Reasons why it is not absurd to say that 3 Brothers x 3 Sisters will happen...
Inspiration
SJM has admitted that not only will the rest of ACOTAR have "fairytale roots", but also that she would like to write a retelling of the firebird legends or Vasilisa from Russian folklore. Why not combine them both in a way? I just think it's too much of a coincidence for ACOTAR to have a character named "Vassa" who can turn into a firebird. She is definitely going to be important later on.
But how does this confirm 3 Brothers x 3 Sisters?
Well, since it's clear that Vassa's story will be important, then that means that her personal antagonist (Koschei) will be important too! And surprise, surprise, ACOTAR Koschei is fairly similar to Koschei from Russian folklore.
- Both are known as Koschei the Deathless
- The Russian version has his soul placed away from his body, making him practically impossible to kill. In ACOTAR, it is clear that an onyx box is the most significant object for him. I wonder what's in that box? Maybe his soul?👀
- Russian version often entraps the male hero's love interest. Koschei currently has Vassa cursed, who is quite close to Lucien...
- In one Russian version, he turns a princess into a snake. Our Koschei has cursed Vassa to be a firebird.
"But you still haven't explained how it links to the Archeron sisters and the Bat boys!"
Well, it's pretty simple. We will now focus on a specific retelling — Marya Morevna. Why? Because it has some very interesting details...
3 sisters marry 3 brothers (powerful wizards that can turn into birds of prey)
Koschei has captured the male hero's love interest which makes him set off on a quest to free her.
The male hero needs to get a magical horse to defeat Koschei.
If you would like to read more detailed analysis of this then I highly recommend this post!
How does this link to ACOTAR? Well...
We have our own 3 sisters (Feyre, Nesta & Elain) and our own 3 winged brothers (Rhysand, Cassian & Azriel).
Our Koschei has cursed Vassa, who is highly implied to be Lucien's future love interest. Plus, the fact that he was the one sent to find her in the first place.
The main magical horses that we have are pegasi. Isn't it interesting that Helion (Lucien's secret father) is the owner of the only pegasi remaining?
Listen, I ain't saying that ACOTAR will follow these storylines exactly, but there's no way these are coincidental...
The Imagery Featured
Mor stayed overnight, even going so far as to paint some rudimentary stick figures on the wall beside the storeroom door. Three females with absurdly long, flowing hair that all resembled hers; and three winged males, who she somehow managed to make look puffed up on their own sense of importance.
Feyre and Rhys took their thrones, and Nesta and Elain came to stand at the foot of the dais, between him (Cassian) and Azriel.
The Theme of 3s
Sarah likes playing with her numbers and it seems that 3 is very important throughout ACOTAR...
3 Sisters
3 Brothers
3 Mountains - UTM, Ramiel & The Prison
3 in a group - Feyre/Mor/Amren + Nesta/Gwyn/Emerie + Elain/Nuala/Cerridwen + Rhys/Cassian/Azriel + Lucien/Vassa/Jurian
3 Stars on the NC insignia
Antis can laugh and call it cliché all they want, but at the end of the day, we're just analysing the details SJM has chose to include in her books🤷♀️
Has anyone noticed the vivid imagery associated with SJM’s leading couples?
How she draws comparisons between them—connecting them?
The last quote is worth discussing, especially considering Feyre’s earlier thoughts:
And is it just me, or do the words “found each other” contain romantic undercurrents?
Why didn’t SJM write, “if he’d found her”, instead?
Why did she create that beautiful imagery—bird of flame, lord of fire—and imply that Vassa was also looking for Lucien (without knowing it)? That they’d found each other?
This, again, creates a parallel between Lucien and Vassa, and SJM’s other leading couples.
Because if Lucien and Elain would have been endgame, Lucien would have been the one to rescue her from Hybern—the one to get her back, to find her.
Instead, it was Azriel.
And who else found each other?
I’ve always suspected that SJM was setting the scene for Lucien and Vassa, but rereading ACOWAR and finding this quote—knowing that they found each other, knowing that SJM intentionally worded it this way—makes it obvious.
