![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kalinara posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
i_read_whatSo last time, Rowan came to visit and we learned about unrest at home. Niall decides that it's time to stop lollygagging in comfy captivity and go off to do his duty. Deirdre decides they should bang first, and they do.
So, we rejoin Niall three days later, as he's about to make good on his escape attempt. He's off hawking with Liam, on the cliffs, so there aren't any additional soldiers with them. And Liam has suddenly been called back by a servant from the castle.
No slouch, Niall's taking the chance to run for it.
I know the Homanans are experienced horsemen, but I feel like running a horse down a cliff may be a bad idea. And indeed, the horse stumbles. Niall scrambles out of the saddle and basically rolls/tumbles his way to the bottom. When he lands, he can hear Liam yelling above. He books it. He notes that he doesn't blame Liam for being angry, nor does he blame himself for causing said anger. Niall is a reasonably sensible sort.
He's also an honest sort, and he admits that he does feel guilty about breaking his oath. He feels like a hypocrite: he's unable to end his betrothal to Gisella because that's an oath. But he's breaking this oath that's equally as important.
Is it?
I mean, look, I've said before that in terms of diplomacy or even the prophecy, I don't see why marrying Deirdre wouldn't be just as good. And Alaric's certainly shown he's acted in bad faith.
BUT Niall believes that this marriage to Gisella is important. HE thinks her blood is necessary for the prophecy. He thinks that Alaric won't invade if he marries Gisella. And he thinks his kingdom's wellbeing requires him to be free and heading back home.
His parole, on the other hand, is an oath given to the people who have kidnapped him. His captivity gives Alaric an excuse to wage war, and means Niall's off the mainland during a possible civil war/insurrection.
These things are not equal.
So Niall goes off to try to steal a boat. Unfortunately, Liam's a MUCH better horseman, at least when it comes to cliffside riding, and he's gaining on him.
Forgoing the boat, I dropped the line and ran.
The horse’s chest caught me high on the left hip. A hoof ripped the heel off my boot entirely, clipped my heel, drove me headlong to the ground. I curled, sucking air as another hoof came down on the side of my thigh. The horse squealed, flailing thick legs desperately, trying to avoid me even as I tried to roll away. I tasted sand and salt and seawater. And blood from a bitten lip.
The hooves were gone. I tried to rise, to run again, but Liam leaned down from the saddle and buffeted me on the temple with a gloved, powerful fist. “False prince!” he cried. “False friend!”
I fell. I spat blood. Saw two of everything, Tried to clear my vision. By the time I did, Liam was off his horse and hauling me to my feet.
“I should slay you here, even unarmed as you are!”
Dude, you can't be THAT mad when your captive tries to escape. Do you have a thing for him yourself or something?
Niall breathlessly tries to explain:
“Liam—” Breathless, I could hardly manage a word. “Liam—I had to—I had to…for the war, for the realm.” I tried to catch my breath. “Alaric—Alaric intends to join Strahan—there is domestic dissension at home!”
“I care nothing at all for your incestuous domestic wars!” Liam roared. “Not when you’re in Erinn seducing my sister!”
...I mean, the seducing is kind of mutual there.
But also, it's pretty funny that Liam's bitching about NIALL's domestic wars, when they've only got Niall kidnapped because of their own feud with Alaric. Who happens to be Liam's uncle! Pot, kettle, black, dude. (Also, this whole fucking series is incestuous wars when you think about it.)
But Niall, a brother himself, can't resist the siren call of brotherly honor. He demands Liam give him a knife, he won't shirk the fight. But Liam won't give him the honor of the fight. Instead, he'll be "letting [him] taste the hospitality you should have known before."
So now, Niall gets thrown into the dungeons. It sounds unpleasant.
The dungeons of Kilore are damp and smelly. Sore and more than a little sullen, I sat against a clammy wall because I had no other choice. Someone—Liam, no doubt—had ordered me chained in place, though there was no place I could go.
The stone beneath my buttocks was cold and damp. What straw existed was musty, stale, undoubtedly filled with vermin. Seawater dripped from the ceiling. I was cold and lonely and afraid, and also filled with guilt.
