Daughter of the Lion - Chapter One
Apr. 14th, 2024 08:15 pm![[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, I went through the introduction and cleverly managed to avoid expending any real effort. But laziness doesn't last forever. So let's get started!
So we start out a bit ominously.
I was aware of eyes, watching me. Marking every step, every feint, my every riposte with the sword. Thinking, no doubt, I was mad; or did she wish she were in my place?
She had come before to watch me practice against the arms-master. Saying nothing, sitting quietly on a bench with heavy skirts spilling over her legs.
Is this ominous because of the unknown watcher? Or ominous because of the faint waft of "not like other girls" in the air?
Actually, the truth is that I don't really mind when a female character gets the "not like other girls" treatment to some extent. Main characters are special, that's why they're the main characters. And let's be honest here, while there's nothing wrong with the traditional feminine arts, they're generally not as fun to read about as sword-fights.
The trick is to find the balance of celebrating a female character for her more exciting interests without being dismissive or derogatory toward the female characters who are more traditional. And this series is already on a bit of thin ice for the way every single character, except Brennan, treated Maeve in the last book.
Keely tells us that she usually wasn't bothered by her audience, but she's noticing something different this time: desperation.
I DO like this. Empathy is a welcome trait in a protagonist in this series, and one that, at least until recently, has been rare.
It distracts Keely though, and her opponent, Griffon, defeats her. She, rather uncharacteristically, accepts the defeat because she wants to see what's wrong.
Her audience is Aileen. And it's not entirely clear how much of what Keely observes here is factual versus projection:
She watched me come in silence, saying nothing with her mouth but screaming with her eyes. Green Erinnish eyes, born of an island kingdom very far from my own. But born into similar circumstances; bound by similar rules.
We get a bit more description here:
Aileen of Erinn, now Princess of Homana, looked up at me as I stopped. Standing, we are similar in height; Cheysuli are taller than other races, but she comes of the House of Eagles, where men are often giants. But she is red-haired to my tawny, green-eyed to my blue. Equally outspoken, but without knowing the frustration I so often faced, because we wanted different things.
Aileen doesn't stand up, and Keely realizes what this means:
"By all the gods," I said, "he has you breeding again!"
I had not meant it to come out so baldly, not to Aileen, whom I liked, and whom I preferred not to harm with hasty words. But I am not a person who thinks much before speaking, being ruled by temper and tongue-; inwardly I cursed myself as I saw the flinch in her eyes.
Actually, I like this a lot. One of Roberson's strengths as an author is that she allows her characters to be flawed. She went a little too far with the rapists in her earlier books, but Niall, Ian, Brennan, Hart and Corin all hit a pretty good balance. (My issues with Hart were more about the narrative not giving him space to grow out of his flaws, but the man himself was tolerable.)
In two pages, we get that Keely is both empathetic and more than a little self-centered. She doesn't mean to hurt Aileen, but she's definitely not being sensitive here.
And because I really enjoyed the resolution for Brennan and Aileen in the last book, I am gratified by this:
And then her chin came up. I saw the line of her jaw harden, that strong Erinnish jaw, and knew for all she was wife to the Prince of Homana, he did not precisely rule her.
But then, being Brennan, I knew he would not try.
Brennan has a really interesting role in this book, as I recall. Almost adversarial, in a way. And so I appreciate little bits like this that remind us that the conflict isn't cut and dry.
For her part, Aileen merely notes that "In Erinn, bairns often follow the bedding." And that the same holds true in Homana.
Keely dismisses her combat partner, telling him to come back tomorrow. She's a bit too blunt about it, and he visibly takes offense, which she regrets. The man is her father's arms-master, and doesn't really owe her anything. He's apparently training her because he lost a bet with her.
But right now, Keely thinks Aileen's welfare is more important than Griffon's feelings. She goes on the offensive.
"He might have waited," I said curtly. "He has a son already, and you nearly dead of that." Grimly I caught up a soft cloth, cleaned the blade, drove it home into its sheath. "You have been wed but eighteen months, and a child of it already. Now there will be another?" I shook my head, speaking through my teeth. It was their business, not mine, but I could not help myself; Brennan and I are not, always, friends. "Aileen, he gives you no time—"
" Twas not entirely up to him," she told me sharply, giving me back my tone but in her Erinnish lilt. "D'ye think I had no say in the matter? D'ye think I'd let him take me against my will, or that he would try?" Aileen rose, absently shaking the rucked up folds out of her skirts. "Are ye forgetting, then, that women can want the bedding, too?"
Keely's response is interesting:
It silenced me, as she meant it to. Aileen and I are close, nearly kinspirits, and she knows how strongly I feel about women being made to do certain things merely because they are women. She knows also I have little interest in bedding, being more concerned with freedom. In body as well as in mind.
Sadly, I don't THINK we're supposed to read Keely as asexual, but it would definitely be a fascinating character beat. But we'll see. The last time I read this book, asexuality wasn't really on my radar. It would be some time before I figured things out for myself. It'll be interesting to see if that affects how I read Keely.
