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offtorivendell · 8 days ago

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How long has Koschei been stirring the Cauldron?

Posted for @elriel-month 2025, "Free" prompt.

Disclaimer: this is just a theory that makes no claims of being canon. It's also not a theory that's specific to Elriel, but still heavily revolves around them and their potential, so I think it fits for this month. My thanks, as ever, go out to @wingedblooms, @silverlinedeyes, @psychologynerd, @lovelydreamlight, and @elrieldreamer for always chatting crack theories with me. Love you all. 💜

Spoilers: the entire Maasverse is referenced, please read with caution if you aren't up to date.

Before we crack on, the following posts may be worth reading (but are by no means required), just so you know where I'm coming from with all this:

All about the Cauldron's oily magic, Azriel and Elain being separated for plot reasons, and discordant mating bonds - here and here

The Archeron sisters descend from Starborn fae - here

Powerful parallels between the Archeron sisters and Theia (and Bryce) - here

The Asteri may be tampering with mating bonds - here

Elain's Sight may require both darkness and song - here

What if Elain and Nesta wore iron bangles to stifle their latent magic while human - here

Three brothers x three sisters, an anti rainbow - here

I hope to discuss Koschei's hypothetical scheming behind the scenes, which I suspect has been going on in order to prevent Wyrd from being freed. This will involve the Archeron sisters, Elain, Azriel and Lucien, and Rhys' odd behaviour. This post will be long, and a little convoluted, I'm sorry, but I hope it all makes sense in the end.

Let's begin!

Merrily, Merrily, Merrily, Merrily...

Are Merrill's powers "but a dream," similar to Elain?

As I have mentioned before, these two lines, both from Azriel's ACOSF bonus chapter, have bugged me for years:

Fury was a moonless night on Rhys' face.

Just this taste in the dead of the longest night of the year, where only the Mother might witness them.

You can read the main theory post, but to sum up the relevant points:

I believe that Merrill may be working for Koschei as some sort of double agent (though he could be unaware of her other affiliations) either because she is the trapped/enslaved ghost of a murdered faerie, or she is trying to save the soul of a murdered loved one

I suspect that she has been spying on Feysand's inner circle, reporting everything back to Koschei, and facilitating control over them in some way

Years ago, I suggested there may be a possibility that Koschei was once known as Fionn, the High King, and that he may have been the original shadowsinger (or tied to shadows in some way), and a daemati; I also noted that there were some interesting parallels between Azriel and Koschei in the text. I have since expanded on those thoughts in this theory, and I cannot wait for more lore on this topic. I haven't posted my "Lightsingers in the Library" theory yet (though I've spoken about it before here and here, and I hope to get it done eventually), so to briefly explain where it may come in: I suspect that there is some link between daemati and Singer powers, in that they can all get a read on - and maybe even influence - the minds of those they're targeting. I think Clotho may be a Singer (either a shadowsinger or lightsinger), given she appeared to follow along with Feyre and Rhys' mental conversation in ACOWAR, and I also find it suspicious that Rhys appeared to used his daemati powers to trick Feyre in much the same way I think lightsingers (and shadowsingers!) might lure their own "prey."

I smiled slightly at Rhys, who kept looking ahead as we spoke mind to mind. Don’t they know by now that they can find you down here? Of course. But I never go to the same spot twice in a row, so it usually takes them so long to find me that they don’t bother. Plus, they know that if I’m here, it’s because I want to be alone. Poor baby High Lord, I crooned. Having to run away to find solitude perfect for brooding. Rhys pinched my behind, and I clamped down on my lip to keep from yelping. I could have sworn Clotho’s shoulders shook with laughter. - ACOWAR, chapter 20

I could almost see what would have happened: The shop ladies would have been polite—a bit nervous—and given us privacy as Rhys sat on the settee in the back of the shop while I went behind the curtained-off chamber to try on the red lace set I’d eyed thrice now. And when I emerged, mustering up more bravado than I felt, Rhys would have looked me up and down. Twice. [...] Then he’d have tugged me a bit closer before leaning in to brush a kiss to my navel, his tongue— I swore as I slammed into the post of the stairwell landing. And I blinked—blinked as the world returned and I realized … I glared at the eye tattooed in my hand and hissed both with my tongue and that silent voice within the bond itself, “Prick.” In the back of my mind, a sensual male voice chuckled with midnight laughter. My face burning, cursing him for the vision he’d slipped past my mental shields, I reinforced them as I entered my room. And took a very, very cold bath. - ACOMAF, chapter 38

So if Koschei is a daemati and/or shadowsinger, or he has access to one (or both!), then I am extremely worried for all of the warnings Rhys gave Feyre in the original trilogy, with regards to always guarding her mind. Chekhov's daemati hasn't come into play yet, and I am scared for Rhys and co. Do you remember back in ACOWAR, when the twin Ravens infiltrated the Library and targeted Feyre and Nesta? We learnt that they entered the mind of the priestess who let them in, but left her alive for some reason. Rhys, in a state of distress - ie. not at his best, so very potentially not on guard for an attack in the moment - then entered the priestess' mind after the fact, in order to see what had happened. Did Koschei/the hypothetical daemati take this opportunity to stow away in his mind?

I promise I'm not making excuses for Rhys, but I've said before that it would not surprise me if his "out of character" behaviour, whether that be harshly berating Azriel over Elain, or lying after Feyre said "no more lies, Rhys," turns out to be orchestrated by Koschei, or something Valg-like, having infiltrated his mind and quietly pulled some mental threads here and there.

Did the priestess who let in the Ravens unwittingly act as a middle man for a powerful being who wanted to get into Rhys' mind? And who might it be? My money is on either Merrill or Gwyn - and to clarify, this does NOT make them evil, it would make them HIS VICTIMS - because of the following passages. Merrill first.

She knocked on the shut wood door. “Enter.” Nesta opened the door to a rectangular cell of a room, occupied by a desk on the far side and two bookshelves lining both long walls. A small pallet lay to the left of the desk, a blanket and pillow neatly aligned. As if the hooded priestess with her back to Nesta sometimes couldn’t be bothered to return to the dormitory to sleep. - ACOSF, chapter 13

Merrill turned at that, and Nesta was greeted with a surprisingly young face—and a stunningly beautiful one. All the High Fae were beautiful, but Merrill made even Mor look drab. Hair white as fresh snow contrasted against the light brown of her skin, and eyes the color of a twilight sky blinked once, twice. As if focusing on the here and now and not whatever work she’d been doing. She noted Nesta’s leathers, the lack of any robes or stone atop her braided hair, and demanded, “Who are you?” - ACOSF, chapter 13

Merrill laughed, that phantom wind around her whispering. “Do you not know who I am, girl?” “I know that you are keeping us from our work,” Nesta said with that flat calm she knew made people irate. “And I know that this is a library, but you hoard books like it is your own personal collection.” Merrill bared her teeth. “You think I do not know you? The human girl who was shoved into the Cauldron and came out High Fae. The female who slew the King of Hybern and held up his head like a trophy as his blood rained upon her.” Surprise lit Gwyn’s face at the graphic description. Nesta didn’t allow herself to so much as swallow. “The wind whispers to me even here, under so much stone,” Merrill said. “It finds its way in through the cracks and murmurs the goings-on of the world in my ear.” Merrill snorted. “Do you think you are entitled to do as you please now?” Nesta’s power rumbled in her veins. She stomped on it, shoved it down and strangled it. “I think you like to hear yourself talk too much.” “I am descended from Rabath, Lord of the Western Wind,” Merrill seethed. “Unlike Gwyneth Berdara, I am no lackey to be dismissed.” To hell with this witch. To hell with restraint and hiding. - ACOSF, chapter 29

Firstly, there are some parallels with Elain's own magic, and maybe Mor's, that make me think Merrill may also be able to access the murky realm/space between/Void in a similar manner. I include Mor in this, as in addition to her witchy potential, I have long thought that Truth and Sight could function in much the same way. Since Mor's introduction in ACOMAF, many people have noted that Truth-Teller could be named after her, but I suspect it's deeper than that, as Truth-Teller translates literally to "soothsayer." A Seer—Elain. But I digress.

