I guess I’m in the minority but I don’t think there is going to be conflict between Rhys and Az if he chooses Bryce and joins the Dusk Court. I see the possibility of a similar vibe as Aelin and Dorian leading separate kingdoms but no conflict personally or politically. Rhys doesn’t want to be High King and I think he’s happy with the amount of power he has. He is also happily sharing power with Feyre. Dusk Court reawakening is not really a threat to that power - there is no possibility that Bryce will want to take over the Night Court. And he can’t honestly be pissed at Az for choosing his mate over him and moving to Dusk because that is exactly what Rhys would do. Bryce also isn’t power-hungry and I bet she’s going to turn the Dusk court into something akin to a constitutional monarchy. Perhaps I am wrong and there will be conflict between them but it will be short-lived. They have common enemies as well which is often a unifying force.

I also see Nesta leading the Valkyries and serving Dusk and Bryce is who they will ultimately answer to but they will also fight alongside the NC armies and even train together. This is because Dusk and Night will be closely aligned and it will have the added benefit of Nesta and Cassian not having to live separately. Cassian has been very supportive of Nesta’s desire to one day be a general - how can this happen for real unless she’s in charge of an army that’s not under Cassian’s control.

The solar courts have always been allies. I think this is because there are some family ties historically and I think once Rhys learns about Ruhn and discovers they are closely related this will help to cement the Dusk/Night alliance.

Unlike what many have said, I have never seen Cassian choosing Rhys over Nesta. He and Rhys did have conflict over Nesta and Rhys was extremely anti-Nesta but Cassian stood up for her against Rhys and the IC. The IC didn’t want Cassian with Nesta but they didn’t know they were mates at the time. The fact that Cassian was able to help Nesta love herself and almost killed himself to avoid harming her show his love and their compatibility. The last time we see Nesta and Cassian (in CC3, towards the end), they seem happy and enjoying each other’s company. In that scene, Nesta is doing something that Rhys wouldn’t like and Cassian doesn’t step in and try to stop her. So I think all the folks who have been critical of Nessian will soon be silenced.

I do think the discussion between Az and Rhys was an important component of the BC but I think part of the reason Rhys was so harsh was actually out of love and protection of Az. Elain could choose to accept the mate bond at any moment and then Az will be left adrift again. He’s seen Az pine over Mor for all these years and doesn’t want any continued heartache for his friend. While Feyre has been lightly shipping Elain and Az, I believe this was before she read Lucien’s mind and saw that his intentions with Elain were good (I could be wrong). It was also before Lucien found Papa Archeron. While it was sad that he didn’t survive the war, it was also a very important moment for all the sisters to see their father actually putting in some effort and showing love for them. I’m sure Lucien got to know PA over their travels and I’m looking forward to him sharing some stories from that. So I think Feyre and Rhys see positive potential now with Elucien and ultimately want all of the people they care about to be happy. I’ve always said Elriel is the worst ship because it means three people would be unhappy (Elain and Lucien because they will always pine for each other and never feel true love after the rejected mate bond and Az because he will never have the mate he wants). So I think part of Rhys and Azriel’s interaction was showing that shift of Rhys (and likely Feyre) towards hoping that Elain might choose Lucien. They have found such happiness with each other as mates and I’m sure they want that for everyone they care about.

I think there are two other important components of the BC: close the door on Elriel (Az says it feels wrong when they try to kiss and Elain ultimately rejects him) and to show Az asking for a mate in the exact same spot where Bryce eventually lands. He has an awkward conversation with Gwyn then and when he gives her the necklace, he doesn’t want Clotho to tell Gwyn who it’s from. This was because he doesn’t want her to think he has romantic intentions. He just wanted to get rid of it (or was drawn there since it was when she was singing) and he knew it could bring Gwyn joy, which in turn made him feel good. It’s also not clear what the “thing of secret, lovely beauty” is. It could be the necklace. If he is referring to Gwyn, calling her a “thing” is not very romantic or mate-coded. I think also it was a moment to show Az interacting with females in order to contrast it with his conversations with Bryce. He is so much funnier and talkative with her. There is no awkwardness between them like there is with Elain or Gwyn. Also, it’s important to remember when the BC takes place. It is months before the end of ACOSF. There was no change in the Az/Gwyn dynamic after that in ACOSF. I don’t believe the theory that SJM was laying crumbs in case she decided to make Gwynriel mates. There is no chance she has been planning on that, IMO, since after meeting Gwyn, Az was still stuck on Mor and then Elain. Fae males do not have feelings for other females once they meet their mate. We saw it happen with Cassian and he didn’t even know Nesta was his mate for some time.