#torre cesme

[acourtofantumbra]

Pulling at the Thread of the Day Court and the Dawn Court Pt.1 - Alchemy & Other Realms

☆ All SJM spoilers: ACOTAR, CC, and TOG ☆

I might be putting this insanity out into the tumblr wilds, but trust that I do not think anyone would ever care to read something this long. Idk if my college thesis was this long. This is a literal invitation into how my neurodivergent brain works. Expect real a to b to q to wow we've just fully veered off the road... where are we even going? energy. If you get tired along the way — yeah, trust me that's normal.

So, I'm doing my first re-read of ACOTAR!! Tbh during the first go around I struggled with the OG trio (I DNFed ACOFAS multiple times lol) and it's been well over a year since I've read them. But recently, I binged every other SJM book/series. So during my messy reread I've been picking up on a lot. And enjoying it more! But there were two fleeting moments from ACOMAF & ACOWAR that caught my eye and led me down what will become (maybe) the longest fucking theory spiral. Like multi part...

Honestly? It's been so fun. My job is very soul sucking.

In short — nothing about this will be short lol — the thread I followed brought me to Helion, his Day Court, and weird connections to both the Thesan/the Dawn Court and one of ACOTAR’s many unexplored Faerie Realms. And some realms not in ACOTAR. I also take a look at both Helion and Thesan’s powers (as well as some others) that have me questioning... some unexplored "magic" from multiple worlds. Happy to call all of it crack theory, but I will be citing as much canon as tumblr's image limit allows. This is gonna be a long and winding road!

I always add books and page numbers (and try to add any other relevant citations) to the visuals/sources I use, so check those out if you need some extra info!

Color Key: spoilers, notes from me 2 u, important, important + links, mentioned later in the post, mentioned in another post of mine or in a future post

Day Court Powers and Dawn Court Powers

Alright, so the moment that caused me to spiral was a snipe from Lucien in Chapter 11 of ACOWAR. Feyre’s plan to GTFO of the Spring Court is fully in motion, but she's freaking out about Hybern weaponizing faebane. Breezing past that, Lucien confronts her about being a big ol’ liar whilst reminding her that he has other friends, ok? 

So, two things: I was trying to remember who Lucien’s friend was and thought, Oh right, the ‘Master Tinkerer.’ The friend that made Lucien’s golden eye, which is itself magical.

But then I got caught up in a different question... Like hold up, what healing powers did Feyre use in this moment he’s talking about?

Because that's the main power of the Dawn Court that's canon thus far. Especially because Lucien is pointing out that his friend’s light and Feyre’s light comes from “the same power,” which he seems to know intimately, and their “light is identical.” At first, I was just confused because who is this non-High Lord person with High Lord power? And are we all cool with that or...?

So I flip back to ACOMAF to remind myself wtf we’re talking about here… which of Thesan’s — or the Dawn Court’s — powers did Feyre use in the Hybern/Cauldron event at the end of the book? A display noticeable enough that Lucien clocked Feyre's light looking familiar — perhaps because his mechanical/magical eye might have related functions. 

As it turns out we're not talking about Thesan’s powers at all… we’re talking about Helion’s powers. Which might be why Lucien is intimately familiar with how the power works — for wholly different reasons... like having inherited Helion’s powers himself.

So Feyre breaks through Hybern's wards so she can get her sisters and IC out and reestablishes her bond speaking with Rhys, but notably she still can't feel the bond with Hybern's spell crushing down on it. But she pretends she's broken the "curse" Rhys has put on her to make her like him more than Tamlin...

Tamlin... my dude... no...

And while Feyre gave an Oscar worthy performance convincing everyone that her very nice Night Husband was evil the whole time, Lucien is suspicious as hell... and so is his eye.

Lucien knew Feyre was full of shit and with “centuries of cultivated reason” he might know about some other lies *cough* who his real dad is *cough*. But his mating bond with Elain has freshly snapped into place… so his priorities shifted, one could say, and doesn’t call Feyre out.

Ok, so where are we now? 

Feyre used Helion’s Day Court power - his light and his cursebreaking/spellbreaking to take down Hybern’s wards so the Night Court could get her recently Made sisters out of dodge. Lucien clocks this because he has a friend in the Dawn Court with the same abilities and the same light and also maybe because he personally knew Papa Helion’s powers were being used.

Here's a post from whitewolf-ofdoranelle: detailing some evidence about Lucien maybe knowing the truth about Helion and his powers.  

About Light in the SJM Multiverse:

It's becoming more important by the second!

We have many different shades that seemingly allude to overarching people/powers/plots. Most of the time when we encounter characters using or emitting light, they/we don’t exactly know where it comes from or how it works. Which is why so much of the understanding re: our shining characters is still just speculation at this point.

But we know it's for sure important with the introduction of the Starborn Line in Crescent City and the lore that connects Midgard and Prythian (tho the stories are not identical... someone is lyinggg). We’re building that knowledge more extensively as the multiverse comes into play.

For example, when Feyre glows after the mate-a-thon with Rhysand in the mountain cabin she wonders what court's light is turning her into a 100 watt bulb...

It very well might be a different light! Helion's light has been described as healing! Of all the glowy boys — Thesan is actually the glowiest and the brightest! Are they different? Are they the same? I really don't know!!! And I'm sorry if I've made you more confused now too. Tho I do delve into Thesan more towards the end.

A thought I've had re: Helion's kind of light (I'll get more into in another post) has everything to do with Pelias... and Helion's sensitivity to the Dread Trove.

In ACOSF, Helion has to have the IC cover the mask and physically remove himself from the area... no one else has this sensitivity (at least to this extreme) and all Helion has to say for himself is this:

It's worth noting that in Midgard they don't seem to have the same distinctions regarding light powers. Like... everyone who glows (minus Hunt) is Starborn?

In Prythian we have Dawn Court light, Day Court light, Night Court shadows and perhaps this (to borrow the Midgard term) Starborn light. Pelias, the controversial figure in the lore connecting P + M in the King Fionn and Theia story, is said to be a Starborn prince. But at every turn the Princes of Hel are quick to point out that Pelias' power and his light are nothing like Theia's — who is, by their claim, the true Starborn power holder — and her daughters'. They also say Theia's daughters have starborn and shadow gifts, but that isn't necessarily part of Pelias' skill set either... I'm lookin' at you Aidas.

Anyway, I've toyed with the idea that perhaps Pelias' light powers, because Midgard lacks the distinction between light powers, could be Day Court-like. And it would make sense that the Dread Trove would ward against anyone in that lineage considering "Pelias wielded [Luna's] Horn until he died" (HOEB). JUST SOME THOUGHTS.

Check out this absolutely incredible (a comprehensive) theory post from @wingedblooms about the different kinds of light in the SJM Multiverse

But back to Lucien’s friend who has Day Court powers… who is she? 

It’s Nuan! A character I was like, "She seems cool, can’t wait to get to know her.”

And then ACOWAR ended and we never heard from her again... womp. But, some might call this a loose end.

It's me. I'm calling it that.

Considering she played a big role in Lucien’s life (a former main-ish character with nothing but loose ends), provided critical help to win the war against Hybern, has a suspicious amount of power, technical skills, and connection to distant faerie realms we still know frustratingly little about… Nuan has nothing but potential! Welp, let’s get into it. 

So remember how Feyre is like “What if everything I eat has faebane in it, wow that’s suddenly a huge problem for us right now on the verge of war?” And then Lucien is like, “You have my friend’s powers, you liar?” Coincidental? Cool.

When Nuan is finally introduced by name, she's shown up at the tensest High Lord meeting ever at the Dawn Court. Why? She wants to let everyone know she invented a cure for that pesky Faebane. Helpful!

There is a metric ton stuffed into her introduction and it's hard to even know where to begin, but I'll try.

Just know the “she looks kind of like Amren thing” is incredibly specific and out of nowhere.

Whenever SJM throws in an “oh, I just kinda thought that… strange” and “oh hm maybe i saw that person glowing like a 60 watt bulb but maybe not” etc etc etc… statements, they are always important. There are more of those moments to come and every series by her is full of these.

Anyway, ACOTAR has had 5 books (4 novels, one novella) and this comparison to Nuan is among one of the more specific pieces of the “who and what is Amren” puzzle we get. We’ll get to it, but we’ve got a mountain the size of Ramiel  to dig through first. 

Back to the Dawn Court scene: Being his usual discriminatory self, Beron aka the High Lord of Autumn is suspicious of Nuan’s miracle cure for faebane for because he's an asshole and a xenaphobe — we’ll come back to this. But she counters with her own commitment to protecting the fae from being poisoned and powerless. Go Nuan! It also seems like she's a very dedicated scientist, but that behind this science there is also magic. Makes sense when you consider the whole magical appendages gig she has!

Nuan monologues about the Mother aka higher power/god/[insert mystical lore here] situation who is suspect #1 in the whole “what are the gods?” conversation. The gods, etc. are known lore — which exists in different forms ACOTAR, TOG, and CC — and they're complicated enough to warrant their own massive post.

Anyway, Nuan explains that the Mother provides “everything we need on this earth.” Nuan simply needed to find what the Mother has provided Prythian to stop Hybern from “wiping out” their powers. Considering she applied this logic and it worked… seems legit... and important?

So yes, the way she phrased her scientific method struck me... and left me with so many more questions than I started with. Like what did you use and how did you do it and where did you find it??? What do you mean this earth?! I could keep going!!!!

However, her antidote can’t protect fae entirely because physical objects made from faebane will still have dangerous effects. Sounds like her compound is able to… dare I say… break the curse or spell of faebane? But if  the physical object that makes fae vulnerable comes barreling at them… well that’s a whole different story. Kind of like how from the first scene I mentioned: Feyre could break the wards and the spell silencing her mating bond with Rhys, but she still couldn’t feel any of the physical effects of the bond with Hybern’s spell shutting her down.

Nuan, it seems, not only has Day Court-like powers as a person whose family isn’t from Prythian, or the Solar Courts, she can transform magic/power into physical objects - magical mechanical body parts and medicines, for ex. Kind of like less spooky Nesta sword versions of Made objects?

But this is apt considering she’s not just a tinkerer (a word that will always make me lol), but Thesan introduces her as an alchemist.  

Let's talk about alchemy, baby

So let’s take an unplanned detour off the cliff of what tf is alchemy? VERY COMPLICATED is what it is! You may wonder where the heck are I'm going with this... patience my friend. Possibly somewhere... maybe nowhere... idk. Look, I said this would be long.

I promise we'll delve into actual historical contexts, but I'm gonna be real with you... I'm not a scholar, or a philosopher, or an archaeologist, or a theologian, or a chemist, or an anthropologist. I took courses on these subjects, but I just enjoy learning about this stuff/consuming content about it. Alchemy is very mysterious, very "lost to time," so it's hard to get it right. And just to keep it 100... my deepest and longest exposure to alchemy comes from a beloved manga and anime series. If you're like... "yup, absolutely not." Skip the rest of this post if you'd like... or skip ahead. To both fandoms... I'm so sorry for what I'm about to do. lol.

Alright, raise your hand if you too love the manga and anime series Full Metal Alchemist… If you’re not raising your hand, I highly recommend giving it a whirl. And maybe don't ruin it by reading any of this. If you think Kingdom of Ash has insane world building culminations and… pain... yeah FMA has that and emotional pain I’ve never healed from. *sobs* 10/10 

Much like SJM and her use of universal mystical concepts and traditions, FMA also references much of the real history of alchemy and, by association, incredibly complex mystic religious principles. And what would ya know? Turns out FMA is a super helpful tool to explain/understand this very difficult subject.

So let’s take a quick look at the main character in FMA…

That’s Edward. He’s a rascal. He’s also an incredible alchemist who’s able to transmute — woefully basic explanation: turn objects from their original form into something else through the law of equal exchange — without a transmutation circle. That's a rarity among even the greatest alchemists. Because he can do this, at age 12, he becomes the youngest State Alchemist (he works for the government begrudgingly). Though, in the image above, that's Ed with a transmutation circle and hm... is that a star shaped rune? I digress.

You might ask... where is there an instance of a "law of equal exchange" in SJM's worlds? It might not be a perfect parallel, but... there's definitely something going on with give and take regarding magic. And that has major implications re: how much magic each world has (and how much the Asteri need to consume/wreck worlds for). I'm a broken record but... that perhaps will be its own post one day.

When Nuan talks about the Mother providing what that world needs... I feel like we're touching on something here. And as an alchemist, her work would be centered around this law of balance. Of course, we get absolutely no details from SJM.

But let's look at something we've encountered a bit more, like the Great Rite. Note: not my favorite magic tradition in these worlds... But it keeps coming up, especially where characters with mysterious pasts are concerned.

I've also made a post tying it in with Hunt from Crescent City and... idk... once I saw it, I can't unsee it.

First off, Lucien shakes off shadow hands multiple times talking about the Great Rite... please take note of that for a point below.

But we get reference of a tradition that must occur every year for their magic's cosmic "give-and-take." Sounds equal exchange-like.

High Lord becomes the Hunter (Hunt... is that you?) who needs to find the Maiden (Bryce is this what you guys are doing?) selected by the magic. Then they "couple" *sigh* and generate magic that's released back to the earth and all is well and magical for the coming year. Sure.

The Maiden has come up countless time in the references to the triunity or triple goddesses throughout ACOTAR, CC, and TOG (Also long and complicated - I am 100% doing a post on this). Short version: the triple goddess = mother, maiden, and the crone. Three-faced goddess. All the moon goddesses implicated. Witches and their goddesses... Persephone-like characters... etc. etc. etc. I'll get into it another time... this is my super bowl. But the Maiden has everything to do with the Mother and vice-versa, just as Nuan pointed out in her assessment of balance and magic within this world.

Outside of the Great Rite's Hunter and the Maiden ritual, Lucien says the rest of court takes a part in the night, "though it’s not the Great Rite, our own dalliances tonight will help the land, too" (ACOTAR, Chapter 21). Energy spent becomes energy reaped... even if they don't get the ritualistic title. Is this reminding you of science class and the first law of thermal dynamics: energy can't be created or destroyed it can only be transformed? It should.

It's notable that every Court has a Great Rite they must comply with to power the magic of the land, though we're only familiar with the Spring Court's Calanmai tradition. But in ACOSF, Gwyn mentions multiple times that when females "come of age" they can, and seem to be expected to, participate in the Rite. And we all know rituals with titles and milestones have never gone wrong for anyone... *stares in Crescent City* (The Drop). But also, we're seeing instances in both CC and ACOTAR where magic is waning... like the balance is off. Rhys tells Feyre that Starfall souls are less plentiful and well... we know the Asteri are over indulging in first light. Essentially, exchanges are not equal and there are traditions in place to keep them that way! What's changing? What does this mean?

The TikToker ahappyhermit posted her first podcast episode about Starfall and the dwindling souls and it's awesome. She's also got a lovely reading voice!

Back to FMA, transmutation boiled down also feels suspiciously similar to Aelin and co. drawing their wyrdmarks... something many SJM theories speculate will make a big return come CC3/ACOTAR5.

Alchemists even wear objects (clothes? yup! prosthesis? yup! fake eyes... eye patches? yup!) or have tattoos (Aelin and Bryce's world walking tats? TOG witches w/ the Eye of the Goddess tats?) with transmutation runes to help them attempt to do what Ed can do — transmute without crouching down and drawing out a rune.

In an attempt to try and spare you the full rundown of the science and magic of both alchemy and the world of FMA... there's gonna be metric tons of nuance I'm leaving out. The FMA fandom are effectively scholars at this point and I just want you ALL to know I know I'm watering some of this down.