“I was a dreamer born into the Court of Nightmares,” Mor said. She twirled a curl around a finger, and I wondered if her story might be the worst of all of them as she said simply, “So I got out.” - ACOMAF, chapter 16

Seer. The word clanged through me. She’d known. She’d warned Nesta about the Ravens. And in the chaos of the attack, that little realization had slipped from me. Slipped from me as reality and dream slipped and entwined for Elain. Seer. - ACOWAR, chapter 33

Gwyn’s hair seemed to glow brighter with her song, skin radiating a beckoning light. Drawing any listener in. But Merrill’s warning clanged through the beauty of Gwyn’s voice, and Nesta cleared her throat. Gwyn whirled toward her, glow fading even as her freckled face lit with surprise. “Hello again,” she said. - ACOSF, chapter 13

Merrill, as I discussed in this theory, was blinking as she appeared to refocus on Nesta in the "here and now." This parallels Elain leaving the clutches of her Sight, which @wingedblooms and I suspect is linked heavily to the space between, but it also sounds strikingly similar to the following scene with Nesta and Rhys...

Gwyn, however, stilled, those large teal eyes looking even more unearthly as they widened. No fear tinged her scent, but rather something like surprise—awe. Rhys threw her an easy smile, one Nesta would have bet was crafted to put people at ease in his oh-so-magnificent presence. The casual smile of a male used to people either fleeing in terror or falling to their knees in worship. “Hello, Gwyn,” he said warmly. “Good to see you again.” Gwyn blushed, shaking herself out of her stupor, and bowed low. “My lord.” - ACOSF, chapter 28

Nesta leaned into Cassian. Not much, but enough for a trained warrior like Rhysand to note. A dark, silken hand brushed inside her mind. A request. She debated ignoring it, but found herself opening a small door through the steel, spiked barrier she kept around herself day and night. The door was essentially a peephole, and she allowed what she supposed was the equivalent of her mental face to peer through it to the dark, sparkling plane beyond. What? You are to treat Gwyn with kindness and respect. The thing that stood beyond the fortress of her mind was a creature of claws, scales, and teeth. It was veiled from sight beneath writhing shadows and the occasional passing star glinting in the darkness, but every now and then, a glimpse of a wing or a talon shone. Mind your own business. Nesta slammed that small viewing hole shut. She blinked, slowly registering Emerie asking Cassian about tomorrow morning’s lesson, and what she’d miss today by leaving an hour early. Rhysand’s eyes glittered. - ACOSF, chapter 28

We still don't know much about Nesta's silver flames/death magic, but as far as we do know, she does not have Elain's abilities to See without scrying tools, and she cannot communicate mind to mind on her own steam. It's also odd that Rhys has met Gwyn before (though he does not appear to know her well, given Gwyn's awed reaction), because when would that have happened? The above passage from ACOWAR, chapter 20 said that most of the priestesses didn't bother to seek him out when he does visit the library, because they know he goes for his own reasons/he's too hard to find. The only other instance I could think of was Gwyn's arrival, but Mor took her to the library sanctuary, not Rhys. So, was Gwyn's mind the one the Ravens infiltrated, hypothetically allowing Koschei in, to then further his advances into Rhys head when the time came?

Where Nesta had been in contented silence before we found her, Elain’s silence was … hollow. Empty. Her hair was down—not even braided. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d seen it unbound. She wore a moon-white silk dressing robe. She did not look, or speak, or even flinch as we entered. Her too-thin arms rested on her chair. That iron engagement ring still encircled her finger. Her skin was so pale it looked like fresh snow in the harsh light. I realized then that the color of death, of sorrow, was white. The lack of color. Of vibrancy. I left Cassian and Rhys by the door. Nesta’s rage was better than this … shell. This void. - ACOWAR, chapter 15

It's interesting that we know the colour of "death" and "sorrow" is white, and while Merrill has hair as white as fresh snow, Gwyn's nickname name means white/bright; Gwyn is also cognate with the Irish name... Fionn. Meanwhile, Gwyn ap Nudd is the Welsh king of the faeries, ruler of the Otherworld and leader of the Wild Hunt (about which @merymoonbeam has so thoroughly theorised), while Fionnbharr is the king of the Daoine Sidhe, and occasionally the ruler of the dead in Irish mythology. As an aside, Merrill's name means sparkling sea, which also ties her to Koschei, who is "as old as the sea," or older (per Vassa). Again, I'm not saying that either Merrill or Gwyn are - or will become - evil, but I am considering them as potential pawns in Koschei's game. In Gwyn's case especially I don't think she would be aware, though I could always be wrong.

"The High King is not pleased..."

Another passage that has jumped out at me - I think I've talked about this on one of the Reddit subs, but I can't find it - was this scene Under the Mountain, in ACOTAR.

I’d never become accustomed to the Attor, but I had come to accept its malignant presence. Seeing my escorts stiffen awakened a dormant dread, and my mouth turned dry as we neared the bend. Even though we were veiled and hidden by shadow, each step brought me closer to that winged demon. My feet turned leaden. Then a lower, guttural voice grunted in response to the hissing of the Attor. Nails clicked on stone, and my escorts swapped glances before they swung me into an alcove, a tapestry that hadn’t been there a moment before falling over us, the shadows deepening, solidifying. I had a feeling that if someone pulled back that tapestry, they would see only darkness and stone. One of them covered my mouth with a hand, holding me tightly to her, shadows slithering down her arm and onto mine. She smelled of jasmine—I’d never noticed that before. After all these nights, I didn’t even know their names. The Attor and its companion rounded the bend, still talking—their voices low. It was only when I could understand their words that I realized we weren’t merely hiding. “Yes,” the Attor was saying, “good. She’ll be most pleased to hear that they’re ready at last.” “But will the High Lords contribute their forces?” the guttural voice replied. I could have sworn it snorted like a pig. They came closer and closer, unaware of us. My escorts pressed in tighter to me, so tense that I realized they were holding their breath. Handmaidens—and spies. “The High Lords will do as she tells them,” the Attor gloated, and its tail slithered and slashed across the floor. “I heard talk from soldiers in Hybern that the High King is not pleased regarding this situation with the girl. Amarantha made a fool’s bargain. She cost him the War the last time because of her madness with Jurian; if she turns her back on him again, he will not be so willing to forgive her. Stealing his spells and taking a territory for her own is one thing. Failure to aid in his cause a second time is another.” There was a loud hiss, and I trembled as the Attor snapped its jaws at its companion. “Milady makes no bargains that are not advantageous to her. She lets them claw at hope—but once it is shattered, they are her beautifully broken minions.” They had to be passing right before the tapestry. “You had better hope so,” the guttural voice replied. What manner of creature was this thing to be so unmoved by the Attor? My escort’s shadowy hand clamped tighter around my mouth, and the Attor passed on. Don’t trust your senses, Alis’s voice echoed through my mind. The Attor had caught me once before when I thought I was safe … “And you had better hold your tongue,” the Attor warned. “Or Milady will do so for you—and her pincers are not kind.” The other creature snorted that pig noise. “I am here on a condition of immunity from the king. If your lady thinks she’s above the king because she rules this wretched land, she’ll soon remember who can strip her powers away—without spells and potions.” The Attor didn’t reply—and a part of me wished for it to retort, to snap back. But it was silenced, and fear hit my stomach like a stone dropped into a pool. Whatever plans the King of Hybern had been working on for these long years—his campaign to take back the mortal world—it seemed he was no longer content to wait. Perhaps Amarantha would soon receive what she wanted: destruction of my entire realm. My blood went cold. Nesta—I trusted Nesta to get my family away, to protect them. Their voices faded, and it wasn’t until a good extra minute had passed that the two females relaxed. The tapestry vanished, and we slipped back into the hall. “What was that?” I said, looking from one to the other as the shadows around us lightened—but not by much. “Who was that?” I clarified. “Trouble,” they answered in unison. - ACOTAR, chapter 41