Niall thinks about how Deirdre came to him willingly. But he doesn't really want to tell Liam and Shea that. There's no sense in besmirching her reputation. And that's fair. It occurs to me that I'm not actually sure whether virginity in women is a requirement in this setting.
I think, in general, it's at least implied to be. So far though, we've dealt only in special cases. Carillon had already known Electra was Tynstar's mistress. Aislinn, at sixteen, was basically too young and had no real opportunity. Carillon hadn't mentioned it with Tourmaline, when discussing her marriage prospects, but that also isn't really a comfortable topic for siblings. (Especially if one has just been captured.)
So I'm not actually sure if sleeping with Niall WOULD effect Deirdre's future prospects. But it's sweet that Niall is thinking about her.
Soon, Shea himself appears. Giving Niall a chance to feel guilty for breaking his word all over again.
Shea himself. Not Liam, come to gloat. The old lord instead, holding a fat candle in one hand. It guttered, danced, flared up again as it took life from the corridor air.
Skin was stretched too taut across age-defined cheekbones. His jaw worked impotently beneath the thinning beard. I saw the glitter of anger restrained in the cat-green, grieving eyes.
Gods, forgive me for what I have done to this man.
...oh brother. Niall, I like you a lot. You're by far the best male protagonist we've had, but you are so fucking dramatic.
’Tis how Donal rears a son to be Mujhar, is it? To be breaking parole and pledge when he has been honorably treated?” Tears shone briefly in his eyes. “To be taking a lass’s virtue beneath her father’s roof?”
I looked away and stared blindly down at my manacled hands. “No.”
“No? No? ’Tis all ye have to say?”
I swallowed thickly. “Do not judge the father by the son.”
Okay, the line about virtue would seem to confirm the virginity is important thing. It was probably established earlier and I forgot about that.
And honestly, Niall, you might be occasionally annoying but you are worth a hundred of your father.
Anyway, Shea orders Niall's chains loosened and for him to be brought up to the audience hall. Once there, he says that Niall stinks and then asks for an explanation. And it's clear that it's more about Deirdre than the escape.
“Have ye an explanation?”
“No.”
“Were ye for it merely because ’twas offered, or did ye truly want it—much as a dying man cries for water?”
I had thought him diminished by what I had done to his daughter. Now I realized he was not, it was just that I saw a man instead of a king. A father instead of a man.
I drew in a breath and released it very slowly. “I needed it,” I told him clearly. “I was that dying man.”
Niall is melodramatic, but I can't fault his romantic declarations.
Deirdre's the one who gave him away, Shea says. Not on purpose, but she's been really unhappy. NOT because she banged Niall, Shea notes (apparently Deirdre made it QUITE clear that she was happy with that choice), but because she knew he would leave.
Apparently, Deirdre's told Shea more than just her willingness to bang Niall though: she also told him what "the Cheysuli general" had said. About the war, bastards, and a throne in jeopardy. And Shea gets it. So he doesn't blame Niall for breaking his promise. In fact, he'll be sending him to Atvia himself.
Niall, showing he's got more balls than I'd have given him credit for, asks about Deirdre. There, Shea puts his foot down: Deirdre is staying. He doesn't intend to let his daughter be a man's mistress, now matter how much honor it supposedly means for Cheysuli.
Fair enough. (Though I think it should be DEIRDRE's choice, not Shea's, on general principle.)
He does want a pledge from Niall though. One that Liam will make sure Niall can't break:
“Ierne is due to bear the child soon. Be that child a girl, let her wed your firstborn son. Or the next one for your next one, if this one is not a girl and that one not a boy. But I want it, lad. I want a granddaughter of Shea of Erinn to be queen in Homana one day.”
I smiled. “A fair enough exchange, my lord. A daughter of mine for Sean, a granddaughter of yours for my heir. I think it will please the gods.”
“’Twill be pleasing me,” Shea growled. “And ’twill be enough, I’m thinking.”
I do like Shea a lot.