Will Lucien teach Vassa how to control her Fire? 🔥
Day 4 of @vassienweek - Forged in Fire
I've wondered this for a while, but one of SJM's "things" is that couples learn and grow from each other. I know I'm not alone in theorising whether Vassa is all human, either from birth or curse, but however it pans out I have a headcanon that Lucien - who, in addition to the spell-cleaving powers he has inherited from his surprise dad, Helion, inherited a decent chunk of fire power from his mother, the Lady of Autumn - will teach Vassa how to channel her fire, perhaps to wield it against her enemies, or possibly even to control her shifting form (though this would probably have to wait until her curse is broken).
“It made sense, I supposed, that Azriel alone had listened to her. The male who heard things others could not … Perhaps he, too, had suffered as Elain had before he understood what gift he possessed. He asked Elain, “There is another queen?”
“Elain blinked and blinked, eyes clearing again. As if the understanding, our understanding … it freed her from whatever murky realm she’d been in.”
“Elain now watched Lucien warily. Blinking every now and then. She revealed no hint of whatever she might be seeing—sensing. None.”
“I’ll go.” Lucien was staring at Elain as he spoke. We all looked at him. Lucien shifted his focus to Rhys, to me. “I’ll go,” he repeated, rising to his feet. “To find this sixth queen.”
“This eye …” Lucien gestured to the metal contraption. “It can see things that others … can’t. Spells, glamours … Perhaps it can help me find her. And break her curse.”
“Queen Vassa offered me a place within her court.” Indeed, Vassa still remained inside, chatting with Lucien animatedly. I supposed that if she only had until dawn before turning back into that firebird, she wanted to make every minute count. Lucien, surprisingly, was chuckling, his shoulders loose and his head angled while he listened.”
I think it is so interesting that Elain is gifted the ability of sight which she uses to find out about Vassa's existence, and the person who frees her as to see it is Azriel. Alongside the fact Lucien goes to search for her in hopes his gift will help free Vassa is so deliciously circular and fate coming all the way round.
Sarah is paving a beautiful arc about things happening for a reason even if they are not entirely visible from the start, the weavers of fate creating a wonderful trump card to overpower the easy/perceived right path.
So, I came up with this theory and the Elriels over at the Gardening Tools discord and I had a good chat about it and thought that it would be nice to put it out there and see what everyone else thinks about it.
I apologize if this isn’t the best, but I’ve never done this before so a huge thank you to @mardereads19, @nialeirza, @miraculouslysurviving, @elainarcharon @stars-who-gaze and ellalynnn for their input and screenshots and everyone on the Gardening Tools discord for encouraging me to share.
Seriously, reach out to @mardereads19 if you’d like to join, as a newbie it was really easy to fall in with this group of people and feel safe sharing my thoughts and ideas. As you can see, this is literally my first post.
Did the cauldron know that in order to help defeat Koschei, maximum powers of light AND shadow would be needed?
Did the cauldron, so in love with Elain, give her a connection to BOTH as another gift to help not only her and her family but Prythian as a whole?
PARTS:
MATE #1 - LUCIEN
MATE #2 - AZRIEL
THE CAULDRON & THE MOTHER AS GUIDES
MATE #1 - LUCIEN
We already know that Lucien IS Elain’s mate. There isn’t any disputing it, it is fact, however you view the match.
It is also a fact that Lucien is Helion’s heir. We have seen Lucien use part of Helion’s power set before when he broke free of the leash that the King of Hybern held him down with. Feyre has also called on her own kernel of Helion's power to break through wards.
"There was a flare of light, and a scrape, and then Lucien was stalking toward Elain."
It would be fair to say that Lucien-still unaware of who his real father is, is full of untapped power he doesn’t yet know how to wield because he doesn’t realize that he possesses them.
MATE #2 - AZRIEL
You CAN dispute this pairing, but I’m presenting my “evidence” of his bond with Elain, believe what you will. These moments are probably the most memorable to the casual reader.
