It has been a while since A Court of Silver Flames left Prythian with several major storylines unresolved. Now that Sarah J. Maas has revealed A Court of Splintered Harmony and A Court of Forgotten Melody, we also know that some of those loose ends are moving directly into The Valkyrie Cycle. Koschei is still alive, Vassa remains cursed, the Dread Trove is still relevant, Nesta’s powers have changed, and several of the Courts are politically unstable.
And since the events of Crescent City now overlap directly with the ACOTAR world, the full status quo has become even more complicated.
This guide covers where the major characters, magical objects and political threats currently stand before A Court of Splintered Harmony. The first part focuses only on the ACOTAR books. A clearly marked section later in the article covers the major Crescent City developments that may matter going forward.
Contents
ACOTAR Status Quo at a Glance
Where Things Stand Before The Valkyrie Cycle
| Question | Status |
|---|---|
| Do Rhysand and Feyre still rule the Night Court? | Yes |
| Is Koschei still alive? | Yes |
| Is Vassa still cursed? | Yes |
| Does Nesta still have all of her Cauldron power? | No |
| Is Nesta still Made? | Yes |
| Is the Dread Trove still in play? | Yes |
| Are Elain and Lucien together? | No |
| Have Elain and Lucien resolved their mating bond? | No |
| Does Beron still rule the Autumn Court? | Yes |
| Does Tamlin still rule the Spring Court? | Yes |
| Is a new conflict now officially brewing? | Yes |
The Next ACOTAR Books
Sarah J. Maas returns to Prythian with two new books in the Valkyrie Cycle.
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The Night Court After A Court of Silver Flames
Rhysand and Feyre remain High Lord and High Lady of the Night Court, and they are now parents to Nyx. Their immediate crisis at the end of A Court of Silver Flames is resolved, but the wider political situation around them is not. They also remain bound by the bargain that if one of them dies, the other will die as well.
Nesta is now far more integrated into the Night Court than she was at the beginning of the book. She and Cassian are together, her relationship with Feyre has changed dramatically, and she has also created a life of her own through the Valkyries.
However, the events of House of Flame and Shadow leave new tension between Nesta and Rhysand. Nesta chooses to give Bryce the Mask despite the enormous risk involved, a decision Rhys strongly opposes because it could endanger Prythian. Cassian is caught in the middle. He is Nesta’s mate, but he is also Rhysand’s general and one of his closest friends. That creates a difficult tension between his loyalty to Nesta and his loyalty to Rhys and the Night Court. With the new ACOTAR description now referring to “recent betrayals and revealed truths,” this existing fracture within the Inner Circle feels particularly worth remembering — although there is currently no confirmation that the line refers to Nesta, Rhysand or Cassian.
At the same time, several other members of the Inner Circle remain tied to unresolved storylines. Elain and Lucien’s mating bond remains unresolved, and Azriel’s personal future is still open.
Mor has been spending much of her time in Vallahan as Rhysand’s emissary, working on treaty negotiations with a kingdom whose relationship with Prythian has shifted between ally and enemy over the centuries. What role Vallahan will play going forward remains undecided, making Mor’s diplomatic mission another unresolved part of the wider political situation.
Amren also raises the possibility of Rhysand becoming High King of Prythian, but Rhysand rejects the idea. For now, the proposal appears to have been dropped, leaving Prythian under the existing system of separate High Lords.
What Happened to Nesta’s Powers?
Nesta no longer has the same overwhelming power she took from the Cauldron. At the end of A Court of Silver Flames, she gives back a large part of that power while trying to save Feyre, Rhysand and Nyx. However, she remains High Fae and Made, and she retains a rare ability to connect with other Made objects.
That distinction matters because her role in the story may no longer be about raw destructive power alone. Her ability to interact with objects and magic connected to the Cauldron could be just as important going forward.
Where Does the Dread Trove Stand?
The Dread Trove remains one of the biggest unresolved magical elements in the series.
Nesta recovered three known objects during A Court of Silver Flames: the Mask, the Harp and the Crown. Each has a different and extremely dangerous ability. The Mask allows its wearer to summon and command the dead. The Harp can manipulate space and open pathways between places, while the Crown can control the minds of others. Nesta also senses a fourth object connected to the Trove, but the ACOTAR books have not revealed its identity by the end of A Court of Silver Flames.
Going into the next book, the Dread Trove still matters: it still exists, and Nesta remains uniquely connected to it.
What Happened to the Cauldron?
The Cauldron still exists. During the war with Hybern, it is damaged, but Feyre and Rhys repair it. After the war, Miryam and Drakon quickly remove it from Prythian and take it back to Cretea before the other High Lords can decide what should happen to it. The Cauldron therefore remains one of the most powerful objects in the ACOTAR world, but it is no longer simply sitting within reach of the Prythian courts. Nesta and Elain were both Made through the Cauldron, while several major magical objects in the series are tied to the same power. Although the Cauldron itself has not been the central focus since A Court of Wings and Ruin, it has not stopped mattering.
