When the Moon Hatched Episode 3: Chapters 29 - 36

Summary

Fantasy Fangirls Podcast

When the Moon Hatched Episode 3: Chapters 29–36

Hosts: Nicole & Lexi
Date: March 30, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this episode, sisters Nicole and Lexi dive into Chapters 29-36 of When the Moon Hatched by Sarah A. Parker, the latest read in their Throne of Glass-adjacent deep dive mini-series. With their characteristic blend of sisterly banter, passionate character analysis, and theory-crafting, they dissect the catastrophic events impacting Elowyn, the simmering tension between Rave and Khan, epic dragon lore, and heavy-hitting worldbuilding, while foreshadowing what’s to come in both the remaining book and its sequel.

“This deep dive is gonna be so much more—was…I have to finish this podcast. I really cannot stress that enough.”
—Nicole [01:53]

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Key Plot Recap ([05:09])

Nicole delivers a detailed, diary-entry style summary of Chapters 29–36, focusing on major plot shifts, emotional beats, and character arcs.

Chapter Highlights

• Ch. 29:
  Catastrophe strikes as Elowyn’s mother, father, and brother are murdered. She’s forced to don the Aether Stone amidst her grief, pressured by the voices of the creators.
• Ch. 30:
  Rave survives being inside a dragon’s mouth—rescued (sort of) by King Khan. Humorous and tense “not-food” scene follows as Khan hauls Rave towards the city of Dom.
• Ch. 31:
  Elowyn, wearing the Aether Stone, feels her life force being drained. She makes the heartbreaking choice to join her dead brother in death, but her future will be decided by the Tri Council.
• Ch. 32:
  Arrival in The Burn. In a jolt of tough love, Khan throws Rave into a healing pond. Banter and growing attraction ensue.
• Ch. 33:
  Rave and Khan shelter in a cottage (Khan’s mother’s retreat). For the first time, Rave offers her name—‘Rave’—as payment for hospitality.
• Ch. 34:
  Khan cooks soup. Domestic softness, laughter, and palpable chemistry. Warns Rave he’ll “enjoy” hunting her if she escapes—playful deadliness.
• Ch. 35:
  Rave attempts to kill Khan as he sleeps, but her feelings betray her. Their sexual tension boils over, but Khan refuses “meaningless” intimacy.

  “First, you have to stop looking at me like it means something. She’s looking.” —Nicole [69:37]

• Ch. 36:
  Rave escapes via a window and cliffside, but is knocked out—freedom, fate, and frustration collide.

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Major Discussion Points and Insights

1. Rave & Khan’s Explosive Dynamic ([11:50], [24:35], [36:13])

• Distrust and Snark:
  Rave refuses to view Khan as anything but a threat, given his past—Lexi and Nicole debate whether Rave's distrust is justified, given her trauma and Khan’s reputation.

  “All she knows about the Burned King is that he lets his dragon torch cities for fun…She does not know if that’s for him to do something else to torment her…First thought, absolutely.”
  —Nicole [13:15]

• Banter and Boundaries:
  Their relationship is a tug-of-war—Khan reasoning with Rave, never submitting to her “stabby hand tendencies,” earning Lexi’s admiration for his (sometimes exasperated) patience.

  “He’s not a doormat…he’s very logical to her stabby hand tendencies.”
  —Nicole [17:30]

• Meaning vs. Meaningless:
  Rave wants “meaningless” sex to stifle her confusing feelings, but Khan refuses to be her coping mechanism—he won’t settle for anything less than real connection.

  “If you want a meaningless release, sorry, Prisoner 73, that’s not happening here…none of this is meaningless to Khan, not after mourning your ass for 123 phases.”
  —Nicole [69:39]

• Book Boyfriend Feral Mode:
  Multiple segments highlight both hosts’ total obsession with Khan, playfully threatening to dethrone all prior book crushes.

  “He might be my number one book boyfriend.”
  —Lexi [36:30]

2. Elowyn’s Tragedy and Agency ([75:48])

• Family’s Murder & Ether Stone:
  Elowyn’s entire family is killed; she becomes the Aether Stone wearer, which siphons her life and severely limits her freedom.

  “She’s not asking ‘what now,’ but that just goes to show how little control she has right now…plans are being thrust into her face whether she likes it or not.”
  —Nicole [84:32]

• Patriarchal Cruelty:
  Elowyn has no agency—her marriage and future are decided by men in Tri Council; she cannot even attend or speak at these decisions.

  “I am so fueled with feminine rage…I want that bag [that says] fueled by feminine rage.”
  —Nicole [85:49]

• Dragon Grief:
  Hadeon’s dragon, Illum, chooses to fly into the sky with him, calcifying and choosing eternity over separation—a beautifully tragic detail that both sisters find moving.

3. Memory Loss & Reincarnation Foreshadowing ([39:49], [41:30])

• Connection of Timelines:
  The huge reveal—the “Elowyn” in past diary entries is the same soul as Rave. If readers haven’t spotted it yet, this is the moment to wake up.

  “This was also my first ever memory loss trope book. So I just didn’t even think about it.”
  —Nicole [40:51]

• Khan’s anguish:
  As Khan realizes Rave doesn’t recognize her past as Elowyn, his heartbreak is palpable; the sisters empathize deeply with his pain.

  “For her to know a middle name is a shot of hope for Khan. If she can remember her middle name, what else can she remember?”
  —Nicole [49:08]

4. Dragon Lore Deep Dive ([98:09])

Types of Dragons:

• Saber Scythe: Heat-loving, massive, aggressive dragons from The Burn (Khan’s dragon Rhygon).
• Molten Maws: Middle-world dragons; used for executions and public transportation.
• Moonplumes: Cold-loving, elegant, and hardest to charm; Elowyn’s (now Rave’s) dragon Silotra is the largest—central to much worldbuilding.

Charming & Bonding:

• Charming an Adult: Dangerous but possible; singing creator’s songs or forging connections can bond dragon and rider.
• Dagamor Bond: Rare, mythic deep bond—Khan and Rhygon exemplify this.

  “There is a deeper bond between dragon and person called Dagamor…Sarah A. Parker hinted there is another type of bond…even deeper.”
  —Lexi [107:35]

Moonfall, Shards & Theories:

• The Flourish: The sisters speculate that the Scavenger King’s lair and “Flourish” might be located at the original moonfall crater.
• Tick Plague Foreshadowing: Both worry the introduced tick infestation hints at future dragon tragedy.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Nicole and Lexi Summing Up Khan’s Appeal:

  "He might be my number one book boyfriend."
  —Lexi [36:30]

• On Accepting Help:

  “A simple request for my help doesn’t make you weak. It makes you real. How many of us who are like, I don’t want to be a burden or, I don’t want to seem weak to others, need to hear this? Me.”
  —Nicole [112:00]

• On Rave’s Banter:

  “I’ll show you something sharp.”
  “Every word that comes out of your mouth is sharp, Moonbeam. I’m half dead already bleeding out at your feet. Can’t you see?”
  —Rave & Khan, quoted by Lexi [111:32]

• Favorite Feral Fan Art:
  Nora Adamski’s “Khan under the waterfall” [36:13].

  “He lives rent free in my head and I love him so much.”
  —Lexi [37:00]

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Key Timestamps

| Timestamp | Topic/Segment | |-----------|--------------------------------------------------------| | 05:09 | Detailed Recap: Chapters 29–36 | | 11:50 | Rave “escaping” her execution in the Fade | | 13:55 | Debating Rave’s trust/distrust of Khan | | 24:35 | Khan’s reaction to hearing Rave use his name | | 29:35 | The lore behind Khan’s tattoos/moons (shirtless scene) | | 36:13 | Fan art discussion: Khan under the waterfall | | 39:49 | Reveal: Elowyn = Rave | | 49:08 | Identity discussion: Rave vs. Elowyn vs. Prisoner 73 | | 61:37 | Noting Khan’s crooked nose (backstory via author) | | 69:37 | Rave seeks “meaningless” sex; Khan’s refusal | | 75:48 | Elowyn’s family murdered; Aether Stone burden | | 98:09 | Dragon types & worldbuilding deep dive | | 109:00 | Favorite moments: Hadeon’s tragic flight | | 111:32 | Favorite banter lines | | 112:00 | On vulnerability and accepting help |

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Character & Relationship Analysis

Rave (a.k.a. Elowyn)

• Grieving, traumatized, fiercely independent assassin with memory gaps.
• Struggles to accept help or intimacy, believes relationships only lead to loss.
• Deeply bonded (past and future) to dragons, especially Silotra.

Khan

• King of the Burn, “the good” Vhagor brother.
• Patient, logical, exudes powerful restraint and tenderness.
• Cares deeply for Rave/Elowyn, grieving her loss for centuries, won’t settle for “meaningless.”

Dynamic:

"Stabby, traumatized feral meets brooding, loyal king—banter, wounds, and yearning ensue."

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Worldbuilding: Dragons & Magic

Dragons

• Immense importance in every kingdom—different breeds for Burn, Fade, Shade.
• Bonding ranges from “charming” to mythical “Dagamor” (Khan & Rhygon) to an even deeper, teased rare bond (Rave & Silotra?).
• Hatching, mating, and magical attributes anchor both plot and emotional journeys.

Magic System

• Elemental songs (Claude, Boulder, etc.), Aether Stone, creators’ voices—tangled with politics, trauma, and prophecy.

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Foreshadowing & Theories

• Moonfall Shards:
  The location, power, and ownership of the moon shards will be crucial in Ballad of Falling Dragons.
• Memory/Identity:
  Rave reclaiming her past as Elowyn, her bond with Slotra/dragons, and her emotional healing are central arcs.
• Political Intrigue:
  Tyroth’s “heartbroken king” persona likely masks ulterior motives.
• Tick Plague:
  Ominous future threat to the dragons and possibly central to book two.

“Bottom line, everyone check your dragons for ticks. Even the bad guys, please.”
—Lexi [90:07]

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Highlights & Favorite Moments

• Hadeon’s “one last flight” with his dragon before death ([109:15])
• Khan and Rave’s banter (“I’ll show you something sharp…Every word…is sharp, Moonbeam.”) ([111:32])
• Waterfall/pond healing scene—a blend of practicality and chemistry
• Vulnerability in domestic scenes (soup! spoon feeding! laughter!) ([52:59])
• Emotional resonance of dragon-human bonds illustrated through multiple deaths and farewells

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Final Thoughts

Nicole and Lexi unravel layers of trauma, political manipulation, romantic agony, and epic worldbuilding, centering their analysis on the question of how much past (and pain) shapes identity and love. The podcast delivers laughs, strong opinions (“Khan’s getting NO Ls!”), fresh theories, and foreshadowing galore—prepping listeners for explosive revelations in the chapters (and book) ahead.

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Next Episode:

Chapters 37–44: Meeting the Fate Herder, deepening Ballad of Falling Dragons theories, and—spoiler alert—likely more spicy book boyfriend content.

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“Thank you so much for tuning in to this episode three of our When the Moon Hatched Deep dive…Next episode is on Monday, episode four. We will be covering Chapters 37 through 44. It’s time to meet the Fate Herder.”
—Nicole [113:55]

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For more, join the Fantasy Fangirls Fan Club, follow on social media, and swoon (or theorize) along!

Transcript

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[Nicole]

Welcome, welcome welcome to the Fantasy Fangirls podcast where two sisters dive deep into beloved fantasy lore, character themes, series and more.

[Lexi]

I'm Lexi, older sister and fantasy lore nerd.

[Nicole]

And and I'm Nicole, younger sister and romantic at heart.

[Lexi]

And today is our episode three, Deep Diving when the Moon Hatched by Sarah A. Parker, covering chapters 29 through 36. As always, please listen closely to our spoiler warning because all of these episodes have whole book spoilers for when the Moon hatched. Yes, that includes the ending, so if

[Nicole]

you don't know why, just rave is quite the weighted line. Then please go finish the book. We will be here when you're done.

[Lexi]

This deep dive is gonna be so

[Nicole]

much more was I have to finish this podcast. I really cannot stress that enough.

[Lexi]

Yes, next we a fantasy fan. Girls are adults who say adult things about adult books. In other words, friends, this podcast is

[Nicole]

rated R. The icy lake has erupted along with Rafe's sex drive, so please be mindful of those little listening ears.

[Lexi]

I am also like really feral. This.

[Nicole]

I'm so excited. This is the first time you and I are like super gung ho about a book boyfriend at the same time. I'm so happy. This is delicious.

[Lexi]

Quite the declaration. I have quite the declaration to make.

[Nicole]

Whoa. Lexi. Whoa. I'm scared. I'm scared.

[Lexi]

Additionally, we are so excited to see you at upcoming live events.

[Nicole]

We are stoked to be partnering with Tattered Cover and Booking Gather for a very special release party for Ballad of falling dragons on May 18th in Denver, Colorado. And next week on April 8th, we are partnering with the Denver Nuggets and Rebecca Yarrows for a fourth Wing themed basketball night at Ballerina.

[Lexi]

We cannot wait to do a live show at the neptune Theater on April 19th in Seattle. Tickets are on sale now for you to dive deep into how to Train youn Dragon with us.

