"Not in your nightshirt, though..."

[christine kim]

Hello all,
I'm a long-time fan of the series (itching because it's getting close to when a new one should be coming out soon), and I just joined this community to get some insight into parts of the books that puzzled me. I've already learned a lot from you smart folks, so I was wondering what everyone's opinion is on this quote from Gen in KoA. On page 220, Attolia tells him to resolve the problem of his attendants running amuck, and the topic of nightshirts comes up. Apparently, Gen is wearing Attolia's.

Now I know what most people are thinking here: they had sex. Which is totally reasonable, since they're husband and wife, but the reason why I didn't jump to that conclusion right away is because a) he just got massively injured and is as weak as a kitten, ergo...not enough strength; and b) why...would he not be wearing his OWN nightshirt? Unless he crept to her room topless (which doesn't seem likely since in a previous scene he got his nightshirt bloodied when his nightmare-induced thrashing reopened his wound)? Or did I miss something? It just seems so odd to me, that's all.

So, I guess I'm just puzzling this out. Maybe being in her nightshirt means something else. Or maybe I'm just overthinking this.

Thoughts?

Comments

[ladyherenya]

I assumed that either he didn't change out of his bloodied shirt before going to her rooms, or if he did, that that one is no longer clean. (I can imagine him making a song and dance about something trivial, like getting some dust on his sleeve, especially if he thought it would distract Attolia from worrying.) Since they were in her rooms, not his, he didn't have any of his own nightshirts at hand, and so he ended up with one of hers.

Although it's possible that he had reason to take off his own nightshirt and when he dressed, he grabbed Attolia's because it was closer. That also seems in character.

[paroma chakravarty (from livejournal.com)]

I went back and reread those pages to be sure. Gen had woken from his screaming nightmare with his wounds reopened and his nightshirt bloodied. When the Queen arrived, Costis cleared out the apartment and made everyone wait in the hallway. Early next morning Phresine, the Queen's senior attendant came and took him to Attolia's rooms. There he found Gen, sleeping after a rough night. Then while Costis watched over him, he had one more fit of nightmare. The poison hadn't left him yet.
Anyway, so he was wounded and poisoned. I never thought him wearing Attolia's nightshirt meant they'd had sex. All I thought happened was right after Costis cleared out the King's apartment, Gen decided he couldn't spend the night there and instead of calling attendants to get a change of clothes, the two of them took the secret pathway and reached Attolia's bedchamber, where he was changed into a fresh nightshirt - never mind that it was Attolia's - and they all settled down to hours of watching over him as he fought with nightmares.
In that situation it simply didn't matter whose nightshirt he wore. He just needed clean garments to spend the night in. It also showed his comfort in Attolia's rooms and his familiarity with her attendants, like Phresine. Obviously the Queen's attendants all knew about his nightly excursions. He seemly felt safer in the Queen's room.

nightshirts

[(Anonymous)]

Hi everyone,

I also thought what really happened was that Gen and Irene got back to Attolia's room through the secret pathway. Since Gen was seriously wounded, weak and bloodied, Attolia called her own attendants back to help the king change into fresh clothes, but since they were in the queen' s rooms only her nightshirts were available and all what really mattered was to have him cleaned and safely settled. That is also why Phresine and the attendants left the king's hallway just a short time after Costis had managed to clear the king's apartment. And yes, it shows the difference in relationship Gen had with his own and the queen's attendants.

[ejmam.livejournal.com]

Yes, that was after he mysteriously (secret passageway) disappeared from his room while Costas was on guard and then reappeared in the Queen's room. Wearing her nightshirt was a sign of how long he had been there -- I assumed they had moved almost immediately.

[checkers65477.livejournal.com]

But he never really was poisoned, right? I remember him saying he never drank the stuff and had nightmares enough without it...

New Book?!

[dina786.livejournal.com]

What! You mean that a new book is about to come out?! How do you know this? I really hope it will be out soon because I just can't wait any longer! :D

[paroma chakravarty (from livejournal.com)]

No, he didn't drink the poisoned potion. You're right. But he was sick with fever after the attack and knew his nightmares would come as it did every night.
He didn't have proof that Sejanus had engineered the attack on him so he poisoned his own drink (with something that is known to give the drinker screaming nightmares) and then the next morning manipulated him into confessing to regicide by threatening his brother Dite.
Gen didn't have to pretend a night of fighting terrors. He was going to suffer them anyway, so he used that to his advantage.

Re: New Book?!

[christine kim (from livejournal.com)]

Aw sorry if I misled you; I also have no idea when the fifth book is coming out. I just did the rough math, and MWT herself said she takes an average of 5 years between each book release. Since CoK was released in 2010...HERE'S TO HOPING FOR SOME WHISPER OF A COMING BOOK IN THE NEXT FEW MONTHS!

[christine kim (from livejournal.com)]

Thanks everyone! Not only do the answers clear it up for me, they also make sense of my puzzlement. I, too, was skeptical that his being in Attolia's nightshirt meant anything more than that he changed into it :)

Re: New Book?!

[dina786.livejournal.com]

You weren't misleading! I just thought maybe you knew something I didn't! Anyway, I hope you are right and we will get a new book or some news soon! :)

nightmares

[(Anonymous)]

I remember that someone on this forum mentioned the fact that Gen regularly had nightmares, while his attendants had never before heard the screams allows us to draw our own conclusions of his whereabouts in the nights....

nighshirts

[(Anonymous)]

The king's attendants also complain to Costis that he locks his door at night, and in the morning they have to knock to be admitted, like beggars at a temple. This means that they have no way of knowing if he is there all night or not.

I assumed, with many other readers, that after Gen had his nightmares and the queen came in and soothed him, they went secretly to her chamber, where her attendants, who were more loyal and trustworthy, patched Gen up AGAIN, put him in a clean nightshirt, and coaxed him back to bed.

What secret knowledge do you have? :)

[sgwordy.livejournal.com]

I'm in agreement on comments already made regarding the nightshirt but also want to know the source of your secret knowledge! hehe, just kidding, but I do hope you're right about the timing!

[godofthieves.livejournal.com]

I also am in agreement about what has already been said. It is possible that he made a comment about her nightshirt at all because he doesn't really remember being changed out of his because he was too weak/sick etc. Since he does make his comment in a sort of suggestive way it is also possible that he purposefully implied that they had sex just to be undignified. It is obviously unlikely that they did, but I could see him trying to act cool and make an implication where there really wasn't anything at all. Think of it from Costis' POV. He shows up in the Queen's rooms and finds Gen in the Queen's bed and in her nightshirt and it is assumed they sneaked through secret passages to get there. It all sounds pretty suggestive, so maybe Gen decided to solidify that idea to the looker on, even though it really is a ridiculous thought. Or maybe he did it just to make Irene laugh... Just some thoughts.