Daughter of the Lion - Chapter Seven
Jun. 14th, 2024 08:31 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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i_read_whatLast chapter, we had Keely getting the explanation of how her fiance might be dead. She's also become "hearth-friends" with his possible killer.
Hah. I'm actually being pretty unfair to Keely here though. Ultimately, I think Keely's reaction to everything is perfectly reasonable and understandable. Sean was more of an idea than a person to her (WHY, NIALL???) and he represented a lot of things that she fears. She doesn't hate him, per se, and she seems sympathetic and even upset by his potential death.
But she also, maybe, feels a little relieved too. And that's okay.
It'd be interesting to see if Keely got a different betrothal now. There doesn't seem to be any interest in linking Homana with any of the OTHER kingdoms. (Even though Caledon, at least, seems to have a prince of approximately the right age.) But it could happen...
We start the chapter with some blathering about the Cheysuli:
One might think the Cheysuli, a race so steeped in honor, are blind to dishonor in others, to deception and subterfuge, believing all men are as they themselves are. Once, perhaps, but no longer, nor has it been so for time out of mind. Contact with the Ihlini, who share some of the Firstborn's power but nothing of their wisdom, has educated the Cheysuli to what unchecked avarice and ambition, augmented by twisted sorcery, can do to a race.
As had Shaine's qu'mahlin, the war of annihilation leveled against us by my kinsman, my great-great-grandsire on the Homanan side, nearly a hundred years ago.
So no longer do we trust, nor blind ourselves to betrayal, deception and subterfuge. We have learned to judge, to weigh, to measure, knowing very well that to a people reluctant to show strong emotions to those who are unblessed, the feelings and convictions of other races are often ludicrously transparent.
I mean...it makes sense. But this is also a series where every single Cheysuli protagonist got led about by the nose at some point or another. Except maybe Finn. But Donal was fooled and betrayed by Sef. Niall by Gisella (or rather her abusive parents through her). Brennan by Rhiannon. Hart by his own ego and Dar. Even Corin stupidly trusted Sidra for no real reason.
So...I don't think you guys are as good at reading people as Keely seems to think. It'd serve her right if these "easy to read" men turned out evil.
But I think she's probably right when she notes that Rory Redbeard is kind in a rough way, and solicitous of her well-being. He gives her the same food as his men in the morning and offers to tend her scrapes. She begs him off though. There's no time and she must get back to Homana-Mujhar.
Keely's in pain, but insists she needs to go back. Her feelings seem a bit mixed though.
"I must get back," I repeated, thinking of Aileen. But I quailed from it, afraid; quailed also from the acknowledgment I would have to tell Brennan something. I had lost his prize colt; how, by the gods, could I tell him?
Aw. I appreciate that Keely feels awful about this.
There are logistical problems though. She's not sure how to get back. Her arm is injured, which means flying as a bird is out. (As poor Hart could attest.) And even a wolf or cat would be hobbled. It'd be faster just to walk.
Rory offers a horse. And we get some more description here:
A glint crept into his eyes. By daylight he was a different man: younger in face—what I could see of it above and beneath the beard—though weathered by Erinn's sea-clime; in clothing and accoutrements more obviously a man denied his homeland, as well as the trappings of normal life. Like the others, he was travel-stained and shabby, though knives and swords were well tended.
Aye, they would be. For by knives and swords— and cunning—new lives would have to be forged.
Keely slips up here, very obviously:
I drew in a deep breath. "My father—" Stricken, I cut it off, then rapidly reshaped it. "My father, the Mujhar's arms-master, would give you no welcome, nor would his master, if they knew."
You have many talents, Keely, but lying really isn't among them.
And to be fair, Keely's really uncomfortable with the idea of lying about her heritage. So anyway, both Keely and Rory agree that Niall (and Keely's fictional father) being friends with Liam means that Sean's murderer won't get a pleasant welcome.
Rory seems mostly unconcerned. He would rather she not tell him who he is, precisely. But otherwise, she doesn't really need to lie. And he doesn't intend to stay in one place, should the Mujhar send men to find them.