There are people who have done MUCH MORE IN DEPTH analysis of their possible mate bond, I will link those people/posts down below so that you can marvel and fawn over their lovely work as you should.
In ACOMAF:
We see from their first meeting that Azriel feels compelled to make polite conversation with Elain, perhaps to ease the stress he feels her experiencing. We also see that Elain is put at ease by Azriel and when he seems at ease, she feels it too. This is despite her fear of the fae and everything she’s been told to fear about them. She clearly isn’t at ease with Cassian as she clutches her fork tightly like a weapon when he is seated next to her. Even Feyre notes their similarities during this encounter and later in the book, she thinks about “how handsome they would be together.”
Toward the end of this book, we also have Elain being turned fae when she is forced into the cauldron. This is an interesting moment, in which many people point out the evidence of Nesta and Cassian’s bond when he reacts to her distress, but Azriel has a similar moment when the King of Hybern orders Elain to be put into the cauldron.
Nesta’s screaming was the only sound. Cassian blindly lurched toward it—toward her, moaning in pain.
“Put the prettier one in first,” the king said, Mor already forgotten. I twisted—only to have the king’s guards grab me from behind. Rhys was instantly there, but Azriel shouted, back arching as the king’s poison worked its way in.
Feyre excuses Azriel’s pain as a reaction to the poison working its way through his body, however, she doesn’t KNOW that this is the case so her narration is unreliable. This is her interpretation, not fact.
In ACOWAR:
We see Elain and Azriel gravitate towards each other more.
We are told and shown how withdrawn Elain is since being forced into the cauldron, but we are also shown how time after time she allows Azriel to escort and accompany her to the garden. This is an activity that we know is a happy, healing one for her.
We also see Azriel offering to do so on his own. Yes, it could just be an act of kindness, but with Nesta, Feyre, Nuala and Cerridwen all there, there really is no need for him to take the lead here. He clearly wants to help her be comfortable and at ease.
We also get a showing of mate behavior from Lucien snarling as Azriel leads Elain out to the garden. We get no mention of any such behavior when Elain is around Rhysand or Cassian who are also living in the townhouse with her now. Is Lucien also able to sense that there may be a connection between Elain and Azriel? Can he see it with his special eye? Can he feel that something is blocking him from developing a more substantial bond with Elain?
During the move to the townhouse, we also have Feyre once again musing about how Elain and Azriel would make a good match. Feyre questions how mates are chosen, who or what decides it and while Rhys has his own opinions, the truth is that he also doesn’t know. He DOES note the a bond can be rejected and notes that sometimes the bond is nothing more than preordained guesswork and while Rhys is referring to the cauldron working to produce the strongest offspring, it COULD be more than that.
This is an important conversation, as up til now, only Tamlin has expressed that the bond was not well matched for his parents. We now also have Rhysand saying the same about his parents.
If we consider the outcomes of the "poor" mating matches, we realize that without poor matches, Tamlin and Rhysand wouldn't exist. Love them or hate them, their absense in the story would change the path of everyone in the Night Court family and in Tamlin's case-No Tamlin means no Feyre Cursebreaker.
Later, we also get another Nessian/Elriel mirrored situation when Azriel and Cassian both still at the sight of the sisters as they finish breakfast and it is at this time that we again have Azriel offering to escort Elain to the garden and her accepting.
The two Illyrians paused their inspection of me long enough to note my sisters finishing up breakfast, Nesta in a pale gray gown that brought out the steel in her eyes, Elain in dusty pink. Both males went a bit still. But Azriel sketched a bow.
Elain begins getting visions and Feyre and Azriel both question her about them. Azriel studies Elain and then winnows away. Is this an indication that he feels the bond between them and has to get away quickly? We also see Mor having her own reaction to these events. Can she see the true connections there? If she did, she wouldn’t tell as she is the Queen of knowing all but keeping quiet.
I faced Azriel, exposing my palms to him. “What does that mean?”
