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i_read_whatSo last time, Rhiannon showed us again why she's, by far, the most effective villain in this series.
The chapter follows up immediately from where we left off. Corin tackles Keely, who seems very disoriented. She doesn't understand why she's on the ground, Corin on top of her, and why she's in pain and bleeding.
There's a point where Maeve is in her face and slaps her, splitting Keely's lip. Poor Keely, but somewhat understandable, since from the outside, it just looks like Keely shoved a sword into her brother's back. Keely, pretty obviously, has no idea what just happened, barely registering that there's someone else sprawled across the cobblestones and everyone's shouting and crying.
"Brennan!" I cried. "Not Brennan—"
Corin's tone was choked. "Keely, hush. Say nothing. You will make it worse."
"But—Brennan—"
"Keely, I beg you—"
"Let me go, Corin! By the gods, are you blind? Why are you holding me? Why not let me go to him?"
They were strangers all around me, though their faces were familiar. "Take her inside," someone said. "Lock her up if you must ... we will need everyone for the healing."
"Lock me up? Lock me up? Why are you locking me up?"
"Keely, hush," Corin begged.
"Take her inside!" someone shouted.
To be fair, I don't actually think anyone is being intentionally cruel here. I'm not even sure there's anyone actually ACCUSING her. Maybe Maeve, with the slapping part, but that could have just as easily been one of those "slap the hysterical person" moments that are really common on television. I'm not really a fan.
Maybe we do see the first of Rhiannon's fuck ups here, because she has Keely try to kill her brother publicly. During a family reunion of people who are pretty much ALL capable of magical healing. Actually, I wonder if the normal Cheysuli women, the ones who can't shapeshift for lack of Old Blood, could still take part in the healing ritual.
I'm a little annoyed that we're six books in the series and I don't have the answer to that. I'm even more annoyed that I don't think we've seen any full-blooded Cheysuli woman who DOESN'T have Old Blood have a speaking role since Raissa in the very first book. What the fuck, Roberson???
(And actually, even when it comes to NON-full-blooded Cheysuli women, the only one who's had a speaking role without Old Blood was either Sorcha or Meghan in Legacy of the Sword. So, again, What the FUCK?)
So poor Keely is locked in a room, alone, sobbing and not really understanding what happened or what she'd done.
It doesn't say how long it is before they come back, I suppose it's probably however long it was for the healing ritual, but Ian, Hart and Corin do appear, and they don't seem accusatory.
It makes sense, really, we've seen more than enough of Ihlini mind control magic. They urge her to drink and fuss over her hands - she'd cut them on the sword when Corin tackled her. Something he clearly feels guilty about.
Keely asks if she killed Brennan. Only nearly. If there were any fewer Cheysuli present, it might have happened.
Poor Keely insists that she must be mad then, like Gisella, which really makes me wonder what Niall told these kids. Though given how Keely's characterized, it's just as possible that he told them the truth and Keely wasn't listening. Corin even starts to correct her, but Hart cuts her off, they'll take her to her room first.
Keely begs to be locked up, but Ian takes charge:
Ian's voice was quiet and infinitely soothing. "Corin, she is confused—and, I am sure, tampered with. Here, let me move in." I looked into yellow eyes. "Keely," he said gently, "you went to Clankeep for i'toshaa-ni. What happened?"
"I completed the ritual."
"Then what did you do?"
"I completed the ritual. But Teir came—Teir was there—Teir profaned the cleansing—" I lurched up into hands. "Teir—Teir—Teir ... it was Teirnan and Rhiannon—"
So yep, they figure it out pretty quickly: a trap-link. Keely was ordered to kill Brennan, then Aidan would die (I'm not sure if the intent was for Keely to kill Aidan too, or if Rhiannon's just an ableist asshole assuming the baby will die). She holds back the order about giving birth to a healthy child.
So they help her up, intending to get her to her room, when something else happens. MAYBE Rhiannon isn't as clever as she thought, because:
Warmth flooded my thighs. "Su'fali, wait—oh wait . . . gods—the child is coming ... no more abomination—" I sagged, unable to stand, to climb, to do anything but grind my teeth together, trying to bite back a moan.
Ian scooped me up. My leggings were wet with blood.
"Corin," I said through the pain, "is Brennan really alive?"
"Aye, Keely—I promise." And then, on a rising note of fear: "What is wrong with her?"
"Miscarriage," Ian said grimly. "Strahan got her with child."
...UGH.
Okay, so my reaction probably doesn't make sense. I was and am very in favor of Keely getting to terminate a pregnancy that she doesn't want. I'm very pro-choice in my own politics (and this NOT an invitation to debate that, thank you.) I am annoyed by this though.
See, here's the thing. I've seen this plot point before. It seemed to be weirdly common in certain books in the 70s or 80s. The female character is pregnant with a child she does not want. The child might be the result of rape or just a poor decision on her part. Sometimes the female character actively pursues an abortion or sometimes they suffer quietly. But in the end, there's a happy fortunate miscarriage (usually due to traumatic events admittedly) and everyone lives happily ever after.
