![[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, the one-sided rivalry between Corin and Brennan is getting sharper as Corin is very attracted to the woman who is supposed to become his brother's wife.
This chapter tells us that Corin ends up haunted by the dream (of Brennan appearing and taking Aileen from him) for days. He tries to ignore it, but "[w]hen he looked at Aileen, he saw the woman who had recited the Cheysuli vows with him before the Lion of Homana, defying Niall himself. And defying her betrothed as much as Corin did himself."
That's a lot of projection over a woman that you just met. Maybe you should find out how she feels.
Especially as, from the sound of it, Corin's acting something like a dick at the moment:
Theirs was an uneasy companionship at best. Aileen hosted him with as much hospitality as she could muster in the name of her absent father, but the uninhibited generosity was gone. She eyed him warily at times, like a dog with an unkind master; other times she relegated him to obscurity, too busy to pay him mind. But occasionally he saw an odd sort of compassion in her eyes, as if she began to understand him and what made him the man he was.
But let's be honest here, there's not much of a love triangle if Aileen doesn't actually like him, so:
At last the dream lost its immediacy, freeing him to relax, and Aileen responded at once, as if she had been waiting.
The relationship changed. The companionship deepened. They shared the things good friends shared, things kin shared, things he shared only with Keely. But he sensed a bond between them that superseded mere kinship, much as the one with Keely. With Aileen he was another man, freed of resentments and irritability; freed of the insecurity of being the third-born son. Here there was only Corin. No Brennan. No Hart. No ranking according to birth. Here there was merely Corin—Corin and Aileen, who saw what he was and cherished it. As much as he cherished her.
Well, it's kind of convenient that he just stops being a dick and she immediately accepts that, but okay. We've got a lot to get through.
So anyway, it's now been FOUR WEEKS since his arrival. Aileen takes him out to "celebrate". When she tells him some story about her brother, he "glorie[s] in the banishment of the dream that had so plagued him." He thinks, free of it, he's also free of his brother.
At least until Aileen ruins it and actually asks about her intended fiance. Is he much like Corin?
"No," Corin said curtly.
She waited for more. When he gave her nothing, she looked at him directly. "D'ye hate him so much, then?"
He opened his mouth to refute the question at once.
But nothing came out. Nothing at all; the denial died acoming. He had never thought of it as hatred; even now he felt the word incorrect. But he would lie to her no more than to himself.
"He is my brother." Purposely, he used Homanan in place of Cheysuli.
Ooof. Well, I mean, there's no reason that siblings have to get along. But there is something harsh about that.
Aileen notes that kinship has little to do with like and dislike. She's a selfless girl at heart:
"I asked for me." Aileen said quietly, "thinking of myself. But now I ask for Corin."
He looked at her sharply. And then at once away; he could not bear to see the compassion in her eyes.
This spurs honesty from Corin. No, he doesn't hate his brother. He dislikes him, but dislikes himself more because he gave into it. She asks why. Corin says, because Brennan is Brennan.
Aileen laughs and asks if Brennan is truly that bad, and Corin tries to be a decent person here:
"No. He is truly so good." He shook his head, feeling a vague sense of guilt. Only Keely really knew how he felt, because of their birth-link, and because she shared a measure of his resentment. She and Brennan were no closer than he and Brennan, although she was less bothered by troublesome resentments. Corin thought it was because Keely, being a woman, knew there was no chance she might inherit the Lion; in Corin's case, he was prevented only by the order of his birth. "I should say nothing more, Aileen ... he is your betrothed, and it does no good to color your opinions of him when you should form them fairly."
Aileen laughs and suggests that Corin doesn't dislike Brennan as much as he thinks, or he wouldn't be defending him here. And true, but I think that's kind of the problem. Corin doesn't dislike Brennan because of personality (at least not in the same way Keely does). He dislikes Brennan due to jealousy. And indeed, he elaborates:
"Since I can remember, it was always Brennan this, Brennan that . . . Brennan, the Mujhar's son; Brennan, the Prince of Homana; Brennan, heir to the Lion. Part of the past and of the future: Cheysuli and Homanan." He slanted her a glance, fearful he might offend her, but saw only that she listened without judging. "All my life he has been held up as an example of what a man can and should be—what I could be if I tried!—and I am so weary of it. If he had earned it, I would not care so much, but it is because of his birth . . . because he was born first—" He broke off, stripping tawny hair out of stinging eyes. "It might have been Hart. Hart might have come first, and then he would be heir to Homana"
Egads, there's a thought.
But it's probably worth unpacking the "if he had earned it" line. Because on one hand, Corin's absolutely right. Brennan is the oldest legitimate sibling and the oldest son. That was an accident of birth. But they're ALL princes here. ALL of them are significant only because of an accident of birth. Even the vaunted Keely is significant only because she's the Princess of Homana (contrasted with poor Maeve, who hasn't even been mentioned in Hart or Corin's parts at all.)
"Earning" is an interesting prospect though. Because per Hart, Brennan is the only sibling that actually bothered attending meetings and learning the skills that he's supposed to know. He's apparently built up enough of a reputation that Tarron speaks well of him, in contrast with Hart. Corin's not as stupid as Hart is, thank god, but what has HE done to earn his own position, let alone Brennan's.
Aileen asks if that's the point of resentment: that Corin wasn't first born. Corin admits it's true, he wants Homana. Aileen points out that he'll be getting Atvia. Corin thinks it's a poor substitute. And to be fair, that's probably true.
But Aileen has a pretty significant question here:
Slowly she lowered her arm. "D'ye want it because you want it? Or because your brother will have it?"
He stared at her. He had never considered that view of his desire. He knew only that for as long as he could remember, he had wanted Brennan's place.
And that's a really interesting question. I pointed out last chapter, and touched on it here: we haven't seen any indication that Corin has done any real work to prove that he's worthy of Homana. He's not been to councils or tried to become involved in governing the way that his brother has. He's not, as far we know, gotten involved with common people aside from drinking at a tavern. (Possibly for the best, considering...) DOES Corin really want HOMANA?
