Eddis, Attolia, Sounis

Hey there, my name is Jessica. I just found this message board a couple days ago and didn't have time to go through all the messages yet, so I thought I'd post my question here. First of all, I'm as thrilled as everyone else that the King of Attolia is going to be published soon. Yeay! I live in the U.S. and I think the publication is later this month. Anyway, onto my question . . . in the Queen of Attolia, there is a scene/conversation that I cannot figure out. It is the scene where Eugenides & Attolia have climbed up the cliff and are met by Eddis's ministers. (It's on page 197). The chamberlain starts making the introductions and 'only once did he falter, looking over his shoulder. "He said he wouldn't be here," one of the ministers said in a carrying whisper and the chamberlain went on with the formal greetings of the queen of Eddis in absentia.' Who is the minister referring to?? Is he referring to Eugenides--as in Eugenides had told the ministers that he would not be there to meet them at the top of the cliff with Attolia? If that is the case, that gives the implication that Eugenides thought Attolia would have killed him or perhaps tried to escape after he had given back her knives at the bottom of the cliff. But then, why would Eugenides had gone through all that trouble to capture the queen if he was just going to let her kill him? Or maybe I'm just making too much out of what the minister was saying--who knows, he could have just been referring to somebody else who was supposed to have been there. What do you think?

Now my second question . . . how old do you think Eugenides and Attolia are? And how old was Eugenides when he first saw her dancing in the garden? I'm guessing Attolia is somewhere in her early 20s and Eugenides is in his late teens.

Thanks!

from,
Jessica