Keely's kind of hilarious here. She asks how he knows the distance to Mujhara. She's aghast to learn that these very heavily armed men from a foreign country, who can't go to the local king for fear of reprisals have plans for banditry. Actually, he says something really interesting here. AILEEN, he says, "knows him." And she would, wouldn't she. If he's Sean's brother, then he's Aileen's brother as well!
Of course, that raises another question. If Aileen and Keely are as close as Keely thinks, why hasn't Aileen mentioned that she has a roguish half-brother?
But we are distracted when Rory decides on a dramatic reveal. He has Brennan's colt. And he doesn't intend to give it back.
Keely tries to protest, saying the colt belongs to the "Prince of Homana". But per Rory, the colt belongs to Rory Redbeard. And, well, he might have a point here:
"—to me." Rory moved to the colt, deftly shunting me aside. " "Tis what thievery is, lass . .. and that 'right' you speak of is right of conquest, or requirements." He saddled the chestnut easily, tightening girth, snugging buckles. "I'm thinking the Prince of Homana has more than this bright lad in his stable."
"Aye, of course—but—"
"Then he'll do as well without him. 'Twill give him time to ride the others." He turned the colt, swung up, reached down to clasp my hand. "Will ye be coming, lass?"
Oh, that scamp.
I will say, I think we're seeing in Rory the kind of roguish scamp that Shapechangers' Finn was SUPPOSED to be. Roberson's improved, I think, as even with the rough start, Rory IS actually fairly likable.
Keely's not really happy with him though, admittedly. They reach the outskirts of Mujhara - apparently the ride is difficult. The colt isn't really trained or bred to carry two grown adults, especially one Rory's size. The saddle is also too small for him. Heh.
Keely stops them there. She knows the city guards will recognize her and, in case Sean does turn out alive, she doesn't want Rory "telling tales of [her] to the man who intended to name [her] his wife before [they] were even wed."
That seems like a very weird complaint. But okay.
We get some description of modern Mujhara:
But he did halt him, all of twenty paces from the Eastern gate with its archivolted barbican. The walls
themselves are gray, penning up the city proper in a huge, soft-cornered rectangle. But Mujhara has
grown, as cities do; too fast, too far, without regard to the future. Now there was a second city clustered outside the walls, though built of less permanent materials than stone—mostly haphazard, flimsy wooden structures, or soiled canvas tents bearing no resemblance to the jewel-dyed and fir-painted pavilions of Clankeep.
Inside, warded by a webwork of narrow, twisting streets and a curtain wall thick as three men lying head to toe, nestles Homana-Mujhar herself, breasting above baileys and sentry-walks, wearing banners for her gown and torchlight for her jewelry. Rose-red in the light of day, bloodied-gray by night. The place I knew as home.
Keely contradicts herself here, noting that the guards aren't likely to recognize her in her shredded, soiled clothing and tangled hair. But they might recognize the colt.
Oh, THIS is funny though. One thing Keely's been pretty careless about with regard to the discovery of the colt. She's been referring to her brother by name. A lot. Which an arms-master's daughter likely wouldn't do.
Slowly, distinctly, he nodded. "Aye, I thought so— always Brennan this, Brennan that . . . never the Prince of Homana. Never "my lord," though you'd be having it from me, and for my own brother." He shrugged a little. "Well, I'm not judging ye, lass . . . I'm born myself of a bedding between a prince and a bonny lass—"
I mean, dude, the guy is married to your SISTER.
He does suggest that once Brennan casts her off, he'd be willing to consider...
Keely's busy trying not to laugh and then shoos him off. He does beg one favor of her though: he doesn't want her to tell Deirdre or Aileen about what happened between Sean and Rory. He thinks they should hear from Liam.
Keely notes that she owes him nothing...except maybe her life, and certainly her virtue. So she agrees. The chapter ends with him tousling her hair and riding away laughing.
Okay, so I'm going to admit, this meet cute is working a LOT better than it started. I'm not sure if I think Rory genuinely knows who Keely is. She's NOT subtle. But taking the colt could be motivated by jealousy. If he really does think she's sleeping with Brennan...
