Helen and Sophos sitting in a tree...

[checkers65477.livejournal.com]

I got a laugh out of magicsandwiches ' comment about Sophos and his scruffy unshaven look on the cover of A Conspiracy of Kings:

Like it or not, the beard fits with his current situation.

But he has to shave it before his big make-out scene with Helen.

And it started me thinking about Sophos and Helen, and their relationship so far.  In The Thief, Sophos--who was, what? 13? 14?--had a cute little crush on Helen and she thought he was sweet, with potential.  In QofA, I don't think Helen mentions much about the missing Sophos, does she?  Then in KofA she says they exchanged letters and that she would have married him.  Gen says he thinks Helen would have been happy with Sophos, who is kind.

Hardly a declaration of love.

We know Megan isn't going to write Helen and Sophos into a "fireside story."  There has to be conflict, though a make-outy scene would be cool.  And Helen is the last Eddis.  What do you think will happen?  

Comments

[jade-sabre-301.livejournal.com]

things that are weird to come out of your mouth while watching a football game:

I NEVER REALIZED THERE WAS STUBBLE.

things that just came out of my mouth:

...

[sandtree.livejournal.com]

If there's a make-out scene, I want it to be between me and Costis.

Wait, did I say that? I meant Sophos and Helen. Totally. Yeah. :D

[rosaleeluann.livejournal.com]

HA. :D

[thelasteddis.livejournal.com]

I don't think there will be conflict, per say. I do think they're going to end up together. But... I wouldn't say there will be any real romance. Sophos and Helen are friends, and their marriage would ally two of the three kingdoms. It's a little depressing, though, so I hope I'm proved wrong and Helen gets swept off her feet somehow. She deserves it.

(Helen isn't going to think about these things, so someone has to)

[inkasrain.livejournal.com]

Wow, this is interesting-- for some reason, it was kind of a foregone conclusion in my mind that Sophos was head-over-heels for Helen. (How's that for alliteration? ;-)) And while I don't think she feels quite the same way, I do think that Helen cares for Sophos very deeply, and has done for some time. Also keep in mind that Sophos's position must have made him a theoretical potential spouse for Helen anyway, so while her feelings may be more platonic, the possibility of progressing into a romantic relationship could have been part of the equation from the begining. I wonder if Helen wasn't a little relieved to discover that Sounis's heir wasn't a younger clone of the king, but instead a sweet, scholarly boy with a crush on her.

And you know, um... even if Helen isn't attracted to him currently, her feelings may change when he thunders up on a horse all perseverant and muscular and scruffy and... muscular...

[checkers65477.livejournal.com]

Buffed-up Sophos! I've been predicting that all along.

[tiegirl.livejournal.com]

I have to agree with you. Now all you little ones go off and squee over your buffed-up-Sophos and leave me and my man Costis alone!

[magicsandwiches.livejournal.com]

Oh, Costis. *sigh*

[magicsandwiches.livejournal.com]

Woohoo! It's quite fun being quoted, Checkers, thanks. :)

Helen and Sophos and their possible romance is a topic worthy of speculation. I think it's gonna happen, and I think Helen will be every bit in love with Sophos as he is with her. Check out the synopsis from HarperCollins:

Old and new fans alike will be left breathless...(breathless, people, it says BREATHLESS! WOOHOO!)...by the battles of sword and wit that the two friends mount against the traitors, in which nothing is what it seems. Sophos, the shy, dreamy scholar, is no longer someone to be disdained or overlooked. He is a force to be reckoned with. He is a king.

So I have to second Inky. Even if Helen isn't currently attracted to him, and we don't know that she isn't, I mean we didn't know Gen had been obsessed with Attolia since forever until the very end of QoA, but even if Helen wasn't before, sheesh, how could she not be now? I'd never thought Sophos terribly worthy of fangirling before, but I'm all about that train now.

But there will probably not be a make-out scene. Because Megan doesn't write make-out scenes. No, this is what Megan writes:

The king lifted a hand to her cheek and kissed her. It was not a kiss between strangers, not even a kiss between and bride and a groom. It was a kiss between a man and his wife, and when it was over, the king closed his eyes and rested his forehead against the hollow of the queen's shoulder, like a man seeking respite, like a man reaching home at the end of the day.

AND

After one moment of gripped immobility, the queen bent to kiss the king lightly on one closed eyelid, then on the other. She said, "I love your eyes." She kissed him on either cheek, near the small loved of his ear. "I love your ears, and I love"--she paused as she kissed him gently on the lips--"every single one of your ridiculous lies."

I don't care that Gen is mortally wounded in one and has just barfed in the other, these are some of the best kisses I've read, and if Sophos and Helen get even one kiss that's even remotely as romantic as either of the above, why, I'll tattoo it backwards on my forehead so I can read it every time I look in the mirror.

[tiegirl.livejournal.com]

I know what you mean. Hope you have a broad forehead!

[magicsandwiches.livejournal.com]

Heh heh! I hope I need a broad forehead!

[rosaleeluann.livejournal.com]

I burst out laughing several times while reading this.