The brilliant @wingedblooms has discussed Nuala and Cerridwen at length before, theorising about their wraith powers and how they may fit in with Elain and her future arc, so I won't rehash all her work (here and here), but I really do love the association of shadows and weaving, and how it ties to the Void tapestry/fabric in ACOFAS (see @silverlinedeyes for her theory about Elain wearing Void). Will Elain and Azriel eventually harness light and dark, weaving them together to traverse the space between, as I have suggested before?

But I digress. The pig creature's mention of a "high king" - the only instance before ACOSF introduced us to High King Fionn - caught my eye, and I haven't been able to drop it. Am I right that the once (and future, if he gets his way) High King Fionn¹ is still in play somehow? As Koschei, at least in part? Theia's light was split into three, could she - or Silene, or whomever the Fae warrior once was - have done the same to Fionn to weaken and imprison him? Have the Bone Carver and the Weaver returned to him, or, alternatively, Amren and Lanthys? I suspect the latter, and this is another theory I hope to post about in more detail at some point. But basically, three brothers for three sisters; three lights of salvation and three of death? As above, so below, right?

¹ I think Silene was missing certain details with regards to her family's history.

Was Fionn, as Koschei, controlling the King of Hybern, with or without a Valg parasite? I find it really suspicious that Feyre immediately dropped back to "king" and assumed the Attor and pig creature were discussing the King of Hybern, especially after ACOSF introduced an actual High King. Was SJM setting up her long-term game plan a decade ago, whether or not she decided to pursue it? Stolen spell books sound very appropriate for Koschei the Sorcerer. The King of Hybern was never a High King, and it's now fairly accepted that he may have been possessed by a Valg. I know there's definitely a possibility that I'm reading too far into this, or it's a plot seed that has since been pruned, but I still think the Attor and the pig creature were ultimately working for Koschei, not the King of Hybern. Just like I suspect of the Ravens, who referred to their "master," not their king.

“May the Immortal Light shine upon thee, sisters"

I was speaking to @wingedblooms and @silverlinedeyes a while ago, and I think it's possible that the runes on the Archeron cottage could have been hiding their magic.

I kicked my boots against the stone door frame, knocking the snow from them. Bits of ice came free from the gray stones of the cottage, revealing the faded ward-markings etched around the threshold. My father had once convinced a passing charlatan to trade the engravings against faerie harm in exchange for one of his wood carvings. There was so little that my father was ever able to do for us that I hadn’t possessed the heart to tell him the engravings were useless … and undoubtedly fake. Mortals didn’t possess magic—didn’t possess any of the superior strength and speed of the faeries or High Fae. The man, claiming some High Fae blood in his ancestry, had just carved the whorls and swirls and runes around the door and windows, muttered a few nonsense words, and ambled on his way. I yanked open the wooden door, the frozen iron handle biting my skin like an asp. Heat and light blinded me as I slipped inside. “Feyre!” Elain’s soft gasp scraped past my ears, and I blinked back the brightness of the fire to find my second-eldest sister before me. - ACOTAR, chapter 2

Feyre was blinded by light and warmth as she entered, which sounds very similar to the way the light of the Starborn - from whom it's very possible the Archeron sisters could be descended - can blind an Oracle, which I have discussed here. Like the iron bracelets I've discussed before, suggesting that they might suppress Nesta and Elain's magic, were the runes there to protect the family? And - given the similarities noted between Elain and her father, and the fact that Elain appearing to be leeched of life in the Hewn City could be due to the land or a portal trying to revive itself - could Papa Archeron's meagre (we assume) human portion of Starborn light have been powering the runes that protected his daughters, leaving him constantly tired, depressed, and drained? And was the same thing happening to his daughters?

Koschei has been playing the long game

I know many of us have discussed the lake of starlight in the Spring Court at length, so forgive me if this has been covered before, but has anyone suggested that it could be linked to Mama Archeron teaching at least Nesta how to swim, after their cousin drowned in childhood?

Nesta focused on her breathing again. She knew how to swim. Her mother had made sure of it, thanks to a cousin who had drowned in childhood. Murdered by faeries, her mother had claimed. I saw her dragged into the river. Had it been a kelpie? Or her mother’s own fears warped into something monstrous? - ACOSF, chapter 33

Has the Archeron sisters' line, possibly both maternal and paternal, been targeted by Koschei for generations? Is it because they are human descendents of the Starborn fae, and/or the faerie warrior who trapped Koschei at his lake, many thousands of years ago? And Vassa? Was/is she to be Koschei's salvation, if his plan works out?

“So I’m your huntress and thief?” His hands slid down to cup the backs of my knees as he said with a roguish grin, “You are my salvation, Feyre.” - ACOMAF, chapter 19

Cassian and I waited, not daring to interrupt. “Clever, that Fae warrior. Her bloodline is long gone now—though a trace still runs through some human line.” He smiled, perhaps a bit sadly. “No one remembers her name. But I do. She would have been my salvation, had I not made my choice long before she walked this earth.” I waited and waited and waited, picking apart the story he laid out like crumbs of bread. “She could not kill them in the end—they were too strong. They could only be contained.” - ACOWAR, chapter 23

She had saved my life once—Under the Mountain. In exchange for my sparing Lucien’s. Did she wonder where her lost son was now? Had she heard the rumors I’d crafted, the lies I’d spun? I couldn’t tell her that Lucien currently hunted the continent, dodging armies, for an enchanted queen. To find a scrap of salvation. - ACOWAR, chapter 43

Mama Archeron died of typhus - and another cousin of hers died of malaria "after visiting Bharat," by the way - and both the Archeron fleet and fortune were lost in a storm on their way to Bharat, sending Feyre, Elain and Nesta (and Papa Archeron) into a poverty from which it would be very easy to perish. Nesta herself said that she wanted them to die to get their father to act. This could all tie in with what we read in ACOTAR:

“Didn’t …,” Tamlin interrupted, his deep voice surprisingly gentle, “didn’t your mother tell you anything about us?” I prodded the table with my forefinger, digging my short nails into the wood. “My mother didn’t have the time to tell me stories.” I could reveal that part of my past, at least. - ACOTAR, chapter 8

I know I'm not the first to wonder at Tamlin specifying Feyre's mother (and not parent or nanny/governesses), but it seems important that...

Mama Archeron knew how to swim²

Mama Archeron saw faeries drown her cousin in a river

² Feyre went swimming in a pool of starlight... did Mama Archeron ever meet a faerie herself (and go swimming, maybe in a pool of starlight - that's less likely, I know)?

