I’m pretty disappointed that one namelessA Court Of Thorns & Rosescharacter never showed up after their one brief appearance, especially considering all of the fascinating and interconnecting theories surrounding them. Sarah J. Maas' famous series has been able to make the world feel larger and more fleshed out through the various characters who populate it and the lore we learn alongside Feyre. However, many ofA Court Of Thorns & Roses’charactersend up slipping through the cracks, leaving any potential behind in favor of a sharper focus on Feyre and her family.
As a result, readers have crafted manytheories aboutA Court Of Thorns & Rosesand those characters to fill in the gaps. After Maas wrote a crossover between this series and her other flagship fantasy sagasThrone Of GlassandCrescent City, these theories abounded further, allowing us to find more connections between the author’s three worlds and the several people within them who do not get the limelight. One big example of this is a character who seemed set up to have more to do but ended up disappearing after a single chapter: The Mercenary.
The Mercenary Warned Feyre Of The Dangers Of Prythian
The Mercenary, who appeared early on inA Court Of Thorns & Roses,should have had a bigger role as she was set up to seemingly be more important later. InA Court Of Thorns & Roses' timeline,The Mercenary appears in Feyre’s village before she leaves for the Spring Court, buying her wolf pelt after she fails to sell it to anyone else in the market.The Mercenary also warns Feyre of some of the dangers of Prythian, showcasing some of her many scars before Nesta drags Feyre away out of fear.
The Mercenary appears in Chapter 3 ofA Court Of Thorns & Roses.
Though she is clearly given traits that point to a bigger part in the story later on, such as the odd color of her eyes,The Mercenary is not seen in the book again at all.Nesta mentions that she hired her to escort her beyond the wall, but other than that, this character has not been seen in theA Court Of Thorns & Rosesseries since. While some assume she was simply there for exposition purposes, others have theorized that The Mercenary might be someone with a bigger story, each theory making her absence all the more saddening.
ACOTAR’s Great Mercenary Theories Make Her Lack Of Importance Even More Disappointing
Audience Theories On The Mercenary Span Across The Maasverse
The many fun theories surrounding The Mercenary inA Court Of Thorns & Rosestrulyemphasize her unfortunate lack of importance to the canon, especially as she could be used for another crossover connection. Some have theorized that The Mercenary will be revealed to be a half-fae fighter who came to the human lands to protect others from monsters, which makes sense as the idea of half-fae was introduced in the third book. Others, however, think she may have a bigger role to play as she could be from someplace even further than Prythian.
If You Love A Court Of Thorns & Roses, You Need To Experience This Incredible 3-Year-Old Adaptation Of The Story
A Court of Thorns & Roses fans need to check out this three-year-old adaptation of the book, especially now that Hulu’s TV show isn’t happening.
Another popular theory is that she is Fury from Maas’Crescent Cityseries as she shares some of the descriptions of the character, creating another possible crossover after Bryce’s visit to Velaris. Adding to this theory is the fact that the scars The Mercenary showed Feyre from the Martax match those Bryce suffered after being attacked by a similar creature, cementing the idea that she may have also traveled between worlds and got stuck. Despite not appearing anywhere else afterA Court Of Thorns & Roses,these theories prove that The Mercenary could return in one key way.
There’s One Way Sarah J. Maas Can Still Deliver On This Detail From The Start Of Her Series
Maas Could Use The Mercenary To Strengthen The Crescent City Connection
One major way Maas could use The Mercenary and deliver on her mysterious past inA Court Of Thorns & Rosesis by fulfilling the theory that she is actually from theCrescent Cityuniverse.The world of Prythian, as of this point, has been firmly set and established, which gives The Mercenary very little room to reenter the storyorganically. Though thenextA Court Of Thorns & Rosesbookcould change that, the easiest way to give The Mercenary her moment to shine would be to reveal that she, like Bryce, was a dimension traveler.
The Mercenary could have, like Amren, traveled to the world of Prythian by accident, stranding her in a strange land that shared similarities to her own and letting her survive where others could not. She could reveal this fact to Lucien as he continues his time in the human lands, allowing him to inform the Night Court and perhaps use her knowledge to get an advantage over Koschei. This would allowA Court Of Thorns & Rosesa chance to build on its crossover as well as give this compelling character her due years after her only appearance.
