time going on a will they won’t they. It drags on for such a lone time and it is a bit annoying. Still, if I had to give it one thing, it’s cute and when they have cute moments, I can’t help but smile.
Kaylee x Aaron: 6.5/10 why: Just like Sky and Alex, good idea but poor execution. I understand that it was the last book and Lisa McMann had to do a lot of things in onto a few pages, when Kaylee and Aaron did interact, it was mostly told to us then shown. What makes me like ships is the chemistry they have. Kaylee and Aaron didn’t have as much chemistry as I’d wish. Though, they get slightly more points because they don’t do will they or won’t they. I also like the idea of Aaron finding someone who doesn’t immediately have bad impressions on him and doesn’t expect the worst.
Sam x Alex: 5.9/10 Why: I can see it. I’ve always seen them more as friends but if Lisa McMann went on twitter and said that they got together, I wouldn’t mind at all.
Lani x Sam: 5/10 Why: Again, LOVE THE CONCEPT, HATE THE EXECUTION. I love the concept of them getting close while they are stuck on Warbler and having a connection they can’t have with anyone else. However, we barely see them interacting after book three. At least with Sky and Alex and Kaylee and Aaron we got bits of them being cute.
Lani x Alex: 3.5/10 Why: I see them more as friends, if you were talking to me when I first read book 1, I’d say they were cute. Reminds me of puppy love. Innocence before the storm. But again, they are just friends .
Lani x Meghan: 7/10 Why: I don’t remember as much as interactions between the two, but the ones I do, they are cute. These two are cute. Again, if one day Lisa McMann said on twitter they are dating one day, I wouldn’t mind it.
And if you are wondering about Unwanteds Quest ships, my friend read the books before me and personally told me not to read them. She said they were bad and ripped the pages from her books(she got in big trouble for this), so I’m going to keep the good memories I have of this series and not read them.
And now it's finally time for the Skylex break-up arc!
And some other stuff happens, too. But. Skylex break up.
Say Something
"Sky rested a cool hand on the back of his neck. 'You're being too hard on yourself,' she said.
He pulled away. 'You don't the know the half of it.'
Sky's hand jerked back like she'd been stung. 'Wow. Sorry.'
Alex sighed. 'No, no, I'm sorry. You were being awesome. As usual,' he said, feeling totally miserable. 'I'm just mad. . .at myself.' He looked past her, over the water. 'I don't know what's wrong with me these days.'
Sky pressed her lips together, not knowing what to say. She didn't want to make things worse, so she said nothing at all."
For all Alex loves and trusts his teammates, he rarely lets them see his internal struggles. Most of the time, he’ll let Sky in. But in this book, even she has a hard time figuring him out. He’s sending her really mixed signals. One minute, he’s supportive and fierce and determined. The next, he’s turning away from her after a kiss with a pained look on his face. Part of this is because Alex is having mixed feelings himself. He adores Sky, and loves how she makes him feel. But then he remembers that she ‘makes’ him make more mistakes and that it’s for the best if he doesn’t feel anything towards her and he pulls away. He’s giving her a constant back and forth that she doesn’t know what to do with. It’s made even worse by the fact that, during this time, Alex is still interacting with her really well as the leader of a team. He recognizes her concerns over the team being more excited about rescuing the sea animals than Copper, and reassures her by showing her that the team all signed up to rescue Copper, not anyone else. It’s a sweet moment, and Sky thinks it means that he’s still with her. But to Alex, it was just him building trust with a team member. When it comes to more interpersonal things and instances where Sky needs a partner/friend and not a leader, Alex shuts her out. We can see how idiotic this is, and it makes Alex very frustrating.
"'They may be children, but they're attacking us!' Ms. Morning said. She regarded him thoughtfully for a moment. Her gaze swept over the young unwanteds around them, already fighting, and wondered if anyone on Warbler felt guilty for fighting against children."
