#enalius

[elains]

There's absolutely nothing, nothing straight about Fionn and Enalius and I'm pleased others are seeing the vision.

Listen, after Enalius died, Fionn kept Truth-teller at his side, never used it and never let anyone use it! Not even Theia.

But they were just DEAR FRIENDS.

#hofas spoilers #lacie talks hofas #enalius #fionn #YEAH SORRY

[nova-stardragon]

Currently thinking about how Cassian could be Enalius reincarnated.

Like okay consider this.

Enalius was a warrior god, right? He died defending Ramiel from enemy hoards or whatever.

But picture this: after he died, he ascended to god hood. And as a god of war, he watched closely over the Fae and the humans.

So what if he fell in love with a mortal.

Every day he'd go down, and try to get her to love him, despite any other gods warning him against it, that it was a bad idea, that it wouldn't end well.

And one day, he succeeded. She told him she loved him.

But then, because she was mortal, she dies (either is killed or dies naturally).

Desperate, Enalius goes to the Mother, the Cauldron, whoever, and begs for her life back.

And they strike a deal with him. Her spirit will be reincarnated, over and over again, until they fall in love again. The only problem is, he also has to be reincarnated, over and over again, so he doesn't remember he loves her.

But because he's desperate to see her again, and because he knows that he could never forget her because the sound of her voice is engraved in his soul, he agrees.

After countless reincarnations, he's finally reincarnated as an Illyrian. That Illyrian's name is Cassian.

And his mortal lover?

Nesta.

#Not me taking star crossed lovers too far in an attempt to procrastinate #Cassian #Nesta #Nessian #Enalius #acotar #head cannon #this trope might have been done to death #but i love it every time #This isn't even the whole thing I came up with I just decided it got too long #I feel like I should do a part 2

[offtorivendell]

Couples passing the torch, or blade, so to speak

Please don't share or screenshot this post without credit.

Disclaimer: as usual, this is just a potential parallel that I noticed, and makes no claims of being canon.

We know that SJM loves to sneak in subtle imagery to hint at her characters' future journeys, and that - in some of our opinions - she appears to be going for a trifecta of couples that will cover rulers, armed forces, and the intelligence services. I believe I've found a parallel from the original trilogy that was shared between Elain and Azriel, and Nesta and Cassian, that hinted at each sisters' future journey.

Azriel and Elain - the Knife in the Dark

When Feyre first met Azriel, she immediately noted the threat he could pose if he wished. "The knife in the dark," she called him; the one to look out for.

But the second male, the more classically beautiful of the two … Even the light shied from the elegant planes of his face. With good reason. Beautiful, but near-unreadable. He’d be the one to look out for—the knife in the dark. Indeed, an obsidian-hilted hunting knife was sheathed at his thigh, its dark scabbard embossed with a line of silver runes I’d never seen before. Rhys said, “This is Azriel—my spymaster.” Not surprising. - ACOMAF, chapter 16

One book later Azriel was covering Cassian (heading the remaining Illyrian ranks), and gave his legendary dagger to Elain during the final battle of ACOWAR. Fulfilling both the Nephelle philosophy and taking on Azriel's title as the Knife in the Dark, for whom didn't the King of Hybern "look out"? Elain.

Nesta did not move from where she shielded Cassian’s body. The king raised his hand, power whirling like a dark galaxy in his palm. I knew they’d both die the moment that power hit them. Anything, I begged the Cauldron. Anything— The king’s hand began to drop. And then halted. A choking noise came out of him. For a moment, I thought the Cauldron had answered my pleas. But as a black blade broke through the king’s throat, spraying blood, I realized someone else had. 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.” - ACOWAR, chapter 74

Cassian and Nesta - Enalius

There are many parallels that exist between Azriel and Elain Archeron, and this one has been discussed before - though I haven't seen it paralleled to Nesta and Cassian - but it stands out to me because it was fulfilled in a key battle scene, similar to Nessian...

Cassian has been likened to Enalius since ACOWAR, both by others and himself. His inner monologue in ACOSF even said that his main goal as a youngster had been to become the most skilled Illyrian warrior since Enalius himself.

Nesta listened to the low-level Illyrian soldiers whispering about how Cassian had thrown that spear, how he’d cut down soldiers like stalks of wheat, how he’d fought like Enalius—their most ancient warrior-god and the first of the Illyrians. It had been a while, it seemed, since they had seen Cassian in open battle. Since they’d realized that he’d been young in the War, and now … the looks they gave Cassian as he passed … they were the same as those the High Lords had given Rhys upon seeing his power. Like them, and yet Other. - ACOWAR, chapter 56

At twenty-one, he’d still been drinking and brawling and fucking, unconcerned with anything and anybody except his ambition to be the most skilled of Illyrian warriors since Enalius himself. At twenty-one, Feyre had saved their world, mated, and found true happiness. - ACOSF, chapter 11

“And with our healing slowed to a human rate thanks to the rules of the Rite,” Emerie went on, “we’ll be lucky to make it to the Pass of Enalius in one piece.” “What’s that?” Nesta asked. Emerie’s eyes shone. “Long ago—so long ago they don’t even have a precise date for it—a great war was fought between the Fae and the ancient beings who oppressed them. One of its key battles was here, in these mountains. Our forces were battered and outnumbered, and for some reason, the enemy was desperate to reach the stone at the top of Ramiel. We were never taught the reason why; I think it’s been forgotten. But a young Illyrian warrior named Enalius held the line against the enemy soldiers for days. He found a natural archway of stone amongst the tangle of boulders and made that his bottleneck. He died in the end, but he held off the enemy long enough for our allies to reach us. This Rite is all to honor him. So much of the history has been lost, but the memory of his bravery remains.” As Cassian’s name would last through history, Nesta thought. Would her own? Some small part of her wished for it. - ACOSF, chapter 68

To complete the parallel, who ended up performing a deed that read very much like the one for which Enalius was remembered? Nesta Archeron.

