Aia tells her tale to lords

So, somehow this Aia turned out about 180 degrees away from the meek, gentle, humble, Lena-like Aia I had planned. A good reason for me not to take too many pictures too far ahead of the story. I just hope I can use the pictures I already took with her.

Alred may have noticed the resemblance. It is difficult to tell what's going through Alred's head lately. I do not think Egelric himself was aware Sela had a sister, so Alred may have his doubts.

After all we have an elf lady, showing up with a baby, looking for Egelric... clearly some people are going to come to the wrong conclusion. Maybe Alred too at first. He was only with her for a minute or two before Osh showed up, and he did seem a little more awkward than he usually is. He was also surprisingly unwilling to come to Aia's aid... even though he couldn't understand a word, he must have understood from the tone that Osh was not being kind. But maybe he expected that from the way Lena was treated at first.

As I said, this chapter didn't go as expected, so now I have to figure out what everyone is thinking and what they're going to do.

Naturally. Sela caused quite a scandal once upon a time. She wouldn't have been allowed to go back to Egelric if Vash hadn't taken matters into his own hands.

And, obviously, since then Osh has met the boys, though they have scarcely spoken. Egelric keeps that part of his life quite separate from the part that intersects Osh's.

I think Lena certainly has her place. She is a somewhat tragic character so far, but she doesn't think she deserves better. (Like Hetty? And Choco?) And I love her to pieces -- she is so adorable.

As for Aia... I don't know, I wanted someone fabulously sweet and selfless, innocent and naive. The "everyone has been cruel to her, and still she has a loving heart" sort of character. However, I don't want to say in what way she was supposed to shake up anyone's lives, because I may still do some of that, though perhaps in slightly different ways.

But this new Aia is rather interesting. Probably she will prove to be more interesting than the other one.

So I knew she's used to cringing and hiding and being kicked around, and no one has ever really loved her but Sela. And then when she was not quite 11 years old Sela suddenly left her one day... she doesn't know the whole story about how Egelric semi-kidnapped her. She thought Sela simply left and abandoned her.

Now she really really wants to be a mother and yet no male will touch her. And she had to grow up knowing she was supposed to be killed by the elves who are her family.

So, even though I have known all that for months, when I got around to writing her, this silently defiant Aia is nevertheless what came out. I wonder what the consequences will be.

Osh spoke to her as any of his race and caste would have spoken to her, but the surprising thing (to me) was how she took that insult about her father to heart, as she might not have done if he had just insulted her handicap or her speech. Especially since we now know, by way of Imin, that Sela was also considered a poet, this is obviously something very important to her. As Imin said:

“Poetry is not a luxury!” Imin called after her.  He bent his head to the boy’s again and whispered, “It’s like food, little Sim.  Our people are starving.”

Oh, Osh! Poor Osh. This is not his finest moment. I think Aia hit him on a sensitive spot as well.

Ach, Verity, I knew this would get a rise out of you. (And watch out when Tiana returns... Aia is even a baby-saver, if not a professional one.)

I feel sorry for poor Osh -- but more for Osh as the helpless character whose creator forces him to do cruel things. Worse, I knew how this chapter was supposed to go, and he was supposed to let his evil mask slip when the baby started acting cute. So he might have redeemed himself a little there, and I didn't even give him the opportunity.

All this caste business makes me a bit ill to write about, I admit, but it is one of those aspects of human nature that fascinates me. Maybe because I am an American. If I ever wonder whether a generally gentle guy like Osh could really do and say such things, I just have to remind myself: khírrón = plantation owner, sikhón / ksaltón = mulatto house slaves, kisór = field slaves. Oh, yes, they could, and nevertheless they could be quite gentle and charming and delightful with their families and other whites.

And I think that is where you may be surprised about their treatment of Aia vs. Lena, because Lena is "half-white" and a "house slave", raised to be gentle and clean and ladylike. You'll see, they (Osh & Paul) won't even want to let Lena near Aia.

All it takes is for someone to consider the other person to be subhuman. Or sub-elf in this case. Normal rules of kindness, gentleness, and politeness do not apply. Normal feelings of compassion do not apply. And all the more so when one caste/race feels threatened with extinction by the other.