It's also interesting how Keely herself internalizes the sexism of the setting. The idea that Aileen might be consenting partner doesn't really seem to have occurred to her. And she puts the bulk of the responsibility onto her brother:
"He might have waited," I said again. "And you might have let him."
She smiled. Aileen's smile lights up a hall; it lighted the chamber now. "He might have," she agreed, "and I might have, as well. But we were neither of us thinking of anything more than the moment's pleasure . . . 'twill come to you, one day, no matter what you think."
For my part, I'm rather happy to see that the couple I was rooting for at the end of Pride of Princes seems to have found a good equilibrium with each other. At least enough to enjoy consensual sex, without necessarily intending to result in (another?) pregnancy.
As it turns out, Aileen's pregnant with twins, born in six months time. Keely's shocked, but Aileen points out that twins run in the family: Brennan and Hart, Corin and Keely.
Which raises two issues for me. Because first: twins really aren't a family trait as far as we know. This generation was the first time it's happened. Duncan, Alix, Carillon, Donal, Aislinn, Niall and Gisella are all single births, as far as we know. (I suppose it's possible Duncan might have had a twin, but it was never mentioned.)
Furthermore, I'm pretty sure I read somewhere that twins tend to be a matter of female line. But then again, this is a series where genetic heritage seems to be a little different from ours. (How DOES Gisella look Cheysuli when Bronwyn was pale enough to be mistaken for Ihlini and Alaric is Atvian?)
Anyway, Aileen's not as sanguine about this as she looks though, and Keely puts it into words as to why: she'd nearly died giving birth to Aidan, her and Brennan's first and thus far only child.
Keely, being rather insensitive, decides to yell at the pregnant woman:
I could barely stifle a shout. "By the gods, Aileen, you nearly bled to death! What do the physicians say to that?"
It wiped the forced gaiety from her face. "D'ye think I don't know?" she cried. "D'ye think I rejoiced when they told me?" Such white, white flesh set in the frame of brilliant red hair; such green, frightened eyes, now dilated black. " 'Twas all I could do not to vomit from the fear . . . not to disgrace myself before them, even as I saw the looks in their eyes. They are afraid, too . . . but heirs are worth the risk, and Aidan is oversmall and sickly. There's a need for other sons." Fingers clutched the folds of her skirts. "Gods, Keely, what am I to do?"
And to be honest, I love that Keely has the advice that she does: abort them. There are herbs that can make someone miscarry.
It's very rare that I've seen abortion come up in a feminist novel. And it makes perfect sense that Keely would bring it up now.
Aileen is horrified by the thought though. She can't believe that Keely would suggest aborting her children. Keely's calculation is clear: she'd rather keep Aileen than the babies. This leads into Keely's own preference, or lack thereof for children:
"Babies require things," I said. "Things such as constant responsibility . . . they steal time and freedom, robbing you of choice. They are parasites of the soul."
"Keely!"
I sighed, knowing how callous it sounded; knowing also I meant it. "All my life I have fought for my freedom. I fight for it every day. And I will lose what I have won the moment I conceive."
" T’isn't true!" she cried. "Have I lost my freedom?"
"Have you?" I countered. "Before you left Erinn and came here to Homana—before you fell in love with Corin—before you married Brennan . . . what was your life like?"
So here, I'm kind of torn. A reaction I remember having to Keely a lot. Because philosophically, and as a non-binary aroace and very childfree person myself, I'm completely in agreement with Keely here.
But this is not the conversation to have with a very frightened pregnant woman. Aileen is also being a bit insensitive, of course, as she really can't conceive of how strongly Keely feels about the issue, or how afraid she is. But she's also the woman who's just learned she has a life-threatening condition. So she gets more slack.
Also though, Keely believes that Aileen doesn't respond because she will lose the battle. I'm not sure I agree with that. I remember the conversation between Brennan and Aileen at the end of Pride of Princes. And it seemed to me that it was a very clear choice on both of their ends.
But Keely's on a roll now:
"On the day you lay down with Brennan, Aidan was conceived," I said. "And from that day you became more than a woman, more than you', you became the vessel that housed Homana, because one day that child would be Mujhar. Your value was based solely on that, not on you, not on Aileen . . . but on that child—that bairn, as you would say— because babies born into royal houses are more than merely babies." I shrugged. "They are coin to barter with, just as you and I were before we were even born." I pulled my braid over one shoulder and played absently with the ends below the thong. It needed washing, like the rest of me. "I have no affection for babies; I would sooner do without."
Keely's not wrong about the first part really. And it's a big issue in this series. Pride of Princes is possibly the first book that bothered to give the female love interest a life of her own, and preferences that might not align with what was expected of her.
I'm still angry that Aislinn died off page, with no role in the story without her husband. And when I think about Sorcha and Gisella, I get even more irked.
The problem is, I'm not sure how much of this is lip service by Roberson or if this is a sign that the rest of the series will improve. Keely getting this book is a step in the right direction, but it won't help if the series reverts afterward.
