#in the span of one episode she goes from detesting him to kissing him and liking it and then later being lovesick

[like-sands-of-time]

It's pretty insane that saying that arwen could have been done so much better is met with such disdain. And the way I'm seen as an Arthur stan or Gwen hater by saying that. I'm literally saying the both of them deserved better..?

Gwen (and Arthur let's be completely real here) was a victim of a show that was chronically inconsistent in their characterizations of people. She suffered (as Arthur did) from a story line that I'm sorry is just really bad. And you can still love Gwen and Arthur from legend. But I can still say this interpretation falls short in showing the growth of their relationship in a way that feels real and not just .. necessary.

[fuzzballsheltiepants]

(not trying to be rude at all) why do you like aedion? I stopped liking him when he was extremely misogynistic and unfair with lysandra

I think that’s an easy interpretation to have of his behavior in EoS, and believe me, you are not alone.  (I’m assuming you’re referring to the beach scene after the attack in Skull’s Bay and at the end of the book after Aedion learns that Lysandra will be mimicking Aelin.)

So, here goes, and I’m going to put this below a cut because I’m wordy af so this is going to be ridiculously long.

I think it’s really important to listen to his voice in his POV during the whole episode in Skull’s Bay.  First you have the scene where he and Lysandra are waiting in the alley to see if the wyrdkey draws Rolfe.  They’re pretending to be having a tryst while Lysandra plays a prostitute, and Aedion is upset that she is forced to play that role: “Aedion still wished that the shifter was wearing fur or feathers compared to...this.”  He’s highly sympathetic to the fact that she hated her former profession and hates that she’s being forced to even pretend.  He would rather she be unavailable to him as an animal than have to be put in a position where her past trauma is relived.

They argue about his behavior towards Dorian, she calls him out for pulling rank, and he respects her enough that he promises to try to forgive him for his father’s actions.  Then when things get a little heated, he backs off the second he realizes she’s uncomfortable.

So we have here evidence that he respects Lysandra greatly, has zero interest in pushing her or putting her in a situation to make her uncomfortable - even when she volunteers - and also, during their argument, it’s clear that she is more than happy to call him out on his bullshit and he knows that.  Wants it, even.

Now, we get to the Skull’s Bay thing, where Lysandra nearly kills herself fighting the sea-wyverns.  He gets to her where she’s bleeding out on the sand, and she’s snarling at him.  “‘You made it this far.  Don’t die on the rutting beach.’  The eye narrowed--with a hint of female temper.  He had to get the woman back.  Let her take control.  Or else the beast would never allow them near enough to help.  ‘You can thank me when your sorry ass is healed.’  Again that eye watched him warily, temper flickering.  But an animal remained.”

So, next is the part where everyone sees Aedion as being misogynistic or sexist or rude or whatever: 

“Aedion drawled, even as his relief began to crumble his mask of arrogant calmness, ‘The useless sentries in the watchtower are now all half in love with you,’ he lied. ‘One said he wanted to marry you.’

A low snarl.  He yielded a foot but held eye contact with her as he grinned. ‘But you know what I told them?  I said they didn’t stand a chance in hell.’  Aedion lowered his voice, holding her pained, exhausted stare.  ‘Because I am going to marry you,’ he promised her. ‘One day, I am going to marry you.  I’ll be generous and let you pick when, even if it’s ten years from now.  Or twenty.  But one day, you are going to be my wife.’

Those eyes narrowed--in what he could only call female outrage and exasperation.  He shrugged.  ‘Princess Lysandra Ashryver sounds nice, doesn’t it?’

And then the dragon huffed.  In amusement.  Exhaustion, but...amusement.  She opened her jaws as if she’d try to speak, but realized she couldn’t in this body.” [Emphasis mine.]

How I read this is: Aedion loves her, yes, but that is not what drives this.  He needs her to be enough herself, her human self, to accept the healers when they arrive.  And he knows her well enough to know that one way to trigger that return of the human to the body is to tease her or push her and pretend he is in any way in control over their relationship.  She had already ripped into him about enforcing rank in the previous scene between them.  So, thinking on his feet, he comes up with one way he thinks is guaranteed to irritate and amuse her.  SJM emphasizes (“he lied” “the mask”) that Aedion is not honestly proposing nor expecting Lysandra to agree to this, he is purely trying to get her back.  Is he manipulating her?  Sure, but he’s doing it not to take advantage of her weakened state, but to get enough of her back for Aelin and Rowan to save her life.  And it works.

