#dread trove

[feyreshumanheart]

I've wondered about the Dread Trove being linked to each Archeron a lot because of two reasons:

Nesta's standalone book (and CC3) focuses so heavily on just the Mask for her, to the point that it's the cover image of acosf

One of the quotes in acosf on why the Mask is specifically linked to Nesta

On #2, we're told that Nesta has a connection to the Mask specifically that let her summon it to her by accident, and the reason is:

Nesta's "power and the Mask's are similar enough" that Nesta was able to summon the Mask by reaching for her power. The Mask has power over the dead, Nesta's power is likened to Death a few times, including Cassian calling her "Lady Death" in that scene.

While we're told anyone Made can wield the Trove:

And multiple characters besides Nesta, past and present, wield the Mask, it feels like the Mask has a special affinity to her so she could summon it and that's likely because her powers are "death" related and so are the Mask's.

We don't know enough about Elain's powers yet to say for certain, but the Harp is described as something that can transcend worlds, open a door to anywhere, much like Elain's powers have also been likened to seeing across worlds and realms:

Also, the Harp has influence over time, and Elain can see things that haven't yet happened (existing out of time):

And of course the Crown's powers seem very similar to a daemati's. While Feyre has a variety of powers, her daemati ones are especially fleshed out. Feyre already has similar powers to the Crown, able to pierce mental shields and control minds (and daemati powers are often describes similarly, as making someone do the bidding of the daemati), as long as she's within range.

She's also noted to be particularly adept at circumventing shields because she can basically trick some mental shields to let her in, like with Rhys and Tarquin:

Ultimately, the Trove and limitations for usage of them aren't established well enough to say anything for certain. CC3 introduced the idea that not just being Made but having sex with your Made mate could let you use the Trove temporarily and Nesta seems to have lost some of her control of the Mask since acosf/losing her power. There's also outstanding questions of whether/if there's different types of Made that impact usage (like Amren isn't Made the same way which is why she can't track the Trove) or even states of mind (like Feyre being Made wasn't all she needed to wield the Cauldron and Book of Breathings, it was also about being able to withstand the power of it mentally through conquering the Ouroboros, which may explain why Nesta struggled with the Mask after she became less like the Cauldron). Next book will most likely make it all clearer.

But it almost feels like too much of a coincidence that each Archeron sister's powers map to one Trove item in particular, the fact that they're all Made and would therefore be part of a small group who can sense and wield the items, and it would explain why Nesta's connection to the Mask is far more emphasized.

the dread trove has three items, what if sarah intends to split them between the sisters? nesta gets to keep the mask, feyre the crown, elain the harp. it would make sense with the way number three is symbolic in the series. three stars, three brothers and three sisters, three treasures in the trove. maybe i'm giving her too much credit tho lol

[rainingriversofyou]

Nesta Archeron “Lady Death” - Artist: bookishkoda

“Something metallic gleamed like sunshine in Nesta’s hand. A mask. “Nesta,” Azriel warned, panic sharpening his voice, but too late. She closed her eyes and shoved it onto her face. A strange, cold breeze swept through the tunnel.”

“Bryce had endured that wind before, in the Bone Quarter. A wind of death, of decay, of quiet. The hair on her arms rose. And her blood chilled to ice as Nesta opened her eyes to reveal only silver flame shining there. Whatever that mask was, whatever power it had … death lay within it.” …

“Mortal, an ancient, bone-dry voice whispered in Bryce’s head. You are mortal, and you shall die. Memento mori. Memento mori, memento—“

-House Of Flame And Shadow

[cactusboil]

Some things about the Nesta-mask-Bryce-Rice situation:

1. The entire situation regarding the decision of whether or not Nesta should have given the mask to Bryce was always gonna be a lose-lose situation for Nesta. Because-

Exhibit A: (canon)Bryce asks for help, Nesta gives her mask, Rhys gets mad at her because she gave mask to Bryce and he thinks Asteri will invade. But Bryce won, she gave all the things back, Asteri gone (presumably)

Exhibit B: (imagine)Nesta doesn’t give the mask to Bryce. Bryce most likely loses to the Asteri. Asteri use her to get to Prythian. Prythian in danger. Rhys find out the tid bit about Bryce asking for help from Nesta and Nesta refusing. Rhys blames Nesta and gets mad at her for Asteri invasion.

