By the hilt
Sep. 18th, 2019 04:38 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
freenarnian.livejournal.com posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
queensthiefHello, Sounis! How is everyone?
Just thought I'd share this post by noratheodora on tumblr:
Just thought I'd share this post by noratheodora on tumblr:
“During an argument with my father I’d sworn, in front of an embarrassing number of people, not to take a sword by the hilt unless my life was in danger.” (The Thief, chapter 12, using the e-book so I can’t find a page number.)
Okay. So Gen took an oath not to use a sword unless his life was in danger. This explains some of his behavior in The Thief, such as refusing to spar with Ambiades. But we later see him using a sword in The King of Attolia.
It’s true that he made this oath before he met the gods while stealing Hamiathes’ gift, but the tone of this quote makes it sound like he was more concerned with personal embarrassment about breaking the oath. Still, Eugenides’ reputation matters a lot to him, enough that I’d expect him to keep even a haphazardly made oath.
Then I realized. After Eugenides becomes king, his life is always in danger.
To which tumblr user tenney-shoes replied:
May I also remind, for your consideration, that when his life is a bit more blatantly in danger in the Queen’s Garden, he does not grab the Assassin’s sword/knife by the hilt.
Interesting observations, ay? I'll have fun taking a closer look at these details in my next re-read!
To which tumblr user tenney-shoes replied:
May I also remind, for your consideration, that when his life is a bit more blatantly in danger in the Queen’s Garden, he does not grab the Assassin’s sword/knife by the hilt.
Interesting observations, ay? I'll have fun taking a closer look at these details in my next re-read!
no subject
Date: 9/20/19 12:46 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 9/22/19 02:07 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 9/21/19 07:53 pm (UTC)I love little "catches" like that. So clever!
no subject
Date: 9/22/19 02:10 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 9/22/19 03:44 am (UTC)My first thought was about Sophos being at pains to point out the oath was honorably retired as rouan1 points out. I do wonder if there might be something here about that mysterious private oath/loyalty of the thieves that Gen still seems to live by as a continued worshipper of the God Eugenides.
no subject
Date: 9/22/19 08:49 pm (UTC)That oh-so-secret Thief’s oath intrigues me because, I agree, we are given every indication that Eugenides is still bound by it. If that’s the case, he has to always make sure that his oath to the country and people of Eddis is not in conflict with the oaths he’s made to Attolia as its king.
At this point the interests of the two countries are in alignment so there is no conflict in loyalty, but really that’s because Eugenides has made sure that to keep it that way. Juggling his potentially competing loyalties as Thief and King—just one more thing this poor guy has to worry about.
no subject
Date: 9/23/19 01:46 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 9/22/19 08:50 pm (UTC)Hmm, ok so regardless of the status of the oath at this point let’s evaluate the actual use of a sword in KoA. Correct me if I’m wrong, but most of the sword fighting going on is with wooden swords and I’m not sure that really counts. The only real sword is the one taken from the assassin and while he may not have initially grabbed it by the hilt I kind of assumed he would have had to grab the hilt at some point to use the sword, or throw it at a fleeing assassin, or whatever. (Again, no problem with the oath since this is clearly a life-threatening situation.) But picturing this makes me wonder just how Eugenides dispatched the three assassins. We know he killed at least one of them with the hook, and I always figured he killed/wounded at least one with the sword.
I went back and read the pertinent passage and it really says very little. All we are really told is there was one guy dead in the fountain, one dead on the path, and a third one a little farther away who was wounded but alive. So it’s kind of hilarious that I’ve had this scenario in my mind that probably owes more to some ninja movie than what’s actually in the text.
So here’s how I picture it: I would assume the assassins all attacked at once, although maybe not since they thought he’d be helpless, you know, “like a toddler with a toasting fork”. Anyway so he dispatches one with the hook while grabbing the sword of another with his hand. The third guy has managed to wound him but he uses the sword to kill that guy while the disarmed one makes a run for it. Finally he launches the sword like a dagger and hits the fleeing dude in the back. Dang, Eugenides! What a badass! No wonder no one believed he killed them all without help.
Lol. None of this is actually in the text, of course! Anyway, thoughts? How have you guys envisioned this whole thing going down?
no subject
Date: 9/23/19 01:55 pm (UTC)I've largely imagined this scene much as you describe, except maybe the order - grab/stab, dispatch via hook, take care of third with sword. I've largely been content to be stunned with Costis ala 'he was ninja-awesome and it was over almost as quickly as it began' so I haven't thought it out in detail, but I think your interpretation makes more sense that he'd use the weapon he has and then use a practice sword skill to grab the blade of the next danger and then use that to defend himself.
This brings up an interesting thought for me, that this might be another instance of perhaps the forethought/kindness/awareness of the Gods, that losing his hand meant his life could be saved later as well as getting him the woman he loved and put him in a position to influence nations as needed.
Oath
Date: 9/28/19 01:42 pm (UTC)