Aileen suggests that Keely will feel differently when wed to Sean, which leads to a spat with both women being cruel:
She sounded so certain. So certain, in fact, it fanned unacknowledged resentment into too-hasty speech. "And how does it feel, Aileen, to lie in one man's bed—to bear that man his children—while loving yet another?"
Aileen jumped to her feet. "Ye skilfin!" she cried. "Will ye throw that in my face? Will ye speak to me of things ye cannot understand, being but half a woman—" And abruptly, on a strangled cry of shock, she clamped her hands over her mouth. "Oh, Keely ... oh, Keely, I swear ... I swear—"
"—you did not mean it?" Emptily, I shrugged. "I have heard it said before. To me and about me." I pressed myself up from the floor, brushing off the seat of my training leathers. "If I am considered half a woman simply because I prefer to be myself, not an appendage of a man—nor a mother to his children— then so be it. I am Keely . . . and that is all that counts."
Aileen asks if she'll say that to Sean. Yes, of course.
"As I have said it to you, I will say it to your brother." I crossed the chamber to the door, which Griffon had pointedly closed. "I am not a liar, Aileen, nor one who admires deception. I was never asked if I wanted to marry, but was betrothed before my birth ... I was never asked if, being a woman, I wanted to bear children. It was simply assumed . . . and that, my lady princess, is what I hate most of all." I paused, my hand on the latch, and turned to face her fully. "But you would know." I spoke more quietly now; it was not Aileen with whom I was angry. "You should know, being made to wed the oldest of Niall's sons when you would sooner have the youngest. You would know how it feels to have things arranged for you, simply because of your gender."
Again, Keely's absolutely right here. But it's interesting that she continues to do the same thing to Aileen that has been done to her: she makes assumptions.
Keely and Aileen are in the same position, after all. Except of course for Aileen's love triangle. And well, Keely's a lot fonder of her twin than she is for her dutiful older brother, so she looks at the resolution of that as yet another negative.
What does Aileen think though? That's an open question. The only fear/reluctance she expresses has to do with childbirth, not the marriage.
Sadly, Aileen doesn't get as sharp a retort here. Actually, it doesn't even make sense:
Straight red brows were lowered over an equally straight nose. She is not a beauty, Aileen, but anyone with half a mind sees past that to her fire. "I am not a slave," she said darkly, "and neither am I a fool. There are things in life we're made to do through no fault of our own, but because of necessity, regardless of gender . . . and that you should know, being a Cheysuli." She paused, assessing me; I wondered, as I so often did, if the brother was anything like the sister. "Or are you Homanan today? Ah, no—perhaps Atvian, instead." Aileen stood straight and tall before me, her pride a tangible thing. "It strikes me, my lady princess, that you are whatever you want to be whenever it takes your fancy. Whenever 'tis convenient."
Maybe it would make sense if poor Gisella had any opportunity to express any "Atvian" traits. But the big dichotomy is Homanan vs. Cheysuli. Keely, as mentioned in the last book, is very much associated with the Cheysuli side of her heritage.
Keely's response, however, hits on one of the flaws of this series and of the feminism in this book.
She meant it, I think, to sting. Instead, it made me laugh. "Aye," I agreed, "whatever I want to be. Woman, warrior, animal . . . and I thank the gods for that magic."
So here's the problem. This is a very empowering statement. FOR KEELY. But it doesn't apply to ANY other woman in this series.
Because here's the thing about Keely's affinity for Cheysuli culture. She wants to be Cheysuli, as a Cheysuli WARRIOR. NOT a Cheysuli woman.
That'd be fine, except the reason that she can do this is the shapechanging magic that she inherits from Alix. And she's the only one in this generation who gets it.
This would work, I think, if we saw that the lives of Cheysuli women in general were more egalitarian than they are for Homanan women. If, for example, there were some examples of female Cheysuli warriors. Sure, they don't have a lir, but the shapechange is not the reason why Keely's a good sword fighter. That's training. (And Cheysuli weapons tend toward knives and bows anyway, which require more agility than brute strength.)
But from what we've seen, Cheysuli women actually have FEWER rights than their Homanan or Erinnish counterparts:
1) Raissa, for example, was Hale's wife. He left her for a princess when their infant was days old. She had no support or anything from him because he was on the run, then she ended up a primary target of the qu'mahlin.
2) Alix refused to be Duncan's mistress and was brutalized by him. He used the threat that the council would force her to marry Finn as leverage against her. He also implied he could take their baby away.
3) Sorcha was incredibly unhappy as Donal's mistress to the point where she ended up killing herself as a means to attack Donal's wife.
4) Isolde had married Ceinn, only to be used in his own scheme to breed up a rival to the throne.
5) Maeve apparently had to get clan council permission to rescind her meijha vows against Tiernan when he went fucking traitor!
In contrast, Homanan light women, while scorned, got to choose their partners and keep their children. It's at least implied that Deirdre could go home if she wanted. Electra got parenting time (though that was plot-borne stupidity) after attempting regicide.
