I've been seeing a lot of discourse today between Elriels and Gwynriels regarding theories about Elain vs Gwyn ending up as the High Lady of the Dusk Court.

I haven't seen much of the Gwynriel side of the theory, but from what I gather, the Elriel side of the theory seems to point to Elain being the one who will awaken the island where the Prison is, restoring it to the former glory of the Dusk Court.

I feel like I may be missing something, however. This storyline belongs to Bryce.

Most plainly put: 

>“This place, this Prison and the court it had once been, was Bryce’s inheritance. Hers to command, as Silene had commanded it.” (HOFAS 23)

But for the sake of thoroughness (as well as because I'm a masochist and I enjoy doing this), I'll break it down further:

The imagery tying Bryce to Dusk even starts as early and inconsequentially as her nail color in HOEAB: 

>Hunt glanced down at their hands, her dusk-painted nails contrasting with the deep gold of his skin. (HOEAB 35)

Night blooming purple flowers bloom for her, both in HOEAB and HOFAS, as remarked by Hunt:

>Tendrils of night-blooming purple flowers unfurled around her in answer, despite the daylight. Had it always been leading toward this? In the night garden, before they were attacked by the kristallos all those months ago, he could have sworn the flowers had opened for her. Were they sensing this power, the dusk-born heritage in her veins? (HOFAS 65)

Then, in the HOEAB epilogue, we learn that Bryce is the heir of Theia, the last Starborn Queen, and that she bears Theia’s starlight in a conversation between Jesiba and Aidas:

>“I thought Theia’s light was forever extinguished.” “So did I. I thought they’d made sure she and her power died on that last battlefield under Prince Pelias’s blade.” His eyes glowed with ancient rage. “But Bryce Quinlan bears her light.”

This is further confirmed by Aidas in HOSAB:

>Aidas’s eyes glowed like blue stars. “I remember the last Starborn Queen, Theia, and her powers.” He seemed to shudder. “Your light is her light. I’d recognize that luster anywhere. I’m assuming you have her other gifts as well.” (HOSAB 15)

Bryce's power is Theia's power, and she is Theia's heir.

In HOFAS, we learn that Theia was also High Lady of the Dusk Court prior to going to Midgard, as she bore the land’s power:

>"Thus the land’s powers became my mother’s. Dusk, twilight—that’s what the island was in its long-buried heart, what her power bloomed into, the lands rising with it. It was, as she said, as if the island had a soul that now blossomed under her care, nurtured by the court she built here." (HOFAS Ch. 19)

The Dusk Court land's power became Theia's power. And Bryce has inherited Theia's power. Bryce has the power of the Dusk Court.

The Dusk Court is Bryce’s inheritance as heir to Theia:

Silene says this of what she was told by Theia: "But more than that, she told me many times that she and her heirs were the only ones worthy of tending this island." (HOFAS Ch. 19)

And she also says a bit later: 

>"To leave this account for one whose blood will summon it, child of my child, heir of my heir. To you—I leave my story, your story. To you, in this very stone, I leave the inheritance and the burden that my own mother passed to me." (HOFAS Ch. 21)

>“This place, this Prison and the court it had once been, was Bryce’s inheritance. Hers to command, as Silene had commanded it.” (HOFAS 23)

Bryce is the one who can awaken the Dusk Court, and the island is explicitly referred to as Bryce's mountain.

>From far away, she could sense it: the things lurking within the mountain, her mountain. (HOFAS Ch. 22)

However, Bryce chooses at that time to not fully awaken the island, because then the prisoners would escape.

>Twisted, wretched creatures. Some had been here since Silene had trapped them. Had been contemplating their escape and revenge all this time. She’d let them out if she restored the mountain to its former glory. (HOFAS Ch. 22)

>And in that moment, the mountain—the island—spoke to her. Alone. It was so alone—it had been waiting all this time. Cold and adrift in this thrashing gray sea. If she could reach out, if she could open her heart to it … it might ***sing*** again. Awaken. There was a beating, vibrant heart locked away, far beneath them. If she freed it, the land would rise from its slumber, and such wonders would spring again from its earth. (HOFAS Ch. 22)

I highlight the word "sing" because people associate it with both Gwyn, a singer, and with Elain, who they tie to the "sing me" portion in the Book of Breathings prophecy.