[Nicole]

Check out our website or the links below for more information and keep an eye out for more events coming soon.

[Lexi]

Last thing before we jump into this when the Moon Hatched episode. If you love Fantasy Fangirls and want more events, more content, more community and so much more, please check out Fantasy Fan Club.

[Nicole]

We have six membership tiers that you can join within the Fantasy Fan Club. Three are centered around Fantasy Fangirls. Number one, the Hive Mind which includes access to our Boppin Discord live Q&As from Lexi and I book clubs, often featuring the authors themselves for a live Q and A community events like we just did Fantasy Guess who promo codes for live events plus 20% off and access to exclusive merch that is for $6 a month. Or you can join the sponsor Spice Watchers which includes everything from the Hive Mind level plus early access to ad free episodes, our full episode outlines which are great for ballad prep and of course special voting privileges that is for $10 a month. Then we have the Feral Fans which includes everything from the previous two tiers plus more behind the scenes content, a welcome gift giveaways, private Discord Channel and your name shouted out on the podcast. That is for $25 a month. And for the Spice Watchers and the Feral fans, the last two I just talked about, there is an accompan all network Fantasy Fangirls Network because we just launched a new show so you can get early access to not only Fantasy Fan Girls but Fantasy Fan Reads and Fantasy Fan Fellas.

[Lexi]

Join the party@Fantasy Fangirls.com Fan Club. The link is also in the show notes and really and truly, thank you from the bottom of our hearts for supporting us as we've turned this podcast into a dream come true as a media network. It's all because of you.

[Nicole]

And now it is time to go

[Lexi]

to Ma's Retreat to start off every episode. Let's get a Parchment Lark delivery where Nicole does us the honor of summarizing what happens in chapters 29 through 36 of when the Moon Hatched.

[Nicole]

Chapter 29 diary entry. Things take a catastrophic turn for Elowen. Late in the night, her mother, father and brother are murdered. We are not okay. We are simply not okay. And before she can even begin to process or grieve, the creators are already screaming at her to put on the stone. Put on the stone. In the worst version of Girl, you need to get up and be more productive right now. Ever. Chapter 30. The inside of the dragon's mouth is shockingly, not a pleasant experience. It's wet, it's gooey, it smells like death and silver. Gross. The dragon opens up and Rave out onto the ground like she's a bad snack. And plot twist. She wasn't dragon food after all. But she's been saved by King Khan in his post rescue energy. Khan sticks his finger directly into her pin wound. Not the kind of penetration we're looking for here. And then decides now is the perfect time for a sightseeing tour to the city of Dom. Rave is so touched she would genuinely rather climb back in the dragon's mouth than carpool with him. The audacity of this man. Chapter 31, diary entry. Elluan is now wearing the Aether stone, and it feels like her sweet soul is being sucked slowly sipped from her body like a stuck Capri sun at the family funeral. Illum makes a devastating choice to scoop up Hadeon and give herself to death rather than live an eternal life without him. Oh. With her entire family gone, it now falls to the Tri Council to decide Elowyn's fate. Because apparently grief is not on this Kingdom's agenda. Chapter 32. Khan and Rave land in the burn, and she immediately is suspicious and on the verge of spontaneous combustion. It is hot. What else is hot? Con solution. Directly yeeting her into a pond with zero warning and zero manners. Rude, but effective. The view of his body definitely softens the blow. Bonus feature. This pool has healing properties. The one good thing that's going for Rave right now. Or at least in her pov.

[Lexi]

I was gonna say, I can think of a million other things, but she wouldn't listen to me.

[Nicole]

The view of Khan is the top of my list right now.

[Lexi]

Like, gosh.

[Nicole]

But first, that pin in her shoulder really needs to come out. So Khan distracts her by casually dropping some of his lore, his adolescence in the Jakkuhl clan, how he killed his father, and the name of the love of his life, Elowen. What the fuck, sir? Chapter 33. Khan leads rave to a cute, cozy little cottage. Perfect vibe for plotting your escape. In exchange for Shelter. Rave gives Khan her name and the man's mind is blown. His flappers, they're fully gassed. Khan demonstrate, creates a rare moment of mercy and removes all but one of Rave's iron cuffs. Baby steps towards trust. Chapter 34. Khan Cooks. The man makes soup. And apparently it's good soup. The kind of soup that leads to laughter and soft moments in Nicole having full swoon episodes. Actually, Nicole and Lexi having full swoon episodes. He even helps feed her. Someone fan me. I need a moment. Post dinner. Thank you. Thank you, Lexi. That's so effective through the screen. I really appreciate it. Post dinner, Khan casually informs Rabe that if she tries to escape, he will personally enjoy hunting her down. Weird flirting tactic, but okay. Chapter 35. Finally, alone and confident that the king is asleep, Rabe makes her move. She tiptoes down the stairs and immediately is greeted by a full eyeful of a naked man sleeping on the cedar. Hello, sir. But she composes herself because she has a job to do. The job kill this dude before he hunts her down. Blade at his throat. She has him. And then Khan, fully awake, completely unbothered, gently asks her what she needs. The finger bang, that's what it gets. Hot clothes start coming off. The tension has reached critical mass. And Rave opens her stupid mouth and asks for a meaningless physical relations. Which is not the vibe that Khan is on when it comes to her welcome coming. But the bangity bang will have to wait. Chapter 36, rave stomps back upstairs, completely fuming. What in the entire fuck was that? The only logical exit now is through a window and down the trellis like a normal person having a normal night. It works. She's out, freedom secured. She begins to scale a very steep cliff, because apparently that's just her life now. And she makes it to the bottom fully intact. A miracle, truly. And then something collides with her head and the lights go out. The universe said, not today, ma'.

[Lexi]

Am. Oh, this is going to be such a fun episode. Nicole, thank you so much for that recap. And friends, we will jump right into this episode after a quick word from our sponsors.

[Nicole]

We're lost.

[Lexi]

It feels like we're going round in circles.

[Nicole]

I'm going to ask that man for directions. Hi there. We're trying to get to the state fairgrounds.

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Will, you're going to take a left at the old oak tree at this here road.

[Lexi]

Nah, I'm just kidding.

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Let me get my phone out.

[Nicole]

How is their signal out here?

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[Nicole]

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[Lexi]

It is time to listen to the elemental songs to explore key insights, character analysis, lore, foreshadowing theories, and oh so much more. So we just had the big escape from her execution, Death by Dragons back in the fade. But Rave does not know that it is an escape. She thinks that she is going right now to be fed to baby dragons. It seems that Rave has traded one cage for another. Now inside a dragon's mouth. Mmm, smells delicious in there. One thing's for sure though. The Guild of Nobles and a whole crowd of people, including those in the FYR Duat believe that she is dead after a dragon picked her up in its mouth and flew away, presumably to attack hatching grounds. When Rave is finally spit out, she meets her new captor, King Conveyor. Oh hey, that's the Incognito king who healed her and was the deciding vote for her to be killed by dragons. Needless to say, Rave is a little surprised because she expected the Saber Scythe dragon to feed her to its hatchlings. But instead she was scooped up by the King of the Burn and now finds herself in the Botanic Plains Free. Ish. To be fair, she would be much more free if she did not continue threatening to kill him. So that's on you, girl.

[Nicole]

Okay, I'm gonna defend our girl Rave here for a second because while we, the reader, might know for sure if we finish the book, or at least here we have a strong inkling if this is our first read, that Khan is doing this for her own good.

[Lexi]

He's a good guy.

[Nicole]

He's a good guy. But I want to take a moment from Rave's pov because all she knows about the Burned King is that he lets his dragon torch cities for fun. He's also one of the evil tyrant Vhagor brothers. He voted for her being feasted by dragons less than 24 hours ago. Let's not forget that. And to top it all off, he did heal her last night. But she does not know if that's for him to do something else to torment her. I mean, that's kind of what the scavenger King did. He healed her and then tortured her again. Healed her, then tortured her again. Acts of kindness are not ever Raves. This is what this person is doing. First thought, absolutely.

[Lexi]

You're very right. As much as I was giving her a gentle hard time, that's more for Con sake though, because he does know that she is a deadly weapon and can wield both Claude and Boulder. So Rave is like, okay, what does he want from me? Because everyone only sees her as an asset. We talked about that a lot in episode one. That she knows the way to become indispensable is to be an asset to people. So in her pov, that is why he healed her. He needs something from her. And she's just like, okay, like, what do you want from me?

[Nicole]

Well, and also, she's a prominent Elding blade who has taken out many, many, many important people within the Fades, upper class. Her being targeted of any of the kingdoms is really not out of the question. I mean, she doesn't know that the Vhagor brothers all hate Khan. She doesn't know that they have bad blood. Like he could be taking her out in his, his brother's honor. And he's holding her in Rygon's mouth with the constant threat of a bulb of fire down his throat. I don't blame her in the slightest for being a thousand percent distrusting of this man at all.

[Lexi]

Then there is why Rave does not want to go to Dom, the capital city of the Burn. It's rumored to be a pretty shitty place where so very few go to this capital and return Dun dun dun. I am very curious about this rumor because I imagine it would be a very prominent rumor back when Khan's father was the king of the Burn because he was not such a good guy. But I also wonder if the Fade King Cadock Vhagor peddles this propaganda so people don't want to go to his brother's kingdom where they don't know that it is better there. And that's my best guess because we know that he sure does love his propaganda with the fear du ath. I'm also curious if it's true that few people return from the Burn. Does Khan recruit them or are maybe some of them the batter people indeed killed?

[Nicole]

I thought that they just fell in love with the culture and the lifest there that they're like, I don't want to go back anymore.

[Lexi]

That was only a possibility.

[Nicole]

Yeah.

[Lexi]

Khan is like recruiting people being like

[Nicole]

look at this better place.

[Lexi]

And his brothers are like, no, no, no. You don't want to go there. There's also the question of what is the fear do ask connection to the Burn because it doesn't seem like they have any ties there. And their focus is on the southern kingdoms, specifically the Fade as we know it. So naturally Rafe is going off of what she knows, which is very little and probably propaganda. So she is scared that she will be one of those people who go to Dom and where she won't be able to leave to return and kill Rex Zaros. Remember, she's got a one track mission here.

[Nicole]

All right, let's go through Khan's POV right now. My poor boy. My sweet poor boy. Oh God. We know he had revenge.

[Lexi]

My man.

[Nicole]

He's a man.

[Lexi]

He's so sorry for calling you a boy there Con.

[Nicole]

Oh my. Calm it down, Lexi. Can. Down girl. Down. I can't. We know that he had Rigon om nom nom nom nom rave because then it looked looks to the rest of the world like he took care of this particular Elding blade. And now he has plans to get her to Dom, which is well out of his brother's eyes. And I also wonder and probably assume that it's to jog her memory. It's to make sure she's safe. Like be like be with me again. I'm so happy you're alive and intact and not a shard.

[Lexi]

Well, he is taking her to like his ma's retreat.

[Nicole]

Yeah, it's really cute. But right now she's making it rather difficult for him. And here's one thing I one take

[Lexi]

away from this book and their relationship is that she's making it difficult for him.

[Nicole]

Here's one thing I love about Khan is that he's not a doormat with her. Like, he's not just like, stomp all over me, I'll always be here for you. Like, he's very logical to her stabby hand tendencies. He tells her that if she wants to kill him, she'd be stuck in the Botanic Plains without water. Her skin would literally burn. Oh, and Rygon would probably eat you. He knows how to talk to her. Instincts that aren't just like, oh, yes, honey, whatever you say, honey. Like, he's literally saying, like, okay, if you want to kill me, here's the repercussions that you're probably not thinking about right now. I can only imagine his thought process is just like, okay, let me reason with her. Tell her point blank why she's not better off without me and why she's better off with me. He knows her. He sees that if she's going to respond best, he will need to talk to that logical brain that she refuses to use sometimes.

[Lexi]

So I know we've talked throughout all of our deep dives about the four tendencies, which is Gretchen Rubin's four tendencies.

[Nicole]

Literally also thought about this.

[Lexi]

She would, hands down, be a rebel. But there would be some questioner tendencies there.

[Nicole]

Oh, I 1000% think that she's a questioner.

[Lexi]

Elowin did go and get a moon plume when she was nine phases old, when her parents told her not to.

[Nicole]

I 1000% think that she's a rebel. Lexi, I don't know what you're talking about. Yes, okay. That's a really good point. And I'll also throw out, like, literally, Khan hands her a sack of gold and he's like, go, be free. And she's like, I'm gonna stay a dom. Actually, that's a really good point. Tell me what to do. Okay, she's definitely a rebel. What do you think Khan would be? Because I don't think he's an obliger. I feel like he's an upholder.

[Lexi]

I think he's an upholder too. Yes.

[Nicole]

And if you have no idea what you're talking about, you're missing out on one of life's greatest gifts for you and whatever people are around you in

[Lexi]

your life for Tendencies is a fantastic. It's not quite like a personality. It's more like a inner and outer expectation and how you approach expectations. It's a fun personality. Ish quiz.

[Nicole]

Here's how to talk to your significant other and make them actually do the things that you're asking them and not piss them off. Like that's it.

[Lexi]

In a non controlling way.