Keely's struggle is absolutely legitimate. And it's understandable that she'll use what outlet she has. But it is notable that her means of empowerment is one that not accessible to any other woman in the universe. Maeve doesn't have it. Gisella is the only other woman with this power, and she lacks the capacity to use it.
I'd feel differently, I think, if we'd heard about some other female Cheysuli becoming warriors. Even if they didn't get full recognition as such. Then Keely's power would be just another tool to help her in what she's doing already, rather than the reason why she, and she alone, isn't subject to these sexist, awful rules.
We get a patented clumsy Roberson transition here:
"Magic," Aileen repeated. "Aye, I was forgetting that—but so, I'm thinking, are you. Because with the magic that makes you a shapechanger comes the price you'll be having to pay. And someday, you'll be paying it. Your tahlmorra will see to that."
This leap really doesn't make sense. But I suppose it doesn't have to, because it leads into something far more significant:
I frowned. "What price?"
"Marriage," she said succinctly. "Marriage and motherhood; how else to forge the link the prophecy requires?"
I grinned at her. "Ah, but you have done that; you and my oldest rujholli. Aidan is the one. Aidan is the link. Aidan will be Mujhar."
Evenly, she said, "Aidan may die by nightfall."
So that's the other part of Aileen's burden. That's the other reason for her revulsion against the idea of aborting her twins. Because the one child she has already is sickly. And might die. And this is a setting that puts value on a woman's ability to have children.
Keely's horrified, noting again that Aileen could die here. Aileen doesn't disagree, noting that men go to war and women bear the children.
Keely notes that she would trade if she could. Yeah, me too. Aileen wonders about that, doubting Keely's ability to kill a man.
We end the chapter on a bleak note:
Slowly, Aileen smiled. And then she began to laugh as tears welled into her eyes. "So fierce," she said, "so proud ... and so very, very helpless. No less so than I."
Denial, I thought, was futile; I closed the door on her noise.
--
So far, I really like this. I like that it's complicated. Keely's right, in a lot of ways. But Aileen's not wrong either. Well, the points where she's allowed to articulate her side. I notice that while she challenges Keely's idea that she's lost her freedom, she really isn't given much opportunity to explain what she actually finds enjoyable or empowering about her marriage.
I appreciate that Aileen's issues don't seem to come from her marriage itself. Keely herself admits that her brother wouldn't try to "rule" Aileen. And Aileen seems happy enough to enjoy sex with her husband beyond the purpose of having heirs. (Though possibly someone needs to explain birth control to them.) Aileen's fear is childbirth.
And well, let's be honest, it's not like childbirth is any less dangerous for women who aren't married to princes.
That does not mean, of course, that Keely has to be happy about the idea of marrying Sean though. I still wonder though, why the hell hasn't Niall and Liam forced their kids to actually correspond with each other. They're going to be married after all!
Especially now, when Aileen is living in the Palace. Aileen presumably knows her brother, so she'd presumably know if he'd be a good match for someone as fiery and independent as Keely is. So why not write to him and have him reassure his fiancee?
You can still explore feminist themes even if your husband-to-be isn't an asshole. Assuming he's not, anyway...
Oh well, we'll maybe find out more next time.
So we start out a bit ominously.
I was aware of eyes, watching me. Marking every step, every feint, my every riposte with the sword. Thinking, no doubt, I was mad; or did she wish she were in my place?
She had come before to watch me practice against the arms-master. Saying nothing, sitting quietly on a bench with heavy skirts spilling over her legs.
Is this ominous because of the unknown watcher? Or ominous because of the faint waft of "not like other girls" in the air?
Actually, the truth is that I don't really mind when a female character gets the "not like other girls" treatment to some extent. Main characters are special, that's why they're the main characters. And let's be honest here, while there's nothing wrong with the traditional feminine arts, they're generally not as fun to read about as sword-fights.
The trick is to find the balance of celebrating a female character for her more exciting interests without being dismissive or derogatory toward the female characters who are more traditional. And this series is already on a bit of thin ice for the way every single character, except Brennan, treated Maeve in the last book.
Keely tells us that she usually wasn't bothered by her audience, but she's noticing something different this time: desperation.
I DO like this. Empathy is a welcome trait in a protagonist in this series, and one that, at least until recently, has been rare.
It distracts Keely though, and her opponent, Griffon, defeats her. She, rather uncharacteristically, accepts the defeat because she wants to see what's wrong.
Her audience is Aileen. And it's not entirely clear how much of what Keely observes here is factual versus projection:
She watched me come in silence, saying nothing with her mouth but screaming with her eyes. Green Erinnish eyes, born of an island kingdom very far from my own. But born into similar circumstances; bound by similar rules.
We get a bit more description here:
Aileen of Erinn, now Princess of Homana, looked up at me as I stopped. Standing, we are similar in height; Cheysuli are taller than other races, but she comes of the House of Eagles, where men are often giants. But she is red-haired to my tawny, green-eyed to my blue. Equally outspoken, but without knowing the frustration I so often faced, because we wanted different things.
Aileen doesn't stand up, and Keely realizes what this means:
"By all the gods," I said, "he has you breeding again!"