You guys know I've been thinking for years that Koschei has been working to prevent 3x3 from happening, such that I think his storms sank Papa Archeron's fleet in order to try to kill off the Archeron sisters through poverty. The pig creature did say that "the High King is not pleased regarding this situation with the girl" - was this because he wanted Feyre (and by extension, her sisters) far away from the action? But Wyrd - who is also playing her own game - had a different, more chaotic, idea?

What if, once Feyre had been Made against his wishes, Koschei had to change tack? He may have wanted the sisters Made after all - better the enemy you know/keep your enemies close, after all - to use them for his own means, but to do that he needed to stop Elriel, and therefore Wyrd, from realising their full potential. Does he plan to insert himself into their union in some way, or use either Elain or Azriel for his own means, due to their hypothetically compatible powers?

The Cauldron's swirling eddies

As I'm sure you're all aware, I've been a believer in the true mates theory for a while, and while my thoughts on the nuance surrounding it have evolved over the last four years, I have believed, since ACOSF, that the mating bond between Elain and Lucien is likely due to Koschei using the Cauldron, possibly through the king of Hybern.

She refused the knife Cassian handed her, though. Went white as death at the sight of it. Azriel, still limping, merely nudged aside Cassian and extended another option. “This is Truth-Teller,” he told her softly. “I won’t be using it today—so I want you to.” His wings had healed—though long, thin scars now raked down them. Still not strong enough, Madja had warned him, to fly today. The argument with Rhys this morning had been swift and brutal: Azriel insisted he could fly—fight with the legions, as they’d planned. Rhys refused. Cassian refused. Azriel threatened to slip into shadow and fight anyway. Rhys merely said that if he so much as tried, he’d chain Azriel to a tree. And Azriel … It was only when Mor had entered the tent and begged him—begged him with tears in her eyes—that he relented. Agreed to be eyes and ears and nothing else. And now, standing amongst the sighing meadow grasses in his Illyrian armor, all seven Siphons gleaming … Elain’s eyes widened at the obsidian-hilted blade in Azriel’s scarred hand. The runes on the dark scabbard. “It has never failed me once,” the shadowsinger said, the midday sun devoured by the dark blade. “Some people say it is magic and will always strike true.” He gently took her hand and pressed the hilt of the legendary blade into it. “It will serve you well.” “I—I don’t know how to use it—” “I’ll make sure you don’t have to,” I said, grass crunching as I stepped closer. Elain weighed my words … and slowly closed her fingers around the blade. Cassian gawked at Azriel, and I wondered how often Azriel had lent out that blade— Never, Rhys said from where he finished buckling on his own weapons against the side of the wagon. I have never once seen Azriel let another person touch that knife. Elain looked up at Azriel, their eyes meeting, his hand still lingering on the hilt of the blade. I saw the painting in my mind: the lovely fawn, blooming spring vibrant behind her. Standing before Death, shadows and terrors lurking over his shoulder. Light and dark, the space between their bodies a blend of the two. The only bridge of connection … that knife. Paint that when we get home. Busybody. - ACOWAR, chapter 69

“I was just checking on dessert,” Elain explained as they approached the doorway and Azriel. Nesta met the shadowsinger’s stare and he gave her a nod. Then his gaze shifted to Elain, and though it was utterly neutral, something charged went through it. Between them. Elain’s breath caught slightly, and she gave him a shallow nod of greeting before brushing past, leading Nesta into the room. - ACOSF, chapter 58

It wasn't a rainbow that emerged from the other side. Not even close. It took her a moment to process what she was seeing: a gradient beam of starlight. Where the rainbow would have been full of color, this one began in shimmering white light and descended into shadow. An anti-rainbow, as it were. Light falling into darkness, droplets of starlight raining from the highest beam into the shadowy band at the bottom, devoured by the darkness below. Like the fading light of day—of dusk. - HOFAS, chapter 39

But what if light blasted from either prism, meeting in the middle? What would happen in the collision of all that magic? - HOFAS, chapter 39

Twin bursts of that light flared from either prism, gunning for each other. Bands of light falling into darkness, her power stripped to its most elemental, basic form. They shot for each other, and where they met, light and darkness and darkness and light slamming into each other— - HOFAS, chapter 39

Such light and darkness—the power lay in the meeting of the two of them. She understood it now, how the darkness shaped the light. But all that colliding power... it was the boost she needed. - HOFAS, chapter 39

Given SJM's love of/focus on the importance of trios in her work, it would just make so much sense to me that the Archeron sisters each held a third of a new protective power (to replace the portions of Theia's light that Bryce took, leaving Prythian unguarded), becoming a living Archesian amulet, if you will, and that their relationships with the three Illyrian "brothers" would fall under fated or prophecised, rather than cliche. There is a decent amount of evidence that Azriel and Elain showed interest in/comfort around each other from their first meeting in the human lands, and so much about her bond with Lucien seems suss (to me, and of course no shade at Lucien); the balance between three brothers and three sisters is also so important.

@psychologynerd has posted this brilliant theory, which discusses the possibility that the mating bonds between each of the three hypothetical (at least, for the moment) pairs could reflect an alchemical marriage, and I am so on board with that idea. It matches my own thoughts on the importance of Elriel's romance not just for each of them to experience a partner who I think is best suited to them, but for the potential of a carranam bond to exist. And it is for this reason I have long suspected that, while Wyrd (or Someone) gifted Elain her Sight, or activated some genetic potential she always carried, Koschei was very likely pulling some strings between Azriel, Elain and Lucien in order to stop Elain and Azriel from getting together and realising the true potential of their powers, both individually and as a unit. Because if true mates are carranam (or if these three pairs are both true mates and carranam), then they would each be a force to be reckoned with separately, and formidable as a whole. Imagine just how useful all of their powers would be, stripped to their most "elemental, basic form." Besides Elain and Azriel's unique and powerful magics being enough to put a target on their heads, this would make them even more sought after, by someone who knew what to do with raw magic.

Koschei and his ilk wanting to prevent that by using the Cauldron to mimic - @merymoonbeam, I think, has discussed the Cauldron's ability to recreate spells - a mating bond between Elain and Lucien makes sense in this context. Nesta and Cassian were so at odds with each other that maybe they were a lower priority target for that reason - or maybe it was due to Elain and Azriel's specific magics, as I've suggested - but beyond Graysen and Mor, who they've each moved past as of ACOSF, Elain and Azriel have no external barriers to becoming involved romantically. So Koschei took care of it. Or at least, he thought he had done, until Elain and Azriel got perilously close to throwing caution to the wind on the most recent Winter Solstice, the longest night of the year.

Rhys's face drained of color. "You believe you deserve to be her mate?" Azriel scowled. "I think Lucien will never be good enough for her, and she has no interest in him, anyway." "So you'll what?" Rhys's voice was pure ice. "Seduce her away from him?" Azriel said nothing. He hadn't gotten that far with his planning, certainly not beyond the fantasies he pleasured himself to. Rhys growled, "Allow me to make one thing very clear. You are to stay away from her." "You can't order me to do that." - ACOSF, Azriel's bonus chapter

Rhys jerked his chin toward the door. "Get out" Azriel tucked in his wings and left without another word, stalking through the house and onto the front lawn to sit in the frigid starlight. To let the frost in his veins match the air around him. Until he felt nothing. Was again nothing at all. - ACOSF, Azriel's bonus chapter

Thank you to @psychologynerd and her anon, who brought the first of these two passages to my attention - I'd completely missed it, even though I've spoken about the second quote before! I have wondered for a while whether the longest night of the year might increase Koschei's reach, strengthen his magic, and/or weaken the wards holding him trapped in his lake. Which brings us back to Merrill and her blinking herself back from an apparent absence, and fury being a "moonless night" on Rhys' face.