[Nicole]

Yes. Well, because you're a questioner and I know that if I'm going to say something to you, I have to explain. Here's why I need this to happen on the sooner side. Exactly. If you say something to me, you know, you don't have to do that because I'll just do it in 10 seconds.

[Lexi]

And I'm married to a rebel, so I do not ask him.

[Nicole]

Yeah, you give him options. You say, hey, can you do this? Or this? And then he gets to decide, well, I'm married to an obliger, where I. If I. I ask him to do something, he will be like, yes, of course. Whatever you need. And I need to make sure I don't manipulate that. That's very important.

[Lexi]

Okay.

[Nicole]

Khan smells good. But he also smells that she has an infection in her pin wound. And that's okay. Yes. She's definitely your Bible. Because she's like, no, I don't. And he's like, God damn it, I love you. I love you, Elohin. Rave quote, unquote. But he also sticks his finger in the wound to make her see sense. I do wonder if Elowyn was this difficult to reason with when he and her were together.

[Lexi]

I. Well, I was gonna bring up the moon plume thing again, but also, remember when they all had dinner and his father was berating his sister?

[Nicole]

Yeah.

[Lexi]

And she stood up and like ripped

[Nicole]

her veil off and was like, you.

[Lexi]

Yes, I do think so.

[Nicole]

I think she was like that with other people. But I don't think she's like that with Khan. Because he was never free. Yes.

[Lexi]

Yes.

[Nicole]

So he's just like, oh, now I know how my father felt. I actually don't think he's thinking that at all. That's definitely not something he's thinking. He's probably like, oh, honey, you're so cute. But he also knows that she won't ask for help. Like, that is a very Elohin trait as well. She is never able to admit a weakness. And this is him literally pretending to poking his finger in her wound. Like I said, this is not the penetration we're asking for, dude. But this is to make her see sense that she is better off sticking with him and listening to him for the time being.

[Lexi]

I know that when we were starting to, you know, talk about doing this coverage and all that everybody's like don't you dare give Khan an L. And he's not getting an L. Let me just be very clear here. But if he got any Ls in this entire book, it would be here. But big. But I cannot lie is because Rave is being so stubborn with accepting help or admitting that she needs it in the first place when she will literally die if she does not get this help. So I am giving this poor male a pass. He does not deserve any L's because he's responding the way the stubborn assin assassin will listen. So he can help. He's just trying to help.

[Nicole]

Now playing devil's advocate and Internet don't come at me because there was a very similar moment in ACOTAR book one that I believe we did give an L. And that was being done for that person's own good. So different circumstances. Wasn't that different. Was it that different?

[Lexi]

It's gonna be the argument of the book boyfriends because that is your book boyfriend, Nicole.

[Nicole]

And he got an L. One of my book.

[Lexi]

Are you seriously trying to give KH an L right now?

[Nicole]

Because no stuck a finger in her wound. Oh dear. Oh God. You look.

[Lexi]

Are you. Are you actually trying to give him an L right now? No, no, no.

[Nicole]

Then we. Then I revoke that L that we gave that person for.

[Lexi]

That we listen to that coverage that we did two years ago to remember if we actually gave him an L.

[Nicole]

We will be listening, listening to it very soon in prep for ACOTAR 6. So yes, I accept that is fine. If we gave that person an L. Con deserves an L here. If we did not give that person

[Lexi]

an L. Different circumstances.

[Nicole]

Okay, we're gonna agree to disagree. I can't wait to be absolutely berated on the Internet. It'll be so fun. I do take. I know this doesn't seem like it, but I really do feel forgotten here. L or no L. He is looking at Nicole.

[Lexi]

He is not getting an L. L.

[Nicole]

I said L or no. There's two options there. He is looking at the love of his life who is threatening to kill him or.

[Lexi]

And.

[Nicole]

Or run away and escape. And he is being so calm until like a verbal burp, she blurts out his name and immediately his body stiffens and a quote low grating sound comes from him and he acts asks her to say it again. And when she does.

[Lexi]

Con, con, con, con.

[Nicole]

His lungs fill with air like it's his first breath because it kinda is in 123 phases. He thought he would never hear his name again. On her lips. And here it is. Khan. Okay, never mind. You don't get an L, guy. You don't get an L. Thank you. This is so sweet. Sweet boy.

[Lexi]

I love him so much. The emotional turmoil he must be going through right now with her being like, I'm gonna kill you. And then he said, I didn't realize

[Nicole]

she was the Wicked Witch of the West.

[Lexi]

And then she says his name, and he's probably like, I know that she's down there somewhere. It's like life is breathing back into him. His lungs are filling with air. And then after he has this little moment of appreciation, he goes back to carrying a pissed off rave over his shoulder, all like, you didn't say please. Like, he's got to keep that Persona.

[Nicole]

I commend him so much for not cracking immediately and letting all of his walls down because she gave him a sliver. It just shows how much strength he is exuding here. It's crazy. He composes himself and goes right back to, I need to speak to this version of at least right now, Prisoner 73. She is being Prisoner 73 right now. Which he needs, to be blunt, he needs to be playing along with her banter, and he needs to be reminding her constantly, I'm not here to kill you, girl.

[Lexi]

It's the best method of engaging with her right now. And exactly as exacerbated as he is. And all the gold stars for his patience. I love his playful banter where he's basically calling out her bluffs over and over again, channeling his own frustrations at this whole situation. And into the banter where she's like, I'm going to cut out your tongue with my dagger. And he goes, I'd rather you do it with your teeth. But beggars can't be choosers. Or like the running joke about smelling bad and soap. You know when he's like, soil calms me. And he's like, I am calm. I am calm. I could go on and on. And I'm sure we will, like, throughout this entire episode.

[Nicole]

Well, I also want to throw out the brava. Of who? Of the audiobook. And how first and foremost, the. The voice she does for Khan is so. It's so good. Where at first I thought it was a duet. I was so surprised. And the way that she just handles his deadpan energy is so funny. Oh, my God.

[Lexi]

During the stretch, we get a peek into the relationship between Khan and Rygon. They're a team, they're a partnership. No need to steer. Rygon knows where to go. As we'll find out later. Khan and Rygon are Dagamort, which means they are so bonded that Khan can harness his dragon strength and fire. There is a true connection. Connection between them and ah, I can't wait to keep exploring this concept of Dagomor.

[Nicole]

I love the line of how Khan's heart is beating in unison with the thump of Raygon's wings. Like that is just such a cool parallel to how obviously close him and Ray Gun are. But I wonder if that's also a Dagamorc thing.

[Lexi]

I wonder.

[Nicole]

Yeah, I feel like we're gonna learn a lot more about Dogamorg, especially if Slotra and Rafe are.

[Lexi]

I think they have the other kind of connection that Sarah teased for us. I'm gonna be getting into all that in today's try Coun Infiltration. There's also so much foreshadowing that Wraith has known Rygon before. She's not afraid of him, despite knowing that she should be. And she's like, see? He likes me. Yeah, you used to know him. And Khan's like, I hear you, but he's still loyal to me. So I know kill me you're gonna have a problem with. I don't think you should rely on that.

[Nicole]

Method. Landing at. At the end of this crevice, Rave is surprised at the beautiful lush landscape. The waterfalls, the teal pools that glimmer like gemstones. Gem watch. But her idealized view is short lived as Khan scoops her up like a sack of potatoes and unceremoniously throws her into the water. Clothes, shackles, rope bindings and all. It's like his very own wet T shirt contest. I bet that felt really good for Khan. He's like. Finally, Retribution. While in the water, Rave notices a strange tingling sensation. And surprise. The water has healing properties. How did Khan find that out? When he was 9, his dad sent him to live with the Jakkul clan after he was discovered to only hear Ignos and Boulder. His dad might have told them that if he survived their harsh and grueling training Method Kids, he might emphasis on might earn his father's respect since he surely did not have it. Only hearing two elemental songs. Despite Khan doing extremely well in this clan and the Boltanic Plains, we know that Daddio did not follow up on that respect. And that was never given.

[Lexi]

Well, Daddio, joke's on you because Khan ended up besting you in the end.

[Nicole]

So, so scary. So Khan spent most of his adolescence and a number of his later phases as a warrior. In the Jakuh clan. During this time, he would sneak out here to this pool during slumber and soak until he no longer bled, then quickly rode back before the aurora rose.

[Lexi]

When Khan rips off his shirt, Wave sees his tattoos for the first time. And don't worry everyone, we are going to have a moment of appreciation for Khan shirtless very, very soon, where we could all go feral. But where was I?

[Nicole]

The tattoos.

[Lexi]

Okay, so Khan has small black dots all over his back that covers so much of his skin that it almost appears blacked out. Inside of this black expanse is a constellation of white stars and almost two dozen moons tattooed on his back. Most of the size of an eye and a few are the size of a fish. But these aren't just random moons because Khan thought they looked pretty. Oh, no, no, no. Each moon is very important to him. And on a reread we can figure out why, at least for a few of them. So first up, of course, we have Rave noticing that he has her favorite moon, Hayes Perch, tattooed on him. It's the small, wonky one that is the thing she loves most. For reasons she doesn't want to understand, she knows that it is sketched so exquisitely on his back. She makes out its misshapen wing and it makes her want to cry. The other moons on his back are the ones that surround Hae's perch in real life, also done in such exquisite detail that she is convinced Khan sat beneath the sky while someone copied the view directly onto his back. She recognizes all these moons tattooed on him, except for one, the biggest one of all, a large silver moon that Rave has never seen before. A moon that no longer exists because it fell from the sky more than 20 phases ago. So we have to talk about this because Kahan got his loved ones and her loved ones who are now moons, tattooed on his back. He got Slotra with Rave tattooed on him. Remember that she was the largest moon plume dragon, so naturally she would be a big moon. As well as Elowyn's brother Hadeon in his adolescent moon. I really think the other surrounding might be her parents dragon's moons if they died and went up there. But they did not do that with her parents.

[Nicole]

Correct. So we don't know. But based on what Sarah said a few episodes ago about, or I guess it was last episode, about the connection between moon plumes, I actually wonder if we're going to see specifically Nathae, which is her mother's moon plume again, I don't think. I'm not convinced they're up in the

[Lexi]

sky yet I agree with you. So knowing that there's almost two dozen moons tattooed on Khan's back, I assume those are dragons and dragons of loved ones that have meant something to Khan. So for instance, I wonder if his others dragon's moon is up there and who else? There's almost two dozen. That's more than 20 moons and we know only two for sure.

[Nicole]

You know, that would have been a really good question to ask Sarah but instead about. Because I was curious when Khan got these tattoos on his back and so signal as Sarah said that it was during the time after Elowyn passed. So I'm assuming it was after he killed his father or maybe it was like right after she died. I don't know. I was curious where the timeline was, where it was like if it was right after or if it was after a couple phases or something like that. But we just know it was in that hundred years. But we also get with Con shirtless, a first peek at his Malmer. A carving of a black saberside and a silver moonplume locked in an embrace hanging from a strap of leather. We will talk so much more about that Malmer and how it might relate to the Ballad of Fallen Moon next episode. Especially as he gives it to her. Oh, I can't wait for that episode. That's gonna be a fun battle episode. That'll be a lot of fun. But this is one of my favorite sections of the book because of the going back to their banter, because of the way their banter shines off the page. Rave is witty. She doesn't slow down when others around her aren't as sharp. And I love this moment when she tells Khan that very few can keep up with her. He smiles, knowing full well that he's one of the ones who can't. He even says like, is that a challenge? Moonbeam? And we see that throughout his hot spring scene that he's leaning more and more into the banter with her. He sticks his tongue out at her. He's joking about how he doesn't want to distract her from from strangling him with her hair. That now that he's got a bathe, he tells her that she smells bad and throws so better. It's so funny for these two banter. It's almost like a common ground, right? Because it's almost like Khan is talking to Rave. Not the memory of Elowen. Her sharp tongue and her wit is a part of a shared personality. They both have her meaning. Elowyn and Rave. But it's not Khan talking to Elowyn and the history and the heaviness there. So it's almost like Khan is matching her rhythm and seeing. Seeing her rave, not the memory of Elwyn. I keep going back to this line later in the book that he will say, which is, he wants to get to know this rave. He wants to get to know the real rave. And this banter is a way of him safely doing that. And for Khan, volleying back that wit is a way for him to be familiar with her without demanding that she recognize that familiarity that he has with her. Something I again really commend him for doing. Because I can only imagine how hard it would be to not just talk to her like he's known her and loved her for 123 phases. That's so hard.

[Lexi]

We get like those little like glimpses every now and then. Like for instance, back when he's like, oh, stubborn as always. Yes, little things like that. Exactly. Okay, we've waited long enough.

[Nicole]

Thank you God.

[Lexi]

Now it is time to go feral.

[Nicole]

Over.

[Lexi]

I really do think the best fan art I have ever seen, which is of Khan under this waterfall just washing himself and only his underwear. This fan art of Khan under the waterfall is by artist Nora Adamski. Link to this fan art is in our show notes. I know we talk about this almost every episode, but you all, if you have not seen that yet, I need you to because it is perfection. I looked to see if I could even buy a print from this artist's website or you know, like a cutout. No luck. So Nora, if you are listening to this, can I please buy a license

[Nicole]

print cutout of this fan art that you created? Like a fucking Legolas 6? Yes, exactly like waterfall. Nora, please.