I had not meant it to come out so baldly, not to Aileen, whom I liked, and whom I preferred not to harm with hasty words. But I am not a person who thinks much before speaking, being ruled by temper and tongue-; inwardly I cursed myself as I saw the flinch in her eyes.
Actually, I like this a lot. One of Roberson's strengths as an author is that she allows her characters to be flawed. She went a little too far with the rapists in her earlier books, but Niall, Ian, Brennan, Hart and Corin all hit a pretty good balance. (My issues with Hart were more about the narrative not giving him space to grow out of his flaws, but the man himself was tolerable.)
In two pages, we get that Keely is both empathetic and more than a little self-centered. She doesn't mean to hurt Aileen, but she's definitely not being sensitive here.
And because I really enjoyed the resolution for Brennan and Aileen in the last book, I am gratified by this:
And then her chin came up. I saw the line of her jaw harden, that strong Erinnish jaw, and knew for all she was wife to the Prince of Homana, he did not precisely rule her.
But then, being Brennan, I knew he would not try.
Brennan has a really interesting role in this book, as I recall. Almost adversarial, in a way. And so I appreciate little bits like this that remind us that the conflict isn't cut and dry.
For her part, Aileen merely notes that "In Erinn, bairns often follow the bedding." And that the same holds true in Homana.
Keely dismisses her combat partner, telling him to come back tomorrow. She's a bit too blunt about it, and he visibly takes offense, which she regrets. The man is her father's arms-master, and doesn't really owe her anything. He's apparently training her because he lost a bet with her.
But right now, Keely thinks Aileen's welfare is more important than Griffon's feelings. She goes on the offensive.
"He might have waited," I said curtly. "He has a son already, and you nearly dead of that." Grimly I caught up a soft cloth, cleaned the blade, drove it home into its sheath. "You have been wed but eighteen months, and a child of it already. Now there will be another?" I shook my head, speaking through my teeth. It was their business, not mine, but I could not help myself; Brennan and I are not, always, friends. "Aileen, he gives you no time—"
" Twas not entirely up to him," she told me sharply, giving me back my tone but in her Erinnish lilt. "D'ye think I had no say in the matter? D'ye think I'd let him take me against my will, or that he would try?" Aileen rose, absently shaking the rucked up folds out of her skirts. "Are ye forgetting, then, that women can want the bedding, too?"
Keely's response is interesting:
It silenced me, as she meant it to. Aileen and I are close, nearly kinspirits, and she knows how strongly I feel about women being made to do certain things merely because they are women. She knows also I have little interest in bedding, being more concerned with freedom. In body as well as in mind.
Sadly, I don't THINK we're supposed to read Keely as asexual, but it would definitely be a fascinating character beat. But we'll see. The last time I read this book, asexuality wasn't really on my radar. It would be some time before I figured things out for myself. It'll be interesting to see if that affects how I read Keely.
It's also interesting how Keely herself internalizes the sexism of the setting. The idea that Aileen might be consenting partner doesn't really seem to have occurred to her. And she puts the bulk of the responsibility onto her brother:
"He might have waited," I said again. "And you might have let him."
She smiled. Aileen's smile lights up a hall; it lighted the chamber now. "He might have," she agreed, "and I might have, as well. But we were neither of us thinking of anything more than the moment's pleasure . . . 'twill come to you, one day, no matter what you think."
For my part, I'm rather happy to see that the couple I was rooting for at the end of Pride of Princes seems to have found a good equilibrium with each other. At least enough to enjoy consensual sex, without necessarily intending to result in (another?) pregnancy.
As it turns out, Aileen's pregnant with twins, born in six months time. Keely's shocked, but Aileen points out that twins run in the family: Brennan and Hart, Corin and Keely.
Which raises two issues for me. Because first: twins really aren't a family trait as far as we know. This generation was the first time it's happened. Duncan, Alix, Carillon, Donal, Aislinn, Niall and Gisella are all single births, as far as we know. (I suppose it's possible Duncan might have had a twin, but it was never mentioned.)
Furthermore, I'm pretty sure I read somewhere that twins tend to be a matter of female line. But then again, this is a series where genetic heritage seems to be a little different from ours. (How DOES Gisella look Cheysuli when Bronwyn was pale enough to be mistaken for Ihlini and Alaric is Atvian?)
Anyway, Aileen's not as sanguine about this as she looks though, and Keely puts it into words as to why: she'd nearly died giving birth to Aidan, her and Brennan's first and thus far only child.
Keely, being rather insensitive, decides to yell at the pregnant woman:
I could barely stifle a shout. "By the gods, Aileen, you nearly bled to death! What do the physicians say to that?"
It wiped the forced gaiety from her face. "D'ye think I don't know?" she cried. "D'ye think I rejoiced when they told me?" Such white, white flesh set in the frame of brilliant red hair; such green, frightened eyes, now dilated black. " 'Twas all I could do not to vomit from the fear . . . not to disgrace myself before them, even as I saw the looks in their eyes. They are afraid, too . . . but heirs are worth the risk, and Aidan is oversmall and sickly. There's a need for other sons." Fingers clutched the folds of her skirts. "Gods, Keely, what am I to do?"