Nesta stood under the Pass of Enalius for a long minute. She took out her canteen. Drank the last of the water. Chucked it to the side. She tucked the dagger into her belt. Picked up the sword. And drew a line in the dirt in front of the archway. Her final stand. Her last line of defense. Nesta gathered the shield. Peered over her shoulder to where Emerie had cleared the last cluster of boulders and now struggled up the long, straight path to the peak. A small, quiet smile passed over Nesta’s face. Then she hefted her shield. Angled her sword. And stepped beyond the line she’d drawn to meet her enemy. - ACOSF, chapter 69

She’d joined them at the river house one night to find a mating present from Feyre waiting for her. Hanging on the wall in the grand entry. A portrait of Nesta, holding the line at the Pass of Enalius. She’d let Rhys see some parts of the Rite—but had no idea he’d asked not out of curiosity, but to give his mate ideas for this. - ACOSF, chapter 80

So, it seems that the original ACOTAR trilogy began to set up shared imagery between (likely) endgame couples.

Though Elain and Azriel's example was completed at the end of ACOWAR, it still left a lot of unanswered questions, whereas we had to wait until ACOSF to see Nesta take up Cassian's mantle. What does this mean for the hypothetical Elriel book? Will we see Elain become the Shadowsinger's Knife once more, or use shadows in some other way?

#the knife in the dark #elriel #pro elriel #elain archeron #azriel shadowsinger #enalius #nessian #nesta archeron #cassian acotar #acotar #elriel theory #nessian theory #parralels #parallelriel #acomaf #acowar #acosf #nephelle philosophy #passing the torch

[shallyne]

Okay, another theory! Listen

I saw a tiktok a few days ago: acotar characters as gods. Cassian was compared to Ares, which made sense to me. Ares is the Greek God of War.

For another theory I googled Enalius and I found that:

Cassian is a descendant of Enalius.

Enalius is a warrior God, the first Illyrian. Under family it's stated that he has multiple Illyrian descendants: Cassian is one of them. He is so strong he has 7 siphons.

Listen to me when I tell you: Enalius and Cassian are related.

#acotar #a court of thorns and roses #Enalius #Enalius acotar #cassian acotar #cassian #lord of bloodshed #acotar theories #acotar theory #sjm theories #SJM theory #Cassian theory #Shallyne theories #Shallyne theory

[impossiblescissorspeachpaper]

The Day We Met

Elain Week Day Three: family & friendships

An installment of a now infamous HC from the mutuals. The story of how Elain & Cassian became co-parents. Non-romantic pairing.

Elain x Cassian. Fluff. 680 words.

“Please, please come down! You can do it.”

Elain had dragged over the small wooden stool she used whilst gardening to the base of the large oak tree. Even standing on her tiptoes, she was still much too short to reach the kitten stuck high up on one of the large branches.

“Mrrreow!”

“I’m trying, you silly thing. Come here!” Elain exasperated, stretching her dirt covered fingers towards the fluffy white kitten. Elain had been attempting to coax the cat out of the tree for close to an hour now and it only seemed to get itself into a further bind.

The kitten was still about two feet out of reach when Elain slumped against the trunk of the tree, her chin uptilted looking longingly into the dense foliage.

“I don’t know what to dooo,” Elain whined, her arms coming to wrap around the trunk helplessly. Tears of frustration threatened to spill over.

“Sweet-talking your plants again, El?”

Cassian came sauntering down the lawn of the River house toward the large oak tree that grew along the edge of the Sidra. “I knew you’d have to have some sort of secret to growing the best gardens in Prythian.”

Elain huffed. “Of course not,” she retorted, her cheeks flushed with her exertions and dwindling patience. Her temper was boiling just beneath the surface at the petulant animals’ unwillingness to cooperate.

“This ridiculous cat is stuck in the tree and it’s not letting me help him down. He just keeps meowing at me like it’s my fault!”

“Mrreow!”

Elain just glared up at the branches like they had personally offended her. Her nose scrunched in irritation and Cassian chuckled, having heard the profanities she muttered under her breath.

Cassian craned his neck, ducking his head this way and that, trying to get a glimpse of the feline in question. “Ahh, there you are…”

Looking around at Elain’s attempts with the stool, he seemed to come up with a simple plan. Grasping her around the waist and hoisting her effortlessly into the air, he kicked the stool out of the way so he could stand in its wake.

Elain didn’t even bat an eye, she was used to being thrown around by Cassian. Whether he was lifting her out of his way to get to the dining table, or giving her a boost to reach the fruits that grew in the tall branches of the trees in her new orchard, she often found her feet off the ground when the General was around.

Elain sat perched upon Cassian’s beefy shoulder, having added several feet to her height, and she was able to now reach and coax the kitten out of the branches. Snaking her arms through the thick foliage, she lured the kitten into her awaiting embrace, its fuzzy little body trembling beneath her fingers.

“Got him!” she called down to Cassian when she had the cat clutched securely to her chest and he hefted her off his shoulder, placing her feet gently onto the grass once more.

“Aww look at the little guy, he’s shaking!” Cassian exclaimed, his eyes wide with concern for the tiny white kitten, prying him from Elain’s small hands.

Cassian’s hands in contrast seemed too big to be allowed, his large scar-flecked palms almost engulfing the kitten entirely.