Koschei Is Still Alive
Koschei is no longer just the clearest unresolved villain after A Court of Silver Flames. The new descriptions for The Valkyrie Cycle now place him directly inside the central conflict.
He is one of the ancient Death-gods and remains bound to his lake. Unlike his siblings, the Bone Carver and the Weaver, Koschei survives the events of the series so far. He also keeps Vassa bound to his curse and previously worked with Queen Briallyn. The new descriptions now indicate that he is moving against the newly freed human lands and that others are willing to join his fight.
That makes Koschei one of the clearest confirmed threats heading into A Court of Splintered Harmony and the wider Valkyrie Cycle.
Vassa Is Still Cursed
Vassa remains under Koschei’s curse. Koschei still forces Vassa into her firebird form for part of each day, keeping her directly bound to his curse. Vassa also remains closely tied to Lucien and Jurian, who have built their own political and personal alliance outside the Night Court.
Where Are Lucien, Vassa and Jurian?
Lucien spends much of his time with Vassa and Jurian rather than living permanently at the Night Court.
The three have become known as the Band of Exiles and operate largely from the human lands. Lucien continues to act as a diplomatic link between different groups, which leaves him in a unique position between the Night Court, the human territories, and several other Courts. His personal storyline also remains unresolved in two major ways.
Elain is still his mate, but their bond has neither been accepted nor formally rejected. Lucien also still does not know the full truth about his parentage within the ACOTAR books.
Elain and Lucien’s Mating Bond Is Still Unresolved
Elain and Lucien are still mates, but they are not together. She has not accepted the bond, while Lucien has largely chosen to give her space. At the same time, the bond has not been formally rejected either.
That leaves one of the series’ most important mating bonds completely unresolved heading into the next book.
Azriel’s feelings for Elain add another layer to the situation, but there is still no confirmed romantic resolution for either character.
What Is Going on With Azriel?
Azriel remains Rhysand’s spymaster and one of the Night Court’s most important warriors, but his personal storyline is still open.
Azriel has feelings for Elain, and his interactions with Gwyn have sparked additional questions, but the main series has not resolved his romantic future.
From a wider plot perspective, Azriel may also become especially important because of Truth-Teller, his ancient dagger. That becomes even more relevant once the Crescent City crossover is taken into account.
Beron Still Rules the Autumn Court
Beron remains High Lord of the Autumn Court.
Eris continues to position himself as his father’s heir while secretly cooperating with the Night Court when it benefits him. His long-term plan to eventually replace Beron has not yet come to fruition. Beron, meanwhile, secretly supported the human queen Briallyn during the events of A Court of Silver Flames, further complicating his relationship with the other courts. The Autumn Court therefore remains politically unstable.
Lucien’s true parentage also remains unresolved from his own perspective. He still believes Beron is his father, while the reader knows that Helion is his biological father — linking Lucien directly to both the Autumn and Day Courts.
The Spring Court Is Still Weak
Tamlin is still High Lord of the Spring Court, but the Court remains badly weakened. His territory has lost much of its former stability, while Tamlin himself remains isolated and emotionally unstable. The Spring Court is therefore far from the political and military power it once was.
That matters because of its location near the human lands. If another major conflict does begin, the condition of the Spring Court could become strategically important.
The Valkyries Have Returned
Nesta, Gwyn and Emerie have revived the Valkyrie tradition. Their survival of the Blood Rite is one of the biggest changes to come out of A Court of Silver Flames. Nesta and Gwyn reach the summit of Ramiel with Emerie, making their achievement extraordinarily rare. The Valkyries therefore no longer exist only as a historical legend. They have effectively been reborn as a new force within the Night Court.
The reveal of the next ACOTAR arc makes that development even more significant. The connected four-movement story is officially called The Valkyrie Cycle. Maas has not confirmed who the main POV characters will be, but naming the entire new arc after the Valkyries makes it clear that their return was not simply a closed subplot in A Court of Silver Flames.
Is Another War Actually Coming?
By the end of A Court of Silver Flames, there is still no formally declared new war with clearly defined sides. But after the reveal of A Court of Splintered Harmony, the threat is no longer purely theoretical.
The new description indicates that Koschei is moving against the newly freed human lands and that others are willing to join his fight. At the same time, the Night Court is dealing with “recent betrayals and revealed truths,” suggesting that internal fractures may become just as important as the external threat.
A Court of Forgotten Melody appears to widen the conflict further, with members of the Night Court travelling beyond home and something described as “nightmares of the past” emerging alongside Koschei.
So Prythian may not be at war yet, but The Valkyrie Cycle is now clearly building toward a much larger geopolitical conflict — one that reaches beyond Prythian itself and back into the human lands and potentially even older threats.
Major Crescent City Spoilers Below
Everything after this point includes major spoilers for the Crescent City series.