>"Hello, sweet thing. Hello, lady of night, princess of decay. Hello, fanged beast and trembling fawn. Love me, touch me, sing me." (ACOMAF Ch. 57)

This also ties in with the "three mountains for three sisters" theory, where each Archeron sister will be tied to one of the three sacred mountains. Elain is speculated to be tied to the mountain where the Prison/Dusk Court is. But this particular mountain belongs to Bryce.

And I have seen theories that Elain will revive "the singing land", as in the Dusk Court.

But again, Bryce is the one to do that. "If she could reach out, if she could open her heart to it … it might ***sing*** again. Awaken."

At the point we're at in the timelines, post-HOFAS, the closest we get to the current status of the Prison/Dusk Court is this, while Bryce and Hunt talk about how she awakened Avallen, and how she may have also awakened the Prison/Dusk Court due to its suspected connection with Avallen:

>“I think it’s what the Prison—the island in the Fae’s home world—once was. When Theia ruled it, I mean. Before Silene fucked it all up. Maybe they’re linked in some way through being thin places and spilled over to each other a bit. Maybe back in that other world … maybe I woke up the land around the Prison, too.” (HOFAS Ch. 65)

Further, later in the book, a new island has emerged in Avallen:

>The surge of magic that had resulted had been intense enough that apparently a whole new island had risen in Avallen—as if the island was now bound to her very soul. (HOFAS Ch. 102)

**IF** Avallen and the Prison are connected, that could imply that it as well is bound to Bryce’s soul.

During Bryce's last visit to Prythian in HOFAS, Chapter 100, to retrieve her parents and return Truthteller, nothing about the status of the Prison/Dusk Court is mentioned. It is a relatively brief visit, however. 

What does happen is that Bryce gives the Starsword/Gwydion to Nesta.

>But Bryce began backing toward the portal, taking Hunt’s hand, and smiled again at the female, at her mate, at their world, as the Northern Rift began to close. “I think that eight-pointed star was tattooed on you for a reason. Take that sword and go figure out why.” (HOFAS Ch. 100)

So, here's what we're left with going into ACOTAR 6:

-Avallen was confirmed to be awoken by Bryce, and she speculates whether, since the lands may be linked as "thin places", that the island in Prythian may have been awoken too. (I'd be interested to see how that affects the prisoners. Are they loose in Prythian now?) 

-The island and mountain that hold the Prison and former Dusk Court belongs to Bryce.

-Theia's magic was the Dusk Court's magic, the High Lady of Dusk’s magic.

-Bryce now has Theia's magic as her heir.

-Bryce is, therefore, the rightful High Lady of the Dusk Court. 

-As it stands at the ending of HOFAS, Bryce seems disinclined to be a ruler herself. This is stated by her several times throughout the series, but most briefly evidenced by her abolishing the fae royal houses: Thus, with the stroke of the Autumn King’s golden pen, the royal bloodlines of the Fae were wiped from existence. (HOFAS Ch. 102)

*-*While Bryce's feelings may change in the future towards ruling, or perhaps she may have no choice, the title is rightfully hers as of this point in time.

-If anyone who isn't Bryce has ties to the Dusk Court, it would be Nesta, who:

1. Once bore a tattoo of the eight-pointed star, the symbol of the Starborn/Dusk Court.

2. Now carries the Starsword/Gwydion, which, as Aidas states: “That sword belongs to Theia’s female heir." (HOSAB 15)

3. Is encouraged by Bryce to "Take that sword and go figure out why" the eight-pointed star was tattooed on her.

4. Is tied to Bryce via their time together in Prythian, and is trusted enough by Bryce to leave her parents in Prythian with her.

None of this is intended as a slight to either Elain or Gwyn, both of whom I am very outspoken about adoring.

Could either of them get involved in the Dusk Court's return? Sure, absolutely. Anything is possible.