And I am incredibly annoyed, because it always seemed like a cheap way for an author to have her cake and eat it too. The character wants an abortion, is either prevented from or not inclined to seek an abortion, and then an Act of God fixes it anyway.
This is supposed to be a feminist book. And abortion is, at heart, a feminist issue. Roberson therefore has the opportunity to explore said issue with her main character, and at least started to do so. Keely wants an abortion, she actively pursues an abortion, even in the face of judgment and obstacles. That's good so far.
But then, conveniently, she's interrupted, victimized again, and through all that, she loses the child through no fault of her own. Through no choice of her own.
Roberson defeats her own feminist message here, because this is not Keely's choice. Keely wanted to terminate the pregnancy on her terms, and Roberson had a really easy set up here. Even most anti-choice people generally sympathize with a woman choosing an abortion in cases of rape and incest, both of which apply here. (Strahan, if you recall, is Aislinn's half brother. Ergo, he's Keely's great-uncle.)
But instead, the choice is made FOR Keely. She's traumatized AGAIN, violated AGAIN, and put in physical distress again. So the readers can be comforted by the idea that while she contemplated, and even wanted an abortion, she didn't actually kill her baby. Fate did. (And she got punished for wanting to make the choice too.)
UGH.
So we get an italicized rambling about Keely's feelings for the miscarriage, while her family members beg her to fight it and stay alive.
The chapter ends here. But since it was really short, and I don't really want to end on irritation, I'll actually continue to the next one.
--
So Chapter Twelve starts with Keely waking up, hearing the breathing of someone next to her head. She smells leather, gold, and "the musk of a mountain cat." She assumes it's Ian, but it's actually Brennan.
Keely doesn't want to face him, but this is pretty great. I have a feeling I'll be over-using the excerpts here.
Humiliation bathed me. "Go away," I told him.
"Keely, this is nonsense. I am alive. I am well. Weak, aye, and sore, but all of that will pass. Keely—I am alive."
"And, being Brennan, full of forgiveness for me."
His tone was odd. "Let us say, full of comprehension. I understand what happened."
I opened eyes. "Then you are not going to forgive me?"
Brennan's smile was slight. "You would hate me if I did. What you want from me is accusation and disapproval, so you can get angry. Anger is always your best defense; it allows you the chance to climb up on the highest of your horses. But if I forgive you for running four feet of steel through my body— and I am told a foot of it came out the other side—I take away the anger, the guilt, your sense of humiliation, leaving you only with resentment. The gods know there has been that and more between us, for a variety of reasons—good and bad—and I am weary of it. So no, I do not forgive you . . . you nearly killed me, Keely."
There is something genuinely fascinating by how much of this book is, at its heart, about these two characters. I mean, if we're counting page time, Brennan probably has more than Sean or Rory combined.
Keely sees herself as Aileen and Brennan as a version of Sean that she can lash out at without consequence, when really, they're much more parallels than adversaries: twins who are honestly far more emotionally wrapped up in a sibling that really doesn't share the same level of engagement, betrothed at birth to someone they've never met, significant due to birth order, victimized and bred, if you will, by their enemies.
But it's never been clear how much Brennan understands about WHY Keely acts the way she does. But this...maybe he understands a lot more than Keely thinks.
It's interesting that Keely's next step, after calling him a Ku'reshtin of course, is to talk about the baby.
I was aware of weakness, of lassitude; of a strange apathy. No more pain, but discomfort. My belly felt oddly empty. "They told you about the baby."
"Aye. Teirnan, Rhiannon, the trap-link ... also the baby, Keely. But why—" He broke it off. "No. Now is not the time, nor is it my place—"
I answered him anyway. "Because I could tell no one. Only Maeve, and she guessed. I meant to tell no one at all. I meant only to rid myself of it." I grimaced. "It rid itself of me."
I'm still annoyed by the narrative trope, as mentioned above. I dislike when authors decide to take choices away from the characters in an attempt to avoid the narrative consequences. There is nothing this miscarriage provides to the story that letting Keely succeed in her abortion wouldn't have.
But it IS interesting that this is the first time she's willingly talked about it. But then Brennan has a child conceived of rape too.
I like this bit too:
"Go to bed," I told him. "I see indeed you have survived, but there is no more need for you to sit here beside me and taunt me with such magnanimous empathy. It is what I expect of you, being you; go to bed, rest . .. and tell me you forgive me when I am best able to mount my highest of horses." I smiled weakly. "Leijhana tu'sai, rujho ... as you say, disliking you for having all the answers is not reason enough to kill you. I shall have to find one better."
He smiled. His color had worsened, which made the bruises down the left side of his face all the more ugly, and he rose with a wince he tried but failed to suppress. "I sent for Aileen. She will be delayed— Aidan has a fever—but she should be back within a five-day. I think perhaps there are things you two may share that no one else can understand."
When Roberson is good, she's very good. And we can see that here. There's something very funny about how these two characters finally reach an overt peace through Keely having run her brother through with a sword. But in a weird way, it makes sense. Throughout the book, she'd been making verbal potshots at him, lashing out in her own feeling of powerless, and feeling miserable because it solves nothing. She can't acknowledge that she's being cruel to her brother, because it means acknowledging that she has even less power than she wants to pretend.