Azriel’s hazel eyes churned as he studied my sister, her too-thin body. And without a word, he winnowed away.
Mor watched the space where he’d been standing long after he was gone.
Feyre sends for Madja, a healer, to come and examine Elain as they believe she may be going mad.
Madja can find nothing wrong with Elain, and notes that her mate should be able to find the source of the problem, but Lucien is unable to do so. It is eventually Azriel who realizes what is happening to her.
The ancient healer jerked her chin toward Lucien. “See what he can do. If anyone can sense if something is amiss, it’s a mate.”
“How.” The word was barely more than a barked command. I braced myself to warn Nesta to be polite, but Madja said to my sister, as if she were a small child, “The mating bond. It is a bridge between souls.”
The healer’s tone made my sister stiffen, but Madja was already hobbling for the front door.
She pointed at Lucien as she saw herself out. “Try sitting down with her. Just talking—sensing. See what you pick up. But don’t push.” Then she was gone.
The shadowsinger angled his head. Lucien murmured to me, eye still fixed on Elain, “Should we—does she need …?”
“She doesn’t need anything,” Azriel answered without so much as looking at Lucien.
Elain was staring at the spymaster now—unblinkingly.
“We’re the ones who need …” Azriel trailed off. “A seer,” he said, more to himself than us. “The Cauldron made you a seer.”
Does his realization intensify their connection? Is this part of the reason that Elain then seems to be freed from “whatever murky realm she’d been in”?
After this vision, Lucien decides to search for the cursed mortal Queen, Vassa. His connection to Elain guides him to his quest to find Vassa which will likely tie him to Koschei as well.
As if the understanding, our understanding … it freed her from whatever murky realm she’d been in.
When Elain is taken by the cauldron, it is Azriel who asks after her. I would also like to note that we never hear Lucien asking about this, we are never told that he felt any sort of distress from her through the bond. It is Azriel, not Feyre and not Nesta, who is determined to bring Elain back.
It is also important to note that at this point, the group has all heard Helion and Beron talk about what happened to females taken to Hybern’s camp during the previous war-it was NOT nice and that is all I will say about that.
We might assume that Azriel is doing a favor for his high lady, but we are also told that there is rage in his stare. He is angry and he knows that Nesta saw the camp but doesn’t back down when she tells him it is basically a suicide mission. He isn’t ordered to do this by his High Lord or High Lady, he is choosing to do this to help Elain.
In Hybern’s camp, Feyre and Azriel are both shaken when they hear a female screaming and again it is mentioned that there is rage coming from Azriel.
Azriel’s shadow-hand grasped my own, tugging me closer. His rage rippled off his invisible form.
Shortly after, they find Elain who again, is calm in Azriel’s presence despite the scary situation she finds herself in.
Azriel slid back the curtain—
Elain was in her nightgown. Gagged, wrists wrapped in steel that glowed violet. Her eyes went wide as she saw us—Azriel and me—
I shifted my face back into my own, raising a hand to my lips as Azriel knelt before her. I kept up my litany of praying, beseeching the Cauldron to make my womb fruitful, on and on—
Azriel gently removed the gag from her mouth. “Are you hurt?”
She shook her head, devouring the sight of him as if not quite believing it. “You came for me.” The shadowsinger only inclined his head.
Let us also note that Elain expresses surprise that he has come for her, lest we forget, she was kidnapped before and her fiance did NOT come for her, she is kidnapped again and it is not her mate, Lucien, who comes for her, it is Azriel. Is Elain shocked that ANYONE has come for her, or is she shocked that when she called down the bond for help, that it was Azriel who heard her and came to her rescue?
As they make their escape from the camp, Elain and Azriel take turns protecting and defending one another. Azriel by carrying her when she can’t run and shielding her with the power flaring from his siphons, and Elain by following his instructions to keep quiet and kicking a beast away when it attacks Azriel-with no shoes on-just saying. Queen.
