Get Nerdy With Me No. 5
An enemies (to lovers?) annotating guide for Legendborn
If you root for Sel and Bree as endgame, you need to go read
’s1 latest Substack first. Payne analyzes the enemies-to-lovers trope for us with her PhD in cultural anthropology brain. It’s eye-opening, and it’s a hoot! I’m convinced it’ll make you appreciate what Tracy Deonn builds between Sel and Bree in Legendborn even more.
Enemies (to Lovers?) Annotating Guide for Legendborn & Bloodmarked
Suspicion Becomes Affection
Sel calls Bree “Mystery Girl” in Legendborn and Bloodmarked, and annotating the nickname is so worthwhile.
In Bloodmarked, the instant New York Times best-selling sequel to Legendborn by Tracy Deonn, Selwyn Kane affectionately nicknames Briana Mathews “mystery girl.”
This nickname had a very different meaning in the first book of the series. In Legendborn, when they meet, Sel says "mystery girl” with disdain and suspicion. He believes she is a Shadowborn demon operating as a mole in the Order.
When Sel eventually sees the truth (that Bree is not a demon, but rather “something new. Something powerful”2) the tone of the nickname changes, as does the tone of their relationship.
Below is a list every “mystery girl” quote in Legendborn, along with the quote’s corresponding chapter number and page number. Use this list to find and annotate the quotes in your own copy of Legendborn. You can underline, highlight, or place a tab in the margin to annotate these quotes.3 A brief summary follows every quote for a bit of explanatory context.
Why annotate?
Annotate to Refresh + Reconnect
Tabbing and highlighting the “mystery girl” quotes throughout Legendborn is like taking a scenic highway though the book. You will be able to view the highlights of Bree and Sel’s relationship quickly. Maybe you will gain some new insights or remember some key points about these two characters.
In addition, traveling through the book solely via these quotes is an efficient way to reconnect with the story. If you are missing the Legendborn world, you can sit down and do this annotating project in one sitting, including reading all seven scenes where the quotes appear.
This annotation project is also helpful if you need a Legendborn plot refresher, but do not have time for a full reread.
Annotation I ⚔️ Chapter 8, Page 6
Sel watches the fight on my face with interest. “I must admit, Briana, I’m curious. What twist of the universe has set you in my path again?” he asks, his voice quiet, wistful. “Alas, some mysteries must remain forever unsolved.”
Context: Bree and Sel meet again.
This moment is the first time Sel utters the word mystery in connection to Bree. She is recuperating in Nick’s room at the Legendborn lodge, after being injured by the hellhound on campus. Sel is about to mesmer her for the second time. The first time was the previous night at the party at the quarry.
Annotation II ⚔️ Chapter 22, Page 193
Silence. Then a low, slow laugh in the darkness.
“You have a silver tongue, mystery girl.” A pause. “I feel a sudden urge to tear it out.”
My pulse leaps in my throat.
“Lucky for you, I’m used to being baited.” A whoosh of air, and then his voice finds me from overhead. “Maybe another time.”
Context: Bree is alone with Sel.
Bree is on her way to the Legendborn arena with Nick for her first competition against the other pages. Nick leaves her for a moment to check if things are ready. Sel appears, and Bree senses him. They go head to head in an argument about Sel’s accusation that Bree is a demon.
Annotation III ⚔️ Chapter 28, Page 259
After a few minutes, I fold. “Why?” My breath comes out in short puffs.
“Why what, Briana?” His voice is so even, he could be standing still.
“You know what.”
“I told you, I’m keeping an eye on you, mystery girl.”
“Because you think I’m a demon?”
Context: The second page trial is a setup.
Sel assigned himself to Bree for the second trial, a scavenger hunt for aether-infused objects around campus. Sel’s suspicion of Bree has soared to dangerous levels. He is prepared to kill her on this night to prove that she’s a goruchel demon who has infiltrated the Order.
