Thomastair Breakdown (Contains Chain of Iron Spoilers)

Written by: Catnip (edited by:BookKittyE)

Chain of Gold was a source of soul-crushing heartbreak for Thomastair fans. Thomas leaving Alastair with one fateful line all because of silly childhood rumors reduced me to literal tears.

“You are not who I thought you are. If you come near me or speak to me at any point after this, I will knock you into the Thames.”

The wait was a long one, but helped by Cassie's emoji revelation, '😲💚🤕' (green to mend our broken hearts) and postcards of Thomas walking away from Alastair. Finally, the much anticipated day arrived, and we got to delve right back into all the drama surrounding the pair.

From their very first line to the last, the tension is palpable. Thomas threatens to stand true to his promise of throwing him in the Thames, but Cordelia intervenes; after all, it is her wedding. Quite understandable, of course; it would be a pity to have your brother thrown into a river on your wedding night by your husband’s best friend. Thomas is henceforth hesitant to even speak of Alastair, and knows him well enough to deduce he reads mundane newspapers:

“Your brother, Alastair, said something last night, at the meeting,” said Thomas reluctantly. “I gather he reads mundane newspapers. Among mundanes, there are mad people who kill just to kill. Perhaps there is no motive.”

We then get an extremely short scene, showing ever so caring Thomas turning up at Cirenworth to pay his respects after the death of Elias Carstairs. Just one line, and he’s gone. This is the scene illustrated in the postcard, where we see Thomas walking away from Alastair. Alastair’s thoughts are shown here, and he thinks that Thomas’s body is perfectly proportionate! He also couldn’t stop staring at him, wasn’t sure how to stop staring at him, while Thomas turns on his heels and leaves. Sigh, my two gay disasters not seeing how much they love each other. Cassie just knows how to hit us right in the feels, doesn’t she? Nevertheless, this is certainly one of my favorite Thomastair scenes in the book, no matter how absolutely brief it was.

After this titbit, Thomas is a mess of confusion and upheaval. We can see how much he cares for Alastair, but also how much restraint he has on himself. Not only did he want to run away from him, but we also see how much he tries to despise him, to no avail. From this point on it has been more than established that these two really, really, like each other. However, one of the main things keeping them apart is Matthew Fairchild (that’s another rant for another time,) as well as Alastair’s animosity. He thinks of Alastair’s eyes during a walk, of the sadness that haunts them, and the vicious words that cut his tongue. When he comes across the dead body of Lilian Highsmith, he is wrongly accused of murdering her and 4 others by the Inquisitor.

Who should visit him while he is locked in the Sanctuary but Alastair, revealing that he has been trailing Thomas on patrols for days to keep him safe? He definitely doesn’t want Thomas to get hurt for personal reasons, though he says he does not want Cordelia to face the loss. Thomas wants to touch Alastair’s hair but must remind himself that he does not like Alastair and we see his iron-hard resolve waning. He remembers how Alastair held his hand in Paris, rather dangerous for him to think about. He admires Alastair’s body, his heart thumps in his chest, and Thomas lets his instincts win. He allows himself to think of Alastair as beautiful, the most beautiful person he has ever known. And finally, he asks if Alastair is like him. Alastair and Thomas both admit their feelings to each other, and they share their first kiss (internal squealing and a hell lot of screaming on my part). It escalates, and they end up spending the night kissing (nothing more!) and eating sandwiches. The next morning, they are let off as innocent, though we do see a bit more enmity between Alastair and Matthew.

Leviathan attacks the Institute, and Alastair doesn’t leave Thomas’s side. They fight together, but when it ends, Alastair makes the decision to leave Thomas, believing himself to be unworthy of his love, unhealthy, and dangerous for Thomas. He also adds that all of Thomas’s friends hate him, and it just isn’t possible for them to be together. Alastair walks away, never looking back (if you hear someone’s heartbreaking, it’s mine).

Hence, the emojis Cassie posted on Tumblr are more than true. A shocked face, a green heart, and a wounded person. We’re shocked by their admissions, we have our hearts broken by the breakup, and are ultimately left wounded. Personally, I believe that the only good reason or halfway okay reason for Alastair to leave Thomas was the matter of the latter’s friends. That too could be solved by a simple conversation, where they simply sit down and talk it out. Alastair may also believe himself to be unworthy, but he brings out a more confident side of Thomas, while Thomas allows Alastair to let down the walls he has built around himself.

Ultimately, Chain of Iron showed us a new dynamic between the two, the internal conflict within them, and hit us in the feels simultaneously. I can only hope that things get better for the two of them in Chain of Thorns.