But now, well, this is tangible. She stabbed him with a sword, not words. And even if she's not a place where she can apologize outright, she can acknowledge this. He can forgive it (and everything else), even if he makes his production of NOT forgiving her for the sake of her pride. And they can move forward.
Brennan has something else for her too:
"Rest you well, rujholla. When you are strong again—when both of us are strong again—we shall have to meet a final time to decide which of us is better with a blade."
I waited until he was at the open door. "You would risk that?"'
Brennan shrugged, then winced. "Why not? The trap-link is gone, banished days ago by su'fali, who has some knowledge of them ... I think there is no danger."
"No ... I meant would you risk losing in front of so many people?"
Brennan laughed in genuine amusement, which did not particularly please me, and took himself out of my chamber before I could respond.
Okay, Roberson, you got me. This is by far my favorite sibling relationship in this generation and I'm not 100% sure how you did that.
After that, we're told that folks come in to visit and apologize. We get a nice potshot at Maeve here:
They came in couples, in trios, alone, wishing me well, asking after my health, apologizing for harsh words and the roughness with which they had treated me. Maeve cried prettily over the blow she had fetched my face, but I knew she would not hesitate to repeat it, or worse, if I ever again threatened her beloved Brennan. Well, I did not expect her to do otherwise; it was the same with Corin and me.
Yes, she "cried prettily". Because Maeve is pretty and useless and the narrative will never let her be otherwise. The fact that she gets to strike Keely means nothing, because the story has no interest in acknowledging how much of a total asshole Keely is to her. SHE doesn't matter.
Corin, we're told, is the worst, as he thinks throwing her down and being rough is what caused the miscarriage, Keely doesn't care - admitting that she'd intended to be rid of it one way or another, and he saved her the trouble.
See what I mean though? The fact that Keely had a miscarriage instead of an abortion really doesn't mean anything narratively. She doesn't feel angry or cheated of having lost her choice in the matter. It accomplished the same thing - except that it means that the more conservative readers don't have to think of Keely as a protagonist who had an abortion. She's only guilty of contemplating it and God took care of the rest.
But we do move onto another interesting scene when IAN comes to visit.
I mentioned before about Brennan having a bigger role than Sean or Rory combined. Ian isn't quite as prominently featured, but he probably has the equivalent amount of screentime as either love interest on their own, and that's an interesting choice too.
Ian is uncomfortable and Keely clocks that he blames himself.
"She is my daughter. If I had not lain with Lillith in Atvia, regardless of the sorcery, Rhiannon would not exist." His face was very stiff. "She would not have come to Homana, to seduce Brennan and bear his child, who even now grows up with the tending of Ihlini . . . and she would not have been able to set a trap-link to murder him, using you as her weapon."
Keely dismisses that, noting that it was Teirnan who got her involved. And that Rhiannon and her child exist, unfortunately, and they can't do anything about it. She's pretty happy though that her own doesn't survive.
Ian's here for another reason though.
"Strahan forced you," he said, "much as Lillith forced me. I know what that does to a soul."
"And you want to know how I feel."
"I know how you feel, Keely. Dirty. Soiled. Besmirched. Entirely worthless as a person, as a Cheysuli ... as part of the House of Homana."
Painfully, I swallowed. "I fulfilled i’toshaa-ni."
His eyes were oddly intense. "And was it enough for you?"
I opened my mouth to say aye, of course it was; it was a cleansing ritual, and I was now purified . . . but I said nothing. I bit into my lip to keep from crying and slowly shook my head.
Keely could talk about the baby with Brennan, the first person she willingly spoke about it to, because he understood. But they couldn't have had this scene. He's not there yet, emotionally. Not in a place where he can or will acknowledge it.
But Ian's had a lot of time to process his experience and a personality more apt to be able to address it. (I do wonder if maybe Ian might have had this chat with Brennan. I would guess not. In some ways, the experience was harder for Keely, being forced to carry the result of her violation. The trade off, I think, is that it's culturally easier to acknowledge a female victim than a male one. And Brennan would probably not be as cooperative an audience either.)
Ian smiled, though it was an odd, bittersweet smile. And then he put his hand on my head, cupping my skull with his fingers. "You and I," he said. "You and I, harana . . . together, we will defeat it."
Quietly, he went away, leaving me gazing at his absence.
This is sweet though.
The last scene in the chapter is Niall, who is here to clear up some misunderstandings.
He made a staying gesture. "Keely—no. Stay as you are." And he sat down in the empty chair, reaching out to catch my hand. "Listen to me. Say nothing, Keely: listen."
After a moment, I nodded.
He closed my hand in both of his, gripping it very firmly. "She is mad, Keely, not because of anything in the blood . . . not because of anything gotten from ancestors—but because her mother fell while carrying her; the fall injured Gisella, who was born immediately after. She is mad because of that—and only because of that; you cannot inherit it. You cannot pass it on. You are sane and will always be sane ... and so will all your children."
One thing I really appreciate about both Pride of Princes and Daughter of the Lion is how Niall can be recognizably the character we liked in Track of the White Wolf, still a well-meaning, kind person. And still be kind of a fuck up as a parent.