So technically, Niall has TWO betrothal pledges. He's promised a daughter for Sean, and a son for Ierne's next princess. This could get awkward, at some point. But that's future Niall's problem. Present Niall has other fish to fry.
Shea will be passing on Niall's farewell. Which, yeah, again, fair enough. The feminist in me resents that, but I get it.
Niall might not get a goodbye with Deirdre, but he actually does get one to Liam, who offers to take him wherever he likes before he gets aboard ship. Niall wisely realizes that asking to see Deirdre would not go well, so he instead asks to be brought to the altar of the cileann.
In daylight, with the sun well up, the place was different. Much different. I tasted no magic; smelled no hint of ancient power. And all I saw was an altar full of memories.
Deirdre. Deirdre and her colt. And the lirless man who loved her.
Aw.
And it makes me annoyed by Legacy of the Sword again. Because it wouldn't have taken that much to get me to sympathize with Donal, rather than dislike him. If she'd only bothered to let us actually get to know Sorcha, as a person. To see them as a couple, not just one rant during labor.
But I'm repeating my rants again. Sorry.
Anyway, Liam and Niall get their own clearing of the air back at the ship. And boys being boys, they start with threats.
I clutched the rail. “I can sail to Atvia later. We can settle this matter now. With knives or swords or fists.” I grinned. “I leave it to you, my lord.”
Reluctantly, Liam grinned. The green cloak fastened to his wide shoulders curled and cracked in the wind.
“We are of a like size, I’m thinking, lad. I have spent nearly fifteen of my twenty-nine years fighting Atvians, and you are Cheysuli—even without the lir. I’m thinking ’twould not be so wise to strip Donal and Shea of their sons in a silly, boyish battle that could get either—or both—of us slain.” He shrugged. “Besides, my sister loves you. Where’s the sense in beating a man for that?”
I laughed. “But it would have been something to see.”
Liam, sighing, nodded. “Aye, ’twould. Well—perhaps another day, puppy. Now get you to Atvia.”
Awww.
Niall also gets Liam to agree to pass word to Deirdre: if she wants, or needs, him, she just has to send word. He'll come.
Yeah, that won't breed trouble. But now Niall is off to Atvia, and part two of this book.
So, we rejoin Niall three days later, as he's about to make good on his escape attempt. He's off hawking with Liam, on the cliffs, so there aren't any additional soldiers with them. And Liam has suddenly been called back by a servant from the castle.
No slouch, Niall's taking the chance to run for it.
I know the Homanans are experienced horsemen, but I feel like running a horse down a cliff may be a bad idea. And indeed, the horse stumbles. Niall scrambles out of the saddle and basically rolls/tumbles his way to the bottom. When he lands, he can hear Liam yelling above. He books it. He notes that he doesn't blame Liam for being angry, nor does he blame himself for causing said anger. Niall is a reasonably sensible sort.
He's also an honest sort, and he admits that he does feel guilty about breaking his oath. He feels like a hypocrite: he's unable to end his betrothal to Gisella because that's an oath. But he's breaking this oath that's equally as important.
Is it?
I mean, look, I've said before that in terms of diplomacy or even the prophecy, I don't see why marrying Deirdre wouldn't be just as good. And Alaric's certainly shown he's acted in bad faith.
BUT Niall believes that this marriage to Gisella is important. HE thinks her blood is necessary for the prophecy. He thinks that Alaric won't invade if he marries Gisella. And he thinks his kingdom's wellbeing requires him to be free and heading back home.
His parole, on the other hand, is an oath given to the people who have kidnapped him. His captivity gives Alaric an excuse to wage war, and means Niall's off the mainland during a possible civil war/insurrection.
These things are not equal.
So Niall goes off to try to steal a boat. Unfortunately, Liam's a MUCH better horseman, at least when it comes to cliffside riding, and he's gaining on him.
Forgoing the boat, I dropped the line and ran.
The horse’s chest caught me high on the left hip. A hoof ripped the heel off my boot entirely, clipped my heel, drove me headlong to the ground. I curled, sucking air as another hoof came down on the side of my thigh. The horse squealed, flailing thick legs desperately, trying to avoid me even as I tried to roll away. I tasted sand and salt and seawater. And blood from a bitten lip.
