Today is such a special day for me because I can finally drop new theories and start working on the site again. Thank you so much, Rebecca Yarros, for keeping me on my toes.

Today is Conscription Day, and should we survive the parapet… the Gauntlet and, well… everything else… we might just about get our own Threshing story to tell. At least, this is what happened to 13 cadets. According to Rebecca Yarros, we are getting a Threshing Day book with 13 different character POVs. WOW.

And we have Xaden Riorson as a confirmed character… and a mini trailer posted as a reel on her account.

“You need not question me. I have seen your soul. Every haunted memory, every vile thought, every malevolent desire for revenge. I am cognizant of your downfalls, and yet I see the potential of everything you can become. I see it all.”

The first moment I read this, I KNEW in my bones that this was Sgaeyl. It sounds ruthless, just like her. We also know from Xaden’s POVs that Sgaeyl has never been gentle…

This is at the end of Fourth Wing, if you remember:

“She’ll be all right.” Sgaeyl’s voice is gentler than she’s ever deigned to use with me. Then again, she didn’t choose me because I needed coddling. She chose me for the scars on my back and the simple fact that I am the grandson of her second rider—the one who didn’t make it through the quadrant.”

We also discussed in a different theory that Xaden Riorson is a morally gray character. He would do anything and everything for his love, for Violet. He would risk anyone and anything else for her. He wouldn’t sacrifice her for the greater good. That makes him the perfect book boyfriend (now husband), but also a morally gray character. Which would explain the haunted memories, perhaps referring to the cuts on his back. The vile thoughts… I’m sure he had many. I would too, considering what that kingdom did to him and his family, not to mention his friends’ families. Every malevolent desire for revenge… of course. He wanted revenge, but he chose a different path entirely, in the end.

Besides, given that we only have one confirmed character so far, it would make sense to have Sgaeyl in the trailer. Although I am pretty certain that Ridoc is one of the characters as well.

What do you think? Is it Sgaeyl?

And before you think that we will get dragon POVs, we won’t. Rebecca has confirmed that it’s only riders. But riders do communicate with their dragons, so we know that we will hear them as well. Pretty much the same way we heard Tairn and Violet during Threshing in Fourth Wing.

Oh, and one more thing… Xaden killed Alic during Threshing. I am curious about that side of the story as well.