Why can Ed transmute without a circle? It's really complicated, and important, but I'll do my best to summarize. First, it helps that, like Nuan, he has a metal arm - in FMA it's called automail, it's as complex as we've come to know Nuan's work is (albeit a little less magical), and basically he can do science faster/easier with it (I'm so sorry this would simply take too long to explain). And because *giant and complete FMA spoiler alerts across the board - like seriously I'm going to discuss all of the big reveals* he does some majorly taboo alchemy — resurrection of human life — that takes his leg and arm (and his brother's entire body, but not his soul leaving him as animated armor). Performing the taboo human transmutation opens a portal to the Gate of Truth. It opens, revealing a dimension of information which manifests as a shadowy void with several shadow-like hands coming out of it and a single large eye within. And this isn't just pure FMA canon, it draws inspiration from the lore of the Tree of Life.

Shadowy hands and something with a big eye watching you in a knowledge void? Hm... Let us turn to Nesta spiraling out and falling down the House of Wind steps and into her Making memories from the Cauldron. This does not include the MANY times characters, from multiple worlds, mention feeling shadowy hands (*wink* Dorian), but we saw examples with Lucien above.

The Cauldron kind of sounds like a big eye in a shadowy void that is perhaps a different dimension stacked with information, huh?

And what happens after Nesta's spiral? She comes to and realizes she's sparked and embedded her hand, and then handprint, in stone... which is also glowing.

Did anyone else find this moment/detail weird when they were reading? Cassian found it super weird!

Back to Edward, at the Gate of Truth, he meets a god, Truth. It's a whole thing. Insanely long story short, by reaching the Gate, Edward sees into the void that holds the truth of the universe. This allows him to bypasses the need to draw runes and instead channels the energy of alchemy/all the nature bending stuff he does by his own will.

Effectively, Ed seeing beyond the Gate allows him to break the rules of nature and freely wield a "different magic".

Interesting, because what Nesta has taken from the Cauldron seems to allow her to bypass the natural order of things too. No markings or weapons needed.

Throughout the series some (Illyrians) call Nesta a witch and refer to her different, powerful magic as unnatural. In fact, even the other magical beings of Prythian do not get her magic.

Hypothetically, and just pretend with me, Nesta could (she gave it back) do a kind of alchemy without the limits of nature/the laws of Prythian because she she took too much from the Cauldron/void of truth... it stands to reason that, much like using the wyrdmarks in TOG, that alchemists like Nuan are tapping into something totally different magic-wise. Like most High Fae have some magical capabilities, but the High Lords are usually the ones with the more robust skillset. Alchemy might be this secret link to why characters — multiple groups of high skilled/non royal fae/even humans in TOG — can display huge power... as well as create objects with incredible abilities like arms and eyes... and... Prythian iPods?

Helion might not have tinkerers like Thesan, but he does have piles of libraries and scholars... oh ya you can be I will be doing a post just on libraries.

Anyway so we've got some suspicious powers around, suspicious magic objects created for other purposes originally, and magical objects like body parts and medicinal powders. We've got multiple instances across worlds that implicate magic and cosmic balance... specifically that balance being off now.

Especially with magic being targeted (First and Second Light in HSOAB) as a deity food source - I think correcting the broken state of magic with alchemy could very well become... something. And I explain below an instance we already have seen where non-magical magic does just this in the SJM multiverse.

But in the next part of this theory spiral this connects (perhaps!) to Nesta and the Cauldron/Gate of Truth concept I outlined. Specifically, alchemists who see it and come back have taken too much from it. It comes at a great personal cost, but they have superior nature-bending abilities. The "great personal cost" thing is a TOG quote... just btw. Spoiler alert: witch mirrors

Ok, I promise just a few more comps using FMA and we'll move this train right along...

Finally, in FMA and alchemy seven is also big number and I get into some other instances in the real history below. There are seven Homunculi, beings with tremendous power who have their own agenda with a much bigger scope than what's happening on this sole planet/realm. And actually, there's a secret eighth Homunculus that's been hiding in plain sight for the whole show (like a secret 8th court?)... and ends up being the creator of the other homunculi... as well as being Ed & Al's dad (like said secret court being an origin point for all our favorite fae?). What is a homunculus? It refers to the medieval legendary concept of a being Made and brought into existence by certain means of alchemy and it requires the Philosopher's Stone (too complicated to even get into, but it comes up again in my Pt. II post). Also fun fact: in FMA, Homunculi all carry the mark of the Ouroboros... like that (witch) mirror in ACOTAR that people have been mighty suspicious of.

The Homunculi are aptly named after the seven deadly sins - pride, envy, lust, wrath, greed, sloth, and gluttony. Makes you think... Asteri are pretty gluttonous... Valg? Princes of the Pit? Angels? Scions? Some High Lords? Nesta? IDK?! Anyway, the Homunculi begin as villains and some change their allegiance along the way. But not all not all of them are inherently evil. Despite looking like the human characters/beings in FMA, "Homunculi are still aberrations of nature created by violating the laws of the natural universe, and as such, have no souls." It's complicated, but they're incapable of accessing the Gate of Truth or regular alchemic (read: magic) powers, because they lack souls. Some weird Valgy/TOG god/Asteri/can't get through a damn portal parallels, no?

Ok, that was still SO long, and I'm just gonna leave these many kernels of thought I have failed to really wrap up here... whilst staring into my own void... and catalog of all the characters and beings we've run into described as something else or Made or bred. I will spare you from the whole chimera conversation... FOR NOW... but I'm looking at all of the spooky murder pets our heroes have fought off... and truly every Asteri "experiment" being. Just know that.

Has Sarah watched this show? Dude, I don't know. But I do know that we both entered the world of fantasy via Sailor Moon. According to this post she even wrote wildly popular Sailor Moon fanfiction. So she has watched and loved at least one anime. FMA is wildly popular, has a rich fantasy plot that's a masterclass in world building with brilliantly researched foundations in global mystical traditions, and it's penned by a woman! So, no, I'm not 100% convinced she hasn't.

So, is alchemy real? Kind of...

OK, I swear I'll focus now. So alchemy! There was a time when people believed it was real (from the ancient past to Isaac Newton who wrote a lot about alchemy and very real science). The way I have come to understand it, alchemy exists within the crossroads of science and mythology. It's even been considered a kind of witchcraft or spellwork. However, alchemy did either lead to, or exist along side, many important scientific laws and discoveries we still hold as truths/are taught today.

So... witchcraft, eh? We've had allusions to witches in ACOTAR, but we seem to be lacking the noted presence of such beings like we've seen in CC and TOG (though we still don't fully understand their powers across the board)... unless they're hiding in plain sight dressed as something else?

Interesting... no? I am far from the first to suggest the Made Archerons are witches (and Pt. II will have more witch talk and citations to great theory posts I didn't write). But hey, they could be alchemists too...

We know from Nesta's perspective in ACOSF that she absolutely took more than she should have from the Cauldron and she is using/making tools (read: swords) right and left. Plus, Mor's description sounds suspiciously like alchemy that's... gone rogue or without equal exchange. Also, more simply, everyone calls Nesta a witch (specifically the Illyrians) and she's cool with it. But that's could be because she revels in being scary and we love her for it.

Alchemy as word reveals much about it. Like most terms that have an "al" to start (algebra, algorithm, alfalfa, alcohol, almanac...) is an Arabic syllable for “the,” and we see it show up in the language of math and science.

"Alchemy was rooted in a complex spiritual worldview in which everything around us contains a sort of universal spirit, and metals were believed not only to be alive but also to grow inside the Earth... Historian Nevill Drury, in his book "Magic and Witchcraft," notes that, "The word alchemy is thought to derive from an Egyptian word, 'chem' or 'qem,' meaning black — a reference to the black alluvial soils bordering the Nile ... We know that the Greek word 'chyma,' meaning to fuse or cast metals, established itself in Arabic as 'al kimia' — from which alchemy is derived." Live Science

"Alchemists attempted to purify, mature, and perfect certain materials. Common aims were chrysopoeia, the transmutation of "base metals" (e.g., lead) into "noble metals" (particularly gold); the creation of an elixir of immortality... The perfection of the human body and soul was thought to result from the alchemical magnum opus ("Great Work"). The concept of creating the philosophers' stone was variously connected with all of these projects." Wikipedia

There's a lot going on there, but we're speeding right along. You can ask questions at the end of class. No, seriously ask them because I'm probably not gonna dig that deep here.

Alchemy has roots in many different ancient places and sprung up independently of one another.

"[There were] at least three major strands, which appear to be mostly independent, at least in their earlier stages: Chinese alchemy, centered in China; Indian alchemy, centered on the Indian subcontinent; and Western alchemy, which occurred around the Mediterranean and whose center has shifted over the millennia from Greco-Roman Egypt to the Islamic world, and finally medieval Europe." Wikipedia

As it turns out, Sarah and alchemy have a lot in common — they love mixing a matching the myth of many places into one magical tangle. There's a lot to unpack there and I wont get to all of it here... but I will try to eventually. One thing I will definitely touch on in another post is alchemy's connection to the God Hermes who keeps coming up in my research — he has many powers, but notably he's a world walker.

So from the quote above I'm gonna dive into connections with what we know about elemental fae magic, then we get back to Nuan and Alchemy's far reaching geographic history, and how that brings us to major questions marks around Helion and Thesan and their Courts.

Elemental Fae Magic vs Alchemy

So we don't know everything about elemental fae magic across worlds, but from the recent books and leading plots... we get a ton of focus on weapons (swords) being the biggest world connections (CC 3), Nesta forging narban blades, and Rhys explaining finally what this world is and what magic/fae used to be like.

Something new, eh? Something different?

As the LiveScience quote above points out, alchemy is magical, scientific, but it's also deeply connected to the Earth and laws of the universe. So elements play a big role and, you guessed it, we get the number 7 again (if you don't get why I keep referencing 7 I encourage you to take note every time the number 7 comes up in TOG, ACOTAR, CC because it's near constant):

"The elemental system used in medieval alchemy... consisted of seven elements, which included the five classical elements (aether, air, earth, fire, and water) in addition to two chemical elements representing the metals." Wikipedia

If you're unfamiliar with the concept of aether, here's an incredibly rushed explanation that's still somehow too long:

Aether has roots dating back to ancient Greece and means, "in Homeric Greek, 'pure, fresh air' or 'clear sky'. In Greek mythology, it was thought to be the pure essence that the gods breathed, filling the space where they lived, analogous to the air breathed by mortals. It is also personified as a deity, Aether, who is at times relates to Chronus, Erebus, Nyx, Chaos and Hemera (this is its own post) in traditional Greek mythology. Aether is related to αἴθω 'to incinerate', and intransitive 'to burn, to shine'."

Traditionally there are 4 elements - air, earth, fire, water. But in the Medieval Age (read: alchemy time), scientists concluded there was a 5th element. Aether was considered the material that fills the region of the universe beyond the terrestrial sphere. Unlike the four terrestrial elements that were subject to change and moved linearly, aether was a celestial element that moved circularly and had none of the qualities the terrestrial classical elements. Aether also is tied in quite often with light. And this is significant because light is notably how scientists (have — some theories since disproven — and currently do) measure distance and travel within space.

I find aether particularly interesting because, within the SJM multiverse, we have seen magic wielders display powers that would fall within the terrestrial elements (ex. Autumn Court's fire powers, Rowan's/Whitehorns' wind powers, House of Many Waters & Aelin's mom's water powers, etc.). But then we have these outliers whose powers work a little differently... perhaps more powerfully... specifically when we're talking about light and shadow. And with the allusions to burning, shining, and breath... we've got a lot of interesting Starborn connections. Also... travel within non-terrestrial spaces??? Come on now!

Back to Elemental Fae

In the ACOSF passage above, Rhys explains that Prythian Fae magic used to be more elemental — like the elements above. He also says their kind of magic could forge great weapons, just like Nesta who creates her narban blades... and a reminder that there are the 5 discussed elements and also 2 metals (we wont get into specifics here, but just... metals ok?) to create the 7 alchemic elements.

Tons here to analyze but take a look at TikToker chemicalrosie killing it on the analysis of elemental fae magic, weapons, and connections across the SJM worlds. She does most of the heavy lifting on this point (thanks Rosie).

In Crescent City we get more hints of elemental fae magic. In fact the Houses themselves seemingly represent these elements: House of Sky and Breath (aether? Also potentially air?), House of Earth and Blood (earth), House of Many Waters (water), House of Flame and Shadow (fire... also aether?). Under the House of Sky and Breath there are even beings called "Elementals," though we don't exactly know what an elemental is yet because their mentions are limited. Am I screaming "alchemists" into the void? Sure am. If they were elemental fae... wouldn't they just be called fae??? We do know they belong in the same House as angels, fae, and those blessed by major gods (which we know can give a magical or non magical being gifts of varying levels from TOG).

We also get mention of an Elemental War, which Lehaba mentions a distant relative sprite being involved in. Though that is sort of the extent of what we know about it (unless I'm wrong and feel free to tell me I'm wrong always).

We also get another depiction of elemental fae magic forging a weapon (refer back to that TikTok above if you want to delve into who this is and what it depicts in the multiverse).

So we're not gonna get too much deeper into elemental fae magic (tho let me know if you want further digging on this because my unhinged brain knows no bounds), but let me sketch my overarching point with this.

We have multiple points of reference within the SJM Multiverse where elemental magic and its noted difference to starborn/aether-like magic is being woven into this bigger world-spanning plot. Obviously, I referenced CC and ACOTAR here, but I could have dumped a ton of TOG references in here too (and will... later!).

We also have a multiverse with magic that seems... out of balance. We do not not know why all of these element-related mentions have been baked into the plot here and there. What was the Elemental War and why are magic abilities so different among Fae at the very least — and why are they different than they were before?

We also have metal/Made/superior substance swords linking our multiverse and being forged despite that not happening in a very long time. But now that Nesta has relinquished her stolen power back to the Cauldron... and we've got a world walker stuck in Prythian who may want to leave with one more sword than she landed with... seems like special weapon forging might be a useful skill. If only there was someone who could make magical metal objects without the powers of some spooky void or magical land decree...

Oh wait... we do have that person. And perhaps she also has a whole team of alchemists like her.

That's right folks... the last part... of this first part...

Back to Nuan and Other Faerie Realms

Oh my god this is so long. If you're still reading... I think we're officially betrothed? Idk. I love you.

Ok, so Nuan is described to us as so unique looking (look, I am not saying this is a great moment from SJM) she can only compare her to Amren... a [we have no idea but lots of speculation] being from another world.

Then we get a stark moment of xenophobia from Beron during the Dawn Court-High Lords meeting... because Nuan's parents are from a Fae realm called Xian. Xian is a faerie territory located somewhere in the Continent (I will speculate a ton below) that notably supported the loyalists during the war that resulted in the wall between the mortal lands and the fae realm. That means Xian was pro human slavery and that they ultimately lost. Nuan follows this up by reminding High Lord Asshat that she is as Prythian as his sons (let's go girl).

Beron's outburst also causes Thesan to jump to her defense because (that's his girl) his mom was from Xian... actually the majority of his court is from Xian?

ALRIGHTY THEN! Where to start?

So first off, just extrapolating from what we get in this exchange re: Xian... a place like most places SJM has not explained at all to us in that we know almost nada about it. If Xian supported the loyalists... and then they lost... and then a bunch of fae relocated to the Dawn Court in search of "a better life," we might (read: I do) assume that this was a territory south of the wall. Faeries, after the war, were not allowed to stay in the southern part of the continent.

Why do I find this interesting? Why have I spent 800 years getting to this point about an alchemist from Xian? Why do I even think alchemy is worth spending this much time thinking about when this is the only time we encounter it in ACOTAR?

Well, because it's not the only time we encounter it in the SJM multiverse.

So, in TOG, there are alchemists on the Southern continent who provide really important firelances to Aelin & co.'s fight against the Valg. A magical, very effective weapon that non-magical beings can use... and it's so impressive Aelin is relieved that her waning fire magic will be supported by such... firepower.