2. Rhysand’s reaction to Nesta’s decision just adds onto how unstable and unfit he is to be a ruler. His immediate reaction being overtly emotional “I’ll execute you” is wild af. Rather than acting like a composed authoritative figure and excusing himself and calmly discussing the issue with Nesta later, he resorted to acting like that in front of everyone (not to mention the fact that she’s not only a part of his IC but also his sister in law from his wife and his brother’s side).

3. And Cassian is an idiot. No other comment on him.

[elainem-art]

✨The Dread Trove x Three Sisters ✨

*ACOSF SPOILERS*

“The Mask can raise the dead…”

…

“Wear it and you may summon the dead to you, command them to march at your will. The Harp can open any door, physical or otherwise. Some say between worlds. And the Crown …” Amren shook her head. “The Crown can influence anyone, even piercing through the mightiest of mental shields.”

~ ACOSF, Ch 20

Theory: I think that the trove’s powers are suspiciously similar to the sister’s powers (this goes along with the theory that Elain is a mystic) and that they will be able to use their respective troves to defeat Koschei or whichever big bad is coming after. Twilight of the Gods, anyone?

Bonus Headcanon/Theory: If Elain does play the harp, it’s possible that Azriel can sing along to her playing.

Note: the mask, crown and harp are not direct recreations of the ones in the books. I took inspiration from their character journeys, present and future, and created ones that I thought would best represent them (with the help of references, of course 🫶🏼)

[princessofmerchants]

Nesta, Bryce, the Mask, and the aftermath - HOFAS chs. 76-77 and the Ember bonus chapter

HOFAS spoilers after the break (this is a long one, lol)

I had an overwhelmingly positive reaction to HOFAS chs. 76-77 when Nesta gives Bryce the Mask, and the Ember / BAM bonus chapter when we see the aftermath on the Prythian side of things. It was fascinating to get on Tumblr and see all the negative reactions on all sides to this set of scenes.

Starting with the bonus chapter, I agree with others (@aelin-godkiller, @myfriendscallmeraba, @maddieimhot) that it is written in character for every person in it.

I'll start with Cassian, because the negative reaction to him in this set of scenes was the most confusing for me. Post-ACOSF, Cassian is one half of a healthy functional romantic partnership and mate pairing with Nesta. These two do not always agree. They learned in ACOSF how to disagree in a healthy manner and how to apologize when it is warranted, and for passionate people like these two, that can happen often. On page in the bonus chapter, Cass is exactly in character as both Nesta's mate (his "Rhys…" makes it clear he thinks his High Lord is emotionally overreacting) and as the General of the Night Court Armies (the fact that he doesn't make an argument to Rhys for Nesta in support of her decision is right in line with this for me).

The only part of the bonus that gave me a pang in relation to Nessian was when Nesta says to Ember that her Mate may be the most angry at her of all, but if that's even the case, I don't think that's because of the potential consequences of the decision Nesta made, but because she made it alone and failed to rely on those around her with complementary power and knowledge to hers. I also think Nesta's comment to Ember is residual evidence of her ongoing struggle with her anxiety... In reality, I'm pretty sure Rhys is more angry about what she did than Cass, y'all. But I also think, just like in ACOSF, Nesta is sometimes an unreliable narrator when it comes to thinking those who love her most are specifically and pointedly mad at her. As a fellow anxiety sufferer, this tracks. And the fact that during the later HOFAS scene when Bryce returns the Mask, Cassian is sitting with Nesta clearly holding no grudges or anger toward his mate (but you bet Rhysand is probably still freaking out somewhere over the Mask being in Midgard with the Asteri, and reasonably so!), tells you Nesta may have been projecting her own worry and even regret onto her mate, the one in the Night Court Inner Circle she is closest to and thus most vulnerable with.

The bonus is also 100% in character for Rhysand, as many have pointed out. I was honestly dying to see Rhys's reactions to Bryce's kind of bizarre, almost aggressively Fae exit from Prythian at the end of "The Drop," so having him bear down on the scene between Nesta and Bryce was peak entertainment for me. But then if we cut to the bonus scene, in Ember's POV we get a Rhysand who is reacting to the possible consequences of a Trove item potentially reaching the hands of the Asteri, by the hand of one with another Trove item in her back that can open the portal between their worlds. I don't disagree with him that this is a huge risk, and as a new father he's probably in protective fight or flight mode all the time.

