Quicksilver

Kingfisher starts the novel with various tattoos that depict runes that stand for different values. When he and Saeris begin a sexual relationship, some of his tattoos migrate onto her body. The first is a bird, which rests over her heart, symbolizing Kingfisher’s growing affection for Saeris before she even knows it exists. When Kingfisher and Saeris start to accept their feelings for one another, more runes appear on Saeris’s hands and forearms, signifying the fated mating bond between them; the runes show that they are akin to the star-crossed lovers archetype. God-bound couples, in Fae mythology, rarely see happy endings, creating suspense and narrative tension.

The runes appear without Saeris’s consent, playing into themes of bodily autonomy and Fate Versus Personal Choice. Saeris is angry when the first tattoo appears on her body: In Zilvaren, choosing tattoos is one of the few ways she could exert control over her body. Underscoring the connection, the discussion of the unexpected runes happens in conjunction with Saeris’s revelation that she was forcibly sterilized as a child. The parallel indicates that this issue is not the tattoo itself, but rather the autonomy she has been denied—something that is also at stake with the oath between Fisher and Saeris. Fisher cannot remove the bird tattoo, which signifies that he cannot stop loving Saeris, even though he fears that a connection between them will harm her.

The runes’ final appearance on Saeris’s body, after she accepts the bond, shows that, though fate has contributed to her relationship with Fisher, it is her choice that makes this relationship a permanent reality.