Or is it more because the Prince of Homana is the "most important" as he said last chapter?
Corin finds himself wondering: if he had what Brennan has, would he be content, or would he search for new ways to be happy?
Corin admits that he wants power, freedom, contentment, and mostly, he just wants to be himself without being measured against his brothers. And that's fair, I think. I've said before that I may like Brennan best of the three, but I feel like he'd be really difficult to have as a sibling.
Aileen notes that it's not so much. Corin's not much of a greedy man. No, but he is a bit of a selfish one. It'd be nice if we got to hear more about what AILEEN wants. But to be fair, I think that's a trait shared by all three brothers. I just mind it more here because I really like Aileen and I want to hear more about her.
Corin is uneasy about Atvia, and that's something I find a lot more sympathetic than his brother-angst. If anything, I think he's underplaying the danger when he says that Atvia is a land of strangers, old hatreds and resentments. He won't be welcome there.
You might be a sitting fucking DUCK there. When Bronwyn went there, she got murdered. Ian was raped and enslaved. Niall mind-whammied. You don't even know if the Ihlini are STILL THERE. Maybe you should use some of this time that you're hanging out with Aileen to find out???
(I'd like to think that if Corin stuck around, Niall would have sent him with soldiers, since Niall is not a fucking idiot.)
Aileen suggests that he look at it like a challenge: he can go in as a foreign prince and come out as a beloved king. He asks what king is beloved, but Aileen has an answer: her father. And, Corin admits, his own father too.
So now, we finally get a look into what Aileen wants:
Aileen stared into the distances, seemingly lost in thought. Her voice, when she spoke, was quiet, but he heard the subtleties in her tone as loudly as if she shouted.
"If Brennan is anything like you, perhaps I can be content."
...and that might be a problem.
Corin immediately protests: Brennan is nothing like him, and Aileen should be grateful for it. Well, dude, it's not like you've explained any of his GOOD qualities...
"Why?" Now she looked at him. "Should I be grateful because he lacks your complexities? Because he lacks your depth of emotions? Lacks your passion?" Her eyes did not waver. "Should I be grateful because there is no need for him to say what is in his heart?"
"And if the heart is black—'
"Not black," she said quietly. "Only bruised by childhood resentments, and I'm thinking those can be easily banished."
I do like this bit, because while it's obvious, immediately, why Corin falls for Aileen, it's a bit less clear why she's into him. We started with him acting like a dick and then immediately jump four weeks into the future. And thus far, all we've basically seen is her acting as his agony aunt.
This helps a little. She thinks he's complicated, passionate, and with deep emotions - and willing to say what's in his heart. There's no accounting for taste, but I can understand.
And unfortunately, those aren't the traits that Brennan is particularly good at exhibiting. So yeah.
Corin does elaborate on Brennan's better qualities here, and to be fair, they seem reasonably accurate to the man we've seen so far:
Corin shook his head. "Brennan is more suited to the Lion. He thinks before he speaks, speaks before he acts, then acts responsibly. He understands what makes a man feel the way he does, and respects that man for his feelings. He listens—" Abruptly, Corin broke off. And then he began to laugh. "Oh, gods, woman—do you see what you have done? From telling you why I dislike my rujholli I am become his champion!"
Thoughtful, responsible, cautious and deliberate are good traits for a king, I think. But they're not necessarily traits that are going to appeal to a woman who is interested in passionate and dramatic.
Aileen agrees with me, stating that she doesn't think Brennan needs a champion, and that Homana's loss is Atvia's gain.
...eh, I'm not sure I'd go THAT far. But Corin's not Hart, at least.
Corin disagrees, but admits, outloud, that his own loss is Brennan's gain. Except that he can't lose what he never had.
And we do reach an important, if quiet, character milestone here:
They stared at one another for a long moment, unable to look away, knowing only that he had said what was better left unsaid, between them; between the woman meant for his brother and the man who wanted her for himself, even as he had wanted so many things Brennan had. But this time, this time, he wanted less to win her away than simply to win her, period.
It is an important distinction. Aileen puts her trembling hand in his and apologizes. He recites the tahlmorra line (Tahlmorra lujhalla mei wiccan, cheysu), and acknowledges that he can't change his fate any more than he can change his birth order.
I mean, dude, given the length of time for the voyage - even if it was weeks, rather than months, added to the four weeks you've spent in Erinn...you might well BE the oldest sibling by now.
(And that's kind of the weakness of this split story structure. On one hand, it gives us a decent idea of time passing. Which will be important for the next part, that brings all the threads together. But I feel like it would be easier to get invested in Corin and Aileen as a couple if it was presented at the same time as Brennan and Rhiannon's interaction. Because they're all basically guilty of the same misbehavior. But it hits a little differently when we know that Corin's romantic rival is basically being tortured while this is going on.
But, then, that's assuming that Corin is going to be a hero in this story. Maybe he'll see other possibilities here...)
Corin has another dream: he's before the Iron Throne. But his father isn't there. Instead, it's Brennan. And Corin tells him, politely, (even calling him "my lord") that he wishes to steal Brennan's queen.
He wakes up, in turmoil. He thinks he's going mad. Kiri says he's not. He's just losing sleep. And he is. He considers sleeping with a servant girl, to try to banish the dreams, but decides against it. Unfortunately, he doesn't want one of Aileen's women. He wants Aileen.
Corin considers going to Atvia now. But he knows he won't. As long as Liam's gone, he has an excuse to wait. No one could suspect his real motives, not even Aileen.
He sleeps again:
"My lord," he said politely, "I wish to steal your queen."
In his hand there was a sword—
...that could be a problem.
He's jarred out of his thoughts by Aileen. Apparently he'd been dozing. After sharing a meal and exchanging favorite stories and childhood games. Because this is the wisest thing to do when you're already falling for someone who isn't your intended spouse.