And to be honest, I love that Keely has the advice that she does: abort them. There are herbs that can make someone miscarry.
It's very rare that I've seen abortion come up in a feminist novel. And it makes perfect sense that Keely would bring it up now.
Aileen is horrified by the thought though. She can't believe that Keely would suggest aborting her children. Keely's calculation is clear: she'd rather keep Aileen than the babies. This leads into Keely's own preference, or lack thereof for children:
"Babies require things," I said. "Things such as constant responsibility . . . they steal time and freedom, robbing you of choice. They are parasites of the soul."
"Keely!"
I sighed, knowing how callous it sounded; knowing also I meant it. "All my life I have fought for my freedom. I fight for it every day. And I will lose what I have won the moment I conceive."
" T’isn't true!" she cried. "Have I lost my freedom?"
"Have you?" I countered. "Before you left Erinn and came here to Homana—before you fell in love with Corin—before you married Brennan . . . what was your life like?"
So here, I'm kind of torn. A reaction I remember having to Keely a lot. Because philosophically, and as a non-binary aroace and very childfree person myself, I'm completely in agreement with Keely here.
But this is not the conversation to have with a very frightened pregnant woman. Aileen is also being a bit insensitive, of course, as she really can't conceive of how strongly Keely feels about the issue, or how afraid she is. But she's also the woman who's just learned she has a life-threatening condition. So she gets more slack.
Also though, Keely believes that Aileen doesn't respond because she will lose the battle. I'm not sure I agree with that. I remember the conversation between Brennan and Aileen at the end of Pride of Princes. And it seemed to me that it was a very clear choice on both of their ends.
But Keely's on a roll now:
"On the day you lay down with Brennan, Aidan was conceived," I said. "And from that day you became more than a woman, more than you', you became the vessel that housed Homana, because one day that child would be Mujhar. Your value was based solely on that, not on you, not on Aileen . . . but on that child—that bairn, as you would say— because babies born into royal houses are more than merely babies." I shrugged. "They are coin to barter with, just as you and I were before we were even born." I pulled my braid over one shoulder and played absently with the ends below the thong. It needed washing, like the rest of me. "I have no affection for babies; I would sooner do without."
Keely's not wrong about the first part really. And it's a big issue in this series. Pride of Princes is possibly the first book that bothered to give the female love interest a life of her own, and preferences that might not align with what was expected of her.
I'm still angry that Aislinn died off page, with no role in the story without her husband. And when I think about Sorcha and Gisella, I get even more irked.
The problem is, I'm not sure how much of this is lip service by Roberson or if this is a sign that the rest of the series will improve. Keely getting this book is a step in the right direction, but it won't help if the series reverts afterward.
Aileen suggests that Keely will feel differently when wed to Sean, which leads to a spat with both women being cruel:
She sounded so certain. So certain, in fact, it fanned unacknowledged resentment into too-hasty speech. "And how does it feel, Aileen, to lie in one man's bed—to bear that man his children—while loving yet another?"
Aileen jumped to her feet. "Ye skilfin!" she cried. "Will ye throw that in my face? Will ye speak to me of things ye cannot understand, being but half a woman—" And abruptly, on a strangled cry of shock, she clamped her hands over her mouth. "Oh, Keely ... oh, Keely, I swear ... I swear—"
"—you did not mean it?" Emptily, I shrugged. "I have heard it said before. To me and about me." I pressed myself up from the floor, brushing off the seat of my training leathers. "If I am considered half a woman simply because I prefer to be myself, not an appendage of a man—nor a mother to his children— then so be it. I am Keely . . . and that is all that counts."
Aileen asks if she'll say that to Sean. Yes, of course.
"As I have said it to you, I will say it to your brother." I crossed the chamber to the door, which Griffon had pointedly closed. "I am not a liar, Aileen, nor one who admires deception. I was never asked if I wanted to marry, but was betrothed before my birth ... I was never asked if, being a woman, I wanted to bear children. It was simply assumed . . . and that, my lady princess, is what I hate most of all." I paused, my hand on the latch, and turned to face her fully. "But you would know." I spoke more quietly now; it was not Aileen with whom I was angry. "You should know, being made to wed the oldest of Niall's sons when you would sooner have the youngest. You would know how it feels to have things arranged for you, simply because of your gender."
Again, Keely's absolutely right here. But it's interesting that she continues to do the same thing to Aileen that has been done to her: she makes assumptions.
Keely and Aileen are in the same position, after all. Except of course for Aileen's love triangle. And well, Keely's a lot fonder of her twin than she is for her dutiful older brother, so she looks at the resolution of that as yet another negative.
What does Aileen think though? That's an open question. The only fear/reluctance she expresses has to do with childbirth, not the marriage.
