Loose threads

[peggy-2.livejournal.com]

In KoA, after the assassination attempt, when Gen and Costis are walking back to Gen’s room... It’s been noted (I missed this on I don’t know how many readings of KoA) that the comments about Gen’s bloody hand probably refer to  blood from the slice in his palm from the assassin’s long knife.  And when he wakes up screaming from the nightmare, and is staring at his bloody hand (and the blood spotted nightshirt), again it’s the sliced palm bleeding, not his sliced abdomen.  Is it fear of losing his remaining hand, and possibly his life, prompting the nightmare?  General flashback to when his right hand was cut off, and the entire health nightmare which followed?

 

Then, when Costis shakes him awake from the beginnings of the next nightmare (later, in the Queen’s bed), Attolia comes in and Gen says the “tell me you won’t…” bit – is this residual from the previous nightmare, combined with his close brush with death bringing back the “deaf, dumb, and blind” fear from QoA?

 

Because it’s not from the first nightmare, after the fight with his wife, that he is so shaken, and needs the “tell me you won’t …” reassurance – that comes after they’ve decamped to her room, and apparently reconciled their differences.

 

Or maybe I’m just reading too much into it all.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

It may be too much to expect a clear cause-and-effect where dreams and nightmares are concerned, even for a fictional character. I'm not sure we need to pinpoint what exactly triggered which horrible dream. Maybe just consider that all these many things could contribute. But it would sure shake me up, if I had only one hand, to have it get sliced open while someone tried to kill me (especially knowing that the person behind the attempt is still in the palace, on the other side of the door...).
What I really wonder is how Eugenides managed to hide the injured hand from most of the Attolians while it was healing. But he is a clever boy, after all. I'll just assume he managed it.
-Philia

[jade-sabre-301.livejournal.com]

don't have time to actually look at what you've said--but your music--LOL.

[checkers65477.livejournal.com]

I think a lot of the blood was from the wound in his side. And part of the cause of the nightmares was the slap from Irene. Don't you?

[peggy-2.livejournal.com]

Well, I did. But now I'm not so sure. It seems the blood from his side went into the fabric of his pants. His hands wouldn't have stemmed the flow much, aside from pressure being applied, and if there was too too much it would've been dripping down his leg.

Check out chatzy.

[checkers65477.livejournal.com]

shhh. i'm lurking. :)

[willow-41z.livejournal.com]

I think the nightmare was about having to kill people, possibly.

[peggy-2.livejournal.com]

That's an interesting idea.

What had bothered me before, with the nightmares being caused by Attolia smacking him, was the sequence. He wakes up totally shaken and needing reassurance the NEXT day, and the NEXT nightmare, not the original one.

I am inclined to think you nailed it Willow!

[checkers65477.livejournal.com]

Maybe there is more than one nightmare. The original one: the dogs, the sword, Attolia dancing then stopping to watch. That's the one he had when the Magus was working in the library. He was shaken, but not stricken like he was in KoA. The second one: the eyes, ears, etc. More personal and reflecting his fear of Irene vs. the loving relationship that is growing between them.

Good point, Willow. His reaction in the dungeon with Relius shows his feelings about killing people along with his anger at the jailers and others who had hurt him, and the power he now holds as king.

[(Anonymous)]

Pursuing the dreams-don't-go-by-rule angle, I always thought that Eugenides apologizes (after "I love your eyes, etc.") partly because he's made her say this very personal thing in front of people, but also because he has had a nightmare about her EVEN THOUGH they already made up their argument. He's feverish, for goodness sake. I think ALL these factors (killing people, the hand, the slap, Sejanus outside the door, etc.) feed into the nightmare, but the dream itself seems to be about her, and he feels bad because it's not really her fault that he's having the dreams. Does that make any sense?
-Philia

[aged-crone.livejournal.com]

It makes lots of sense.

Though he and she both seem quite able to ignore completely anybody who happens to be present. I suppose if you have servants around all the time you have to be able to do that to some extent.

[(Anonymous)]

Hmm, yes, but the apology comes right after Irene has reminded him that there are other people in the room -- I guess I saw a connection there.
-Philia

Icon for you!

[emerald-happy.livejournal.com]

Hope you like! Checkers sure is a genius!

Re: Icon for you!

[peggy-2.livejournal.com]

I love it! That is one of my (ok, one of many, many) favorite lines!

Thank you so much!

*big cheesy grin*

Re: Icon for you!

[checkers65477.livejournal.com]

I love it when someone calls me a genius.