So it seems that one of the main gripes that antis have about elriel is the way Azriel worded his big question to Rhys. That the way he said it screams entitlement to Elain? I’m going to break this down a little.
"The Cauldron chose three sisters. Tell me how it's possible that my two brothers are with two of those sisters, yet the third was given to another."
I really don’t think anything is wrong here.
Consider how Azriel is for a moment. He is of a more sophisticated character and he talks that way normally. The sentence is structured poetically, yes? Azriel is of a poetic sort, as we have seen on many occasions.
Azriel is referring entirely to the numerical imbalance that is present between the 3 to 3 ratio because that’s what it is. A numerical imbalance. Thats why Elain is referred to as “the third”. Weren’t Nesta and Feyre referred to as the “two”?
But it’s only wrong that he referred to Elain as the Third? Okay.
He wasn’t specifically referring to the sisters individually. He was referring to them alongside his brothers as a group. Of course she is the Third, because that is what she is. You’d think an English class would teach that.
This doesn’t mean that he sees her as an object.
Its quite the opposite that he sees her as such, given the fact that this man -across 4 books- has risked life and limb for her, spent time with her, gave her his dagger for her own safety that no one else has ever touched, actively sought her out on many occasions, and defended her against Nesta and *Lucien? Come on now. Let’s be real.
*Voicing that she doesn’t even want him in the BC is a defense in her stead.
No one does all that to slip under someone’s dress or get into their pants. Across 2 years mind.
The “given to another” line really isn’t serious just like the aforementioned.
She practically was given to another. She was thrown at Lucien, as per Lucien’s pov, since he’s oh so important. The cauldron shackled her to him as he is to her. It’s merely an observation. No entitlement.
The way Azriel spoke about Lucien regarding the blood duel, fighting him and beating him, etc. People think that Azriel is screaming entitlement by merely stating that he’d beat him? Oh lord. After Rhys and the narration confirmed that it was true? Spending precious page space to make that known?
Not entitlement. Merely stating the obvious, an observation just like the rest. A truth that SJM was trying to convey.
And don’t start with the “He’S a HiGhLoRd’S sOn, He’D bEaT AzRiEl.” Respectfully, silence. Highlord power is passed on by the death of the current highlord. Highlord esc dominance ≠ highlord power. SJM spent page space to make the fact that Az would win known, get over it.
Then they have the matter of “well why didn’t he fight Rhys back and confess his love for Elain then?”
There’s three answers I can give:
This is a BC, he won’t do that until it’s in a book that he actually stars in as a main character, which obviously is the next installment.
Azriel, as a person, feels he should not love her. That he does not deserve her. That he taints her very being. And that she is too good for him and Lucien. So that statement would be completely out of character for him to do so here. This man hates himself so much that he feels he doesn’t have the right or reason to fight for his love for Elain. So he won’t.
Rhysand himself.
The explanation on Rhysand:
Rhys shut him down as soon as he walked in
Taunted and antagonized him
Threw wild assumptions at him
Instigated
Threatened him
And then immediately proceeded to shut him out
He effectively gave no room for Azriel to open up. He didn’t even ask Azriel what was happening or what he felt. It was an immediate attack as soon as he walked into the office.
“Are you out of your mind?”
Being shut down instantly
“What of Mor?”
Antagonized and taunted
“you think you deserve to be her mate?”
Wild assumption
“So you’ll what? Seduce her away from him?”
Instigated + assumption
“Snarl all you want. But if I see you panting after her again, I’ll make you regret it.”
A threat
“Get out.”
And shutting him out
After throwing knives of assumptions at Azriel, trying to bait him with Mor, he threatened him and then kicked him out.
Rhysand is at fault for not creating a safe space for his brother to explain. Azriel merely gave him curt answers in response because that’s all he allowed him to do.
It’s only salt in the wound that we know that Rhys knows of Azriel’s self worth/esteem issues and still treated him this way. But given the time this BC took place, I’m cutting Rhys some slack.
Again, keep in mind that Azriel won’t fight for his love because he feels he has no right or reason to. Not right now.
Could his question about the sisters and the cauldron have been worded better? Sure. I think it was worded well enough though because it explicitly states the disparity that he sees in a logical fashion.
Azriel isn’t entitled, he doesn’t feel entitled.
The irony of it is that some people think he is all the while the man feels as though he doesn’t even deserve to be in any close proximity to Elain. To be around her and to see her light.
People fail to consider the emotional and mental state of Elriel, completely ignoring their words that made it so obvious of what they’re thinking and feeling and wanting all so they can determine what they want them to do instead.
Very ironic indeed.
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