But, to be fair to Alex, he is just a kid. Throughout this portion of the book, and, honestly, the book as a whole, we get reminders that Alex and his peers are still kids, despite the humans in Artime often not thinking of them as such. We see Ms. Octavia acknowledge that Alex has been through things that he shouldn't have had to and that none of the creatures/statues (or Lani and Samheed, but that's a topic for book five) will understand. At the beginning of the book, we see Mr. Appleblossom and Claire being hesitant to attack the Warbler children because they're children and reflecting on the fact that a lot of their army is also made up of children. On the other hand, Alex and his peers have no qualms with fighting against children, because it's normal to them. We see Alex and his friends struggling to understand that parents are supposed to actually care for their kids because most of them had neglectful or abusive parents who let them be sent to their death with no protest, or even tried to kill them. We see Copper telling Henry that his mom will patch him up back home and we get a heartbreaking reminder that she is dead. That Henry and Lani are some of the few lucky ones in that they actually have one parent who will take care of them when they get home.
"Simber nodded. 'You think like a leaderrr,' he said. A grim compliment."
Even if the characters forget it sometimes, the narrative doesn't let us forget that these are teenagers and young adults. Sean and Carina are the oldest, at about 20 and 25 respectively, which is still very young, but of a reasonable age to be in an army, I suppose. The rest are literal teenagers or preteens. Alex, Samheed, and Meghan are fifteen. Lani is fourteen. Little Henry is only eleven. And that makes what they're going through so much more heartbreaking. It also makes the moments that should feel like positive, successful, exciting moments tragic. Like when the rescue mission for Copper is falling apart and Alex has to take charge and adjust. Simber tells him that he thinks like a leader. And he does. He comes up with a plan that works and gets everyone out relatively safely. But just paragraphs before that we saw Alex being a kid trying to navigate his first romantic relationship and all the issues that come with being a traumatized teen. And then he just. . .flips the switch into leadership mode and turns off his emotions like he's so good at doing.
"'Blurgh,' he muttered, thinking not for the first time that maybe mages just weren't cut out for having relationships-not romantic ones, anyway. Alex hoped Sky wasn't hurt that he hadn't asked her to help. He decided that, if he just didn't mention the whale and acted really busy and focused on the quest to rescue Sky's mother, all these awkward feelings about Sky, and about his mistake with Spike, would go away soon enough."
Alex is deceptively good at repressing his emotions. Even better than Aaron is, I’d argue. Aaron is good at hiding his emotions. He still feels them (and at this point, thinks it's wrong for him to feel them), but no one else can see that he's feeling them. Alex turns his emotions off. He goes numb. They become too much for him so he just doesn't feel. It's an old coping mechanism from Quill and it's one he's never quite able to shake off. It helps make him a good leader who's able to stay calm under a lot of pressure, but it's terrible for his personal life. Because eventually everything he's been repressing explodes out and he gets in fights with people. Or he can't even identify what he's feeling because he'd like to ignore it until it goes away. Which leads to his break up with Sky.
"Alex picked up the paper, looking at Aaron's ship drawings in disgust. He faced his brother, and the anger welled up again. He slammed the paper down on Aaron's desk and gave him a cool stare. 'You're a disgusting coward.'"
But before I talk about that, there are a couple more aspects of Alex’s character that I’d like to dive deeper into. First off, Alex is a very angry character. He gets set off by almost nothing and will just start yelling at people, no matter who that person is. It makes sense for him to be angry. The world has wronged him in so many ways. His parents, the people that were supposed to love and care for him, sent him to his death. His twin brother betrayed him. His mentor/father figure forced him into a position of power that he didn’t want and then died, leaving Alex to figure things out on his own. Every island they go to poses a new threat to the people he cares about and he’s sick of it. And he’s angry at himself, for making stupid mistakes and making bad decisions. He is angry. And it’s not often focused on in the story. It’s not treated like Samheed’s anger issues, where it was something that Sam just had to grow out of. And Alex’s anger doesn’t really make us feel angry, despite the righteousness of it. No, Alex’s anger just makes us feel sad. It’s a tragic anger. An anger born of a world that has pushed this kid past his breaking point and will never stop pushing. Alex is a tragic character. And his anger at the situation only drives that home.
"Alex watched her go. 'I'm so sorry,' he said, but she was too far away to hear him. He dropped his head in his hands and thought about all the things he'd just messed up so that he could be a better mage.
The way he felt now, he wasn't sure it could ever be worth it."
