The Dusk Court: Bryce or Nesta?
I've recently been seeing theories that are along the lines of:
Nesta is going to awaken and rule the Dusk Court.
This is due, I think, to the fact that at the end of HOFAS we saw Bryce return the Mask and Truthteller to Nesta in Prythian, and at the same time, she surprised Nesta and fans, by also giving her the Starsword/Gwydion.
Because of this, many people believe this indicates Bryce's story is over, that she is rejecting her right over the Dusk Court and handing it to Nesta, who some say will go on to become the ruler of the Dusk Court in future books.
Whilst I very firmly, 100% believe that Nesta is integral to the future of the Dusk Court, I DON'T believe she is destined to rule it. I believe there's much more canon evidence in the books that shows Bryce Quinlan is the one true heir of the Dusk Court and will return to Prythian in future books.
Here's all the points that show Nesta has an undeniable connection to dusk but that she is not as its ruler:
- She had a black tattoo of the eight-point star tattooed on her back, along with Cassian, but it has since disappeared, (whereas Bryce has a permanent white scar of the eight-point star on her chest, the same as Theia did).
- Nesta was able to get through the wards in the prison but it's explained that because she "Made" and it's the trove that allows her to get through (Bryce steps through the wards in the prison without any issues as she is the Starborn heir)
- Nesta was led to the prison to find the Harp. We don't know why or how yet, and Nesta says it seems like the prison island is waiting for something to return (whereas Bryce feels and hears the island calling to her specifically).
- Its explained in ACOSF that Nesta can use the Dread Trove because she is "Made", just like they are and "like calls to like" but struggles with the consequences of doing so e.g. Azriel having to talk her out of wearing the mask (whereas Bryce can use them easily and with little effort, just like Theia).
- Nesta's power manifests as cold, silver flames and she hasn't yet shown any sign she can wield either of two Starborn powers, light or shadows (whereas Bryce can wield pure light and now has shadows within her light as of HOFAS).
- Nesta is not linked to any dusk imagery, (whereas Bryce smells of the first stars at nightfall, is described as bearing dusk colours on her body or on her clothes etc).
And here is are all of Bryce's connection to the Dusk Court and the foreshadowing she will be it's ruler:
1. ONLY BRYCE POSSESSES THEIA'S EXACT STARLIGHT
The Starborn fae originally hailed from and resided in the Dusk Court and were born with one of two Starborn powers - the ability to control shadows (e.g. Cormac, Morven) or the ability to control starlight (e.g. Ruhn). Shadows and starlight come together to create Dusk, which is the time of day between night and day.
Very rarely, some are gifted with BOTH powers (e.g. Theia, Silene, Helena, and Bryce).
We learn from Aidas that Bryce was born, not just with the normal Starborn power of starlight, but the exact power and starlight of Theia, the previous High Queen of Prythian, and the Starborn Fae. Bryce was born with one-third of Theia's starlight reincarnated inside her:
“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.”
“You can tell the difference between Bryce’s starlight and her brother’s?”
“I shall never forget the exact shine and hue of Theia’s light. It is still a song in my blood.” - HOEAB
We learn from the Silene hologram that Theia split her power into three, giving each of her daughters one-third and keeping the last for herself.
Bryce is born with one-third of Theia's light - this she inherited from Helena who died with her third of power and passed it on to Bryce.
Bryce finds and claims the second third from underneath the prison Island in Prythian where Silene hid it for the future heir:
"Like a small sun emerging from the stone itself, a ball of light burst from the floor. A star, twin to the one in Bryce’s chest. Her starlight at last awoke again, as if reaching with shining fingers for that star hovering inches away.
With trembling hands, Bryce guided the star to the one gleaming on her chest. Into her body.
White light erupted everywhere." - HOFAS
Finally, Bryce finds the third part of Theia's starlight, the part that belonged to Theia herself, locked away in the caves of Avallen. She had initially stored it in the Starsword before her death, but Helena removed it and stored it in the Cave of Princes for the future heir to find:
"Light blasted up through the blades into her hands, her arms, her heart. Bryce could hear it through her feet, through the stone. The song of the land beneath her." - HOFAS
"She heard how Avallen had yielded its joy, its bright green lands and skies and flowers, so it might hold the power as it was bid, waiting all this time for someone to unleash it. To free it." - HOFAS
"You're free," Bryce whispered to Avallen, to the land and the pure inherent magic beneath it. "Be free."
And it was." - HOFAS
2. THE DUSK COURT CHOSE BRYCE AS IT'S RULER
In previous ACOTAR books, we learn that it is the land and its magic that chooses its ruler, no one else, and it will not choose another until that ruler dies.
When Bryce is in the prison there's lots of evidence that shows that the land/magic chooses Bryce as its ruler whilst she is there.
Once she claims Silene's power, we get this:
"Power, uncut and ancient, scorched through her veins. The hair on her head rose. Debris floated upward. She was everywhere and nowhere. She was the evening star and the last rays of colour before the dark.*" - HOFAS
She is able to sense the land and can feel the prisoners residing there:
"From far away, she could sense it, the things lurking within the mountain, her mountain.*" - HOFAS
The island calls to Bryce, telling her it has bene alone all this time, waiting for her:
*"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 the 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 it's slumber, and such wonders would spring again from it's earth..." - HOFAS
And finally, Bryce is able to wield the land, just like the High Lords of the other courts are able to:
"Bryce lifted a hand, and spike after spike ruptured form the ground, blocking Nesta's advance."
