More QoA QoAstions
Oct. 12th, 2007 07:04 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
aged-crone.livejournal.com posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
queensthiefAs I said, I've been reading through QoA and KoA again.
1)After Nahuseresh has "rescued" Attolia, and she has spoken with Gen, and he has said "From shadow queen to puppet queen inone rule . . . When he rules your country and he tells you he loves you, I hope you believe him . . . At least that's one lie I didn't tell you," Nahuseresh comes up. Attolia boxes Eugenides' ear so hard that he falls. "She hoped the fall would shut him up but considered kicking him to be sure. She had no desire to hear him protesting his undying love, but he was so very stubborn when you finally got down to some substance under all the lies."
That sounded to me as if she knew then that he loved her. That his "undying love" was substance under all the lies. It seems as if she wants him to be quiet so he isn't saying he loves her in front of Nahuseresh, doesn't it? Or why?
Anyway, working on the assumption that she has realized that he really does love her then - why, then, by the time Eddis and Eugenides arrive at the city of Attolia, is the Queen being all distant and , after she thoughtlessly offers hunting to a man with one hand, is thinking that "she might be fool enough to love him; she wasn't fool enough to believe he loved her. She'd seen the look in his father's eyes, and if she didn't see it in Eugenides's eyes, then he was better at hiding it, that was all." Surely it can't be just because the MoW is glaring at her. She was being distant even before they talks started. What's up with that?
2)I believe she's flattering Nahuseresh and making him thing she's "cow-eyed" for him because she knows he'd kill her if he thought she was a danger.
"We will certainly bring her [Attolia] back," his master had answered. "Whether she will be alive, I cannot say. Alive, she would be very grateful."
"If she dies, there will be an internal war for the throne," Kamet had said.
"And someone will surely wish for the assistance of our emperor," Nahuseresh had answered with a confident smile. (pp. 215-16 of the original hardcover)
Does that make sense to you all, or, if not, what other reasons do you think she had for her behavior?
3)Why did she have Gen locked up in a separate room? She tells the Mede, "I don't believe I trust him enough to leave him with his fellows, and I would like him to be nearer to hand." She surely doesn't think he'll be asking any of the Eddisians to kill him at that point, since he knows that she's willing to marry him because she's wearing his earrings. It couldn't be to protect him from Nahuseresh or anybody, surely, because he'd be safer with a bunch of Eddisians around him rather than alone, seems to me. So - why the separate prison?
And, when she's talking to Eddis and Eddis asks where Eugenides is, Attolia is startled, says she has ordered the other prisoners released but forgot that she had him locked up separately. "You forgot?" Eddis asked. "I forgot," Attolia said firmly, daring Eddis to contradict her.
Did she really forget? It sounds to me as if she didn't, really, just from the "daring Eddis to contradict her" phrase. If she didn't actually forget, why didn't she order Gen released?
4)Although Attolia's (I guess) already denying to herself that Gen loves her, she obviously no longer believes the rumors she had heard about Gen and Eddis. She has told Nahuseresh that, and, in addition, when the two Queens go into the room where Gen's being held prisoner, Attolia doesn't misinterpret things that Eddis is saying. "I would have expected a light sleeper," Attolia commented. "Usually he is," Eddis said. . . "I'm always willing to forgive him anything - until he wakes up." Possibly the distinctly unloverlike poking him to awaken him set any fears she may have had to rest?
1)After Nahuseresh has "rescued" Attolia, and she has spoken with Gen, and he has said "From shadow queen to puppet queen inone rule . . . When he rules your country and he tells you he loves you, I hope you believe him . . . At least that's one lie I didn't tell you," Nahuseresh comes up. Attolia boxes Eugenides' ear so hard that he falls. "She hoped the fall would shut him up but considered kicking him to be sure. She had no desire to hear him protesting his undying love, but he was so very stubborn when you finally got down to some substance under all the lies."
That sounded to me as if she knew then that he loved her. That his "undying love" was substance under all the lies. It seems as if she wants him to be quiet so he isn't saying he loves her in front of Nahuseresh, doesn't it? Or why?
Anyway, working on the assumption that she has realized that he really does love her then - why, then, by the time Eddis and Eugenides arrive at the city of Attolia, is the Queen being all distant and , after she thoughtlessly offers hunting to a man with one hand, is thinking that "she might be fool enough to love him; she wasn't fool enough to believe he loved her. She'd seen the look in his father's eyes, and if she didn't see it in Eugenides's eyes, then he was better at hiding it, that was all." Surely it can't be just because the MoW is glaring at her. She was being distant even before they talks started. What's up with that?
2)I believe she's flattering Nahuseresh and making him thing she's "cow-eyed" for him because she knows he'd kill her if he thought she was a danger.
"We will certainly bring her [Attolia] back," his master had answered. "Whether she will be alive, I cannot say. Alive, she would be very grateful."
"If she dies, there will be an internal war for the throne," Kamet had said.
"And someone will surely wish for the assistance of our emperor," Nahuseresh had answered with a confident smile. (pp. 215-16 of the original hardcover)
Does that make sense to you all, or, if not, what other reasons do you think she had for her behavior?
3)Why did she have Gen locked up in a separate room? She tells the Mede, "I don't believe I trust him enough to leave him with his fellows, and I would like him to be nearer to hand." She surely doesn't think he'll be asking any of the Eddisians to kill him at that point, since he knows that she's willing to marry him because she's wearing his earrings. It couldn't be to protect him from Nahuseresh or anybody, surely, because he'd be safer with a bunch of Eddisians around him rather than alone, seems to me. So - why the separate prison?
And, when she's talking to Eddis and Eddis asks where Eugenides is, Attolia is startled, says she has ordered the other prisoners released but forgot that she had him locked up separately. "You forgot?" Eddis asked. "I forgot," Attolia said firmly, daring Eddis to contradict her.
Did she really forget? It sounds to me as if she didn't, really, just from the "daring Eddis to contradict her" phrase. If she didn't actually forget, why didn't she order Gen released?
4)Although Attolia's (I guess) already denying to herself that Gen loves her, she obviously no longer believes the rumors she had heard about Gen and Eddis. She has told Nahuseresh that, and, in addition, when the two Queens go into the room where Gen's being held prisoner, Attolia doesn't misinterpret things that Eddis is saying. "I would have expected a light sleeper," Attolia commented. "Usually he is," Eddis said. . . "I'm always willing to forgive him anything - until he wakes up." Possibly the distinctly unloverlike poking him to awaken him set any fears she may have had to rest?