The hooves were gone. I tried to rise, to run again, but Liam leaned down from the saddle and buffeted me on the temple with a gloved, powerful fist. “False prince!” he cried. “False friend!”
I fell. I spat blood. Saw two of everything, Tried to clear my vision. By the time I did, Liam was off his horse and hauling me to my feet.
“I should slay you here, even unarmed as you are!”
Dude, you can't be THAT mad when your captive tries to escape. Do you have a thing for him yourself or something?
Niall breathlessly tries to explain:
“Liam—” Breathless, I could hardly manage a word. “Liam—I had to—I had to…for the war, for the realm.” I tried to catch my breath. “Alaric—Alaric intends to join Strahan—there is domestic dissension at home!”
“I care nothing at all for your incestuous domestic wars!” Liam roared. “Not when you’re in Erinn seducing my sister!”
...I mean, the seducing is kind of mutual there.
But also, it's pretty funny that Liam's bitching about NIALL's domestic wars, when they've only got Niall kidnapped because of their own feud with Alaric. Who happens to be Liam's uncle! Pot, kettle, black, dude. (Also, this whole fucking series is incestuous wars when you think about it.)
But Niall, a brother himself, can't resist the siren call of brotherly honor. He demands Liam give him a knife, he won't shirk the fight. But Liam won't give him the honor of the fight. Instead, he'll be "letting [him] taste the hospitality you should have known before."
So now, Niall gets thrown into the dungeons. It sounds unpleasant.
The dungeons of Kilore are damp and smelly. Sore and more than a little sullen, I sat against a clammy wall because I had no other choice. Someone—Liam, no doubt—had ordered me chained in place, though there was no place I could go.
The stone beneath my buttocks was cold and damp. What straw existed was musty, stale, undoubtedly filled with vermin. Seawater dripped from the ceiling. I was cold and lonely and afraid, and also filled with guilt.
Niall thinks about how Deirdre came to him willingly. But he doesn't really want to tell Liam and Shea that. There's no sense in besmirching her reputation. And that's fair. It occurs to me that I'm not actually sure whether virginity in women is a requirement in this setting.
I think, in general, it's at least implied to be. So far though, we've dealt only in special cases. Carillon had already known Electra was Tynstar's mistress. Aislinn, at sixteen, was basically too young and had no real opportunity. Carillon hadn't mentioned it with Tourmaline, when discussing her marriage prospects, but that also isn't really a comfortable topic for siblings. (Especially if one has just been captured.)
So I'm not actually sure if sleeping with Niall WOULD effect Deirdre's future prospects. But it's sweet that Niall is thinking about her.
Soon, Shea himself appears. Giving Niall a chance to feel guilty for breaking his word all over again.
Shea himself. Not Liam, come to gloat. The old lord instead, holding a fat candle in one hand. It guttered, danced, flared up again as it took life from the corridor air.
Skin was stretched too taut across age-defined cheekbones. His jaw worked impotently beneath the thinning beard. I saw the glitter of anger restrained in the cat-green, grieving eyes.
Gods, forgive me for what I have done to this man.
...oh brother. Niall, I like you a lot. You're by far the best male protagonist we've had, but you are so fucking dramatic.
’Tis how Donal rears a son to be Mujhar, is it? To be breaking parole and pledge when he has been honorably treated?” Tears shone briefly in his eyes. “To be taking a lass’s virtue beneath her father’s roof?”
I looked away and stared blindly down at my manacled hands. “No.”
“No? No? ’Tis all ye have to say?”
I swallowed thickly. “Do not judge the father by the son.”
Okay, the line about virtue would seem to confirm the virginity is important thing. It was probably established earlier and I forgot about that.
And honestly, Niall, you might be occasionally annoying but you are worth a hundred of your father.
Anyway, Shea orders Niall's chains loosened and for him to be brought up to the audience hall. Once there, he says that Niall stinks and then asks for an explanation. And it's clear that it's more about Deirdre than the escape.
“Have ye an explanation?”
“No.”