“Come to daddy,” he crooned in the kittens’ face, which was answered with a tiny meow, nuzzling it’s cheek against Cassian’s bronze skin.

“Oh, he’s all sweet now,” Elain grumbled under her breath feeling scorned.

Cassian turned back towards the house, cooing and fussing over the trembling kitten leaving Elain to trail behind him, trotting to keep up with his long strides.

“C’mon Enalius, daddy will get you something to eat.”

Elain scoffed, feeling indignant that she had just spent the better half of the last hour trying to rescue the kitten only for it to schmooze up to the hulking Illyrian.

“Cassian! Who’s Enalius? Wait— that is not your cat!”

*******

@elainarcheronweek​

tagging my general list: @offtorivendell @fawnandshadows @the-laughing-bubble @swankii-art-teacher @pagemasters @tswaney17 @sakurakittypeach @thefangirlofhp @wingedblooms

#elainarcheronweek2022 #day three: family & friends #elain archeron #cassian #elain x cassian #casslain fic #enalius the cat #acotar headcanon #pro elain archeron #acotar drabble #t writes #acotar #elain #casslain

[nikethestatue]

A Girls’ Night In

Elain Week, Day 3, Friends and Family

The rain was coming down hard and the General of the Night Court armies skipped over the puddles like a ballerina, throwing a suspicious glance, to make sure that he wasn’t seen. But the weather was atrocious and the street was empty. 

He opened the wrought iron gate, jogged over the soaked cobblestone path and then knocked on the door. The wards around the townhouse remained impregnable, and he couldn’t just barge in. Now that Elain was living here full time, only she had additional permission to enter, though Mor’s has been pulled. 

He heard a patter of steps and the door opened up.

“Oh shit!” Cassian the fearless General squeaked in fear, taking a step back. A monster!

“Evening Cass!”

“What the hel is on your face, petal?” he finally got his bearings back, but he was so shocked by her appearance, that he forgot to even greet her properly. 

Elain was barefoot, her toes in some kind of weird contraption, which made them separate widely. Her face was black, and shiny. But charcoal black. 

“It’s a charcoal mask,” she explained, looking at him in confusion. “Why are you here? Is Nesta alright?”

He was dripping water everywhere, the rain soaking his cloak and his massive figure was flooding everything around him on the porch. 

“Ummm, come in then,” she invited, uncertainly lacing her voice. “But, can you,”

“Yeah, yeah,” he tore off the cloak and left it on the little bench on the porch, before entering the familiar confines of the townhome.

Not much has changed in the décor--same black marble fireplace, bookshelves, and even the furniture was the same, though Elain had upgraded to a new sofa. But there was also something different about the place too--fresh flowers in crystal vases, the smells of baking truly delectable, the scent of Elain’s delicate perfume. Certainly wasn’t the same as when a bachelor of a High Lord lived here.

Cassian removed his boots, prowling inside, and was stopped in his tracks. 

Nuala and Cerridwen were on the rug, seated around the coffee table, which was laden with bottles of wine, a cheese and sausage spread, all kinds of biscuits and chocolates.

“Ladies,” he greeted the wraith twins. Nuala sported a blue mask on her face, while Cerridwen had the same as Elain. All three women were wearing pajamas. On the floor, there were a few magazines, half of them depicting male Fae in various states of undress.

Elain scrambled, when she noticed his amused look, and tried to push the magazines under the table. Her spread toes didn’t allow for a graceful, unnoticed movement and she failed.

The Handsome Fae of Velaris

Faebook for the Ladies

Males of FaeGram

One of the magazines was opened to an article titled ‘How to Make Him Give You the Orgasms of Your Life. Every Time’.

“I am intruding,” Cassian whispered, unable to stifle a smirk.

So that’s what these girls got to when they were alone. 

“No, it’s alright,” Elain said, “we are having a girls’ night in.”

“I can tell...”

“How can we help you, Cassian?” Nuala inquired, sipping her wine, watching him squirming a bit. 

“Umm...well,” he rubbed his wet hair and sprayed droplets everywhere, causing the women to shriek and throw pillows at him. “Sorry! Sorry!”

“Illyrian brute,” Cerridwen muttered under hear breath.

“I need a favour,” his voice turned pleading and Elain nodded. She went to the powder room, and brought him a towel, along with a male shirt. He took the shirt, puzzling over it--it didn’t look like one of Rhys’s tunics, though it was large, made for wings and definitely well-tailored. If he didn’t know better, he would’ve assumed it was Azriel’s! Haha, that was funny. Him wearing Azriel’s shirt...Though obviously it wasn’t Azriel’s, because why would it be?

He dried himself, while Nuala poured him a glass of wine, and all three females stilled a bit, breaths hitched, when he removed his sodden tunic and stood in front of them bare-chested. 

Elain blushed, because she always blushed, which he found cute, and he noticed how Nuala bit her lower lip, as she watched him wipe himself and then tug on the new shirt. Hmmm, it fit him well. Also, smelled nice, of cedar and chilled night air.

He accepted the wine and then helped himself to the cheese and the bread.

“I have a cat,” he announced.

“A cat?” all three cooed, surprised.

“I found him in the library. And I love him,” he declared fiercely. 

“Alright,” Elain sat beside the twins on the floor and pulled out the foamy things from between her toes. It dawned on Cassian that it was something connected to a pedicure. He wasn’t sure exactly what, but Nesta and Elain and Feyre always had their toes painted. It was pretty. And he liked it.

“But I need to...slowly...introduce him to Nesta,” he explained carefully. 

“Yeah,” Elain nodded, well-aware of what he meant. “Really slowly.”

“Sooo,” he bubbled his lips. “Would you care for him for a bit?”