It'll be interesting to see what happens.
Hah. I'm actually being pretty unfair to Keely here though. Ultimately, I think Keely's reaction to everything is perfectly reasonable and understandable. Sean was more of an idea than a person to her (WHY, NIALL???) and he represented a lot of things that she fears. She doesn't hate him, per se, and she seems sympathetic and even upset by his potential death.
But she also, maybe, feels a little relieved too. And that's okay.
It'd be interesting to see if Keely got a different betrothal now. There doesn't seem to be any interest in linking Homana with any of the OTHER kingdoms. (Even though Caledon, at least, seems to have a prince of approximately the right age.) But it could happen...
We start the chapter with some blathering about the Cheysuli:
One might think the Cheysuli, a race so steeped in honor, are blind to dishonor in others, to deception and subterfuge, believing all men are as they themselves are. Once, perhaps, but no longer, nor has it been so for time out of mind. Contact with the Ihlini, who share some of the Firstborn's power but nothing of their wisdom, has educated the Cheysuli to what unchecked avarice and ambition, augmented by twisted sorcery, can do to a race.
As had Shaine's qu'mahlin, the war of annihilation leveled against us by my kinsman, my great-great-grandsire on the Homanan side, nearly a hundred years ago.
So no longer do we trust, nor blind ourselves to betrayal, deception and subterfuge. We have learned to judge, to weigh, to measure, knowing very well that to a people reluctant to show strong emotions to those who are unblessed, the feelings and convictions of other races are often ludicrously transparent.
I mean...it makes sense. But this is also a series where every single Cheysuli protagonist got led about by the nose at some point or another. Except maybe Finn. But Donal was fooled and betrayed by Sef. Niall by Gisella (or rather her abusive parents through her). Brennan by Rhiannon. Hart by his own ego and Dar. Even Corin stupidly trusted Sidra for no real reason.
So...I don't think you guys are as good at reading people as Keely seems to think. It'd serve her right if these "easy to read" men turned out evil.
But I think she's probably right when she notes that Rory Redbeard is kind in a rough way, and solicitous of her well-being. He gives her the same food as his men in the morning and offers to tend her scrapes. She begs him off though. There's no time and she must get back to Homana-Mujhar.
Keely's in pain, but insists she needs to go back. Her feelings seem a bit mixed though.
"I must get back," I repeated, thinking of Aileen. But I quailed from it, afraid; quailed also from the acknowledgment I would have to tell Brennan something. I had lost his prize colt; how, by the gods, could I tell him?
Aw. I appreciate that Keely feels awful about this.
There are logistical problems though. She's not sure how to get back. Her arm is injured, which means flying as a bird is out. (As poor Hart could attest.) And even a wolf or cat would be hobbled. It'd be faster just to walk.
Rory offers a horse. And we get some more description here:
A glint crept into his eyes. By daylight he was a different man: younger in face—what I could see of it above and beneath the beard—though weathered by Erinn's sea-clime; in clothing and accoutrements more obviously a man denied his homeland, as well as the trappings of normal life. Like the others, he was travel-stained and shabby, though knives and swords were well tended.
Aye, they would be. For by knives and swords— and cunning—new lives would have to be forged.
Keely slips up here, very obviously:
I drew in a deep breath. "My father—" Stricken, I cut it off, then rapidly reshaped it. "My father, the Mujhar's arms-master, would give you no welcome, nor would his master, if they knew."
You have many talents, Keely, but lying really isn't among them.
And to be fair, Keely's really uncomfortable with the idea of lying about her heritage. So anyway, both Keely and Rory agree that Niall (and Keely's fictional father) being friends with Liam means that Sean's murderer won't get a pleasant welcome.
Rory seems mostly unconcerned. He would rather she not tell him who he is, precisely. But otherwise, she doesn't really need to lie. And he doesn't intend to stay in one place, should the Mujhar send men to find them.