One of the hounds broke free from Tamlin in a mighty leap. I ducked, bracing for impact. But it was not aiming for me. Two bounding strides down the stone ledge and another leap—
Azriel’s roar echoed off the rocks as the hound slammed into him, dragging those shredding talons down his spine, his wings—
The girl screamed, but Elain moved. As Azriel battled to keep them airborne, keep his grip on them, my sister sent a fierce kick into the beast’s face. Its eye. Another. Another.
It bellowed, and Elain slammed her bare, muddy foot into its face again. The blow struck home. With a yelp of pain, it released its claws—and plunged into the ravine.
The king fired another arrow—two. One for me, one soaring for Elain’s exposed back. Azriel slammed both away with a blue shield.
Azriel carries Elain longer than necessary, even Feyre, our narrator, notes that he isn’t just carrying her, he is cradling her to his chest. He carries her all the way into camp and in fact he NEVER puts her down, it is Rhys who takes her from him so that his wounds can be tended to. Even swaying on his feet, Azriel doesn’t want to let her go and Elain makes no move to BE let down. Even as his wings are injured and he is dripping blood, his priority is to remind everyone that they need to remove the chains from Elain. Elain kisses his cheek before joining her sisters.
The gray light of morning had broken over the world, mist clinging to our ankles as we headed into that camp, Azriel still cradling Elain to his chest
Rhys lunged for Azriel, taking Elain from him and gently setting my sister down. Azriel rasped, swaying on his feet, “We need Helion to get these chains off her.” Yet Elain didn’t seem to notice them as she rose up on her toes and kissed the shadowsinger’s cheek.
TRUTH TELLER - Before the battle begins, we find Cassian trying to give Elain a weapon to defend herself. She refuses Cassian’s offer, but accepts Truth Teller when Azriel offers it to her.
We see both of them acting out of their usual character with one another. Elain accepts a weapon when she initially refuses one, and Azriel lets her use a weapon that he hasn’t let anyone touch before. Cassian’s shock is also noted here and Feyre notes that Truth Teller is a bridge of connection between Azriel and Elain, this is interesting, as the mate bond has previously been referred to as a bridge between souls by Madja when she explains that Elain’s mate should be able to detect what is “wrong” with her.
She refused the knife Cassian handed her, though. Went white as death at the sight of it.
Azriel, still limping, merely nudged aside Cassian and extended another option. “This is Truth-Teller,” he told her softly. “I won’t be using it today—so I want you to.”
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.”
Elain weighed my words … and slowly closed her fingers around the blade. Cassian gawked at Azriel, and I wondered how often Azriel had lent out that blade—
Never, Rhys said from where he finished buckling on his own weapons against the side of the wagon. I have never once seen Azriel let another person touch that knife.
Elain looked up at Azriel, their eyes meeting, his hand still lingering on the hilt of the blade.
I saw the painting in my mind: the lovely fawn, blooming spring vibrant behind her. Standing before Death, shadows and terrors lurking over his shoulder. Light and dark, the space between their bodies a blend of the two.
The only bridge of connection … that knife.
THE REAL KINGSLAYER - When Elain stabs the King of Hybern, she steps out of a shadow and rams Truth Teller into his neck. Is this HER shadow? Did Azriel provide a shadow for her? Is she able to tap into his power as his mate?
This is the biggest moment of bravery for Elain thus far and an example of Azriel and Elain possibly working together to take down an enemy, perhaps the first but NOT last time this will happen. Let us also note that while Lucien isn’t present with Elain and Azriel, his assistance in this war was valuable. Not only does he locate Vassa but he points her and Papa Archeron in the right direction to assist in the war. Let us review: Elain’s bond with Lucien guides him to Vassa, guiding Vassa back to the Night court family where she will provide additional information on Koschei.
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.”
IN ACOFAS we have Feyre and Mor discussing Truth Teller, Azriel and Elain.
Mor tells her that Azriel has already given Truth-Teller to Elain, is it a mistake that she says this instead of that he “loaned” it to Elain, or does she know that he DID give it to her? Did she let a truth slip?