He's curt and pacing, and I'd wonder what Aileen sees in that, but well. Passionate and brooding type. Hmph.
He asks if Liam will never come home. Aileen says, finally, that she could send for him. She hadn't yet, because Corin hadn't said there was urgency. There is now.
"You came unknowing," she said, "intending nothing. I received you in place of my father, offering nothing more than courtesy. And, eventually, compassion and understanding. From that grows the vine that tangles us in its thorns."
"Then I will cut us free."
Aileen's smile was bittersweet. "Will you, now? But how?"
"By telling you the message I have for Liam is that the betrothal is to end." He saw the whitening of her face."A wedding is desired; Brennan requires an heir."
I appreciate you wanting to do the honorable thing, Corin, but you're also kind of throwing your brother under the bus here. It's Niall's choice. Not Brennan's.
Aileen is hurt by this, saying that this is a sharp knife - sharper than the thorns. Corin says Brennan will bind her wounds. She asks who'll bind his.
And then...
"No," she said, “no. I'm wanting no cruelty from one another, nor for one another. Ah, Corin—will ye hold me? I've been wanting it so long—“
He held her, as she asked, thinking he might fool himself into believing he did it only because she asked, but he knew better. He knew. He was lost, and so was she.
And so was their innocence.
Oh dear.
And of course, NOW is when Liam strolls into the room. We get a description:
Liam grinned and strode into the chamber, parting the sea of dogs. He was a big man, a strong man, with Deirdre's brass-bright hair and Aileen's green eyes; wind-chafed, weather-bumed, hardened from years of war-fare. He was fifty, Corin knew, but the years did not weigh him down.
Okay, so Liam is fifty. This is good for me to remember, because I feel like, at some point, there's going to be some confused Atvia/Erinn timing. I don't remember exactly what it is, though. Hopefully, I'll remember this when it comes up?
Liam reaches an awkward conclusion:
"So, have you come to woo my lass?" Liam strode to a table and poured wine. "Or is she already won?" He grinned and raised his cup. "To Brennan and Aileen, future king and queen of Homana."
Oops. Corin briefly considers pulling a Hart and running with it. (Hart would, Corin thinks, to win a wager. Hah, probably.) But Aileen is worth more than that.
He comes clean. He's not Brennan. Liam, understandably, wants to know why the hell he's kissing Liam's daughter. Oops.
Corin explains his own identity. And well, this is a bit funny:
"Corin," Liam said finally. "That much I know from Niall's letters." He flicked a glance past Corin to Aileen and his mouth tautened. "Well, lad, have you come to tell me Brennan and Hart are dead, and you are heir to the Lion?" His tone was harsh. "I'll accept no other explanation for why you would take the liberty of kissing Brennan's betrothed."
I mean...given where the other parts left off, this could easily be true. But news travels slowly in this world. Remember, it took an entire book almost for Niall to find out the Erinnish royal family still lived.
Aileen has something to say though:
"Will you take this one?" Aileen spoke for the first time since Liam had entered the room. She moved forward to stand by Corin, facing her father even as he did, but with less courtesy. "Will you accept it when I say I'll be taking Corin in place of Brennan?"
Corin snapped his head around to stare at her in shock, Liam's brows rose. "Will you?" he asked mildly. "D'ye think it so easy, then?"
Corin had expected more than that from him. But when he looked back at Liam, he saw the light tone did not entirely dispell the intentness of his manner. He put Corin in mind of a mountain cat feigning indolence until it was time to leap. But who is prey? he wondered uneasily. Aileen, or myself?
"Not easy," Aileen said, "but right. I know it was a political thing, the betrothal ... I have no quarrel with that. But I'm saying we need only wed me to Corin in place of Brennan."
I mean, technically she's right. Liam is going to pay lip service to the prophecy here in a moment, but that was the reason for betrothing Sean to Keely. Aileen's betrothal was proposed as an answer to Deirdre's lost honor. Niall promised Shea that his granddaughter will be Queen of Homana. Liam COULD probably alter the terms.
And, as Aileen points out, this could have other positive effects: Corin will be king of Atvia. If Aileen becomes Queen of Atvia, they could reinforce the peace between the realms. (It hadn't worked, admittedly, when Alaric's sister married Shea, but Corin and Liam are different people than their predecessors.)
Liam notes that the peace is for others, when Alaric and he are dead. Well, really, only Alaric. I don't think Liam would have an issue with Corin regardless. It also occurs to me that I don't actually remember who GETS the "Lord of the Idrian Isles" title in the end. I suppose by Tapestry of the Lions it won't really matter.
Aileen also points out that this doesn't need to alter anything. She and Brennan have never met or even corresponded...which seems like something their parents ought to have had them do! Why don't any of these betrothed pairs write to each other??? There are other princesses that Brennan could marry.
But then we get this:
Liam looked down at his dogs. "I could write Niall," he said absently. "I could write him . . . could be telling him the very things you've told me ... perhaps it could be arranged—" he looked up from his dogs, "—but then 'twould be the end of the prophecy ... the end of the Cheysuli."
And as I said before, that's nonsense. There's nothing that requires Aileen specifically to marry into the royal line. (For one thing, they've already GOT Erinnish blood through Alix's grandmother! But we've known for a while that Roberson forgot about that...)
Brennan could marry another Erinnish woman. Or his child could be betrothed to Corin and Aileen's child. What's more cousin fucking after all. OR, Brennan could pull a Carillon and name a nephew as an heir. Corin and Brennan have exactly the same blood, after all.
I'm torn again, because on one hand, I feel like this might work better if, again, it was in tandem with Brennan's developing relationship with Rhiannon. Because then, we might be able to entertain the solution of the brothers marrying their true loves instead. On the other hand, I do rather like the darker implications here.
"Because—" he gestured emptily. "Because it has to do with how the blood is mixed. Brennan is Homanan, Solindish and Atvian. You are Erinnish." He sighed. "The prophecy requires—"
"But you have all those bloodlines, Corin!"