Sadly, Aileen doesn't get as sharp a retort here. Actually, it doesn't even make sense:
Straight red brows were lowered over an equally straight nose. She is not a beauty, Aileen, but anyone with half a mind sees past that to her fire. "I am not a slave," she said darkly, "and neither am I a fool. There are things in life we're made to do through no fault of our own, but because of necessity, regardless of gender . . . and that you should know, being a Cheysuli." She paused, assessing me; I wondered, as I so often did, if the brother was anything like the sister. "Or are you Homanan today? Ah, no—perhaps Atvian, instead." Aileen stood straight and tall before me, her pride a tangible thing. "It strikes me, my lady princess, that you are whatever you want to be whenever it takes your fancy. Whenever 'tis convenient."
Maybe it would make sense if poor Gisella had any opportunity to express any "Atvian" traits. But the big dichotomy is Homanan vs. Cheysuli. Keely, as mentioned in the last book, is very much associated with the Cheysuli side of her heritage.
Keely's response, however, hits on one of the flaws of this series and of the feminism in this book.
She meant it, I think, to sting. Instead, it made me laugh. "Aye," I agreed, "whatever I want to be. Woman, warrior, animal . . . and I thank the gods for that magic."
So here's the problem. This is a very empowering statement. FOR KEELY. But it doesn't apply to ANY other woman in this series.
Because here's the thing about Keely's affinity for Cheysuli culture. She wants to be Cheysuli, as a Cheysuli WARRIOR. NOT a Cheysuli woman.
That'd be fine, except the reason that she can do this is the shapechanging magic that she inherits from Alix. And she's the only one in this generation who gets it.
This would work, I think, if we saw that the lives of Cheysuli women in general were more egalitarian than they are for Homanan women. If, for example, there were some examples of female Cheysuli warriors. Sure, they don't have a lir, but the shapechange is not the reason why Keely's a good sword fighter. That's training. (And Cheysuli weapons tend toward knives and bows anyway, which require more agility than brute strength.)
But from what we've seen, Cheysuli women actually have FEWER rights than their Homanan or Erinnish counterparts:
1) Raissa, for example, was Hale's wife. He left her for a princess when their infant was days old. She had no support or anything from him because he was on the run, then she ended up a primary target of the qu'mahlin.
2) Alix refused to be Duncan's mistress and was brutalized by him. He used the threat that the council would force her to marry Finn as leverage against her. He also implied he could take their baby away.
3) Sorcha was incredibly unhappy as Donal's mistress to the point where she ended up killing herself as a means to attack Donal's wife.
4) Isolde had married Ceinn, only to be used in his own scheme to breed up a rival to the throne.
5) Maeve apparently had to get clan council permission to rescind her meijha vows against Tiernan when he went fucking traitor!
In contrast, Homanan light women, while scorned, got to choose their partners and keep their children. It's at least implied that Deirdre could go home if she wanted. Electra got parenting time (though that was plot-borne stupidity) after attempting regicide.
Keely's struggle is absolutely legitimate. And it's understandable that she'll use what outlet she has. But it is notable that her means of empowerment is one that not accessible to any other woman in the universe. Maeve doesn't have it. Gisella is the only other woman with this power, and she lacks the capacity to use it.
I'd feel differently, I think, if we'd heard about some other female Cheysuli becoming warriors. Even if they didn't get full recognition as such. Then Keely's power would be just another tool to help her in what she's doing already, rather than the reason why she, and she alone, isn't subject to these sexist, awful rules.
We get a patented clumsy Roberson transition here:
"Magic," Aileen repeated. "Aye, I was forgetting that—but so, I'm thinking, are you. Because with the magic that makes you a shapechanger comes the price you'll be having to pay. And someday, you'll be paying it. Your tahlmorra will see to that."
This leap really doesn't make sense. But I suppose it doesn't have to, because it leads into something far more significant:
I frowned. "What price?"
"Marriage," she said succinctly. "Marriage and motherhood; how else to forge the link the prophecy requires?"
I grinned at her. "Ah, but you have done that; you and my oldest rujholli. Aidan is the one. Aidan is the link. Aidan will be Mujhar."
Evenly, she said, "Aidan may die by nightfall."
So that's the other part of Aileen's burden. That's the other reason for her revulsion against the idea of aborting her twins. Because the one child she has already is sickly. And might die. And this is a setting that puts value on a woman's ability to have children.
Keely's horrified, noting again that Aileen could die here. Aileen doesn't disagree, noting that men go to war and women bear the children.
Keely notes that she would trade if she could. Yeah, me too. Aileen wonders about that, doubting Keely's ability to kill a man.
We end the chapter on a bleak note:
Slowly, Aileen smiled. And then she began to laugh as tears welled into her eyes. "So fierce," she said, "so proud ... and so very, very helpless. No less so than I."
Denial, I thought, was futile; I closed the door on her noise.
--
So far, I really like this. I like that it's complicated. Keely's right, in a lot of ways. But Aileen's not wrong either. Well, the points where she's allowed to articulate her side. I notice that while she challenges Keely's idea that she's lost her freedom, she really isn't given much opportunity to explain what she actually finds enjoyable or empowering about her marriage.