But as far as it stands now, a storyline leading to the reawakening of Dusk ties back to Bryce.

A final proposal, based on all that has been said here. While canon-based, this is pure opinion and speculation on my part:

ACOTAR 6, with its rumored dusky purple palette, would be the perfect time to explore Nesta’s connection to the Dusk Court. Given its shorter length compared to book 7, it would be a well-suited plot to serve as a bridge between all we learned in HOFAS and all we can expect in the next ACOTAR story arc. Like ACOFAS, it could have some familiar POVs as well as bringing in whatever new POV characters we can expect.
Please don’t yell, I’m not at all trying to take away Elain’s book. Elain WILL get her book and I can’t wait to read it. Again, this would be like ACOFAS leading into Nesta’s story in ACOSF.

Thank you for coming to my TEDTalk.

Art: renata.watsonn

We have seen several mated males across the entire Maasverse (and many we can infer also count).

Mated males, upon meeting their mate, stop being interested in anyone else. It is usually instant or close to it (at least drawn to their mate instantly) and then they stop being interested in anyone else.

Mates Males:

Rhys - forced to be with Amarantha but not actually interested in anyone after meeting Feyre

Cassian - nobody but Nesta for 2 years waiting for her to come around

Lucien - instantly identifies Elain as his mate, blinks off to give her space & is loving with Jurian & Vassa but to our knowledge, the only one he wants at this point is Elain (aside from memories of his former love)

Rowan - only Aelin (aside from memories of his former love he was tricked into believing was his mate)

Ruhn - only Lidia once he meets Dayn despite being a frat boy playboy before

Baxian - only Danika (counts because he's a shifter, not just an Angel where mates are in name only)

Aidas - still misses Theia 15k years later

Connor (believes Bryce is his mate) - devoted to her/waited 5 years for that date

Mated females after meeting their mates:

Feyre - still with Tamlin for awhile, jokes about other males in front of Rhys

Nesta - sleeps with a bunch of guys who are not Cassian in an effort to keep him at arm's length during her depression

Elain - mourns the loss of Graysen and is interested in Azriel while keeping Lucien at arm's length/believing him to be responsible for her new life

Aelin - questions where she left things with Chaol before letting go & letting Rowan in

Lidia - forced to be with Pollux

Danika - stopped dating/sleeping around (likely clicked fast due to being a wolf mate)

Bryce - agrees to date with Connor but fools around with someone else at the club; starts something with Hunt & flirts with Tharion, insists on an injured Ithan sleeping in her bed (kicking Hunt out for the night!) etc.

Likely Mated Males:

Lorcan - only Elide, ties life to her

Aedion - only Lysandra, will wait however long for her

Note: Angels are mates in name only but Baxian is also a shifter. And Aidas is a POH but fits the pattern (so far as we know) but one of these things is not like the others....

Angel mate

Hunt - chosen/angel mates (name only/marriage albeit without a ceremony, just declared) but still attracted to other females after meeting Bryce, is away from her for almost 2 years & is then upset having to work with her until much later, insulting to her etc.

He does EVENTUALLY get feral (to the extreme) BEFORE they seal the deal, and more like Tamlin with his anger management issues, but then also...doesn't react at times? Tharion KISSED BRYCE when she was learning to teleport and he LAUGHED?! But he is prepared to fry Ruhn, Flynn and Tharion (people who matter to Bryce) without a thought because he's in feral mate mode protecting Bryce from danger from - checks notes - the Hind who did NOT follow them onto the Depth Charger & everyone's being nice rescuing them. And again, they hadn't skept together yet. (So which is it?)

(Yes Rhys threatens Nesta but he always calms down/someone runs interference, and when he was in feral mate mode initially he had Cassian help him take the edge off. Hunt stayed psychotic when Bryce was no longer in danger until she BROKE THEIR BARGAIN and appeased him with sex...like Feyre/Tamlin when it was the only thing holding them together but less toxic in other ways at least? OK at times but not RIGHT?