As I noted in my reblog of @psychologynerd's anon, Rhys draining of colour actually reminds me of Elain in a couple of scenes, which I have discussed above:

When her skin was as white as fresh snow, which Feyre made sure to note was the colour of death and sorrow

In the Hewn City the night before, when Cassian gave his unsolicited fashion opinion

It made me wonder whether something was trying to get at Elain's magic, so could it signify the same thing for Rhys, with his voice of pure ice? Then Azriel felt nothing, was again nothing at all - Void. It could definitely just be imagery that SJM has chosen to represent their individual struggles, but what if that's not the case? I really do think and hope that "far larger forces" are at play here.

Because Nuala gave us some interesting information about the Winter Solstice in ACOFAS.

Nuala went on, “It’s a time of rest, too. And a time to reflect on the darkness—how it lets the light shine.” “Is there a ceremony?” The half-wraith shrugged. “Yes, but none of us go. It’s more for those who wish to honor the light’s rebirth, usually by spending the entire night sitting in absolute darkness.” A ghost of a smirk. “It’s not quite such a novelty for my sister and me. Or for the High Lord.” - ACOFAS, chapter 1

Is Nuala suggesting that absolute darkness is not so fun for those with a magical proclivity for shadows? She named Rhys, but this could extend to Azriel... and Elain?

It also creates a lovely parallel with this moment in ACOSF:

But even the silence weighed too heavily, and though the shadows kept him company, as they always had, as they always would, he found himself leaving the room. Entering the foyer. Soft steps padded from under the stair archway, and there she was. The faelights gilded Elain's unbound hair, making her glow like the sun at dawn. She halted, her breath catching in her throat. - ACOSF, Azriel's bonus chapter

Azriel was spending his evening sitting in the darkness, and it was certainly not a novelty for him, until he saw "the light's rebirth," one Elain Archeron glowing "like the sun at dawn." In addition to the play on Rosehall/Rose + Hall between ACOFAS and ACOSF, this further cements in my mind that SJM was using ACOFAS to help set up Elriel (though I could of course be wrong), and the fact that forces beyond Rhys and Prythian politics may be keeping them apart.

That just leaves the original couple!

How do you solve a problem like Feysand and Nyx?

I've wondered this before in a few different places; what if Koschei wanted to accomplish one or both of the following tasks:

Force Nesta to return the death magic she stole from the Cauldron as she was Made (thus depleting it)

Kill Feyre, Rhys and Nyx before the latter was born, thereby preventing the realisation of a potentially catastrophic (to him) combination of magics

I am far from the first person to note that, when Feyre met the Bone Carver in the original trilogy, and he appeared to her in the form of her future son, he did not have wings. Someone as perceptive as Feyre would have noted that in a second, especially as the Carver did give himself wings at a later date.

“I’d have to agree,” Rhysand said. He stepped inside, the light bobbing ahead to illuminate a dark-haired boy sitting against the far wall, eyes of crushing blue taking in Rhysand, then sliding to where I lurked in the doorway. - ACOMAF, chapter 18

Up and up into the darkness we walked, through the sleeping stone and the monsters who dwelled within it. At last I said to Rhys, “What did you see?” “You first.” “A boy—around eight; dark-haired and blue-eyed.” Rhys shuddered—the most human gesture I’d seen him make. - ACOMAF, chapter 18

Hybern was stirring, frantically assessing what and who now stood before them. The Carver had chosen the form of an Illyrian soldier in his prime. Bryaxis remained within the darkness roiling around it, the living tapestry it would use to reveal the nightmares of its victims. - ACOWAR, chapter 69

So he orchestrated a winged baby in some way (possibly using the daemati backdoor I discussed earlier to ensure Rhys didn't consider wings when he and Feyre had sex in Illyrian form). If he simply wanted Nesta to return her stolen Death magic to the Cauldron, he had created a scenario where she could make a new bargain with Wyrd or the Cauldron to return most of her powers in order for the knowledge to save Feysand's lives. However, Koschei/Someone wanting to off Feyre, Rhys and Nyx - who would be the realisation of both their powers combined - would also make sense, and parallel his hypothetical goal of separating Elain and Azriel, using her mating bond to Lucien; it would permanently destroy the hypothetical 3x3 of light and dark, Chaos and Void, that Wyrd worked to return to Prythian's world. Goodbye, anti rainbow.

We know that Theia's light was a form of protection for Prythian's world - was it really light from the Asteri, as we were told in HOFAS, or was it actually from Wyrd/Chaos? Do Wyrd and/or Koschei want Elain (and likely Nesta and Feyre to complete the whole)³ in place of Theia's then fragmented, and now absent, magic? Did the Cauldron, through Wyrd, gift Elain His abilities, and what was Nesta left with besides her silver flames? If I'm right about Koschei being Fionn in some way, this would tie in very nicely with @merymoonbeam's theory that Fionn was a Seer (which ties right back in with my post discussing Elain's Sight being associated with shadows/the murky realm, and my old crack theory that Koschei/Fionn was the original shadowsinger). It's all coming together lol.

³ I would assume that if this is the case, Wyrd/Chaos and Koschei would want the trio of Archeron sisters for different, likely opposing, purposes.

Too crack? Just crack enough? We'll have to wait and see.

If you choose to comment on this post, please remain respectful. Thank you for reading so far! 💜

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wingedblooms · 1 year ago

Text

Heart of the Night Court

This meta is a continuation of theories in forbidden secrets, blooming dreams, and bright as the dawn, as it narrows in on Illyria, Ramiel, and their connection to Wyrd. Please avoid if you do not want to read hofas spoilers.

Facing Ramiel

The northern region of the Night Court is where Ramiel, one of the three sacred sister peaks, is located. It is considered the heart of Illyria and the Night Court.

Ramiel. The sacred mountain. The heart of not only Illyria, but the entirety of the Night Court. None were permitted on its barren, rocky slopes—save for the Illyrians, and only once a year at that. During the Blood Rite. Cassian soared toward it, unable to resist Ramiel’s ancient summons. Different—the mountain was so different from the barren, terrible presence of the lone peak in the center of Prythian. Ramiel had always felt alive, somehow. Awake and watchful. (acofas) [...] Ramiel rose higher still, a shard of stone piercing the gray sky. Beautiful and lonely. Eternal and ageless. (acofas)

Cassian describes Ramiel as alive, awake, and watchful, and so very beautiful as she rises from the earth. Likewise, Feyre emphasizes that Elain is alive and somehow infinitely more beautiful as she rises from the ground after she is Made in the Cauldron. Her legs are even bare, which remind me of the barren terrain, and her sheer nightgown might even be a hint for thin places, as @offtorivendell observed. Elain’s strength has also always been different than her sisters, just like Ramiel among her sacred sister peaks.