Not in a "please rape my daughter" way, (fucking Carillon), but in a way that actually makes some kind of sense.
I do think, given how open the family has been about other traumas, that Niall probably did tell the kids about why Gisella is the way she is. But I'm glad he's taking the responsibility to tell Keely again, when she needs to hear it.
Keely admits that all her life, she'd been afraid of being like Gisella. (Well, for the last two chapters or so that it came up, but whatever.)
Niall does point out that she'd heard the story about how Bronwyn was in raven shape when she was shot out of the sky. But the part Keely'd always latched onto was Gisella trying to give the boys to Strahan. (I think one commenter pointed out once, that Keely's resentment about that may have missed the point: Gisella may have only intended to give the boys, because she thought she might be able to keep her daughter. But now maybe isn't the time for this idea to catch root.)
Niall points out that Gisella was made to do that. She had Lillith as a foster-mother, while Alaric turned a blind eye - and I appreciate him for calling out Alaric's role in all this. He could play regretful father all he wanted, but there's no indication that he ever tried to protect his daughter. Niall does admit that Gisella gave him four fine children and he's grateful.
This part does grate a bit:
I looked up into his face. "But you will not have her here."
He shook his head. "There is no place for her here. She is better off in Atvia."
"Where Corin must deal with her, while Deirdre warms your bed." I caught my breath. "Ah, jehan, I am sorry. I have no right to say such things."
Actually, for once, I think Keely's targeting the right person. Because there were probably other options. Even if it'd be inconvenient, or admittedly dangerous, to have Gisella in the Palace, he probably could have set her up in an estate somewhere. She didn't have to go back to her abusers. NOW, Atvia is probably the best place, because Corin can look out for her, but that was a lot of time for her to be stuck with the same people who made her murder her pets.
Niall just says the day Gisella dies, Deirdre will be his wife. Keely of course takes a very broad, non-self-centered view:
A long time to wait. I sighed. "I wish it might be tomorrow. Then Maeve becomes legitimate and the oldest daughter of the Mujhar of Homana. Let her be marriage bait; I am weary of it."
(Trivia note, she's right. At least in most jurisdictions in America at least, back when legitimacy vs. illegitimacy actually mattered, an illegitimate child would be made legally legitimate when their parents married.)
She asks what he'll do about Teirnan - and he says, they'll find him somehow and bring him before the Clan Council. As to what they'll do, who knows. Teir's actions are unprecedented.
Of course, now we have to get into the idiocy:
"Because he believes differently? Are you so sure he is wrong?"
"Keely—"
"He could be right, jehan ... we may lose the lir."
I rant about this every single time, sorry, but it's because there's a very easy fix. Just TELL us where Teirnan got this idea. Because it's not built into anything that Roberson established. The prophecy just says that the Firstborn will result from this idiotic eugenics experiment. And since we're only dealing with ONE family, and ONE prophesied birth, there will still be plenty of Cheysuli AND Ihlini out there.
Cynric will probably want to get married one day!
But okay, whatever. Niall just says they'll deal with it as they come, and Teir will have to be punished.
And Niall does have something else to give Keely:
At the door he paused. "Leijhana tu'sai, Keely."
I blinked at him, baffled. "Why? What have I done besides try to kill Brennan?"
His face tautened a moment as memory came back. But he banished the expression and smiled a crooked smile. "Aye, you did . . . just as I once tried to kill Deirdre, her brother and her father—if more indirectly. You used a sword. I, fire ... a beacon-fire blazing atop the dragon's skull, setting assassins to work." He sighed and resettled his patch. "But that is done. I say thank you for killing Strahan."
I do like that it didn't take a whole lot to prove Keely's innocence, given the precedents established in this series.
He leaves, and she thinks about why he said nothing about Sean or Rory. I mean, you could have asked. She thinks sulkily about how they need the Erinnish blood - which could come from either man. (They don't, but we talked about that.)
The chapter ends with Keely getting out of bed, thinking about Rory chiding her softness, and deciding to go find Sean.
The chapter follows up immediately from where we left off. Corin tackles Keely, who seems very disoriented. She doesn't understand why she's on the ground, Corin on top of her, and why she's in pain and bleeding.
There's a point where Maeve is in her face and slaps her, splitting Keely's lip. Poor Keely, but somewhat understandable, since from the outside, it just looks like Keely shoved a sword into her brother's back. Keely, pretty obviously, has no idea what just happened, barely registering that there's someone else sprawled across the cobblestones and everyone's shouting and crying.
"Brennan!" I cried. "Not Brennan—"
Corin's tone was choked. "Keely, hush. Say nothing. You will make it worse."
"But—Brennan—"
"Keely, I beg you—"
"Let me go, Corin! By the gods, are you blind? Why are you holding me? Why not let me go to him?"
They were strangers all around me, though their faces were familiar. "Take her inside," someone said. "Lock her up if you must ... we will need everyone for the healing."
"Lock me up? Lock me up? Why are you locking me up?"
"Keely, hush," Corin begged.
"Take her inside!" someone shouted.