“Were ye for it merely because ’twas offered, or did ye truly want it—much as a dying man cries for water?”
I had thought him diminished by what I had done to his daughter. Now I realized he was not, it was just that I saw a man instead of a king. A father instead of a man.
I drew in a breath and released it very slowly. “I needed it,” I told him clearly. “I was that dying man.”
Niall is melodramatic, but I can't fault his romantic declarations.
Deirdre's the one who gave him away, Shea says. Not on purpose, but she's been really unhappy. NOT because she banged Niall, Shea notes (apparently Deirdre made it QUITE clear that she was happy with that choice), but because she knew he would leave.
Apparently, Deirdre's told Shea more than just her willingness to bang Niall though: she also told him what "the Cheysuli general" had said. About the war, bastards, and a throne in jeopardy. And Shea gets it. So he doesn't blame Niall for breaking his promise. In fact, he'll be sending him to Atvia himself.
Niall, showing he's got more balls than I'd have given him credit for, asks about Deirdre. There, Shea puts his foot down: Deirdre is staying. He doesn't intend to let his daughter be a man's mistress, now matter how much honor it supposedly means for Cheysuli.
Fair enough. (Though I think it should be DEIRDRE's choice, not Shea's, on general principle.)
He does want a pledge from Niall though. One that Liam will make sure Niall can't break:
“Ierne is due to bear the child soon. Be that child a girl, let her wed your firstborn son. Or the next one for your next one, if this one is not a girl and that one not a boy. But I want it, lad. I want a granddaughter of Shea of Erinn to be queen in Homana one day.”
I smiled. “A fair enough exchange, my lord. A daughter of mine for Sean, a granddaughter of yours for my heir. I think it will please the gods.”
“’Twill be pleasing me,” Shea growled. “And ’twill be enough, I’m thinking.”
I do like Shea a lot.
So technically, Niall has TWO betrothal pledges. He's promised a daughter for Sean, and a son for Ierne's next princess. This could get awkward, at some point. But that's future Niall's problem. Present Niall has other fish to fry.
Shea will be passing on Niall's farewell. Which, yeah, again, fair enough. The feminist in me resents that, but I get it.
Niall might not get a goodbye with Deirdre, but he actually does get one to Liam, who offers to take him wherever he likes before he gets aboard ship. Niall wisely realizes that asking to see Deirdre would not go well, so he instead asks to be brought to the altar of the cileann.
In daylight, with the sun well up, the place was different. Much different. I tasted no magic; smelled no hint of ancient power. And all I saw was an altar full of memories.
Deirdre. Deirdre and her colt. And the lirless man who loved her.
Aw.
And it makes me annoyed by Legacy of the Sword again. Because it wouldn't have taken that much to get me to sympathize with Donal, rather than dislike him. If she'd only bothered to let us actually get to know Sorcha, as a person. To see them as a couple, not just one rant during labor.
But I'm repeating my rants again. Sorry.
Anyway, Liam and Niall get their own clearing of the air back at the ship. And boys being boys, they start with threats.
I clutched the rail. “I can sail to Atvia later. We can settle this matter now. With knives or swords or fists.” I grinned. “I leave it to you, my lord.”
Reluctantly, Liam grinned. The green cloak fastened to his wide shoulders curled and cracked in the wind.
“We are of a like size, I’m thinking, lad. I have spent nearly fifteen of my twenty-nine years fighting Atvians, and you are Cheysuli—even without the lir. I’m thinking ’twould not be so wise to strip Donal and Shea of their sons in a silly, boyish battle that could get either—or both—of us slain.” He shrugged. “Besides, my sister loves you. Where’s the sense in beating a man for that?”
I laughed. “But it would have been something to see.”
Liam, sighing, nodded. “Aye, ’twould. Well—perhaps another day, puppy. Now get you to Atvia.”
Awww.
Niall also gets Liam to agree to pass word to Deirdre: if she wants, or needs, him, she just has to send word. He'll come.
Yeah, that won't breed trouble. But now Niall is off to Atvia, and part two of this book.
I am ready to comment once more!
