A Thoughtful Offering

The Cadre

The Cadre. The seven Fae Warriors blood sworn to Queen Maeve. The most feared and respected beings in Wendlyn. And our favourite band of pretty males. Let's take a look into just what this group of ~~mostly~~ fabulous fae fellas is all about shall we?

The Cadre's Creation

The Members

The Cadre is made up of 7 of the most elite Fae Warriors throughout Wendlyn's History.

Lorcan Salvaterre was the first to swear the blood oath to Maeve, though the exact time at which this happened remains unknown. His power of death after being blessed by Hellas made him a leathal opponant to all who crossed his path, but it was his unrequainted love for Queen Maeve that truly made him dangerous (or stupid, that's for you to decide!). They say love is blind, but so is loyalty. One incident of such blindness occured when Lorcan and a fellow member of The Cadre were dispatched to decimate a city that Maeve had decreed was full of corrupt citizens. And so Lorcan did. He was eventually stripped of his oath for acting outside of her orders and was thus banished from the Cadre.

Rowan Whitethorn was the next to swear the blood oath, after being found my Lorcan wandering aimlessly following the slaughter of his "mate" Lyria while trying to regain Maeve's favor after she shunned him for accepting someone below his station as his mate. After assisting Aelin in completing her training, the young Queen compelled Maeve to release Rowan from his oath and the Cadre itself, allowing him to take a place in Aelin's court as both her King and her Mate. It was during this seperation that he discovered that Lyria's status as his mate was faked by Maeve to shatter his spirit in an attempt to get Aelin to hand over the Wyrdkeys.

The Lion of Doranelle, Gavriel, was next to join them. The youngest of 3 brothers with no prospects of land or title, he took to soldiering and soon swore the oath. After falling to kill Lorcan for acting outside of her orders and his torn loyalties between her and his son Aedion, Maeve banished him. He later perished bravely in battle.

The next Fae to take a place in the Cadre was Connall, a teleporter who believed that swearing the blood oath would bring him glory. Instead of glory it bought him a place as Maeve's slave, both inside and outside of the bedroom.

Connall's twin brother Fenrys also swore the oath, though his reasoning was not that of glory or infamy. Instead he swore to protect his brother, taking his place as Maeve's bedroom companion. Maeve used the bond between the two brothers to torture Fenrys, forcing him to endure watching Connall stab himself through the heart under Maeve's orders.

Little is known about the 6th member of the Cadre, Vaughn, other than he was travelling distant lands in search of Lorcan and his Fae form is an Osprey. He was often quiet and reserved in comparison to the rest of his unit. His blood oath was severed after Maeve's not so unfortunate death and the surviving members of the Cadre discussed seeking him out to offer him a place in Aelin's court. This remains to be seen however.

The seventh and final member to form the Cadre we know and ~~mostly~~ love is Cairn. The sadistic fae was known for his brutal methods, having eventually been sent to an isolated region after both Lorcan and Rowan failed to tame his sadistic personality, and was appointed to the Cadre as Maeve's second following Rowan's departure (See Cairn, even you come second to our favourite Buzzard like every other male!). He reached his expiration date at Rowan's hands after tortueing Aelin during her imprisionment. It is said that he was so terrified his lost control of his bladder prior to his death, which is not surprising as Rowan skinned him alive before beheading him and burning his remains. A much deserved punishment if you ask me.

The Cadre's Fun Facts

Uncle Kitty Cat

Despite behing some of the most feared Fae to ever grace the world, the members of the Cadre have their fair share of nicknames, some more serious than others.

Take Gavriel for example. Known as the Lion of Doranelle thanks to his Fae form taking on the appearance of a mountain lion, his neice Aelin affectionately refers to him as Uncle Kitty Cat.

He was not the only one with a nickname, oh no. Thanks to his status of being blessed by Hellas, Lorcan was known as Lord Death. Fenrys was known as the White Wolf of Doranelle but the best nickname of all? Not Rowan's title of Buzzard (My personal favourite of the bunch #DoranellePride #Shamelessplug) but his other name of Territorial Fae...I probably shouldn't finish that sentence at the risk of invoking Bryn's wrath should I?

Oaths & Promises

The Cadre may officially be disbanded, but their seperation was not a smooth one. Gavriel and Lorcan both had their oaths forcibly broken by Maeve. Fenrys chose to break his own oath to protect Aelin and Connall and Cairn both had their oaths severed by their deaths. Rowan is the only member of the Cadre to be realeased willingly, while Vaughn had his removed by Maeve's death.

But the oath was not the honour it always seemed to be. Maeve would often use it as a punshiment for those in the Cadre, such as refusing to release Fenrys as she was all too aware that he despised being bound to her. Lorcan was the other side of the coin, his oath severed as a form of punishment as he still wished to serve her.

The Verdict

The Cadre were indeed a force to be reckoned with, but the circumstances in which they were bought together were what set their journey down the path of inevitable destruction in motion. Each one had their own flaws, whether it be loyalty, desire for greatness or lack of purpose.

Perhaps had the Cadre come together under Aelin's leadership as opposed to Maeve's their endings would have been different. Perhaps Gavriel and Aedion could have repaired their relationship. Perhaps Fenrys and Connall could have travelled the world as Aelin's Emmissaries together. Perhaps we could have actually seen Vaughn make an appearance. Perhaps we could FINALLY find out what Lorcan did. Especially the last one. But alas we shall never know.

What are your thoughts on the Cadre? Who's your favorite and why? What's your favourite moment? Let us know down in the comments!

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Braelynn Hylande

High Lady of Doranelle