"Sandy"

[kiscakat.livejournal.com]

I have seen quite a bit posted on the site about "Sandy"...but no one seems to know who she is.  In rereading the QoA once, it struck me that Sandy might actually be the girl who fed Gen while he was locked up in Ephrata and waiting for Eddis & Attoila to return.

Reference p. 316 in QoA where Gen says, "That's true, girl brought me dinner.  She was very pretty." After a pause he added, "And very kind."

Of course, at this point he is not engaged to the Queen...as far as her court knows.  So, the girl working in the kitchens could be kind.  Once everyone learns of the engagement, things change...and thus, the sand now appearing in his food.

Attolia

[furem.livejournal.com]

So, I knit. I knit quite a lot, and that means that I buy a lot of yarn. I recently purchased some reddish lace-weight that reminds me a lot of Attolia and I think that it wants to be an Attolia shawl. No such thing exists, which means I'll be designing and charting it myself, and that means I can put whatever I want on it.

So, what reminds you of Attolia? I'm thinking bees of some sort, and a Greek key shape (like this ), possibly lilies and/or crowns, and maybe some words around the outside if I can work out the stitch count but that isn't enough to fill up a shawl of the size I'm picturing. So give me your Attolia symbols! Please and thank you. :)

Ferocity, the less bloody path, and secrets

[heather mulhern]

Hi, I guess I've mostly been lurking; I commented a couple times, but this is my first time posting.

I just finished rereading ACoK. There was a paragraph that near the end that caught my attention and really intrigued me, which I'd like to hear your thoughts on. It's at the end of chapter Twenty-Two on pg 310.

"Looking into his unsmiling face, Eddis knew it was as close as he would ever come to an accusation. He had been saved by the men Eugenides sent, though he did not yet know the ferocity with which the king of Attolia had stripped those men from other posts, the capital he had expended, the secrets that had been revealed in order to send help to Sounis. But Sophos had to know that she and Eugenides had let him ride away with an Attolian army at his back, believing that he needed it. With more faith in himself, and his father's army, he could have retaken his throne without Attolia's aid. He might not have followed that bloodier and more costly path, but Eddis and Attolis hadn't offered him the choice." (emphasis my own)

So my first thought was about the ferocity with which Gen got the men to send after Sophos, as I interpreted it, these are the men who reinforced them at Oneia. At first I assumed Gen's ferocity was only an indication of how much he cares for Sophos. We know he cares for him a lot (see pg 154 in ACoK where Eddis is thinking about the fact that Sophos holds Gen's heart and is the only one who could destroy him). But then I thought that it might be more than that.

Later on in the paragraph it says that Sophos could have retaken Sounis without Attolia's aid. Firstly I'm wondering could he? and how? Even with the ten-thousand Medes? Maybe if he'd been able to bring unite his barons and their forces before the Medes had a chance to land the rest of their army. Did Gen know about the ten-thousand Medes and send reinforcement because of that? Did he know before Sophos left Attolia for Sounis? Would earlier knowledge of the Mede numbers have led to different tactics that could have been ultimately less bloody?

There is strong support for the necessity of uniting the three countries for reasons that would probably be hard to persuade the general populaces about, maybe even various advisors. Such as Eddis' dreams of the mountain exploding. We also know that eventually the Mede will likely invade. Attolia's aid to Sophos in retaking his throne solidifies their treaty, this is likely why Gen and Eddis did not give Sophos another option, because they both need the three countries to be united. Maybe part of Gen's ferocity had to do with this and not just how he cares for Sophos.

The question I really want your thoughts on considering all of those musings (I'd like to hear your thoughts on those musings too). What secrets did Gen revel to send help to Sounis? Was it about the Mede troops? Some future threat from the Mede? Sources of Gen's information? Messages from the gods? Do you think we might find out in book 5? (I hope so). What secrets do you think were reveled?