They have truly sent for Egelric (whose nose is currently starring in the banner, if that's any indication), but the scenario is this: Aia shows up at Nothelm squawking "Egelric, Egelric", the guards show her in and wake Alred, Alred (still in his underwear) sends for Osh (because he's in the castle) and for Egelric (who is at Maire's). So in this chapter Aia has been waiting no longer than the time it takes for an old warrior to throw on some clothes. And Osh followed two or three minutes later. Egelric is going to have to be woken, get dressed, and ride up there, so he won't be there for a while.

It's past midnight so we can imagine Osh was already sleeping, but either way I suppose he would have been made additionally cranky by having been dragged out of bed and away from Flann, all on account of a stinky, illiterate, flea-ridden field slave -- err, kisór girl.

For what it's worth, I think Lena would have reacted with far more kindness and understanding, though I haven't given it much thought. It is difficult to know what goes through her adorable head, too.

I don't know about Alred, either. He's quite gentle with her here, but he lets Osh take charge once he shows up, which is not Alred's way. Keeping in mind that he too has been awake for less than five minutes at this point, I do think that he is somewhat stunned by his suspicion that the baby is Egelric's, since it would mean that it had been conceived while Lili was still alive, and Alred is still a little kooky where Lili is concerned. (Not because he loves her, but because he is superimposing his story with Matilda on her, and if Egelric had betrayed Lili, it would have seemed like a betrayal of Matilda on some really subconscious level.)

As for sexy man-beast Araphel, I'm looking at my outline and I'm afraid we won't be seeing him again for quite some time, at least in real world terms. But we will have lots of Cedric to look at meanwhile, and more sweat-stained Old Man Myrddin too. Whoo!

Well, darn it, I guess I shouldn't have said it was Egelric's nose. For the next day or two I could have kept you wondering whether Malcolm had returned.

You don't associate with such people in RL, Verity, because such people are throwback troglodytes in our day. Not that they don't exist -- but unlike in 1820's Virginia, such beliefs are considered abominable by society. If you had been born in 1820's Virginia, or as a noble elven lady in Lothere in the 11th century, you might not only be associating with such people, but one of them yourself. (And I myself, etc.) I recoil from the thought, but I am a product of my age, just as plantation owners' daughters or Lasrua and her kind are.

Wow, I am really impressed that Vash's treatment of the Sela situation has stuck with you so long. I don't know whether the conversation in the cave was the nail in the coffin, but it certainly was a blow to Iylaine's relationship with her father. I remember the chapter (which I am at work and cannot find ) when Egelric was sitting on the little bed in the cottage that was supposed to have been Iylaine's and thinking about the family that might have been, if Vash hadn't butted in and spoiled it for both of them. Not that either really understands Vash's role in it... and not that Vash had much choice in the matter. (In spite of what Sela used to tell Aia.)

As for the breasts co-starring with Egelric's nose... Maire does have remarkably fair skin lately. I think I must have forgotten to update her skin when I deleted the old darker skin she used to have. And the default when a skin is missing is the 2nd lightest default skintone. Curses! Do you suppose I should update it with something darker, or leave her as she is now? I kind of like her a little pale... among her dark-skinned family it probably seems rather exotically beautiful. And there has always been something slightly exotic about Maire.

Really, Maire appearing in Egelric's bed does make a little more sense than Lasrua. Poor little elf girl, she's not that desperate for Malcolm or Malcolm-like hotness.

That's what I get for trying to hurry up and stuff links in there while I'm at work. The link was supposed to go back to "Malcolm scorches his knees", wherein Maire and Malcolm have it out before the fire. It was the first, best chapter I could think of where I knew Maire was looking pale. Also, mmmmm Malcolm.

Oh, and as for your comment about Vash and Iylaine, Devin... I don't think Vash & Iylaine's relationship will suffer, especially since there is nothing for her to "find out". Vash was not lying to her. He was just telling her what he believed. Here's "the chapter in the cave" I was talking about earlier.