What Crescent City Changes About the ACOTAR Status Quo
The events of House of Flame and Shadow expand the ACOTAR world far beyond Prythian. Bryce Quinlan’s arrival in Prythian confirms that ACOTAR and Crescent City share the same larger universe. Her time there also reveals new details about powerful magical objects and the shared history connecting the different worlds.
For ACOTAR readers, the most important consequence is that objects and legends that once seemed isolated to Prythian now belong to a much larger mythology.
If you want the full background on the Daglan, Theia, the Asteri and how Prythian’s history connects to Midgard, we break down the entire timeline in our ACOTAR Prologue guide.
Gwydion, the Starsword and Truth-Teller
One of the most important crossover revelations centers on the Starsword. Crescent City reveals that the Starsword is Gwydion, the legendary sword from Prythian’s history. Azriel’s dagger, Truth-Teller, shares the same ancient magical origin, and when the two weapons come together, they react to each other. That connection ties their histories directly together and gives Azriel a potentially much larger role in the mythology than the ACOTAR books alone had previously suggested.
What Bryce Learns in Prythian
Bryce’s time in Prythian reveals that the history of the fae spans multiple worlds. The crossover reveals more about the origins of key magical bloodlines and ancient rulers, as well as how the fae moved between worlds. Those revelations also reshape parts of ACOTAR history that once seemed limited to Prythian’s distant past.
What the Crossover Means for Nesta
Nesta also becomes directly involved in the Crescent City storyline. Her connection to Made objects and ancient magic already sets her apart within ACOTAR, and the crossover expands that role even further. At the end of House of Flame and Shadow, Bryce gives Nesta the Starsword, placing one of the most important weapons in the shared mythology directly in her hands. That leaves Nesta connected not only to the Dread Trove and Made magic, but also to Gwydion and the larger history linking Prythian to the Crescent City world.
What the Crossover Means for Azriel
Crescent City significantly changes Azriel’s status and potentially expands his role in the wider mythology. Truth-Teller is no longer simply an ancient dagger that he happens to carry. Its relationship to the Starsword/Gwydion gives the weapon a much deeper history. That creates one of the biggest unanswered questions heading into the future of the series: why Azriel has Truth-Teller, what exactly the weapon is capable of, and whether its connection to Gwydion will matter again.
The Biggest Unresolved Storylines Before The Valkyrie Cycle
At this point, the ACOTAR world has a surprising number of major threads still open.
Koschei remains alive, Vassa remains trapped by his curse, and Elain and Lucien have yet to resolve their mating bond. Meanwhile, Beron still controls the Autumn Court, and the Spring Court remains weakened under Tamlin’s rule.
Nesta’s powers have changed, but her connection to Made objects remains important. The Dread Trove still exists, and Azriel’s possession of Truth-Teller now connects him to a much larger history involving Gwydion and the crossover between worlds. The tension between Nesta and Rhysand also remains unresolved, with Cassian caught between his mate and his loyalty to the Night Court.
A Court of Splintered Harmony therefore does not begin from a clean slate. Prythian may not currently be at war, but the new descriptions confirm that Koschei is already moving against the human lands, while the Night Court faces betrayals and newly revealed truths. Almost every major political and magical storyline is still moving.
11 Things to Remember Before The Valkyrie Cycle
- Koschei is still alive, Vassa remains bound to his curse, and he is now moving against the human lands.
- Nesta gave back much of her Cauldron power, but she is still Made.
- Nesta now has the Starsword/Gwydion, given to her by Bryce.
- The Dread Trove still exists, and Nesta remains connected to it.
- Elain and Lucien’s mating bond is still unresolved.
- Beron still rules Autumn despite secretly conspiring with Briallyn.
- Tamlin still rules a weakened Spring Court.
- The Valkyries have officially returned — and the entire new four-movement arc is called The Valkyrie Cycle.
- Truth-Teller and Gwydion are directly connected.
- Nesta and Rhys are increasingly at odds, with Cassian caught between his mate and his loyalty to Rhys and the Night Court.
- Prythian is not formally at war yet, but Koschei’s campaign, Night Court betrayals and the coming “nightmares of the past” point toward a much larger conflict.
What Could Matter Most in The Valkyrie Cycle?
The biggest question going into A Court of Splintered Harmony is no longer simply who the main character will be. The new reveal has started to show us which unresolved threads are moving toward the center of the story.
Koschei is now a confirmed major threat, the human lands are under pressure, and the Night Court is dealing with “recent betrayals and revealed truths.” The name The Valkyrie Cycle also gives Nesta, Gwyn and Emerie’s revived warrior tradition much greater significance than it appeared to have at the end of A Court of Silver Flames.
At the same time, the Dread Trove, Nesta’s connection to Made magic, Truth-Teller and Gwydion, Vassa’s curse, Lucien’s position between worlds and courts, and the wider history revealed through Crescent City all remain unresolved.
And with A Court of Forgotten Melody already teasing “nightmares of the past,” the next ACOTAR era appears to be pulling together political conflict, ancient magic and buried history on a much larger scale than Prythian alone.
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