Yaay, subtext hereby validated!
I just finished “Warlord,” a short story written by Michelle Sagara West over ten years ago that offers a hint of what happened to lead Avandar Gallais, indisputably the most terrifying domicis to have lived, to serve the small, fiery, YOUNG Jewel Markess ATerafin, gifted with the sight. It takes place years before the events of the Sun Sword series (of which, I am still pretty obsessed with) and I about fainted at the sheer goodness of it all. It’s in a fantasy compilation I ordered second-hand (out of print) for the sole purpose of owning and reading the short story on one of my favorite characters from the series.
In the series, you sort of wonder how the hell a guy as arrogant and bossy as Avandar ever came into life servitude (bodyguard duty times fifty) to a shrimpy little thing like Jewel, who’s just full of angst and rebellion. Turns out, she’s kinda justified in being so upset. Also, turns out her for-life bodyguard is not just any man…nay, they never would have assigned someone so insignificant to watch over her…but a man ancient tales only call “The Warlord,” a man so powerful, he has made the “devil” turn his head.
The short story covers Avandar’s arrival at the Domicis Guild, where he tells them (arrogantly) he is there to learn service. The goodness is being able to get into Avandar’s head (finally!) and hearing, straight from his lips, his terrible mistakes during his long life. He also meets Jewel for the first time, just a young girl off the street and it’s great because you get to understand Avandar for the first time (after reading all six books! >__< ) and what goes through his head when he looks at his headstrong charge.
I squeed. I did. Because I <3 Avandar for being such a badass, but also because in the series, you get just the barest taste of their romantic potential and then they disappear (literally), not to be seen again (perhaps in a sequel series). The short story is a bit more explicit about things (Avandar has EMOTIONS!! OMG!) and Avandar observes that Jewel has the type of sincerity that will attract death, and, perversely, that is what he would like the best in her. (h~waat? Avandar actually LIKES something about Jewel? Geez, this changes EVERYTHING!)
Totally makes me wanna go back through the books and pick out all the “subtext.” XD
In the series, you sort of wonder how the hell a guy as arrogant and bossy as Avandar ever came into life servitude (bodyguard duty times fifty) to a shrimpy little thing like Jewel, who’s just full of angst and rebellion. Turns out, she’s kinda justified in being so upset. Also, turns out her for-life bodyguard is not just any man…nay, they never would have assigned someone so insignificant to watch over her…but a man ancient tales only call “The Warlord,” a man so powerful, he has made the “devil” turn his head.
The short story covers Avandar’s arrival at the Domicis Guild, where he tells them (arrogantly) he is there to learn service. The goodness is being able to get into Avandar’s head (finally!) and hearing, straight from his lips, his terrible mistakes during his long life. He also meets Jewel for the first time, just a young girl off the street and it’s great because you get to understand Avandar for the first time (after reading all six books! >__< ) and what goes through his head when he looks at his headstrong charge.
I squeed. I did. Because I <3 Avandar for being such a badass, but also because in the series, you get just the barest taste of their romantic potential and then they disappear (literally), not to be seen again (perhaps in a sequel series). The short story is a bit more explicit about things (Avandar has EMOTIONS!! OMG!) and Avandar observes that Jewel has the type of sincerity that will attract death, and, perversely, that is what he would like the best in her. (h~waat? Avandar actually LIKES something about Jewel? Geez, this changes EVERYTHING!)
Totally makes me wanna go back through the books and pick out all the “subtext.” XD