And knowing Iylaine as we do, I am sure she is more than glad to think herself superior to Sela. I can see Iylaine being less indulgent with an Aia-type-character than Vash himself would, in a "more royalist than the King" sort of fashion. (I don't think that expression exists in English does it? )

Sela was (through no fault of her own) one of the causes of the breakdown of Iylaine's relationship with her father. Even an ordinary woman would have met with Iylaine's scorn, though -- she wanted her Da all to herself. Remember just before her wedding she told Egelric:

“But perhaps I am a little sad too.”  She furrowed her brows and wore the little, pinched face she would wear as a child, when she would say something particularly wise.  “It is the beginning of some things, but also the end of others.  Now we shall never have a little house, as you used to say, just you and I.”

“Oh, Baby,” he moaned.  His happiness tipped over at once into sadness, and spilled over into tears.  He had made so many promises and kept so few.

“Don’t cry, Da,” she said and wiped the tears away.  “I always knew that would never happen.  You have another family now.  And so shall I.”

The one most responsible for Egelric's problems with Iylaine was Egelric himself. He was a bit too caught up in his own life and his own problems, and left Iylaine too much to others -- to Gunnilda, to Alred, and to Malcolm too. Obviously single parenthood was hard then, too, but Egelric had his wolfish moments when Iylaine was probably better off not too close to him.

Vash did make things difficult by forbidding Egelric from allowing Iylaine and Sela to meet. But he was being consistent with his own beliefs -- and Vash actually was quite generous with Egelric by letting Sela and Wulf go back to Egelric at all. She was supposed to be killed. The condition for letting her live was that she would not be brought into contact with the elven crown princess.

Vash is quite fond of Egelric and wouldn't have deliberately done anything to spoil his relationship with Iylaine. I think he quite liked the idea of having Egelric as a father-in-law. He told Iylaine once that he sometimes went and simply sat beside Egelric, even though Egelric didn't know it.

Vash is a good guy and a relatively compassionate elf (he saved Sela from death!), but he's not going to come up with the "I have a dream..." speech in this place and time.

The simple fact that she rarely talks about them is perhaps telling, though of course we haven't seen much of Iylaine in the past years. The boys are frankly fonder of her husband.

For what it's worth, Iylaine's grudge against Wulf and Gils is not due to their being 1/2-kisór but because they are growing up with her Da and she didn't get to, at least not reliably. Once again, though, I am sure it can only make her glad that she can justify looking down on them due to their caste.

She is polite with them, however, though not affectionate. You can imagine. It's Iylaine.

Both, though the latter was the one that really ticked off Osh. His response was a charmingly sarcastic, "I forget that the kisór use our word ‘poetry’ to mean ‘the farting of dogs."

The kisór are not considered to have or be capable of appreciating poetry. From Vash in "Iylaine is comforted and made to despair":

"Her people are like animals that talk and wear clothes.  They don’t know the names for things, and their idea of religion is simply saying words and making gestures, and they have no history, and they make no plans for the future… they don’t think—they simply eat and sleep and play and bother the rest of us.  And they’re dirty, and they have too many babies."

And in "Hila sees the most high", Ris and his buddy make the boys sing before they kill them:

“Sing for us, birdie!” the dark elf crowed.  “That’s what your kind do best!”

(Song and poetry being essentially equivalent.)

Given what Aia just told us, it appears to be not unusual for these kisór elves to go singing to their deaths. And of course the khírrón mock them for it. Obviously a contentious subject between the two races -- the khírrón refuse to admit the kisór have poetry, and mock them and/or punish them for pretending they do.

Also, interestingly, we have heard a couple of times that the khírrón only have happy, pretty poetry. Vash complained to his friends in "Vash thinks like a naughty child", "In our songs, everything is beautiful, and no one ever cries." Of course the songs of the kisór are often very sad.

For the khírrón, poetry is a sort of elegant pastime, but for the kisór it's immensely important, and even part of their religion. As Lar said to Seven in "Lar drops a stone":

"After we’re all gone, someone will still be singing our sacred songs: you and your boys.  And that’s more important to us than being alive."