Date: 2022-05-25 08:59 am (UTC)Co-sporked by Spike, Tabo and Kudos, aka the villains.
I know the Homanans are experienced horsemen, but I feel like running a horse down a cliff may be a bad idea. And indeed, the horse stumbles. Niall scrambles out of the saddle and basically rolls/tumbles his way to the bottom. When he lands, he can hear Liam yelling above. He books it. He notes that he doesn't blame Liam for being angry, nor does he blame himself for causing said anger. Niall is a reasonably sensible sort.
Tabo: Unlike his dad, who was about as deparved as Kudos.
Kudos: I am standing right here!
Spike: Running horseback down a hill is indeed not a clever idea. If I remember correctly, an idiot king charged at conquerors and their archers this way. He died and lost the battle.
Kudos: I wonder why!
He's also an honest sort, and he admits that he does feel guilty about breaking his oath. He feels like a hypocrite: he's unable to end his betrothal to Gisella because that's an oath. But he's breaking this oath that's equally as important.
Is it?
I mean, look, I've said before that in terms of diplomacy or even the prophecy, I don't see why marrying Deirdre wouldn't be just as good. And Alaric's certainly shown he's acted in bad faith.
Pan: Of all the leads, he found something to be guilty of?
Spike: Usually, the more evil you are, the less guilt you have.
Pan: Really?
Spike: Kudos, whose fault is it for you joining us?
Kudos: It's the bitch who dumped me.
Pan: Point.
The horse’s chest caught me high on the left hip. A hoof ripped the heel off my boot entirely, clipped my heel, drove me headlong to the ground. I curled, sucking air as another hoof came down on the side of my thigh. The horse squealed, flailing thick legs desperately, trying to avoid me even as I tried to roll away. I tasted sand and salt and seawater. And blood from a bitten lip.
The hooves were gone. I tried to rise, to run again, but Liam leaned down from the saddle and buffeted me on the temple with a gloved, powerful fist. “False prince!” he cried. “False friend!”
Tabo: Ouch. That must have hurt.
Pan: Liam, you are his captor. Do you really believe he shouldn't want his freedom?
Skin was stretched too taut across age-defined cheekbones. His jaw worked impotently beneath the thinning beard. I saw the glitter of anger restrained in the cat-green, grieving eyes.
Gods, forgive me for what I have done to this man.
Kudos: You made him capture you. It's good you apologize.
’Tis how Donal rears a son to be Mujhar, is it? To be breaking parole and pledge when he has been honorably treated?” Tears shone briefly in his eyes. “To be taking a lass’s virtue beneath her father’s roof?”
Pan: Yes, except Niall asks for consent first.
Tabo: What would Luke Skywalker's dad say about his son killing people?
“We are of a like size, I’m thinking, lad. I have spent nearly fifteen of my twenty-nine years fighting Atvians, and you are Cheysuli—even without the lir. I’m thinking ’twould not be so wise to strip Donal and Shea of their sons in a silly, boyish battle that could get either—or both—of us slain.” He shrugged. “Besides, my sister loves you. Where’s the sense in beating a man for that?”
Spike: Exactly.
Why is Niall attacked for a consensual relationship when so many rapists get away with their crimes in this series?
Re: I am ready to comment once more!
Date: 2022-05-25 03:21 pm (UTC)It is pretty funny that Niall's getting so much shit for a consensual relationship. I mean, if we look at as a standalone, then it does make some sense. Niall's turned down a marriage alliance, but still feels free to sleep with a princess. Even though Deirdre did freely consent, she's arguably damaging her own future prospects. Right now she's not interested in marriage, but in the future, that might change. Niall, on the other hand, is risking nothing and offering nothing. I can appreciate why Shea and Liam are irked (though both get over it pretty quickly because they're not complete assholes.)
But yeah, in the context of a series where every lead protagonist has been a rapist, it seems particularly absurd to blame a man for consensual sex.
(Hilariously, Niall's promises here will lead to an interestingly comparable situation in the next book, when youngest son Corin falls very hard for Liam's daughter, Aileen, who happens to be betrothed to oldest son, Brennan. It...might get a bit messy.)