To be fair, I don't actually think anyone is being intentionally cruel here. I'm not even sure there's anyone actually ACCUSING her. Maybe Maeve, with the slapping part, but that could have just as easily been one of those "slap the hysterical person" moments that are really common on television. I'm not really a fan.
Maybe we do see the first of Rhiannon's fuck ups here, because she has Keely try to kill her brother publicly. During a family reunion of people who are pretty much ALL capable of magical healing. Actually, I wonder if the normal Cheysuli women, the ones who can't shapeshift for lack of Old Blood, could still take part in the healing ritual.
I'm a little annoyed that we're six books in the series and I don't have the answer to that. I'm even more annoyed that I don't think we've seen any full-blooded Cheysuli woman who DOESN'T have Old Blood have a speaking role since Raissa in the very first book. What the fuck, Roberson???
(And actually, even when it comes to NON-full-blooded Cheysuli women, the only one who's had a speaking role without Old Blood was either Sorcha or Meghan in Legacy of the Sword. So, again, What the FUCK?)
So poor Keely is locked in a room, alone, sobbing and not really understanding what happened or what she'd done.
It doesn't say how long it is before they come back, I suppose it's probably however long it was for the healing ritual, but Ian, Hart and Corin do appear, and they don't seem accusatory.
It makes sense, really, we've seen more than enough of Ihlini mind control magic. They urge her to drink and fuss over her hands - she'd cut them on the sword when Corin tackled her. Something he clearly feels guilty about.
Keely asks if she killed Brennan. Only nearly. If there were any fewer Cheysuli present, it might have happened.
Poor Keely insists that she must be mad then, like Gisella, which really makes me wonder what Niall told these kids. Though given how Keely's characterized, it's just as possible that he told them the truth and Keely wasn't listening. Corin even starts to correct her, but Hart cuts her off, they'll take her to her room first.
Keely begs to be locked up, but Ian takes charge:
Ian's voice was quiet and infinitely soothing. "Corin, she is confused—and, I am sure, tampered with. Here, let me move in." I looked into yellow eyes. "Keely," he said gently, "you went to Clankeep for i'toshaa-ni. What happened?"
"I completed the ritual."
"Then what did you do?"
"I completed the ritual. But Teir came—Teir was there—Teir profaned the cleansing—" I lurched up into hands. "Teir—Teir—Teir ... it was Teirnan and Rhiannon—"
So yep, they figure it out pretty quickly: a trap-link. Keely was ordered to kill Brennan, then Aidan would die (I'm not sure if the intent was for Keely to kill Aidan too, or if Rhiannon's just an ableist asshole assuming the baby will die). She holds back the order about giving birth to a healthy child.
So they help her up, intending to get her to her room, when something else happens. MAYBE Rhiannon isn't as clever as she thought, because:
Warmth flooded my thighs. "Su'fali, wait—oh wait . . . gods—the child is coming ... no more abomination—" I sagged, unable to stand, to climb, to do anything but grind my teeth together, trying to bite back a moan.
Ian scooped me up. My leggings were wet with blood.
"Corin," I said through the pain, "is Brennan really alive?"
"Aye, Keely—I promise." And then, on a rising note of fear: "What is wrong with her?"
"Miscarriage," Ian said grimly. "Strahan got her with child."
...UGH.
Okay, so my reaction probably doesn't make sense. I was and am very in favor of Keely getting to terminate a pregnancy that she doesn't want. I'm very pro-choice in my own politics (and this NOT an invitation to debate that, thank you.) I am annoyed by this though.
See, here's the thing. I've seen this plot point before. It seemed to be weirdly common in certain books in the 70s or 80s. The female character is pregnant with a child she does not want. The child might be the result of rape or just a poor decision on her part. Sometimes the female character actively pursues an abortion or sometimes they suffer quietly. But in the end, there's a happy fortunate miscarriage (usually due to traumatic events admittedly) and everyone lives happily ever after.
And I am incredibly annoyed, because it always seemed like a cheap way for an author to have her cake and eat it too. The character wants an abortion, is either prevented from or not inclined to seek an abortion, and then an Act of God fixes it anyway.
This is supposed to be a feminist book. And abortion is, at heart, a feminist issue. Roberson therefore has the opportunity to explore said issue with her main character, and at least started to do so. Keely wants an abortion, she actively pursues an abortion, even in the face of judgment and obstacles. That's good so far.
But then, conveniently, she's interrupted, victimized again, and through all that, she loses the child through no fault of her own. Through no choice of her own.
Roberson defeats her own feminist message here, because this is not Keely's choice. Keely wanted to terminate the pregnancy on her terms, and Roberson had a really easy set up here. Even most anti-choice people generally sympathize with a woman choosing an abortion in cases of rape and incest, both of which apply here. (Strahan, if you recall, is Aislinn's half brother. Ergo, he's Keely's great-uncle.)
But instead, the choice is made FOR Keely. She's traumatized AGAIN, violated AGAIN, and put in physical distress again. So the readers can be comforted by the idea that while she contemplated, and even wanted an abortion, she didn't actually kill her baby. Fate did. (And she got punished for wanting to make the choice too.)
UGH.
So we get an italicized rambling about Keely's feelings for the miscarriage, while her family members beg her to fight it and stay alive.