On the other hand, outside of the old songs sung for religious reasons, Lar himself is not too keen on love poetry and that sort of thing. He considers it a bit of a time-waster, and I can imagine it's probably hard for some people to see the utility of poetry when their entire race is being wiped out. On the other hand, other people would consider it more important than ever at such a time. Imin is in the latter camp.

But anyway, whatever the kisór think between themselves about their poetry, Osh and his kind consider it melodious on the level of dog farts.

That makes me so sick... a 5-year-old being taught such words. What chance does he have of ever getting beyond that? It's different when it's a story... different when they are elves and not humans.

Pity Osh? I'm not sure pity is what I feel. I understand why he thinks that way, since it's all he's ever been taught, as you said. And they're at war, in a way, and each side has been brutal with the other. I don't think there's much hope of Osh changing his mind about them now.

Maybe there is some hope for the younger generation, though. Back in "Vash thinks like an elf" Kiv and Vash had this exchange:

“Comparing you to your father is not an insult.  But you know you are not like him, and the rest of us take hope in that.  I think it is harder to see you as you are now than it was when you were missing.”

“How am I?” Vash muttered.

“Hateful.  With that, our hope is gone.”

Well, if he goes to school with Muhammad for the next few years maybe they will end up best friends after all... but it would have been better if his family had allowed him the time to make friends first before springing that on him at five!

I see what you mean about Osh. I have met a few people who were quite nice and awesome only to find out they have this giant festering pimple on their personality in the form of rabid anti-Semitism or whatever. Gee, you would be so nice if you weren't such a jerk.

It should be interesting how this plays out in the story, though, because this isn't modern multi-cultural USA but 11th century England. So who is going to come to Aia's aid after all? Egelric, you better step up!

Also you've heard how Leofric has talked about Leila's people, her "Barbary jackals" and so on. And it seems like Yusuf is under a lot of pressure to convert to Christianity or at least is forced to hide any outward manifestation of his religion. And the Crusades haven't even started yet.

So I'm wondering whether this affair with anti-kisór "racism" involving Aia is in some way going to become interleaved with anti-Muslim, anti-Arab feelings that are bearing down on Yusuf and, to a lesser extent, Leila and perhaps even her children. Not to say that Aia and Yusuf are going to get romantically involved, Devin! But Yusuf might be thinking about the parallels a bit, I think.

There's also Princess Irene who is Orthodox Christian. Though "at least" she's Christian.

Cearbhaill, I'm always looking for hints of Lothere in everything, but maybe that's normal for someone in my unique position. I've been hearing a lot of Osh & Flann lately... it seems like breath is used as a metaphor for a lot of things romantic/erotic. There's Sarah McLaughlin's "I'll Take Your Breath" which is practically written for those two. But I hadn't heard that Foo Fighters song before so I will try to find it.

I've been listening to more Mazzy Star than is good for me lately and the famous "Fade Into You" has bits of it: "I want to hold the hand inside you, I want to take a breath that's true" etc., and lines about "You'll come apart and you'll go black" and this part which seems like it's about Araphel and how he's showing up too late, so now Flann has to pretend she's happy:

A stranger's light comes on slowly A stranger's heart without a home You put your hands into your head And then smiles cover your heart

Yes, I think I am still Team Araphel.

"Knight" in white satin.

I looove that song, I used to listen to that album over and over and over when I was a teen. I was singing "Tuuuuuuesday aaaaaafternoon" to myself just the other day. Tuesday in fact. But Nights in White Satin was not surprisingly my favorite.

Hmm I think I will never listen to it in quite the same way now. Poor, poor Alred.

Answers to random questions Stacy has.

Devin, you can pronounce any elven name or word according to the instructions I put on Verso, if you're willing to puzzle it out. When I write in English, I am just transcribing the elven phonetics.

In particular Khúmmírr is pronounced a little like KHOO-meer, where the kh is like the ch in Scottish "loch", and the "r" at the end is actually a French sounding r... which is a little like a "ch" as well. That's a tough one. His name means "horse".

Sallama is pronounced like Salami except with an a at the end. It means "rainbow".