You know what else conveniently pops on the Southern continent in TOG? Healers and their Torre Cesme... Yrene Towers ilu. Isn't it just so coincidental that the Dawn Court's powers just so happen to be healing powers? And that in the TOG world there's an entire Fae healer community that relocated to the Southern Continent, bred healing powers into the mortal population, and then just... disappears? And also like are dead in crypts that are unbreakable for Valg related reasons, but I digress.

And something else that's fun is that Thesan and Nuan aren't even the only characters in that scene to get a cryptic allusion to a familiar sounding Southern continent that is notably... not one we've met via ACOTAR.

When Feyre describes Helion (it always comes back to him doesn't it?) in, yes, that meeting of the High Lords at the Dawn Court... I swear to all these freaking gods I didn't plan this! Anyway, she "all the sudden for some weird reason" starts thinking about a place her dad (feeling like I have to do a deep dive on Papa Archeron because the more I research not looking for him the more he pops up) visited as a merchant — south-eastern kingdom that sounds suspiciously Antica from Tower of Dawn. And we know when she thinks fondly of her father's merchant days she also always brings up spices... so there's that. (worth noting that this scene with Helion is BIG in my pt. 2 post)

So, obviously we get allusions to actual empires/places within these "different realms" in the SJM multiverse. Xi'an is the name of a real province in China (and has gifted the world so much food-wise and i'm sure countless other ways but I wont rest until I have cuminy lamby noodles asap) and the Khagnate/Southern Continent of the TOG world draws inspiration from the Mongol Empire (how I feel about SJM's... useage of these empires is it's own separate convo). It also includes a lot of the territories where alchemy sprung up independently and thrived that I mentioned before.

Sadly I'm out of images I can post (holy crap), so just... google it

Cool so we've got a lot of relevant territories covered here re: their SJM multiverse parallel.

Obviously Amren is the mystery that keeps giving and tons of people have their theories about her... and I guess SJM at one point said she's some kind of archangel... personally? IDK! Do I think it's strange, in my untangling of this curious maybe from another world territory population, that Amren... a being we know is from another world chose a Xian fae body? Yup! Especially because the southern continent, as we learn in Tower of Dawn from the Stygian Spyders (her handmaidens... which is what I thought Amren could have been, but that's not my theory battle I choose to fight) that there was a big ol' door/portal/whatever that Maeve walked herself and clique through. Hm...

Also, let us not forget when Nuan casually mentioned in her alchemic practice that the "Mother provides everything [they] need on this earth." What does she know that we doooon't?

And while I know I've wanted more, more of the other solar courts — I think perhaps they've been held back because they'll play an integral role in whatever happens next. I mean in addition to everything else Thesan's got a population of winged beings that sound suspiciously like Midgard's angels and Helion's got the only flying horsies (and libraries... I cannot stress how preoccupied I am with libraries in these worlds).

Re: Dawn Court... light-filled healers in TOG (specifically Yrene) play an essential role when it comes to the Valg (who we're not 100% are also the Asteri or Daglan, but let's say they're in the same fam). Yrene can "cure" the people the Valg infect and *the biggest of TOG spoilers* she kills the big bad Valg with her powers. But before she does that... Erawan (which will always just remind me of the fancy shmancy grocery store) wants to capture her and says her powers/what she can do goes far beyond what she understands... and... at the end of the day... us too... SARAH!!!

I will be doing a verrrry deep dive into TOG-world healers because every single page I read describing... like anything about them was making my SJM insanity senses tingle. We haven't spent a lot of time with Thesan and his powers, but we know Feyre's blood can heal others so... curious to see where that one leads.

But the other thing we've got in TOG is a lot of people of varying... let's call them heritages having varied power abilities... and even humans being able to use magic (like wyrdmarks). They've also got a god city and scions and I simply cannot spend anymore time going on tangents here, but know I only have more questions... no answers... help.

OMG we made it. To recap we've got: connections to other faerie realms (whether in ACOTAR or the multiverse which would implicate some world walking), we've got alchemists/alchemy, we've got healers, we've got two light wielding courts with some magic overlap and, and at the very least, magic irregularities. We've got gods all over the place. We've got... so many questions... but hopefully some thought provoking parallels!

If I had to make my very bold "conclusion" to whatever hellscape of a hypothesis this is it's that I do believe the Dawn Court and the Day Court have some mix and matching travel/world walking situations with the southern continent in TOG and ditto for that relationship regarding more elemental fae and Midgard. And with alchemy (that I really hope either exists in this world, manifests as just witches like babes I'll take it) acting as the connecting thread between the power balances of the worlds... idk I think we're gonna get some answers there. And I think perhaps they'll be very important to connecting the worlds.

Mostly... this is my plea to SJM to bring back Nuan! Tell us about the other glowing boys (Thesan & Helion).

Seriously, if you read any of this... thank you and just know I'm sending you a little virtual kiss. Ok, let's both go touch some grass now.

Pt. II is mostly written and coming to a tumblr near you soon.

#sjm multiverse spoilers #sjm multiverse #throne of glass #acotar #aelin galythinius #bryce quinlan #cc3 #crescent city #empire of storms #hunt alathar #kingdom of ash #sjm books #nuan #faerie realms #helion #thesan #yrene towers #torre cesme #erilea #prythian #world walking #day court #dawn court #acotar theory #throne of glass theory #crescent city theory #alchemy #alchemists #witchcraft #elemental fae

[kopfkino-o]

Questions I Hope HOFAS Answers

Are Ruhn and Lidia mates?

What about Ithan and the wolf mystic? And why did miss missy smell like "pine and snow" (ahem, Terrasen)?

Whyyy and howww does Azriel have Truth-Teller? AKA the Starsword's Twin? AKA the second half of a prophecy? Where did he find this dagger?

Did Bryce happen to fall through worlds with her cell phone?

Rhysand's last name. His connection to Ruhn. All of it.

Why was Nesta's bargain tattoo an eight-pointed star 👀

Is Elain a mystic? Can she see through worlds and time?

WHAT HAPPENS TO RUHN AND HUNT AND BAXIAN? I am so worried for them.

What's going on with the Dusk Court?

In Luna's Horn the 4th Dread Drove Item? I'm like 98% positive it is. And I also really want to know how one just like... grinds a relic into tattoo powder.

What is Armen?

Just about everything around Theia, Pellias, Helena, Fionn, and the unnamed princess This really hurts my head, so I'm going to need SJM to serve some tea on this.

Is "Parthos" the Library in Velaris? Is it in the Torre Cesme from TOD? And what does Jesiba have to do with this?

ALSO:

WHERE IS VAUGN?!?

#add your thoughts #so much is about to happen in hofas #i'm not sure i am ready #bryce quinlan #hunt athalar #ruhn danaan #lidia cervos #nesta archeron #elain archeron #azriel shadowsinger #house of flame and shadow #hofas #cc3 #maasverse

[witchthewriter]

𝐘𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐞 𝐖𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐥 (𝑛𝑒́𝑒 𝑇𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟𝑠)

INFJ

Ravenclaw

Neutral Good

Virgo Sun, Cancer Moon, Aries Rising

A gifted healer from Fenharrow, Yrene is the descendant of a long line of healer women as they are blessed by the goddess of healing, Silba. When the Adarlan soldiers came to take both Yrene and her mother, the kind woman had killed a soldier and distracted the others so Yrene could escape. Yrene had watched her mother die and hated Adarlan and its soldiers from that day on.

One night as she was working in an Innish tavern, she met Celaena Sardothien, and the assassin taught her how to defend herself. As she left in the morning, the hidden princess left enough money for Yrene to go to the Torre Cesme and become a healer. Celaena left a note as well and Yrene kept that note until she was reunited with the assassin, now Queen, Aelin.

In her years at the Cesme, she became the Heir Apparent of the Healer on High. However, a wounded Chaol Westfall and Captain of the Guard, Nesryn Faliq, had arrived in Antica. Yrene was sent to work on Chaol, although she was adamant of her dislike towards Adarlan soldiers, their relationship went from enemies to lovers by the end of Chaol's stay.

With her ties to the royals and healers in Antica, Yrene and Chaol were able to sail back to the northern continent. The khaganate army (with the heir, Sartaq who had fallen in love with Nesryn) as well as an army of Ruk riders, followed as well, committing themselves to the aid of Queen Aelin.

During the war she was constantly using her powers to heal, treat, aid and improve. She was also using them to rid the 'valg' soldiers and change them into humans again. However, whenever she was drained, her husband - Chaol, was as well.

She had healed his back injury in Antica, but a secret plot by the Valg brought his injuries back to the same as before. Yrene was able to treat Chaol, but she had to entwine her life with his. When she is weak, so is Chaol.

When they arrived in the north, Yrene found out she was pregnant, and didn't tell anybody. But being around healers meant they noticed the changes in her and her body.

So when it came time to kill the very evil of this world, she did so, pregnant and exhausted, she obliterated Erawan.

#witchthewriter #yrene towers #throne of glass #throne of glass fancast #yrene towers fancast #yrene westfall #yrene westfall fancast #aesthetic #witch the writer's moodboards #character profiles #throne of glass series #sarah j. maas #sjm #chaol westfall #healers #astrology #yrene towers moral alignment #infj #ravenclaw #neutral good #virgo sun cancer moon aries rising

[azpizazz]

currently rereading throne of glass and the foreshadowing is off the fucking charts

"'Whether you stay, or go to Antica and attend the Torre Cesme and return to save the world,' she mused, 'you should probably learn a thing or two about defending yourself.'" -Celaena to Yrene in TAB

"'I have no name,' she purred. 'I am whoever the keeper of my fates tell me to be." -Celaena to Dorian in TAB

"Yes, she would go- to Rifthold, to anywhere, even through the Gates of the Wyrd and into Hell itself, if it meant freedom." -Page 19 of TOG

"After that, she'd never sworn to trust girls again, especially girls with agendas and power of their own. Girls who would do anything to get what they wanted." -Celaena after meeting Nehemia in TOG (we all know how that ended)

"'You were brought here- all of you were. All the players in the unfinished game. My friends,' he gestured to the dead, 'have told me so.'" -Cain to Celaena at the duel in TOG

"'Name your price.' The woman studied her from head to toe, sniffing once. 'Nameless is my price,' Yellowlegs said. 'But gold will do for now.'" -Baba Yellowlegs to Celaena in COM

"'Sister,' the spider mused. 'I suppose we are sisters, you and I. Two faces of the same dark coin, from the same dark maker. Sisters in spirit, if not in flesh.'" -The spider to Manon in HOF

"'Brannon was born with the bastard's mark- the mark every unclaimed, unwanted child possessed, marking them as nameless, nobody. Each of Brannon's heirs, despite their noble lineage, has since been graced with it- the nameless mark.'" -Maeve to Aelin in HOF

"'That is why you are here tonight, Manon. Because of the threat you pose to that monster you call grandmother. The threat you posed when you chose mercy and saved your rival's life.'" -The Crochan witch to Manon in HOF

"'I am going, Rowan. I will gather the rest of my court-our court-and then we will raise the greatest army the world has ever witnessed. I will call in every favor, every debt owed to Celaena Sardothien, to my parents, to my bloodline. And then...' She looked toward the sea, toward home. 'And then I am going to rattle the stars.'" -Aelin to Rowan in HOF

starting my QOS reread soon but yea... this woman is a genius

#sjmaas #sjm fandom #sarah j maas #sjm books #throne of glass #crown of midnight #the assassin’s blade #rowan whitethorn #aelin ashryver galathynius #aelin galathynius #celaena sardothien #manon blackbeak #dorian havilliard #tog #aelin fireheart #yrene towers #nehemia ytger #queen of shadows #heir of fire #tower of dawn #empire of storms #kingdom of ash

[shadowdaddies]

If you don’t mind, could you write a Asterin x Healer!Reader x Sorrel fic where reader comes over to the witch kingdom to help them rebuild, and quickly finds she has two witches who are “conveniently” always around when she needs something? Bonus points if the rest of the Thirteen keep teasing the two of them :) 🙏

hey hey love 💜 here's some witchy content for you

Any Excuse

Asterin x healer!Reader x Sorrel

Warnings: mentions of slight injury

Raised on the Southern Continent, you began studying under Hafiza as a healer at the Torre Cesme, quickly becoming one of the best healers along with Yrene. When the war ended and Yrene sent a letter back to Hafiza asking for aid on behalf of the witch queen, Manon Blackbeak, in rebuilding her kingdom, Hafiza did not hesitate to send you.

You had dreamed of leaving the continent, exploring other lands and using your healing abilities to help others now that magic was alive again in Erilea. Overcome with nerves and excitement, you bid farewell to the world you knew and travelled to the Western Wastes.

The castle was bare yet finely built, witches at work rebuilding what had been lost. You looked around, taking in the sight of those working on the castle, practicing training drills on the lawn - when two witches strode straight towards you.

They were both striking with golden-black eyes that glittered in amusement as they watched you. The blonde spoke first, a mischievous smile on her lips as she pulled you in for a hug. 

“You must be the new healer from Antica. My name is Asterin, and this is Sorrel,” she said, gesturing to the shorter brunette at her side. Sorrel reached out a hand, which you gladly accepted, shaking it as you introduced yourself to the both of them.

Weeks passed as you grew accustomed to working in the Witch Kingdom, your office constantly busy as you dealt with minor injuries, mostly from training. Rubbing your favored peppermint ointment from the Southern Continent on a young witchling’s bruised leg, a knowing smile graced your face as you heard two familiar voices echoing down the hall. You glanced up to see Asterin and Sorrel standing shyly in the doorway, a habit the both of them had developed in your short time here.

It was nearly every day, sometimes twice a day, that the beautiful pair would find themselves in your office for one reason or another. Biting back your smile, you patted the witch on your table’s knee as you dismissed her. 

“Keep weight off of that leg for the next day,” you called after her, wiping the ointment on your apron as you turned your attention to Asterin and Sorrel with a smirk. “And how can I help you two today?” you teased, lounging against the counter as you unabashedly admired Asterin’s golden hair, Sorrel’s bright smile.

Asterin laughed, the sound like silver bells as she hopped up onto your exam table, swinging her legs underneath her.

“I seem to have a scratch,” Sorrel noted dryly, moving to stand across from you as she held out her arm to show you the long, shallow cut from her elbow to her wrist.

With a questioning look, you gently held her arm in your hands, enjoying the small gasp that left her lips from the small touch. “This appears to be from an iron nail. How did you manage to get a scrape like this?” 

Sorrel blushed, glancing back at Asterin who waved a hand at you, long iron nails gleaming in the light. You heard a scoff from the doorway, the three of you whipping your heads to see Vesta leaning against frame.

“The two of you could not be more obvious,” Vesta teased, a smirk playing on her full lips. A spool of bandages flew towards the red-haired witch, her quickly batting it away with a laugh before she winked at you and disappeared.

Bending down to pick up the roll of gauzes from the floor, you prayed your blush wasn’t too obvious before turning back to Sorrel. The scrape was so thin that you could have healed it without blinking an eye, but you held onto Sorrel’s arm for longer than needed as you made small talk with her and Asterin, enjoying their company.

A knock on the door interrupted the conversation, a tall witch clutching a dagger in her side needing your attention. Regretfully, Asterin and Sorrel left, and your heart sank slightly as the room seemed to grow dimmer without their presence.

The next day, you were drawn from your paperwork as Sorrel led Asterin into your office, where they took their usual seats and began chatting with you about politics, training, and everything else happening in the kingdom. 

In a moment of silence, Asterin elbowed Sorrel in the side, earning a laugh from you as the brunette blushed under your gaze. Eyes flicking between Asterin and you, Sorrel pulled out a small box.

“We - uh, we got something for you... From the both of us,” she murmured, holding out the box for you to take. A movement from the hall caught your eye, and you glancing over to see Manon giving you an encouraging smile before disappearing around the corner.

You tugged at the twine that held the lid shut, looking up to see Asterin and Sorrel both watching you with anxious eyes. Opening up the box lid, you gasped as you held up a vial of your favorite peppermint ointment.