The chapter ends here. But since it was really short, and I don't really want to end on irritation, I'll actually continue to the next one.
--
So Chapter Twelve starts with Keely waking up, hearing the breathing of someone next to her head. She smells leather, gold, and "the musk of a mountain cat." She assumes it's Ian, but it's actually Brennan.
Keely doesn't want to face him, but this is pretty great. I have a feeling I'll be over-using the excerpts here.
Humiliation bathed me. "Go away," I told him.
"Keely, this is nonsense. I am alive. I am well. Weak, aye, and sore, but all of that will pass. Keely—I am alive."
"And, being Brennan, full of forgiveness for me."
His tone was odd. "Let us say, full of comprehension. I understand what happened."
I opened eyes. "Then you are not going to forgive me?"
Brennan's smile was slight. "You would hate me if I did. What you want from me is accusation and disapproval, so you can get angry. Anger is always your best defense; it allows you the chance to climb up on the highest of your horses. But if I forgive you for running four feet of steel through my body— and I am told a foot of it came out the other side—I take away the anger, the guilt, your sense of humiliation, leaving you only with resentment. The gods know there has been that and more between us, for a variety of reasons—good and bad—and I am weary of it. So no, I do not forgive you . . . you nearly killed me, Keely."
There is something genuinely fascinating by how much of this book is, at its heart, about these two characters. I mean, if we're counting page time, Brennan probably has more than Sean or Rory combined.
Keely sees herself as Aileen and Brennan as a version of Sean that she can lash out at without consequence, when really, they're much more parallels than adversaries: twins who are honestly far more emotionally wrapped up in a sibling that really doesn't share the same level of engagement, betrothed at birth to someone they've never met, significant due to birth order, victimized and bred, if you will, by their enemies.
But it's never been clear how much Brennan understands about WHY Keely acts the way she does. But this...maybe he understands a lot more than Keely thinks.
It's interesting that Keely's next step, after calling him a Ku'reshtin of course, is to talk about the baby.
I was aware of weakness, of lassitude; of a strange apathy. No more pain, but discomfort. My belly felt oddly empty. "They told you about the baby."
"Aye. Teirnan, Rhiannon, the trap-link ... also the baby, Keely. But why—" He broke it off. "No. Now is not the time, nor is it my place—"
I answered him anyway. "Because I could tell no one. Only Maeve, and she guessed. I meant to tell no one at all. I meant only to rid myself of it." I grimaced. "It rid itself of me."
I'm still annoyed by the narrative trope, as mentioned above. I dislike when authors decide to take choices away from the characters in an attempt to avoid the narrative consequences. There is nothing this miscarriage provides to the story that letting Keely succeed in her abortion wouldn't have.
But it IS interesting that this is the first time she's willingly talked about it. But then Brennan has a child conceived of rape too.
I like this bit too:
"Go to bed," I told him. "I see indeed you have survived, but there is no more need for you to sit here beside me and taunt me with such magnanimous empathy. It is what I expect of you, being you; go to bed, rest . .. and tell me you forgive me when I am best able to mount my highest of horses." I smiled weakly. "Leijhana tu'sai, rujho ... as you say, disliking you for having all the answers is not reason enough to kill you. I shall have to find one better."
He smiled. His color had worsened, which made the bruises down the left side of his face all the more ugly, and he rose with a wince he tried but failed to suppress. "I sent for Aileen. She will be delayed— Aidan has a fever—but she should be back within a five-day. I think perhaps there are things you two may share that no one else can understand."
When Roberson is good, she's very good. And we can see that here. There's something very funny about how these two characters finally reach an overt peace through Keely having run her brother through with a sword. But in a weird way, it makes sense. Throughout the book, she'd been making verbal potshots at him, lashing out in her own feeling of powerless, and feeling miserable because it solves nothing. She can't acknowledge that she's being cruel to her brother, because it means acknowledging that she has even less power than she wants to pretend.
But now, well, this is tangible. She stabbed him with a sword, not words. And even if she's not a place where she can apologize outright, she can acknowledge this. He can forgive it (and everything else), even if he makes his production of NOT forgiving her for the sake of her pride. And they can move forward.
Brennan has something else for her too:
"Rest you well, rujholla. When you are strong again—when both of us are strong again—we shall have to meet a final time to decide which of us is better with a blade."
I waited until he was at the open door. "You would risk that?"'
Brennan shrugged, then winced. "Why not? The trap-link is gone, banished days ago by su'fali, who has some knowledge of them ... I think there is no danger."
"No ... I meant would you risk losing in front of so many people?"
Brennan laughed in genuine amusement, which did not particularly please me, and took himself out of my chamber before I could respond.
Okay, Roberson, you got me. This is by far my favorite sibling relationship in this generation and I'm not 100% sure how you did that.
After that, we're told that folks come in to visit and apologize. We get a nice potshot at Maeve here:
They came in couples, in trios, alone, wishing me well, asking after my health, apologizing for harsh words and the roughness with which they had treated me. Maeve cried prettily over the blow she had fetched my face, but I knew she would not hesitate to repeat it, or worse, if I ever again threatened her beloved Brennan. Well, I did not expect her to do otherwise; it was the same with Corin and me.