I appreciate that Aileen's issues don't seem to come from her marriage itself. Keely herself admits that her brother wouldn't try to "rule" Aileen. And Aileen seems happy enough to enjoy sex with her husband beyond the purpose of having heirs. (Though possibly someone needs to explain birth control to them.) Aileen's fear is childbirth.
And well, let's be honest, it's not like childbirth is any less dangerous for women who aren't married to princes.
That does not mean, of course, that Keely has to be happy about the idea of marrying Sean though. I still wonder though, why the hell hasn't Niall and Liam forced their kids to actually correspond with each other. They're going to be married after all!
Especially now, when Aileen is living in the Palace. Aileen presumably knows her brother, so she'd presumably know if he'd be a good match for someone as fiery and independent as Keely is. So why not write to him and have him reassure his fiancee?
You can still explore feminist themes even if your husband-to-be isn't an asshole. Assuming he's not, anyway...
Oh well, we'll maybe find out more next time.
Ooo, a subject I know something of!
Date: 2024-04-15 04:31 pm (UTC)With that in mind, twins looking very different in fiction, especially for plot points, get a pass from me, especially if it's used well. Would you say it's used well by Roberson?
= Multi-Facets.
Re: Ooo, a subject I know something of!
Date: 2024-04-15 05:02 pm (UTC)Brennan and Hart are pretty much identical, both very Cheysuli looking, except the eyes. Brennan's are yellow, Hart's are blue.
Corin and Keely are both smaller, slighter and very Homanan looking. And I probably wouldn't have an issue with that, if not for my perpetual rant about how we somehow make it through 8 books without an explicitly Cheysuli looking female protagonist or love interest.
no subject
Date: 2024-04-16 06:53 am (UTC)Ooh, this does look interesting! I'd love to see if Roberson can keep this up.
Alix seeing her worthier successor
Date: 2024-04-17 05:51 pm (UTC)I was aware of eyes, watching me. Marking every step, every feint, my every riposte with the sword. Thinking, no doubt, I was mad; or did she wish she were in my place?
She had come before to watch me practice against the arms-master. Saying nothing, sitting quietly on a bench with heavy skirts spilling over her legs.
Alix: So, another tomboy, kinda like me. Please tell me her destiny is not to be sexually assaulted first and fight later.
Pan: I don't think so...
The trick is to find the balance of celebrating a female character for her more exciting interests without being dismissive or derogatory toward the female characters who are more traditional. And this series is already on a bit of thin ice for the way every single character, except Brennan, treated Maeve in the last book.
Alix: And it has started with gaps on that ice regarding me.
Aileen of Erinn, now Princess of Homana, looked up at me as I stopped. Standing, we are similar in height; Cheysuli are taller than other races, but she comes of the House of Eagles, where men are often giants. But she is red-haired to my tawny, green-eyed to my blue. Equally outspoken, but without knowing the frustration I so often faced, because we wanted different things.
Pan: If she gets to fight, can I sing "Come on Aileen"?
" Twas not entirely up to him," she told me sharply, giving me back my tone but in her Erinnish lilt. "D'ye think I had no say in the matter? D'ye think I'd let him take me against my will, or that he would try?" Aileen rose, absently shaking the rucked up folds out of her skirts. "Are ye forgetting, then, that women can want the bedding, too?"
Alix: In this series, understandable.
She meant it, I think, to sting. Instead, it made me laugh. "Aye," I agreed, "whatever I want to be. Woman, warrior, animal . . . and I thank the gods for that magic."
Alix: But do so behind the back of any Duncan.
I could barely stifle a shout. "By the gods, Aileen, you nearly bled to death! What do the physicians say to that?"
It wiped the forced gaiety from her face. "D'ye think I don't know?" she cried. "D'ye think I rejoiced when they told me?" Such white, white flesh set in the frame of brilliant red hair; such green, frightened eyes, now dilated black. " 'Twas all I could do not to vomit from the fear . . . not to disgrace myself before them, even as I saw the looks in their eyes. They are afraid, too . . . but heirs are worth the risk, and Aidan is oversmall and sickly. There's a need for other sons." Fingers clutched the folds of her skirts. "Gods, Keely, what am I to do?"
Pan: One of the few cases I have seen about pregnancy where the angst is both present and sensible.
I sighed, knowing how callous it sounded; knowing also I meant it. "All my life I have fought for my freedom. I fight for it every day. And I will lose what I have won the moment I conceive."
" T’isn't true!" she cried. "Have I lost my freedom?"
"Have you?" I countered. "Before you left Erinn and came here to Homana—before you fell in love with Corin—before you married Brennan . . . what was your life like?"
Pan: Less responsibilities, but a life with a family can cause more happiness.
no subject
Date: 2024-09-14 05:43 am (UTC)"Babies require things," I said. "Things such as constant responsibility . . . they steal time and freedom, robbing you of choice. They are parasites of the soul."
Keely, as a woman who also does not want children... Lay off the hardcore childfree rhetoric. Especially in front of a mother.
no subject
Date: 2024-09-14 05:49 am (UTC)