Very often, I see readers with misconceptions about Nesta's situation in ACOSF. They say she was only put in the House of Wind to heal her, that she had a choice in the matter, or that her lack of a choice was for her own good.
The truth is : Nesta was forced into the House of Wind to put her to work for the IC, not for her mental and physical health.
So first off, Feyre admitted it was about control and getting Nesta to work.
“Oh, so it’s about you saving face—”
“It is about how it reflects upon me, upon Rhys, and upon my court when my damned sister spends our money on wine and gambling and does nothing to contribute to this city! If my sister cannot be controlled, then why should we have the right to rule over anyone else?”
(ACOSF, Ch.2)
If Nesta's well-being was the top consideration, she should have been sent to live with the priestesses and to see their counselor (who Gwyn mentioned, so therapy is a thing in Prythian). Both Mor and Rhys had stayed with the priestesses so the IC knew they could have done that for Nesta. Instead, she was forced to work in the library as a punishment to humble her, without access to a mental health professional.
If it was really about Nesta’s physical and mental health, then why are the human lands a "choice" she was given? She would be vulnerable there, having to hide away from human prejudice that would threaten her life. How is Nesta supposed to think that people who would leave her there care about her well-being?
ACOSF's text revealed it was only the illusion of choice, but the question stands. Nesta was not made aware until she basically called the bluff. Say 'no' multiple times to the HoW and training was essentially choosing the human lands. But the IC didn't allow that.
So the human lands was just an especially undesirable "option" to get Nesta to more easily accept what the IC wanted. What the text directly shows is that she was never given a real choice. The IC said Nesta had one, but then forced her into what they wanted after she refused to "choose" it.
“I’m not moving to the House of Wind,” Nesta said.
“And I’m not training at that miserable village. Certainly not with him.” (...)
“It’s not up for negotiation,” Amren said (...)
“Like hell it isn’t,” Nesta challenged (...)
“Your apartment is being packed as we speak,” Amren said, (...) “By the time you return, it will be empty (...)"
Feyre swallowed, but didn’t balk. “That is enough. You’re moving up to the House, you’re going to train and work, and I don’t care what vitriol you spew my way. You’re doing it.”
[Feyre said] “That’s why you’re going to train at Windhaven. You will learn to control yourself.”
“I won’t go.”
“You’re going, even if you have to be tied up and hauled there. You will follow Cassian’s lessons, and you will do whatever work Clotho requires in the library.” (...)
“(...) Any free time is yours to spend as you wish. In the House.”
(ACOSF, Ch.2)
With her power, there is no way Rhys and Amren would ever let Nesta go. She was much too valuable and they wanted her for their tasks. Feyre was home-bound and Elain was never given the chance to step up. Even though Elain volunteered to help, was in a better place mentally and physically, had Amren and Feyre's backing, she was still just used as a bargaining chip to get Nesta to act.
Azriel stiffened, an outright sign of temper from him as he said quietly, “There is an innate darkness to the Dread Trove that Elain should not be exposed to.”
“But Nesta should?” Cassian growled.
Cassian glowered at Amren. “It’s not right to wield Elain as a threat to manipulate Nesta into scrying.”
“There are harsher ways to convince Nesta, boy." (...) "We must head off this potential disaster before we lose the advantage. If we need to manipulate Nesta into scrying, even by using Elain against her, then we’ll do what is necessary.”
(ACOSF, Ch. 29)
If Nesta was only put in the HoW for her recovery, then why was she continuously put at risk to get the Dread Trove? It was extremely dangerous. She could have died and was sexually assaulted on top of that.
The Archeron sisters were being manipulated to do what Rhys and Amren wanted, and were used against each other. Rhys knew money was a sore spot for Feyre when it came to Nesta. Reading her bill item by item in front of everyone was an effective tactic to get Feyre to agree to his plans.
Rhys had read each item aloud. Bottles of rare wine, exotic foods, gambling debts … (…) Cassian knew there’d been previous conversations—fights—about Nesta. (…) But as Feyre wept at the table, he knew it was a breaking of some sort. (…) Rhys had laid a comforting hand on Feyre’s, squeezing gently before he looked at Azriel, and then Cassian, and laid out his plan. As if he’d had it waiting a long, long while.
(ACOSF, Ch.2)
There was no need to do that in front of others except to embarrass Feyre so she was more likely to accept his plan. Rhys and Feyre can trade information mentally and he didn’t even need to physically show her the bill, let alone read it out loud. Judging by how Feyre was with Nesta spending money in the cabin, she would have agreed to Rhys’ plan just by him giving a mind-to-mind total of how much Nesta spent.
Along with Cassian’s realization, we have textual evidence that Rhys wanted to plan something for Nesta since the events of ACOFS.
Cassian and my mate’s sister did not speak to each other at all. Nesta had successfully cloistered herself in some slummy apartment across the Sidra, refusing to interact with any of us save for a few brief visits with Feyre every month. I’d have to find a way to fix that, too.
(ACOFS, Ch.2)
Feyre suspected Cassian and Nesta’s mate bond since ACOWAR, where she and Rhys discuss the possibility.
“Are he and Nesta …?”
“I don’t know. Until the bond snaps into place, it can be hard to detect.”