The thing I think is beautifully in character for Rhys here is the familial development we see between him and Nesta. I don't read this exchange as some kind of regression to their pre-ACOSF animosity. I read it as two family members having more of a family fight than a fight over strategy. In my reading, Rhys is in fact having an emotionally vulnerable response to what just happened, and I think he knows it and is allowing it because Nesta is now family and allowed to see those parts of him. The problem I have always had with Rhys is not that he is messy and imperfect, but it's when those traits play out alongside the fact that he is politically and magically one of the most powerful beings in their world. In a strange way, though, his argument with Nesta that Ember observes is shaped incredibly and beautifully by their developed relationship as brother- and sister-in-law. He is angry and upset but he doesn't throw her into a dungeon, he engages her and shows all his cards in doing so - something he never does with a real enemy.

And, I also read Rhys's emotional reaction in another way which may or may not be a popular reading: Rhys is also throwing a tantrum because his sister-in-law is a power player at his level in the magical conflict that spans from Prythian to other worlds. As a leader who has never had anyone challenge him at that level except perhaps pre-ACOWAR Amren, it's a situation that he is probably still adjusting to. Rhys can't just remove Nesta as a threat, both because she is his sister-in-law and more importantly because she wields powerful magic (that he does not have himself - again, this is the grating part for him I think) as both a resident of the Night Court and mate to his General. And because Rhys isn't on top in all the ways any longer in the way magic shapes events in the Night Court and beyond, he loses it. And I found it very realistic and some of my favorite on-page Rhys material I have read since he plummeted in my esteem in ACOFAS.

Nesta is also in character for me in these scenes, both the HOFAS chapters and the bonus. We see in her words and actions both the (previously) human part of her as well as the Fae warrior part of her. She vacillates between being confident and being chastened, and I think both traits are healthy for her, and more or less in balance across the scenes. While I would have loved the exchange with Bryce to be less rushed, because this is a CC book I understand why it was paced the way it was.

(And again, the drama of Rhys bearing down on them with his Lord of Darkness and Night drama flying across Velaris, while Nesta and Bryce discussed and then traded off the Mask, was peak entertainment for me. Nesta also almost made the decision to stall long enough to wait for Rhys and make the whole thing his problem and not hers - I loved that glimpse we saw of her considering that too! That she decided instead to act, I think, was because she probably logicked that Rhys would openly battle Bryce on sight, and Nesta would have calculated that would not be in the best interest of both worlds given what she knew of the Asteri threat from her time under the Prison with Bryce and Azriel.)

And finally, Ember is in fact the queen of the bonus chapter for me. My biggest frustration when I came on Tumblr after reading HOFAS was how every reading of the bonus chapter centered the freaking males in the sequence of scenes, when if as a reader you don't make this about the IC and their dynamics, in my reading in this bonus chapter SJM was telling an important story between two women: Ember and Nesta.

This was a bonus chapter about how amazing of a mother Ember is (because her daughter is the FMC of this book, about to go save Midgard, so learning more about Bryce's mother helps us understand Bryce better), and SJM rightly realized putting her in the same room as post-ACOSF Nesta, whose mother was the opposite of Ember, was the perfect way to showcase this. That Rhys came along and added some drama was la di da for me and utterly secondary to what passes between Ember and Nesta.

The final thing I'll say is, the part of chs. 76-77 that bothers me the most is not anything in the scene itself, but the high expectation it set for the final conflict with the Midgard Asteri and how that expectation was not met satisfactorily for me. I did like the "Death / Not Death" filter Bryce experienced when wearing the Mask, and I also liked that Nesta's mental-emotional struggles while wearing the Mask were not universal to all wearers of it... But, the raising-the-dead magic was not consistent and was mostly vibes in the way Bryce manages to use the Mask to raise the Fallen. The whole thing with their wings attaching to the mech suits, and also how their command to do her bidding stuck even after she removed the Mask.....yea, that was a let down.

The Trove had such rich inner logic in ACOSF. I hope that logic returns when we get to ACOTAR5, and that the Mask as a Deus Ex Machina winds up being specific to Bryce's whole Magical Starborn Princess Powers schtick. The Mask is way more threatening to the wearer in Prythian than it seemed to be in Midgard, and I like that version of the Mask better.