"But I am not the Prince of Homana!"
I still think this argument is nonsensical. BUT what it does is give Corin a reason to want the Homanan throne beyond just jealousy over his brother's status and importance. He wants it as a means to win the woman he loves.
And, well, there might be some sudden vacancies. Corin is the only prince as yet uncaptured...
Aileen still doesn't understand, but even if Liam's a bit fuzzy on how the prophecy works, he gets Cheysuli. And Cheysuli honor and determination. He tells her to ask Corin outright.
After a moment, Aileen turned to Corin. "D'ye say you're not wanting me?"
She would never be beautiful, but he was blinded by her pride; by the brilliance of her spirit. "You showed me what it was to look out of myself to others," he told her gently. "You showed me how to be myself, not judging myself against others, or what others wanted of me. You taught me to be free in spirit if not in body, bowing to necessity, and to accept the latter with grace." He smiled a little. "Lastily, you taught me to love my brother, and for that I am very grateful. Leijhana tu'sai, meijhana . . . but I cannot steal his queen."
Corin is an honorable man at heart. Aileen leaves, in despair.
Liam has his own thought:
After a moment, Liam put a large hand on Corin's shoulder and gripped it briefly, then released him. "Until this moment I never regretted what Niall and I did, promising sons and daughters to one another. 'Tis the way of royal houses; the requirements of rank." He picked up Corin's forgotten cup of wine and put it into his hands. "But it seems we dealt too lightly with unborn souls."
Corin, staring into his wine, delivers the message: the wedding is to go forth.
He does NOT, it might be noted, bring up Keely and Sean. Really dude?
Liam has learned from Shea in one sense. He urges Corin to go to Aileen and say goodbye. Corin does.
And it's pretty emotionally heart-wrenching. Aileen wants to be alone, she says. Or rather, she wants Corin to say he'd take her anyway. Corin admits that he wants her. But he believes that if he turns his back on kin and tahlmorra, she'd eventually hate him.
And well, he might be right. She doesn't much care or know about "tahlmorra", but we've seen how she talks about kin. And she has her own measure of honor. He knows that while there are women who'd be pleased to see a man make that sacrifice in their names, she wouldn't be.
Aileen admits that it's true. And now she gets to lament:
Aileen swore bitterly and banged the wall with her fist. "Why is it," she cried, "why is it I meddle where I should not? Why is it I took it into my head to ease a man's pain, to show him what it is to know contentment within oneself?" Slowly she shook her head. "If I'd left you alone, never trying to understand you, never trying to ease that pain, we'd not be in this coil!"
"Why is it you took it into your head to show me that underneath all my childish resentment, I really care for Brennan?" Corin sighed and rubbed aching eyes with rigid fingers. "Well, we have fashioned me into someone I can live with, and now I must live without you."
Aileen vows bitterly that every time she looks at Brennan, she'll think of Corin. Even in bed. Eek. Corin doesn't like that either. He urges her not to punish them both.
All the anguish was in her face, but so was her pride. "And when I call him by your name?"
Corin shook his head. "Aileen, I swear, when you meet Brennan you will understand. You will never mistake him for me. We are so different, so very different . . . temperament, coloring, preferences ... so many other things." He swallowed tightly. "I promise you, Aileen, it will not be an empty marriage."
She jerked her wrists away. "I might prefer it that way."
All the pain rose up. "Do you think I want that?" he cried. "Do you think I want to spend my life knowing you hate every moment with my rujholli, when there is nothing for me to do? No, Aileen. I would sooner believe you content enough than living your life in sorrow, lost in some futile hope that someday I might come. It would twist you, twist me ... it would destroy any hope of happiness for either one of us."
Aw. This really is a good beat for Corin. He's got his faults, but he's got honor, passion, and he genuinely loves Aileen. Enough to let her go and want her to be happy.
Aileen wishes she could soften him, but knows that she would be destroying the thing she loves. Aw. She leaves to pack.
Corin does an angst sit against the battlements, until Liam comes to fetch him. They leave Kilore, with an escort of dogs, and Kiri, to a grassy stone altar. Liam reminisces on how Niall leaves, and then, points out something else:
Corin is going to be king of Atvia one day. They should talk about trade and treaties while they have the time.
Whoa. Is this an ACTUAL lesson in kingship? In this book? Corin goes with him, and the chapter ends.
I really liked this part, I have to admit. I am not generally interested in love triangles, and I'm still not. But as an examination of what this idiot arrangement has done to these characters? Yes. And I'm glad to see Corin getting some much needed development outside of his jealousy and temper. He's still not my favorite brother, but I think I understand what Aileen loves about him. And I appreciate that he actually gets to show growth here.
After the dismal downward, hopeless spiral that was Hart's section, I appreciate seeing some forward, upward momentum.
Of course, we'll see how well things go when Corin actually reaches Atvia. Next time.
This chapter tells us that Corin ends up haunted by the dream (of Brennan appearing and taking Aileen from him) for days. He tries to ignore it, but "[w]hen he looked at Aileen, he saw the woman who had recited the Cheysuli vows with him before the Lion of Homana, defying Niall himself. And defying her betrothed as much as Corin did himself."
That's a lot of projection over a woman that you just met. Maybe you should find out how she feels.
Especially as, from the sound of it, Corin's acting something like a dick at the moment:
Theirs was an uneasy companionship at best. Aileen hosted him with as much hospitality as she could muster in the name of her absent father, but the uninhibited generosity was gone. She eyed him warily at times, like a dog with an unkind master; other times she relegated him to obscurity, too busy to pay him mind. But occasionally he saw an odd sort of compassion in her eyes, as if she began to understand him and what made him the man he was.
But let's be honest here, there's not much of a love triangle if Aileen doesn't actually like him, so:
At last the dream lost its immediacy, freeing him to relax, and Aileen responded at once, as if she had been waiting.