Later, they get back from the swamp with the mirror, and Lysandra approaches him. 

“‘I do enjoy it, you know.  This--whatever this is.’

His heart ratcheted to a thunderous beat.  Aedion debated whether or not to go for subtlety and gave himself the span of three breaths to decide...’Whatever this is,’ he said with a half smile, ‘between us?”

Lysandra indeed went on the defensive and showed her hand. ‘I know my history is...unappealing.’

‘I’m going to stop you right there,’ Aedion said, daring a step closer. ‘And I’m going to tell you that there is nothing unappealing about you.  Nothing.  I’ve been with just as many people.  Women, men...I’ve seen and tried it all.’... ‘Attraction is attraction.’ He steeled his nerve. ‘And I know enough about it to understand what you and I...’ Something shuttered in her eyes, and the words slipped from him.  Too soon.  Too soon for this kind of talk.  ‘We can figure it out.  Make no demands of each other beyond honesty.’ That was really the only thing he cared to request.  It was no more than he’d ask of a friend.

A small smile played about her lips.  ‘Yes,’ she breathed.  “Let’s start there.’”

He then had a moment where he could have pushed - could have touched her or kissed her, she seemed open to it, but he didn’t.  He respected her too much to push her.  He wants to appreciate her, not take advantage of her.  “He had no intention of wasting each glorious moment in one go.”

It’s a short scene, but a lot happens.  She admits to him she likes him and enjoys their flirtation, and confesses her concerns about her past.  He immediately reassures her and lays himself bare, coming out as pan and assuring her that he will never judge her for her past.  Then in his internal monologue he basically states they need to be friends first, that he has no desire to push the physical, and he says - both aloud and to himself - that all he cares about is that they are honest with each other. 

This is important because of the scene at the end.  Aedion is furious with Lysandra, yes; he says things in anger, yes; because all he had asked for was honesty, and she had not given it to him.  We as readers can understand - and Lysandra even says - that her loyalty is to Aelin and that she is going to choose to do what Aelin asks.  But he’s hurt, and he’s grieving, and he lashes out in that grief.  He’s realistically flawed here.

Put yourself in his shoes.  He became Aelin’s protector when he was five years old, she was an infant and his mother was newly dead.  He grows up with the expectation that he will be her protector, he will take the blood oath, his whole life is to be devoted to her.  Then when he’s what, 13? 14?  (We don’t know when his birthday is) his whole life is shattered.  Aelin is gone and his entire remaining family is dead.  He gets taken in by the enemy and has to lie and manipulate and play a detested role to try to protect Terrasen from the worst of Adarlan’s ravages. 

Ten years pass, and he finds out Aelin is alive.  She’s alive and has been hiding in Adarlan all this time; and he doesn’t for one second hold that against her.  Ten years of agony, of sacrificing his honor because he thought he had failed, and he says not one word against her.  He learns she’s given away the blood oath and hidden that from him; and he’s crushed and lashes out, but he gets over it very quickly.  Finally, finally he’s part of the court he had longed for his entire life.

And now it’s gone.  Again.  And Aelin lied to him, again, and Lysandra, who had promised him honesty, lied to him too.  Can you honestly say you wouldn’t be furious in his shoes?  That you wouldn’t lash out at one of the people who betrayed you?  No matter how justified the betrayal?  If you think you would just swallow this and accept it with no ramifications, you are a better person than I am.

I like Aedion in part because he’s flawed, but he tries so hard.  He cares so much.  He gives and forgives, over and over.  And he’s the one who constantly gets asked to yield.  “Get over Aelin having hidden her identity for all these years.  Get over the blood oath thing, Aedion.  Get over your justifiable resentment over Dorian playing pretty boy prince for a decade while your people suffer.  Get over growing up without your father because he was bound to Maeve.”  And he does.  He yields and he yields and he yields, until finally he’s been lied to and betrayed just one too many times.  So no, I don’t blame him for his behavior towards Lysandra, and I don’t think he’s misogynistic or unfair for one second.