"I'm really enjoying this," my roommate told me. (For some reason, the roommies ALWAYS find Rosie's Random Reading Laughter rather amusing. You'd think they'd just get used to it...)

You just made TWO people rather happy :-)

[magicsandwiches.livejournal.com]

Yay! Thanks!

[keestone.livejournal.com]

"I don't care that Gen is mortally wounded in one and has just barfed in the other, these are some of the best kisses I've read..."

This is the funniest thing I've read all day.

[magicsandwiches.livejournal.com]

Thanks! :)

[katewaits.livejournal.com]

I agree about those kisses. I've tried to tell people that KoA is one of the most romantic books I've ever read, but I can't explain why. LOL.

[magicsandwiches.livejournal.com]

I know! It's hard, especially because one can't explain anything without spoilers.

[openedlocket.livejournal.com]

Breathless?
*recalls friend telling her that 'breathless' was used to describe Breaking Dawn*
*sudders*

I will never to let anything Twilight cloud my QT fangirl vision.

Gosh, I miss you guys, I haven't checked in here for a while. Sorry all I had to share was...that.

[katewaits.livejournal.com]

My opinion is that there will definitely be real, romantic love between Sophos and Helen. I don't know how much we'll actually see of it, but it will be there. Didn't Sophos ask Gen about Helen in TT? He never got to finish what he was going to say about her, but Gen did notice him blushing over her a few times (of course he blushed about everything, but since Gen noticed I figure it had some meaning). Then, in KoA, Irene asked Gen if Helen loved Sophos. Love between king and queen seems to have some positive power in the through line, so I'll be surprised if we see something less.

And, especially since Sophos is brave and clever enough to escape slavery and team up with Gen, I think they will make a great match.

I think any conflict won't be between Sophos and Helen, but due to circumstances. But by the end, I hope we'll see at least one little kiss and a nice wedding.

[magicsandwiches.livejournal.com]

Yes, to all of this.

[styromgalleries.livejournal.com]

I don't know what will happen. I don't even know what I want to happen as far as romance between the two of them. At this point, I'm not really behind Sophos/Helen. For some reason, I feel like I could get behind Helen/Magus better, but I sincerely doubt that will happen. I don't even know why, but I have a soft-spot for H/M.

[sgwordy.livejournal.com]

For some reason S/H feels wrong to me. If anyone could do it, it would be mwt (and I totally trust where she takes me as a reader!) but I have no idea how it will happen. Course that's the best part of these books, you get blindsided by the best stuff ever but anyway, S/H feels so tidy. It feels so wrapped-up-perfectly-with-a-bow-on-top tidy and for some reason that feels wrong to me. I wish I could describe what I mean better but there's something niggling in the back of my mind and it's not easy to explain. Does anyone else have this?

[(Anonymous)]

I agree that Sophos and Helen as last described are not an interesting couple. However, I would be willing to bet that Sophos comes back from where ever he went, he will be changed in more ways than just facial hair.

Gen is a hard act to follow, and if Sophos is replacing Gen as the leading man in the romance portion of the book, I'm not sure it is possible for MWT to equal the swoon-worthiness of past books.

[(Anonymous)]

(forgot to sign)

- hellocello

[magicsandwiches.livejournal.com]

He'll be tanned and buff from slaving away in the hot sun. He'll also be more capable with a sword.

[katewaits.livejournal.com]

And with a pea-shooter. LOL.

I always find Helen interesting. Since we first met her she's been one of my favorite characters. The more Helen the better I say. And Sophos, since we haven't seen him since TT, is not the same as he was. But, he'll have that sweet, lovable foundation from TT only roughed-up and capable.

I'm very excited to see the two of them together.

[inkasrain.livejournal.com]

Ditto, pretty much my feelings exactly. I remember punching the air in glee when Helen reappeared for those short sections in KoA, which may have been an overreaction, but hey, she deserves it!

[magicsandwiches.livejournal.com]

I am REALLY curious about that pea-shooter.

I'm excited to see them together, too. Helen is always interesting; any scene she's in crackles. Sophos interested me a fair amount before, and now that it seems he's turning out to be, oh, I'll just say it, turning out to be more like Gen (woohoo), he's becoming increasingly more interesting. Not that's going to be a Gen clone, but that he'll be more like him than he was before, ie capable and witty and ten kinds of chocolatey goodness. :)

If that's how this plays out, anyway.

[newbia.livejournal.com]

"Helen, will you marry me?"
"Yes! Gosh, and I didn't have to cut off your hand or anything to get you to ask!"

[newbia.livejournal.com]

PS: "But I'll have to cut off that stubble."

[sgwordy.livejournal.com]

*snickers*

[magicsandwiches.livejournal.com]

Lol.

[sunshinebutter.livejournal.com]

Is there ever a make out/kissing scene between sophos and helen?

[checkers65477.livejournal.com]

Ha, only in our minds as we read the last chapter of ACoK. I mean, they were in the library all day, right? Fill in the blanks.

Damn, Megan. We need a Helen/Sophos makeouty scene. Srsly.

[sunshinebutter.livejournal.com]

wink wink nudge nudge