And as if it had been tipped by invisible hands, the Cauldron turned on its side. More water than seemed possible dumped out in a cascade. Black, smoke-coated water. And Elain, as if she’d been thrown by a wave, washed onto the stones facedown. Her legs were so pale—so delicate. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d seen them bare. The queens pushed forward. Alive, she had to be alive, had to have wanted to live– Elain sucked in a breath, her fine-boned back rising, her wet nightgown nearly sheer. And as she rose from the ground onto her elbows, the gag in place, as she twisted to look at me— Nesta began roaring again. Pale skin started to glow. Her face had somehow become more beautiful—infinitely beautiful, and her ears … Elain’s ears were now pointed beneath her sodden hair. (acomaf)

As each spring dawns on the world, Ramiel is crowned with three stars, and the Illyrians—who we learned may have been the Asteri’s soldiers and therefore may carry on rituals that would have benefited them—honor bloodshed on her land rather than new life.

No wonder that first ruler of the Night Court had made this his insignia. Along with the three stars that only appeared for a brief window each year, framing the uppermost peak of Ramiel like a crown. It was during that window when the Rite occurred. Which had come first: the insignia or the Rite, Cassian didn’t know. Had never really cared to find out. The conifer forests and ravines that dotted the landscape flowing to Ramiel’s foot gleamed under the fresh snow. Empty and clean. No sign of the bloodshed that would occur come the start of spring. (acofas)

Some even seem to take great pleasure in the killing that is permitted during this rite, and Ramiel, which we know is alive and watching, is forced to witness it every year. Azriel calls it a week of pointless bloodshed, but we know now that is likely untrue. @silverlinedeyes, @offtorivendell and I believe the Asteri may have created or warped an existing rite to suit their needs. @silverlinedeyes pointed out that this spring rite reminds her of the Great Rite, and that made something click for me: perhaps the Blood Rite is the Night Court's Great Rite. Is the secondlight from slain warriors absorbed by the land? And do those few who reach the stone, which I suspect might be the Maiden in this rite, provide firstlight to the cache hidden in Ramiel’s heart? Is it any wonder the winds around her howl, and her land is often frozen and inhospitable?

The mountain neared, mighty and endless, so wide that he might as well have been a mayfly in the wind. Cassian soared toward Ramiel’s southern face, rising high enough to catch a glimpse of the shining black stone jutting from its top. Who had put that stone atop the peak, he didn’t know, either. Legend said it had existed before the Night Court formed, before the Illyrians migrated from the Myrmidons, before humans even walked the earth. Even with the fresh snow crusting Ramiel, none had touched the pillar of stone. (acofas)

The shining black stone on Ramiel’s face is able to heal and transport those who touch it. In acosf, it knew where Nesta’s friends were needed most and sent them to the River House. It is also on the southern face of the mountain, which in the northern hemisphere, is the part of the mountain that receives the most sunlight. Cassian tells us that he doesn’t know who put it there, but legend says it was before humans even walked the earth. While it is very likely that the Asteri warped it (into a tool to sustain them, like the gates in Lunathion as @merymoonbeam so cleverly pointed out), I believe it may have also originally been linked to the Cauldron.

In hofas, we discover that Ramiel used to bear the Cauldron on her land:

“The Cauldron,” Nesta said hours later, pointing to yet another carving on the wall. It indeed showed a giant cauldron, perched atop what seemed to be a barren mountain peak with three stars above it. Azriel halted, angling his head. “That’s Ramiel.” At Bryce’s questioning look, he explained, “A mountain sacred to the Illyrians.” Bryce nodded to the carving. “What’s the big deal about a cauldron?” [...] “All life came and comes from it,” Azriel said with something like reverence. “The Mother poured it into this world, and from it, life blossomed.” (hofas) […] The snows around Ramiel parted, revealing a massive bowl of iron at the foot of the monolith. Even through the vision, its presence leaked into the world, a heavy, ominous thing. “The Cauldron,” Nesta said, dread lacing her voice. […] “The Cauldron was of our world, our heritage. But upon arriving here, the Daglan captured it and used their powers to warp it. To turn it from what it had been into something deadlier. No longer just a tool of creation, but of destruction. And the horrors it produced…those, too, my parents would turn to their advantage.” (hofas)

I wonder if long ago, before the Asteri desecrated them, the stone and Cauldron together resembled this depiction of Wyrd:

The Under-King lounged on a throne beneath a behemoth statue of a figure holding a black metal bowl between her upraised hands. Symbols were carved all over the bowl, continuing down her fingers, her arms, her body. Ithan could only assume it was meant to represent Urd. No other temples ever depicted the goddess, no one even dared—most people claimed that fate was impossible to portray in any one form. But it seemed that the dead, unlike the living, had a vision of her. And those symbols running from the bowl onto her skin…they were like tattoos. […] “And she,” the Under-King went on, gesturing to that unusual depiction of Urd towering above him, “was not a goddess, but a force that governed worlds. A cauldron of life, brimming with the language of creation. Urd, they call her here—a bastardized version of her true name. Wyrd, we called her in that old world.” (hofas)

This depiction is interesting because it mirrors, almost exactly, the figurine Nesta assumes is the Mother in the House of Wind:

It was a fire. Not her father’s neck. Her gaze shifted to the carved wooden rose she’d placed upon the mantel, half-hidden in the shadows beside a figurine of a supple-bodied female, her upraised arms clasping a full moon between them. Some sort of primal goddess—perhaps even the Mother herself. Nesta hadn’t let herself dwell on why she’d felt the need to set the rose there. Why she hadn’t just thrown it in a drawer. Another log cracked, and Nesta flinched. But she remained sitting there. Staring at that carved rose. (acosf)

For some reason, she needed to set Elain’s rose, half-hidden in shadow, next to this depiction of what appears to be Wyrd. In hosab, the Under-King also described Wyrd as a mother to all, which is why I theorized that she is actually a triple goddess: Mother, Cauldron, Fate. They are three parts, or faces, of the same force. The three sacred sister peaks and three blessed Archeron sisters are intentionally linked to her. Perhaps the moon in the female’s hands isn’t just a moon, but a world too. Immediately after this scene, the House of Wind shows Nesta her heart in the lovely darkness of the mountain, which she calls the heart of the world, of existence. Of self.

Heart racing, Nesta lifted the lantern in one hand and gazed at the darkness, untouched by the light from the library high, high above. The heart of the world, of existence. Of self. The heart of the House. “This…” Her fingers tightened on the lantern. “This darkness is your heart.” [...] Let the darkness sweep in. Embraced it. “I’m not afraid,” she whispered into it. “You are my friend, and my home. Thank you for sharing this with me.” (acosf)

Nesta embraces the heart of the House of Wind, which naturally makes me recall the heart of the Prison asking Bryce to open her heart to it…it might sing again. Awaken. There was a beating, vibrant heart locked away, far beneath them. We’re not sure exactly how Avallen might have affected the Prison island, and I suspect there is more to come with that plot thread. While I had always hoped the Valkyries might re-establish themselves as an intercourt army in the Middle, which does not have ties to any court in particular, I can also appreciate the possibility that they might ultimately settle on the Prison island instead. It would be incredible to see Pegasi return and for the Valkyries to learn how to fly on them.

This plot is related to the core thread driving us forward, and it is something that can occur in a book that is centered on Elain and Azriel. Together, they have the vision and gifts needed to map the secrets of the land, starting with the sacred sister peaks, which I believe will ultimately help them restore Wyrd. This would fit all of the seeds Sarah has planted for the third sister’s arc with Azriel, Nuala, and Cerridwen. It would also be powerful for a character who has been underestimated and ridiculed for gardening to heal the land and the very source that created it.