[Lexi]

I am deceased with this image of Khan. It is top tier book boyfriend, book husband status and I just love him so, so much. And this fan art alone, plus all of his patience and banter and love to give. Oh my God. He. He might be my number one book boyfriend.

[Nicole]

Whoa, whoa.

[Lexi]

I have no read Silver Flames in a long time.

[Nicole]

You. You every single episode have always been like, Cassian is up here and then way down here is the other ones are you. Wow, Lexi.

[Lexi]

Cassian's a little out of sight, out of mind right now. And Con is in sight under a waterfall and only his underwear. I. I so clearly have a type as well.

[Nicole]

Between you.

[Lexi]

Really?

[Nicole]

Do you really do it just.

[Lexi]

He lives rent free in my head and I love him so much.

[Nicole]

Oh my God. I never thought I would live to see this day.

[Lexi]

Like, I should not be this excited

[Nicole]

over a fictional character when there's a photo like that. I don't blame you in the slightest. I don't blame me in the slightest. I don't blame anyone else. Go look at that photo. Also, all of Nora's art. It's so. Well.

[Lexi]

Oh, my goodness. Yeah, she has one from the very last scene as well of Kazari with me. And oh, my gosh, it is absolutely beautiful.

[Nicole]

We get a very important download in the scene that we have to talk about after Rave tells him that he's going to wish he were dead. This is as he's taking out the pin in her shoulder, which, honestly, I feel like that's a fair thing to say as you're getting your entire, like, skeleton feeling ripped out of your back. Khan mentions how there's only one thing that can make him go back to a feeling of. Of no longer wanting to live. And he will never let that happen again. AKA losing Rave slash Elowyn.

[Lexi]

So sad. I know he felt dead for more than a hundred phases after the love of his life died. And now she's miraculously back and he's like, I'll never let her go again.

[Nicole]

Meanwhile, she's like, how can I break away from you? Like, what can I do? Then he admits she's like, also just

[Lexi]

determined to die too. Is like, no, leave this pin in my shoulder. And he's. He's like, can you please not die again?

[Nicole]

Can I please just take this out?

[Lexi]

Like, this is so easy to fix.

[Nicole]

Then when he admits that he cut off his father's head and fed it to Rygon Love that for him, he admits that it was all because he was mourning someone he loved very much. And he learned that his PA did something unforgivable. So he took the revenge that she couldn't. Even though he now regrets it because surprise, she's alive and would love taking off this man's head. We know that this something unforgivable was not blackmailing Elowyn into marrying Tyros because he used her pregnancy as leverage. And Veya is leverage. And we know that Khan has no idea she was pregnant with his child. So I believe this is him slaughtering Elowin's family. And Khan learned about it and he was obviously pissed. This is not only Auster and Vhagar slaying all of Elwyn's family, but it was also him manipulating the circumstances so that his. His son Tyros was becoming King of the Shade. I really Hope that Rave gets to have some kind of revenge on Tyros when the time comes. Or Veya. Or both. But now that's not the real head scratcher. It is. When Rave asks, what was this woman's name? Khan says, elowen. Skrt. We know that name. Oh, my God. This was so out of body.

[Lexi]

Exactly.

[Nicole]

Oh, my God.

[Lexi]

What a. What the record scratching moment on a first read. Because this is the very first direct connection we've gotten from the diary entries to the present characters. Up until now, for the last 200 pages, it's kind of been like, okay, cool, there's a girl named Elowin with these diary entries. And I'm sure that'll make sense at some point. Boom, here we have it right here. The Elowin whose journal entries we've been reading, wondering how in the world that might come into play. She was the woman Khan would love, and we're in her POV before they meet. It's just like, ah. I loved finding this out because that also was a promise that in later diary entries we would get to read them. Falling in love and things like that. Which, of course, we do end up getting. I remember back when I was first reading this, at this time, especially with this reveal, I was starting to wonder if Rave was Elowyn. But I have hadn't fully connected the dots yet or, like, fully theorized it yet, but this connection here between Khan and Elowyn was like, oh, my God,

[Nicole]

it's all starting to make sense.

[Lexi]

Yes. I love moments like this in books.

[Nicole]

I commend you so much for thinking that this was like, Elowyn and Rave were the same person, because I was so blind to it. This was also my first ever memory loss trope book. So I just didn't even think about it. And I knew nothing about this book going into it. So hearing that, I was like, wait. I thought they were gonna be the love interests to each other. I'm so confused. Like, it threw me for such a loop. And I remember just, like, that's how it felt. So I do wonder if the reason Khan shared this, though, is because he was wondering if saying Elowyn's name would, like, jostle something back for Rave. Like, I mean, kind of like how he knows some of her is still in there because she called him Khan.

[Lexi]

Well, he also. Also introduced himself. Oh, no, he didn't introduce himself. But, like, that wouldn't be like, that difficult for her to.

[Nicole]

No, but she's also talking to a king, and instead of saying, like, king, burn or something like that. Like she called him Khan, which is very familiar.

[Lexi]

True. Okay, I hadn't thought about it like that. I'm sure that it is part of it to like, I'll say, jostle her memory. Though I do lean more toward this being his way of opening up a little bit with this new version of her. Her. They are always exchanging barbs back and forth. That's one of the reasons we love this banter so much. But like you're saying he does want to get to know this Rave and opening up about himself, especially when she's already asking questions, when she is like, this is his way of sharing himself whatever way he can with the woman he loves. And it's also him saying, I killed my father for what he did to you. I took that revenge that you should have had for yourself. It's almost a little bit of a confession. Yeah, and it goes completely over her head, obviously, but it is his way of confessing this to Elowyn and telling Rave a little bit of insight into him and I think jostling her memory too, where it's like, like, like Elohin. And it makes him so sad that she has to ask like, oh, like,

[Nicole]

who did you love?

[Lexi]

And he's like, you, you.

[Nicole]

Yeah, well, okay, so talking about that, because obviously that name does not really ring any, any clear bells for her. Like, she has this internal, like, the name jolts through me, but she does not outwardly speak it. Then she asks what happened to Elowyn. And he looks her in the eye for the first time since he started taking out her pin. And with sadness says, quote, she died. I think that is because him saying her name, her not having any kind of external reaction to it, I wonder if it made him feel like the Elowin he knew is truly gone on for the first time. And he's like, oh, you sweet boy. I don't think I realized until this read how much I am devastated for this poor dude.

[Lexi]

Yes, well, the Elowin he knew and loved and who loved him so fiercely back is not here anymore. And now we have Rave, who won't stop threatening to kill him. And remember, he still does, does not know her name is Rave at this point. He doesn't know that she's going by Rave, which is Elwyn's middle name. After washing up, Khan leads Rave up a path that opens to a plateau with a small two level stone dwelling that looks, quote, like it grew straight from the ground. And we learned this was Khan's ma's retreat. What's really sad is that she probably came here to escape his father because he was such a terrible person. And that's very depressing. But I'm glad she had this little retreat treat spot. And with this being his late mother's home, of course, this space holds a very special place in Khan's heart. Rave does not know why this dwelling brings up so much emotion for her.

[Nicole]

Well, approaching the cabin, Rave is very hesitant. And it's not so much that she's nervous to go inside a enclosed space with Khan, which is very elding blade fear duath. It's interesting in this moment she kind of sheds that Rave is a woman of. Of constant contradictions. Like we discussed in episode one, she's ruthless and stabby, but she also has that very strong moral compass which she will not cross. And this dwelling threatens to expose that it represents warmth and family. And she is ice and lonely. She just dreamed of killing this man, Khan. And something about killing Khan and being in a family space feels just very out of place place. And it's not because killing him is wrong, but instead it's because this warm family place needs to be protected from her and her the vibe she's wanting to bring into it. And as Rafe says, quote, she's not family. Which creates a visceral reaction from Khan, who literally growls in anger because to him she is the most family he's ever had, maybe except for Veya or like right up beside Veya.

[Lexi]

So for her, she is the mother of his niece, who he thinks is his niece.

[Nicole]

So she's literally, literally family. Literally family.

[Lexi]

And little does he even know that

[Nicole]

they share a child. I can't wait for that next book. Oh my God, I'm so excited. So for her to say that she's not family, it's like a slap in the face for Khan. And it's all the reminder that he didn't need of how much has changed. Which in this moment, right after she says that, he literally calls her prisoner 73 because a he does not know her name is Rave yet. Yes, but it's also because right now she is acting like someone he doesn't know. And it's so painful because he has those different names, Prisoner 73 and Moonbeam, before he knows her name is Rave. This also represents everything Rave is not and everything she's been in excluded from. She's attempted to make something homey for herself absentmindedly with Essie. And what happened? Essie was murdered. Rave doesn't feel like she deserves to walk into a Place like this, especially because it is a northern tradition to offer something in exchange to go into someone's family home. And she's like, I have nothing to offer you.

[Lexi]

So to make her feel better, Khan requests a gift she gives in exchange for staying under this ring roof. That's the gift that you can provide here. What's your name? All he's called her so far is Prisoner 73 and Moonbeam, because he doesn't know her name. Though she sure doesn't go by Elowin. I'm pretty sure he knows that at least. However she gives him her name.

[Nicole]

Rave.

[Lexi]

Just Rave. And while that's the only name she goes by, her trauma of being called Firelark by the Scavenger King and all the torture that went along with it, it her other name, Firelark, will always stick with her. Oh, my heart. I can only imagine how that fucker conditioned her that her name was Firelark, like his pet name to torture her with flames. I do wonder if the Scavenger King knew that she was the person from the fallen moon, and, like, that's where he got the idea for Lark, like, flying from the sky. There would be a whole lot of other caveats associated with him knowing that about her. But I have to wonder.

[Nicole]

I totally think he knows she's Elowent.

[Lexi]

Oh, really? Okay.

[Nicole]

Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. I definitely think. Well, because, like, he got Kazari, so. But then that brings up the question, who is Fallon? Because if he's collecting royals, that could be where the. The Prince of the Fade is. If he's collecting royals. Hold on. I got a whole backstory for this too, now. Yeah, I think he's collecting royals, and that's where the Prince of the Fate is. It's obviously where Kazari is. It's where Elowen was. Was. Who the fuck knows who Fallon is now? I'm very curious.

[Lexi]

Okay, so I'm gonna have you hold on to all of that because we're gonna talk about some locational stuff here soon. And I have a few other theories.

[Nicole]

Oh, how dare you bring logic into this, Lexi. God. Okay, I do want to shift to cons POV in this moment because I commend Sarah A. Parker for one of the things that we love in writing, and we see this with Rebecca Yarros especially, and Sarah Parker here is when a big hint is dropped, the author then brings our attention elsewhere. So this huge just rave is a big hint that he's like, are you sure it's not Elowyn Rave? But Sarah is like fire. Like fire. Like, so she's diverting our attention to go somewhere else. But because we finished the book, we get to land into Khan's POV a little bit here and explore what he was thinking. Because remember all the. All he knows right now is that she has absolutely no memory of him. Her previous life, the way she's acting feral to get away from him explains that fully. So for her to blurt out rave, here is a moment of, holy shit, she's still in there. It may not be her first name, but with her middle name. For her to know a middle name is a shot of hope for Khan. If she can remember her middle name, what else can she remember? And like, I want to highlight that moment of just Rae for a second because I love that he's like, are you sure Elowyn isn't in there anywhere? Are you sure? But hearing that, no, it's just Rave. He nods and says her name for the first time, carefully and softly. Rafe. I love this because Khan basically has these four names for her. Right? And each one means something different. Different. Prisoner 73 is, you're being stubborn. You're a pain in my ass. Elowen is a ghost of the past, and I really commend him for not really calling her that ever. Especially not now because it would be a huge giveaway for the reader. But I don't think he ever calls her Elowyn.

[Lexi]

No, nothing like that. Well, and I think it's also partly because he does. Yeah. It would be weird if he ever did.

[Nicole]

Right. Because if I remember correctly, Sara views Elowen and Ravis too. Two different characters.

[Lexi]

Exactly.

[Nicole]

Yeah. Then of course, we have Rave. Who is this new woman who, like I said earlier, he hopes to get to know. He hopes to get to know. She's a new adventure for the two of them. She's a bridge. And we start to see that bridge here in the cottage.

[Lexi]

Well, and then of course, he has Moonbeam as well, where it's like he's playing with the woman he's known deep down. Like, not calling her Elowyn, but it is his way of calling her Elwyn, connecting with the old woman who he knew. And that is also one of my favorite MMC nicknames is Moonbeam.

[Nicole]

It's up there with violence for me, which is two polar opposites.

[Lexi]

See, I prefer that way more. I love Moonbeam so much. The way his voice cradles her name. Rave with so much care, just off my heart. And it scares Rafe to death because he's turning out to be everything she did not expect. Like any amazing book, Husband Khan cooks for Rave Good Soup.

[Nicole]

The fact that this is not the first but the second time we're dissecting a scene where someone cooks the other soup is actually very funny to me.