The relationship changed. The companionship deepened. They shared the things good friends shared, things kin shared, things he shared only with Keely. But he sensed a bond between them that superseded mere kinship, much as the one with Keely. With Aileen he was another man, freed of resentments and irritability; freed of the insecurity of being the third-born son. Here there was only Corin. No Brennan. No Hart. No ranking according to birth. Here there was merely Corin—Corin and Aileen, who saw what he was and cherished it. As much as he cherished her.
Well, it's kind of convenient that he just stops being a dick and she immediately accepts that, but okay. We've got a lot to get through.
So anyway, it's now been FOUR WEEKS since his arrival. Aileen takes him out to "celebrate". When she tells him some story about her brother, he "glorie[s] in the banishment of the dream that had so plagued him." He thinks, free of it, he's also free of his brother.
At least until Aileen ruins it and actually asks about her intended fiance. Is he much like Corin?
"No," Corin said curtly.
She waited for more. When he gave her nothing, she looked at him directly. "D'ye hate him so much, then?"
He opened his mouth to refute the question at once.
But nothing came out. Nothing at all; the denial died acoming. He had never thought of it as hatred; even now he felt the word incorrect. But he would lie to her no more than to himself.
"He is my brother." Purposely, he used Homanan in place of Cheysuli.
Ooof. Well, I mean, there's no reason that siblings have to get along. But there is something harsh about that.
Aileen notes that kinship has little to do with like and dislike. She's a selfless girl at heart:
"I asked for me." Aileen said quietly, "thinking of myself. But now I ask for Corin."
He looked at her sharply. And then at once away; he could not bear to see the compassion in her eyes.
This spurs honesty from Corin. No, he doesn't hate his brother. He dislikes him, but dislikes himself more because he gave into it. She asks why. Corin says, because Brennan is Brennan.
Aileen laughs and asks if Brennan is truly that bad, and Corin tries to be a decent person here:
"No. He is truly so good." He shook his head, feeling a vague sense of guilt. Only Keely really knew how he felt, because of their birth-link, and because she shared a measure of his resentment. She and Brennan were no closer than he and Brennan, although she was less bothered by troublesome resentments. Corin thought it was because Keely, being a woman, knew there was no chance she might inherit the Lion; in Corin's case, he was prevented only by the order of his birth. "I should say nothing more, Aileen ... he is your betrothed, and it does no good to color your opinions of him when you should form them fairly."
Aileen laughs and suggests that Corin doesn't dislike Brennan as much as he thinks, or he wouldn't be defending him here. And true, but I think that's kind of the problem. Corin doesn't dislike Brennan because of personality (at least not in the same way Keely does). He dislikes Brennan due to jealousy. And indeed, he elaborates:
"Since I can remember, it was always Brennan this, Brennan that . . . Brennan, the Mujhar's son; Brennan, the Prince of Homana; Brennan, heir to the Lion. Part of the past and of the future: Cheysuli and Homanan." He slanted her a glance, fearful he might offend her, but saw only that she listened without judging. "All my life he has been held up as an example of what a man can and should be—what I could be if I tried!—and I am so weary of it. If he had earned it, I would not care so much, but it is because of his birth . . . because he was born first—" He broke off, stripping tawny hair out of stinging eyes. "It might have been Hart. Hart might have come first, and then he would be heir to Homana"
Egads, there's a thought.
But it's probably worth unpacking the "if he had earned it" line. Because on one hand, Corin's absolutely right. Brennan is the oldest legitimate sibling and the oldest son. That was an accident of birth. But they're ALL princes here. ALL of them are significant only because of an accident of birth. Even the vaunted Keely is significant only because she's the Princess of Homana (contrasted with poor Maeve, who hasn't even been mentioned in Hart or Corin's parts at all.)
"Earning" is an interesting prospect though. Because per Hart, Brennan is the only sibling that actually bothered attending meetings and learning the skills that he's supposed to know. He's apparently built up enough of a reputation that Tarron speaks well of him, in contrast with Hart. Corin's not as stupid as Hart is, thank god, but what has HE done to earn his own position, let alone Brennan's.
Aileen asks if that's the point of resentment: that Corin wasn't first born. Corin admits it's true, he wants Homana. Aileen points out that he'll be getting Atvia. Corin thinks it's a poor substitute. And to be fair, that's probably true.
But Aileen has a pretty significant question here:
Slowly she lowered her arm. "D'ye want it because you want it? Or because your brother will have it?"
He stared at her. He had never considered that view of his desire. He knew only that for as long as he could remember, he had wanted Brennan's place.
And that's a really interesting question. I pointed out last chapter, and touched on it here: we haven't seen any indication that Corin has done any real work to prove that he's worthy of Homana. He's not been to councils or tried to become involved in governing the way that his brother has. He's not, as far we know, gotten involved with common people aside from drinking at a tavern. (Possibly for the best, considering...) DOES Corin really want HOMANA?
Or is it more because the Prince of Homana is the "most important" as he said last chapter?
Corin finds himself wondering: if he had what Brennan has, would he be content, or would he search for new ways to be happy?
Corin admits that he wants power, freedom, contentment, and mostly, he just wants to be himself without being measured against his brothers. And that's fair, I think. I've said before that I may like Brennan best of the three, but I feel like he'd be really difficult to have as a sibling.
Aileen notes that it's not so much. Corin's not much of a greedy man. No, but he is a bit of a selfish one. It'd be nice if we got to hear more about what AILEEN wants. But to be fair, I think that's a trait shared by all three brothers. I just mind it more here because I really like Aileen and I want to hear more about her.
Corin is uneasy about Atvia, and that's something I find a lot more sympathetic than his brother-angst. If anything, I think he's underplaying the danger when he says that Atvia is a land of strangers, old hatreds and resentments. He won't be welcome there.
You might be a sitting fucking DUCK there. When Bronwyn went there, she got murdered. Ian was raped and enslaved. Niall mind-whammied. You don't even know if the Ihlini are STILL THERE. Maybe you should use some of this time that you're hanging out with Aileen to find out???