Note: I do like Hunt, i just don't love them together and think it likely that she IS his endgame but he is NOT hers (& definitely not her mate)! I'll probably even be a bit sad watching it fall apart as they did have moments & it'll probably be tragic, but they're not mates & deserve better. They're just not on the same page no matter how badly they want to be & they KEEO QUESTIONING IT for a reason.

Accepting the bond (AKA food):

We don't see these moments across everyone but we have seen it a few times, most notably:

Rhys & Feyre - Rhys explains how the female accepts the bond and Feyre makes him soup, can read thoughts

Cassian & Nesta - discuss what Cassian would like to have to show that she accepts the bond (a biscuit or a big party)

Rowan & Aelin - Rowan freaks out when Aelin brings him soup when he still believes himself to have been mated & feels guilty about it. (Unclesr if same rules apply in Erilea but basing it on Rowan's reaction), seem to be able tonread thoughts

Hunt & Bryce ? - an entire scene of her cooking food for him while they open up to each other (a la Rhys & Feyre) and then...nothing. They eat and that's it. No frenzy post-accepting the bond a la Rhys & Feyre. In fact, they have a bargain to wait for severally months, are living together, and are not intimate in that way for awhile, definitely CANNOT read thoughts.

Azriel after meeting his potential love interests

Mor - has a thing for her for 500 years but frequented pleasure halls (discreetly) & had his fair share of lovers

Elain - still has a thing for Mor for awhile before changing to his attraction to Elain (who ALREADY HAS A MATE)

Gwyn - he saved her 2 years ago & didn't see her again until recently, but still has a thing for Elain een after spending time with Gwyn

**6 months later (?) - HOFAS**

Bryce - **holds her hand 8 times/**can't stop reaching for her (uncharacteristic of him given his scars vs the one time with Elain & feeling unworthy of touching Elain or Mor), watches her sleep, can hear her thoughts, knows where her injuries are, risks his wings to protect her, mated weapons, prophecy, protects & gets to know her parents, etc., and she differentiates between types of mates - wolf (Connor), angel (Hunt - in name only, more like a marriage), and fae (cough cough Azriel).

Wings

Several of our "mated" males risk their wings for someone:

Rhys gets shot, Cassian is injured in battle, Hunt dives out of a helicopter, and Azriel gets injured multiple times for various people because he's protective.

HUNT'S WINGS GROW BACK. AZRIEL'S DO NOT!

Azriel is a "good male"

Azriel is protective of females in general. This seems to stem from how his mother was treated and pops up at odd times but he also champions them, trains them, and encourages / answers to them. This isn't a mate thing. He's just a good male. (Like Rhys setting up the library, Cassian fighting for improvements for Illyrian females etc.)

But let's look at the things he's done that usually are mistaken as mate behavior.

• Getting injured by Hybern (Mor; it's Lucien that lunges for Elain when she's thrown in the Cauldron)
• Going to rescue Elain along with Feyre (saving his High Lady, her sister, and Briar)
• Snapping at Eris for how he treats Mor
• Starting the fight at the High Lord's meeting (FEYRE - aka not a mate thing)
• Gwyn & the priestesses at Sangravah (destroys everyone who took part in what they did at the temple)
• Elain at dinner (she's in a similar situation to his mother & it triggers memories for him)

(Obviously he's not connected to Feyre but has strong reactions, but as shown above, he didn't immediately stop reacting to any of the others until he met Bryce. To be fair we haven't seen his behavior AFTER meeting Bryce yet, but meeting Elain didn't erase Mor, meeting Gwyn didn't erase Elainn etc. He's just a good male & champion of women he respects.)

Mated Males & Gifts

Rhys - sends Feyre music to keep her from breaking (Rhys gives a gazillion gifts but that's an important one)

Cassian - 2nd gift for Nesta where he recorded music for her since she loves it (1st gift was thoughtful but Nesta never even saw it as she wasn't ready to accept it yet).

Lucien - his 1st gift to Elain is similar to Cassian's 1st for Nesta (something related to her hobby but rejected for the time being); still in limbo but fits part of the pattern so far so throwing it in since he did focus on her hobby. To be fairn Tamlin did the same for Feyre but it was for HUMAN Feyre & actually showed that he DIDNT know her anymore, where as Nesta still loves reading & Elain loves gardening, so it's more similar to Nesta than Feyre and the future remains unknown.