“How did you two get this? I’d just run out this morning,” you breathed, overwhelmed by their kindness. This oil was difficult to come by in Antica, much less this far west. 

Asterin beamed with pride, her bright smile lighting up the room. “Sorrel noticed you were running low awhile back. Let’s just say we know some people who were able to help us get some more for you.” 

Rushing forward, you pulled the both of them into a hug. “Thank you, you have no idea how much this means to me,” you whispered, pulling the cork on the vial as you inhaled the peppermint, a sigh leaving your lips as you were transported home by the scent.

You put the stopper back in, wrapping up the oil carefully before stowing it in your cabinet. You turned to see bashful grins on the witches’ faces, and an idea came to you. 

“Well, since the two of you went through all of that trouble for me, the least I could do is make you both dinner. Are you free tonight?”

They glanced at each other in silent communication before turning back to you and nodding. “We would love that... But how do you feel about taking that dinner to go?” Asterin questioned, a playful smile on her face as she leaned in closer towards you. You nodded eagerly, excited for whatever they had planned.

A couple hours later, you found yourself taking a picnic basket with food and wine down to the warrens, Sorrel leading you to where Asterin stood with her wyvern. “Let’s fly,” she said, making a sweeping gesture as the blonde helped you up onto the beast’s saddle. 

As Asterin settled in behind you, Sorrel took the picnic basket, placing it in the saddlebag of her wyvern as she strapped into her own saddle. “Hold on tight,” Asterin whispered in your ear, a slight kick of her heel the signal as you shot into the skies, pink and orange sunset hues casting a glow as you soared over fields, Sorrel close by. Closing your eyes with a content sigh, you realized you could get used to living here.

#throne of glass #throne of glass imagine #throne of glass fanfiction #throne of glass fanfic #throne of glass x you #throne of glass x reader #throne of glass fluff #asterin blackbeak #sorrel blackbeak #manon blackbeak #vesta blackbeak #ironteeth witches #asterin x reader #asterin blackbeak x reader #asterin throne of glass #sorrel #sorrel blackbeak x reader #sorrel throne of glass #manon throne of glass #tog imagine #tog fanfic #tog x reader #tog x you #tog fluff #throne of glass x reader fluff

[chunkypossum]

Y’all wanna know some things that bother me SJM Books edition that lead to UNHINGED theories?!? : Obvious Spoilers for all of Sarah J Maas books …

*also, I told you these are unhinged thoughts, don’t come for me.. argue with your mama… just enjoy the ride.

- Why do we know the Bluebloods Matron name and not Blackbeak or Yellowlegs?

- And why does she share a name with the princess of Adriana in ACOTAR?

🧐

- Why is ACOTAR the only series in first person? What is Prythian hiding?

- And why is it only Feyres story? Nestas story is 3rd person but several different POV.

- What exactly were we not supposed to notice about the people or places Feyre saw or experienced that could easily be hidden in her 1st person POV?

🫣

- Why are feline descriptors used for everyone and everything , constantly?

😬

- The parallels between the library in the house of wind and the Torre Cesme

- Wombs

- Cats

- Darkness that stares back

- Haven for women

😉

- “I was never as good as I thought I was…” - Florence, but applied to Aelin- we gloss over the fact that she seriously considers conquering other worlds like wtf. What if Aelin, and hear me out, (I say this as I’m also on my knees for her bc she is my queen), is somehow responsible for the Asteri?

🤯

- 1. Briggs said, tugging on his shackles, “the only people I see on a daily basis are the ones who take me apart like a cadaver, and then stitch me up again before nightfall, their medwitches smoothing everything away.” 2. No injuries ever remained when she awoke. No pain. Only the memory of it, of Cairn’s smiling face as he carved her up over and over. 3. SJM:”what goes on on the dungeons might be too much, poor hunt Ruhn and baxian”… IM JUST SAYING.

🥲

- Ruhn shares a name with the mountain ranges in Erilea. Is he named after them?

- Perhaps his a nod to his mothers home.

- The ruhnn mountains are where the Stygian spiders made their home after they split with their sisters on the southern continent

- Handmaidens of Maeve who has VIOLET STARRY EYES,

- like Rhysand…

- Rhysand who looks like Ruhn….

- THE PIECES ARE THERE BUT HOW DO THEY FIT?

🙃

- When Feyre has visions/dreams of Amarantha in ACOTAR Rhys sees them…. When he recounts his story in ch 54(ACOMAF), why does he imply he didn’t know who she was dreaming about? He would know Amarantha wouldn’t he? In her dreams it was woman with red nails … we never get that little detail about Amaranthas looks. Why? Was it her? Or someone else?

👩🏻‍🦯

- Cresseida, briar, Cormac… these are not common names so why the hell does she use them in more than one series?

🙃

Of course I can’t forget the classics….

- WHAT DID LORCAN DO?!? 👹

- And where the fuck is Vaughn? 👹

#sjm universe #sjm books #sjm fandom #sjmass #acotar #throne of glass #crescent city #cc3 #maasverse #sjm theory #unhinged thoughts

[acourtofthought]

Do you not see a future Azriel-centric book? She did it with Chaol after all. For sure, she will have one for Elain (and Lucien hopefully!) and how I wish it’d be the next one! But with all the Azriel content we’ve been getting, my knee jerk reaction was yes, Azriel’s story will be next and esp because Elain has been MIA lately. So I thought there’s a high chance it’s gonna be Az’s story. Either way, I’m excited to get more ACOTAR content and I’m excited to see Elucien and even Gwynriel! My faith is so strong in those two ships happening (esp with your blog!) that I’m super excited. A part of me a little thrilled to see all the naysayers proven wrong 😅 and a little frightened at all the drama that’s gonna come from e/riels.

To add, two people I know have just both finished the original ACOTAR and in the middle of the hours worth of audio messages, not once did they bring up Az and Elain, not until I mentioned it. Neither of them are big readers, they’ve just started reading again. They are far detached from the book community so they are, in a way, unbiased in that sense and totally just going off on what they’ve read and as they read it, they both saw a future with Elucien. Just an interesting thought lol.

One last question, thoughts on Rhys in HOFAS? A lot of Nesta stans are on his case but if you ask me, he acted as any smart, commanding ruler would. Did everyone just forget that rhysand is the high lord and Nesta one of his people? Did everyone just forget that ultimately she answers to him in matters of the court and safety? Besides when has Rhys the High Lord ever been gentle and soft hearted? He is not a straight laced morally good easy guy, he’s ruthless, fierce and iron fisted. You saw how he dealt with Az. It’s part of who he is and leaning into that side of him heavily is what he’s built his whole reputation on! Rhysand the Mate of Feyre is a different story (provided a gateway to his inner truths deep down) and I would hope it is! Plus, what Nesta did was very reckless and dangerous if you ask me. I’m on Rhys side if you can’t tell 😂

Alright that’s it, you’re awesome! xx

I do think that Chaol's book is proof that SJM can and has written the MMC's journey being the thing to kick start the book, eventually leading to his female love interest becoming her own force of nature. So when some say that Az can't get his own book because SJM writes about the females coming into their own they're ignoring that she can still accomplish that goal even without the female being the catalyst for the story to begin.

However.....right now I don't see Az set up in the same way Chaol was.

Chaol story began because he lost the use of his legs and was sailing to the Torre Cesme to see if he could be healed. Az is not currently dealing with anything remotely close to that. As of the crossover he still remains the broody, somewhat arrogant, spymaster of the IC as he was in every book before. Yes, Bryce bested him but she bested Nesta at times too. When Bryce returned, there seemed to be no hard feelings between them. And yes, there's some mystery surrounding Az's backstory and the fact that he has TT but again, that's not any different from Lucien not knowing his true heritage.

Chaol was also traveling to the Torre Cesme to find allies for the war.

HOFAS ended and there was nothing to indicate that Bryce's arrival left Az in a position to have any sort of influence on Spring, Koschei, Beron, the peace treaty.

Chaol's purpose, the reason he was taking the journey he was, was clearly explained to us prior to TOD and I'm not getting that from Az's current setup. SJM gave him page time in SF as he was Cassian's best friend and she included him in the crossover because I think it will set him up for later books, but in relation to the actual concerns in SF and the things they remained worried about by the end of that book, I still have no idea how Az would tie into Spring, Koschei, Beron, the peace treaty in a way that would advance the plot forward and I don't think HOFAS left us with any additional information.

Everything the crossover dealt with, the information they discovered, it all involved the NC and the Prison lands and that all ties into the IC, the Illyrians and the Valkryie.

Beron wants Spring lands - not the NC.

Koschei wants to free himself from the lake to rule their entire world - not just the NC.

The fae on the continent want the human lands - not NC territory.

That all ties into Elain, Vassa, and Lucien.

As far as Elain's absence in SF and the crossover, her journey was set up pretty early on (ACOMAF / ACOWAR / ACOFAS / a bit in ACOSF). Same with Lucien. But despite that neither Elain and Lucien were the main focus of SF and absent from the crossover, Chaol was completely absent in EOS.

So while Chaol is proof that a MMC can lead a book, I think his setup is actually more in line with Elucien's and them getting a book next is still what makes the most sense to me, with SJM further delving into the Illyrians / Valkryie / Time Travel at a later point, where she can expand on that beyond a single book and further connect the NC characters to future crossover storylines.

I have a few friends like yours, ones who are casual readers and E/riel is not on their radar, haha. To them, the question is "what are Elain and Lucien going to do about their bond?" over "will Elain end up with Az?" The Elucien bond is where the tension, excitement and drama lie, not in the lukewarm temperature of E/riel interactions.

I agree with you on the Nesta / Rhys situation. It's not that we don't recognize that Nesta was trying to help someone feel not so powerless as she often did but she did risk the safety of their world. Bryce tricked she and Az in the cave yet she still not only decided to trust Bryce enough with the mask after that but she also gambled that the Asteri wouldn't get a hold of it and find their way back to the world of Prythian, risking the lives of everyone they loved.

It was reckless and Rhys's concern is for his people, his mate and his son. And as a new parent, you become ferocious over your children's safety so I can understand why he lost his temper and why he felt Nesta put Bryce's needs over that of everyone else's.

It was both selfless and selfish.

Thank you for your message, I hope you have a wonderful morning / day / night!

#elucien #pro elucien #anti e/riel #lucien vanserra #elain archeron #hofas spoilers

[mariaofdoranelle]

Why are you at the wake?

AO3 link

THIS ISN’T ANGSTY, this title is just a product of the Taylor Swift-fication of my life. It’s a fluffy funeral fic you just have to trust me on this.

Fun fact: While I was writing this oneshot and after all the details had already been set, my real life weirdly well-off former math teacher was arrested by the federal police for drug trafficking and money laundering. What are the odds, right? Now I wish I had worked a little more on Arobynn, but this is already too long. I hope you like it!

Word count: 5,2k

TW: NSFW, mentions of death, swear words.

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Rowan was at the funeral of the most despicable man he had ever met when he saw his old high school friend bawling her eyes out. At first he thought it was a mirage. He hadn’t seen Aelin in four years and his brain had decided a small amount of psychosis would be the way to go. But after staring openly and receiving a polite nudge from his uncle, Rowan had decided it was probably Aedion with longer hair. Except that Aedion didn’t have boobs. And then Rowan’s face flushed. He shouldn’t be looking at his friend’s breasts, specially at a funeral. Were they friends still?

While everyone meant to leave for the wake, Rowan just realized he never even took his coat off. He shook hands, nodded, and stared at Aelin. That was it. When Aelin first saw him, at the beginning of the ceremony, her eyes were so wide it looked comical. But them she gave him a closed-lip smile and went back to mourning Arobynn Hamel.

As Rowan walked, following his uncle’s trail, he scrambled his mind trying to find a reasonable answer for the fourth time today.

Fact check number four: (1) Aelin was on his high school friend group; (2) he had a crush on her for the entirety of those four years and was very drawn to her sense of humor, which wouldn’t be important if; (3) they had bonded a lot over hating Mr. Hamel, their math teacher; (4) until Aelin left to Torre Cesme to become a doctor.

The only reason Rowan himself was there was because his uncle, the school principal, wanted the company. Maybe he should feel guilty about not feeling anything towards his very dead creepy old teacher who spent months at the hospital before dying, but he didn’t. The only thing he felt now was worry because Aelin was sobbing and fondness because her nose looked so cute when she cried, like a tiny cherry tomato.

Now that they were at the wake and there was no minister to pretend to pay attention to, Rowan went directly to his friend, crying alone in a corner.

“Long time no see,” he greeted with a small smile. But when she looked up, Aelin was beaming at him. All of a sudden, it was like her reaction to seeing him had disarranged all of Rowan’s organs at once. He felt like his insides were made of molten gold. He couldn’t believe he was used to see this on a daily basis four years ago.

“I’ve missed you.” And then she squeezed his hand, making his whole arm tingle.

“I didn’t know you were in town.”

Aelin blushed. “I’ve only told my family, but I’m moving back.” Rowan probably did a terrible job at hiding his shock, because she was quick to explain, “I’m not giving up on being a doctor, I’ll just continue everything here in Orynth.” He couldn’t muster much apart from his blinking, so she just grimaced and muttered, “I’ve been here the whole summer. I’m sorry I didn’t let you and the gang know. I’ve been busy.”

Rowan nodded. “How did you know about Mr. Hamel?”

“I got in a summer internship at Orynth General, I saw him there twice, I think.” Rowan didn’t know what to say, so she just elbowed him and asked, “How’s the Little Folk?”

That was a low blow, considering where they were at. Aelin insisted on making Little Folk jokes ever since he decided to become a forest engineer, and she knew he would always try not to smile at them and fail miserably. “Very cranky. Apparently, the new president is shit. They miss Brannon and Mala terribly,” he joked back with a straight face, but then they were both giggling in the middle of Arobynn Hamel’s wake. Their voices weren’t even loud, but it was enough to make them stick out above the quiet conversation and weeping in the room.

A few moments after they sobered up, Rowan’s uncle brought them a plate with snacks as a cover up to give him a reproaching look and stay by his side once again, now along with two other teachers, Deji Ytger and Clarisse DuVency.

When Mr. Ytger was telling them one of his stories about Arobynn Hamel, Aelin eyed the now half-eaten snack plate with watered eyes and placed a mini sausage on the palm on her hand, croaking, “Oh, Arobynn!” before starting to sob again. Oh God, did she and Mr. Hamel? No, it couldn’t be. While Rowan stared at her wide-eyed once again, Mr. Ytger had one hand covering his mouth and a shaking upper body, definitely trying not to laugh. When he couldn’t control it anymore, he started to fake coughing to at least pretend he wasn’t laughing at the wake. In the meanwhile, his uncle was fake-assisting Mr. Ytger with his sudden coughing fit, and Ms. DuVency was shooting daggers at Aelin. The only good explanation he had for that would be jealousy, but Rowan wouldn’t have it. There had to be another reason. The Aelin he knew wouldn’t. Right?

Felling a surge of protection towards his visibly shaken friend, Rowan put a hand on her shoulder, stroking it with his finger. “Come on, Fireheart. We’re leaving.” This environment was upsetting her too much. She needed fresh air. Chocolate hazelnut cake. Play with dogs. Aelin was biting her lip, probably debating an answer, when Clarisse DuVency decided to interfere.

“So soon?”

Aelin sniffed and answered, “This is too much, I need to leave.”

Clarisse rolled her eyes and turned to Rowan. “I don’t recall your name.”

“Rowan, I used to be one of his students.”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “Arobynn never mentioned yourself to me.” He wouldn’t mention or even remember every one of his students, but Rowan didn’t feel like pointing it out. The woman’s thoughts must be clouded with grief now. Thankfully, Aelin was quick to fix the misunderstanding.

“Don’t mind him. He’s accompanying Mr. Whitethorn.”

