Happy New Year! Here we are with the next chapter, Winged Tidings. We're still with Nasuada because...well, there really isn't a reason because this is another pointless chapter, but I'm getting ahead of myself.
The chapter starts with Jormundur shaking Nasuada awake. Nasuada was passed out from the blood loss, but doesn't actually remember passing out. Or at least I think that's what happened; Paolini wrote it out in a really convoluted manner.
After she assures them she's alright, she gives Jormundur and her handmaiden orders. She says that the tribe leader who lost can keep his position as long he swears loyalty to her, because his leadership skills are too valuable to waste. Leadership skills I'm sure we'll see much of for the rest of the series. She also asks them to have Angela come heal her. Aren't her wounds supposed to heal naturally? Why is she allowed to use medicine and not magic?
But they don't want to leave her alone.
“I won’t leave you alone in this condition,” declared Jörmundur.
Farica nodded. “Begging your pardon, my Lady, but I agree with him. It’s not safe.”
I can't tell what they're worried about or why her guards aren't the solution.
She assures them that she is never alone. Jormundur wants to know what precautions she's taken, but Nasuada refuses him.
“For the sake of my own peace of mind, I need to have a dagger no one else can see: a hidden weapon tucked up my sleeve, if you will.”
1. Yet when Elva ditches her, she doesn't get a new “hidden weapon” for her own peace of mind.
2. Elva saved her from an assassin once and she didn't keep that a secret. So wouldn't the next assassin try to learn from that and prepare their own attempt with Elva in mind? Making Elva not a hidden weapon at all.
This reassures them, and they leave. A minute later, Elva comes out from her hiding place and we get her description.
She's wearing a black dress. Her hair is darker than that, flows down to her lower back, and is described as a “liquid void”.
Hoo boy.
Elva compliments Nasuada for withstanding so many cuts. Except the compliment doesn't make sense because we find out soon that Nasuada wouldn't have been able to make so many cuts if it weren't for Elva.
Even though Nasuada had heard it many times, Elva’s voice still inspired a thrill of alarm in her, for it was the bitter, mocking voice of a world-weary adult, not that of a child.
If she has the body of a child, wouldn't she have the voice of a child?
Nasuada says that Elva is stronger than her, because she had to feel the pain of both Nasuada and the other guy.
“Thank you for staying with me. I know what it must have cost you, and I’m grateful.”
You're grateful? Now that I think about it, why did Elva agree to help you anyway? What are you giving her in return besides your “gratefulness”?
“At least you won’t have to live like this for much longer. As soon as Eragon returns, he’ll remove the spell.”
Nasuada does not actually want the spell removed, but this isn't mentioned yet even though now would be a fine time to introduce that.
“I lied about the Trial of the Long Knives.”
“What do you mean?”
“I foresaw that you would lose, not win.”
“What!”
“If I had allowed events to take their course, your nerve would have broken on the seventh cut and Fadawar would be sitting where you are now. So I told you what you needed to hear in order to prevail.”
Here's some quotes from the last chapter to consider while we think about this.
Desperate, she concentrated upon her desire to preserve the Varden and overthrow Galbatorix: the two causes to which she had devoted her entire being. In her mind, she saw her father and Jörmundur and Eragon and the people of the Varden, and she thought, For them! I do this for them. I was born to serve, and this is my service.
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in the depths of her heart, she knew she would never give up.
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“I could not lose. Even if it meant my death, I never would have allowed Fadawar to gain control of the Varden.”
These are supposed to show how dedicated Nasuada is to her cause.
Even when Elva told Nasuada she would win, Nasuada could still think to herself “Those motivational thoughts would have mattered if Elva hadn't said anything.” Elva is basically saying, nope, all that dedication was and would have been meaningless.
Nasuada has countless reasons and motivations to win. Fadawar was supposedly only greedy and wanted power or something. You would think this would get Nasuada to feel an emotion like self-doubt or something? Any emotion really, I'm not picky. She is told that her dedication to her cause wouldn't have been good enough to beat Fadawar, and doesn't react at all. She recognizes that she owes Elva even more of a debt (even though she never acts like she owes Elva anything) and thanks her for the help. That's it. It's never brought up again. Elva might as well have said nothing.
“I see. It seems I must thank you once again.”
Elva laughed then, a brittle sound. “And you hate every moment of it, don’t you? No matter. You need not worry about offending me, Nasuada. We are useful to each other, no more.”
Again, how is Nasuada useful to Elva?
Now Angela arrives to help heal Nasuada's cuts. Oh, joy.
“Really! Between you and Eragon, I seem to spend most of my time among the Varden healing people too silly to realize they need to avoid getting chopped into tiny little pieces.”
This seems to imply that Angela heals Eragon and Nasuada a lot. Except she has only ever healed Eragon once, and this should be the first time she's healed Nasuada because Nasuada has always had access to people who could heal her with magic. On top of that, it isn't a funny or clever line, but that's normal for Angela.
