OS ending implications and book 4 theorizing
I've seen a lot of reactipns to the ending of OS, but I want to get some heads together and try to play out what the implications are for book 4s plot.
So obviously, Violet and Xaden got married, she's got the ring, it was officially done with a priest, love that for them.
I agree with other folks here that it's mostly likely that her bond with Xaden/Sgaeyl was cut. I do want to just focus in though on Tairn needing a cycle to rest, I'd assume that Sgaeyl would also have to rest for a cycle wherever she is hiding out. Which makes the logistics of her and Xaden fleeing/hiding... weird. I'm assuming the bond would have to be broken in person.
Anyways, the bonds probably broken or somehow "paused"/put on ice (super serum?) and she's had the last 12 hours of her memories wiped by Imogen (which includes her wedding, tough break kid). I also don't want to believe the pregnancy trope because that's lame tbh, don't want a kid complicating everything, making people make even more stupid choices. Leave kids for an epilogue.
So she's got her memories wiped, the bonds broken, which means that killing Violet won't be an avenue to kill Xaden now that he's fully off the deep end. She's safe for now, has the throne via marriage, and the next book will hopefully take her through her third year and graduation. (Wingleader Violence?)
Xadens got a new "brother", probably Garrick, and I personally think he's going to go on a two man raiding expedition to find ways to destroy the Venin while being a Venin himself. A sort of "if I'm going down, I'm taking y'all with me" story line.
I think the focus in OS on "finding the cure" was a bit of a distraction to just be told towards the end that there's no cure and no coming back from it. I think that's quite definitive, but I think RY will pull some switcheroo where Xaden isn't exactly "cured" but is somehow "purified" or able to be satiated/stabilized with some sort of Irid magic.
I think that's why the Venin wanted Andarna, they have some endgame for domination that requires their magic, but that same endgame can be used by Xaden if he gets to it first, some sort of race to the finish line plot device.
So yeah, that's my rant, I think the next book will be:
Third year at school for Violet, trying to piece together what happened during that 12 hour period, not being able to stop herself from "getting her memories back", probably via dream walking.
Dualing POV chapters with Xaden as he heads towards the center of power for the Venin in the Barrens leading up to an unexpected reunion of Violet and Xaden, probably near an outpost after Violet graduates and gets stationed there.
She will also go see her Grandma and get some sort of macguffin from her that will help her out with Xaden or her memories. (like the broken compass she got on her Isle trip, that's going to come back I bet)
Someone in the squad gets killed, I'm going to say... Dain? Nothing like the selfless death of a childhood friend to really bring some emotional heft. Hopefully his Dad is taken out too, but I guess she needs a reason to hate school.
Oh Halden will try to hit up Violet now that Xaden is "out of the picture", even though they are married, but he will end up dying in some stupid way, but at the last moment show that he was mostly concerned about his brother, so he wasn't truely a bad guy, whatever.
If I come up with anything else I'll update the post, but that's sort of where my pattern recognition is saying we'll see in the next book.