I’m fairly certain Azriel has a drawer full of all the daggers I’ve bought him throughout the centuries that he’s too polite to throw away, but won’t ever use.”
“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.
Later, during the family dinner, Feyre takes notice of Elain and Azriel's interactions, the same interaction causing Mor to tense beside Feyre. If Mor is aware of the bond, is she worried that Azriel may have a lapse in control when he is near elain? Does Mor sense that both Azriel AND Elain are feeling the pull in this moment and that both may act in an unpredictable way?
I felt, more than saw, my sister go still as he approached. Her throat bobbed.
But I strode to my seat—nestled between Amren and Mor—in time to see Elain say to Azriel, “Hello.”
Az said nothing. No, he just moved toward her. Mor tensed beside me. But Azriel only took Elain’s heavy dish of potatoes from her hands, his voice soft as night as he said, “Sit. I’ll take care of it.”
DURING DINNER, Elain questions Amren about how she came to choose the form that she is in. Amren tells Elain that there is no going back to a human life for her. Azriel takes this moment to make a joke, again, he does what he can to put Elain at ease in an uncomfortable situation. Feyre even notes that a light returns to Elain’s eyes.
“There’s no going back to being human, girl,” Amren said, perhaps a tad gently.
“Amren,” I warned. Elain’s face reddened further, her back straightening. But she didn’t bolt.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I’d never heard Elain’s voice so cold.
I glanced at the others. Rhys was frowning, Cassian and Mor were both grimacing, and Azriel … It was pity on his beautiful face. Pity and sorrow as he watched my sister.
“Pick on someone your own size,” Cassian said to Amren, shoveling roast chicken into his mouth.
“I’d feel bad for the mice,” Azriel muttered.
Mor and Cassian howled, earning a blush from Azriel and a grateful smile from Elain—and no shortage of scowling from Amren. But something in me eased at that laughter, at the light that returned to Elain’s eyes.
We find out that Cassian and Azriel are sleeping over and it is pointed out that Azriel makes his way to the window of their room and peers into the garden below. During this short conversation, Azriel’s interest in what he sees through the window is pointed out multiple times. Is Elain in the garden? Is that why he can’t tear himself away?
1. Azriel strode to the lone window at the end of the room and peered into the garden below. “I’ve never stayed in this room.” His midnight voice filled the space.
2. “No,” Azriel said, not turning from the window.
3. Azriel remained at the window. “Will Nesta stay here if she comes?”
4. “I’d still be surprised if they remember once the storm clears,” Azriel said, turning from the garden window at last.
WINTER SOLSTICE - Elain gives Azriel a gift for solstice, not just ANY gift, but a thoughtful one to help him, to soothe him and make him feel better. The gift causes Azriel to laugh as Feyre has never heard before.
Elain turned from where she’d been speaking to Nesta. “Oh, that’s from me.” Azriel’s face didn’t so much as shift at the words. Not even a smile as he opened the present and revealed
“I had Madja make it for me,” Elain explained. Azriel’s brows narrowed at the mention of the family’s preferred healer.
“It’s a powder to mix in with any drink.” Silence.
Elain bit her lip and then smiled sheepishly. “It’s for the headaches everyone always gives you. Since you rub your temples so often.”
Silence again. Then Azriel tipped his head back and laughed. I’d never heard such a sound, deep and joyous.
Azriel mastered himself enough to say, “Thank you.” I’d never seen his hazel eyes so bright, the hues of green amid the brown and gray like veins of emerald. “This will be invaluable.”
We are shown again that Azriel gravitates towards Elain, even when both of her sisters are present to keep her company.
Elain enjoys his company. Feyre also catches him stealing a glance at Elain while standing by the fire.
I found Elain studying it, beautiful in her amethyst-colored gown. I made to move toward her, but someone beat me to it.
The shadowsinger was clad in a black jacket and pants similar to Rhysand’s—the fabric immaculately tailored and built to fit his wings. He still wore his Siphons atop either hand, and shadows trailed his footsteps, curling like swirled embers, but there was little sign of the warrior otherwise.