“I’ve never had a cat,” she reasoned, chewing inside of her lip.

“He is very easy! Just give him fish and milk--well, I give him cream--and I buy the fish at the market--but he is not needy or anything,”

“Cream?”

“Yes, he likes cream. A lot.”

“What’s his name?”

Cassian got very excited talking about his cat. Apparently, it was white and quite hefty, and he wanted to call him Smoochy, but then decided on Enalius. And it was the smartest cat in the world, because he read books (yeah, right!) and he didn’t catch mice. The General rambled for a good ten minutes about the cat, without pause. He drank more wine, relaxing into the armchair, and Elain offered him a small plate with more cheese and sausage slices. 

Once he finally stopped talking, Nuala chuckled and then whispered something into Elain’s ear. Elain snorted and nodded.

“What?” he demanded.

“I’ll do it,” she said simply.

“You will?!?!” he cried out excitedly. “Excellent! Thank you, petal. I knew I could count on you!”

“But,” she raised her finger. “Under one condition...”

>>>

Cassian was spread out on the floor, Cerridwen seated on his hips, her hands massaging his huge shoulders. He was oiled up like one of those hunky Fae males in the magazines that the girls were looking at. 

“He is totally flexing!” Cassian complained, leafing through the magazines, looking at the buff models with bulging muscles, “and they are all oiled up!”

“So are you, big boy,” Nuala laughed.

Cassian was currently sporting a green mask on his face, with black undereye patches ‘to remove wrinkles’ as Elain explained, though he had no wrinkles because he was Fae. 

Elain was lotioning up his rough, calloused hands, and damn if that didn’t feel nice on his fingers and palms. Cerridwen was massaging his back and Nuala was berating him for his dry skin, and lack of moisturizing, and something else that  he couldn’t even discern. Exfoliation or something? 

He was drinking a weird green drink that they had made for him, which looked awful but tasted pretty good. Like salad. 

He was enjoying himself, and the girls seemed to be enjoying it too, even if he crashed their party. But the fact that he was now bare from the waist up didn’t seem to bother them at all.

“What in the blasting hel...”

His brother’s amused, condescending voice and tone jolted Cassian out of his pontification about what the male models were lacking.

“Shit!” Cassian jumped up, almost tossing Cerridwen aside, and catching her at the last moment.

“What are you doing?!” Azriel was standing in the foyer, arms crossed, observing the scene with mirth in his eyes. “If I didn’t know better, I would think you are having a spa evening and wearing a facial mask...But that couldn’t be right? Right?”

“What are you doing here?!” Cassian demanded suspiciously.

“I just dropped by,”

“Well, so did I!” Cassian snapped defensively.

“No, no, by all means,” Az made a wide sweep with his arm. “Please continue.”

“Ugh, whatever. I gotta go anyway!”

Elain pouted and shot daggers at Azriel, saying, “it’s raining! You don’t need to go out now, Cass.”

“It’s alright, petal. It’s time to go. I’ll bring Enalius tomorrow,”

She nodded, while Azriel was laughing silently, watching Cass wipe the oil off his torso and put his shirt on. 

“It’s okay, Cass. I don’t want to ruin your complexion,” Azriel told him and extended his hand to him. “I’ll winnow you home.”

“I’ll never live this down, will I?” Cassian groaned, scrubbing his face.

“Not for a while,” Az nodded sagely. 

“Don’t tell Mor!” genuine fear sparked in the General’s eyes. 

“I’ll consider it.”

After Azriel dropped his brother at the House of Wind, Cassian tiptoed into the bathroom, to wash off the remnants of his face mask and the oil. As he stepped into the bath, a thought occurred to him. How did Azriel winnow into the townhouse if he didn’t have permission?

@elainarcheronweek​

#ElainWeek2022 #elainarcheronweek2022 #elain archeron #cassian #elain x nuala x cerridwen #nuala and cerridwen #Enalius makes an appearance in spirit #a little bit of Azriel #elain

[casuallivi]

Elriel Month: Week Three: The Garden

#elrielmonth22 #week three the garden #eloping version #just elriel living their best life secluded in the woods #loving each other #and ocasionally being visited by enalius #lol #elain archeron #azriel #elain x azriel #livi's contribution to em22

[thesistersarcheron]

If Nesta named her sword after an ancient word for inner peace, then what the hell is she going to name her children?

#cassian suggests enalia because he’s very fond of the memories from enalius’ pass now and his naming privileges are immediately revoked #and i feel like nesta chooses some very long unwieldy names with poignant meanings #and azriel has to be the one to quietly and calmly call the poor kid a normal nickname out of nesta’s earshot until it sticks #nesta #cassian #nessian #you know what? nesta chooses long meaningful names OR prythian’s equivalent of jane. ben. john. mary. very very simple and classic names.

[c-e-d-dreamer]

Cassian. General of the Night Court. Lord of Bloodshed. Enalius Reincarnated. Prince of Bastards.

.

Cannot thank @azperja enough for bringing this beautiful Cassian character sheet to life! Just perfectly captured everything that is the man, the myth, the legend and created this absolutely gorgeous art 😍

.

✨Please do not repost. Do not feed into AI✨

#do you see this? #alexa play what a man #the curly hair the armor the eight point star it's all just sexy sexy sexy #cassian #acotar #acosf #bat boys #nessian

[starsreminisce]

“The Illyrians are pieces of shit,” he said too quietly. I opened my mouth and shut it. Shadows gathered around his wings, trailing off him and onto the thick red rug. “They train and train as warriors, and yet when they don’t come home, their families make us into villains for sending them to war?” “Their families have lost something irreplaceable,” I said carefully. Azriel waved a scarred hand, his cobalt Siphon glinting with the movement as his fingers cut through the air. “They’re hypocrites.”