The older woman sighed. “I don’t care. Thanks for coming.” Aelin shook hands with Clarisse and tuck them back in her pockets, but let Rowan guide her towards the exit with a hand on her back. The middle part. Aelin was grieving, lower back touches would be borderline disrespectful. Rowan wasn’t even minding his now apparently eight-year-old minor crush on her. Aelin was upset, and Rowan’s job was to fix it. Just like he used to do back in high school.

Mr. Ytger offered to give uncle Ellys a ride home before anyone could even ask, and off they went.

Aelin had cheered up even before they got to her favorite patisserie, and Rowan was glad. She always had that lively, dazzling personality, it would be a shame losing it after this death. Arobynn fucking Hamel. He was still puzzled about it, but she didn’t need that kind of inquisition now. After buying two slices of chocolate hazelnut cake for Aelin, he took her to his house to pack a picnic bag and go to the park nearby.

“Fuck! This place is huge. I had no idea the Little Folk payed so well.” Rowan blushed. It certainly looked bigger because it was completely white and bare, but he wasn’t going to correct her.

“It was my parents’s. Uncle Ellys used to rent it for my college savings ever since they died. I just moved in.” Uncle Ellys had gifted him a fridge, and their cousins Sellene and Enda gave him a microwave. Apart from the mattress he had bought online, that was all the furniture he had. Aelin didn’t seem to mind it, though.

“Do you plan to rent these rooms to a fuckton of people?”

“Not if can help it, no.”

Aelin sighed. “It doesn’t surprise me that you’re the first real grown up from our friend group.” Rowan didn’t feel like reminding her he didn’t own a couch. Or a stove. Instead, he grinned at her, teasing.

“Oh, you don’t know half of it.”

She looked radiant with a wide grin and sparkling eyes. “Tell me!”

He grinned back. “Lorcan has a ring.” Aelin’s mouth fell open, but she quickly put on her teasing smirk.

“Oh, you don’t know the other half of it.” Rowan raised his eyebrows and it was enough to make her continue, “Elide is ten weeks pregnant.”

Rowan just blinked at her, trying to think of something to say. Until he quietly beamed, “Wow.” He was surprised, but not so much. Rowan knew Elide had been Lorcan’s whole world since they were sixteen, this was just a matter of time. He was thrilled for his friends, but Rowan couldn’t help feeling a little bit of jealousy. Rowan was living on a four-bedroom house with no prying cousins, no chaotic dinners, no loud dogs. After spending years wishing he could have a quiet home to himself, he kind of missed all that mess. Every night, Rowan laid uncomfortably at night because he always forgot to buy himself anything capable of controlling his houses’s temperature, and when he looked at his empty room with a throat too thick and chest too heavy, at least one of his cousins were up to tell him about aunt Maeve’s current fights with the neighbors or what Sellene’s kids were up to. Rowan wasn’t prepared for a bride ready to fill his new house with children, but it would be nice to have prospects of a healthy romantic life. He even thought about asking Fenrys to come live with him for the company, but Rowan didn’t feel like staining his parent’s place with his friend’s orgies and parades of women. And men. Non-binary people too.

Aelin was watching him with rapt attention. When he gave her his attention back, her eyes had a certain glow as she muttered, “I know, right?”

Rowan swallowed and led her to the kitchen. “So, for park snacks we have cheese, fruit, a six-pack-“

Something made her cackle at him, and just the sound of her laughter warmed up Rowan’s whole body, making him wear a silly grin in return. “Buzzard, it’s pouring outside. I don’t think the park is our better option now.” He was so glad she still remembered his old nickname it took him a second to process the information. When he looked at the window, it was raining so much it was impossible to even look through it. And sounded like the roof would fall anytime soon too, but Rowan was so focused on Aelin’s laugh and sunshine-colored hair and lemon verbena scent that he didn’t notice it was pelting down outside. He sighed.

“Do you want me to drop you home or—“

“Absolutely not. I’m not giving up on our picnic date so easily,” she chimed. Wait. Did she say it was a date? Rowan’s mind was too fuzzy by her presence, he must’ve imagined it. She was crying on Arobynn Hamel’s funeral an hour ago, for Mala’s sake. Rowan needed to get a grip.

He didn’t have a basket, but Aelin helped him arrange a few plates with food. Then Rowan put a blanket in his living room and they sat against the wall. It was hard to ignore the tingling where Aelin’s shoulder bumped on his. For a moment he gave a mental heads up to teenage Rowan, he was so much better at ignoring his feelings.

“So. I guess you didn’t like Antica?”

She sighed. “I’d find it the perfect city to spend a few weeks, but I missed Terrasen. Terribly. The place and the people. When you go live on your own, there’s a lot of talk about the new things to do and places to see, but no one warns you about how lonely it can get. I made a few friends, but it didn’t ease much.” Rowan never lived abroad, but he could relate to it in his own way. He would never judge her for coming back. In fact, he was happy she had the guts to do it.

“That means you left the best medical program in the world to... the third best?” Aelin was completely obsessed with these rankings back in high school, he hoped he got it right.

She mock-groaned. “Fourth. Fenharrow got the 3rd spot last year. Can you believe it?”

He was so fucking proud of her. “Well, 4th won’t do. Your parents must be so disappointed in you.” She knew he knew Rhoe and Evalin would be elated even if she was studying at the last school in the ranking, so they just chuckled. “You’re amazing, Aelin.”

“I know,” she answered with a smirk. “What I don’t know,” she lazily continued, “Is what you do for a living.”

Rowan bit his lip. Making people fully understand what he did for a living within a few words was still a challenge to him. “I work for the police.” The tilt of her head and furrowed eyebrows wasn’t an unfamiliar response to this. “It works best if I give you an example. Last week some guy’s roof fell. But it turns out it was from illegal logging, so they called me and—“

“Fuck, you’re a tree cop!” This was exactly how Sellene explained it to her children, and he didn’t really like it, but Aelin’s mouth was ajar and her gorgeous turquoise eyes were enormous from excitement, so yes. He was a tree cop.

“That was just a common example, but yes. Kind of, actually.”

“Okay, then. Tell me what happened with illegal roof guy.” Rowan gazed at Aelin, doing a double take on her. Her body was tilted towards him, her eyes seemed to wait for him to continue. Rowan was completely conscious that he was probably the only person who found his job interesting, but he didn’t really mind it. He had planned to spare Aelin from the very exciting boring details, but she was the one asking for more, right?

And off he went on the case, Rowan telling her all about how his analysis were helping the police work on this. What surprised him was that she seemed really interested and even interrupted him to ask questions sometimes. A lot of times he felt her gaze on his mouth, but he didn’t want to read too much into it. His living room had no furniture or decorations, it wasn’t like she had much spots to look at. He’d just swallow or look at the white pillars and beams.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you talk this much at once. Tree anatomy is something else to you, isn’t it?” A comment like that would be enough to make Rowan self-conscious, but Aelin’s tone of voice was warm, and she had a smile so big it was reaching her eyes. But something shifted when she lifted her chin and he could do nothing but shiver when her lips parted and she licked them. Rowan felt all of the hair from the nape of his neck rise when her tentative hands landed on his cheeks, one before the other, but he couldn’t do this. It didn’t matter that he’d wanted to do this for eight years, he wouldn’t be the guy that picked a girl up at a funeral and took advantage of her grief. Teenage Rowan was pretty disgusting, but he’d agree with grown-up Rowan on this.

He gently cupped Aelin’s hands with his own, stopping her caresses. “Don’t touch me like that.”

“Oh.” Her hand dropped like they were on fire. Her face reddened like it too. “I’m sorry. Um. I didn’t mean—“

“It’s just the, you know, the funeral.” She wasn’t even looking him in the eye anymore. Rowan felt like shit. But something clicked in Aelin’s head and she snapped back to him, her eyes filled with worry.

“Fuck, I forgot about about that. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to hit on you while you’re grieving, that was a jerk move.”

So. Awkward. “No. I mean. I was just accompanying Uncle Ellys, but you were kind of a wreck over there. No offense. I’m worried, that’s all.”

“Oh.” Aelin bit her lip. “I see.” Her shoulders starting shaking. And then she started giggling and trying to suppress them. However, she gave that up real quick and started to crack up on him. He wanted to see it as a good sign, but he had no idea what was so funny, and Sellene had a habit of laughing a lot when she felt nervous. So Rowan just stared at Aelin, completely at loss, until she came down from the laughing fit. And then she started to compose herself again. “You see,” she said between deep breaths, “I was actually hired to attend that funeral.”

What the fuck? There was no reply, no thoughts on his head. Rowan froze both mentally and physically. If a fly entered his agape mouth at that moment, it’d probably just keep spinning there.

“God, you look cute when you’re shocked,” she beamed, “Anyway, remember I got the internship at the hospital? I’m at another wing, but I was asked to cover for someone, so I ran into him and he recognized me and told me he was dying and shit. The other time I went there, he told me he’d pay for my transportation expenses when I went to his funeral. He didn’t even invite me, just told me I’d be there.”

“So you cried at his funeral for a bus ticket?” He raised his eyebrow, but it just made her grin and prompted her further.

“That’s what I thought, but then he said Clarisse DuVency was going to pay me after, and the price he offered was enough for me to buy—“ She spent a few seconds looking at a spot on the floor with furrowed eyebrows. Aelin was never good at math. “Twenty-five slices of chocolate hazelnut cake! From Emrys’s.”

“No shit.” Emrys’s was one of the fanciest patisseries in town. Rowan was beyond shocked.

“Yes shit. And then he told me he’d double it if I cried.”

Like flipping a switch, Rowan unfroze and started laughing. A lot. What kind of person hires people to cry at their funeral? And Aelin followed him suit, both of them looking a tiny bit hysterical while sat on his white unfurnished room.

Aelin decided rest on the floor, lying on her side. “And the icing on the cake,” she wheezed, “Is that I saw two nurses crying there too.”

Rowan lay on his side as well, facing Aelin, and put a strand of her hair behind her ear. “For what it’s worth, I think you were a fantastic mourner. You earned those fifty slices of cake.”

“Thank you,” she said with closed eyes and a smile.

Rowan held her face, and his thumb wandered languidly through her cheeks and chin. But then Rowan inched closer to her and, with slightly shaky hands, gave a gentle stroke on her bottom lip. “Is this okay?”

When Aelin nodded, Rowan had a feeling he would have to go to the hospital if his heart started beating any faster. Still, he closed the space between them and kissed her. Soft at first, trying not to push his luck, but then she grabbed his chin and rolled herself on top of him, deepening the kiss. Her lips were so soft, and Rowan had never liked chocolate until he tasted it from Aelin’s mouth.

They kissed. So much. Aelin had her hands under his shirt and started to press herself against his cock until he couldn’t think anymore. So he decided to yank her hair and attack that soft spot below her ear that made her moan his name every time, and that’s when he realized he’d probably crave her lavender scent for the rest of his life. Aelin gave him a hurried kiss and stood up from the floor, extending him a hand.

“Shirt off. Now.” Rowan gave her a cocky smile and lifted his shirt. When the fabric of the shirt had allowed him to see again, Aelin’s face had gone from defiant to... Actually, he didn’t know what the fuck it was. She was blinking with her mouth opened. Did he disappoint her? He shouldn’t have skipped the gym all those days this month and—

“You didn’t look like this in high school.” It was easy to see the rise and fall of Aelin’s chest as she heavy breathed and still shamelessly stared at his abs.

“I’m not seventeen anymore, Aelin.”

“Good.” She jumped at him and the soft hands that started near his collarbones traveled down his whole torso. So did her mouth that, after kissing his, travelled south patiently, tasting his jaw, neck, chest, every inch of his six-pack. Rowan was so light-headed by then he was afraid he’d lose his mind entirely before she’d get where he wanted.

When Aelin was on her knees and undoing his buttons like the good girl she was, he gripped her chin and painstakingly said, “You don’t have to.”

However, she just finished taking his cock out of his clothes, licked her lips and grinned like fucking Hellas at what she saw. “Don’t you think your cock deserves to have its every inch licked off, Rowan?” Maintaining eye contact, she sinfully licked it from the base to the tip, swirling her tongue at the end. “I know it won’t fit in my mouth.” And she proved her fucking point, swallowing his length until he could feel it hitting somewhere, making him grip her hair harder. “Is that why you want to let me off? Because you want to fill me up all the way?” Aelin was jacking him off as she spoke, never letting him clear his hazy mind to focus on what she was saying. “Because if that’s the case, I’m sure my pussy can take it.”

Shit. He was in such deep, unending shit.

Without thinking much, Rowan yanked her off the floor and threw her over his shoulder, taking Aelin upstairs while hearing her laughs and mock complaints to put her down.

When Rowan reached his bedroom and indeed put her down, his stomach dropped as she started laughing. For Mala’s sake, he’d never bring a girl home—not any girl, Aelin Galathynius—if he’d remembered he didn’t own a bed. Unfazed, she started stripping on her way to his mattress, and he followed suit. Each one of her torturous movements sent the room on fire a little more. She was a goddess through and through, and if he didn’t kill himself for his lack of bed, he was sure Aelin herself would tease him to death later.

Aelin tried to continue what she started downstairs after laying on the mattress, but Rowan pinned her hands above her head and went directly to her breasts. He licked and sucked them while she moaned with her legs around his waist. She tightened her hold on him when he mentioned to keep trailing down, so Rowan set Aelin’s underwear aside and started to put some pressure above her clit with his thumb, flicking it in tandem with her nipple and making her arch underneath him.

Rowan was always short-circuiting when it came to Aelin, but right now his brain was surprisingly hyper-active. He was high on her smell and the way she reacted to his touches. He inserted a finger inside her, and she was so wet he decided she could take two more. Slowly, dragging this out as much as he could. It was a challenge to coordinate the tongue on her nipple with the thumb on her clit and the fingers inside her, but every touch, moan and scream from Aelin sent electric bolts through his body and made his brain high on her, wanting more.

With building intensity, Rowan’s fingers were hungrily stroking her G-spot, moving like they were calling her to him. He could feel it when her breath hitched and she gripped him like a lifeline. Aelin started making strangled noises and screaming his name, and he drew her orgasm out until he couldn’t feel her insides pulsing anymore.

She was completely limp on his mattress, but grabbed his hair and guided his mouth towards hers, lazily kissing him while she recovered.

“Do you have a condom?”

“Babe, I don’t even have a bed.” He was too aroused to feel ashamed by now.

She started chuckling on the crook of his neck. “That’s a terrible answer. I’m going to sit on your face for it.” Fuck. Yes.

“I’m yours to sit, Ma’am.”

So she kneeled on the mattress and began to positioned herself, but then she started turning and—

Bloody Hellas.

She was going to sixty-nine the hell out of him right here, right now.

That woman was going to be the death of him. In fact, as Aelin positioned herself on his face, Rowan decided that if he actually choked to death on that ass he’d die a happy man.

With a heart beating a mile a minute with anticipation, Rowan yanked Aelin’s hips with a bit more force than he should and started feasting on her before she could finish adjusting herself on him. Instead of protesting, she ground herself in his face and tipped her head back, moaning. So Rowan gave as much of a slap as he could on her ass as a reminder to do her part of the position, feeling her clench on his tongue before hearing her groan. He did a mental note to be in a more punishable position the next time she teased him with something and took too long to follow through.

When Aelin swallowed around his cock, sucking on it and applying pressure on the remaining part with her hand, Rowan felt like his whole body was ignited by her. The ecstasy she put him in sent him into a frenzy, he refused to let her wet mouth distract him from his part of the position, and judging from Aelin’s demeanor, she was thinking the same. So they gave as good as they got. Rowan would part her lips and flick his tongue over and over again on her clit, and when she’d moan, she did in on his cock, so he’d feel it reverberate on every inch of him. This felt like the most intimate game Rowan had ever played, and he was drowning in pleasure from it.

When Aelin’s knees started trembling too much, he already knew his release would come soon too. Rowan gripped Aelin’s hips tight to gave her more support, and she gripped his face with her thighs as she came, stimulating him with her hand only so she could scream his name. She got back to sucking him even before coming down completely, but Rowan was soon giving her gentle taps to warn her. But she didn’t listen, swallowing him whole as Rowan felt all the electricity tightening his body dissolve into pleasure.