[acourtofquestions]

… I was today years old when I learned it’s the

“Dread Trove”

NOT the

“Dead Trove”

as I had thought it to be

… time to go fix a lot of tags😭

[mystical-blaise]

Let's talk about the Dread Trove a minute.

HOFAS SPOILERS below the line

-contrary to certain stans, regardless if she found The Mask, The Dread Trove doesn't belong wholly to Nesta Archeron. Periodt. She created her own Trove of three weapons and those are hers in theory. She can call upon the Mask more easily most likely due to it being warded with her own blood [ACOSF pg. 575]. But there's nothing in canon directly that says it's all hers.

-The Dread Trove was originally created for The Asteri/Daglan to use as weapons. The starsword and TT were forged by Thurr and imbued in the Cauldron by Oleanna back when the Daglan ruled Prythian. Theia and Fionn took possession after The Daglan were defeated in Prythian.

-The Dread Trove consists of The Mask, The Crown, The Harp and The Horn. The Horn and Starsword stayed back in Midgard with Helena until Pelias took the sword. Silene took TT and The Harp back to Prythian. Currently all items but the Horn are still in Prythian.

People who we've seen wield the Trove on page and why:

-Nesta (Made by the Cauldron)

-Briallyn (Made by the Cauldron)

-Bryce (Starborn, direct descendent of Theia through Helena and Pelias)

-Hunt (had some of Bryce's Starborn power from when they magically boinked. Also he was created from two princes of Hel somehow. Don't ask how. We never got the info.)

So, in theory by those rules, people who also could wield the Trove:

-Rhysand (Starborn, direct descendent of Theia through Silene and HL of NC)

-Nyx (Starborn, direct descendent of Theia through Silene and HL of NC)

-Feyre (Made with all the high lord powers, her own mates as well, which is linked to the Starborn)

- Elain (Made by Cauldron)

-Ruhn Danaan (Starborn, direct descendent of Theia through Helena and Pelias)

-Einar Danaan (Starborn, direct descendent of Theia through Helena and Pelias)

Those still in question who may be able to use but it's too convoluted to determine yet because SJM made this all way too complicated:

-Mor (might be Starborn, direct descendent of Theia through Silene and HL of NC... This is not determined only because we don't know how far back they have a shared ancestor)

-Amren (technically she was remade by the Cauldron)**

-Jurian (technically he was remade by the Cauldron)** ** highly questionable since they were remade and have no powers but still worth noting.

I had theorized that all Solar Courts could have links to the Starborn, which makes me interested in Helion's reaction. Can he use it? And if that's the case, then can Lucien?

Honestly, the way SJM convoluted all this canon now between the two series, it seems like easy too many people can use it. 🤦 The only thing that was different between using it are direct Starborn (or those using that power) have an easier time letting go of the Trove magic than those who are Made.

[acourtofthought]

Will the Trove belong to only Nesta moving forward?

Nesta was a bit arrogant in the Ember bonus of HOFAS and Rhys was pissed at her careless handling of the Trove items.

Two items are keyed to Nesta's blood but

Helion is the one who keyed the Trove to Nesta's blood in the first place.

Rhys knows how to unlock the wards to gain access to the room the items were placed in.

Nesta was able to call the items despite the wards placed on them which suggests a blood connection is stronger than any wards.

Doesn't that mean Rhys could open the room the items are stored in since he knows the unlocking spell?

Might we not have been given information to suggest that Helion or Lucien could undo the spell keying the items to Nesta's blood since Helion created in the first place? Spell Cleaver and all that?

And through Helions ancestors, his bloodline seems to have a connection to the Mask (which would suggest a connection to the Trove as a whole).

If they can undo the spells tying only Nesta to the Trove, doesn't that pave the way for someone else using them if necessary? Possibly Lucien, who also might have a blood connection, if Rhys felt there was a reason for it?

I'm not saying Nesta will be denied complete access to these items in the future but I am thinking it's a bit reckless (from a HL perspective) to allow her and only her to be the one who the Trove responds to after what happened in HOFAS.