[Lexi]

It does not have the same happy ending though. Close, but not quite.

[Nicole]

She's starving.

[Lexi]

It's been a few cycles, AKA days since Rave ate with the whole imprisonment thing and thinking she was about to die once when it dawns on Rave that she did not thank Khan for this meal that she has just dove into. It's a moment where she does check herself. She always thanked Essie for the food that she made. And here she is being disrespectful to a tyrant king, maybe, but also to someone who has cooked her a hearty meal. They've had a few white flag instances before, but I feel like this is the first time she's truly said thank you and really meant it. It yes, and Rave apologizes. That's a huge step for her and it's her way of doing right by being the good person that she actually is. And I love Khan's simple, kind response. What a great show don't tell way of him recognizing this white flag and leaning into it. Just always following her cues in that way.

[Nicole]

Because we love this scene so much and we have access to a Sarah. We wanted to signal Sarah about Khan's thoughts during the scene while he's watching her eat soup. And here is what she said. Quote, maybe one day I'll consider writing it from his pov. And then she added a winky face. Sarah, what does that mean? Oh my God,

[Lexi]

I just love it.

[Nicole]

I love her emojis. They're one of my favorite parts of the with being a good, polite house guest, cross off the list. It is time to chow down. But as she demonstrated, spoons just go onto the floor. So why not just stick your entire face into a bowl and slurp, then moan about how good the soup is Again, this is the second time we're talking about soup and I'll also add that soup and moaning on the podcast. But with Rave's ladylike behavior, Con arrives, drops into laughter, gravelly laugh loud enough to battle the calamorous sky. Oh God, this writing. With Khan's laughter, something breaks in Rave and she too starts laughing and spurts soup after out of her nose because it feels so good laughing, not soup in her nose to laugh like this. She's never done this, at least not in Rave's Life, this is so new to her, but it feels so right here with him. Because these two have laughed like this so many times. Which is one reason that in this moment, after she starts laughing uncontrollably, he goes completely still and looks at her with this intensity. Because there she is, the woman he loves. After 123 phases, the spirit that she showed him behind those private closed doors has finally come out. And he's so grateful, he's so happy. And he can't get enough of watching this version of her alive and well. The most beautiful. I'm just.

[Lexi]

Oh, my God. This is one of my favorite moments of the book where they're laughing together over soup until Rachel Wave Sobra's up real quick. She does not think that she deserves to feel good like this. And it's becoming inevitable that this male seems interested in her. Not her ability to sing elemental songs or her skill with the blade or he's getting revenge on her or anything like that or something even worse. No, he seems genuinely enamored with her. And if Rave knows anything, it is do not let people in. Don't let anyone love her her, or care about her or support her or help her. The narrative that she's told herself is that she does not deserve it and they will wind up dead anyway. So, no, actually, this laughing together is not okay. According to Rave. She wants to kill Khan, remember?

[Nicole]

Phew.

[Lexi]

Okay, good. Walls are back up. But not before there's like a tick in Khan's jaws where he's just all like, all right, it's gonna be like that then.

[Nicole]

But I will say this after even she shut it. Shuts it down like that. There is this moment of her still letting him in emotionally. Previous to this, Rave has been allergic to help. Seems like such an understatement. She's been avoiding it, kicking and screaming. Even if in those moments, Khan did talk her into it, it was always like a matter of life and death. Like when he helped her get the pin out. This is a moment that they have after their shared laughter or something. Shifts. Khan then spoon feeds her the soup. He helps her clean up. These are not life and death moments. This is domestic ease. And what's more surprising is Rave doesn't stop it. Baby steps, Rave. You can do it.

[Lexi]

I know. I keep saying how patient Khan is

[Nicole]

because he is the way that he's

[Lexi]

able to keep his shit together with Rave, knowing all that we do. In his pov, she makes fun of him for collecting his precious moon shards, and he just gives her this chilling look. It's like he's been doing this all

[Nicole]

this time for you.

[Lexi]

But of course, she does not know that she bites him and draws blood when he's literally trying to help her eat and help just help her. And she accuses him of being a liar when he assures her that she's safe. None of this is technically Rafe's fault. I'm not saying that we've highlighted how understandable her distress is from her POV and why she has her walls up. But it's just like, wow, Khan. You get all the gold stars for how you're keeping your calm, taking what you can with these interactions, but also not letting her walk all over you like some little lovesick puppy. Just gold stars all around for you, Khan.

[Nicole]

Now, I am curious because at the end of the scene, after they've shared that moment of ease, he leads her upstairs and he has the tone shift. He's cutting off her questions about how is she supposed to get ready for bed with her hands so tightly bound. And he says in very sharp manner, quote, I'm sure you'll work it out. And then he slams the door. So what changed in him? My best guess is that he got this glimpse of them getting along, of what it was like in the past and how it can be again. And then the bubble bursts when. And they go upstairs and it's this reminder that she's a prisoner. And he's. He's doing it, but he hates having to do this. But he knows if he doesn't, he'll lose her again. So I think this door slam is more anger at himself versus anger at Rafe in that capacity. I definitely agree.

[Lexi]

Yeah.

[Nicole]

Before we get into this couch scene, let's take a quick moment to thank our sponsors.

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[Nicole]

states does your day move faster than you can keep up with new Gatorade Lower sugar My family and I can stay at the top of our game. No artificial flavors, sweeteners or colors. 75% less sugar and all the electrolytes of regular Gatorade now available nationwide before parting ways for Sleepy Time, Rave is informed that the only exit is down the stairs and out the back door, where she would need to creep past a sleeping con on the couch. Now what she was supposed to hear when Khan said this to her was there's no way of you getting out of here scot free without waking me up. What Rave hears though is challenge accepted.

[Lexi]

That's a rebel for ya.

[Nicole]

Oh that's true. Okay, the more you say it, I'm like oh God it's so real. Oh God. But there's only one slight issue. Her hands are still very tightly bound, but haha. She has a solution. Back when they were walking from the lake to the cottage, Rave found a small saber scythe scale in one of the tufts of grass which she tucked away between her wrists for later use. The later has found its use. The use has found its later. Sure, dragon scales are extremely sharp. Sharp. So when she holds it between her knees and saws the rope, it not only cuts the rope like butter, but also her skin, leaving Rave with a fresh gash on her arm. Yikes. But she's not even upset cause who cares? She's free.

[Lexi]

Yes, after cleaning up, using the bathroom and just enjoying not having her wrists bound anymore. Rafe, she got to wipe her butt. Yeah, the little things in life. Rave cuts her palate, which is their version of a bed, and waits until she's confident that Khan has fallen asleep. With her makeshift dragon scale weapon in hand, Rave sneaks downstairs and creeps past Khan sleeping on the couch. Seeing Khan sleeping and vulnerable, almost naked I might add. And so right muscular. Oh my goodness, what were we doing? Oh yes, just further solidifies how much she needs to leave before she does something she's going to regret. Like jump his bones.

[Nicole]

Well, quick note about one of the bones here. His nose is stated as crooked like, someone punched him one time. And I was curious about this because I was like, did Elowyn punch him or is this like a vea punch him? Or is this a Jacua clan thing? And so I signaled to Sarah and here is what she said. It was during his time in the Dekuil clan. Correct.

[Lexi]

Yay. I gave her a star for you, Nicole.

[Nicole]

Well, I gave her three answers, so it was really multiple choice for me. So thank you.

[Lexi]

So Rave is almost at the door before she remembers. He told her, quote, if you succeed getting past him, I'll enjoy hunting you down. So be my fucking guest. Please be my guest, be my guest, be my guest. And Rave realizes she does have to kill him. If she doesn't, she will never be rid of him, and he will hunt her down just as he promised.

[Nicole]

To be honest, never be rid of conveyor.

[Lexi]

This thing.

[Nicole]

Like pretty. Pretty great. So I don't. I don't know if I agree with you here. Right.

[Lexi]

Right back to that lake, waterfall and hide in there.

[Nicole]

You got some room on that couch, Cirrus. Good job. That's good.

[Lexi]

In Rave's exact inner thoughts quote, not even a moonfall would prevent him from finding me. Rave, you're absolutely right. It's like your subconscious knows. I love those lines so much. And for the first time, Wraith hesitates to make a kill. She is so mentally conflicted in this moment. She is an assassin. This is what she's trying to do. But for some reason, for some sexy reason she cannot identify, she cannot get herself to take out this naked Khan. Because you love him, you want to kiss him. Needing something to hold onto as motivation to kill him, Rafe taps into the rage she has over Khan and how the world would be a better place with one less tyrannic bagoric brother. Using this rage as her lifeline, Rave mentally retreats into herself. And we're back at her metaphorical lake. Taking her budding curiosity and tentative appreciation about whatever this is with him, Rave ties those feelings to a stone and creeps across that metaphorical lake. And the reason this icy lake is significant is because we do get descriptions, like shards of silver light spearing up from beneath the ice, like something bright and bold is soaring through the water. Wow, that sounds an awful lot like a silver dragon within herself, doesn't it? This silver light follows her to a hole in the surface of this metaphorical lake, where she drops the metaphorical stone down, down, down into the dark, metaphorical icy waters. The huge, luminous presence then darts forward and chases the stone Like a predator hunting its prey. According to Rave, the this silvery presence has never chased something she's discarded before. Or at least not that she's even noticed.

[Nicole]

It's Slotra chasing Khan. No.

[Lexi]

Exactly. So, friends, so this icy lake, again, have I mentioned it's a metaphor for within herself? Yet that this like, silver light that is deep, deep within her, underneath the lake that is Slotra within her, like, nestled within her. And she's taking these emotions and she's throwing. Throwing them into the lake, like, I do not want this here for myself. And Slasher, for the very first time, has chased after these emotions, like, wait, wait, wait, wait.

[Nicole]

Let's go back to that. So, creeping back to Khan, preparing to kill him, Rave quickly straddles him off to a great start, girl. And places Raygon's scale against his throat. Good morning. But she doesn't immediately slice. No, no, no. Because Khan's eyes abruptly pop open. Because, you know, there's a dagger against his throat. And to Rave's surprise, her internal lake erupts, sending all of those emotions that she just attempted to discard splatting against her heart and sticking between emotional sploot. Emotional sploot. Wraith notes that these emotions and feelings are now 10 times more potent than when she threw them away. I love that. Slaughter was like, hold my fear. Quick note from our content researcher. This is Slotra playing matchmaker, matchmaker, digging up all of her emotions and sending them all at once. And I could not agree more. I love it.

[Lexi]

Yes.

[Nicole]

This overwhelming sense of emotion leaves Rave wanting to rip her own heart out of her chest in order to attempt to make these feelings stop. But there's another way to get these emotions to stop. Or at least get distracted. Bakan reaches up and touches her face. She still has a knife to his throat, mind you. And she never notes that it is so jarringly familiar and so right that it makes her want to crack her aching heart into shards. Because she's obviously confused. Oh my God. There's so much foreshadowing in that one sentence. But Khan tells her that he sees her. He fucking sees her. Something that she did not know she needed to hear. But emotion and being seen. God. Bah. That's too scary. It's too scary to dissect. What's easier? Scratching an itch. So instead, taking his hand off of her face, she brings it down to her waistband. And after getting consent. Gokhan, we're off to see the finger bang. The finger bang, bang. He flips them over, discards her pants. He's already naked. Nicole.

[Lexi]

We have a finger bang song from Self Park. It's a finger bang bang you into my life. I don't remember the rest. Finger bang, finger bang bang.

[Nicole]

Something odd occurs as he's flipping her over. She smells somewhere breezy and bright with flowers and spices and the smell of them, just the two of them. A place for them. It rises in her mind. This is their little cave. And D, this is so good because on the first read, you're not paying attention to any of these little lines. Lines. Oh, it's so good.

[Lexi]

Now let's put ourselves in Khan's pov. Okay, everybody, we have an erection. Are you with me? Because he might know she probably would not actually kill him, but she's definitely threatening him enough for, you know, it to be a concern. And she has said she would never willingly him fighting him. At most turns I could go on and on and on. We have all deep dive about how this is a very interesting position they found themselves literally. And here she is literally ready to jump his bones. And he knows why. This is his Elowyn, deep down. And he's repeating that he sees her, he sees his love, he sees wraith, he sees Elowyn. He sees the confusion that she is experiencing and he is sympathizing with it. The way he says, what do you need, moonbeam? He's not going to take anything not freely offered. He's not going to make any sudden movements. This is all about her and what she needs to help her through whatever tangle of emotions she is feeling from a past life with him. It's like Elowen is peeking out. But Rave does not understand why she has these urges, these very sexual urges. Why he means something to her, why she needs him to touch her, why they have this electrifying chemistry. It scares her and she doesn't know what to do.

[Nicole]

Well, speaking of things that scare her, Khan is looking at her like she's his everything, because she is. And it's terrifying to rave. So Jo, Josh, as he's about to slide on home, she tells him, quote, first you have to stop looking at me like it means something. She's looking.

[Lexi]

There's the icy lake.

