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Summary
Chapters 25-28
Chapter 25
Feyre looks around Polina’s former studio. The space has been cleaned and emptied, and Feyre looks around uneasily. She encounters Ressina in the street and informs her that Polina’s family has gifted her the studio, despite her attempts to purchase it from them. Instead, they suggested that she donate the money to an organization called the Brush and Chisel. Ressina informs Feyre that the Brush and Chisel is a charity that helps to financially support artists who are in need of financial help. Feyre feels emotional when she learns about this charity. When Ressina asks her about her plans for the studio, Feyre asks Ressina if she would join her as a business partner.
Chapter 26
In the Windhaven camp, Rhysand, Cassian, and Azriel watch as Devlon trains a small group of young Illyrian females in basic combat, including the use of daggers. There are not as many females present as they had hoped, but Rhysand reminds Cassian that many families are still away for the Solstice. Rhysand and Azriel have shown Cassian a list of the “possible troublemakers” among the Illyrians, as identified by Azriel’s spies. The threat of rebellion is higher than they had expected, especially in the Ironcrest camp, rivals of the Windhaven clan.
In particular, the son of the Ironcrest lord, a young male named Kallon, has roused a good deal of dissent among his fellow Illyrians, criticizing Rhyand and Cassian. Kallon is still a warrior-novice, and Rhysand suggests that they might find a way to infiltrate the Blood Rite to kill him, a plan that Cassian rejects, as he does not wish to “dishonor” the Rite. He similarly rejects Azriel’s proposal that Kallon might meet an “accident” in the skies, noting that Kallon can confront him directly if he is brave enough to do so.
Chapter 27
In the month since Feyre received the studio as a gift from Polina’s family, she and Ressina have repainted the walls and filled it with art supplies. On one wall hangs the tapestry, Void, that Feyre purchased earlier. At eleven in the morning, Feyre looks on anxiously and asks Ressina if she thinks people will come, and Ressina notes that some have promised to do so. Rather than use the studio as a shop to sell art, Feyre has decided to provide space for children who have been affected by the war to paint and express their feelings. Suddenly, a group of children and their family members arrive.
Chapter 28
After the children have cleared out of the studio, Rhysand enters to find Feyre and Ressina covered in paint. Together, they survey the paintings made by the children. One, painted by a girl who lost family in the war, shows the attack on Velaris by Hybern. Though the child told Feyre to throw the painting away, Feyre has decided to hang it in her office as a reminder of what they have all been through. Other paintings, however, are less serious, including one that shows a boy and a dog, painted by a boy who is angry that he did not receive a puppy as a Solstice gift. While Ressina cleans up, Feyre and Rhysand take a walk before the second group of children arrive. Together, they discuss their hopes for the future.
Analysis
In these final chapters of A Court of Frost and Starlight, Rhysand and Feyre finally see the fruition of their projects to improve the society that they govern as High Lord and High Lady. In the Windhaven camp, Rhysand watches as Devlon reluctantly implements combat training for young females, and he is pleased to see a handful of young females, mostly in their teens, learning how to use a dagger to defend themselves. Progress, as Rhysand learns, is not always fast.
There are fewer females undergoing training than he would like, and many of the Illyrians continue to distrust him, Cassian, and Azriel. Worse yet, Rhysand learns of growing discontent among Illyrians, highlighting the entrenched cultural differences that continue to divide Prythian. In particular, a young male named Kallon has been identified by Azriel’s spies as a major source of discontent, suggesting that it is not only the older generation of Illyrians who resent Rhysand’s rule.
Despite these setbacks, Rhysand feels confident that they are making progress, step by step. Devlon has, despite his earlier opposition, kept to his promise, beginning with elementary skills. A stack of Illyrian bows at the perimeter of the training ring suggests that he will move to more advanced skills in the future. Cassian is particularly heartened to see the young females learning to fight. For him, this project is not just political but deeply personal, as his mother’s life was marked by torment as a result of the rigidly patriarchal views that are common among Illyrians. When Azriel attempts to engage Cassian in a bet regarding the success of the female combat training, Cassian declines, suggesting that this is a serious matter for him.
Similarly, Feyre implements her plan to offer space and materials for children in Velaris to paint. Throughout the Solstice season, she has taken to painting to confront her own difficult feelings and emotions. When she feels that she cannot express something in words, she paints it instead. For her, then, painting is primarily therapeutic, and she feels that others might benefit from an opportunity to paint. During the attack on Velaris by Hybern, many children lost family members. In her newly opened studio, she offers these children art supplies and encourages them to paint, attesting to her strong belief in the power of art.
Instead of giving the children a specific prompt or set of directions, she tells them to paint a memory. The paintings that they produce reflect the wide range of feelings and attitudes among the children in Velaris, many of whom have been profoundly impacted by the war. One girl paints a bloody scene of carnage in Velaris, which testifies to the deep effects that the war has had on her. Other children, however, paint more lighthearted subjects, suggesting that the children have had varied experiences. Feyre proves her dedication to the people of Velaris in dedicating her time to this worthwhile project.
The novel ends on an optimistic note. As Feyre and Rhysand walk through the streets of Velaris, they feel a strong sense of hope despite a number of remaining difficulties and challenges. In particular, they look forward to enjoying a more peaceful mode of life, moving into a larger home that they hope will, someday, accommodate an entire family. For Feyre, this optimism is a far cry from the misery she felt only a year earlier, when she was kept a virtual prisoner in the Spring Court. Now, she understands the value of her current happiness and promises to savor it.