[miracotar]

I know Feyre went into labor early, making this basically redundant because Nesta might not have gotten there in time to make everything go smoothly, so Nyx would’ve been at risk anyways,

But the fact that nobody suggested using the harp to open a portal to Feyre’s womb is so frustrating lmao

It just makes so much sense imo

[seleneprince]

Part of me want this to be written as canon so badly...but the other part knows sarah would fumble this jewel, so I pray she never comes up with the idea

A friend asked how I would rewrite Acosf, so I came up with everything listed below and it kinda makes me want to write a fic now!

Let me know what you think!

If I had Acosf my way…

The Beginning: Nes stays in the Night Court but Feyre and Elain are the only people trying to stop her from spiraling. No IC involvement. They recommend Nes visit the HoW library where the priestesses have therapists. Elain has been seeing them and she thinks it would be beneficial for Nes as well. Perhaps they have incentives for Nes to visit them after recommending it a couple of times (no threats of unpaid rent or forcing her to be at an IC gathering).

Again, Nes isn’t forced to do anything for or with the IC.

The Found Family: We see her begin to make friends—who treat her like a person—in the library AND in Velaris. She makes friends with both high and lesser fae, maybe helping them in the process—you know, because Velaris has slums and homeless refugees. She could even bring this to Feyre’s attention.

Nes either joins a dance studio or starts sneaking into one to dance. This helps her come to terms with what her grandmother/mother did to her. She faces those memories and pushes past them because she likes to dance. (Imagine her doing 30+ turns while crying?! That would be so emotional).

The Valk storyline still happens because it’s so integral for the entire story going forward—and yes, including Cassian’s involvement, but he sexualizes and uses her WAYYYY less. Training is more of a group thing and because Nes makes it very clear she doesn’t want to be involved with him (yet), Az is the one instructing her.

The Dread Trove: Nes begins to heal before Feyre alone asks for her help with the Trove. This will also include Elain’s help. Feyre doesn’t think Elain should go out to search for the Trove because she has no combat training. Nes does have some training at this point. Feyre makes this choice completely optional and urges Nes that she can say ‘no.’ But Nes accepts… because the Mother is nudging her to do so and she feels this need to look for the Trove.

Nes’ SA by the Kelpie is addressed. Nes’ vision from Lanthys is addressed. After finding the Harp, Nes will not longer face ANY SA scenarios or be sexualized by men at any capacity. (This could factor in with her choices with romantic interests because Cassian does it so often canonically).

The Conflicts: Nes is never forced to stay in the HoW (I know we miss out on that relationship but she’s making other friends). Feyre’s pregnancy is not a thing. Nes does get kidnapped with Em and Gwyn for the Blood Rite—and still holds the pass (her Ordeal). After holding the pass, she makes the Drop, using her power to defeat Briallyn, who is more formidable than what we got and Cassian isn’t there (because I’m sick of her saving his *ss in every fight).

The Power: Nes doesn’t lose her power. She begins to train it, with Merrill or with one of the priestesses studying the Cauldron or old magic. It’s an extension of her Valkyrie training. We also get allusions to Nes’ connection with the Starborn and the Dusk Court.

The Romance: Hear me out… she meets Eris in Velaris (I don’t believe he is allowed in but let’s pretend he is now). We see Nes get to know Eris–verbal sparring, casual clashing, shared interest in dancing. 👀 Coffee dates? Random run-ins? We also get to see Eris’ true character through Nes’ eyes.

And again, yes… Cassian is still an option. He’s less gross than he is in Acomaf, Acofas, Acosf, and Hofas. (That turnaround would be a tall order though). Maybe that’s his growth and character development—treating women with respect.

Now we have a situation where readers are on the edge of the beds to see who will woo Nes first. Aka, an actual romantic plotline for a romantasy book.

Conclusion: Honestly, this could be two books. Nes’ healing, training, friend making, romance, and locating the Dread Trove split so that it feels like more of a difficult, longer process.

This is all out of order but if anyone would like for me to lay out a timeline of events, let me now!

[rainingriversofyou]

The Valkyries - A Court Of Silver Flames - Artist: moonrosesxart

[ennawrite]

Amren wanting to use the Archeron sisters as the Night Court’s personal weapons and Rhysand still entertaining her will always rub me the wrong way.

In fact, that whole scene from Chapter 42 of ACOSF makes my eye twitch.