"But at a mere thought from Bryce, stalactites and stalagmites formed, closing in on him, the room became a wolf, it's jaws snapping for the winged warrior-
The rock had moved for her, as it had for Silene."
"Bryce stomped her foot. Those spikes of stone stretched higher, blocking his way. Blue light flared from him, smashing through the stones.
Bryce stomped her foot again, summoning more lethal spears of rock—but there were none left. Only a vast, gaping void." - HOFAS
Remember, Nesta has been to the prison before, to the exact place Bryce stands as the island speaks to her and where she claims Silene's part of Theia's starlight. And she is with Bryce at this exact moment in time. So if Nesta was meant to rule Dusk...why didn't she experience any of this instead of Bryce?
At no point does Nesta sense the land like Bryce, nor does it call or speak to her. Nesta doesn't find or claim Silene's power and she can't control the land, like Bryce can.
3. ONLY BRYCE CAN WIELD THE KNIFE AND SWORD FULLY
As far as I can decipher, people within the Maasverse fall into one of four categories when it comes to the Starborn:
- Non-Starborn: Someone who has no Starborn ancestry.
- Starborn descendent WITHOUT Starborn powers: Someone who does have Starborn ancestry but was not born with either of the Starborn powers.
- Starborn descendent WITH Starborn powers: Someone who has both Starborn ancestry and one (or occasionally, but very rarely, both) of the Starborn powers.
- Theia's Chosen Heir: The chosen female heir, born with Theia's exact starlight reincarnated inside her. There is only one heir and as far as we know, Bryce Quinlan is the one and only female fae to be born in 15000 years with Theia's exact power.
And this is what happens when any of those people attempt to wield the Starsword/Gwydion:
- Non-Starborn: Unable to draw the sword from it's scabbard or use it in any way.
- Starborn descendent WITHOUT Starborn powers: Unable to draw it from the scabbard or wield it in any way as they are deemed "unworthy" (e.g. Autumn King)
- Starborn descendent WITH Starborn powers: Some of these fae are able to draw the sword from it's scabbard, but only if they are "worthy". They can activate and wield only some of it's powers (e.g. Ruhn). Some are only able to draw the sword but are unable to activate or wield it (e.g. Cormac).
- Theia's Chosen Heir: There is only one heir (Bryce Quinlan) and she has been "chosen" to wield the Starsword/Gwydion to it's full potential. She is able to draw the sword from it's scabbard and deemed "worthy" to activate and wield it's powers to a further extent than anyone else.
"That sword belongs to Theia's female heir*,' he snarled" - HOSAB*
\"Theia's power, when whole, is the only thing that can unite and activate the true power of those blades..." - HOFAS
In HOFAS, we see Bryce claim the sword:
"Nor had anything ever felt so right as when Bryce took the Starsword from him, a formal claiming, and weighed it in her hands." - HOFAS
And we see her able to call both the Starsword and Truthteller to her hands, something no one else can do:
"Bryce again reached out a hand, her will, toward Azriel. And as surely as the Starsword had done, Truth-Teller flew from his grip. He tried to grab it, but even his swift lunge wasn’t fast enough to stop it. To stop Bryce as the knife soared for her fingers.
The dagger’s hilt landed in her palm, cool and heavy." - HOFAS
And when Bryce is using both the Starsword and Truthteller she can produce a power that no one else is able to:
"Bryce threw her power into the Starsword, light ripping through the black blade, willing it to tear this fucking monster apart—
She willed it into Truth-Teller, and shadows flowed—
And where the two blades met, where Bryce’s light merged at their nexus, power met power.
Her ears hollowed out. Magic like lightning surged through her, from her. The chamber rippled, a muffled boom echoing through Bryce.
Her blood roared, a beast howling at the moon. She was vaguely aware of a glow, of radiating light that flowed through the Starsword, the dagger—" - HOFAS
4. SJM RETRACTED SAYING HER SERIES ARE "STANDALONES"
In a LIVE event hosted on 26th September 2023, SJM declared that she retracted her earlier statement that Crescent City and ACOTAR are standalone series. It's been suggested now both that fans should read the Crescent City series in order to understand the story of ACOTAR 5 (her upcoming book).
This suggests that Crescent City, the events within it and Bryce are going to be important enough to ACOTAR 5 that readers now need to know what happens in those books, and SJM plans to merge them further.
FUTURE BOOKS
So after all of this...what does it mean? Well, we have seen the Dusk Court start to waken and choose Bryce as its ruler and if we stick to SJM's lore, then it won't choose anyone else until she dies.
We have not yet had the fulfillment of the prophecy "When knife and sword are reunited, so shall our people be"...and with the Dusk Court and the Starsword/Gwydion all belonging to Bryce, only she can be the one to claim them.
I believe that Nesta WILL keep the sword for now and use it to discover what her connection is to the Dusk Court, but she will be unable to wield it fully. I think the prison island will begin to fail now that Bryce has started to wake it and Nesta will realise only Bryce is able to restore is and that they need Bryce to return to Prythian.
Also, Bryce is very closely connected to the Pegasi (in Avallen, we see them start to return after Bryce wakes it) and in Norse mythology, the Valkyries ride Pegasi into battle. With Nesta being a key part of the Valkyries, I predict we will see them move over to the Dusk Court with Nesta and eventually become Bryce's army, once she becomes ruler of the Dusk Court 😊
If you've made it to the end of this thesis post, you are a TROOPER, and thank you so much for sticking with it! Let me know your thoughts