Yes, she "cried prettily". Because Maeve is pretty and useless and the narrative will never let her be otherwise. The fact that she gets to strike Keely means nothing, because the story has no interest in acknowledging how much of a total asshole Keely is to her. SHE doesn't matter.
Corin, we're told, is the worst, as he thinks throwing her down and being rough is what caused the miscarriage, Keely doesn't care - admitting that she'd intended to be rid of it one way or another, and he saved her the trouble.
See what I mean though? The fact that Keely had a miscarriage instead of an abortion really doesn't mean anything narratively. She doesn't feel angry or cheated of having lost her choice in the matter. It accomplished the same thing - except that it means that the more conservative readers don't have to think of Keely as a protagonist who had an abortion. She's only guilty of contemplating it and God took care of the rest.
But we do move onto another interesting scene when IAN comes to visit.
I mentioned before about Brennan having a bigger role than Sean or Rory combined. Ian isn't quite as prominently featured, but he probably has the equivalent amount of screentime as either love interest on their own, and that's an interesting choice too.
Ian is uncomfortable and Keely clocks that he blames himself.
"She is my daughter. If I had not lain with Lillith in Atvia, regardless of the sorcery, Rhiannon would not exist." His face was very stiff. "She would not have come to Homana, to seduce Brennan and bear his child, who even now grows up with the tending of Ihlini . . . and she would not have been able to set a trap-link to murder him, using you as her weapon."
Keely dismisses that, noting that it was Teirnan who got her involved. And that Rhiannon and her child exist, unfortunately, and they can't do anything about it. She's pretty happy though that her own doesn't survive.
Ian's here for another reason though.
"Strahan forced you," he said, "much as Lillith forced me. I know what that does to a soul."
"And you want to know how I feel."
"I know how you feel, Keely. Dirty. Soiled. Besmirched. Entirely worthless as a person, as a Cheysuli ... as part of the House of Homana."
Painfully, I swallowed. "I fulfilled i’toshaa-ni."
His eyes were oddly intense. "And was it enough for you?"
I opened my mouth to say aye, of course it was; it was a cleansing ritual, and I was now purified . . . but I said nothing. I bit into my lip to keep from crying and slowly shook my head.
Keely could talk about the baby with Brennan, the first person she willingly spoke about it to, because he understood. But they couldn't have had this scene. He's not there yet, emotionally. Not in a place where he can or will acknowledge it.
But Ian's had a lot of time to process his experience and a personality more apt to be able to address it. (I do wonder if maybe Ian might have had this chat with Brennan. I would guess not. In some ways, the experience was harder for Keely, being forced to carry the result of her violation. The trade off, I think, is that it's culturally easier to acknowledge a female victim than a male one. And Brennan would probably not be as cooperative an audience either.)
Ian smiled, though it was an odd, bittersweet smile. And then he put his hand on my head, cupping my skull with his fingers. "You and I," he said. "You and I, harana . . . together, we will defeat it."
Quietly, he went away, leaving me gazing at his absence.
This is sweet though.
The last scene in the chapter is Niall, who is here to clear up some misunderstandings.
He made a staying gesture. "Keely—no. Stay as you are." And he sat down in the empty chair, reaching out to catch my hand. "Listen to me. Say nothing, Keely: listen."
After a moment, I nodded.
He closed my hand in both of his, gripping it very firmly. "She is mad, Keely, not because of anything in the blood . . . not because of anything gotten from ancestors—but because her mother fell while carrying her; the fall injured Gisella, who was born immediately after. She is mad because of that—and only because of that; you cannot inherit it. You cannot pass it on. You are sane and will always be sane ... and so will all your children."
One thing I really appreciate about both Pride of Princes and Daughter of the Lion is how Niall can be recognizably the character we liked in Track of the White Wolf, still a well-meaning, kind person. And still be kind of a fuck up as a parent.
Not in a "please rape my daughter" way, (fucking Carillon), but in a way that actually makes some kind of sense.
I do think, given how open the family has been about other traumas, that Niall probably did tell the kids about why Gisella is the way she is. But I'm glad he's taking the responsibility to tell Keely again, when she needs to hear it.
Keely admits that all her life, she'd been afraid of being like Gisella. (Well, for the last two chapters or so that it came up, but whatever.)
Niall does point out that she'd heard the story about how Bronwyn was in raven shape when she was shot out of the sky. But the part Keely'd always latched onto was Gisella trying to give the boys to Strahan. (I think one commenter pointed out once, that Keely's resentment about that may have missed the point: Gisella may have only intended to give the boys, because she thought she might be able to keep her daughter. But now maybe isn't the time for this idea to catch root.)
Niall points out that Gisella was made to do that. She had Lillith as a foster-mother, while Alaric turned a blind eye - and I appreciate him for calling out Alaric's role in all this. He could play regretful father all he wanted, but there's no indication that he ever tried to protect his daughter. Niall does admit that Gisella gave him four fine children and he's grateful.
This part does grate a bit:
I looked up into his face. "But you will not have her here."
He shook his head. "There is no place for her here. She is better off in Atvia."
