A few Attolia moments

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"'The queen of Eddis collected him personally,' Relius said.  'She and her Thief.  They evidently picnicked on the way back.  They are reported to be...close.'
    ...'Get out,' the queen ordered abruptly.
    ...followed by nearby amphoras and one of the heavy carved dining chairs as the usually cold-blooded queen picked it off the ground and threw it.  ...She was thinking.  As the servants righted the dining table and cleared away the mess, she tried to assess the danger that Eugenides had become." 

(p. 167 HarperTrophy paperback)

what is the danger?

"He bent down and kissed her briefly on the lips.
    Shocked, she pulled her face away and kicked at the blankets binding her legs.  By the time she was standing, livid with fury, Eugenides was gone, and the flap of the tent had dropped behind him."  (290)

livid with fury?

*pauses a moment to savor how lovely "the blankets binding her legs" sounds*

"'Where there's life there's hope, Eugenides,' Attolia said as she looked him over."  (298)

is she planning, even here, to keep her word?  Also, here, she looks him over for injury, very carefully.

"'Oh'--he tried unsuccessfully to keep the tremor out of his voice--'grovel, I suppose.'
    'I've heard you do that before,' said Attolia, briefly amused in spite of herself."   (298)

what's she amused at?





the link between the four of these, I think, is the deeper question of when does she realize she loves him?  I mean, she knows when she looks in the room and thinks he has died, but where is (if it's there at all) the transition in the Mede rescue scene?  When does she first suspect?

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

I like the idea of romance, but I like the idea of intrigue and complex relationships that grow slowly over the course of time too. Given that these two are life-long performers in the public arena, I think the kiss could be interpreted differently. She thinks he jumped away because he can't stand her touch, he comes back by kissing her like her husband - a signal to the court, but also a message to her that in spite of all their difficulties, he is her husband and he wants it that way.

Maybe they are doing the deed, maybe not.

But we know Eugenides goes to Attolia's room to talk about the real issues they face and what to do about them. We know he leaves his room regularly at night, but I'm not so sure he is always going to Attolia's rooms. He seems to spend lots of time spying on the rest of the court, and he had been sparring quite a bit with Ornon and staying in tip-top sword-fighting form without the Attolians having a clue. Maybe Ornon is a night owl too.

And I think that, at least up until after the assasination attempt, all Attolia has to do to keep Eugenides in check is lay her hand on his cheek.