It's just a thought and I don't think there is "knowing intent" behind the characters actions.
But reading between the lines and my interpretation of the text, there are a bunch of examples that have been building up to show why Elain would not be right for Az while Gwyn would.
There are certain things that are representative of who Az is as a character. And there is a noticeable difference between Elain's unintentional response or reaction to those things versus Gwyn's.
Az and TT:
We know how intertwined the character of Az is with the dagger. There's still an unknown backstory on how it came to be in his possession but it's definitely an extension of him.
Elain's reaction to TT:
- “I—I don’t know how to use it—”
- Elain weighed my words … and slowly closed her fingers around the blade.
- the King of Hybern slumped to his knees, clawing at the knife jutting through his throat. Elain backed away a step.
- “He gave it to Elain,” Mor said, “She gave it back,” I amended. But Elain had given it back—had pressed it into Azriel’s hands after the battle, just as he had pressed it into hers before. And then walked away without looking back.
Az offered this extension of himself to Elain and not only was she was hesitant to take it until Feyre reassured she wouldn't have to use it (oops, her bad 😂) but SJM stressed that Elain not only returned it, which Feyre noted twice (it's not like we expected her to keep it forever, but it's the way the author told us how it happened) but that Elain "walked away" and "didn't look back". That's a pretty big statement if all we're talking about is the casual returning of a weapon (which would have gone something like, "thanks for lending this to me, here you go." The End). Instead it reads as if she is walking away from the part of Az that represents a part of who he is. Not that she realizes it's what she's doing but it's something a reader might pick up on. Also, the second Elain used TT to save her sister, she immediately backed away from it (at which time Nesta came over to decapitate the King with it). Elain used it for a single purpose but did not further embrace it.
Gwyn's reaction to TT:
- Apparently, Gwyn wanted him to go over dagger handling, so he’d left them with a promise to return in an hour.
- “Seven years?” Gwyn demanded behind them. “You think children should be swinging around a real sword?”. “No,” Gwyn sputtered. “I just meant—do you plan for us to practice with wooden swords for seven years?”
- Gwyn practiced in the chill night, her sword glimmering like ice in the moonlight.
Obviously we don't get an actual scene of Gwyn with TT but we have a lot of examples of Gwyn actively choosing to handle daggers and weapons. They are not something she shies away from and instead seems eager to embrace. To me, it reads that if Az were to offer her TT, she would treat it with respect and honor. Not discomfort and something to walk away from without looking back.
Azriel's Shadows
They are and will forever be a part of him "the shadows kept him company, as they always had, as they always would". He learned their language and they came to him at what was possibly the most difficult time in his life.
Elain and his shadows:
I don’t want a male.” She wanted a human man.
- his shadows were gone, his face stark and clear. More … human than I had ever seen him.
- Elain silently rose. No shadows at his ear, no darkness ringing his fingers as he extended a hand.
- Azriel arrived first, no shadows to be seen, my sister a pale, golden mass in his arms.
- His shadows skittered back at the sound. They’d always been prone to vanish when she was around.
Gwyn and his shadows:
- The young priestess smiled- and Azriel thought it might have been directed at his curious shadows.
- Her breath curled in front of her mouth, and one of his shadows darted out to dance with it before twirling back to him. Like it heard some silent music.
- Even his shadows had calmed. As if content to lounge on his shoulders and watch.
- Could have sworn his shadows sang in answer.
The shadows will always be a part of Az and with Gwyn, they are content and playful. She too acknowledges their presence in a way that shows she "sees" them and respects them outside of Az. We have never seen Elain treat them as something that exists as a companion to Az and Az even notes they aren't often around when she is.
Azriel and His Darkness / Solitude
Az isn’t a courtier. He "works from the shadows." "Held that ice-cold stare that still sometimes scared the shit out of me" "the frozen precipice that Az had plummeted into". "Let his cold rage rise to the surface," "He’s Az. He likes his space.” “He’ll keep to himself, so most of the time it'll be only you and me"
Azriel not only prefers to work in the darkness but he IS darkness. There's a cold and icy rage to his personality. His shadows are even the kind born from darkness (not sunshine). We also know he does not often sleep so the Night is something he's quite familiar with. His perfect person would be someone who doesn't mind staying in that darkness with him and who doesn't thrive when / prefer to be surrounded by others
Elain's reaction to darkness / solitude:
- As if any bit of darkness was abhorrent. As if to chase it away.
- She had been always so full of light. Perhaps that was why she now kept all the curtains open. To fill the void that existed where all of that light had once been.
- .“What can I get you, Elain?” But Elain shook her head once more. “Sunshine.”
- “She loved balls and parties.”
- Two in the morning, and yet the party was showing no signs of slowing. Elain was laughing among a circle of beautiful friends, flushed and brilliant.
Sorry but Elain is 100% the bright light of the Sun and she craves it. She doesn't want to live a life in darkness and solitude and instead comes alive around large groups.
Gwyn's reaction to darkness / solitude:
- As we entered the library proper, golden lights flickered to life. As if Clotho had been in utter darkness until we’d entered (Gwyn too has lived in this same darkness the past two years).
- Gwyn, despite the Rite, had returned to living in the library.
- Gwyn practiced in the chill night, her sword glimmering like ice in the moonlight.
- Gwyn had said she might leave for Nesta and Cassian’s mating ceremony in three day
Gwyn is extremely comfortable in darkness and night, she's not extremely comfortable out in the open (though both she and Az have their small circle of friends they are closest with). She does have an inner light to her but whereas Elain's is the light of the Sun, Gwyn's strikes me as the light of the Moon (which is beautiful imagery and a sense of belonging next to Az's darkness).
Az and the necklace:
He knew it was wrong, but there he was, sliding the necklace around her (Elain).
Something sparked in Azriel’s chest, but he only nodded his thanks and left. He could picture it, though, as he ascended the stairs back to the House proper. How Gwyn’s teal eyes might light upon seeing the necklace. For whatever reason…he could see it. (Gwyn)
Elain and the necklace:
- he found Elain’s necklace amid the pile.
Azriel offered a gift to Elain and while she did at first accept it, she decided it was not something she wanted to keep.
Who knows what will come of him giving the necklace to Gwyn but once again, we've got an example of how Elain, after first accepting something representative of Az, later walked away from it.
Even Az, upon giving Elain the necklace, thought "He knew it was wrong, but there he was, sliding the necklace around her" versus the thought of Gwyn receiving the necklace felt right to the point that it brought him joy. The necklace itself never mattered (though I do think the rose being held to the light to see its true colors is 100% hinting at Elain being meant for Lucien and her coming into her own) but the person who was meant to receive the part of himself (a gift he wanted to share) that he was giving away, is what does.
These pieces of himself that he's been trying to give to Elain have not work in his favor because she is not the one for him.