(I'd like to think that if Corin stuck around, Niall would have sent him with soldiers, since Niall is not a fucking idiot.)
Aileen suggests that he look at it like a challenge: he can go in as a foreign prince and come out as a beloved king. He asks what king is beloved, but Aileen has an answer: her father. And, Corin admits, his own father too.
So now, we finally get a look into what Aileen wants:
Aileen stared into the distances, seemingly lost in thought. Her voice, when she spoke, was quiet, but he heard the subtleties in her tone as loudly as if she shouted.
"If Brennan is anything like you, perhaps I can be content."
...and that might be a problem.
Corin immediately protests: Brennan is nothing like him, and Aileen should be grateful for it. Well, dude, it's not like you've explained any of his GOOD qualities...
"Why?" Now she looked at him. "Should I be grateful because he lacks your complexities? Because he lacks your depth of emotions? Lacks your passion?" Her eyes did not waver. "Should I be grateful because there is no need for him to say what is in his heart?"
"And if the heart is black—'
"Not black," she said quietly. "Only bruised by childhood resentments, and I'm thinking those can be easily banished."
I do like this bit, because while it's obvious, immediately, why Corin falls for Aileen, it's a bit less clear why she's into him. We started with him acting like a dick and then immediately jump four weeks into the future. And thus far, all we've basically seen is her acting as his agony aunt.
This helps a little. She thinks he's complicated, passionate, and with deep emotions - and willing to say what's in his heart. There's no accounting for taste, but I can understand.
And unfortunately, those aren't the traits that Brennan is particularly good at exhibiting. So yeah.
Corin does elaborate on Brennan's better qualities here, and to be fair, they seem reasonably accurate to the man we've seen so far:
Corin shook his head. "Brennan is more suited to the Lion. He thinks before he speaks, speaks before he acts, then acts responsibly. He understands what makes a man feel the way he does, and respects that man for his feelings. He listens—" Abruptly, Corin broke off. And then he began to laugh. "Oh, gods, woman—do you see what you have done? From telling you why I dislike my rujholli I am become his champion!"
Thoughtful, responsible, cautious and deliberate are good traits for a king, I think. But they're not necessarily traits that are going to appeal to a woman who is interested in passionate and dramatic.
Aileen agrees with me, stating that she doesn't think Brennan needs a champion, and that Homana's loss is Atvia's gain.
...eh, I'm not sure I'd go THAT far. But Corin's not Hart, at least.
Corin disagrees, but admits, outloud, that his own loss is Brennan's gain. Except that he can't lose what he never had.
And we do reach an important, if quiet, character milestone here:
They stared at one another for a long moment, unable to look away, knowing only that he had said what was better left unsaid, between them; between the woman meant for his brother and the man who wanted her for himself, even as he had wanted so many things Brennan had. But this time, this time, he wanted less to win her away than simply to win her, period.
It is an important distinction. Aileen puts her trembling hand in his and apologizes. He recites the tahlmorra line (Tahlmorra lujhalla mei wiccan, cheysu), and acknowledges that he can't change his fate any more than he can change his birth order.
I mean, dude, given the length of time for the voyage - even if it was weeks, rather than months, added to the four weeks you've spent in Erinn...you might well BE the oldest sibling by now.
(And that's kind of the weakness of this split story structure. On one hand, it gives us a decent idea of time passing. Which will be important for the next part, that brings all the threads together. But I feel like it would be easier to get invested in Corin and Aileen as a couple if it was presented at the same time as Brennan and Rhiannon's interaction. Because they're all basically guilty of the same misbehavior. But it hits a little differently when we know that Corin's romantic rival is basically being tortured while this is going on.
But, then, that's assuming that Corin is going to be a hero in this story. Maybe he'll see other possibilities here...)
Corin has another dream: he's before the Iron Throne. But his father isn't there. Instead, it's Brennan. And Corin tells him, politely, (even calling him "my lord") that he wishes to steal Brennan's queen.
He wakes up, in turmoil. He thinks he's going mad. Kiri says he's not. He's just losing sleep. And he is. He considers sleeping with a servant girl, to try to banish the dreams, but decides against it. Unfortunately, he doesn't want one of Aileen's women. He wants Aileen.
Corin considers going to Atvia now. But he knows he won't. As long as Liam's gone, he has an excuse to wait. No one could suspect his real motives, not even Aileen.
He sleeps again:
"My lord," he said politely, "I wish to steal your queen."
In his hand there was a sword—
...that could be a problem.
He's jarred out of his thoughts by Aileen. Apparently he'd been dozing. After sharing a meal and exchanging favorite stories and childhood games. Because this is the wisest thing to do when you're already falling for someone who isn't your intended spouse.
He's curt and pacing, and I'd wonder what Aileen sees in that, but well. Passionate and brooding type. Hmph.
He asks if Liam will never come home. Aileen says, finally, that she could send for him. She hadn't yet, because Corin hadn't said there was urgency. There is now.
"You came unknowing," she said, "intending nothing. I received you in place of my father, offering nothing more than courtesy. And, eventually, compassion and understanding. From that grows the vine that tangles us in its thorns."
"Then I will cut us free."
Aileen's smile was bittersweet. "Will you, now? But how?"
"By telling you the message I have for Liam is that the betrothal is to end." He saw the whitening of her face."A wedding is desired; Brennan requires an heir."
I appreciate you wanting to do the honorable thing, Corin, but you're also kind of throwing your brother under the bus here. It's Niall's choice. Not Brennan's.
Aileen is hurt by this, saying that this is a sharp knife - sharper than the thorns. Corin says Brennan will bind her wounds. She asks who'll bind his.
And then...
"No," she said, “no. I'm wanting no cruelty from one another, nor for one another. Ah, Corin—will ye hold me? I've been wanting it so long—“
He held her, as she asked, thinking he might fool himself into believing he did it only because she asked, but he knew better. He knew. He was lost, and so was she.