Annotation IV ⚔️ Chapter 30, Page 278
“Thought as much. In short, right now I have far greater concerns than the ‘mystery of you,’ not the least of which is the likely imminence of Camlann. Such concerns also include the truly active threats to both Nicholas’s life and the chapter I am Oathbound to protect.” The type of threats that I will be punished for—painfully—if I don’t pursue them. He doesn’t add that next bit, but I hear it anyway, remembering what Lord Davis said about Sel’s Kingsmage Oath burning a hole through his throat.4
“I’m sorry,” I say, shaking my head, “I just can’t get over the fact that you have definitely, definitely made violent threats on my life and now you’re just… not.”
Context: Sel realizes Bree is not a goruchel.
Sel and Bree walk through the Order’s secret tunnels discussing what just happened during the hellfox attack. During the fight, he witnessed Bree’s power. He sensed the heat of her root building in her chest and saw the mage flame roaring up her arms.
Annotation V & VI ⚔️ Chapter 38, Page 338 + 342
He scoffs. “Put your self-righteousness away, mystery girl. I followed you that day to see if you were meeting an uchel coconspirator, and I thought you two were speaking in code about your demon lineage. Looking back, I’d given you far too much credit. I don’t care about your family drama, and I sure as fuck don’t care about someone whose dead mother used aether to grow prettier flowers—” (page 338)
[the scene continues]
“But we are two Called Scions away from Camlann. So, after Nicholas told his father what I did to you, Lord Davis threatened to replace me. Take my title, cast me out. Leave me to self-destruction.” He huffs. “Bullies, like I said.”
Air leaves my lungs in a rush, like I’ve been tossed over the cliff myself. “No, that… that sounds like torture. Nick wouldn’t let that happen—”
“Oh, it is torture. But if the Order thinks I’m growing unstable, that is exactly what Nicholas will be forced to do.” His face turns sour. “These are the choices kings make, mystery girl.” (page 342)
Context: Sel, aether-drunk, opens up to Bree.
Bree is supposed to be in the lodge recovering from serious injuries. During the last trial, Vaughn attacked her after losing the match. But, when she hears Sel blowing off steam along the ridge above the trial arena, she feels inexplicably drawn to him. This feeling surfaces despite the fact that she knows he is volatile and aether-drunk after administering the squire’s oath for Tor and Sarah. On the ridge, they have a long conversation that airs things out between them, and Sel calls Bree “mystery girl” twice.
Annotation VII ⚔️ Chapter 45, Page 410
“I know that look,” Sel says with a sigh. “Tell me, will you always be the mystery girl?”
I smile. “Probably.”
Context: Sel and Bree dance.
At the Selection Gala, Sel rescues Bree from a conversation with Merlin Isaac Sorenson, a dangerous kingsmage sworn to Nick’s father. Sel sweeps Bree away to the dance floor, where the chemistry between them crackles and sparks. Not long after calling Bree “mystery girl,” Sel tells her she looks stunning. At this point, the transformation of the nickname is complete, only signaling Sel’s deep and growing affection for Bree.
4 Takeaways
These seven "mystery girl" quotes reveal the change in Sel's perception of Bree over time.
In the beginning, he does not understand who she is and how the pressure from his oaths clouds his judgment.
In the end, he sees Bree for the powerful leader she was destined to be, but Bree is still very much a mystery. The romantic tension between them is a bit of a mystery too.
In Bloodmarked, the nickname sticks, and some mysteries start to unravel.
Happy Valentine’s Day EXTRA!
Catch Every “Mystery Girl” Moment in Bloodmarked
Chapter 21, Page 199
Chapter 23, Page 217
Chapter 29, Page 268
Chapter 44, Page 418 (not Sel)
Chapter 52, Page 472 (Bree throws it back at Sel)
Chapter 58, Page 534
Chapter 60, Page 551
Is it a coincidence that there are 7 quotes in both books?
Also go read Pride and Protest and Sex, Lies, and Sensibility by Nikki Payne. I will recommend these steamy, clever AF Austen retellings until the day I die.
Legendborn Chapter 57, Page 481
Please note that the page numbers correspond to the Kindle ebook edition. If you are reading the hardback edition, the page numbers will be close, but slightly off.
Davis says this to Sel the night of the page oaths in Chapter 11, Page 104.
I will be looking out for all the “mystery girl” mentions when I reread Bloodmarked!