Previously, the High Lord meeting is not going great. Feyre tried to murder Eris, then Feyre tried to murder Beron. Diplomacy!
A Court of Wings and Ruin: Chapter 46
Beron shields himself from Feyre using his own fire powers against him. The other High Lords jump up in surprise because – oh, shit, Feyre has Beron’s magic powers? How did she get Beron’s powers? Goodness, imagine if she had everyone’s–
[I] sent a wave of water from the reflection pond to encircle Beron and his chair. A bubble without air.
Uhhhh Feyre….
I’d kill him. Kill him and gladly be done with it. […]
I bared my teeth and sent a fist of white light punching into that fiery shield
FEYRE THIS IS A LITTLE EXCESSIVE
—the white light of Day
YEAH WE KNOW BUT THANK YOU FOR SPELLING OUT HOW UNNECESSARY IT WAS TO USE ALL OF THE POWERS YOU SECRETLY HAVE
Rhysand at last manages to convince Feyre to stand down (ironically by reminding her that she can kill him if she wants, but then Eris will take his place, which, honestly, I kind of like). But the jig is up.
“That was how you got through my wards,” Tarquin murmured. […]
Helion rubbed his jaw as he sat down once more. “I wondered where it went—that little bit. So small—like a fish missing a single scale. ”
Everyone turns to Tamlin and asks him if he knew that Feyre had a little bit of everyone’s powers after they resurrected her, and Tamlin’s just like “so?” and everyone’s like “huh good point, let’s be mad at Feyre now”.
Beron insults Feyre again and Rhysand attacks him with his super Rhysand powers because Rhysand is more powerful than anyone in the history of time, and Beron decides he is extremely done with this shit.
Beron shot to his feet, not bothering to brush off the dust, and declared to no one in particular, “This meeting is over. I hope Hybern butchers you all.”
But Nesta rose from her chair. “This meeting is not over.”
Even Beron paused at her tone.
Friends, I regret to inform you that this is the worst chapter of A Court of Wings and Ruin yet, because this is where our beloved “I really don’t want to be in this story, everyone fuck off” Nesta turns into the character who (deep sigh) gives inspirational speeches about compassion for others and the decency of man. I wish I were joking.
“You are all that there is between Hybern and the end of everything that is good and decent.” She settled her stare on Beron, unflinching and fierce. “You fought against Hybern in the last war. Why do you refuse to do so now? […]
“Too long,” Nesta said. “For too long have humans beneath the wall suffered and died while you in Prythian thrived. […] If you fight for anything—fight now, to protect those you forgot. Let them know they’re not forgotten. Just this once.”
NESTA WHY YOU WERE THE ONLY ONE WHO HATED EVERYONE IN THIS BOOK AS MUCH AS I DO
“What I care about”
WHY DO YOU CARE ABOUT THINGS GODDAMMIT NESTA WHY DO YOU HAVE TO BE THE ONE PERSON IN THIS BOOK WHO HAS CHARACTER GROWTH
“What I care about is the road ahead. What I care about is making sure no children—Fae or human—are harmed. You have been entrusted with protecting this land.” She scanned the faces around her. “How can you not fight for it?”
Despite there being no previously revealed reason why he would ever act this way, Beron says he’ll think about it. His family disappears, with Eris disappearing last with “something conflicted dancing over his face”, because I guess we’re really supposed to wonder if Eris is actually an asshole or just pretending to be an asshole, because this story really needs us to believe that there’s a difference between the two things.
The drama quickly subsides after that as Tarquin announces that, well, Feyre saved all of them so losing a “a kernal of power seems a worthy payment”. Feyre reminds them that she didn’t take their power but they gave it to her.
“I will use these powers—my powers—to smash Hybern to bits. […] You gave it to me, along with the gift of my immortal life. I am grateful for both. But they are mine now. And I will do with them what I will.”
lol ok calm down Feyre Rand.
The High Lords don’t really react, but all their wives stand up and announce that they’ll fight by Feyre’s side, and then the men decide they’re good with it too, which is maybe the closest we’ve gotten to having strong, empowered female characters since, like, the first book in this series? (Although I will entertain arguments for that time Feyre started a class war just to get back at her ex.)
Chapter 47
The meeting runs late and Thesan invites everyone to spend the night in his palace.
“Aw yeah, I bet something secksiii is gonna happen,” you might be thinking. Dear reader. This is ACOTAR. Of course something secksii happens.
In their private room, the Night Course superfriends all gossip about all the diplomacy that… sort of happened.
“If all the others are allying,” Mor said hoarsely, her first words in hours, “Beron will join. He’s too smart to risk siding with Hybern and losing.”
