A Court of Thorns and Roses
Chapter 17
by Maas, Sarah J.The chapter opens with the protagonist waking from a nightmare filled with haunting visions of the Suriel’s bone-fingers and a faceless woman demanding their name. Disturbed and sweating, they hear shouts and screams from the front hall, compelling them to investigate. The screams evoke memories of past trauma, driving them to confront the source rather than hide. At the top of the staircase, they witness Tamlin rushing in with a wounded faerie slung over his shoulder, blood soaking his tunic.
The faerie, a Summer Court member, is grievously injured, his wings brutally ripped off. Tamlin orders the hall table cleared to tend to him, while Lucien reacts with visible horror, eventually fleeing the scene. The faerie’s repeated cries of “She took my wings” underscore the brutality of an unnamed female antagonist, hinting at her dominance over another court. Tamlin’s attempts to stem the bleeding are futile, and his admission that his magic can’t heal major wounds adds to the tension.
As the protagonist assists by pinning the faerie down, they note his velvet-like skin and the sheer agony he endures. The faerie’s golden-veined shimmer and desperate pleas humanize him, contrasting with the grim reality of his fate. Tamlin’s quiet demeanor and the protagonist’s empathy highlight the emotional weight of the scene. The faerie’s weakening state and the pooling blood signal his impending death, a moment underscored by Tamlin’s resigned expression.
In the final moments, the protagonist comforts the faerie, holding his hand and brushing hair from his face. Their whispered reassurance—“It will be all right”—rings hollow as the faerie’s life ebbs away. The chapter closes with a sense of helplessness and dread, emphasizing the cruelty of the unseen “she” and the fragility of life in the faerie courts. The scene leaves lingering questions about the antagonist’s identity and her broader role in the story’s conflict.
FAQs
1. What traumatic event does the protagonist experience in her dream at the beginning of the chapter, and how does it connect to the later events with the injured faerie?
Answer:
The protagonist awakens from a nightmare featuring a pale, faceless woman dragging bloodred nails across her throat while demanding her name—a clear representation of psychological and physical violation. This imagery directly parallels the later scene where a Summer Court faerie has had his wings brutally ripped off by an unnamed “she,” repeatedly crying “She took my wings.” Both scenarios involve violent loss of identity markers (voice/wings) at the hands of a mysterious female antagonist, establishing a thematic connection between the protagonist’s subconscious fears and the tangible violence within the faerie realm. The dream’s choking blood bubbles also foreshadow the faerie’s life bleeding out on the table.2. Analyze Tamlin’s contradictory behavior during the emergency treatment of the faerie. What does this reveal about his character and limitations?
Answer:
Tamlin demonstrates both authority and vulnerability in this scene. While he commands the situation (“The table—clear it off!”) and carries the faerie effortlessly, his inability to use magic for major wounds (“No. Not for major damage. Once, but not any longer”) hints at diminished powers or trauma. His warning glance at the protagonist suggests protectiveness, yet his reliance on mundane first aid (steaming water, bandages) contrasts with his High Lord status. The moment reveals a leader grappling with practical limitations—unable to fully heal but refusing to abandon the injured, embodying both strength and helplessness in the face of cruelty from the unnamed “she.”3. How does the author use sensory details to convey the horror of the faerie’s injuries and the tension in the scene? Provide specific examples.
Answer:
The scene employs visceral sensory language: auditory details like the faerie’s “shrieking” and blood’s “drip-drip-drip”; tactile descriptions of “velvet-smooth and slippery” blue skin and “jagged” wounds with severed cartilage; visual horrors like “blood gushing down the faerie’s back” in “deep, shining splotches” on Tamlin’s tunic. Olfactory cues emerge through Lucien’s vomiting, while the protagonist’s physical strain (“arms shaking”) adds kinesthetic tension. Most striking is the recurring metallic scent of blood—from the dream’s throat wounds to the pooling blood near the protagonist’s feet—creating a throughline of visceral horror that engages multiple senses to amplify the scene’s brutality.4. What symbolic significance might the faerie’s wings hold in this context, and how does their loss reflect broader themes in the narrative?
Answer:
The wings symbolize both identity and freedom—their violent removal represents systemic oppression under the unnamed “she.” As wings enable faeries to traverse their realm, their loss parallels the protagonist’s own displacement from the human world. The jagged stumps mirror psychological scars carried by Tamlin’s court (Lucien’s trauma-induced vomiting suggests collective wounds). The golden veins shimmering through the faerie’s blue skin during shock hint at intrinsic nobility now mutilated, reflecting how tyranny targets core aspects of being. This echoes the dream’s throat-cutting—both are attacks on essential traits (voice/flight), suggesting the antagonist weaponizes identity erasure as control.5. Evaluate the protagonist’s decision to intervene despite Tamlin’s warning glance. What does this reveal about her moral compass and its potential consequences?
Answer:
The protagonist’s intervention—pinning the faerie down and later holding his hand—demonstrates empathy overriding self-preservation, recalling her inability to tolerate suffering (“when I didn’t make a clean kill”). Her actions contrast with Lucien’s flight, positioning her as both compassionate and dangerously bold in this politicized violence. By murmuring “It will be all right” (a likely lie), she prioritizes comfort over truth, revealing utilitarian ethics. This mirrors Tamlin’s pragmatic care but foreshadows conflict: her human interference in faerie affairs, coupled with witnessing the “she’s” cruelty, may draw her deeper into the court’s power struggles while challenging Tamlin’s protective control.
Quotes
1. “She took my wings. She took my wings.”
This haunting repetition from the wounded Summer Court faerie captures the brutality of the unseen antagonist (“she”) and the profound violation of having one’s essence torn away. The quote represents both the physical horror of the scene and the psychological trauma inflicted by this mysterious foe.
2. “Whoever she was, she hadn’t just taken his wings. She’d ripped them off.”
This observation by Feyre underscores the calculated cruelty of the act, distinguishing between mere theft and violent mutilation. It reveals the true nature of the threat facing Prythian and foreshadows the merciless enemy they will eventually face.
3. “I took one of the faerie’s hands in mine… ‘It will be all right,’ I said, and hoped he couldn’t smell lies the way the Suriel could.”
This moment showcases Feyre’s compassion breaking through her fear, marking a turning point in her relationship with the fae. The bitter irony of her comforting lie highlights both her growing empathy and the grim reality of the situation.
4. “Tamlin swallowed hard. ‘No. Not for major damage. Once, but not any longer.’”
This brief exchange reveals crucial limitations in Tamlin’s powers and hints at past trauma or loss. The admission suggests deeper vulnerabilities in the seemingly invincible High Lord that will become important later in the story.