Especially as he gently said to my sister, “Happy Solstice.”
Elain turned from the snow falling in the darkness beyond and smiled slightly. “I’ve never participated in one of these.”
After the gift giving, we’re told that Elain and Azriel spend time together as she shows him the plans that she has for expanding her garden. Feyre asks herself if Azriel cares about such things, she has no idea. He either cares about gardening or cares about spending time with Elain while she discusses something that brings her joy, you decide which.
It was three by the time the others went to bed.
Azriel and Elain remained in the sitting room, my sister showing him the plans she’d sketched to expand the garden in the back of the town house, using the seeds and tools my family had given her tonight.
Whether he cared about such things, I had no idea, but I sent him a silent prayer of thanks for his kindness before Rhys and I slipped upstairs.
THE CAULDRON, THE MOTHER AND TYING IT ALL TOGETHER
We hear many opinions on why the cauldron does what it does, but the truth is that nobody has the instruction manual, nobody REALLY knows.
The same can be said of the mother. They do what they want, when they want and for reasons only they know.
In ACOTAR, we have these quotes from Amarantha:
Alis:
and Feyre:
In ACOSF, It is mentioned that the Mother has left Nesta with powers and “guided her”. She notes that it is a familiar voice, perhaps the Mother has been guiding the Archeron sisters for longer than we know.
It is possible that the Mother is also using Lucien’s mating bond to guide him to where HE is needed, first to Elain and then to the Night court which then leads him to Vassa.
In this book, Nesta finds some of her father’s carvings, one, a Rose, representative of Elain is half hidden in shadows, the second, a female figure that Nesta believes may be the mother holding a moon.
This could show us not only the connection that the mother has to Elain, but the connection that Elain has to her two mates that represent light and shadows. Is the moon in the mother’s hands telling us that she is guiding the group where they need to be for their next challenge?
We already know that Koschei has shadows of his own and that Azriel will likely help fight him, but Lucien’s untapped power from Helion will also likely be needed to help cleave the spell that Koschei has over Vassa and the rest of the women he holds captive.
So did the cauldron and the mother conspire to guide people into Elain's life that could help her and the Night Court family defeat Koschei and finally free the women trapped at his lake?
I think so. Busybodies.
For more Elriel mate theories and more, please check out the following posts and people, they are amazing!
Dusk Court / Fourth Dread Trove Object Foreshadowing by @mardereads19
More on the possible Elriel mates theory by @mrspettyferr
Elriel mates by @silver-flames
Elriel Mate Behaviour by @echotzzz
Azriel and Elain… Maybe something else? by @demonlovesangel
Elain and Azriel holding hands also by @demonlovesangel
My brain: ok but with the amount that SJM has Feyre always torn up about right and wrong how has she never even CONSIDERED telling Lucien that the man who killed his lover and tried to kill him isn’t actually his father? Has she ever talked about it with Helion? I’m sure Rhys said no for political reasons but when has that stopped Feyre? She knows that Lucien has no real home and lives in constant pain that his mate wants nothing to do with him and even literally describes himself as an exile but instead of offering this life changing information Feyre just laughs at the name he came up with for his found family while not even giving him a chance to find his real family? And who all knows this secret? It seems like Cassian and Nesta don’t since Cassian notices a “flame” he didn’t know Lucien had in his eyes... but then there’s also this weird side narrative of Feyre being close enough with Lucien the she’s sending him to check on Nesta for her. And Lucien might be in love with Vassa but she’s mortal so how would that even WORK? Would he just end up heartbroken again when she dies in a handful of decades? And Elain is a seer so does she avoid Lucien because she knows they wouldn’t work out? Or is it because she knows they WOULD and she just isn’t ready? And if the magic of the land is clear enough that people know Eris is the heir of Autumn and that Tamlin was Heir of Spring then how do people not know Lucien is heir of Day? Lucien is a from book one character who keeps getting pushed aside and I just NEED HIM TO HE HAPPY PLEASE!!!