(ACOWAR, Ch. 47)
So not letting Nesta train with Azriel was a way to make her spend time with Cassian, regardless of her wishes.
And making Nesta train was not simply a way to strengthen her body and get in shape. As someone malnourished, suffering from an eating disorder, she needed time to nourish her body, to put on weight and muscle before she started training. In actuality, Nesta was made to train so she could go on missions for the IC and 'contribute to Velaris' as soon as possible.
[Azriel said] “If Briallyn and Koschei find just one of the Dread Trove items—”
“Let Nesta try it her way first.” Cassian held Az’s stare. “If we go in and order her to do it, it’ll backfire. Let her exhaust her other options before she realizes only one is viable.”
Azriel studied his face, then nodded solemnly.
(ACOSF, Ch. 22)
“Nesta has to start looking for the Trove,” Amren said (...)
Cassian met Amren’s gray stare. “Nesta’s been looking. Don’t push her.”
Rhys said from where he lounged at the head of the table, “She’s had the priestesses researching for her. I’d hardly call that looking.” (...)
[Amren said] “We are on the cusp of another war. We let the Cauldron slip from our hands in the last one and it nearly cost us everything.”
(ACOSF, Ch. 29)
Even though Cassian had misgivings and stood up for Nesta to the IC, he still ultimately went in line with them [i.e. Rhys]. He took Nesta into dangerous situations, once leaving her all alone in the Bog of Oorid, where she was sexually assaulted by and escaped being killed by a kelpie.
Of his own accord, he took Nesta on a dangerous hike in the mountains, making her carry a heavy pack, sweaty and wobbly under the weight of all their things – to punish her.
[F:] Nesta has never been on a hike in her life. I guarantee she will hate it.
[C:] Then tell Rhys this is her punishment.
Because Rhys, despite apologizing for his threats, would still be furious.
Tell him that Nesta and I are going to hike, and she’s going to hate it, but she comes home when I decide she’s ready to come home.
Feyre was quiet for a long minute.
[F:] He says that he knows he’s supposed to say that’s unnecessary, but to tell you he’s secretly delighted.
[C:] Good. I am secretly glad to hear that.
This was despite his and Feyre's belief that Nesta wasn't just trying to hurt Feyre.
She … He thought it over. I think she saw the parallels between your situations and, in her own way, decided to avenge both of you.
[F:] That’s my feeling, too. Rhys disagrees.
[C:] I wish you’d found out a different way.
[F:] Well, I didn’t. But we’ll face it together. All of us.
This was despite the fact that Feyre wanted Nesta and Cassian to come back. So he was undermining her decision as High Lady. (When you examine the text, it's clear that nobody in the IC actually respects Feyre's position and it's an empty title. But that's a post for another day.)
[F:] Rhys had no right to chase you from the city, or to threaten Nesta. He has realized that, and apologized. I want you to come back home. Both of you. Where did you even head off to?
[C:] The wilderness.
Cassian looked over a shoulder, to where Nesta had been asleep for the past few hours, curled into a tight ball against the wall of rock.
I think we’ll stay out here for a few days. We’re going to hike.
(ACOSF, Ch. 47)
Nesta could have fallen and died and wouldn't even have cared because she was so full of guilt for hurting Feyre. Cassian never told her Feyre was all right, forgave her, and wanted them to return to Velaris; he let Nesta stew in her self-loathing. He realized Nesta had no will to live but still ignored her hobbling behind him for days, walking ahead while not carrying a pack himself. When Nesta fainted from dehydration, he yelled at her for it. The man yelled at a woman with no will to live for displaying symptoms of it.
When she expressed she didn't deserve him, Cassian didn't say love isn't a transaction. At the end of ACOSF, Nesta believes love for her must be deserved. Rather than as a caring for her as a person, she thinks love is something completely dependent on her "good behavior" within the IC. This isn't a healed woman, it's a mentally broken woman.
Nesta only benefited in ACOSF because she made friends with Emerie, Gwyn, and the priestesses. She was the one to encourage them to train, which resulted in them all becoming Valkyries together, forming a sisterhood through their hard work.
I have a Nesta x Cassian fic I can’t get out of my head but it’s many chapters and I’ve never written a multi-chapter fic before so I have no idea how I’d even attempt this and might just live in my drafts because I have nobody to brain dump this all to
the way sjm treats mental health treatment and alcoholism and eating disorders and trauma is actually so insanely harmful. when you have people in that god forsaken fandom going "that's how you are supposed to treat addicts" i actually lose my mind because no the fuck it is NOT- signed someone who's entire life got destroyed by parental drug abuse and alcoholism
“As an eldest sister, I would never excuse Nesta.”
As an eldest sister and a parent, I would never expect a child to replace the responsibilities of a parent and blame them when they fail to step up to the impossible task.
damn i wish u guys could read this fic i haven't written and this fic i haven't finished writing and this fic i'm putting off outlining and this fic i outlined but haven't started and this fic i'll never write and this other fic i haven't written and this fic that exists only in vague impressions in my head that fall apart every time i try to commit them to the page and th
what do you mean the reason that Pieck’s hair was always messy as a kid is because she didn’t have a mother and her dad didn’t know how to do hair but tried his best anyway
