Well, it's a matter of seperating personal interests from professional ones in a sense.
The fact that Eddis and Eugenides love Sounis, because he is their friend, that makes them feel guilty for manipulating him. What they've done is put national interests first, not friendship.
If it were just a matter of friendship, no, they would never attack each other. But they have the responsibility of ruling their countries and they can't just do things and be all nice because they are friendly on a personal level. Let say the trade between Eddis and Attolia means turning their backs on Sounis. It's great for the people of Eddis and Attolia, but it sucks for the people of Sounis because they're going to lose out of something as a result of this alliance. (Sorry I can't put it more concretely.)
Sounis has a responsibility to his people to ensure that they don't suffer because of this alliance. If this means declaring war to prevent this alliance so that his people don't suffer, he needs to do this, sadly, even if it means destroying Eddis and Eugenides in the process. As a king, he is not just responsible for his own actions as a individual, but also as a king who is accountable for his entire nation.
This is why Eugenides can't simultaneously be loyal to both Eddis, who is his cousin, and Attolia. By marrying Attolia, even if it was for love, he must take the responsibility of ensuring that Attolia the country survives.
Remember how Sounis makes that plea to Attolia, where he's telling her that he isn't her enemy like his uncle? And then Eugenides answers him by saying "The easiest way to end a war is to admit you've lost it." This is the heart of the issue and something that poor Sounis doesn't realize at that point.
Sounis is thinking in terms of himself as a individual, not himself as a king who must be accountable for the state of his country. No, he's not his uncle. Attolia knows this. Unfortunately, Sophos is not just Sophos, he is Sounis. Whether he likes it or not, as Sounis, he has inherited his predecessor's legacy and he is responsible for the direction his country will now take. He's responsible for thousands of people who are not going to be happy with a simple "Let's stop fighting because we're friends. Let's form an alliance."
There are thousands of people in Sounis and Attolia who aren't going to accept that - they will want someone to accept responsibility for everything that has happened in that war. Hundreds of people died, infrastructure has been destroyed, tons of resources, money, expended. Yes, the people want war to end and order to be restored, but they will want reparations for all their suffering and resources in order to rebuild what they've lost. Somebody needs to be accountable for all this and Sounis, as a monarch, must realize that he is accountable all those consequences.
This is why an Sounis-Eddis alliance is a threat if they aren't subordinate to Attolis. Being king isn't a matter of just saying so and people going, "Of course, Your Majesty," and reluctantly agreeing. Sounis and Attolia both had to struggle to get their barons to do as they say. And that was just within their countries to end civil war.
Imagine what happens when all the barons of Sounis agree that they don't want to surrender to Attolia because it's going to hurt their entire country? Sounis might have his kingsmen (soldiers under his direct command) and some foreign alliances and monetary resources, but against his entire country, with all his barons and their own private forces against him, there's a good chance he's not going to win against them. This is why as a king he must consider everything in terms of how it will effect his country.
In a war, someone needs to give something up to end it. And the someone who decides is the king. Eddis, Eugenides, and Attolia understand this very well. They don't forget that they are monarchs whose actions are accountable to their country. Sounis needs to realize this.
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Date: 5/18/11 04:33 am (UTC)The fact that Eddis and Eugenides love Sounis, because he is their friend, that makes them feel guilty for manipulating him. What they've done is put national interests first, not friendship.
If it were just a matter of friendship, no, they would never attack each other. But they have the responsibility of ruling their countries and they can't just do things and be all nice because they are friendly on a personal level. Let say the trade between Eddis and Attolia means turning their backs on Sounis. It's great for the people of Eddis and Attolia, but it sucks for the people of Sounis because they're going to lose out of something as a result of this alliance. (Sorry I can't put it more concretely.)
Sounis has a responsibility to his people to ensure that they don't suffer because of this alliance. If this means declaring war to prevent this alliance so that his people don't suffer, he needs to do this, sadly, even if it means destroying Eddis and Eugenides in the process. As a king, he is not just responsible for his own actions as a individual, but also as a king who is accountable for his entire nation.
This is why Eugenides can't simultaneously be loyal to both Eddis, who is his cousin, and Attolia. By marrying Attolia, even if it was for love, he must take the responsibility of ensuring that Attolia the country survives.
Remember how Sounis makes that plea to Attolia, where he's telling her that he isn't her enemy like his uncle? And then Eugenides answers him by saying "The easiest way to end a war is to admit you've lost it." This is the heart of the issue and something that poor Sounis doesn't realize at that point.
Sounis is thinking in terms of himself as a individual, not himself as a king who must be accountable for the state of his country. No, he's not his uncle. Attolia knows this. Unfortunately, Sophos is not just Sophos, he is Sounis. Whether he likes it or not, as Sounis, he has inherited his predecessor's legacy and he is responsible for the direction his country will now take. He's responsible for thousands of people who are not going to be happy with a simple "Let's stop fighting because we're friends. Let's form an alliance."
There are thousands of people in Sounis and Attolia who aren't going to accept that - they will want someone to accept responsibility for everything that has happened in that war. Hundreds of people died, infrastructure has been destroyed, tons of resources, money, expended. Yes, the people want war to end and order to be restored, but they will want reparations for all their suffering and resources in order to rebuild what they've lost. Somebody needs to be accountable for all this and Sounis, as a monarch, must realize that he is accountable all those consequences.
This is why an Sounis-Eddis alliance is a threat if they aren't subordinate to Attolis. Being king isn't a matter of just saying so and people going, "Of course, Your Majesty," and reluctantly agreeing. Sounis and Attolia both had to struggle to get their barons to do as they say. And that was just within their countries to end civil war.
Imagine what happens when all the barons of Sounis agree that they don't want to surrender to Attolia because it's going to hurt their entire country? Sounis might have his kingsmen (soldiers under his direct command) and some foreign alliances and monetary resources, but against his entire country, with all his barons and their own private forces against him, there's a good chance he's not going to win against them. This is why as a king he must consider everything in terms of how it will effect his country.
In a war, someone needs to give something up to end it. And the someone who decides is the king. Eddis, Eugenides, and Attolia understand this very well. They don't forget that they are monarchs whose actions are accountable to their country. Sounis needs to realize this.