I really want to see Tell me to stop and Who did this to you?
or them taking care of each other if they are hurt. 🦇🌸

What do you hope to see?

Soooo I wrote the entire behemoth to post to r/ACOTAR but apparently I don't have enough karma points there yet since I'm still new. SO, I'm gonna share it with you all because I'm hoping you'll see the vision!

I'm almost done with ACOSF (on chapter 75, first time read-through). There is a conversation exchange in chapter 62 has got my brain BREWING.

Please walk with me… let’s take a bit of a journey.....

The Sister Mountains - A Trial For Each Sister

ACOSF - In chapter 62, Eris says to Nest and Cassian, "There are three of them, you know. Sister peaks.  This one [the sacred mountain], the mountain called the Prison, and the one the Illyrian brutes call Amriel. All bald, barren mountains at odds with those around them." He continues, "We don't know why they exist, but do you not find it strange that two of the three have underground palaces carved into them?...Unsuprisingly, 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."

This has got my wheels spinning, of course. Why three mountains? Why are they called the Three Sisters? The presence of the number three seems to be a reoccurring theme in ACOTAR. Three brothers, three sisters, three mountains, three stars.

So far, two out of the three sisters have completed a trial/test that culminated in a fight against a villain, resulting in that villain's death within or on one of the Sister Mountains.  For Feyre, it was Amarantha and her trials inside the Sacred Mountain.  For Nesta, it was the Blood Rite and facing off with Briallyn on Amriel.

That only leaves Elain, leaving open the possibility that she has her own trial and conflict that will take place on or in a Sister mountain.

The third mountain not yet 'conquered'  is the Prison, but that is a place that has been accessed/utilized by Feyre and Nesta as well. They both went in to retrieve/gain something powerful that would aid in an upcoming battle - Feyre recruited the Bone Carver, and Nesta retrieved the Harp.  They also both received visions while in the Prison - Feyre saw a vision of her future son, and Nesta saw the presence of a fourth Dread Trove. The Prison seems to be a place to gain/receive things of importance; so I am not entirely sure how it might contain a trial for Elain. 

The other possibility, of course, is the hidden ruins beneath Amriel. Eris's little history lesson was a giant flag for something of future importance. There is still a mountain left unexplored, just how there is a sister who's story has yet to be told.

Either way, I'm suspecting that Elain will likely have some sort of trial/test that she must endure, either having to do with her powers as a Seer, OR something she must find.

Finding an Object of Importance - The 4th Dread Trove, or Koschei's Heart?

At first I'm thinking maybe it'll be the fourth dread trove that Nesta saw in her vision; but THEN I remembered something that Elain had said in ACOWAR during her mind-muddled talk with Lucien:

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 me?"
He wasn't even sure if she truly meant to address him, but he said, "No, lady.  I cannot."

I know that in the mythology, Koschei hid away his heart like a horcux in order to be unkillable. So is it Koschei’s heart she’s hearing? The bolded words definitely make this exchange stick out for me. I truly wonder which direction the window was facing as she was looking out of it.  Did the window face towards Amriel/the Prison? She asks, “can you hear me?” Not “can you hear my heart?” As if she is speaking to someone else, calling out to them and seeing if they answer, if they know she’s there.

We know so little of her powers, there's no telling for sure what she even meant by "hearing a heart." I don't think it's a mating bond thing... I went back and looked at Rhysand's death in ACOWAR, and Feyre described it as such:

It wasn't there.
That thing that rose and fell with each breath. That echoed each heartbeat.
The mating bond.

It seems as though the mating bond, while tied to his heartbeat and breathing, doesn't allow Feyre to hear his heartbeat directly.  It seems more like a resonance, a vibration passed through the bond, which if I recall correctly, is often described as a thread. And when she was begging for Tamlin to help...

I laid my head on Rhysand's chest, listening for any kind of hearbeat through the armor.

And when she talked to Rhys, begging him to come back, her head still on his chest...

And in return... a thud sounded.
I opened my eyes. Another thud.
And then his chest rose, lifting my head with it.