And so was their innocence.
Oh dear.
And of course, NOW is when Liam strolls into the room. We get a description:
Liam grinned and strode into the chamber, parting the sea of dogs. He was a big man, a strong man, with Deirdre's brass-bright hair and Aileen's green eyes; wind-chafed, weather-bumed, hardened from years of war-fare. He was fifty, Corin knew, but the years did not weigh him down.
Okay, so Liam is fifty. This is good for me to remember, because I feel like, at some point, there's going to be some confused Atvia/Erinn timing. I don't remember exactly what it is, though. Hopefully, I'll remember this when it comes up?
Liam reaches an awkward conclusion:
"So, have you come to woo my lass?" Liam strode to a table and poured wine. "Or is she already won?" He grinned and raised his cup. "To Brennan and Aileen, future king and queen of Homana."
Oops. Corin briefly considers pulling a Hart and running with it. (Hart would, Corin thinks, to win a wager. Hah, probably.) But Aileen is worth more than that.
He comes clean. He's not Brennan. Liam, understandably, wants to know why the hell he's kissing Liam's daughter. Oops.
Corin explains his own identity. And well, this is a bit funny:
"Corin," Liam said finally. "That much I know from Niall's letters." He flicked a glance past Corin to Aileen and his mouth tautened. "Well, lad, have you come to tell me Brennan and Hart are dead, and you are heir to the Lion?" His tone was harsh. "I'll accept no other explanation for why you would take the liberty of kissing Brennan's betrothed."
I mean...given where the other parts left off, this could easily be true. But news travels slowly in this world. Remember, it took an entire book almost for Niall to find out the Erinnish royal family still lived.
Aileen has something to say though:
"Will you take this one?" Aileen spoke for the first time since Liam had entered the room. She moved forward to stand by Corin, facing her father even as he did, but with less courtesy. "Will you accept it when I say I'll be taking Corin in place of Brennan?"
Corin snapped his head around to stare at her in shock, Liam's brows rose. "Will you?" he asked mildly. "D'ye think it so easy, then?"
Corin had expected more than that from him. But when he looked back at Liam, he saw the light tone did not entirely dispell the intentness of his manner. He put Corin in mind of a mountain cat feigning indolence until it was time to leap. But who is prey? he wondered uneasily. Aileen, or myself?
"Not easy," Aileen said, "but right. I know it was a political thing, the betrothal ... I have no quarrel with that. But I'm saying we need only wed me to Corin in place of Brennan."
I mean, technically she's right. Liam is going to pay lip service to the prophecy here in a moment, but that was the reason for betrothing Sean to Keely. Aileen's betrothal was proposed as an answer to Deirdre's lost honor. Niall promised Shea that his granddaughter will be Queen of Homana. Liam COULD probably alter the terms.
And, as Aileen points out, this could have other positive effects: Corin will be king of Atvia. If Aileen becomes Queen of Atvia, they could reinforce the peace between the realms. (It hadn't worked, admittedly, when Alaric's sister married Shea, but Corin and Liam are different people than their predecessors.)
Liam notes that the peace is for others, when Alaric and he are dead. Well, really, only Alaric. I don't think Liam would have an issue with Corin regardless. It also occurs to me that I don't actually remember who GETS the "Lord of the Idrian Isles" title in the end. I suppose by Tapestry of the Lions it won't really matter.
Aileen also points out that this doesn't need to alter anything. She and Brennan have never met or even corresponded...which seems like something their parents ought to have had them do! Why don't any of these betrothed pairs write to each other??? There are other princesses that Brennan could marry.
But then we get this:
Liam looked down at his dogs. "I could write Niall," he said absently. "I could write him . . . could be telling him the very things you've told me ... perhaps it could be arranged—" he looked up from his dogs, "—but then 'twould be the end of the prophecy ... the end of the Cheysuli."
And as I said before, that's nonsense. There's nothing that requires Aileen specifically to marry into the royal line. (For one thing, they've already GOT Erinnish blood through Alix's grandmother! But we've known for a while that Roberson forgot about that...)
Brennan could marry another Erinnish woman. Or his child could be betrothed to Corin and Aileen's child. What's more cousin fucking after all. OR, Brennan could pull a Carillon and name a nephew as an heir. Corin and Brennan have exactly the same blood, after all.
I'm torn again, because on one hand, I feel like this might work better if, again, it was in tandem with Brennan's developing relationship with Rhiannon. Because then, we might be able to entertain the solution of the brothers marrying their true loves instead. On the other hand, I do rather like the darker implications here.
"Because—" he gestured emptily. "Because it has to do with how the blood is mixed. Brennan is Homanan, Solindish and Atvian. You are Erinnish." He sighed. "The prophecy requires—"
"But you have all those bloodlines, Corin!"
"But I am not the Prince of Homana!"
I still think this argument is nonsensical. BUT what it does is give Corin a reason to want the Homanan throne beyond just jealousy over his brother's status and importance. He wants it as a means to win the woman he loves.
And, well, there might be some sudden vacancies. Corin is the only prince as yet uncaptured...
Aileen still doesn't understand, but even if Liam's a bit fuzzy on how the prophecy works, he gets Cheysuli. And Cheysuli honor and determination. He tells her to ask Corin outright.
After a moment, Aileen turned to Corin. "D'ye say you're not wanting me?"
She would never be beautiful, but he was blinded by her pride; by the brilliance of her spirit. "You showed me what it was to look out of myself to others," he told her gently. "You showed me how to be myself, not judging myself against others, or what others wanted of me. You taught me to be free in spirit if not in body, bowing to necessity, and to accept the latter with grace." He smiled a little. "Lastily, you taught me to love my brother, and for that I am very grateful. Leijhana tu'sai, meijhana . . . but I cannot steal his queen."
Corin is an honorable man at heart. Aileen leaves, in despair.