Azriel & Elain - their gifts to each other are thoughtful & amusing. She even makes him laugh. But specifically his gifts (TT & the necklace) are BOTH returned and neither is MUSIC. And then the necklace is given to someone else (Gwyn) but TT itself is connected to BRYCE.

Music has always been important with SJM. She even said thst if someone doesn't like music they're "probably evil."

Sam gives Celaena sheet music, Rowan plans to help her build a better workd including a theater that helped her through hard times as a kid, Rhys sends Feyre music when she's breaking in her cell, and Cassian records all Nesta's favorites from not only the event they attended but also the tavern music when Nesta hit rock bottom post-ACOWAR.

When Hunt is working out with Bryce, he's listening to a memoir and calls her music "sadssck" - the duo she loves to listen to who have gotten her through all the ups & downs of her life and helped her when she was broken.

Then in the bonus chapter of HOFAS, Bryce bonds with Nesta & Az by sharing her music. She knows the phone battery is dying and she's about to be cutoff from home and continues to share that with them anyway. She shares her favorite - the duo who got her through the roughest of times.

And when the phone dies and she is truly cutoff from everything and everyone in Midgard, including her "mate," Azriel continues humming her favorite song for her in the tunnels.

We also know that he frequents "pleasure halls" and she loves thr club/dancing so they'd have fun & he could loosen up/stop hiding out. Cassian learned to dance because Nesta loves it. Az loves clubbing like Bryce does (who also loves to dance). Win-win!

Azriel's Shadows

We admittedly have a lot to learn about shadowsingers and this is conjecture/pointing out the patterns we do have.

Elain - shadows hide (often attributed to her being "light" but could be anything including cause for concern

Gwyn - his shadows dance when she sings (she is thought to be a lightsinger and her voice has an affect on others as seen by Nesta's reaction and accidental scrying as well), and when she asks him if he sings, he says yes but doesn't demonstrate

Bryce - his shadows sit up & pay attention, and he goes "rigid" (just like Rhys did UTM in shock)

Ultimately we don't know much about his shadows. Is it better for them to go away or are they part of him that need to be accepted? If it's a good thing for them to disappear with the light, Bryce is more light than Elain is and we have more Light & Dark connections between Bryce & Az as well. She was lit up multiple times and the shadows just went into puppy mode tilting their heads trying to figure her out. Neon sign for Az that she's different so pay attention!

Azriel's behavior:

Azriel's behavior around Bryce is very different than how he is with the others. While there HAVE BEEN moments with the others that COULD have signaled mates at that point in time, they have since been discounted by the continued interactions with others. Whether you count Gwyn or not (he hasn't really encouraged it & has been friendly - she's the one with the crush), the fact remains that his interactions with BRYCE do not match the pattern of a male who is already mated.

They take place several months after HOFAS and he states he's single. Are Elain fans actually OK with him being unable to stop holding Bryce's hands every 5 seconds and humming for her, watching her sleep, reading her thoughts etc??

Same goes for Gwyn - why want him with someone else if he's acting this way with someone he just met?? Holding hands 8 TIMES and watching her sleep? Begging her not to go?

Have they just not read CC? I admit it's easy to miss at first and I wasn't sold on it either. I actually thought after ACOSF it would be zgwyn and that was that. A lot of the dialogue is easy to twist or sounds more threatening than romantic and I didn't dream the crossover would be this big or that there would be THIS MANY subtle moments that are SUPEE QUESTIONABLE when you spell it out and then have to try to defend his behavior of he's going to be pursuing someone else who is hopefully his mate! (Even if she's not shebdeserves better than this behavior! Cassian's weirdness around Mor once Nesta entered the picture was bad enough but uktimately just awkward new dynamics, not romantic & nothing compared to how Hunt treats Bryce or how Azriel is behaving around Bryce if he's still hoping to be with someone else!)

