Not only that, but their steadfast friendship in the latter books proves how strong their early romance could have been. Dorian is one of the few characters that understands and accepts Aelin as she is, and his iconic line “you cannot pick and choose which parts of her to love” shows how much better he was for her than Chaol. While I understand they were never meant to be endgame, Aelin and Dorian’s relationship struggles — due to her role as champion — playing out in tandem with her and Chaol’s growing feelings would have made for a compelling plot.

I’m Still Disappointed Throne Of Glᴀss Never Explored An Aelin & Dorian Relationship

It Ended Before It Even Began

Knowing how the entire story ends, I understand why Aelin and Dorian were never meant to end up together — but I still wish we could have experienced more than what the first Throne of Glᴀss novel gave us. Throughout all seven Throne of Glᴀss books, Maas had plenty of time to build out Aelin’s relationships with Sam, Chaol, and Rowan, and I just can’t comprehend why Dorian was never given a real sH๏τ. Their friendship ends up being one of the best to come out of the series, but Maas ended their romantic relationship before it even began.

There are plenty of scenarios where Maas uses their relationship to grow and bond the two characters, just not romantically. Effectively, Maas chooses to make them platonic soulmates instead. While there’s some yearning on Dorian’s part in Crown of Midnight, Aelin moves on pretty quickly with Chaol, which makes sense given they have some spark in the first Throne of Glᴀss novel. But considering how close she and Dorian are, I would have expected a bit more to come out of their romance instead of it ending so abruptly.