The only time she's able to literally HEAR his heartbeat is when she physically has her ear to his chest.

So for Elain to hear a heartbeat beating through stone? Maybe the "forgotten melody" of book 7 is Koschei's heart, which has been hidden away for so long that there is no one left alive who could remember the sound of it. Finding it will be the key to defeating him in book 8. This means that his heart can either be in the hidden, forgotten ruins beneath Amriel, or in the Prison. The Prison is still a possibility; Nesta had told Cass that Fae had been trapped literally within the stone. Also, Eris had said the Prison had a palace carved into it, and Cassian had responded, “I’d hardly call the prison a palace. Just ask the inmates.” Eris’s response? A mocking smile.  It’s giving “you really don’t know, do you?” Vibes. (Eris, you sneaky, mysterious bastard…) Maybe it’s possible that there is more beneath the prison. After all, the harp was hiding behind a fake wall for ages. And finding Koschei’s heart in the Prison, right under everyone’s noses where they've been multiple times, has a sort of “full circle” poetry to it.

Elain's Trial

As for Elain's trial/test, I'm suspecting it would likely have something to do with her Seer powers, since we've seen and learned very little about that so far. Feyre's trial with Amarantha required her to use her wits and quick thinking - beat a wyrm, solve a riddle, stab Tamlin's stone heart, etc. Nesta's trial had to do with combat and becoming a warrior. Both Feyre and Nesta's trials were vital steps towards them stepping into their own powers and strengths. This will be the same for Elain, which is why I think it will have to do with her magic and how she's able to utilize it to establish her own agency/independence. And I'm 99% certain that Elain's trial is going to play some important part in finding Koschei's heart in book 8.

Either way, Elain is going to go through a trial and it'll take place within a Sister mountain.

Elain's Fight

Elain will also have some sort of fight/conflict. This won't be a warrior's battle like Nesta, or a battle of wits like Feyre. I think that Elain's conflict will be centered around intelligence and strategy and it’ll be magic-based, with a focus on stealth, Seeing, and maybe even a mind-magic element..? This has already been laid out with the groundwork of establishing her ability to see the future and her close connection with Azriel. For example, when she kills the king of Hybern with Azriel's Truth-Teller, she comes out of a shadow. And in ACOSF, Elain startles Nesta by how quietly she appears behind her when Nesta arrives for Winter Solstice. She's able to observe and read people exceptionally well, as evidenced by how she described the story of Nesta seducing the Duke, and during her talk with Lucien she said, "no one sees me.  Not really." (or something to that effect), I.e., she often goes unnoticed and is generally underestimated - good elements for a spy, which she can learn to use to her advantage in book 7.

Elain's Opponent - Briallyn's Spy/Spies

Now, with the presence of Briallyn's spies which was left unresolved in ACOSF, it sets us up with a like-minded opponent for Elain. We know that Briallyn's spies had infiltrated so well that they were able to identify Nesta's friends, Gwyn and Emerie. Considering that Gwyn never left the House of Wind before Nesta's chat with Briallyn while retrieving the harp, I think it's safe to say that the spy/spies are priestesses that have infiltrated the library beneath the House of Wind. This would be an incredibly impressive infiltration and would give Koschei access to a wealth of knowledge that he would need in order to free himself from the lake.

I'm putting my money on Merrill and maybe even Gwyn, although I'm suspecting Gwyn is a good person being forced into a bad situation (remember, she has a sister that supposedly died - but we also know that Koschei traps girls into swans at his lake... I need to back and double check Gwyn's story to confirm if there's a possibility that it's been left intentionally vague or not). ACOSF has reoccurring themes of wind and song/music, including Azriel’s bonus chapter. Merrill's magic is tied to the wind, which Koschei supposedly sends his messages on, per Vassa. Gwyn clearly seems to have some sort of song-power, evidenced by Nesta receiving the vision of the harp during Gwyn's singing, as well as how Azriel's shadows react to her in the BC. Merrill and Gwyn work closely together, Gwyn doing Merrill's bidding while Merrill is fervently researching for information on the Valkyries... I wonder if there's something else she's searching for too?