Rowan didn’t move, but Aelin left her spot on his face to cuddle him on the mattress, limbs completely tangled.

“That was perfect.”

He nuzzled her hair with his nose. “You’re perfect.”

“I’ll confess something to you. If you find it creepy, I promise I’ll leave.”

“Spill.” He felt rather than saw Aelin take a deep breath, and it was all preparation she gave herself.

“Ihadacrushonyoubackinhighschool.”

“What? I didn’t hear you.”

Aelin sat on her spot, looking him in the eye. “I had a crush on you back in high school. Still do, apparently.”

No fucking way. There was absolutely no fuck—

“Rowan, please say something.” Her eyes her wide, and she had a death grip on the sheet above her chest, which was rising and falling swiftly.

Rowan smiled, tackled Aelin back on the mattress and kissed her throughly, the way she deserved to be kissed. “I had a crush on you too.”

Aelin squinted her eyes at him, but the fake-mourner with impressive acting skills was having trouble hiding her excitement. A few seconds later, she smiled at him, but still said, “I don’t believe you.”

Rowan smirked, wiggling his eyebrows at her. “Lorcan knew, you can confirm with him.”

Her jaw fell. “You’re lying! Elide knew, and she would...” Aelin trailed down and stared blankly at the wall, processing something. But then she directed herself back to him, her posture relaxed once more, and started cracking up at this mess. And Rowan easily followed suit. Now he started to remember all the times they’d abandon them and come back later to glare at Fenrys. Poor Boyo, he probably had no clue. Elide was more subtle, but Rowan always thought Lorcan just didn’t like Fen. Or maybe it was true, and those occasions were just added to the list. Anyway, he didn’t care about that now.

Rowan and Aelin were staring at each other with silly grins when she decided to use his abs as a pillow. “This is when you get me food. Shitty microwave lasagna, preferably.”

“I can also take you to dinner and buy good restaurant lasagna.”

“Nope.” She popped the *p* while shaking her head and grinned at him. “We’re eating supermarket lasagna on the floor and then having sex with our supermarket condoms. It’s about the experience. And the fact that I don’t have the appropriate clothes now.” He’d be happy to follow through her plans, but her refusal made him feel uneasy. Did she not want to go on a serious date with him? Rowan realized with a huge knot on his stomach that just because she thought he was cute four years ago didn’t mean she’d want to be with him now and—

“Buzzard, you okay?” She was sitting in front of him now, biting her lip with furrowed eyebrows.

He cleared his throat. “Aelin, is this a one-night stand to you?”

Her whole face softened. “I don’t want it to be.“

“I’m glad,” he replied while cupping her face, looking Aelin deep into her eyes and kissing her lips once again. It was impossible to get tired of those.

“Perfect. Now that that’s settled, we’re buying an air conditioner tomorrow morning. I’m not giving you an option here.” Aelin’s earnest eyes told him she meant business, so Rowan just hugged her closer, feeling her smile on the crook of his neck. He’d buy all the heaters she wanted if it meant she’d continue to sleep by his side.

Just to tease her, Rowan insisted on his previous offer. “I was hoping to take you on a proper first date before grocery shopping and buying house stuff together.”

Aelin narrowed her eyes. “You’ll still buy me food, Rowan. I’m not letting you off the hook that easily.” He laughed and they started to get dressed.

“Can I at least take you to lunch after buying the AC?” Rowan offered while they were descending the stairs.

She smiled at him. “That’s actually perfect. Is there a chance you can also buy a bed?”

Rowan laughed and brushed their lips together as he grabbed his keys. “Sure. I’ll buy us a bed.”

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The Heart of the Lioness: ☽⋆15⋆☾

Thief in the Mist

The Heart of the Lioness Masterlist

Previous Part

There was a crack of dry wood when the girl leapt down from the roof, running from and almost getting caught by an angry shopkeeper was not how she expected her afternoon to go. But here she was,

The stuffy air making the inside of her throat scratchy, swiftly in one movement she pulled the cloth up over to cover her mouth and nose,

"Get back here boy" a man shouted from above, he was a man of heavy eating, compared to her youthful pace she was surprised he could even keep up in the first place.

The girl looked up at the wall she had jumped off, the crooked coal smudged face of the shopkeeper peered down from above. 

The capital city in the Southern Continent was bustling with life, and The Thief would wield it like any blade.

Smirking she waved up to the shopkeeper, before rolling off the wood planks of a market stall roof, landing with a feline grace. With one last quick check to make sure her masks and hood were still in place, covering her face. If the shopkeeper believed her to be the opposite sex, then so be it. Made her life a hell of a lot easier when it came to escaping Royal Guards.

The stone of the street was coated with dust blown off the walls of the sandstone buildings,

Taking off into a run, she weaved through the crowd, brushing between bodies tightly packed together in the midst of the mid day markets.

An older man with a inflamed red scar running down the side of his face glowered at her when she banged into him, folding into a quick bow and shouting out an apology, she continued to move.

When the girl was a few places from the man she unfurled her fist, looking down to the pouch of coins she had swiped from his inside pocket.

Smirking she slipped it carefully inside her clothes, securing it into place she was off once more, moving through the city like a shadow, unnoticed, unbothered. If was the skill she had taught herself to master, after being alone for so many years and on the streets, one learns quickly how to survive.

Stealing the fortune of others was her workforce, at sixteen years old she had picked more pockets then a fully trained pickpocket who years of experience against her.

That didn't matter, not anymore, her life had changed and the opportunity of life became vast once more.

The busy city streets gave way to a quieter walkway that led to a dark tower. Guards were stationed at its entrance from the walkway. As seen by their rigid 'stick up their arses' postures.

The Torre Cesme was the biggest collection of healers in the world, all as highly trained in there trade as she was. Most she didn't put up with, though many claimed to help, sometime she found the healers inside weren't the nicest of people.

She passed the guards with ease, dragging a foot a step behind herself holding a hand to her thigh, lisping out a grunt as though her limp caused her physical pain. The two men allowed her in without a second thought. Fools.

Letting a Pride member into one of the south's most prized buildings, besides the palace. Some guards they were.

Being inside the buildings did little to allow her body to escape the heat from outside, the cool stone hallways chilling the air a little, it cleared her lungs. But that was it.

Sticking to the back passages she made her way up to the work stations of the healers,

There was faint noises of pain and discomfort coming from behind each door she passed but the door she aimed for emitted no noise. As it so often did.

Swinging it open with a nudge of her boot, her eyes tracked the body of a boy sat upright on the bed. His chocolate eyes snagged up to watch her, his small rounded cheeks were flushed with tear trails, 

A women knelt at his front, finished cleaning off the wound to the boys thigh, the girl by the door watched her rise, the dark work frizzed hair cascaded down the women's back, 

The young boy still watched her as she stood by the door, 

"Don't go playing around those boys no more, okay?"  the women, a healer, spoke the boys gaze finally moving from the body by the door.

"Yes Ma'am" He didn't look old enough to be wandering around without a parent at his side, but she couldn't help but wonder whether he might have been one of the children scavenging through the streets.

The injury to his leg must have been from a street fight, the girl could remember the days where she fought teeth and nails for scraps, somehow she always managed to best the much bigger kids who always wielded the knife.

The soft padding of the boys feet moved towards the door, pressing her back to the framework of the entrance she shot the boy a clipped smile when he passed, in the closer lighting she could see the lingering blue of a bruise on the protruding bone of his right cheek.

He halted, like a feline eyes of so many street cats, he too was peaking with caution, but a hint of curiosity glimmered behind the gloss of his pupils. 

The boy was gone a second later, like mist, he brushed against her slightly when he left but he didn't so much as utter a single sound.

"You're a day late, Yvonne " the healer said from across the other side of the room.

Yvonne pushed from the doorway, strolling in with a little skip to ever second step she took further into the room, "Postponing, isn't the same as being late"

"Oh I wasn't aware of such arrangements" 

She finally turned around, and Safa's beautifully tinted face met hers. Safa was regal in her good looks, her stark autumn orange eyes standing abrupt against her dark skin. She was only a few years older, yet her eyes and hands worked the magic of experience way beyond both their years.

"Who was he?"

The healer faintly smiled in the direction the boy had wandered off in before turning back, there was the light noise of glass jars being moved about, no doubt feeding into her impulse to organise and reorganise everything again and again.

"Keenan, I found him unable to walk outside the front gates this morning, he said someone dragged him there, but I think he crawled here himself. He's alone."

Those words struck up a storm inside her chest. Alone. Since joining the ranks of Commander Brielle's Pride Yvonne had been anything but.

Some part of her heart still lurched at the memories, that clawed at the back of her mind, it would do her no good to pester over the young boy. 

"Any news from the North?" Distraction, after distraction.

Safa's shoulders stiffened slightly, a jar tapped onto the surface of the work bench.

"If you came a day before, we could've read over the letter from Colden together" 

Yvonne walked closer, turning herself around she leaned her ass against the work bench Safa perched herself at.

"Oh, does he send his kind regards?"

The older spy shot her a quick flat expression before she returned to shuffling around her jars.

Yvonne watched her move the jars back and fourth, the herbs inside each smelling worse then the last, most of the plants were dried and were more crinkly then the elderly beggar Yvonne so often spotted on the street corners.

"Commander wants the usual." Safa uttered after she placed the final jar back into its place on the wooden rack mounted onto the wall.

"Oh fun" Yvonne couldn't be more elated, she might have even thought their commander had forgotten all about them.

Doing a little spin in the middle of the room, Yvonne spun to meet Safa's gaze once more, "I pinched a fat coin pouch off a tourist today"

"You never fail to disturb me sometimes"

"What?! it's good practise"

As if wanting proof for her loose moral accomplishment, Yvonne reached into the pocket of her cloak, Her fingers clasping thin empty air. The secure space for the coin pouch was empty. 

Yvonne was glad that Safa had turned back around to attend to her jars, as so the older spy didn't catch the surprised look that snapped onto her features.

The little tyke must had snatched it off her when he passed in the doorway,  Yvonne laughed aloud, Safa shot her a questioning look before turning to the work table once more, she grabbed the file with the Lion's paw print.

The moments in the doorway replayed in her mind like a loop, she hadn't sensed or felt him take the money, Safa held the file out to her, the Paw Print like a calling card, beckoning,  just challenging her to take it.

Gently taking the folder, Yvonne flicked through the pages within, tracking names, times, locations. Key facts that allowed her mind to formulate all it needed to. 

The Thief was back in action. 

 ~

Yvonne pulled the cloak in tighter to her body, if she wanted to catch Captain Westfall unaware she need every one of her skills to be sharpened to their finest edge.

Tricking the previous Captain of Rifthold's City Guards was no easy feat in itself, she would admit that. But not impossible, 

Before she left the healers, and spies room, Safa informed her that Brielle wanted no harm to come to the old Captain, he was an asset. She also mentioned his healing sessions with the Healer, by the name of Yrene Towers.

That had been two days ago, and Yvonne had been following the man for those two days. His routine was pretty set, Boring if you asked her, there was nothing fun, no stealing, or the minor fight, but that might be expected from someone who was still half paralytic

This was the same step of his daily routine, before he set round for food in the middle of the day, now, she would strike now, a pile of his things now lay inches away from where she was crouched behind the hollowing out inside of a dead tree.

It appeared that Westfall was training his body, keeping those working muscles trained and toned enough, that the sight was appeasing to even Yvonne. She was after all, still a teenage girl, despite all she had done in her Commander's name, and her own.

When he turned around once more, the responding ripple of his back muscles distracted her so thoroughly she almost missed her window, 

She had to pull it together, she was a member of the Pride, she couldn't afford to disrupt their plans, stemming through the lands. Everyone of them had roles to play, however big or small. Their commander wasn't discriminatory like that. Yvonne couldn't help when her mind wandered at night, wondering just what the overall goal was, what her friends in the Northern Continents might be doing, how her role played into the bigger picture.

Growing up with the stories whispered from the soldiers visiting from the royal legions, Yvonne had certainly heard of the Pride and the Female know in the South as Kanavari; The Mother of Spies.

Many of the street kids used to tell her stories to tourists for money, spreading the truths of her virtues and movements, for what little people knew of them. For whatever reason the Kanavari had sought her out, and given her the life she would never had been able to obtain herself. 

Yvonne crept out from behind the tree, towards the neat bundle of items, all tucked in amongst themselves.

Captain Westfall grunted as he moved, Yvonne quickly looked to make sure he hadn't turned back around before she begun to look through his things.

A brass pin was atop the pile, it's metal curve glowed in the morning light, the shine of its recently polished surface was practically begging her to take it. Yvonne snatched it from the pile, spinning of feather light feet to dart back behind the shadow of the tree.

Captain Westfall began to turn in the wheeled chair in which he sat.

Yvonne straightened quickly, tucking the pin into a seamless pocket hidden at the back of her thigh. Using the other hand to quickly throw back her hood, she could only hope she looked presentable enough as Chaol turned to spot her, inches from the tree.

"I'm terribly sorry, I usually come here for some quiet, I hadn't realised someone else might be here" Yvonne spat out the sentence quickly, the blur on her lips she spoke almost every time she got caught.

For those who weren't local, most people brushed it off because they were visiting. Though from the look of Lord Westfall's face Yvonne wasn't so sure she would get away with it this time.

Despite his eyes analysing everything there was to her, his voice was soft when he spoke, "My apologies my Lady, I won't be much longer, the space will be free once I'm finished. I'm happy for you to stay if that is what you wish"

If she hadn't just stolen something from him she might have said yes, She was still so tempted, He was at least a good six years older then her, but the sweat gleaming on the exposed muscles of his chest caught her eye, she couldn't help it.

"I'm sure you are used to girls ogling after you while you train Captain Westfall, but I'm not one of them," liar the voice yelled in her head.

At the mention of his previous title, Lord Westfall narrowed an eye at her, Panic flushed her head, the thrumming of her blood in her ears louder,

"So I bid you farewell" — for now.

Yvonne didn't give him a second to utter anything else, walking back around the side of the tree, she tried to keep a paced speed as she walked back up to the top path that led from the gardens.

It took Yvonne only a short matter or minutes to make her way back into the bustle of the city. Eating the distance up she moved through the dust coated streets.

A group of street runners, boys, ran through the crowd towards her adoring tanned leather coats which were far too big on them to be their own. Far too many of the street dwelling people stole from each other in order to just cloth themselves. It was a shameful life of distrust and misfortunes, and if you didn't learn to play by the rules, then the game had no use for you, beyond being the food for the apex predators.

At the front of the group a boy was paled faced and blue eyes burning with a mild panic, when the light hit his face as he sidestepped a women carrying rolls of cloth, Yvonne smirked, the young boy from Safa's healing room. Keenan. 

He kept on running as the other three boys behind him slammed into the women he had just dodged, the colourful rolls of fabric splaying out like a rainbow made materialised.

People move to help as the three boys scrambled back up, searching for Keenan. They took of running once more, flying past Yvonne, darting down an alleyway after the boy. If the knifes they carried were any indication Yvonne doubted their interaction with the younger boy was going to be pleasant.

Making sure the pin was secure, Yvonne followed the group of street boys into the alley.

The sunlight was shadowed in the cramped space between the buildings. It wasn't a terribly long distance, not so far that Yvonne couldn't make out the figure of Keenan, back to the wall a shard of glass clutched in his right hand, feet braced.

The three with their backs to her didn't show any hint of hearing her as she strolled along to hear their words, 

"Give it up," The boy in the middle laughed, twisting the knife in his hand, 

"You think we wouldn't notice the food you stole from us last week?" the one to the left sneered, 

Keenan readjusted his feet, readying for a fight. Had he not gotten himself cornered in the fist place Yvonne might have been impressed.