It's not exactly a secret that Azriel harbors deep-seated issues related to his Illyrian heritage. Both his brothers are keenly aware of his feelings toward them, bordering on hatred. When HOFAS was released, revealing their rebellion against the Daglan and Enalius to align with High King Fionn, it shed light on a forgotten history. The blood rite, once a means of honoring Enalius, had devolved into a deadly competition. Against this backdrop, the Valkyries' victory in the Blood Rite stands out, with Nesta assuming the role of Enalius to protect Gwyn and Emerie's ascent to the mountain peak.

Gwyn didn’t flinch. “I have. And I am tired of it.” She surveyed the blood-soaked leather along her thigh. “I don’t want to take the safe road.” She pointed to the mountain, to the slender path upward. “I want to take that road.” Her voice thickened. “I want to take the road that no one dares travel, and I want to travel it with you two. No matter what may befall us. Not as Illyrians, not for their titles, but as something new. To prove to them, to everyone, that something new and different might triumph over their rules and restrictions.” A cold wind blew off Ramiel’s sides. Whispering, murmuring.

Gwyn's connection to Azriel extends beyond mere companionship; she represents his journey toward self-acceptance and a desire for change within the Illyrian community. It's noteworthy that Gwyn, not Nesta, is the inaugural Valkyrie and the first non-Illyrian to hold the Carynthian title.

This choice underscores Gwyn's pivotal role in Azriel's narrative and the broader arc of cultural evolution within the Illyrian society.

#gwynriel #pro gwynriel #gwyn x azriel #azriel x gwyn

[yazthebookish]

I agree with @bookofmirth

I think ACOTAR5 will fill in the gaps we're left with in HOFAS (on the ACOTAR side). I think that will be covered in the first 30% of the book.

I'm very excited for it because SJM dropped some delicious crumbs for Azriel and tied his Illyrian heritage to the crossover and questions about his origins, backstory and magic:

• Truth-teller being the knife of Enalius, the first of the Illyrians. How did he find the knife? It's interesting that the knife went from the Fae back to an Illyrians.

• Illyrians being made by the Daglan and what are the implications of that on them.

• The Daglan fed on the Illyrians power through the Tithe, and just as I suspected they channel firstlight/raw power and its destructive without the wearing siphons (which I assume are quartz crystal too).

• Ramiel potentially being a thin place and also has a core of firstlight, does the Blood Rite contribute to giving it more firstlight/secondlight? What makes the Illyrians all have magic on the night before the Blood Rite?

• Azriel's origins. I still think he is fully Illyrian since he can wear Siphons (unlike Rhys) but I find it interesting Bryce questions if he has Starborn bloodline. Avallen Fae and Theia's daughters had shadow powers so it might be something that will be explored.

• In the bonus chapter he seems fiercely protective of his mother and mentions that she is anything but awful. However he refuses to discuss it more which seems a sore spot for him.

It's obvious SJM is laying down the groundwork for Azriel's arc and it's not going to be confined to a sad lonely depressed love interest, he has a bigger role.

Rhys will 100% be very concerned about people from other worlds showing up in Prythian, he saw two female aliens (Aelin and Bryce) in a span of months.

I need to do a proper post later on but I am so fucking excited I've been waiting for his story and it's going to be nothing short of epic!!

#hofas spoilers #yaz reads hofas

[elains]

Azriel's association with Enalius, what it means for his arc and Illyria

This is something me and my friends have talked about off tumblr, but I wanted to write my own post about it and gather my thoughts. But here, I'll discuss a bit Azriel's character and how the revelations we witness in House of Flame and Shadow will be important to his character. (+ a little bit of Emerie).

What do we know about Enalius? From ACOSF, Emerie provides us with a little exposition when they are in the Rite, when the Pass of Enalius is brought up:

Long ago—so long ago they don’t even have a precise date for it—a great war was fought between the Fae and the ancient beings who oppressed them. One of its key battles was here, in these mountains. Our forces were battered and outnumbered, and for some reason, the enemy was desperate to reach the stone at the top of Ramiel. We were never taught the reason why; I think it’s been forgotten. But a young Illyrian warrior named Enalius held the line against the enemy soldiers for days.

Now, from the Crescent City crossover, we learned that Truth-teller and Gwydion are twin blades. They are a pair. According to the Silene History Lesson, the dagger used to belong to her father's (Fionn's) dear friend, slain during the war. A bit later, when they find Vesperus, she confirms that this friend was Enalius:

The Asteri’s eyes flared with recognition at the long blade. “Did Fionn send you, then? To slay me in my sleep? Or was it that traitor Enalius? I see that you bear his dagger—as his emissary? Or his assassin?”

Immediately before that, she also confirms that the Asteri crafted (which can either mean created, shaped forged, but we are going with created) the Illyrians:

The Asteri’s blue eyes lowered to the dagger. “You dare draw a weapon before me? Against those who crafted you, soldier, from night and pain?”

From everything, we can conclude this: Enalius was the original wielder of Truth-teller before Fionn and Theia, a dear friend to Fionn, and someone who pulled the ultimate sacrifice to keep the Asteri/Daglan from reaching the top of Ramiel. He was a traitor to the Asteri, a rebel against his masters and everything they stood for.

Enalius is the hero most Illyrians strive to mimic, the legendary figure who they all hope to one day surpass. He's a symbol of their people, even if so much about him has been forgotten — the fact that he had a dagger, Fionn's friendship, what the battle was for, maybe even how he was as a person. Brave, for sure. Willing to die for the cause.