We have Amren saying “Simply don’t volunteer the information,” (*cough* like not telling a pregnant woman about the threat to her life? *cough*) and Rhysand is like “yup! order holds!!”

And then we have Amren thinking the Made items belong to Rhys, just because they showed up. When none of these items answer to him. Because, uhhh *checks notes*, HE’S NOT MADE!! He would have to risk one of the Archeron sisters lives to use any of the Troves, and then the weapons that Nesta MADE herself do not belong to him at all.

Again, we have Amren speaking on Feyre’s behalf. On her High Lady’s behalf. How so many important conversations happen behind Feyre’s back is actually astounding. Do none of them think to include her or what? C’mon Amren, tell Feyre how you wanna use her and her sisters as weapons. I bet that will bode well 🙃

FINALLY, Amren just comes out and says it. Her readiness to make the Archeron sisters put their lives on the line so Rhysand can become High King is so???? These girls are not weapons to be used at Amren’s disposal, and I really despise Rhys for even entertaining the idea.

And the fact that SJM made Nesta bow to Amren after this stupid little meeting makes my blood boil. I truly hope that they’re not friends in the future.

[i-only-see-daylight]

Elain, holding truthteller: I've got a weapon, and I'm... admittedly very afraid to use it!

[wingedblooms]

Reblogging because this emotional scene in hofas seems like a callback...

to this scene where Azriel mentions the innate darkness to the Trove, and worries about Elain being exposed to it. Even someone who is called Death herself, who is trained, struggles against the darkness of these catastrophic objects. (And yes, this could be related to the effects of her returning the magic she took from the Cauldron, but I wonder if it’s the object itself: the more someone uses it, it harms (maybe even begins to devour?) their soul as Rigelus warns Bryce. It did, after all, suck at her soul—like a void).

It appears as though Azriel had every right to be concerned about the darkness of the Trove, and I think I’d rather have them destroyed. I also have to wonder, how much did he already know about the Trove? Did the discoveries below confirm what he already sensed about them and their darkness? They may have been Made in Urd’s waters, but it seems they were one of the catastrophic things they created after imbuing her with their powers (void).

The most important statement in this conversation, though, is what Amren says next:

Yes, I do think we’ll see Elain learn how to defend herself against the rotting darkness left behind by the Asteri and others like them. I have a feeling she even started working on that the very next day, with the dawn.

Rotting darkness

This post briefly explores the darkness in Hewn City, how it is connected to the Weaver, and foreshadows Elain’s journey as @offtorivendell, @willowmeres, @silverlinedeyes, and others have suggested. Please avoid if you do not want to read hofas spoilers.

In acomaf, Feyre visits the Hewn City for the first time and has to combat her immediate discomfort of being trapped beneath in the dark. It’s possible Elain’s own discomfort in Hewn City is similar: this place might trigger terrible memories of what she found in the Cauldron.

Feyre also observes how deathly pale and cold everyone appears, and she claims the Court of Nightmares was the work of a god. It even holds a dark castle within.

I wondered previously if Hewn City belonged to Stryga, who is described as a death-god and a dark queen; if it was her black castle once upon a time.

She was known for her ability to devour life. And it is said that the evil within her—which I theorized is similar to or the same as the rotten core of the Valg—may have tainted her favorite mirror. Is it possible that the black stone of the castle within the mountain was also tainted by her evil core? If she is like the Asteri (and goodness, from behind she truly does look like Vesperus), did the land drink from her as she might have drank from it? Over time, it might have begun to reflect her dark, evil core.

That dark and evil core seems to have started to show physically when she was bound to the Middle and could not consume life and joy and beauty in the same way she used to:

And this rotted description mirrors what Mor tells us about the darkness of Hewn City. She says there is no light in it, never had been. It is eternal, rotting, and withers all life.

It is not like the darkness in Velaris, which was made for dreams, rather than nightmares. The darkness in Velaris is full of starlight: life and joy and beauty. Hewn City is the opposite. It’s a rotting pit, or void as @offtorivendell has theorized, that devours all light, just like its former eternal, dark queen.

As such, it is also the opposite of Elain and Urd, blooming life. It may even represent the magic that the Asteri imbued (void) within Urd’s sacred waters and her sacred peaks, which are void of life and thrumming with power. And Elain’s behavior in this scene tells me exactly how she might handle that challenge in the future. She may be afraid, but she won’t hesitate to do what is needed: to descend into that darkness. And it might try to poison her light and claim the very life from her, but she will square her shoulders. And she will face it anyway.