[Nicole]

There's the icy lake there. She's clearly looking for a meaningless, obviously. And he's like, yeah, if you want a meaningless Release, sorry, prisoner 73, that's not happening here. Note how he calls her prisoner 73. None of this is meaningless to Khan, not after mourning your ass for 123 phases. She doesn't Know that, that. So it's fine. It's heart wrenching to see how this is immediately said in monotone. And he tells her to go upstairs. Like, he's so sad. He's so sad. He's getting these little glimpses of the two of them, how perfect they are together, only to be slapped in the literal and metaphorical face at how nothing is the same. So this time it's not a hard shutting of a door, it's the clipped rumbling words, words said with violence. Get the fuck up. Khan is so very patient, as we've said multiple times this episode. But he can only be played with so much before his heart is literally getting ripped out of him again. Here is the cumulation of just how much he's lost with Elowyn. And he doesn't know if they're ever going to have it again. He's tired of just getting glimpses only to have them ripped away. It's too painful. So I don't blame him for getting a little, little angry here. He's so sad.

[Lexi]

Well, and Elowyn did reject him. She wrote to him, because his father forced her to, that his brother was the better match and that she chose Tyroth. Once when we get to the chapters with Veya, she's pissed at Elwyn because she broke her brother's heart. Now here, Rave is saying, just like Elowin did, you don't matter to me. And we know with Elwyn that was not true. She was literally just trying to keep him and his sister alive by going with Tyroth instead. But that's what he heard. You don't matter to me. You are not important enough to me. And that is what Rave is saying right here to him as well. I will say I think Khan knows what they had was real because of how much he holds on to his love for her. But salt really rubbed in the wound here. This is not the first time she's called what is between them meaningless. Naturally, Rave is extremely confused about what the that just was and what she did. The smell of him is on her now, like he seeped through her pores and melded with her, creating an aroma that is so carnally them. Ah, I love this writing. She's still tempted to go back down and let him beneath her skin, like it means something. She wants him that bad. It's almost like he was the love of your life 123 phases ago. When you. You've had lots of meaningful sex in the past, but you can't remember, so you've only got the feral urge to ride that sexy king. Who have I become this episode? Look what you've done to me, Con. I want to go back down and ride that sexy thing.

[Nicole]

When they do, finally. Bang, bang, bangity bang. I'm almost willing to give you that sex scene for the first time on this podcast.

[Lexi]

I'd like to thank the Academy,

[Nicole]

I'd like to thank my parents, and most

[Lexi]

of all, I'd like to say love them.

[Nicole]

My sister thanks mom and dad. Well, with embarrassment and her stabby hands itching this rave, just to be clear to get around Rex Zaros throat, it is time to get the fuck out of here. So embarrassing. What happened. I don't want to be here in one more second. And aha.

[Lexi]

Ah.

[Nicole]

What's this? Rave sees a little sliver in the home that's just big enough for her to sneak through and climb down the side of the home like a louder and huzzah. She's free. Free.

[Lexi]

Yes. Let's run away from this place of pleasure, wholesome meals and deep belly laughs because these things are too good for Rave. Her life is not meant for such happiness. As far as she's concerned for herself, she's on a mission to kill, wreck Zoros, and get away from this person who cares about her, who wants to

[Nicole]

be cared for in a loving home.

[Lexi]

What?

[Nicole]

Really for the first time. I know, but really for the first time since we've seen her in this book, Rafe is. I'm gonna say. Yeah, I'll say free. She's free. I mean, like emotionally, not at all, but like physically, yeah, but don't get too excited there, Rave.

[Lexi]

Because as she climbs down the cliffs in her escape, rushing water gushes in and rips her from the wall. Then whack. Something hits Rae's head and she blacks out again. This is becoming a pattern at the end of chapters.

[Nicole]

It's really the universe being like, girl, come. Okay, fine, we're just gonna knock you out.

[Lexi]

God damn it.

[Nicole]

Now I do want a quick pop pause. Because something I was curious about on this read was how long did it take Khan before he went upstairs and realized that Brave is gone? So we signaled a Sarah and here is what she said. Quote, not immediately. Since the raging storm covered the sounds of her escape, Khan sat there for a moment and regained himself, toiling over everything that just took place between the two of them. Then had a feeling like something was off.

[Lexi]

Off.

[Nicole]

Like he could sense her absence. He went upstairs and realized he was right. The moment the flock of tawny Birds shot from the jungle was the instant he charged out of the dwelling to look for her. That's what I was curious about. He wasn't angry. He's wild. He was wild with panic. It wasn't the first time she'd run away without saying a proper goodbye. And the last time this happened, she ended up in the sky, dead. Also, she doesn't know who she truly is. And this comes with a potentially dangerous complication. Her well being is more at risk than she realizes. Something Khan is brutally, painfully aware of. Duh.

[Lexi]

Oh, my gosh. I love it all so much.

[Nicole]

All right, let's take a very hard pivot, get that cold water splashed all over us, because we've got some really tough diary entries to get into. This is where Elowin's life takes a really hard time. Turn for the worst. While Elowen is sleeping in the hutch next to Slatra, her mother, her father and Hadeon are all poisoned and thus strangled to death. Huh. How interesting that the Burn King just visited and suddenly everyone is dead.

[Lexi]

I had to reread this diary entry when I was first reading this book because it was like, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Like what? Like this is unexpected, but yes, 1 million percent. I believe that they were poisoned by Burn King Austrian, who was Khan's father, who he ends up killing. King Austrian visited the Shade, and the Shade King, who was Elowin's father, said no to Austrian's son Tyroth marrying Elowin. And now all of a sudden, the Shade royal family, except for Elowin, are all dead, leaving Austrian's son Tyroth to just swoop right on in. There is no world in which that is a coincidence. Although I don't think it's ever outright stated, like, even among the Tri Council, or like, why was this not a flag that somebody else raised? And I do think that goes back to Austrian's power over the whole world and him really encroaching his strength and his reign across all three of the kingdoms here. And I do think that this was the primary reason that Khan killed him. He was seeking revenge for Elowyn's family. He does not know that his father threatened Elowyn knowing that she was pregnant. But I bet that Khan figured out that his father did kill or was responsible for her family's murder, and he was seeking that revenge for her sake.

[Nicole]

I bet he knew for a long time because he would see the circumstances as they're unfolding and put two and two together. I feel like he's smart enough for that. It's so interesting because I would feel

[Lexi]

like Elowyn would be too. But it's never mentioned where it's like, huh. Huh. Dear diary, I think that the Burn King might have killed my family.

[Nicole]

She's so lost in her emotions. And then she is slapped on the head with the Ether stone. So I wonder if that I'm gonna call it almost takes away her critical thinking. Her Nancy Drew sleuthiness. I think that. Yeah, I'm gonna call it that. So understandably, this tragedy has such a massive impact on Elowyn. Her family has always been a sense of safety and protection from the harsh realities of the world. Between her Pa. Allowing her to speak literally. Something unmarried women are not allowed to do. Let alone he lets her curse even go veil less again. Things that unmarried women are not allowed to do. They're supposed to be veiled until literally their binding ceremony. Which veiled and silent, which I would do terribly in this society. Elwyn in the shade has been allowed to be. Be this free animal with her, you know, princessy position till now. Now this responsibility, it slams into her. But it's not her choice. Like everything is suddenly these other people telling her what to do. And she's supposed to bury her family with dealing with all of this. But she's also not the only one at this complete suffering loss. A loom. Hadean's moon plume 10 takes hadion and flies up into the sky, calcifying even though this dragon is only an adolescent. But a loom would rather die now with her bonded rider than keep going without him. That is so beautifully tragic. Oh my gosh. And then we have Nathae and Akiri. Her ma and Pa's moonplume. They both blow icy flames onto the funeral pyres. Note that her maw was cremated. Basically when every single ounce of life was drained from her via the diadem. Like she was unrecognizable. Like I see her as like this gray shrively husk. But I do want a quick side note here because ever since looking up a loom. The French meaning which is light. I wanted to see if nathay and Akiri had different translations as well. The fay could be related to the Sanskrit word natha meaning lord. Very interesting. Going back to what Sarah A. Parker said last episode about the moonplume connections that we're going to be learning more about.

[Lexi]

Which I was like, connection.

[Nicole]

Yeah.

[Lexi]

I love that.

[Nicole]

Catch. And then, oh, this one killed me. Akiri is Icelandic for anchor, which of course her Pa's moonplume means anchor. Her father was literally her anchor. Oh my God.

[Lexi]

I really want Rave to see her parents dragons again. And assuming that they are not there and that they are not moons on on his back there, I do think that she will eventually, especially since she has adopted the abused moonplume. And so maybe Rave will bring her back to the shade, to her home, and she'll see the dragons and that she knew in a different life. And this moon plume that she has is going to be like Rave's reason for coming to the shade and then everything's gonna go to shit.

[Nicole]

Okay, well, hold on. I wonder if Nathae is going to like take this adopted moon plume under. Under her wing. I wonder if Natha is like the lord of the moon plumes and that's why her name means Lord.

[Lexi]

What if this new moon plume is actually her baby baby moonplume and that is the connections that we'll be learning more about that Sarah teased for us.

[Nicole]

Oh, I hope so.

[Lexi]

Okay.

[Nicole]

Something else that is quite interesting that happens is when her, her family is all poisoned, the creators won't stop screaming and hissing words she's never heard. What, like, what do you think is happening here? Do you think that this is. Because she's obviously extremely emotional, devastated, and this is them almost emotionally reacting with her.

[Lexi]

I was wondering something like that. Like at first I was like, oh my gosh, what if it's Kaylis? But it's like, no, she wouldn't hear him yet because she has not put on the diadem yet. So Elowyn says that the creators are hissing words she's never heard before. And since this is before she dawns the Ether Stone and I assume being able to hear Kaylis, I do think that this is their way of calling to Elowyn. The other creators are calling to Elowyn to take up the responsibility. It's like their way of hissing at her. Put that thing on your head. It's time. And but in the hissing, do it, do it.

[Nicole]

Oh God, do it, do it.

[Lexi]

When I was like thinking of that for the. I was like, put that thing back on where you place it. Help me, dum dum dum. So help me. So never mind what anything I'm saying. And also I think the reason her mother felt so close to death when she had put it on, you know, over 100 faces ago, I think that was her mother's. I'll call it Introduction to Kayla Calis. Ether is the intangible. Ether is the abstract. And I really do believe that there is a closer link to life and death with Aether than we know so far with the focus on empty space and gravity and all of that. So I do think that her mother feeling closer to death of obviously it was like the life literally getting sucked out of her. But I do wonder if Kahless has something to do with that too. And just like his presence then after Elowyn dawns the Etherstone diadem, the creators quote are so quiet now, their voices vacant echo is barely loud enough to grasp. I'm not sure why. Elowyn speculates that the Etherstone is taking so much life from her that there's little left to listen. Like we've talked about, this is very different from what we know with Kazari. When Elowent's daughter will put the Ether Stone on their creators will be so loud for her as a baby, which is. That's insane that a baby is hearing the creators like this. We are wondering if this is specific to Kazari and it's more standard for the Aetherstone bearer to not hear them like what Elowen experiences. Because yes, it's like their gifts from the creators are being siphoned to keep Calis contained. And I do believe that is why the creators gift this familial line with all four elements to have the power to withstand the sucking of life that the Etherstone requires. And the fact that Kazari can still hear the creators when the Etherstone is on one demonstrates how different she is. Especially combined with the prophecy about Rave's offspring keeping the moons tethered to the sky forever.

[Nicole]

God, I can't wait to get into that next episode.

[Lexi]

Oh my God.

[Nicole]

So as completely horrific as this is, there is an element of what now for Elowyn's life. Now to be clear, she's not asking that, but that just goes to show how little control she has right now. Plans are being thrust into her face whether she likes it or not. And none of them involve her being in slight control or leave her in a position of control. According to her ma and Pa's aids, she has very few options. No one of Arithia would accept a queen quote so weakened by the Ether Stone. So she'll have to marry someone who can wield three elemental strengths songs.

[Lexi]

So this is why I think it was for the maternal line to be the Ether Stone. They were given this extra power to be siphoned off and it wouldn't give them like an actual power imbalance. Like if a man in the patriarchy had this ether stone, he would not be powerful enough to be able to rule. And so it's like, okay, well, let's give that to his wife instead. Because we did also learn this with the Queen of the Fade. She can only hear here, Claude. So she is not deemed powerful or even important enough, despite her royal position and even despite the Fade being her. Her home kingdom,

[Nicole]

patriarchy, and all of this to say Elowen is still too young. Right now she is 18. She's not allowed to rule until she's 21. That's when she comes of age. So there will be a meeting of the Tri Council in the neutral territory of of Botham to basically decide who her husband is. But being a woman, she cannot speak or even attend the meeting that decides her life. She will be veiled and silent, literally, until the wedding day. I am so fueled with feminine rage. We went to a bookstore this week and one of the tote bags said, fueled by feminine rage. And I didn't realize when one of my friends made that and sold it on fair, I was like, oh, my God, I didn't realize that was Corey. I was freaking out. But I want that bag. So I might go back and get it because it has consumed my thoughts.

[Lexi]

So this really is when we realize how much freedom and independence Elwyn had growing up. Her free spirit was nurtured instead of stifled like it is now. And that is who Elwyn and most certainly Rave are at their core core, fierce, independent women.

