Chapter 118: Rhysand: Two Years Before the Wall
Spoiler Notice: This summary contains spoilers for the entire A Court of Thorns and Roses series. Read at your own risk.
Summary
Two years before the Wall was erected, Rhysand walks across a silent killing field in the aftermath of a three-day battle. His power is completely spent, forcing him to fight with sword and shield alone to hold a strategic keep against the Loyalist legions of Ravennia. The enemy has retreated, leaving heaps of human and faerie dead beneath a gray sky. Flies already swarm the corpses, and the stench is rising.
Exhausted and haunted, Rhysand picks through the carnage, scanning faces and broken Illyrian wings. He is searching for his brothers, Cassian and Azriel. Reinforcements—an Illyrian unit—arrived at dawn and turned the tide, but he has not seen either brother among the living. With dread, he uncovers one dark-haired, golden-brown body after another: some he recognizes, some he does not. Neither is Cassian or Azriel. His mind drifts into numbness as he continues the grim search across miles of rotting dead, reflecting that death, which he once imagined as a peaceful lullaby, now sounds only like the droning of flies.
Key Events
- Rhysand surveys the battlefield after a three-day defensive stand that preserved a vital keep and its forges.
- He is magically depleted, having fought with pure physical skill alongside mortals and faeries.
- The Loyalist army retreats without claiming its dead, a breach of ancient rules of engagement.
- Rhysand begins methodically searching Illyrian corpses for Cassian and Azriel, fearing his father may have sent Cassian to a doomed unit.
- He finds many fallen Illyrian warriors—some familiar—but none are his brothers.
- The chapter ends with Rhysand still searching, surrounded by a “kingdom of the rotting dead.”
Character Development
This chapter peels back Rhysand’s polished exterior to reveal the raw, exhausted soldier he was before becoming High Lord. It showcases his deep, almost desperate loyalty to Cassian and Azriel—not merely as comrades but as family. His physical and emotional weariness is palpable: he moves mechanically, his body battered, his power reduced to smoke. The poetic, romantic notions of death he once held are shattered. Instead of a “sweet, sad lullaby,” he now perceives only flies and maggots. This disillusionment foreshadows the hardened yet protective mask he will wear in the main series. The moment also humanizes a character often seen as invulnerable; here he is simply a brother terrified of what he might find among the dead.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
The Brutal Reality of War – The chapter refuses to glorify combat. The battlefield is a “kingdom of the rotting dead,” littered with broken wings and severed heads, stripped of honor. Rhysand’s pragmatic order to scavenge weapons underscores survival over chivalry.
Flies as Death’s Handmaidens – Flies become the dominant auditory and visual symbol. They replace war-drums and lullabies, transforming death from a graceful passage into something mundane, grotesque, and indiscriminate. This motif reinforces the chapter’s grim tone.
The Bond of Brothers – The driving force of the narrative is Rhysand’s search. The repeated uncovering of Illyrian bodies—each one not Cassian or Azriel—builds tension and illustrates that their bond is the one thing keeping him moving through the horror.
Dehumanization of Conflict – The Loyalists’ disregard for ancient rites, the mingling of mortal and immortal flesh beneath flies, and the sheer scale of the carnage all suggest that war reduces everyone—victor and vanquished alike—to carrion.
Why This Chapter Matters
As a flashback set before the events of A Court of Thorns and Roses, this chapter supplies essential context for Rhysand’s later actions and attitudes. It explains his profound connection to Cassian and Azriel—they are not just his commanders but the brothers he nearly lost. The trauma of this battlefield, and the relentless search, informs his protective streak and his willingness to shoulder impossible burdens alone. It also establishes the pre-Wall political landscape, where Loyalist factions fought to keep humans enslaved and no territory was safe. For readers, this glimpse into a younger, more vulnerable Rhysand deepens understanding of his complexities and makes his eventual evolution more resonant.
Study Questions and Answers
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How does Rhysand’s physical state—depleted power, battered body—mirror his emotional condition in this chapter?
His exhaustion reflects a spiritual draining as well. Fighting without magic reduces him to raw endurance, just as the search for his brothers strips away all pretense. His powerlessness makes his fear and love more visible; he has nothing left to shield his heart. -
What does the repeated phrase “Not him” reveal about Rhysand’s mindset?
Each “Not him” is a small mercy and an accumulating torment. It shows he is bracing for devastating grief while clinging to hope. The refrain becomes a rhythm of dread, underscoring how the battlefield forces him to confront individual losses amidst mass death. -
Why might the author choose to set this chapter two years before the Wall?
The timeframe marks a turning point before the treaty that separates faerie and mortal realms. It places Rhysand in the thick of a war that would define his generation, giving context for the political tensions and personal scars that linger in the main trilogy. It also humanizes him before he becomes the formidable High Lord readers meet later.