And it's Azriel who bears his dagger. Azriel, who has such a complicated relationship with his Illyrian heritage and loaths it - and by extension, himself - is the one with this enormous legacy right at this hand. And this matters.

Still in ACOSF, we have Rhys talking with Cassian and wanting him to play Courtier, the following exchange then follows:

“What, we’re doing some role reversal? Az gets to lead the Illyrians now?” “Don’t play stupid,” Rhys said coolly. Cassian rolled his eyes. But they both knew Azriel would sooner disband and destroy Illyria than help it. Convincing their brother that the Illyrians were a people worth saving was still a battle amongst the three of them.

Azriel hates the Illyrians for what happened to him and his mother and his dislike for them is, to a degree, understandable. The thing is that Azriel, no matter how much he loaths it, is Illyrian. Maybe he's more than that (as it's pointed that Az is different in a lot of ways and Bryce wonders if he is Starborn), but at heart, he's Illyrian. Siphons, leathers, fighting, being Carynthian, his wings, his scabbard and the dagger it holds.

It was healthy, perhaps, for Az to sometimes remember where he'd come from. He still wore the Illyrian leathers. Had not tried to get the tattoos removed. Some part of him was Illyrian still. Always would be. Even if he wished to forget it.

Being Illyrian is part of who he is and his deep hatred for them only fuel his self-loathing. He would like to set himself apart, but he is not.

We can actually draw a direct parallel between Azriel and Bryce with how they regard the Fae vs the Illyrians. Bryce loathes the Fae and for most of HoFaS, she believes they are evil, corrupt, power-hungry and quite generally, not worth saving. She would leave them all to burn. Sound familiar?

And Bryce is wrong. Sathia challenges her notion, pointing out that she's laying judgement to all fae and that is hardly fair. What the one who don't deserve it? Herself, yes, but Flynn, Declan, and Ruhn himself? Do they deserve to burn too? Bryce herself acknowledges this:

Urd had sent her there to see, even in the small fraction of their world that she’d witnessed, that Fae existed who were kind and brave. She might have had to betray Nesta and Azriel, trick them … but she knew that at their cores, they were good people. The Fae of Midgard were capable of more. Ruhn proved it. Flynn and Dec proved it. Even Sathia proved it, in the short time Bryce had known her.

And this part here sums up quite neatly:

Fire met starlight met shadows, and Bryce loosed herself on the world. It ended today. Here. Now. This had nothing to do with the Asteri, or Midgard. The Fae had festered under leaders like these males, but her people could be so much more.

There are Illyrians who are kind and brave and break the mold. We see this with Emerie, who is also a woman. We see that with Balthazar, Cassian. The main point stands, though, that you cannot judge or condemn an entire race for the bad apples.

Azriel is wrong, just as Bryce was wrong, and his journey will be also to realise that his people are worth saving. They were created of night and pain (words that Azriel embodies, being a master of shadows and a torturer), but that is not everything they need to be. They can be more than soldiers. They can thrive.

And I believe this was something Enalius himself came to the believe, long ago. His people deserved more than to be slaves to the Asteri, forced to give them their power when need be, bred to live and die for them. They could be more. And Enalius died to free his people from their chains.

Is Azriel Enalius's blooded descendant? I'm not sure, but he doesn't need to be. Azriel is Enalius successor because he will finish what was started. He'll uncover the secrets of the past, what his people were in truth, what Enalius rebelled for, what he stood for, what the Blood Rite truly means - which he only got a glimpse of.

And this is where I think Emerie will also come in. She's s one of ACOSF most relevant characters and the first female Illyrian to be Carynthian. I think Emerie will also become an inspirational figure to the Illyrian women, another of these what they coud be. What they can be. And more importantly and that is just a theory, what they were.

Orestes was a warrior. What if so was Carynth and she was woman? The name always struck me as similar to Carina, which is the name of a constellation and commonly used by women. It would be ironic and another shaking revelation to the Illyrians that Carynth, for whom their greatest warriors are named after, was a woman.

Does that mean all Illyrian women must become Valkyries? No, but some might wish to follow this path whilst their society takes its time to catch up. They already shook the status quo and with Nesta poised to have a big role (andthe Valkyries along her), they will continue to do so.

Azriel will uncovered the lost history of Vesperus offered him all the clues he needed to start looking. His journey to find out this secrets will lead to him facing his own demons, confronting his loathing for his people and, in doing so, he will make peace with himself.

#hofas spoilers #azriel #shout out to yaz for helping me fish the quotes #my meta #acotar #acosf #emerie #illyria

[bright-side20]

The Truth-Teller/Hofas Spoilers

It seems like people are hung up on Enalius possessing the TT in order to serve the Illyrian plot for Azriel, but in fact, that's selective reading. Let's see what is written in the books.

My sword blazed with light. That dagger shone with darkness. Both of them are crafted of the same black metal. Iridium, right?" She jerked her chin to Azriel, to the dagger at his side. "Ore from a fallen meteorite?" Azriel's silence was confirmation enough.

=Both blades are made from the same material of a fallen meteorite.

My father had never shown himself to be giving-long had he kept Gwydion and never once offered it to my mother. The dagger that had belonged to his dear friend, slain during the war, hung at his side, unused. But not for long.

Theia extended her hands toward the water, the offered blades. And on phantom wings, sword and dagger soared for her. Sum- moned to her hands. Starlight flared from Theia as she snatched the sword and knife out of the air, the blades glowing with their own starlight.

My mother returned that day with only Pelias and my father's blades. As she had helped Make them, they answered to the call in her blood. To her very power.

