What great points - I agree with your reasoning, and particularly think Braeling sounds quite plausible.
Just for the sake of more wild speculation being out there, I'll add a couple of thoughts that have been floating vaguely around since looking at the maps. I looked at the maps while waiting for an author appearance/book signing to start so I wasn't temped to start reading when I couldn't finish right then. So my initial impression was that perhaps "Gitta Kingsdaughter" was perhaps a tribute to an early fan or editor who was among the first or perhaps the most active in pestering Megan for a map. Megan has said Gitta has a story, and I definitely think there is enough textual evidence to suggest she'll have at least some level of appearance in the coming story, but it's still possible the character started because of a fan.
I also have toyed around with the idea of Gitta being Mede, despite the many logical reasons it's not as you suggest here. There isn't enough evidence or cues from the books for this, but I've just wondered if perhaps Gitta is the new power in town after the conflict resolution with the Medes, through a surprising treaty or redraw of country lines, or simply out and out battle in the final book. I've also half-wondered if perhaps Gitta might actually be the current Mede emperor - I know everyone says 'he', but there are touches of Egyptian to the Mede empire as described (especially in TaT) and there have been female pharaohs on the past, and some speculation that male pharaohs were in fact female ruling as men. The fact that everyone was slaughtered who knew of the mysterious illness makes me wonder if the previous emperor died, the daughter seized power and slaughtered everyone who might know she wasn't in fact a male. Very, very wild speculation, but an idea that entertains me at least, and it would be in keeping with Eddis and Attolia being nontraditional female rulers and Megan's love of subverting traditional literary tropes. It would also be a nice resolution of Kamet's story if he were the future Relius or tutor to the next Mede emperor, but as a free man instead of powerful slave.
Like is said below, I've also wondered if the entire series will turn out to have been part of a much larger framing device (again, the POV play Megan seems to love) and Gitta will turn out to be someone far in the future studying or compiling the history of this little peninsula. Or even a ruler or royal daughter of a power we haven't met yet (Continental powers, etc.) or even an entirely new country created in the resolution of the series.
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 6/30/17 05:37 pm (UTC)Just for the sake of more wild speculation being out there, I'll add a couple of thoughts that have been floating vaguely around since looking at the maps. I looked at the maps while waiting for an author appearance/book signing to start so I wasn't temped to start reading when I couldn't finish right then. So my initial impression was that perhaps "Gitta Kingsdaughter" was perhaps a tribute to an early fan or editor who was among the first or perhaps the most active in pestering Megan for a map. Megan has said Gitta has a story, and I definitely think there is enough textual evidence to suggest she'll have at least some level of appearance in the coming story, but it's still possible the character started because of a fan.
I also have toyed around with the idea of Gitta being Mede, despite the many logical reasons it's not as you suggest here. There isn't enough evidence or cues from the books for this, but I've just wondered if perhaps Gitta is the new power in town after the conflict resolution with the Medes, through a surprising treaty or redraw of country lines, or simply out and out battle in the final book. I've also half-wondered if perhaps Gitta might actually be the current Mede emperor - I know everyone says 'he', but there are touches of Egyptian to the Mede empire as described (especially in TaT) and there have been female pharaohs on the past, and some speculation that male pharaohs were in fact female ruling as men. The fact that everyone was slaughtered who knew of the mysterious illness makes me wonder if the previous emperor died, the daughter seized power and slaughtered everyone who might know she wasn't in fact a male. Very, very wild speculation, but an idea that entertains me at least, and it would be in keeping with Eddis and Attolia being nontraditional female rulers and Megan's love of subverting traditional literary tropes. It would also be a nice resolution of Kamet's story if he were the future Relius or tutor to the next Mede emperor, but as a free man instead of powerful slave.
Like is said below, I've also wondered if the entire series will turn out to have been part of a much larger framing device (again, the POV play Megan seems to love) and Gitta will turn out to be someone far in the future studying or compiling the history of this little peninsula. Or even a ruler or royal daughter of a power we haven't met yet (Continental powers, etc.) or even an entirely new country created in the resolution of the series.