THEN WHY. DID WE SPEND. ALL THIS TIME. ASDFGHJKLQRGHGHHH
Helion shows up to hang out at the sleepover, and, hey, guess what, he’s also pretending to be a dick all the time!
Rhys laughed and opened the door wider, beckoning him in. “You’ve really mastered the swaggering prick performance, by the way. Expertly done.” […]
“Apologies for the bastard act,” he said to me. “Old habits and all. […] You were on unnaturally nice behavior today. […]”
“My mate suggested it would be in our favor to appear as we truly are.”
“Well, now I look as bad as Beron.”
IS ANYONE IN THIS BOOK ACTUALLY JUST KIND OF A DICK AND THAT’S IT?
And just like that, we’re done with politics as Hellion immediately reminds Morrigan that he propositioned her for a threesome four centuries ago. Mor jokes that she doesn’t like to share, but immediately starts posing seductively for Hellion, and they start giving each other eyes. Feyre actively avoids looking at Azriel, which is a handy reminder that Azriel is the one who’s secretly in love with Morrigan. I think that’s still his only character trait, and I can never remember if it’s his or Cassian’s.
Suddenly, Beron’s wife/Lucien’s mom becomes an important character in the ACO-lore, as we launch into a whole story about how Helion has been having an affair with her the whole time.
Helion shrugged. “On and off for decades. Until Beron found out.” […]
“Beron never called you out for it?”
“To publicly do so would be to admit that his possession made a fool of him. So we continue our little dance, these centuries later.”
No, she still doesn’t get to have a name. She’s just a plot device for this:
While we spoke, I said down the bond, Helion is Lucien’s father.
Rhys was silent. Then—
Holy burning hell. […]
Look at him. The nose is the same, the smile. The voice. Even Lucien’s skin is darker than his brothers’. […] Helion has no idea, does he?
It would seem not. […] Lucien might be Helion’s sole heir.
OMG a reason for both Lucien and Helion to be relevant to the plot now! But not the woman involved, presumably, because she’s not important enough for a name and I actually have to refer to her as “the woman involved”. Despite this entire plot point being about her secret affair with another head of state and their love child whose existence has massive ramifications on international relations. Not important enough to merit a name.
We get a brief intermission as Nesta interrupts to tell them that they have to leave because she has a bad feeling, Rhysand and the superfriends go investigate but can’t find anything, so they stay. I bet nothing bad will come of that.
Eventually they call it a night. Mor and Hellion fuck. Naturally, Feyre asks Rhysand how they can control this, because this is who Feyre is now.
“Why?”
[Rhysand] knew what I meant. […]
“Mor and Azriel have both taken lovers throughout the centuries,” [Rhysand] said […]
“You sound remarkably fine with this.” […]
“It’s their life—their relationship. They have both had plenty of opportunities to confess what they feel. Yet they have not.”
Feyre. They’ve been your friends for, like, three weeks. Chill.
If you enjoyed today’s post, please consider buying the BBGT writers a cup of coffee? That’d be swell of you!
I will entertain arguments about whether or not it makes one a strong female character if the way in which she demonstrates her strength is short sighted and revenge porn-y. Like when she ruined Ianthe’s hands or whatever to get that rapist revenge speech scene, or when she collapsed Tamlin’s court. I mean seriously, is that strength or is it her abusing her power? I feel like the line is really thin with Feyre.
Rhys doesn’t even toe the line, he just “misted” it into nonexistence because it looked at him the wrong way.
Ok so I just googled Beron’s wife and not only does she not even have a name in the wiki, but apparently shes been nothing but nice to Feyre and helped her in the first book.
I think we need to start naming the maltreated female characters in this story if sarah ‘maasogyny’ won’t. I’m gonna go first and nickname Beron’s wife Miryam. There’s no logic behind the name I just think it is nice and looks like it would fit the naming style.
Anyways Miryam married for political reasons and both she and Beron have had numerous affairs. Miryam actually truly loves/loved Helion which is why she risked carrying his son when it could have outed her affair to the world. She likes to paint autumn scenery and sketch. She never thinks of the fact that her lover’s name sounds like a gas used to make balloons float. She thinks her son Eris is a massive asshole and is ashamed she may have raised an elfy incel.
“This meeting is over.”
meeting = 500 years old people acting like kids and Feyre trying to kill someone
Well when you put it like that yeah I’d 1000% leave this meeting too
“Nice job on the asshole act. “Lol you too bro. We sure got them.” = a valid diplomatic strategy?!
Those who fight character development, become character development themselves…