Conclusion: The Starsword and the Truth-Teller were both created in the same manner, crafted by Fionn and Theia. Fionn likely gifted the Truth-Teller to his best friend Enalius during the great war when Illyrians fought against the daglan to prevent them from reaching the Cauldron atop Ramiel. After Enalius's death, Fionn simply took his blade back.

_Azriel's secret lineage:

My mother eventually trusted only Helena and myself to seek the truth. She knew we could be of great use to her, because we bore the shadows as well as starlight.

=The blades simply represent both powers of the Dusk Court people: light and shadows.

We spent a month hidden in the enemy's stronghold, no more than shadows ourselves.

Doesn't that remind you of this :

ACOMAF:

“Like the daemati,” Rhys said to me, “shadowsingers are rare—coveted by courts and territories across the world for their stealth and predisposition to hear and feel things others can’t.”

=Daemati (mind reading) and Shadowsinger abilities are simply the powers of the Dusk Court/Avallen people, which is why they are rare, especially in Prythian.

_Foreshadowing from HOFAS :

Azriel, without Rhysand to translate, watched in silence. Bryce could have sworn shadows wreathed him, like Ruhn's, yet... wilder. The way Cormac's had been.

The male now held the Starsword at the ready, Truth-Teller gripped in his other hand.He must have had some sort of Starborn blood in him, then-a distant ancestor, maybe. Or maybe his possession of the knife somehow allowed him to also bear the Starsword.

That's a very obvious foreshadowing. It would explain why Azriel is so different from other Illyrians, why he can winnow, why Illyrians couldn't understand the origin of his Shadowsinger gift, and why it was merely assumed that he learned the language of shadows during his imprisonment.

_Az confirming that his shadows are magical:

His brows rose.... The shadows are made of magic, just very condensed.

_Where did Azriel find the Truth-Teller:

No one knows what became of Theia and General Pelias," I told countless generations. "They betrayed King Fionn, and Gwydion was for- ever lost, his dagger with it." I lied with every breath.

Silene made people believe that the dagger was also lost.

I made sure he knew that the buried weapon he'd need against the Asteri was down here.

While she told her son that the dagger is buried in the prison, therefore, Azriel found the Truth-Teller in the prison.

ACOMAF:

Azriel :"I'll go. The Prison sentries know me-what I am." 👀

So, tell me, what is more interesting: learning about Azriel's obvious Illyrian side, given that his father is an Illyrian, or discovering his secret lineage? Keep in mind that we know nothing about his mother. How did he manage to find the Truth-Teller? Why was he extremely possessive of it, yet decided to give it to Elain? This includes the famous scene that antis spent years trying to downplay, the scene in the coloring book, and on the ACOWAR cover.

_Can Azriel get access to the Truth-Teller's magic :

Can your dagger kill the unkillable, too?" "It's called Truth-Teller," he said in that soft voice, like shadows given sound. "And no, it cannot."Bryce arched a brow. "So does it tell the truth?" A hint of a smile, more chilling than the frigid air around them. "It gets people to do so."

This shows that he probably doesn't know the full potential of the dagger and that he used it for torturing people.

Vesperus took another step, steadier now, and smiled past Bryce. At Azriel, at Truth-Teller. "You don't know how to use it,do you?" Azriel pointed the dagger toward the advancing Asteri. "Pretty sure this end's the one that'll go through your gut." Vesperus chuckled, her dark hair swaying with each inching step closer. "Typical of your kind. You want to play with our weap- ons, but have no concept of their true abilities."

I think that Azriel is like Ruhn; he can wield the Starsword and the Truth-Teller. However, he cannot get access to their full power.

_Bryce using the Starsword and the Truth-Teller to kill Vesperus :

Bryce threw her power into the Starsword, light ripping through the black blade, willing it to tear this fucking monster apart- She willed it into Truth-Teller, and shadows flowed.

Elain :

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.”

=The shadows were the Truth-Teller's magic; it had answered to Elain's will and magic, killing the King of Hybern. Y'all Keep in mind that Elain is the first female to wield and use the Truth-Teller since Silene.

I want to add

_If there is someone who would be a descendant of Enalius, it's Cassian, and it's already foreshadowed:

ACOWAR :

Nesta listened to the low-level Illyrian soldiers whispering about how Cassian had thrown that spear, how he’d cut down soldiers like stalks of wheat, how he’d fought like Enalius—their most ancient warrior-god and the first of the Illyrians. It had been a while, it seemed, since they had seen Cassian in open battle. Since they’d realized that he’d been young in the War, and now … the looks they gave Cassian as he passed … they were the same as those the High Lords had given Rhys upon seeing his power. Like them, and yet Other.

ACOSF:

At twenty-one, he’d still been drinking and brawling and fucking, unconcerned with anything and anybody except his ambition to be the most skilled of Illyrian warriors since Enalius himself.

Enalius being the Illyrians leader and Fionn's bestie / Cassian is the Illyrians general and Rhys's bestie. 🤷🏻‍♀️

#hofas spoilers #azriel shadowsinger #pro elain #pro elriel #elain archeron #acotar thoughts #cassian acotar #azriel acotar #elriel supremacy

[bookofmirth]

how might acotar5 start?

This post has spoilers for hofas!!!!!

The intention of this post is to talk about how SJM might connect hofas and acotar5 narratively. It is purely thinking about the logistics of the situation, not where the plot could go in the future.

I will have a follow-up post with discussion about why Az makes even more sense as the next MC, based on everything we learned in hofas that strengthens my rationale from acosf and hosab. I decided that Azriel as the main character and Azriel as the connection POV are too much for one post, and slightly separate (though obviously overlapping) arguments.

So let's go!