[Nicole]

Yeah.

[Lexi]

Let's tap into our dragon sight and turn our full attention to important foreshadowing moments for the rest of this book and speculations. For book two, Ballad of Falling Dragons,

[Nicole]

we get a song about the backstory of the Velvet Trog. Apparently there was once a jolly wee drifter who had some sticky thieving fingers and went to the the bog dragon hatching grounds in the fade to get themselves a dragon. But when she stole the egg, it was already bumping, bumping, thumping, thumping. All I can think of is that Destiny's Child song, like jumping, jumping. And that's all I can think of here. And then the egg slash new hatched dragon, I'm assuming, breathed fire on this jolly wee drifter. So the drifter, avoiding, you know, being dragon feud and crispy beep, jumped into a molten bog to escape the fire. But it emerged as a velvet trog. The velvet trog is, ironically, one of my favorite characters. We have an inside joke with our friends that it's like, like, you know, my hair's Up. Like, I'm wearing, like, a sweatshirt. I'm. It's a writing cave day. That is my Velvet Trog day. Like, and that's what we all call ourselves whenever we're in the Velvet Trog era.

[Lexi]

See, I am laughing because I'm just like, oh, gosh, is Nicole about to go off on velvet again like you did with our fan alchemy coverage?

[Nicole]

No.

[Lexi]

You ruined the velvet.

[Nicole]

You ruined the velvet. I just can't wait to talk more about the Velvet Trog. I love her. I love her. I aspire to be her.

[Lexi]

I love this little song so much. And also how much Rave loves music. She can hear all four elements and has a very beautiful singing voice. And she sings her calming song for comfort. So when the next book titled Ballad of Falling Dragons. I do wonder if music will play a bigger role, maybe with Rave leaning more into creator songs and tapping into her elemental powers. But I just love that tie in with music and the bigger meaning about that for her. Nicole, I have a very big concern and it is about the tick. Okay, Foreshadowing of the tick, because.

[Nicole]

Did we both have this? Because I'm pretty sure I also had this somewhere. Oh, here. Here it is. Yes, continue.

[Lexi]

I am so worried that someone's dragon is going to go crazy and our crew is going to have to kill the dragon. And I'm very, very worried.

[Nicole]

Okay, so the only reason why I'm like half worried is because we see this tick infestation of a dragon. Repercussions later when Khan needs to leave Dom to go to an outskirt. Outskirt city and kill a dragon that has been infected by one of these ticks. Does that mean it can't ever come back? No. Does that mean I'm gonna pray it doesn't ever come back? Yes.

[Lexi]

What if a tick gets on Rave and then the tick infects Slotra and then the other goes on an even craze, I am told.

[Nicole]

Okay, I'm actually kind of here for that. Okay, here's another option. What if it gets on one of the Tyroth twins?

[Lexi]

I was wondering that too.

[Nicole]

See, that I could get about. But then it would kill a bunch of innocents and that's not fun. No one wants that.

[Lexi]

Exactly.

[Nicole]

No, no.

[Lexi]

Bottom line, everyone check your dragons for ticks. Even the bad guys, please. Everybody check your dragons for ticks. This does not sound like a good

[Nicole]

thing introduced for the story. Okay, we get one of our first full mentions about the moon plume that fell, a.k.a. slotra and rays. Apparently the Plummet was so heavy and had lots of aftershocks and carnage, and it burst into a million different shards that obviously Khan has been collecting. Quote, so large a city could dwell within its dimpled depth. Pause. Could this be where the flourishes.

[Lexi]

Okay, I was thinking that too, but also, rape was repeatedly remade in a place where there were lots of these moon shards. So I think that the Scavenger King's hideout is where Silotra had fallen, and that is why they saw so many Moon shards. She was barely transported from where she fell like that. Like that makes sense. Lily makes sense. Right now.

[Nicole]

That would be a lot of work he had to do very fast because her moon would have fallen, and then he would have had to be like, let's pop up some cells.

[Lexi]

I don't think that it was like, exactly like.

[Nicole]

But like, right next to.

[Lexi]

Well, so it's a giant hole in the ground. So there's got to be. It's not like a. I don't know exactly how that works, but okay. I'm also still wondering if that is indeed where the Flourish is. And what if she was healed in what would get built up and become the Flourish? I can't believe I'm here again with my crack theory that the Scavenger King is the Elding.

[Nicole]

You lost me there. Because I don't think the Scavenger King is the Elding. I really. If anything, I think it's the Shade Prince or the. The. The Fade Prince.

[Lexi]

Or the fact that the Scavenger King found Rave.

[Nicole]

And

[Lexi]

in his hideout area, though, there are shards and things like that.

[Nicole]

Yes.

[Lexi]

So I do think that he's hideout is around there.

[Nicole]

I think that they are two different people in this world. Okay. I think I am still on my hi horse that the Elding is. I can't believe how much we're talking about this, Elder.

[Lexi]

I'm not saying that, like, I'm not gonna die on any hills at the Scavengers. We're not making. No, I'm not making that belt. But I really do find it interesting that your first thought was, ooh, the Flourish. Like that would actually fit perfectly with geographically, where it is, how it's large enough for a city. Like, it makes sense. And we also know that Rave was reborn in. In that area too. That's all I'm saying. The Scavenger King could easily just almost like, have like his hideout around the Flourish too. And they could be totally separate people.

[Nicole]

Maybe.

[Lexi]

But then there's also the Elding bird with the little fire thingies. In there and fire Lark.

[Nicole]

Okay, I'm. I'm more convinced. I'm gonna keep.

[Lexi]

I'm gonna keep going here.

[Nicole]

Keep going. Keep going.

[Lexi]

The fact that Khan had has almost all of the shards does make me think he had to go to this place where the moonfall had cratered. Right. And he retrieved most, if not all, of these shards. So another crack theory is what if he was unknowingly helpful in Rave's escape? Like he raided the scavenger King because that was where he had to get his moon shards and things like that, and it inadvertently was her distraction or the domino effect that led to her getting out in the chaos.

[Nicole]

I love that. I love that. Yes.

[Lexi]

Because all of these shards that she has seen previously, they would now have to be part of the shrine, Right?

[Nicole]

Yeah. Yeah, yeah. That's good.

[Lexi]

So while we're also on the topic of moonfalls, Crystal in our discord pointed out that you can see the moonfall pits on the map in the book.

[Nicole]

Book.

[Lexi]

I had never noticed it before, but yes, great find, Crystal. I had never noticed that about the map. It is so cool.

[Nicole]

Okay. I don't think I realized on first reads how many mentions there are about Tyroth still mourning his dead queen and how it. How it sounds like he still has a heart. I cannot wait to see what is the political ploy this dude is working to make it so. So it seems like he's this heartbroken king. Like, is it just to play the role of martyr for his people, or is it something else?

[Lexi]

I think there's a little bit of a twofold here. One is, again, we have to remember where Rave has been getting this information, and she has heard a lot of terrible things about the Burn and the Burns King and heard a lot of wonderful things about the Shade King, who just happens to be twin brothers with the Fade King. So I really do think that there is. First of all, again, I keep going back to this propaganda is that the Fade King is also making sure to pedal a little bit more. The good stuff coming from his twin. But I do, again, go back to what I've been saying is I think that Tyroth is really cranking this heartbroken King to get sympathy from the Fade people by seeming like he had loved their beloved, beloved Queen of the Shade, Elowin. Now, of course, again, at the very end of the book, we know for sure that the people who are close to him were in his vicinity. Do not. No, don't believe that's not the case

[Nicole]

for him at all.

[Lexi]

But again, I. I really think that it goes back to this limited POV that Rave has and the information that she has had available to her to give. And showing us readers, we cannot trust the Fade King, who is the one who's orchestrating all this information. One other thing that I was realizing just as I was thinking about all of this is Kzari has bound herself to the creators. She will not theoretically be allowed to have children. How will her family pass on the Ether Stone?

[Nicole]

Well, that's one reason. I bet Tyroth was fucking pissed. She gave herself to the creators.

[Lexi]

Exactly. And I also think, too, that it's another reason that Kazari, who is Elowin, Rave's offspring, she's going to be the one to end this. There's a prophecy, right? There's a prophecy about it.

[Nicole]

Yeah. And she's gonna free Kahless. I think that's also what she's thinking. Exactly. There doesn't need to be another Ether Stone holder.

[Lexi]

Exactly. Because it's technically supposed to be Kzari's offspring, Elowen's offspring, their family bloodline, where this responsibility continues. And Kazari just set that up where that's not gonna happen.

[Nicole]

I cannot wait to talk about every single outcome possible outcome of this prophecy next episode. Oh, my God. Well, okay, so I think we already

[Lexi]

talked about it so much in episode one just because we were so all

[Nicole]

about the Kazari theories. Well, question. Do you think that Tyros, that's one of the reasons he's been. I don't know if he's been sleeping around, but he's. He's clearly working to get another offspring of his into someone, but it's not.

[Lexi]

I don't think that was a. I don't. You don't. That.

[Nicole]

You don't think that was on purpose?

[Lexi]

Because I would imagine Tyroth would need more offspring, but it can't be with Tyroth. It had to be from Elowhyn and Elwyn.

[Nicole]

That's true.

[Lexi]

You're right.

[Nicole]

You're right. Oh, God, this is so good. Oh, my God. Sarah, what have you created? Going to our last foreshadowing moment, because there's this moment where Rave thinks about her escape from the Scavenger King as she's escaping from Ma's retreat. And it did make me think, because all we know about that particular escape, meaning the Scavenger King escape, is that it happened during a snowstorm storm. So I wanted to shoot my shot, and I signaled to Sarah to see if there was Anything she could tell us about how that particular escape happened. And here is what she said. Quote I can't. But I can tell you that you'll have all the answers to this question really soon when you read Ballad Winky Face.

[Lexi]

Yes.

[Nicole]

I'm so excited. Now it is time to infiltrate the Tri Council where every episode Lexi guides us through a world building topic to help us deepen our understanding of this world and its magic.

[Lexi]

Today's infiltrating the Tri Council topic is Dragons.

[Nicole]

Yay.

[Lexi]

