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“Because when the legends get written, I didn’t want to be remembered for standing on the sidelines. I want my future offspring to know that I was there, and that I fought against her at the end, even if I couldn’t do anything useful.”
Rhysand reveals his motivation for helping Feyre defeat Amarantha as he says goodbye to Feyre in Chapter 46. Throughout the novel, Rhysand is presented as a complicated anti-hero. Rhysand seems to relish his role as Amarantha’s lackey, exhibiting macabre cruelty towards Tamlin’s subjects when he leaves a head in Tamlin’s fountain and gleefully threatens him with violence. Under the surface, however, Rhysand is motivated by a deeper desire to overthrow Amarantha and free himself and his people from her reign. The fact that his motivations are murky is intentional. Rhysand is an effective manipulator and understands the stakes of Amarantha discovering that he despises her. Rhysand is comfortable, even content, living in a morally grey area. Even while helping Feyre during her tasks, he treats her like a plaything, forcing her to wear revealing clothing and drink faerie wine. The quote, however, reveals that Rhysand always intends to land on the right side of history and proves his desire for the greater good outweighs his dark side.