She cleared her throat in a two part fake cough, 

The trio spun, they were all considerably larger then Keenan, and the one in the middle was significantly broader in his shoulders. The one to his right, standing out with blonde hair, the one to his other side, brandished a scar running down his face.

Each of them looked older then her, nineteen maybe, and all were at least a foot taller then she.

"Piss off bitch, this ain't your business"

Clasping her hands behind her back, Yvonne took two steps closer. They eyed her up and down, the one to the left laughed, looking to his friends with wild amusement.

Keenan's eyes had widened, perhaps realising or recognising who she was. 

"Or what?"

The trio froze, 'broad shoulders' tilted his head, it was a cocky gesture, Perhaps she should have spoken louder.

"What did you say to me?" 'Broad shoulders' took half a step in front of his two friends, 

"You heard me." The others looked at each other as 'broad shoulders' took a full step towards her this time, if she lashed out with her dagger now, she could embed it into his throat— no delay.

"I suggest you clear out and leave us to our business" Keenan's face paled again when Yvonne flicked her gaze to him.

"Unfortunately," she exasperated a deep sigh, shrugging up with her shoulders " I cannot"

'Broad shoulders' flicked the knife to his side, Yvonne looked to it quickly, then turned back to the boy as though the gesture was supposed to frighten her, 

"You see," she stepped around 'broad shoulder', he whirled but didn't lash out, "That boy" she knocked her head in Keenan's direction, 

"Is under the Protection of the Pride"

Yvonne stepped up between the two others, both pulled rather rusty knifes from their person, closing the gap in front of her with their bodies, blocking her view of Keenan.

"Do you think we know what that means?" 'Broad shoulders' mused, mocking in his tone, his voice was close behind her, smart enough to follow her movement, dumb enough to get too close.

"Then let me translate that for you."

'Broad shoulders' moved first, his arm wrapping around her from behind, his weight was heavy, but being trained by the Kanavari had its perks.

Grabbing onto him Yvonne leaned back, kicking 'blondie' in the chest as he lashed forward, He stumbled back, giving Yvonne enough space to swing with both her feet, keeping grip of 'broad shoulders' grip, she flung him over her body as though he weighed nothing more then a small back of wool.

He grunted, and began to gasp for air when he landed, back first 

Springing up from the floor, Yvonne grabbed for a plank of wood, from a broken crate beside her, Grasping it tightly she swung it at 'scar face' when he leapt over 'shoulders'.

The wood splintered as it thwacked off his head, he fell with an even louder thunk. The gravity of the swing, spun Yvonne's whole body, taking those second to grab the curved dagger from the base of her back, her next swing was instantly met by one counteracted by 'blondie' who had recovered from his well placed kick to the sternum.

His hair was dishevelled, and eyes a raged sort of anger. 'Blondie' yelled out as he swung an arm for her, a rusty knife being the point of his arm, The curve of her dagger slide along the length of his, small sparks of golden light flickering.

'Blondie' grunted and pushed her body away, she stepped back, twirling the dagger in her hand. There was a flinch of hesitation in his expression before he darted for her once more,

Dropping to one knee, Yvonne used her free foot to push her body outward into a spin, avoiding him, yanking her arm up, the blade lay waste to 'blondie's' leg, blood instantly spurted out and continue to gush rapidly. A wonderful waterfall of red.

Damn, she got blood on her dagger, Making quick work of cleaning it against her leg Yvonne stalked closer to where 'shoulders' was now staggering to his feet,

Keenan was still pinned to the wall, whether he was frozen with shock or was just smart enough to stay put Yvonne didn't have time to contemplate as 'shoulders' advanced in a quick dart of movement, 

Yvonne threw her dagger into the air, and dropped once more, but this time spun with one leg straight, swiping 'Shoulders' legs out from under him

Scrambling wit utter surety Yvonne knelt up onto his chest, pinning his armed hand with her foot wedged into his wrist at his arms full outstretched length, Yvonne held out an awaiting hand as her dagger landed into her palm precisely when she expected it to.

'Shoulder's' eyes widened when she slowly dragged it to rest against his neck, 

'Scar face' was silent beside them, and 'Blondie' was whimpering from behind them. The noise becoming a whispered mewl. 

"Understand now?" she raised one eyebrow for good measure.

'Shoulder' gave a meek nod of his boxy head, she pressed the curve in further against his neck causing him to tilt away from her blade, 

"I said do you understand." Yvonne wasn't aware of where the lethal sounding tone of her voice came from, but as 'Shoulders' whimpered slightly, his body squirming beneath her, She decided she liked it.

"Yes!" Shoulders yelled out,  and there he was, the small child each and everyone of them had been before street life brought out the animals in them.

"Good."

Sitting up, Yvonne slide the blade back into its place at her back, 'shoulders' was quick to jump to his feet, Yvonne watched the thought process on his face, watched it pale when he looked to what exactly she had done to his friends, perhaps wondering how merciful she had been with him.

The unmoving bodies of 'blondie' and 'scar-face' were like debris in the alleyway, 'shoulders' didn't seemed to heed them much thought as he raced past them.

Yvonne straightened, placing a hand to her hips she sighed, "Well that took much more effort then needed"

There was a sound akin to a squeak, looking across to Keenan, the young boy was fully pressed to the wall now, the glass shard discarded to the floor. There was a thin streak of crimson flowing from his palm, a testimony to how tightly he had been squeezing the shard.

His expression had paled considerably since she arrived, a spark of surprise fluttered through her that the young lad hadn't passed out yet, 

"Wha— What are you?" 

Yvonne chuckled, walking towards him slowly, he tensed when she stretched out a hand, 

"It's a long story, not one the rest of the world deserves to hear" she looked up to the edge of the rooftops above them,wondering if anyone might be stupid enough to eavesdrop on a member of the Pride, when she glanced back to him, Keenan had followed her direction of looking.

When he met her gaze once more, his eyes held that same curiosity Yvonne had glimpsed at in their first meeting.

"Where are you taking me?" the curiosity sparked into a flame they all once harboured, Yvonne could strongly remember hers the day Commander Brielle found her.

"To your new family."

. . .

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Next Part

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1.72.7 Tower of Dawn by Sarah J Maas

SPOILERS

Pages: 660

Time Read: 11 hours and 58 minutes

Overall Rating: ★★★★☆ Storyline: ★★★★☆ Dialogue: ★★★★☆ Characters: ★★★★☆

Genre: YA Fantasy

TWs for the book: Death, violence, grief, injury, disability/chronic illness, blood, war, murder, medical content, s*xual content, ableism, vomit, death of a parent, gore, medical trauma, animal death, torture, pregnancy, drug use, emotional abuse, su*c*de, body horror, cursing, mental illness, alcohol, physical abuse, child death, fire, abandonment, classism, su*c*dal thoughts, toxic friendship, child abuse, infidelity, stalking, colonization, body shaming

POV: Third Person

Time Period/Location: Taking place during the events of Empire of Storms. On the fictional southern continent, in the city of Antica.

First Line: Chaol Westfall, former Captain of the Royal Guard and now Hand to the newly crowned King of Adarlan, had discovered that he hated one sound above all others.

Chaol and Nesryn arrive on the southern continent in Antica, the god-city, known for its 36 gods and ruled over by the Great Khagan. They go straight to the palace to meet with the Khagan and ask for his aid in the war and a healer to fix Chaol's paralysis. They meet the stern man, and his five heirs, Arguhn, Sartaq, Hasar, Kashin, and Duva. They beg the Khagan for aid but he is insulted that by the gold they try to bring him and that they were unaware of his youngest daughter, Tumelun's, death. He says that they are welcome to stay so Chaol may be healed, but must consider any plans of war while also taking time to grieve. Chaol and Nesryn also learn of Rifthold being sacked and are devastated. Shortly after their meeting with the khagan, Kashin, who has control of the horse warriors of the continent, arrives to speak with Chaol. He tells him he doesn't believe Tumelun committed su*c*de like everyone thinks, and that there might be a threat that has come from the north. Chaol explains briefly about the Valg and promises Kashin to keep a look out for anything amiss.

Yrene, the healer girl that Celaena saved in The Assassin's Blade, has been working to become a healer at the Torre Cesme for two years, and is now a fully fledged healer. Hafiza, the Healer on High, instructs Yrene to heal Chaol. She refuses at first, not wanting to help anyone from Adarlan after Adarlanian soldiers burned her mother alive for practicing magic. Hafiza says this will be her final test before she is to return to Erilea. She tentatively agrees to assess him. The next day she goes to the palace, and it is tense between her and Chaol, and Yrene is very rude, but she agrees to heal him anyways. Nesryn visits her aunt and uncle that live in the city, and they tell her that her father, sister, and nieces and nephews managed to make it out of Rifthold before it fell, but they don't know where they are now. Chaol tries to speak to Arguhn, but he refuses him.

Yrene begins her healing on Chaol, but finds that there is still a remanent of the Valg's dark power wrapped around his spine, and that she can fight against it with her healing gifts, but it will be very painful for Chaol and take a lot of time. Yrene goes to the Torre's library to try and find out more information on the Valg. She finds a scroll with Wyrdmarks, and a book called The Song of Beginning, but it is written in Eyllwe and she can't decipher it. She suddenly feels as though she is being hunted in the library and begins to rush out. On her way out, she trips on the body of a healer, who is now an empty shell sucked of all life. She runs from the library and the Torre is put on high alert. When she tells Chaol of this, he tells her it was a Valg. Sartaq and Nesryn begin to bond, as Sartaq also suspects that the threat growing in the north may be worth fighting against. He takes her on a ride on his ruk named Kadara, a giant, sentient bird that makes up the southern empire's aerial legion.

Yrene has a special saddle made for Chaol so he can ride a horse again. He offers to help her teach a special defense class for the young healers at the Torre. While there, she uses the opportunity to teach her students about Chaol's spinal injury, and they move him off his horse, almost dropping him. He is immensely humiliated and him and Yrene fight. Despite this, they manage to make progress in his healing. Chaol is forced to relive all of the painful, traumatic moments of his past, but Yrene manages to grant him some movement in his toes. Hasar, who is friends with Yrene, summons her to ask her to get information about Aelin's whereabouts from Chaol. At a party a day or so later, Yrene and Chaol pretend to flirt so they can talk privately. Yrene reveals what Hasar has asked of her, and Chaol has genuinely no idea where Aelin is, so he tells her Skull's Bay, as he thinks that that is the last place she will go after her fight with Rolfe as Celaena. Yrene hides the scrolls and books with Wyrdmarks or mentions of the Valg in Chaol's room. Chaol gains movement in his ankles and feet.

Nesryn leaves with Sartaq to go south to the rukhin, the aeries and homes of the warriors who ride the ruk. Sartaq knows that his hearth-mother knows of the Valg and they decide to gather information there. Nesryn leaves Chaol a note saying she holds him to no promises and will not be adhering to any promises of her own. Chaol is angered by this and him and Yrene fight, causing her to leave him before even healing him for the day. She then hears that Nesryn left and deduces that to be the reason for Chaol's attitude. She heads back to the palace to argue with him again, but realizes she is being followed by the Valg. She sprints into Chaol's room and locks the door, but the Valg begins banging on it, trying to get it open. She runs into Chaol's room and blocks off the doors, and they stand united. The Valg knows Yrene's name and says it through the door, banging and pounding, but it eventually goes silent. Kadja, Chaol's servant, sees the damage and runs to get Kashin, who comes to see what happened. Kashin, who is in love with Yrene, offers to walk her back to the Torre, but Yrene refuses and spends the night with Chaol.

Nesryn and Sartaq arrive in the Tavan Mountains. They are greeted by Sartaq's hearth-sister, Borte. She says that the hearth-mother, Houlun, is out on a mission and will be back in a day or two. When she eventually does return, she speaks with Sartaq, Nesryn, and Falkan, a northern merchant who has been traveling the continent for two years. He reveals that he is only 27, even though he appears to be in his 50s, because he sold his youth to the stygian spiders for spidersilk so he could be rich (this is the same merchant Aelin encountered in Xandria in The Assassin's Blade). He is hunting the spiders, in the south known as kharankui, to see if they can be killed and he can get his youth back. Houlun reveals that the kharankui are on the rise, and stealing hatchling ruks from their nests. She says that during the first demon war on the continent, when the three kings battled against Maeve and Brannon, a Wyrdgate opened there and let in the kharankui. Most of the Valg went to Erilea, and some Fae came to teach the ruks to understand language and fight back against the spiders. She tells them that the Fae set up watchtowers around where the spiders now reside, and that most of them are broken down but still have active booby traps. She tells Nesryn and Sartaq to investigate the watchtowers to see if anything useful can be found in them. Sartaq and Nesryn investigate the first watchtower, making sure to throw rocks to set off the traps. They find some Fae weaponry but not much else before a kharankui descends on them. They fight and run, and are then aided in killing it by a gray wolf. Kadara makes the final kill, saving the wolf, who shapeshifts and reveals himself to be Falkan. Borte, Sartaq, Nesryn, and Falkan go to investigate the other three watchtowers but find nothing. Borte's betrothed, Yaren, comes to tell them that hatchlings have been stolen from his aerie as well.

Chaol and Yrene search for more books and scrolls on the Valg and the Wyrdmarks. The librarian tells them to go to Aksara Oasis, but it is owned by the royals. Chaol gains movement up to his knees. Chaol and Yrene then learn from Hasar about Aelin and Dorian's display of power in Skull's Bay. The khagan grows more wary of Aelin. Chaol attempts to have a private meeting with the khagan but it does not go well and he is removed. Yrene comes to heal him but he is raging with anger at the khagan's dismissal. They fight, and Chaol says something hurtful and makes Yrene cry. She turns to leave. Instantly regretting his decision and panicking about her leaving, Chaol stands and walks. When he finally reaches her, they kiss. Yrene convinces Hasar to throw her a birthday party at the Aksara Oasis so her and Chaol can investigate the necropolis in the jungle around it.

Nesryn, Falkan, and Sartaq ride on Kadara to Dagul, the land of the kharankui, to find the hatchlings. They spot one and fly down to save it, but when Kadara tries to fly back up she is caught in a spider web. They all fall, and Sartaq is injured. Nesryn tries to save the hatchling but a spider kills it and eats it before she can. Kadara is also injured but manages to fly off, and Nesryn and Sartaq run. Sartaq gets stuck while they try to squeeze through the rocks. He tells Nesryn to run, and that he loves her, before he is snatched by the spiders. Nesryn and Falkan hatch a plan to save him, and she allows herself to be captured.

Yrene and Chaol go to Aksara with Kashin, Renia, Hasar, Arguhn, and other viziers. While the royals are swimming, Chaol and Yrene slip into the jungle and find the necropolis. They realize it is a Fae burial site, not a human one. Chaol theorizes that healers are descendants of the Fae that are buried there, and that their powers might be able to kill the Valg.

Nesryn awakes wrapped in web, Sartaq near her. Falkan, in the form of a mouse, begins chewing through her bonds. A kharankui comes in though, and Nesryn begs for their story before they kill her. The spider obliges, and tells her that they are the handmaids to a Valg Queen who came here to escape her husband, Orcus, the most powerful Valg King. The spider reveals that Valg Queen is Maeve, and that the kharankui stand guard of the Wyrdgate that is there to pave the way should Maeve decide to go home, or use the gate to conquer more worlds. Falkan shifts into a spider and lures the one speaking to Nesryn out of the save. Her and Sartaq then run, but are once again confronted by the spiders when they can't find Kadara. Falkan tells Nesryn that he has a shapeshifter niece who was thrown out on the streets of Rifthold, and that he has been searching for her for years. He says his fortune is hers and then he lunges into battle against the other spiders. They are fortunately rescued by Borte, who went against her grandmother's wishes and brought her betrothed and some of his warriors to save them.