But if bonus chapters count (they do!) then the MOST RECENT ONES have Azriel humming Bryce,'s favorite song (that Hunt made fun of), and meeting & protecting her parents (& winning them over!). We're told how well Bryce thinks he'd fit in in her world and get along with her brother (one of the MOST important people to her) and his friends (no mention of fitting in with her "MATE" but picturing him hanging out in Midgard?! Also no mention of their scents being similar - reveal for another day? You'd think she wouldhave noticed...) and we already know he's down for going to the club with her!

Nesta's eyes were bugging out observing him with Bryce. If she thought he was mated to her SISTER or one of her BEST FRIENDS do you think she'd be encouraging this / returning the favor of playing chaperone/teasing him watching these interactions??

Bryce is in her Celaena era - still hung up on Chaol & unsure what to think with Rowan while unwilling to step up and accept her birthright. Really a combination of that and a Feyre who went through with the wedding to the non-mate (but at least Hunt begrudgingly steps up/is mostly supportive.)

Hunt/Bryce question their mate status constantly (mates are not a question!!) just like Aelin asked questions about Chaol & Feyre about Tamlin) & at this point seem miserable/not on the same page a lot of the time. Aside from the ominous foreshadowing in general, they also call each other friends a LOT (another point in the Chaol column) once they stop hating each other early on in their relationship. And when first asked about them SJM said they were mates (they are, just angel mates) & endgame "if they both survive" & proceeds with foreshadowing for Orion/showing they aren't on the same page. (And then the wild body language on CHD after reminding us that she's had to pretend before with other couples to not apply things and that sometimes she thinks it'll go one way and then someone walks on the page (cue crossover & cosmic intergalactic travel paralleling another mated pair)!

In Conclusion:

One of these things is not like the others...

In my opinion, Azriel's behavior with Bryce negates any of his other options for love interests because it doesn't fit the pattern of a mated male. While the other options HAD their moments, every time I circle back to the crossover, I just can't reconcile his behavior around Bryce with the idea of him being with anyone else.

(And frankly, I can't see the guy who said "Be careful how you speak about my High Lady"/attacking Eris for talking about how Mor dresses - comments that Hunt says about his OWN "mate" - DISRESPECTING his actual mate by behaving the way he does with Bryce if he's already found her! He wants a mate so badly and yes, lusts after Elain for a bit, but he's also kind, respectful, polite, and protective. There's just no way! Mated males attach first & stop wanting anyone else, even if they respectfully back off/feel rejected for awhile. They just don't persue anyone else. I'd be just as upset with him as I cringe with Hunt at times if it turns out it was supposed to be someone else at this point!)

Reminder: we have yet to see Az's inner thoughts on any of what went down in HOFAS. We don't know what the IC was saying to each other. We don't know what he thinks in those moments. We don't even know what the his first words really were.

What we DO know is their blades are a mates pair, she landed right in front of him a la Theia/Aidas, he can hear her thoughts, he watched her sleep, she worried about WHO DID THIS TO HIM? (when she saw his scarred hands that affected her), he couldn't STOP holding her hands or reaching for them (which is a big deal for him!) and he liked what he saw when she went into the FREEZING COLD WATER in a white shirt and called it out!!

And that he is a spymaster & she was his prisoner but he was kind and gentle and had her out on the blindfold because he had to take her somewhere so she could be interrogated. And held her hand / worried about her injuries. Typical soymaster behavior towards a prisoner right?? I didnt see Nesta holding her hands through the caves when Az was in the shadows...

But sure. He's TOTALLY MATED to someone else that he's already met despite this being several years/months of being around Elain & Gwyn at this point. (And if he's still trying to get with one of them, saying things like that/acting like that in front of the ONE PERSON connected to both who woukd totally say something and is watching him like a hawk makes total sense...)

I don't know how HOFAS wasn't at least a little bit concerning to the other ships based on the above unless they're basing it on CC not existing but it does and is the most recent information we have so...

TL;DR (Sorry it's so long!) I compared fae, wolf, shifter-angel & POH mated males with her angel "mate" & I think it eliminates any other contenders for Az aside from Bryce based on his behavior.