As I said prior to hofas, this exploration will inevitably bring them to the very heart of Ramiel. As a bearer of Wyrd, the source of life, Ramiel may even be the heart of the world, not just the Night Court. Will they discover that she was once very different? Did she change, as her sisters did, when the Asteri burrowed into her heart? Or was it because the Cauldron, Wyrd’s physical form, was warped into a tool of destruction by the Asteri and later removed from her land? Were the Illyrians created to guard the Cauldron since it was the Asteri’s most precious weapon? And is that why, as @cassianfanclub wondered, the Asteri were so desperate to reach the stone at the top, where the Cauldron was once depicted? Enalius may have prevented it from falling into their hands as he defended the Pass, which would’ve been a critical turning point in a rebellion. Unlike the rite they currently use to honor him, Enalius’s defense was in the service of life, which is what made Nesta’s sacrifice so inspiring. Her sacrifice is now depicted in the heart of the Court of Dreams, which is dedicated to building a better world.

Descending into Ramiel

We learn that Ramiel may be hiding secrets from Eris, of all characters:

Eris shrugged, and Nesta knew Cassian monitored his every breath. “There are three of them, you know. Sister peaks. This one, the mountain called the Prison, and the one the Illyrian brutes call Ramiel. All bald, barren mountains at odds with those around them.” “We don’t know why they exist, but do you not find it strange that two out of the three have underground palaces carved into them?�� […] Eris gave him a mocking smile, but continued, “Unsurprisingly, the Illyrians were never curious enough to see what secrets lie beneath Ramiel. If it, too, was carved up like the others by ancient hands.” “I thought Amarantha made the court Under the Mountain herself,” Nesta said. “Oh, she decorated it and made us act like a sorry imitation of your Court of Nightmares, but the tunnels and halls were carved long before. By who, we don’t know.” (acosf)

He tells us that the three sacred peaks are sisters. Sacred is another word for blessed. And two out of three of them have been at least somewhat explored, but the third? Still mysterious. No one was curious enough to see what lied beneath her beautiful face, at her heart. This is such a lovely parallel for the three blessed sisters, and seems like a clear hint for the third one in particular.

In hofas, we receive confirmation that these secrets might be connected to the Asteri, who are known as Daglan in Prythian lore:

“They fought the Daglan and won, she went on. Using the Daglan’s own weapons, they destroyed them. Yet my parents did not think to learn the Daglan’s other secrets—they were too weary, too eager to leave the past behind.” (hofas)

Vesperus backed up a half step, hissing at the gleaming weapon. “We hid pockets of our power throughout the lands, in case the vermin should cause … problems. It seems our wisdom did not fail us.” “There are no such places,” Azriel countered coldly. “Are there not?” Vesperus grinned broadly, showing all of her too-white teeth. “Have you looked beneath every sacred mountain? At their very roots? The magic draws all sorts of creatures. I can sense them even now, slithering about, gnawing on the magic. My magic. They’re as much vermin as the rest of you.” (hofas)

Bryce concludes, after Vesperus is able to draw the power from her secret cache below, that there is a firstlight core in the root, or heart, of the mountain. We see what happens in Avallen when the land is forced to contain magic where its ley lines overlap, rather than allowing it to flow as it should: it binds the magic of the land and causes it to wither like a plant with root rot. And that seems to explain why the sacred peaks are so odd: barren yet thrumming with power.

I have theorized that the caches of power may need to be released leading up to the restoration of Wyrd, and I suspect there may be clues—especially within Ramiel—about how the Asteri warped and bound her to the land. If Elain is as tied to the land as we suspect, this could also strengthen whatever magic she possesses.

In the cavern illustrations Bryce views in hofas, we see what might lie beneath Ramiel, maybe even the entire Night Court:

Scenes of a blessed land, a thriving civilization. One relief had been so similar to the frieze of the Fae male forging the sword at the Crescent City Ballet that Bryce had nearly gasped. The last carving before the river had been one of transition: a Fae King and Queen seated on thrones, a mountain—different from the one with the palace atop it—behind them with three stars rising above it. A different kingdom, then. Some ancient High Lord and Lady, Nesta had suggested before approaching the river. She hadn’t commented on the lower half of the carving, which depicted a Helscape beneath their thrones, some kind of underworld. Humanoid figures writhed in pain amid what looked like icicles and snapping, scaly beasts—either past enemies conquered or an indication of what failure to bow to the rulers would bring upon the defiant. The suffering stretched throughout, lingering even underneath that archipelago and its mountaintop palace. Even here, in paradise, death and evil remained. A common motif in Midgardian art, too, usually with the caption: Et in Avallen ego. Even in Avallen, there am I. A whispered promise from Death. Another version of memento mori. A reminder that death was always, always waiting. Even in the blessed Fae isle of Avallen. (hofas)

This might merely be a hint for the Asteri secrets that remain buried in the earth. But I agree with others (including @offtorivendell, @ladynightcourt3, @cassianfanclub, and @silverlinedeyes) who have wondered if this Helscape is in fact a hint that Prythian, and the Night Court in particular, is tied to Hel. We learned that the worlds in the Maasverse are tied together through ley lines, and the veil between worlds is thin where these ley lines overlap—like the lines in a star.

That may be the true meaning of star symbols throughout the Maasverse, and the one specifically found in the Prison that is connected to the Starborn: as I theorized pre-hosab, it is a compass rose, and it seems to be linked to other places in the grander tapestry of the universe. There is power in the space where the lines meet; these lines represent ley lines. Certain people (Asteri, Starborn, etc.) are able to use that power to travel, communicate, or even light up entire worlds. Depending on how those lines are woven in certain areas, they might even be able to draw you to one place more than another. That may explain why the Prison seems more connected to Midgard. So, could Ramiel be more connected to Hel, and the Middle to…Erilea?

I wonder if Elain, Azriel, Nuala, and Cerridwen’s exploration in the heart of Ramiel might lead them to Wyrd’s Temple in Hel, except @silverlinedeyes, @offtorivendell, and I think she goes by yet another name there: Chaos. It’s possible they could use black salt or another substance to achieve this, as @offtorivendell and @cassianfanclub have discussed, especially with Elain’s sight. I am personally hoping for a physical trip to Hel and Ramiel might possess a doorway, or rift, as @offtorivendell has theorized.

The black boat that Aidas led Bryce and Hunt into was a cross between the one that had brought them into Avallen and the ones that carried bodies to the Bone Quarter. But in lieu of a stag’s head, it was a stag’s skull at the prow, greenish flame dancing in its eyes as it sailed through the cave. The eerie green light illuminated black rock carved into pillars and buildings, walkways and temples. Ancient. And empty. Bryce had never seen a place so void of life. So … still. Even the Bone Quarter had a sense of being lived in, albeit by the dead. But here, nothing stirred. […] “It’s like a city of the dead,” Hunt murmured, draping a wing around Bryce. Aidas turned from where he stood at the prow, holding in his hands a long pole that he’d used to guide them. “That’s because it is.” He gestured with a pale hand to the buildings and temples and avenues. “This is where our beloved dead come to rest, with all the comforts of life around them.” […] Before Aidas could answer, the boat approached a small quay leading to what appeared to be a temple. A figure emerged from between the pillars of the temple and descended its front steps. Golden-haired, golden-skinned. […] “The Temple of Chaos is a sacred place,” Apollion said sharply. “We shall never defile it with violence.” The words rumbled like thunder again.