The difference is that, in her book, she will face that darkness and prove it has no power over her.

[princessofmerchants]

A Post-HOFAS reading of Nesta Scrying for the Mask in ACOSF

One of my favorite scenes in ACOSF is when Nesta scrys for the Mask.

(HOFAS spoilers after the break)

From the first time I read this amazing scene, I immediately recognized all the callbacks to the scene in ACOWAR when she scryed for the Cauldron during the war against Hybern.

She made no move to close her eyes. “I—am I to … touch it?” “No,” Amren warned. “Just come close. Find it, but do not interact.” Nesta still didn’t move. She could not use the bathtub, she’d told me. Because the memories it dragged up— Cassian said to her, “Nothing can harm you here.” He sucked in a breath, groaning softly, and rose to his feet. Azriel tried to stop him, but Cassian brushed him off and strode for my sister’s side. He braced a hand on the desk when he at last stopped. “Nothing can harm you,” he repeated. Nesta was still looking at him when she finally shut her eyes.

—ACOWAR, ch. 62

Cassian’s warmth seeped into her side, his wings rustling near her back. She let that warmth, the rustle anchor her. He had come to save her from her nightmare, had stayed with her while she slept. Had guarded and fought for her. He would let no harm come to her now. No harm No harm No harm

—ACOSF, ch. 31

Cassian, her mate, is her anchor and way back when she descends into her power and its connection to the Cauldron-Made Mask, just like he was the reason she found the courage to scry for the Cauldron in ACOWAR.

And now, after reading HOFAS, I noticed new details in the ACOSF scrying scene that take on new meaning.

The magic when Nesta scrys resembles that of the Mystics in Midgard. The room gets cold (though in ACOSF Azriel does note with alarm that didn't happen when Nesta scryed for the Cauldron in the war against Hybern—so we are left to wonder what is different this time?). And the person using their power is focusing their magic into a question they need an answer to. Scrying in Prythian seems limited to locational questions, while I think the Mystics are sometimes asked questions that aren't framed as "Where is X?" And yet, the way they find answers seems to be locational too—their minds travel to someplace to seek an answer to the question asked. I have encountered predictions that Elain's Seer power may turn out to work similarly to the Mystics, but from the little we saw of it in action in ACOWAR, I'm no longer convinced the descriptions of how these kinds of magic operate seem to align—Nesta's scrying magic is way more similar, to me anyway.

Cassian's kiss given to Nesta to pull her out of the scrying, because she's used "the essence of the Cauldron" (‼️) to create an impenetrable wall around her mind to protect her loved ones...his kiss reminds me of Bryce and Hunt sharing their powers with each other in HOFAS when they have sex as mates. These scenarios aren't identical per say, but Cassian uses the power in his Siphons to send bites of power into her palm to draw her silver fired attention to him. Then he kisses her, and besides being so 👏🏻 sexy 👏🏻, after the kiss this exchange happens in mindspeak with Rhys:

(Kindle isn't letting me copy/paste anymore text from ACOSF 😏)

Something about Cassian warming the entire room while kissing Nesta to bring her out of the scrying has me thinking "Mate Magic Meld" a la Quinlar (but on a much smaller scale perhaps because they haven't both accepted the bond at this point), which is so freaking cool.

Whether it turns out to be simply a literary parallel or actually pointing to the same magical phenomenon on different scales, either way it's still cool to me, especially given how in both mate relationships, one of them is the anchor for the other to always "come back home" when descending into powerful magic that runs the risk of consuming the wielder. (This is again similar to the Feysand mating bond being Feyre's way back to life—and Rhys—at the end of ACOTAR when she dies.)

I'm sure there are even more amazing details from this Mask scrying scene that will blow our minds someday after we get to read the next ACOTAR book, which is when I expect Nesta's powers that she stole from the Cauldron, then was gifted to keep by the Mother, to be explained to us even more.

But for now I wanted to record what I noticed this time around rereading my favorite book—the mate trope as a romantic trope is cool, but mating bond magic sharing is the coolest. 🥰

[acourtofquestions]

Reposted (from Instagram) with permission & full credit to: @wwispart