“Barzûl,” muttered Angela. “Only men would think of cutting themselves to determine who the pack leader is. Idiots!”
I agree 100%. You are an idiot for coming up with it Paolini.
That aside, Nasuada agrees with Angela. On top of that, Eragon calls the Trial “barbaric” when he hears about it. Considering that it seems to be based on rituals that tribes and communities do in real life, is Paolini trying to insult them?
As Angela is finishing up, the guards halt someone outside the tent. The two human guards cross their swords, which causes “a chorus of shimmering, bell-like notes” because of course they do.
Nasuada, Angela, and Solembum all get ready to defend themselves. Um, just because the guards stopped someone doesn't mean the person stopped is an enemy. I'm not saying don't be vigilant, but wait until you hear sounds of fighting at least. Plus, Elva isn't reacting at all. They trust her, so I'm not sure why they're bothering.
The guy trying to enter just tells them that Eragon and Saphira are in sight and approaching. Nasuada gets dressed, then asks if she should hide or reveal the cuts she got from the Trial.
“That depends,” said Angela. “Do you think showing them will increase your standing or encourage your enemies, because they assume you are weak and vulnerable?”
Angela phrases it as if only one or the other can to happen, but if she thinks either could happen, why couldn't both happen at the same time? I don't actually think both could happen though; any person who can get passed Nasuada's guards isn't likely to care if she's injured or not.
The question is actually a rather philosophical one, predicated on whether when looking at a man who has lost a big toe, you say, ‘Oh, he’s a cripple’ or ‘Oh, he was smart or strong or lucky enough to escape worse injury.’ ”
Again, you can think both of those things. “Oh, he's a cripple, but at least he was smart or strong or lucky enough to escape worse injury”. They aren't mutually exclusive, Angela.
“You make the strangest comparisons.”
Was it strange? I guess, but this just feels like Paolini thought we needed a reminder of how Quirky Angela is, and how the other characters think she's Quirky and Weird. Angela takes it as a compliment of course.
“The Trial of the Long Knives is a contest of strength,” said Elva. “That is well known among the Varden and Surdans. Are you proud of your strength, Nasuada?”
Well, that's more logical than what Angela said at least. So Nasuada has them cut her dress at the elbows and says that she'll just have it repaired later. Who does she keep around in a war camp that has the skill and free time to repair dresses?
They leave the tent, and Nasuada's guards form up around them. They don't question Elva being there even though it was a secret to them that she was in the tent.
We get description about the land around the Varden camp, until we get to the North:
But Nasuada had eyes only for the north, and the glittering shape of Saphira descending thence. Light from the fading sun still illuminated her, cloaking her in a blue halo. She appeared like a cluster of stars falling from the heavens. The sight was so majestic, Nasuada stood transfixed for a moment, thankful she was fortunate enough to witness it.
It's hard not to think of a character as a Sue when they get described like this. How does she get a halo of light around her? How does she look like a “cluster” of falling stars, or even a falling star to begin with? Falling stars zip across the sky in the blink of an eye, Saphira is a ten minute flight away.
The guy who spotted Saphira tries to fish for praise from Nasuada. Nasuada gives him what he wants, telling him he must have a good eye for spotting the majestic slow moving cluster of falling stars that is Saphira.
They then just stand around for ten minutes waiting for Saphira. Then Arya shows up:
The tall elf woman wove her way through the crowd toward Nasuada. Even with Saphira nigh upon them, men and women alike tore their gaze from the sky to watch Arya’s progress, she presented such a striking image. (…) And she moved with a slinking, muscular grace that bespoke her skill with a blade, and also her supernatural strength.
She has such a striking image, people are looking away from Saphira to look at her, which is simply amazing given the description of Saphira we had. And the way she walks somehow shows people how strong and skilled with a blade she is. Sure Paolini. Whatever you want.
Nasuada had to admit that even if Arya donned a gown of rags, she would still appear more regal and dignified than any mortal-born noble.
Is this because Elves Are Superior To Humans or is this because Arya Is Really Beautiful? I can't tell.
Arya gestured with one elegant finger at Nasuada’s wounds. “As the poet Earnë said, to place yourself in harm’s way for the sake of the people and the country you love is the finest thing one can do. I have known every leader of the Varden, and they were all mighty men and women, and none so much as Ajihad. In this, though, I believe you have surpassed even him.”
Place yourself in harm's way? Nasuada was forced into the trial, but okay. And of course she's already more awesome than her dad was. Not because she won the Battle of the Burning Plains or anything, but because of the Trial, obviously.
“You honor me, Arya, but I fear that if I burn so brightly, too few shall remember my father as he deserves.”
“The deeds of the children are a testament of the upbringing they received from their parents. Burn like the sun, Nasuada, for the brighter you burn, the more people there shall be who will respect Ajihad for teaching you how to bear the responsibilities of command at such a tender age.”