After the crossover in hosab/hofas, the narrative needs to take into account a few things:

We have readers who don't want to read 2000+ pages of urban fantasy and want to be able to stick to acotar and fully understand that series in itself

Readers who read both series and don't want a bunch of repetitive scenes

sjm needs to think about how to communicate the information that was learned in hosab/hofas, or at least the information that is vital for moving forward with the acotar plot, in acotar5 that accounts for both those perspectives.

So how does sjm manage all of those tasks?

Azriel's POV

Starting perhaps just before Bryce landed in Prythian, though it could potentially start right where acosf left off. Allow me to explain.

Azriel was preset for a majority of the crossover, but he wasn't with Bryce the entire time. This is important! Because he was in and out of the Hewn City, this gives us an opportunity to see what was happening outside of Bryce's perception. Azriel's pov means:

We could see how the IC reacted initially to Bryce's arrival.

We could see their decision-making process in terms of what to do with Bryce

We could see if they made use of the research that was being conducted on other worlds

Bryce goes straight from landing in Velaris at the end of hosab, to being in the Hewn City at the beginning of hofas. We could learn how they came to that decision to take her there. That's not super important, but possible with Az pov.

We could also get a moment away from Bryce where Az is thinking about his own emotional reactions to everything happening with Truthteller, perhaps getting better insight into why he is reacting the way he is when it is near Gwydion, and how he feels upon learning the information about the Asteri making the Illyrians, and the info about Ramiel, about Enalius. We learned a LOT that is relevant to Az, and have almost nothing in terms of his reaction to it.

We could also get a better idea of how this knowledge is changing the IC in real time, as they are grappling with the implications.

This also means that the information we learn via the info dump in hofas could be supplemented with what Rhys already knows, based on Merrill's research. It wouldn't just be a verbatim repetition of Silene's story, but a fuller picture that includes what the IC knows and further implications for Prythian.

We could also get more insight into the argument that occurs as a result of Nesta letting Bryce borrow the mask. It ended up being a huge source of friction, but right now, we have zero knowledge of what was actually said between the IC when they found out.

One of the most important points here is narrative: everything that we learned in hosab/hofas was from Bryce's point of view. The narration didn't have to do that. Instead, the omniscient narrator could have given us insight into Azriel and Nesta's feelings. However, sjm kept that relatively close to the chest. For example:

“What is it?” Nesta asked Bryce, motioning to her back. “How is a bit of writing on your skin … Made?” “I can’t answer the question until you tell me what the fuck Made means.”

SJM does not fill in the gaps for Bryce, for readers who have only read Crescent City. Someone coming from acotar obviously knows the importance of the tattoo being a Made object, but sjm isn't doing anything to help out CC-only readers, here. She is working from Bryce's perspective only, and Bryce has no idea. This is just one example of what Bryce's perspective read like; the entire thing is like this, Bryce trying to piece information together while the omniscient narrator chooses not to fill the reader in on what Bryce doesn't know. This means that, again, we have no idea how the IC and other acotar characters responded to these events, other than how Bryce can observe them responding.

Azriel is quite literally the perfect go-between between the CC and ACOTAR series, as he was both observing Bryce and working with the IC. That means that sjm has given space in the narrative to give us Azriel's pov without it being repetitive. By using Azriel's POV, we are also learning this information anew, filtered through his thoughts and his emotional responses. We get the information we need, but we get it from a Prythian perspective.

It's possible that sjm do an info dump at the beginning of acotar5, of course. Lots of things are possible - they aren't all likely. Perhaps sjm will take an easier route and have Az give a recap, but to whom? And why? Everyone who needs to know will already know, and so I don't see a need for him (or Nesta, or Rhys) to spend time in the book explaining the situation.

Could sjm start post-hofas events, and just assume that acotar readers have gotten on board with Crescent City? She could, but that would be pretty shitty of her to do, considering how many books in we are. The way I have read it, you could read Crescent City without having any knowledge of acotar, and be fine. She tells us what we need to know in hofas. Why not do that in acotar, so it could be treated as a separate entity?

It will be interesting to see what tactic she takes, either way!

#hofas #house of flame and shadow #spoilers #acotar #acotar/cc #sjm crossover #long post tag #azriel #Leslie reads hofas #hofas spoilers #hi stalkers! #especially the ones I've had blocked for years #you're so desperate to know what I think <3 #okay back to reading!

[shallyne]

Orion. This is a Greek name that used to mean “dweller on the mountain.” However, it’s usually associated with the constellation Orion.

dweller on the mountain

I am calling it now, Hunt Athalar is a descendent of Enalius

#acotar #a court of thorns and roses #Crescent city #cc hosab #hosab spoilers #house of sky and breath #hosab #hosab theory #hunt athalar #Orion Athalar #enalius #Enalius acotar #Enalius acosf #Shallyne theories #Shallyne theory

[pinklayla123]

I am genuinely so intrigued by Azriel and Truth-Teller. How did Az get it? Is it a family heirloom passed from generation to generation since the time of Enalius? Is Az a descendent of Enalius? Or did he find the knife elsewhere after leaving the war-camp? Or did the knife sense his Dusk ancestry, and find him? When did he even find it? Why is he so attached to it? Did something happen the day he found it? What made him give Truth-Teller to Elain on the day of the battle? What made him believe that she would be able to wield it? How did he feel after learning that the knife he has carried for 500 years is the Cauldron-Made Narben from legends of old? How did he feel after finding out it originally belonged to Enalius? When did it become Truth-Teller and lose the name Narben? Is the knife sentient like the Mask and the Harp? Where was it for the last fifteen thousand years? What powers does it have? Is it somehow connected to the shadows? I need to know.

#azriel #azriel shadowsinger #pro azriel #elriel #elain #mine