"Where Corin must deal with her, while Deirdre warms your bed." I caught my breath. "Ah, jehan, I am sorry. I have no right to say such things."
Actually, for once, I think Keely's targeting the right person. Because there were probably other options. Even if it'd be inconvenient, or admittedly dangerous, to have Gisella in the Palace, he probably could have set her up in an estate somewhere. She didn't have to go back to her abusers. NOW, Atvia is probably the best place, because Corin can look out for her, but that was a lot of time for her to be stuck with the same people who made her murder her pets.
Niall just says the day Gisella dies, Deirdre will be his wife. Keely of course takes a very broad, non-self-centered view:
A long time to wait. I sighed. "I wish it might be tomorrow. Then Maeve becomes legitimate and the oldest daughter of the Mujhar of Homana. Let her be marriage bait; I am weary of it."
(Trivia note, she's right. At least in most jurisdictions in America at least, back when legitimacy vs. illegitimacy actually mattered, an illegitimate child would be made legally legitimate when their parents married.)
She asks what he'll do about Teirnan - and he says, they'll find him somehow and bring him before the Clan Council. As to what they'll do, who knows. Teir's actions are unprecedented.
Of course, now we have to get into the idiocy:
"Because he believes differently? Are you so sure he is wrong?"
"Keely—"
"He could be right, jehan ... we may lose the lir."
I rant about this every single time, sorry, but it's because there's a very easy fix. Just TELL us where Teirnan got this idea. Because it's not built into anything that Roberson established. The prophecy just says that the Firstborn will result from this idiotic eugenics experiment. And since we're only dealing with ONE family, and ONE prophesied birth, there will still be plenty of Cheysuli AND Ihlini out there.
Cynric will probably want to get married one day!
But okay, whatever. Niall just says they'll deal with it as they come, and Teir will have to be punished.
And Niall does have something else to give Keely:
At the door he paused. "Leijhana tu'sai, Keely."
I blinked at him, baffled. "Why? What have I done besides try to kill Brennan?"
His face tautened a moment as memory came back. But he banished the expression and smiled a crooked smile. "Aye, you did . . . just as I once tried to kill Deirdre, her brother and her father—if more indirectly. You used a sword. I, fire ... a beacon-fire blazing atop the dragon's skull, setting assassins to work." He sighed and resettled his patch. "But that is done. I say thank you for killing Strahan."
I do like that it didn't take a whole lot to prove Keely's innocence, given the precedents established in this series.
He leaves, and she thinks about why he said nothing about Sean or Rory. I mean, you could have asked. She thinks sulkily about how they need the Erinnish blood - which could come from either man. (They don't, but we talked about that.)
The chapter ends with Keely getting out of bed, thinking about Rory chiding her softness, and deciding to go find Sean.
no subject
Date: 2025-03-25 01:08 am (UTC)Hey, if Keely was ordered to bear a healthy child, did the miscarriage erase that? Or could it come back unexpectedly?
= Multi-Facets.
no subject
Date: 2025-03-25 02:14 am (UTC)Since Rhiannon can't conjure a child into existence, I'd guess the compulsion ended with the miscarriage. (My guess is that it was more of a mind control thing to keep Keely from aborting the child. Since her initial plan was to do the cleansing, then get the abortion. Instead, she went straight back to the castle to skewer her brother.)
I suppose there is a chance that it could still be a factor if and when Keely has a different child. But I suspect there's some off screen mental purging of mind control in the meantime.
no subject
Date: 2025-03-25 04:29 pm (UTC)[comes barreling back in sans coffee]
OI! I just remembered. Are Cheysuli men the only ones with mind-control powers? If not, Keely could've forced the herbalist to give her the medicine she needed. Hell, she wanted it bad enough that she just could've punched the guy's lights out and taken what she needed.
Gawddamnit, Roberson. You were indeed trapped by the constraints of your time.
I really need coffee now after thinking of that. [leaves once again]
= Multi-Facets.
no subject
Date: 2025-03-25 04:36 pm (UTC)To be fair, I don't think it ever really comes up after Donal. Neither Niall nor the boys of this generation seem inclined to use it, so maybe Keely can't or doesn't know how. It is a plot hole though.
no subject
Date: 2025-03-26 04:33 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-03-26 04:32 pm (UTC)For a book that's supposed to be the feminist outing, it feels very un-feminist, at least from a modern lens. Keely is the epitome of Not Like Other Girls, and when she thinks about freedom for other women, it's usually pushing her own wishes and insecurities onto them instead of listening to them. She chafes at a lack of agency, when she has more agency than most women in the setting. Then when the plot kicks in, it's all about hurting her and robbing her of all agency. It almost feels like punishing her for not being grateful for what she had.
no subject
Date: 2025-03-26 07:10 pm (UTC)I also like the touch that the most prominent male characters in the plot are the two that have also faced sexual violence and forced parenthood, and that this is at least somewhat addressed in the story.
But there's a lot that frustrates me too. And I'm not sure how much of it is a "product of its time" thing, versus Roberson herself. (I've seen the convenient miscarriage plot a LOT during books that are around this same age.) But it's definitely something that is worth a lot of criticism.