Eh, I guess. I haven't really noticed this in actual famous people. Even in story, its not like we ever see people talk about how cool Garrow must have been for Roran and Eragon to be so awesome. Nor do we see people talking about how bad Galby's parents must have been for him to be so evil. Is it even common knowledge that Ajihad taught Nasuada? Would people even care? What Arya says sounds like something that could happen in theory, but wouldn't actually happen. Ajihad will be acknowledged in the history books at best.
“A tender age? I’m a grown woman, by our reckoning.”
Amusement gleamed in Arya’s green eyes. “True. But if we judge by years, and not wisdom, no human would be considered an adult among my kind. Except for Galbatorix, that is.”
But why would you judge humans by years and not wisdom, I mean besides casually showing off how superior elves are to humans.
Elva tells Nasuada that Eragon isn't on Saphira, so she makes all the unimportant people leave. The important people walk up to Nasuada and ask what's up. The urgal chieftain is apparently so big and heavy that Nasuada can feel the ground shake as he walks.
It occurred to Nasuada, as she regarded them, that this was probably the first time in thousands of years that members of so many of the races of Alagaësia had gathered together in peace.The only ones missing were the Ra’zac and their mounts, and Nasuada knew no sane being would ever invite those foul creatures into their secret councils.
You only have to go two weeks back to find people saying the exact same thing about urgals, but okay Nasuada.
Saphira lands and Nasuada studies Katrina. She's strong-boned apparently. I'm not sure what that means, or how you can tell if a person is strong-boned or weak-boned, but okay. She's also really pale, but other than that she's completely fine and suffers no lasting effects from her captivity.
Even when she noticed Garzhvog, Katrina did not flinch or quail but remained standing where she was, next to Roran.
A few chapters ago she freaked out about maybe being blind, now she's completely stoic seeing a Kull? Sure, Paolini.
She was curious to see what kind of woman could inspire a man to undertake such extraordinary feats in order to rescue her.
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“Welcome to the Varden, Katrina,” said Nasuada. “We have all heard your name here, on account of Roran’s uncommon devotion. Songs of his love for you already spread across the land.”
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That anyone should sacrifice so much for another person meant, by reason of the price paid, that person must be unusually precious.
It keeps getting mentioned how amazing and awesome Roran is for rescuing Katrina. Except what are they talking about when they mean “sacrifice”? If Roran and all the villagers had stayed in Carvahall, the village would still have been burned down eventually and they would have all been killed. You can say Roran did most of what he did because of his devotion, but they're ignoring how the only other option he and the villagers had most of the time was “die”.
Nasuada noticed that the king had eyes only for Katrina, as did every man present, including the dwarves, and Nasuada was certain they would be recounting tales of Katrina’s charms to their comrades-in-arms before the night was out. What Roran had done on her behalf elevated her far above ordinary women; it made her an object of mystery, fascination, and allure to the warriors.
I can somewhat see what Paolini is trying to do here, but wow does he take it too far.
Katrina blushed and smiled. Along with her embarrassment at such attentions, a hint of pride colored her expression, as if she knew how remarkable Roran was and delighted in having captured his heart, of all the women in Alagaësia. He was hers, and that was all the status or treasure she desired.
Of course Katrina is only embarrassed by the attention and is not uncomfortable at all. Also geez, Nasuada is sure able to read Katrina's expression well.
Nasuada swallowed as Saphira’s consciousness brushed against her own. Saphira felt unlike any other being Nasuada had encountered: ancient, alien, and both ferocious and gentle.
It feels ancient eve though she's only a year old at most? How does she feel both ferocious and gentle at the same time?
So Saphira explains what happened and lies to them about why Eragon stayed behind. They then talk about what to do next.
“We have to get him back.”
Angela laughed. “How? He’ll be traveling during the day, and Saphira daren’t fly around searching for him when the sun’s up and anyone might spot her and alert Galbatorix.”
Why can't Saphira look for him at night then?
“Yes, but he’s our Rider! We cannot sit by idly while he remains in the midst of our enemies.”
Why not? I mean, the Empire shouldn't even know that Eragon is still in there territory, so Eragon should be able to get through the Empire without any trouble. These are rebel types though, so they automatically aren't the type of people to sit around and do nothing.
Arya then has the brilliant idea to run off to find Eragon by herself. Nasuada hopes Arya can keep Eragon safe...from what I don't know. She can't keep him safe from Murtagh and Thorn, and who else could reasonably find, catch, and subdue him? How doesshe expect to find him anyway? What would be hilarious is if Eragon came back to the Varden safe and sound while Arya was still out looking for him. It would show how pointless and irrelevant it is for Arya to go after him, but that doesn't happen sadly.
Of course, the real reason Arya went after Eragon is because her role in this book would be really minor if she didn't.
Anyway, that was the end of that chapter. So, why did we need this chapter? So we could see Arya going after Eragon? Arya explains herself just fine when she meets up with Eragon. This is really nothing more than another pointless chapter to toss onto the pile. *tosses*
Next up is Urchin with Escape and Evasion. After that we have Epistler with A Delicate Matter.
