[ROTT SPOILERS] Volume 2, Chapter 3

[whataliethatwas]

I have finished Return of the Thief, and really need to process this section from V2Ch3.  I was commenting on the main book discussion thread and realized my question was rapidly becoming too unwieldy for a simple discussion and decided to post as a separate thread.  I have tried this multiple times and haven't been able to get a single cut to work

Comments

[whataliethatwas]

Tyvm. I really appreciate your insight and it definitely helped me sort through my thoughts and clarify things. I have a hard time seeing the magus planning to offer the stone just to stir up family trouble etc. but I can definitely see him playing on the superstitions of the Eddisians to weaken Helen's position so that her option was to marry Sounis or lose her throne because she rejected the gift of the stone, or lose her country to chaos with the stone being given to a younger teen not trained to be king. The Magus's goal was unification through any means - marriage or Sounis controlling/annexing the throne.

'Their sons' is a good catch. Idr if there's mention of a younger brother to Helen, but it is still possible it was Gen and a cousin son of Eddis. There are a handful of quotes throughout the series that retroactively hint to me it was Gen specifically being questioned (like you bastard, not that I know of; I even have siblings with the same father; parallels between Stenides and Lyopidus, both born to their parents and both die d in fire). Although I do see the older brother's births that would be a bigger deal to legitimize with the priest and still totally possible.

[brandy_painter]

I definitely think the textual argument is there for it being Gen and a younger brother of Helen that this is referencing. I noticed on my reread that when Gen is talking to Susa and refuses to answer to Your Majesty, he says he can use bastard because that's a favorite of his cousins. Nahusheresh uses it to taunt him as well when he's telling Gen he has no right to be king. Then Gen specifically repeats it and looks at Helen when he does upon his return. But he was being fully possessed by god Eugenides at that point. Although god Eugenides was DEFINITELY a bastard soooo....I only just realized that as I was typing this. Huh.

Anyway, I think that the rumors were just rumors, but their impact was very real. They were strong enough that bribes were required and the Magus was able to reach back and use them. I feel that it adds nuance to a lot. Gen's cousins excessive bullying of him has a whole other layer now, as does Gen's stubborn insistence not to act in any way others would define as "kingly". I think it adds to his reaction over the Pent ambassador situation as well.