Another thing that helps make Alex’s character so tragic is that Alex is someone who believes he knows what's right. Alex is very confident in his sense of right and wrong. He doesn't often pause to do a lot of introspection. Once he decides something is the right thing to do, he'll do it with his full self and with no hesitation. In this book alone, this has led to decisions like brining Spike to life, storming the palace in Quill, rescuing Copper, resolving to save Karkinos, and pushing away Sky. Most of the time, Alex's gut instinct is correct. The problem comes in the portion of the time when the conclusion he comes to is wrong. He won't realize that he was wrong until it's too late and everything is falling apart. Once he realizes that he's wrong, he's good at apologizing and trying to make things right. But he struggles to realize that he was wrong without anyone else pointing it out. And this can lead to him spiraling and digging deeper and deeper into his mistakes until it's too late. This is in contrast to Aaron, who, even this early in his arc, can pull himself out of a nosedive on his own. But I've already talked about that. Back to Alex.
"'Don't you know me by now, Alex? Every time somebody hurts me, I just get stronger. Eyes of fire, heart of ice-just like the golden rooster said.' She stood up. 'Maybe you should think about what Vido said about you.'"
Plot stuff happens; Alex rescues Copper, Spike, Octavia, and Florence; the crew decides to continue on to the next island; and they get a bit of a break while sharing their stories and learning the stories of their new friends on Karkinos. It’s a nice respite for Alex, a chance for him to breathe after the hectic few days he’s had. We see some of his positive character traits start to come back out, like his dorkiness, kindness, and battle prowess. We see that he’s always willing to help people who have shown him kindness. Still, not everything is perfect. We get a hint of this in the advice that Vido gives to Alex. Half of Vido’s quips are nonsense. The other half have some meaning. Sky’s comes back in a later scene, and is a good summary of her character. She doesn’t trust easily, and that trust, once broken, is hard to regain. She can be blunt and cold when she’s hurt. And she knows this. Alex, on the other hand, does his best to ignore Vido’s advice. It’s just as true as Sky’s, though. Alex has changed so much since we first met him as a scared thirteen-year-old. He’s changed since he stepped up as Head Mage as a grieving fourteen-year-old. He’s even changed since he turned fifteen and basked in his confidence as a leader and a partner. He’s worn down and terrified of failing. He’s angry at himself and the world. He can’t let himself trust anyone. If he took a moment to reflect on himself, he’d have a hard time seeing how that thirteen-year-old grew into this person. That’s a sentiment that becomes even more true in Quests.
"'It's not fair to keep me in the dark. You're so brave when you're leading Artime, but when it comes to me, you can't even talk.' Sky bumped her elbow into Alex's arm. 'Hey. See? Say something. Tell me what's happening. Please. I'm begging you.'
He looked up. He wished he could explain to her how miserable he felt. He wished he could just talk to her and tell her everything he was feeling, but the problem was so confusing he didn't understand it himself. How could he explain something he didn't understand?
'You're right,' he said. He knew it wasn't enough, yet it was all he could get out."
Now that things have had time to settle, Sky decides to address the problems she and Alex have been having. Which means that we’ve made it to the Skylex break up. This is the culmination of all of these things I've been talking about and that have been emphasized throughout the book. First off, Alex is a kid and not a relationship expert. Despite all he's been through, he doesn't have the maturity to handle a hard conversation with his partner without collapsing in on himself. And that response is because of his tendency to repress his emotions, which means that he can't identify for sure what he's feeling. Which feeds into his perfectionism because he doesn't want to say what he's feeling if he's not sure he's right about what it is. And because he can't communicate what he's been going through with her and because he's been pushing her away, Sky breaks up with him. By the end of this book, Alex has pushed away the one person who can recognize and get through to him when he's struggling just when he's about to need her the most.
Interestingly, Alex and Aaron have very similar character arcs in this book. They both start off the book in a relatively good place both internally and with their countries. By the end of the book, they're in an even better place with their countries but are falling apart inside. Alex, by the end of this book, has earned the full loyalty of everyone in Artime. They are ride or die with him. But internally, he's breaking. And he doesn't have the skills to pull himself back together on his own.