Overall, wind and song, forgotten knowledge and spies... it all connects and aligns with Book 7's title, A Court of Forgotten Melody.

I'm thinking Book 7 will culminate around Elain going to a Sister mountain (Amriel or the Prison), likely with help (Nuala and Cerridwen, Azriel, or maybe even the Valkyries - who are priestesses, btw) in order to master her magic through a trial of some sort which will somehow tie into finding Koschei's heart. This trial will culminate in a conflict with the main spy, likely Merrill, maybe Gwyn, although I personally love the idea of Gwyn joining Elain as a Valkyrie for protection but is secretly a spy, and ends up turning on Merrill, heh heh.

Anyway, either way, I'm having fun with this! I know these books have been out for a while, so I'm pretty sure people have already considered these things, but I'd love to hear everyone's thoughts!

As the release date of the next ACOTAR book approaches and new theories surface (based on the cover art, quotes and POVs), I think it's overshadowing the core of "who ends up with who" war. Ironically, this is a classic military strategy of creating loud chaos as a distraction so the main characters can sneak by and surprise the enemy, AKA us, the fans.

With that in mind, I want to revisit some SJM universe logic/rules + a little bit of my other reddit post. This is essentially about the intrusive thoughts that keep leading to an Azriel and Elain endgame. How they get there? Only SJM knows....

>Note: I'm sure some of these theories exist out there somewhere so this might not be new, but just maybe from a different perspective.

And remember... Like calls to like (SJM Rule #1)

Intrusive Thought #1:

"Why Tamlin/Spring Court isn't Elains endgame"

TAMLIN

I believe his actual true mate was Amarantha. Why? It goes back to the 'Like calls to like'.

This rule doesn't always apply to good people, it can be applied to the bad and ugly personalities too, even villains. They both knew each other since they were young because their parents were friends. I think Amarantha knew from the beginning and accepted what kind of person she was, whereas Tamlin was in denial because he didn't want to be painted as a villain.

Retrospectively, explains why she made his heart stone, to stop him from giving his heart to someone else.. in a toxic romantic way. This would also explain his slow decay and hatred for Feyre. In the Fae world, a male losing his mate (even a cruel one) goes feral, highly protective or mad (SJM Rule #2).

The denial part in all this, I think Tamlin didn't want to believe he was like Amarantha. Tamlins repulsion to her could have been his denial in another form to the mating bonds on a biological level, trying to avoid the classic "Am I just like my father?" They both had a misguided/twisted dominating nature. Controlling traits that Tamlin inherited from his father as did Amarantha from her father. But kept trying to choose Feyre because of what she represented, innocent at the beginning and morally righteous towards the end. Problem is, Tamlin could never be what Feyre was, what Rhysand is.

AZRIEL

The heart beating through the stone is not literally a heart of stone, but actually the Prison which is a mountain of stone. Azriel has been tied to the Prison for however long, almost trapping his heart there, due to the long exposure of abuse ​from his family. His stepmother literally locked him in a dark cell so the stone could be the walls of his cell. So how else to protect your most vulnerable assets, you lock it away instead of addressing the trauma emotionally or psychologically. Not physically speaking, but symbolically.

Instrusive Thought #2

"Would Elain become High Lady of Day Court or Dusk Court"

DAY COURT/LUCIEN

Elain has complete lack of connection to the Day Court. It is literally described as endless deserts, vast libraries of ancient knowledge, and vibrant culture. Doesn't sound too conducive to flowers and a garden, maybe a cactus. I can't really see Elain blooming in that environment.

If anything Lucien has higher odds with Gwyn for being a Valkyrie. At least then, they can take advantage of the pegasuses from the Day Court. Gwyn literally glows when she sings, very Day Court characteristic. If not as Luciens mate, then as Luciens daughter if we go with another fan theory.

DUSK COURT/ AZRIEL

With the revival of Dusk Court or at least what was, it still falls under Night Court in secret. They're not going to announce it as it technically has no High Lord, army, and civilian life. Plus the land choose the lord, not the other way around if it was going to revive to it former glory. But the Prison is essentially under Azriel domain as the Illyrians are Cassians.