First, let's look at the dragons of this world as a whole. Dragons are the beloved beasts of the creators. They have eternal life lives. But they are not immortal. They can still be killed or even decide to end their own eternity by flying up into the sky to calcify and become a moon. All dragons have the ability to breathe fire. Their dragon flame does not abide by the rules of nature. Ignos's language so wielding the element of fire cannot deter dragon fire from blistering skin or melting flesh and bone. And dragon fire has the ability to to show traces of old runes like those that can with Dragon Sight. But it's using the light of Dragonflame instead. Dragon Bloodstone is very valuable. It is the currency in the Fade and the Shade mined from the ground in areas where dragon blood has been spilled. And it does have medicinal properties if ground up and consumed. I bet that's going to come back into play for our story. So what are the three dragon breeds and the differences between them? First, let's go with the Saber Score. These are the northern dragons that live in the Burn. They are heat loving creatures and cannot survive for long in the extreme cold of the shade. The Saber Scythe description is large and bulky with scales, spikes and heavily tusked faces. They come in colors like rust, bronze, red, brown, black and gold. Their flames are blood red and their temperament is. Well, let's just say they are known to be very boisterous and aggressive with ferocious, ferocious aptitudes that cannot be matched. And they are almost as hard to charm or steal an egg from as the moon plumes. So the Saber Scythe nesting grounds are in Gondoroth. Gondorth is directly beneath the sun where it is hot, hot, hot and uninhabitable for most folk. Those who do find themselves there attempting to raid a nest and snatch an egg are considered either extremely brave or stupid. Remember, Khan's friend is off to go there right now, so I'm sure we'll be going there there. Maybe even from his POV in the next book. Right, we have it confirmed from Sarah that we are going to get his pov. So I bet you anything we're going to Gondorf. This part of the world is very rocky with lots of volcanoes and rivers of lava. The saber scythes nest within the nooks and hollows of these volcanoes. Once their eggs begin to rock, the dragons get lava from the volcanoes and put it in the nests or douse the nests in dragon flame. This step is vital to the hatching process. Process. Without it, the egg will either not hatch or the hatchling will struggle to hatch. Properly speaking of stealing one of their eggs for 15 buckets of bloodstone, you can purchase a risky one way ticket to Gondroth from Gorr's Public Hutch. Let's quickly talk about Sabersythe tusks. Because saber scythes drop their tusks every shed and they are an expensive but sought after ingredient and very remarkably hard to find. These tusks do not dislodge until the beast is well into its spring of growth. Often swallowed by Ganja's volcanoes, since that's where saber scythes flock to to complete their shed. Burrowed away from anything that might harm their delicate state. These tusks are used as a bonding agent most Rooneys use for their etchings. And they're worth 10 times their weight in dragon bloodstone. Known saber scythes include Rhygon Khan's dragon, who is the largest saber scythe rave has ever seen. And he's the color of an old puddle of blood. Oh, that's a lovely description there. And appears black in the places where light does not touch his scales. There's the dragon Ara, who is the great silver saber scythe. This is the dragon whose scales Khan made into his Malmar, and it's rumored that she has laid a trio of eggs. Khan's friend Grime is also on a mission to try to steal one of her eggs. By the end of this book. That's also the one silver saber scythe that Nicole and I are speculating is the dragon from the Ballad of the Fallen Moon. Other saber scythes include Nevut, who is Lain's dragon, Blom, who's dragon chief, Thrawn's dragon, and Jogo, who is Khan's Maz dragon. Moving on to Moltamaz, these dragons live in the Fade and can comfortably travel anywhere in the world. Which makes sense being, you know, from the middle area Multimoz help execute traitors in the Fade. When the prisoners are chained in the coliseum. A feeding bell is rung to alert the nearby molten baz it's dinner time. And sometimes, instead of eating the prisoner right then and there in the coliseum, the molten boss take the prisoner to their nesting grounds to to feed the dragon's young. They are also used in the fade as part of their military. And most of the major cities have a reserve of charmed, generally placid molten maws trained enough to cart paying passengers to their chosen destination, escorted by the one who charmed the beast. So molten BS are your Uber, your lifts, your taxis. Molten balls are covered in feathers and their faces are sharp and beaked. Both their beaks and claws are sharp enough to do do some serious damage. Their feathers are a vibrant mix of colors with no two Moltimoths having the same color palette. Now let's talk about the temperament of molten moths. Because they are less volatile than the saber scythes are, and they are the easiest dragons to charm steal an egg from. And speaking of those eggs, their nesting grounds are in Boggath. Boggarth is a vast stretch of boggy wasteland that is described as a foggy scrape of marshland that gobbles almost everything in muddy sulfuric burps. There are stable mounds that the molten moths form their nests on top of, building great circular globes from trees and branches and laying their eggs within there. Once their eggs begin to rock, the paternal molten moths blow flame upon it, and this is a vital part of their hatching process. Now, of course, let's talk about moon plumes. My personal favorite. The dragons that live in the shade. The they are cold loving creatures and they cannot handle the sun or their skin burns, nor can their eyes adapt to the harsh light. Moon plumes have leathery, luminous skin that comes in shades of gray, pearl, iridescent and white, and they are cold to the touch. Their eyes are big, black and glittery, their faces rounded, necks, long bodies elegant, Their tails are long silky brushes and their flames are aqua blue. Moon plumes are very cunning and are therefore the hardest dragons to charm or steal an egg flower from. And their nesting grounds are in Netheren. Netheren is the southernmost pole of the world and is a bitterly cold environment that is inhospitable to most and almost impossible to raid. The cold will chill the fey so deeply that it is said to turn the blood of most common folk slow and sludgy. The moonplumes nest on giant hexagon pillars of ice. Once their eggs begin to rock, the paternal moonplume will either blow itself icy flames upon the eggs or pack ice and snow atop them. The moon plumes vital part of the hatching process. Typically, only those as unhinged as Claude or bearing enough power to protect themselves attempt to steal a moonplume egg. Most fail and are consumed by either the beasts or the inhospitable land. Known moon plumes include Silotra, of course, Elowen's dragon, and the biggest one she had ever seen. She is the mother of Illumina, who was Hadean's moonplume, and she was silver and fully mature when nine phase old Elowen charmed her. When Elowen died, Silhoutra scooped her up and calcified around her where they stayed for a hundred phases before Silhoutra's moon fell. The next known moonplume is Liri, who is Rex Zaros dragon. Rumors state that Rek charmed this moonplume after slaughtering its former rider. Yep, that sounds exactly like Rek. And Lirri is under Rave's care now. She's just shy of adolescent based on the length of the tendrils dangling from her jowls. Oh, that's like my old dog. But she's very small for her age. Like I mentioned, we have Elume who was Hadean's dragon, silver like her mother Slotra, and her wing was damaged during the hatching process when the egg was brought into the hatching hut and it was warmed before she could hatch properly. Elune was very young when Hadeon was murdered and she decided to scoop him up and become a moon as only an adolescent. The next moon plume we have is Nathae, Ella and Hadean's mother's dragon. Nathae was thought to be broody around the time that Illum took her first flight and shortly before Elowyn's mother's murder. I wonder if she was like worried that something bad was happening because Austrian King was just around. Nathae burned Adora's body on her pyre. Last but not least, with moon plumes we have Akiri, who was Elwyn and Hadeon's father's dragon. And this moon plume also burned their father's body on his pyre. Okay, so now that we've gone over every type of dragon, how does one claim one for themselves? Well, you have two options. You can steal a dragon egg from their nesting grounds and hatch according to the conditions of each dragon type like we just talked about, or you can charm an adult dragon. Let's go over how to steal a dragon egg Depending on the dragon. This looks a little different, but we do get a pretty good idea of how this works for moonplumes, specifically thanks to Elowyn's journals, to get a moonplume egg. We talked earlier about how to steal a dragon egg and hatch one depending on what. On which dragon it is. But let's say that you want to charm a dragon. It's I say simple but very dangerous. Actually with Elowyn, we know that she was on the dragon as they were like all flying away. And the way that she charmed it was to get on its back and hold on for dear life while singing the creator songs. I'm going to guess that's only one method of doing it because I do think also Rave is ultimately going to be charming this moon plume. And it really is is nurturing a relationship with that dragon. There is also a deeper bond between dragon and person called Dagamor when someone is so bonded with their dragon that they can harness his strength and fire. This type of bond is rare enough that it is known to be more myth than reality. That's why it's going to be a really big deal that Khan is Dagamor with his dragon. That's also why his brothers will not face him in a formal battle right now, is because they know that he's got that extra special bond with his dragon. Sarah A. Parker hinted during our interview with her two years ago that there is another type of bond between dragons and their writers that is even deeper than Dagamorc. I bet you 1 million percent that Silotra and Rave have this deeper bond. The last thing I want to touch on is the great flirt. The great flirt is a phenomenon where the aurora duplicates and ribbons of light spill all over the sky. This does not happen often, but when it does, the dragons will dance together and mate. And after a great flirt, there is always an influx of fertilized eggs. Yeah, Kitten dragons. In Dom, the capital city of the burn, there is a big celebration when this great flirt happens. They sing and dance the bangity bang song in the streets and is lovely and wonderful. And there we have it. That is dragons for you.

[Nicole]

Can't wait for that episode. Let's close out this episode with our favorite moments by shopping at the Curlic. The fact that Hadeon died. Sorry, just like, wow.

[Lexi]

We're opening that with favorite moments. Okay. Right before he died, he got to

[Nicole]

take a flight on Ellum's back and he was so happy, hollering victory screams into the sky like he. He didn't talk for nine years. And then he's on the back of his dragon, he's hollering at the sky justice for poor fucking Hadeon.

[Lexi]

I also think about how when he does die, his dragon takes him up into the sky, because that is where he had his last happy moments. He was happiest that he got to finally experience that. And then it was taken away from him. Him. And so his dragon made sure that he was always up in the sky

[Nicole]

is such a, like, Shakespearean level tragic tale. God, the fact that Rave notes how people look like their pets and Khan is no exception with Raigon is so funny to me. I love that line.

[Lexi]

I also just have to say I love the one dragon trope we get. We're caught. Just flops her on his back and carries her to Rygon. And then he gives her until the count of 10 to figure out how Rave wants to sit. And she's like, damn it, I want to fuck him before I slit his throat.

[Nicole]

Yes.

[Lexi]

She's like, count slower. Even though she's nervous about flying, once when Rave is up and flying, she herself is so, so happy. Like, as Rave, she's never flown on a dragon before. But that was Elwyn's happy place. Rave has always wanted to fly on the back of a dragon. And when she does now, it feels so natural for her. And it's like, yeah, because of Elowyn. You used to go up there all the time.

[Nicole]

Well, and Slotra's inside of her. So, like, this is great.

[Lexi]

Oh, my gosh. And when Khan asks if she's okay, you know, when suddenly they take flight and she's like, yeah, like I actually am. I love it all so much.

[Nicole]

Every time I read the river, the hot water scene, the water having healing properties, only reminds me of the Zelda video game. Like, whenever you go into hot springs and it just, like, heals your hearts. Like, if you can't tell, this book is really wanting to make me replay Breath of the Wild. Except Lexi has it and I need it back.

[Lexi]

Oh, my gosh, I do have it, don't I? Okay, you can have it back. Although now I want to play it too.

[Nicole]

Get your own Breath of the Wild.

[Lexi]

My favorite banter line in the whole book. Rave says, I'll show you something sharp. To which my sweet, dear Khan says, quote, every word that comes out of your mouth is sharp. Moonbeam, I'm half dead already bleeding out at your feet. Can't you see?

[Nicole]

My favorite line? In the kitchen, when Rave drops her spoon, Khan gets up Putting a hand on her shoulder, like, in reassurance, like, hey, I'll get it. But. But that would have worked for Elowen, not Rave. Rave sinks her teeth into his forearm, and suddenly he has her pinned against the wall with her hands above her head. Hot, hot, hot, hot, hot, hot, hot. Which brings us to one of my favorite con lines ever. Try being open to accepting aid, Rave. You'll be amazed at how the grain no longer chafes. A simple request for my help doesn't make you weak. It makes you real. How many of us who are like, I don't want to be a burden or, I don't want to seem weak to others, need to hear this. Me. And I'm raising your hand too, Lexi. Both of us. Us both, yes. Oh, gosh. I do at some point want to get, like, a, like, tattoo. Whether that's like a sleeve or just, like, different tattoos all over my body of all the books we've covered and, like, favorite lines or favorite moments from the them. And this might be the thing that. That I tattoo is like, a simple request for help doesn't make you weak. It makes you real. Like, oh, my God, I love that. Also, Khan's earlier comment about, quote, you can't be strong if you're dead. Fucking call out my people, please. Or why don't you? Jesus. Then Rave being so relatable as she says that if she lived in the burn, she might actually be able to keep a plant alive. I feel this because you gave me airplanes that should have been unkillable and I killed them. They turned into potato chips, though.

[Lexi]

Really trying to keep your big plant

[Nicole]

alive that you gave me.

[Lexi]

I'm, like, on a mission to keep that thing alive.

[Nicole]

I did give that to you. Thing. Half dead already. It's bleeding out at your feet, Lexi. Like, good luck.

[Lexi]

I'll resurrect it. Just kidding. I won't. My husband has absolutely been the one taking care of it.

[Nicole]

I'm not doing anything.

[Lexi]

All right, everybody, thank you so much for tuning in to this episode three of our when the Moon Hatched Deep dive.

[Nicole]

Next episode is on Monday, episode four. We will be covering chapters 37 through 44. It's time to meet the Fate Herder.

[Lexi]

Oh, my God.

[Nicole]

So excited. Get ready for a battle episode, everyone.

[Lexi]

We would love to give the biggest warm welcome, welcome, welcome to our newest feral fan and deep divers. Thank you so, so much for being here.

[Nicole]

So this episode is extra special because our wonderful, sweet mods, we get them a membership every single year and they just did their membership for the deep divers, the highest tier. And we wanted to devote an entire episode just to you all. So not really. Welcome, welcome, welcome. This is more. Thank you, thank you, thank you to Brooke, Britt, Hannah, Shadow, Anna, Vicky, Spiral, Kendra and Nick. Welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome. We love love you all. Thank you for all you do.

[Lexi]

Thank you so much. And if you're like, hey, I want my name shout on the podcast. I want to know who these mods are. I want to be fun of the chaos and the fun and all of that. Good. And be showered with all the love too. Join our fan club@Fantasy Fangirls.com Fan Club Link is also in the show notes. It is so much fun you all. We hope to see you there.

[Nicole]

Thank you as always to our mind weft, AKA our content researcher, AKA second time mentioned this episode, Brooke and of course our executive producer, co host of Fantasy fanfellas and above all our sanity manager, Hayden.

[Lexi]

We are very active on social media with weekly trivia book guides. So much more. So please be sure to follow us on Instagram and Slash or TikTok at fantasy fangirlspod. And if you're watching this on YouTube, pretty please hit that subscribe button to keep following along.

[Nicole]

And we just launched a new show last week. Fantasy Fan Reads is officially available wherever you listen to podcasts and of course YouTube. New episodes air every single Tuesday. If you want to check out Lexi and Jess's episode where they discuss cozy fantasies, go ahead and check it out. Link is in the show notes, but while you're hitting buttons, go ahead, rate review. Not only this podcast, not only Fantasy Fan Reads, not only Fantasy Fan fellas, but every single podcast you regularly listen to. It is like a big warm hug to all of your podcasters that you love. And last but most certainly not least, share this episode with your fellow Moonfall and con obsessed friends. Yes.

[Lexi]

All right everybody, thank you so much. Bye bye.

[Nicole]

The fact that this is not the first but the second time we're dissecting a scene where someone cooks the other soup is actually very funny to me.

[Lexi]

What was the first one?

[Nicole]

Chapter 54.

[Lexi]

Oh, sorry, I thought.

[Nicole]

Sorry, I was thinking about this book. Never mind.

[Lexi]

Okay.

[Nicole]

Just the most important episode of our entire lives.

[Lexi]

It sounded like it was from this son.

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[Nicole]

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