This sounds familiar, doesn’t it? It sounds an awful lot like other beliefs in the Maasverse:

Bryce asked, because some small part of her had to know after what she’d seen of the Mask, “When you die, where do your souls go?” Did they even believe in the concept of a soul? Maybe she should have led with that. But Azriel said softly, “They return to the Mother, where they rest in joy within her heart until she finds another purpose for us. Another life or world to live in.” (hofas)

“We’ll collect the dead tomorrow,” Manon said, her voice low. “And burn them at moonrise.” As both Crochans and Ironteeth did. A full moon tomorrow—the Mother’s Womb. A good moon to be burned. To be returned to the Three-Faced Goddess, and reborn within that womb. (koa)

Wyrd (Chaos) is the heart of the world, of existence. Of self. And that is where people rest in joy until they are reborn. Could this be where the spirits are migrating on Starfall?

We know the Princes of Hel are intergalactic helpers, so a trip to Hel or an encounter with a Prince (Bryaxis? Thanatos? Even Balthazar, if he isn’t Elain? 😉 still my favorite crack theory) might give us insight into their role in Prythian. It could also involve Azriel’s peculiar magic that makes him, like Ramiel, so different from even his Illyrian brothers. Let's be honest, he’s always had a Prince of Hel vibe—down to his reverence for Wyrd (Mother, Cauldron, Fate/Chaos)—that I would love to see come to fruition.

Beyond Azriel himself, I also think we will learn the origins of the Illyrians in the heart of Ramiel. Were they connected to Hel before the Asteri made them their soldiers, like @silverlinedeyes and @offtorivendell theorized? Or were they an experiment like the blessed sisters? Did the Asteri put humans (hence the ears) into the Cauldron after it was imbued with their void magic and create beings of night and pain who could combat enemies, including demons? This might be another reason why the three most powerful Illyrians are a match in power for the three blessed sisters.

Together, they balance opposing forces as @silverlinedeyes previously theorized. They seem to represent the forces of Void and Chaos, and their power can be combined in the space between to achieve impossible feats (eg, physically healing the Cauldron and the rip in the world). All three sisters seem to be chosen bearers, or conduits, for Wyrd (Chaos), so I wouldn’t be surprised if we see another example of this in a different way for Azriel and Elain, and/or a scene where they are all linked magically.

My lips tugged toward a smile. But Rhys stared at all of us, somehow assembled here in the sun-drenched open grasses without being given the order. Our family—our court. The Court of Dreams. […] He surveyed them all again—and held out his hand to Cassian. Cassian took it, and held out his other hand for Mor. Then Mor extended her other to Azriel. Azriel to Amren. Amren to Nesta. Nesta to Elain. And Elain to me. Until we were all linked, all bound together. (acowar)

Since Ramiel is connected to Wyrd (Chaos), and there may be a doorway to her temple in Hel, this journey will likely also uncover secrets about her. Will her story come from illustrations in stone, members of Hel, or…my personal favorite, Wyrd herself? I believe that is one of the many reasons she gifted Elain with such powers, including sight: so she could tell her story to someone who could see differently. Someone who could see the creator within the darkness, just as Elain saw the dark cottage as a shelter rather than a prison. This gift may provide them the information they need to uncover the Asteri’s secrets and unravel their magic from the sacred peaks and Wyrd, which could lead them to at least two other places: (1) Midgard, where the Book of Breathings is now kept by Bryce, and (2) Cretea, where the Cauldron is currently hidden. Could Azriel even pay back Bryce for stealing his precious dagger? It would only be fitting.

Ramiel Springs Eternal

I was so cold I might never be warm again. Even during winter in the mortal realm, I’d managed to find some kernel of heat, but after nearly emptying my cache of magic that afternoon, even roaring heart fire couldn’t thaw the chill around my bones. Did spring ever come to this blasted place? (acomaf)

Illyria is known for being bitterly cold, to the point where Feyre wonders if spring would ever arrive there. Sarah has consistently described Elain as blooming life amid death and winter, and this imagery starts to become really apparent in Illyria:

Mor let out a snort that made the Illyrians stiffen. But she shifted, revealing Elain behind her. Elain was just blinking, wide-eyed, at the camp. The army. Devlon let out a grunt at the sight of her. But Elain wrapped her own blue cloak around herself, averting her eyes from all those towering, muscled warriors, the army camp bustling toward the horizon…She was a rose bloom in a mud field. Filled with galloping horses. (acowar)

Compared to Nesta, a newly forged sword, Elain is a blooming flower even in an Illyrian army camp, which is essentially saying she is a bloom of life and color in the middle of winter. This imagery is so fitting because she commits her time to creating and restoring gardens wherever she goes. She brings life and joy and beauty into the world. Even her scent is a promise of spring:

Her sister’s delicate scent of jasmine and honey lingered in the red-stoned hall like a promise of spring, a sparkling river that she followed to the open doors of the chamber. […] Her sister turned toward her, glowing with health. Elain’s smile was as bright as the setting sun beyond the windows. (acosf)

We also know she is also capable of hearing sound, specifically hearts, through stone. In their conversation about heartbeats, Lucien even wonders if she is speaking to him:

She looked away—toward the windows. “I can hear your heart,” she said quietly. He wasn’t sure how to respond, so he said nothing, and drained his tea, even as it burned his mouth. “When I sleep,” she murmured, “I can hear your heart beating through the stone.” She angled her head, as if the city view held some answer. “Can you hear mine?” He wasn’t sure if she truly meant to address him, but he said, “No, lady. I cannot.” Her too-thin shoulders seemed to curve inward. “No one ever does. No one ever looked—not really.” A bramble of words. (acowar)

Was Elain actually speaking to one of the sister peaks, or even Wyrd, during some of this conversation? Her response to Lucien even seems to echo the song of the land: no one had ever truly looked, not really. No one knew what secrets they carried in their heart. This is such a lonely existence. As Elain and Azriel heal the land, I believe they will also heal their own wounds. Feel seen and heard. Understood.

Elain was also wearing a blue cloak in the Illyrian camp. Could that be a hint of her future work with others who wear something similar, like the priestesses who worship Wyrd? She answered her sister’s prayer during the war rather than Wyrd and has led her own sister in prayer before. Is she more priestess—more healer—than warrior, and is that the different sort of strength needed to garden on a larger scale? @willowmeres and I were discussing this the other night: perhaps like Gwydion and TT (which I theorized singing to each other across space), Elain’s rose necklace was called to the library when the priestesses were singing about Wyrd. And because like calls to like, the necklace answered and drew Azriel to the library instead of the Palace of Thread and Jewels. Like her sisters before her, Elain might receive help from priestesses as she hones her vision and gifts. I would scream if this turns out to be true because that necklace is pure Chaos (pun definitely intended).

It’s also possible the priestesses could be helpful in unbinding Void from the Book of Breathings, a book of spells. I doubt this will be a simple matter, however. It might rival the unraveling of Erawan, which required massive raw healing magic. Will the Asteri’s void magic manifest on another plane as Elain battles it with raw healing magic, shining bright as the dawn? Could a dawn ritual help ground her during this battle? And will Azriel, the sisters, the brothers, even priestesses with their healing stones, need to create a living chain to defeat Void and fully restore Wyrd (Chaos) in the end? Will we finally get a glimpse of her, unbound?

Maybe with the help of Azriel and others, Elain will even restore Wyrd—blossoming life—to Ramiel’s sunniest face, the heart of the world, of existence. Of self. And true spring will finally come to her sacred land.

#ramiel #the third sacred sister peak #mysterious as the third blessed sister #healing the land and Wyrd #elain archeron #azriel shadowsinger #elriel #wyrd #mother cauldron fate #a temple in Hel #nuala and cerridwen #archeron sisters #illyrian brothers #court of dreams #priestesses

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