"Loud wrestling," Cearbhaill? Oh, dear! You must hear some wacky stuff. I find it hard to get into the POV of children since I don't have any around, so I'm glad you find the Old Man not over-perceptive. I try to mix my knowledge that kids are more perceptive than they are given credit for, and the knowledge that sometimes they don't actually understand everything they are perceiving. But poor Old Man trying so hard to keep his father laughing, out of fear of what he'll do if he ever stops.

I have a Seether song somewhere that I picked up randomly... wait... "Tied My Hands" live version. Never even heard of the other two. *cough* I have at least heard of Foo Fighters!

My musical tastes got seriously skewed after '98 when I left the country and no longer had radio access except to the US air force base radio station in Germany. That was kind of an odd mix. And since then I've never had a radio at all, and I only discover music through Pandora and now Last.fm. And if you start out with Something Weird on those things, you never get out of the Something Weird black hole.

Ah, that's it... I don't listen to hard rock/metal, and if I ever do it's because it's something softer like "Tied My Hands". I think it's the only thing of theirs I've ever heard, but I have to at least respect anyone who can use "reticent" correctly in a sentence, and still more a song. Grammar errors in a song are unbearable -- I can't hear anything but the mistake.

Do not be alarmed! That's just Tiana.

That's Osh's hair when you haul him out of bed in the middle of the night. So normally only Flann gets to appreciate it.

Even in Elfland I have the feeling Osh was not always the "great lord" type. He was still a painter hiding little bugs in his paintings for kids to find, still so gentle he had to send young Kiv to his mother to be punished when he was bad, still soft enough that Rua went to his side of the bed when she snuck into her parent's room early in the morning wanting to sleep a while with them. But when he had to be the great lord, he could be, oh yes.

His "mystery and mightiness" is coming from Aia's perspective, but I suppose his reputation is well-deserved. Osh was not one of the noble elves who went rutting around the forest in search of kisór girls. Aia may have seen him before, or has heard from someone who has, but the ladies probably only ever saw him on horseback, from a distance, just like the Khór. Sorin's other two buddies, Midor and Morin, are more approachable -- or more approaching, if you catch my drift. And as for Osh's replacement, Ris...

Well, any interaction Aia or her family would have had with Osh himself would have been very negative, that's as specific as I'll be for now.

Love the bonsai image. That is very Osh-like.

Osh's name means "leaf" in modern elvish. In ancient times -- and in old poetry -- and in kisór dialect, interestingly enough , it means "shadow". The modern word for "shadow" is mash, which was the name of Surr's little brother who was recently killed. Pretty much any word that ends in "-sh" or "-z" (like Vash and Druze) means something dark.

I wonder who was the elf that killed Aia and Lady Sela's father.. Will we ever find out?

I have no idea! For either question!

I miss this Aia.

Heheh… but we’ve only seen the middle school art teacher side of Osh. For all we know, in his youth he was making necklaces of body parts back in ’Nam.

It’s possible his reputation among the kisór is a little overblown. But then again maybe it isn’t?

I normally like Osh, but this chapter makes me cringe every time.

I wish Alred could have understood more of the exchange. Not that any one man could change Osh’s views that easily, but he might have at least made him question the roots of the conflict and why the khirron are going to such extremes.

When I reread this chapter it makes me wonder whether Osh was hamming it up a bit. “Must—look—like bad guy!”

I think he does have a real disdain for Aia’s kind. But this Osh doesn’t seem like the “real” Evil Osh. This Osh is a little cartoon villainish.

I’d say the feelings were mutual between Aia and Osh.

I dunno, I don’t trust him and never have. He’s controlling and creepy (to me) with Flann, and he has like a million (okay, 5) kisor offspring that I’m sure were consensual. I just keep waiting for the other show to drop.

This was such a badass chapter! I forgot how great it was. Aia was so vulnerable but also extremely brave. She looked Osh straight in the eyes. This was one side of Osh that I despised, his blatant prejudice of the Kisor. Aia also revealed how badass Sela was for saving her life. Sela was just a little girl, but she still went out and defied her people, by protecting Aia when she was just born.