#oakren

Roiben being in love with Kaye is why she didn't die at the Tithe, why she was able to bring down the Court of Flowers, it's why he trusted and listened to her advice even when he had no real reason to trust her

Kaye being in love with Roiben is why she wants to help him so much, why she declares herself to him and solves his impossible quest, and why she brings down the Court of Flowers to save him

Ravus being in love with Val is the only reason she gets help with her addiction and is kept safe from other Fae

Jack being in love with Hazel is the whole reason she goes to the moonlight revel and gets enough info to save Fairfield

Severin being in love with Ben is the whole reason Ben and Hazel have any interactions with him and get his help to fight the Alderking

Madoc being in love with Eva is the reason he asks her to come back years and years later and kills her when she refuses, the reason why he took Jude and Taryn to Elfhame

Cardan being in love with Jude is vitally important, most of his decisions are made because he loves her and trusts her

Vivi being in love with Heather is the reason she learns to respect and understand humans more than her sisters ever did, the reason she's willing to start all the way over with Heather just to be with her

Oak being in love with Wren is the reason he continues to trust and help her when she literally tries to kill him and locks him, why he risks his sister's trust and the High Court never letting him return to help her

Wren being in love with Oak is the reason she tried so hard to help him, the reason she makes such confusing decisions, she's confused, she loves him so much but she's supposed to let him die

there are tons of Fae scattered throughout the books who are trapped in servitude or prison because they had to save their lover, at any cost

(ofc familial and platonic love also matter and affect the Fae but in an entirely different way)

and the way this all connects back to that line in either Valiant or Ironside saying that Faerie do everything with their whole self, love and hatred, they can love and hate for centuries, promises will never be forgotten and heartbreak hurts deeply

a Faerie loves so deeply in this incredibly genuine way and when a Faerie is in love it thoroughly influences their actions

they tell the truth even in ways they may be unaware of (or deeply ashamed of)

—The Wicked King, chapter 29

oak and cardan:

Wren is not going to go down with a fight no matter how highly you think of Jude. She made a more powerful choice when she chose to our Oak under the Bridle. She isn’t swayed by love or anything except the desperation to survive.

Unlike Jude, Wren’s morals are gone. She’s too fearful of kindness as she believes it’ll be taken from her just as quick as it’s given. So she intends to make herself worse than imaginable to hide herself. We know this because during the end of TSH, even as people are cheering, she still isn’t fully happy.

Jude may be driven to save her brother and has power as the high queen but Wren has all the opposing power to the high kingdom. (she literally took apart lady nore with her words commanding.)

Not only the fact that Wren has more power is all however. Wren has a group of people who will follow her willingly. Those who were transformed back by her genuinely look up to her as a savior whereas in Jurdan’s kingdom, rumors and the way they only like Jude due to the fact she saved Cardan isn’t going to cut it. I’m willing to bet, Wren is going to have so many spies who’ll report back to her for the sake of betraying Jude. She’s high queen but another queen who is actually of the folk is going to seem more appealing.