Keely's kind of hilarious here. She asks how he knows the distance to Mujhara. She's aghast to learn that these very heavily armed men from a foreign country, who can't go to the local king for fear of reprisals have plans for banditry. Actually, he says something really interesting here. AILEEN, he says, "knows him." And she would, wouldn't she. If he's Sean's brother, then he's Aileen's brother as well!
Of course, that raises another question. If Aileen and Keely are as close as Keely thinks, why hasn't Aileen mentioned that she has a roguish half-brother?
But we are distracted when Rory decides on a dramatic reveal. He has Brennan's colt. And he doesn't intend to give it back.
Keely tries to protest, saying the colt belongs to the "Prince of Homana". But per Rory, the colt belongs to Rory Redbeard. And, well, he might have a point here:
"—to me." Rory moved to the colt, deftly shunting me aside. " "Tis what thievery is, lass . .. and that 'right' you speak of is right of conquest, or requirements." He saddled the chestnut easily, tightening girth, snugging buckles. "I'm thinking the Prince of Homana has more than this bright lad in his stable."
"Aye, of course—but—"
"Then he'll do as well without him. 'Twill give him time to ride the others." He turned the colt, swung up, reached down to clasp my hand. "Will ye be coming, lass?"
Oh, that scamp.
I will say, I think we're seeing in Rory the kind of roguish scamp that Shapechangers' Finn was SUPPOSED to be. Roberson's improved, I think, as even with the rough start, Rory IS actually fairly likable.
Keely's not really happy with him though, admittedly. They reach the outskirts of Mujhara - apparently the ride is difficult. The colt isn't really trained or bred to carry two grown adults, especially one Rory's size. The saddle is also too small for him. Heh.
Keely stops them there. She knows the city guards will recognize her and, in case Sean does turn out alive, she doesn't want Rory "telling tales of [her] to the man who intended to name [her] his wife before [they] were even wed."
That seems like a very weird complaint. But okay.
We get some description of modern Mujhara:
But he did halt him, all of twenty paces from the Eastern gate with its archivolted barbican. The walls
themselves are gray, penning up the city proper in a huge, soft-cornered rectangle. But Mujhara has
grown, as cities do; too fast, too far, without regard to the future. Now there was a second city clustered outside the walls, though built of less permanent materials than stone—mostly haphazard, flimsy wooden structures, or soiled canvas tents bearing no resemblance to the jewel-dyed and fir-painted pavilions of Clankeep.
Inside, warded by a webwork of narrow, twisting streets and a curtain wall thick as three men lying head to toe, nestles Homana-Mujhar herself, breasting above baileys and sentry-walks, wearing banners for her gown and torchlight for her jewelry. Rose-red in the light of day, bloodied-gray by night. The place I knew as home.
Keely contradicts herself here, noting that the guards aren't likely to recognize her in her shredded, soiled clothing and tangled hair. But they might recognize the colt.
Oh, THIS is funny though. One thing Keely's been pretty careless about with regard to the discovery of the colt. She's been referring to her brother by name. A lot. Which an arms-master's daughter likely wouldn't do.
Slowly, distinctly, he nodded. "Aye, I thought so— always Brennan this, Brennan that . . . never the Prince of Homana. Never "my lord," though you'd be having it from me, and for my own brother." He shrugged a little. "Well, I'm not judging ye, lass . . . I'm born myself of a bedding between a prince and a bonny lass—"
I mean, dude, the guy is married to your SISTER.
He does suggest that once Brennan casts her off, he'd be willing to consider...
Keely's busy trying not to laugh and then shoos him off. He does beg one favor of her though: he doesn't want her to tell Deirdre or Aileen about what happened between Sean and Rory. He thinks they should hear from Liam.
Keely notes that she owes him nothing...except maybe her life, and certainly her virtue. So she agrees. The chapter ends with him tousling her hair and riding away laughing.
Okay, so I'm going to admit, this meet cute is working a LOT better than it started. I'm not sure if I think Rory genuinely knows who Keely is. She's NOT subtle. But taking the colt could be motivated by jealousy. If he really does think she's sleeping with Brennan...
It'll be interesting to see what happens.