Here me out..... what ifffff the necklace has always been intended for Bryce? What if "a thing of secret, lovely beauty" is actually Bryce? Lets get into it....

I am going to focus in on House of Earth and Blood since that is the book that came out just before Silver Flames. SJM has said there are clues throughout the bonus chapter for Azriel's path and I believe these clues lead to Bryce.

As we know Azriel gifts Elain a necklace with a rose pendant. The necklace is described as such...

"The golden necklace seemed ordinary - its chain unremarkable, the amulet tiny enough that it could be dismissed as an everyday charm. It was a small, flat rose fashioned of stained glass, designed so that when held to the light, the true depth of the colors would become visible. A thing of secret, lovely beauty."

AND

"The golden faelight shone through the little glass facets, setting the charm glowing with hues of red and pink and white"

We know Elain is associated with flowers and roses and I will not deny that here. What I do want to point out is that we often forget about another character who is associated with roses and that is no other than our girl Bryce. I have also seen roses in some of the marketing for the upcoming books so I do find this relevant.

Bryce and The Necklace

Bryce has a considerable connection to roses as shown throughout HOEAB - Five Roses, The Rose Gate and the Autumn King's villa is quite literally covered in roses. Bryce herself is quite similar to a rose. She is constantly described as beautiful but most definitely has her thorns lol.

If we fast forward to HOFAS Bryce literally has roses blooming around her...

"Hunt found Bryce sitting atop the ruins of what had once been a tower, tangles of blooming vines and roses all around her. A beautiful, surreal place for a Fae Queen to rest."

The necklace is stained glass which filters light of the colours red, pink and white. Bryce is the embodiment of light and I find a stained glass pendant an interesting choice! She is also associated with the colours red, pink and white. We know Bryce is a redhead and is connected to the colour red and pink through the three CC books. There is even a scene in HOEAB where she is wearing a "rose pink" dress and Hunt goes quite feral over it... even describing how good she looks in that colour...

"She looked beautiful today, in a rose-pink dress, pearls at her ears, and hair swept back on either side with matching pearl combs"

"But that pink dress... it had him distracted all day"

"...and it was like that colour pink was the fucking Horn and he was a kristallos demon"

Bryce's light is also frequently described as a white light. I will get more to that as well!

Elain is associated with spring and pastel colours while Gwyn is associated with teals and blues. Elain was more closely tied to pinks in the earlier ACOTAR books... in silver flames she shifted to wearing purple and lilacs (no more pink). I would bet this shift was intentional.

A Thing of Secret, Lovely Beauty

I keep coming back to this line and how it must be important. It is quoted twice in the bonus chapter - verbatim. Some argue it shows Azriel's shifting affection from Elain to Gwyn buuutttt.... regifting a necklace that was bought for another woman, a necklace that has symbolism attached to that previous woman and then thinking the exact same thoughts about her in relation to a new woman is just not cute OR romantic. SJM does write compelling romance and there are soooo many ways she should have shown this shift while still using a necklace. I will get to more on that and Gwyn in a bit!

Bryce's light was described as secret and beautiful/awe-inspiring in HOEAB. Here are some interesting quotes from her flashback scene after the motorcycle crash with Danika...

"White, blinding light ruptured from her, unleashed from a secret place in her heart"

"Slowly, carefully she spooled the light back into herself. Smothered it, the secret she and her parents had kept for so long"

Annnndddd one more...

"She would have kept this burning, shining secret inside her until her dying day"

There are many examples of Bryce's starborn light and fae royalty being kept secret all through HOEAB. I find it interesting the first time "secret, lovely beauty" is referenced is after Azriel describes the light shining through the necklace...

If we jump to HOFAS I know there are many of us that believe Bryce, Nesta and Azriel are all aware of the mating bond between Azriel and Bryce. Maybe foreshadowing to a secret they are all going to be carrying....

WHOA WHOA What About Gwyn and Elain?

