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I never stopped being grateful for them—my friends, my family, who looked at that power of mine and did not balk, did not become scented with fear. Yes, I could scare the shit out of them sometimes, but we all did that to each other. Cassian had terrified me more times than I wanted to admit, one of them being mere months ago.
After Rhysand and Cassian speak with Devlon and present their plan to offer combat training to Illyrian females, Cassian offers to remain in Windhaven to oversee the new training program. Rhysand responds to this offer with uncharacteristic brusqueness, ordering Cassian to return to Velaris for the Winter Solstice. Cassian, who regards Rhysand as a brother and is familiar with his moods, recognizes that there is something on Rhysand’s mind. In his own reflections, Rhysand acknowledges that he was “terrified” when Cassian almost lost his life in the war against Hybern. Now, he is afraid to let Cassian out of his sight and prefers to keep a close watch on him in the relative safety of Velaris. His anxieties in this passage reflect his strong emotional investments in his group of friends, which constitutes a chosen family. He values Cassian because he, like the other members of the Inner Circle, does not fear the vast power that Rhysand commands, nor do they treat him as a superior due to his status as High Lord. For Rhysand, family is defined by both care, informality, and concern.
Lucien got to his feet. “I don’t need your charity.”
I rose as well. “But Jurian and Vassa’s is fine?”
“You’d be surprised to see how the three of us get along.”
Friends, I realized. They had somehow become his friends. “So you’d rather stay with them?”
“I’m not staying with them. The manor is ours.”
In Chapter 18, Lucien appears in Velaris to deliver gifts to both Feyre and Elain, to whom he is connected by a mating bond. Feyre knows that Lucien cannot return to the Autumn Court, as he has been exiled by his family. Further, he is no longer welcome in the Spring Court, as its High Lord, Tamlin, has isolated himself as a result of his worsening depression. Lucien, then, has been doubly-exiled, losing his family twice. Sympathizing with his plight, she suggests that Lucien might spend more time in Velaris. Lucien, however, rejects her proposal as “charity” and insists that he is content living in the human realm alongside Jurian and Vassa.
Though Feyre is surprised that Lucien, a faerie, regards these humans as companions, Lucien claims that she would be “surprised” to see how well they get along together. In fact, Lucien does not regard himself as simply “staying with” Jurian and Vass. Rather, he claims that they all live together, sharing the manor in which they live. In the human realm, Jurian finds a new family that gives him a sense of belonging and community. Though he, Jurian, and Vassa are not linked by blood nor background, they are united by their shared experience of exile. In A Court of Frost and Starlight, family can take many different forms and even transcend species.
I waited until I had a stack of steaming slices before I said, “Nesta is still a part of this family.”
“Is she?” Elain sawed deep into the next loaf. “She certainly doesn’t act like it.”
I hid my frown. “Did something happen when you saw her today?”
Elain didn’t answer. She just kept slicing the bread. So I continued as well.
In Chapter 18, Feyre and Elain discuss their elder sister, Nesta. Though they have invited Nesta to join them and Rhysand’s Inner Circle for the Winter Solstice, Nesta has not even bothered to respond to the invitation, reflecting her strong desire to isolate herself from her family. Feyre asks Elain if she thinks they should attempt to “fetch” Nesta, but Elain insists that it would not be worthwhile to force their older sister to attend against her will. Surprised by Elain’s cold response, Feyre insists that “Nesta is still a part of this family,” though Elain argues that she “doesn’t act like it.” While Nesta is indeed their sibling and shares their blood, she has essentially removed herself from their family, according to Elain, through her prolonged self-isolation. A Court of Frost and Starlight presents various ways of understanding the concept of “family.” While Feyre finds strength and solace in her chosen family, Nesta pushes her siblings away in order to assert her own independence.