Here's where the 'Like calls to like' is screaming at me. Azriel and Elain are more alike underneath the visuals opposite traits.

• Both claim to be a member of the Night Court so they aint going anywhere (e.g. Elain says "I am a member of this court" in ACOSF and Azriel for obviouslyrl reasons).
• Azriel semi sentient shadows listens to both (e.g. Azriels shadows fade or vanish entirely in her presence.) Listening to and fearing someone can be opposite sides of the same coin.
• Both are the reserved sibling of their two counter parts (e.g. Elain vs Ferye and Nesta. Azriel vs Cassian and Rhysand).
• Both pull information from different sources (e.g. Shadows and visions).

If they are bound in the future, Azriel currently knows the lands of the Prison which was originally the Dusk Court. As Ferye helps build a better Night Court for those ravage by Hyberns invasion and Nesta building her own army of warriors as to Cassians warriors of Illyrians, Elain will build something the Dusk Court/Azriel needs.

Pulling from my other post, bonds can be shifted. If Queen Theia could literally split and move Starborn power across bloodlines and realms, then the concept of moving or manipulating magical bond is possible.

Instrusive Thoughts #3

From ACOSF

>"You do not decide what I can and cannot do, Nesta," Elain said, her voice tighter than Nesta had ever heard it.

>Nesta pointed at the door. "Go back to the river house."

>"Why? Shall I tend to my little garden forever? [...] You can’t have it both ways. You cannot resent my decision to lead a small, quiet life while also refusing to let me do anything greater."

This stayed as a thorn in my side for a long time. If you strip away Elains flowery soft persona, she's a gardener. I know that didnt sound real majestic, but consider what they do and think of her garden beds as a prison. Not of flowers and vegetables, but a giant garden bed of Prythian’s most dangerous and immortal monsters.

Trait #1 The Ruthlessness of Pruning (Snipping Flowers)

To some of us, pruning is difficult because you dont know what to snip to help the growth of the plant as a whole. You're literally taking a sharp blade and cutting off living pieces of life. A master gardener knows that if you do not cut away the dead weight, the weak buds, or the overgrowth, the entire plant will rot and die.

Possibly in the future, Elain will have to decide who to sacrifice, which alliances to cut ties with, and where to draw the line to ensure the survival of her court. She already used the dagger blade to "prune" the King of Hybern. Not so soft as a flower there.

Trait #2 Eradicating the Threat (Pulling Weeds)

Weeding is annoying and not so pretty from a garden aspect. As you are using your hands to get into the gross and nasty dirt. You have to grab the parasitic plant by root and rip it out so it doesn't suck the life out of the rest of the garden. In ACOTAR, Feyre specifically observed Elain tending to her plants, pulling up weeds, and finding immense joy in the dirt.

If the weeds represent the enemies, the hidden spies, and the dark entities (aka Koschei) threatening Prythian. Elain doesn't mind getting her hands dirty. While others might debate and hesitate as a 'righteous' council. Elain’s strength to dig into the dirt, find the root of the problem, and destroy it entirely might be a asset in the future.

Trait #3 Deciding the Limits (The Garden Box as a Prison Cell)

The garden box being a metaphor for a prison cell or of its ecosystem as a whole. A gardener has to decide how much sunlight a plant gets, how much space it is allowed, and where its borders end. Since Elain is Cauldron made as are the Dread Trove, she can wield the Harp like Nesta who favors the Mask. She can remake the Prison as she sees fit to house her plants aka the ancient and dangerous entities. Which is her 'anything greater'.

That is, if Elain and Azriel are destined to revive and rule the Dusk Court / Prison. It requires a warden who understands how to box things in, set boundaries, and manage a ecosystem of dark forces. Maybe leveraging it to gain a bountiful harvest of favors as long has they're happy and fed in their little boxes.

Funny After Thoughts

As Feyre unknowingly painted "twining vines of flower" on the drawer, we think of softness in comparison to Nestas flame. But in the world of botany and gardening, vines are notorious for actively "choking out" and killing their competition.