I believe SJM essentially shuts down Elriel in the bonus chapter (lust not love) and is alluding to Gwyn having powers/using her as a red-herring. I am sure lots of people are already aware of all of this but figured I would quickly spew out some of my thoughts while I am here!!

An interesting parallel in this chapter is the topic of touch. We have Azriel's feelings of guilt and shame when touching Elain. He is thinking this when putting the necklace on her...

"...never blatant unrestricted touching. Wrong - it was so wrong"

Maybe what is also wrong is that the necklace is actually made for someone else...

In the next part of the BC he does not touch Gwyn even though they are training together. This could have easily been a classic layup in romance writing. He was demonstrating some movements with his own blade while correcting her. He could have easily put his arm or hand on Gwyn to help correct her and get the movements right. SJM could have shown that Azriel feels comfortable with Gwyn and can touch her without the feeling of shame that occur with Elain. SJM knows what she is doing with romance writing and that touch/proximity are key. We don't get that with Gwyn. But who do we get that with? Bryce. We all know that Azriel holds Bryce's hand MULTIPLE times throughout HOFAS. No guilt or shame.

I think if SJM really wanted to go for a narrative shift using a necklace she wouldn't have chosen a necklace that was symbolic of Elain (....or Bryce). It would have made sense for Azriel to have chosen a necklace that was actually more symbolic of Gwyn. This would have demonstrated that Azriel doesn't really understand Elain and that he has deeper subconscious feelings for Gwyn. This would have easily teed up a "it was always meant for her" moment with Gwyn and made the entire situation less icky. Not a romance writer here but this seems obvious.

I do think Azriel was in some kind of trance during the last scene in the BC. We know he goes to the library at 7PM when the priestesses are singing. We know that Gwyn's voice holds power - she glows and put Nesta into a trance to find the harp. She included this detail about time on purpose. Azriels says he "found himself" at the library, had a vision of sorts and then the repetitive language gives off a trance like vibe to me. I do not think Gwyn is bad and not doing these things on purpose. My crackpot thinking (I can feel the Gwynriel's already coming for me... I come in peace I swear and I know this part is pretty out there!!!) is that Azriel could even be experiencing a sort of distorted vision of Bryce (similar to how Rhys saw murky visions of Feyre before they actually met).

"Something sparked in Azriel's chest" is frequently brought up and an argument for a mate bond with Gwyn. It is interesting because this line is pretty much used in HOEAB...

"Something bright sparked in her chest" is said by Bryce right after Hunt gives her a gift - an Opal. She also tries to give it back similar to how Azriel says any of the priestesses can have the necklace. I find it a BIG coincidence that "sparks in chest" is used to describe gifts/similar scene. NOW I do NOT think Hunt and Bryce are mates and that this is a good omen for Gwyn/Az lol. There are many comparisons about Gwyn/Azriel and Bryce/Hunt... Some interesting theories about what that could mean.

FINALLY....

I will leave it at this. This is the final paragraphs in Azriel's chapter...

"Something sparked in Azriel's chest, but he only nodded his thanks and left. He could picture it, though, as he ascended the stairs back to the House proper. How Gwyn's teal eyes might light upon seeing the necklace. For whatever reason... he could see it.

But Azriel tucked away his thought, consciously erasing the slight smile it brought to his face. Buried the image deep down, where it glowed quietly.

A thing of secret, lovely beauty"

Compared to Bryce's bonus chapter from HOSAB and the final paragraphs...

"It was only when she was walking up the steps of the archives that she realized she was still smiling. That all thoughts of the luncheon had faded away.

Hunt had done that to her. She'd never stop being grateful for it - for him. Bryce's heart tightened and something brighter than starlight filled her veins.

It remained, shimmering and secret, glowing inside her for the rest of the day"

These final paragraphs in the bonus chapter go nearly beat for beat. They would have been written fairly close together and there is no doubt SJM knew what she was doing here. Even the ascending up stairs from a library/archive. Secrets, glowing, smiling.... it is all there.

We talk a lot about Azriel's bonus chapter and how it relates to Gwyn and Elain... I think there is definitely arguments to be made that is could be in reference to Bryce as well.