When they return from Aksara, Yrene and Chaol find his room completely sacked, and all of the books and scrolls stolen, save for one scroll, the one with the Wyrdmarks. Yrene takes the scroll to leave with Hafiza, who has a locked iron cabinet containing a ton of books with Wyrdmarks. She says she will consider letting Yrene take them to Aelin to be translated. Yrene arrives back at the palace to find Chaol in immense pain. She decides to test out his theory and says that she is ending this now. Chaol faces all of his worst memories again, and feels as though he is drowning in them, but slowly, slowly works through them, and realizes that not everything was his fault, and that he is a changed man now who still has a promise to Dorian and Aelin to uphold. When he comes out of the memories, he is fully healed and can walk again.

Nesryn and Sartaq ask the rukhin to fly north with him to fight, as Sartaq plans to do so whether or not the Khagan agrees to it. Nesryn receives Chaol's warning to come home, and asks Falkan to come with them, revealing that she thinks his niece is Lysandra.

Yrene and Chaol go to see Hafiza but find her missing. They go hunting for her in the tunnels beneath the library, and find her bound and captured by the Valg: who is possessing a pregnant Princess Duva. They fight her while also trying not to hurt her or the baby. She reveals that she was possessed because Duke Perrington sent her a box of wedding presents, and Duva claimed the silver ring as her wedding ring. She didn't know that it was actually made of Wyrdstone covered in silver, and the second she was married she was possessed. The Valg in Duva killed Tumelun for questioning her change in behavior, and killed the healer in the library to try and scare Yrene out of healing Chaol. Duva demands Yrene put on the ring. Yrene refuses and Duva lashes out with her power. Chaol jumps in front of her and takes the blow to his back, destroying his spine and organs. Nesryn and Sartaq appear, and Hafiza manages to make Duva unconscious. Yrene tries to heal Chaol, but even with all of the healers of the Torre coming down to try and save him, he is dying anyways. Silba, the healer goddess, speaks through Hafiza, offering a deal and asks Yrene to pay the price. She agrees. When Chaol awakes, he asks Yrene what she did. Hafiza explains Yrene bound her life to Chaol's and that her magic is constantly flowing through him like a brace so he will be able to walk. But when Yrene's magic is drained, so too will the brace, and he will either have to walk with a cane or be in a wheelchair. Also, if one of them is killed, the other one will also die. They then take Duva before the royal family, who is utterly distraught. Yrene purges the Valg from Duva, killing it, but not before it reveals itself to be a Valg Princess, not a Prince. Duva and the baby are fine, and the khagan offers to do anything for Yrene and Chaol for saving her life. She asks him to help save her people, and he agrees. Sartaq, Hasar, and Kashin agree to go to war with them. Sartaq tells Nesryn that he has been chosen as Heir to the throne, and that he loves Nesryn and wants her to be with him. She agrees.

Chaol and Yrene sail north with 1000 ships and 300 healers. They reveal they were married before they left Antica. Yrene shows Chaol the note Celaena/Aelin left for her with the money, and Chaol recognizes her handwriting and begins to cry, promising he will tell her exactly who it was she met that night.

Chaol Westfall (Lord Westfall/Hand of the King of Adarlan): I was never a huge fan of Chaol's character, but I'm glad that he got the character development and redemption arc that he so desperately needed. I like how he didn't instantly get over his trauma, and had to face it and do it on his own (with support from Yrene). There was no magical fix for it, and he had progress and regressions just like anyone else would. I also like that he was not completely fully healed of his paralysis, and it became something that he will still have to deal with. Him being completely healed would have been too easy of a fix, and it puts a lot more nuance into his character, especially since he had to grieve the loss of his body, but then when that full, perfect healing was taken away, he was still grateful for what he did have and no longer viewed the mobility aids as "prisons".

Nesryn Faliq (Captain of the Guard/Wind-Seeker/Neith's Arrow): I really like how Nesryn was so patient with Chaol (even when he was being an ass and didn't deserve it). She realized that he was struggling with his emotions, trauma, and feelings, and she decided to be patient and understanding with him, while simultaneously not being willing to let herself be his second choice.

Storyline: While definitely an integral part of the storyline, and good closure for Chaol, he has never been one of my favorite characters so getting through an entire book just about him after reading Empire of Storms is a little bit difficult (I couldn't brave the tandem read). The storyline is definitely a bit slow at parts, but getting to see SJM expand her worldbuilding on a new continent was interesting, despite the amount of information thrown at you all at once.

Representation: There was thankfully a lot more representation in this book than in any of the other books in the series. Yrene, the royal family, and just about everyone else on the southern continent is POC. Hasar and Renia are lovers, and it is mentioned that Arguhn was being touchy with a male and female servant. Chaol uses a wheelchair and cane, and it is made clear at the end that this will be a chronic illness for him. While paralyzed in the beginning, due to Yrene's magic he is able to be an ambulatory wheelchair user. Shen, one of the guards, has a prosthetic arm.

#book review #book blog #books #book reviews #fantasy #sarah j maas #sjm #the assassin's blade #throne of glass #crown of midnight #heir of fire #queen of shadows #empire of storms #tower of dawn #kingdom of ash #chaol westfall #chaol x yrene #yrene towers

[fandomtrashgoeshere]

Re-reading acosf in preparation for cc3 (so exciteddddd) and so many thoughts are occuring.

Vassa is a firebird, or is cursed to be one part time. I wonder if there’s any relationship with the thunderbirds that exist in cc, but since I don’t think we know much about either it’s hard to do more than wonder.

I’m currently at the part where Nesta first encounters the darkness as the bottom of the library (not bryaxis who is still missing) and she describes it as “the womb from which all life had come and would return”, which sounds kind of like the cauldron and the wyrdstones to me. Gwyn also senses it, saying she can feel something “like a cat. Small and clever and curious”. Idk why but it reminded me of the baast cats from tower of dawn that live in the library of the Torre cesme. In that book it says some healers swore the baast cats could “step through pools of shadow and appear on another level of the library”. I wonder if there’s some places where the barrier between worlds is more thin, in the deep places of the earth, where they might connect with each other. I know there’s a theory that the dual court and the prison island are a portal, but I wonder if there’s several doorways scattered around the place.

#sjm fandom #sjmaas #acotar #crescent city #throne of glass #cc3 #crescent city theory #acosf

[skyler-reads28]

Tower of Dawn

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Chaol Westfall and Nesryn Faliq have arrived in the southern continent with hopes of forging an alliance with the Khagan, whose armies are Erilea’s last hope. Chaol is also there to hopefully receive some help from the healers in the Torre Cesme. Yrene Towers has no desire to help a man from Adarlan, but knows it’s what she must do. Quickly things go wrong, dangerous even, and Chaol, Nesryn, and Yrene have to work together to stay alive, secure an alliance, and make it back to Erilea as soon as possible.

I’m speechless. This was a captivating read that I couldn’t put down. I loved everything that unfolded within these pages. Did I end the book wanting to sob? Yes. Do I know that I’m going to sob a lot in the next one? Also yes. Booktok said this book was boring and I almost dreaded getting to it but it is so important to the story and a very good read.

#book blog #book blogger #booklr #books of tumblr #readers of tumblr #book lover #book reccs #reading #book #book challenge #tower of dawn #sarah j maas #sjm multiverse #throne of glass series #tog series #chaol westfall #nesryn faliq #yrene westfall #yrene towers #sartaq

[scorbleeo]

Book Chat: Tower of Dawn

Throne of Glass (Book 6) by Sarah J. Maas

Source: Google Images

Chaol Westfall has always defined himself by his unwavering loyalty, his strength, and his position as the Captain of the Guard. But all of that has changed since the glass castle shattered, since his men were slaughtered, since the King of Adarlan spared him from a killing blow, but left his body broken.

His only shot at recovery lies with the legendary healers of the Torre Cesme in Antica--the stronghold of the southern continent's mighty empire. And with war looming over Dorian and Aelin back home, their survival might lie with Chaol and Nesryn convincing its rulers to ally with them.

But what they discover in Antica will change them both--and be more vital to saving Erilea than they could have imagined.

ISBN: 9781681199221 (2018) | Source: Goodreads

Don't Skip This Book

Before I begin, Chaol ranks quite low in my list of heroes in the Throne of Glass series. For the longest time now, he annoys me. I don't actually hate him but I never understood why Maas liked him so much. You know what, I don't understand why anyone liked him as much as they did. Hated it when Celaena chose him over Dorian. Was extremely pissed off when Dorian pretty much sacrificed himself for him. And when Celaena made her return in I think Queen of Shadows(?), oh my god, Chaol's reaction to all that was so bullshit. This series went on and I found myself slowly loving all the heroes, then there's Chaol where he continued to piss me off as we went on. To say I was not looking forward to reading Tower of Dawn after seriously enjoying Empire of Storms is an understatement.

So, Tower of Dawn. I must admit, when I was into the first few chapters, I did not understand why couldn't this book be a novella as it was originally planned to be. Maas already did so much world building and reinforcing the foundations of this series, why did she suddenly in the second last book of this series, decide to bring in a whole new country, race, well...world? As I continued diving deeper into this book, I understood why this had to be a book itself. Should the world in Tower of Dawn be made aware earlier on in the series? Perhaps we could have done with more talks about Antica, the magical healers and definitely some sound on the Darghans or if not, the Rukhin???

Despite a bunch of new information being dumped onto me, Tower of Dawn was a pretty enjoyable read. The pacing was steadily fast, which I always appreciate. Though there was a whole lot of information dump, it was very easy to grasp what's new and what's going on with the new information. The newly added characters were hella easy to get acquainted with as well. You would think since we're already nearing the end of Throne of Glass, you wouldn't find a connection with a bunch with new characters but that would be inaccurate because Yrene or Sartaq? Hell, Hafiza, Hasar, Borte or even Falkan? I even found a connection with Shen and Kadja. Say what you like with Sarah J. Maas but she is extremely talented in creating some of the best side or minor characters that will leave you thinking about them despite their smaller roles.

I started this prefacing that Chaol's not a favourite but I find myself gravitating towards talking about his character development more than other characters in this book. As much as it was nice to finally understand just how broken Chaol is both mentally and physically, it does not justify him being an ass in the earlier books. However, I still very much appreciated seeing how guilty he was and how much shit he gave himself for everything that happened before. It helped me understand why he was the way he was although I will not let it slide that he annoys the hell out of me. The best thing Maas did for Chaol was make him Yrene's. Truly. And because this man literally survived two direct Valg attacks on his fragile human body, I will cut him some slack.

There. I think there is a group of readers out there that might consider skipping Tower of Dawn and heading straight to the final book. However, coming from someone who is not a Chaol fan, just read this book. It is, after all, not a novella or a companion novel. Tower of Dawn is an essential part of this series.

Rating: ★★★★☆

P.S.: This was such a small detail in Tower of Dawn but damn, I just love reading about Rowan from anyone's point of view except his freaking carranam. To everyone else, Rowan's this Fae that one should never pray on their worst enemies, like see, that Fae is one cool dude. Then in comes Aelin and he's just a simp, not that that's wrong but it's boring...

More on Sarah J. Maas's works here:

A Court of Frost and Starlight (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #3.5)

Empire of Storms (Throne of Glass, #5)

#book review #tower of dawn #throne of glass #sarah j maas #chaol westfall #yrene towers #nesryn faliq #sartaq

[pippabookz]

[PDF] Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass, #6) - Sarah J. Maas

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Chaol Westfall and Nesryn Faliq have arrived in the shining city of Antica to forge an alliance with the Khagan of the Southern Continent, whose vast armies are Erilea's last hope. But they have also come to Antica for another purpose: to seek healing at the famed Torre Cesme for the wounds Chaol received in Rifthold.After enduring unspeakable horrors as a child, Yrene Towers has no desire to help the young lord from Adarlan, let alone heal him. Yet she has sworn an oath to assist those in need?and will honor it. But Lord Westfall carries shadows from his own past, and Yrene soon comes to realize they could engulf them both.In this sweeping parallel novel to the New York Times bestselling Empire of Storms, Chaol, Nesryn, and Yrene will have to draw on every scrap of their resilience if they wish to save their friends. But while they become entangled in the political webs of the khaganate, deep in the shadows of mighty mountains where warriors soar on legendary ruks, long-awaited

[acourtofthought]

Happy New Year! I hope it's a good one for you! I was wondering, what do you think Azriel's healing journey could look like? he's got a lot to unpack but I can't begin to fathom what that could look like.

Happy New Year to you as well!!! Your question is excellent while also being one that stumps me. As of SF, there's nothing that I feel is directly leading us into Az's story though maybe that will change with CC3? Yet, that idea still throws me off because neither SJM or Bloomsburg have ever formally announced that ACOTAR readers HAVE to start reading the CC series in order to understand the next ACOTAR book. So if there was important information in CC3 that sets up for next ACOTAR book, then you'd there would be some sort of official reading order released, i.e: Read ACOTAR through ACOFAS, then read CC1, then ACOSF, then read CC2 and CC3 before the next ACOTAR book. But they haven't done that and on their websites it still says the series stand alone and you can read them in whichever order you want. Book stores sell them as separate series so casual readers would not have any idea that one series might possibly effect the other. Az has struggles with not ending up with Mor, with his self worth and not having a mate. But I feel there's no current external force that exists for Az right now that would push his story forward (based on the most pressing plot issues), everything he's dealing with is internal and not necessarily something the other characters are aware of, at least not to the point that they would do anything about it (Rhys and Az had it out on Solstice but by the end of the book, with Starfall, with the Rite and with Rhys nearly losing his life, I think they are in a better place). For example, Nesta had a lot of self worth issues and pushed her sisters and Cassian away. As a result, everyone was worried about her, trying to reach out to her, trying to draw her back into the mix of things. And when that failed in the novella, they finally put their foot down in SF and forced her to make changes. Before Chaol's book, he had lost the use of his legs which was the catalyst for his own journey. He separated from the group, something they encouraged, in order to sail to the Torre Cesme to find a healer (and secure allies). Both Nesta and Chaol were dealing with negative feelings, as Az is, but it was at someone else's urging / pushing that was the start of their story. We got hints of a Gwynriel mating bond but no confirmation that he's actually aware of what the spark in his chest meant and nothing to indicate Gwyn is aware of a bond so it's not like the Elucien setup where we see Lucien still pining for her but also getting frustrated with the situation after 2 years "I am not always in this city to see my mate." The last two words dripped with discomfort. Az currently has no frustrated mate that might be ready to finally call him out for the stalemate they've been in. At this point (without knowing how / if CC3 will influence things, my feelings might change after) I think the only thing that could kickstart Az's book is if the Illyrians became a more pressing concern than Koschei, Vassa being called back, the treaty and Beron currently are (since I do feel those things are a Lucien / Elain storyline than Az). I do think Rhys will insist Az be the one to deal with them, that he finally confront his prejudices. And that will put the worst of Az's negative emotions front and center, just as a lot of Nesta's worst emotions were laid out at the start of her book. From there it would be an avalanche of everything else he hates in his life, not having Mor, not getting a mating bond like his brothers did, feeling guilty for the darkness inside of him. We know Cassian and Az planned to continue training the Valkyries so I think we'll see the interactions between he and Gwyn moving beyond trainer / trainee and that will set in motion his healing arc, him noting how different he feels when in her presence compared to anyone else.

[book2sims]

Yrene Towers

Yrene Towers | Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass Series) by Sarah J. Maas

Described as:

golden-brown skin and rich brown curly hair with flashes of dark gold, considered a beautiful woman, especially accented by her golden-brown eyes. Has a slender frame, a small waist and other features that she has been generously blessed with.

“For wherever you need to go - and then some. The world needs more healers.”

#Throne of Glass #SJM #Sarah J. Maas #Yrene Towers #Chaol Westfall #SJM Fandom #SJMaas #TOG #Tower of Dawn #Kingdom of Ash #fantasy #ts4 #sims 4 #ya books #ya book characters #ya fantasy #Adarlan #Innish #The Assassin and the Healer #Torre Cesme #Antica