Liam has his own thought:
After a moment, Liam put a large hand on Corin's shoulder and gripped it briefly, then released him. "Until this moment I never regretted what Niall and I did, promising sons and daughters to one another. 'Tis the way of royal houses; the requirements of rank." He picked up Corin's forgotten cup of wine and put it into his hands. "But it seems we dealt too lightly with unborn souls."
Corin, staring into his wine, delivers the message: the wedding is to go forth.
He does NOT, it might be noted, bring up Keely and Sean. Really dude?
Liam has learned from Shea in one sense. He urges Corin to go to Aileen and say goodbye. Corin does.
And it's pretty emotionally heart-wrenching. Aileen wants to be alone, she says. Or rather, she wants Corin to say he'd take her anyway. Corin admits that he wants her. But he believes that if he turns his back on kin and tahlmorra, she'd eventually hate him.
And well, he might be right. She doesn't much care or know about "tahlmorra", but we've seen how she talks about kin. And she has her own measure of honor. He knows that while there are women who'd be pleased to see a man make that sacrifice in their names, she wouldn't be.
Aileen admits that it's true. And now she gets to lament:
Aileen swore bitterly and banged the wall with her fist. "Why is it," she cried, "why is it I meddle where I should not? Why is it I took it into my head to ease a man's pain, to show him what it is to know contentment within oneself?" Slowly she shook her head. "If I'd left you alone, never trying to understand you, never trying to ease that pain, we'd not be in this coil!"
"Why is it you took it into your head to show me that underneath all my childish resentment, I really care for Brennan?" Corin sighed and rubbed aching eyes with rigid fingers. "Well, we have fashioned me into someone I can live with, and now I must live without you."
Aileen vows bitterly that every time she looks at Brennan, she'll think of Corin. Even in bed. Eek. Corin doesn't like that either. He urges her not to punish them both.
All the anguish was in her face, but so was her pride. "And when I call him by your name?"
Corin shook his head. "Aileen, I swear, when you meet Brennan you will understand. You will never mistake him for me. We are so different, so very different . . . temperament, coloring, preferences ... so many other things." He swallowed tightly. "I promise you, Aileen, it will not be an empty marriage."
She jerked her wrists away. "I might prefer it that way."
All the pain rose up. "Do you think I want that?" he cried. "Do you think I want to spend my life knowing you hate every moment with my rujholli, when there is nothing for me to do? No, Aileen. I would sooner believe you content enough than living your life in sorrow, lost in some futile hope that someday I might come. It would twist you, twist me ... it would destroy any hope of happiness for either one of us."
Aw. This really is a good beat for Corin. He's got his faults, but he's got honor, passion, and he genuinely loves Aileen. Enough to let her go and want her to be happy.
Aileen wishes she could soften him, but knows that she would be destroying the thing she loves. Aw. She leaves to pack.
Corin does an angst sit against the battlements, until Liam comes to fetch him. They leave Kilore, with an escort of dogs, and Kiri, to a grassy stone altar. Liam reminisces on how Niall leaves, and then, points out something else:
Corin is going to be king of Atvia one day. They should talk about trade and treaties while they have the time.
Whoa. Is this an ACTUAL lesson in kingship? In this book? Corin goes with him, and the chapter ends.
I really liked this part, I have to admit. I am not generally interested in love triangles, and I'm still not. But as an examination of what this idiot arrangement has done to these characters? Yes. And I'm glad to see Corin getting some much needed development outside of his jealousy and temper. He's still not my favorite brother, but I think I understand what Aileen loves about him. And I appreciate that he actually gets to show growth here.
After the dismal downward, hopeless spiral that was Hart's section, I appreciate seeing some forward, upward momentum.
Of course, we'll see how well things go when Corin actually reaches Atvia. Next time.
What did I miss?
Date: 2023-09-12 10:07 am (UTC)Alix: Let's see how my successors fare! I was busy fighting a whole army on my own while infiltrating a giant flagship, and thus missed episodes.
At last the dream lost its immediacy, freeing him to relax, and Aileen responded at once, as if she had been waiting.
The relationship changed. The companionship deepened. They shared the things good friends shared, things kin shared, things he shared only with Keely. But he sensed a bond between them that superseded mere kinship, much as the one with Keely. With Aileen he was another man, freed of resentments and irritability; freed of the insecurity of being the third-born son. Here there was only Corin. No Brennan. No Hart. No ranking according to birth. Here there was merely Corin—Corin and Aileen, who saw what he was and cherished it. As much as he cherished her.
Alix: Too convenient, but any healthy relationship is still way above everything I was stuck with.
"I asked for me." Aileen said quietly, "thinking of myself. But now I ask for Corin."
He looked at her sharply. And then at once away; he could not bear to see the compassion in her eyes.
Alix: Our women have always been awesome.
Corin is going to be king of Atvia one day. They should talk about trade and treaties while they have the time.
Whoa. Is this an ACTUAL lesson in kingship? In this book? Corin goes with him, and the chapter ends.
Pan: I would add "Don't risk everything in a game of chance when the stakes are too high", but that's too general and basic.
Alix: Yes, kingship is about treaties, economies, leadership, responsibilities... certainly NOT blindly following prophecies! That can make you a puppet to selfish priests... or some threats I am currently dealing with.
Re: What did I miss?
Date: 2023-09-12 01:29 pm (UTC)And I agree with Alix about Corin and Aileen. It is definitely better than the bullshit she dealt with.
no subject
Date: 2024-09-13 06:02 pm (UTC)But that would involve maturity and communication, and that doesn't happen much in this series. (Also Corin still has time left on his banishment, Niall might not look kindly on him returning early with Aileen to spoil Brennan's wedding, even if Brennan immediately supports it. And Corin has no way of knowing that Niall would probably welcome a son returning home safely, with Brennan long missing and likely to get news of Hart before Corin arrives.)
no subject
Date: 2024-09-13 06:46 pm (UTC)But yeah, this situation seems like there are multiple potential solutions. I do appreciate that I don't immediately want to hit any of them over the head for missing an obvious one though.