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pangolin20) wrote2024-03-31 11:40 am
BattleAxe First Read: Chapter Eighteen: The Sentinels Speak (Part II)
Chapter Eighteen (Part I) | Table of Contents | Chapter Nineteen
NRSG: A good day, everyone, and welcome back to BattleAxe! Last time, Faraday was put under a spell, the Sentinels revealed themselves, and we had some general unpleasantness.
Before we begin, I would like to note Chessy’s and Art Case’s excellent fics about the last part.
I also have decided to fold Keep On Track into Petty Ain’t the Word for You. I also split out Write It, And Keep It into History-Rewriting Narrator. So let us see…
Petty Ain’t the Word for You: 14
History-Rewriting Narrator: 5
PPP: 88 (+4 points that do not fall under the above)
Finally, I would like to rename Resistance Is Futile to The Prophecy Demands It.
On to the rest of the chapter, then!
Also, a content warning for bullying.
Jack tells Faraday that, before they go any further, they have to know what the trees told her. “What did you ask them, sweet child, and what did they sing for you?” Yes, thank you. This book truly has a lot of repetition, I must say. So let me do what I do best and import a count. This time it is We Get It Already from Crooked_Ear_Llama’s review of The Forest House.
We Get It Already: 1
Well, Faraday remembers the vision and cries at that. Hmmm… I think it is time to introduce Faraday Feels Bad, for every time she, well, feels bad. One point for Faraday feeling very unsure about her marriage to Borneheld in chapter 8, one point for her crying after seeing Axis naked in chapter 11, two points for everything to do with the vision, and one point for this.
Faraday Feels Bad: 5
She explains that she asked them to show her husband, because she was unsure about her marriage to Borneheld. Veremund asks what they showed her and puts “a comforting hand” on her shoulder. That gives her strength, and she goes to describe the “dreadful images, leaving nothing out”. Her voice becomes “ragged and distressed” when she describes the “blood dripping through Axis’ hair”, his hand stretched out (which she thinks is “in appeal”), and “the great gout of blood that soak[s] her”. Thank you for the reminder, Douglass.
As she “finally [grinds] to a halt”, Ogden says she asked the trees to show her husband, and which man did she see first? (He also calls her “dear child”, which I do not exactly like.) Faraday “frown[s] in thought” and finally says it was Borneheld. She asks what it matters.
I went back to check the vision, and this is true, it seems. Good to know.
Their reaction is this:
“Ah,” said Veremund and Ogden together, unhelpfully. Yr blinked again and her tail gave a single twitch.
Douglass, lampshading how secretive they are being does not make this any better of a reading experience.
Jack shifts a bit, and we get a note that apparently “[e]ven such enchanted creatures as Sentinels” still get “sore buttocks” from sitting too long in a single place. Now it is Jack’s turn to give a speech. He tells Faraday to remember what he told her on the Silent Woman Night before she ran away. The trees show the future, but they might hide things, or show them so incoherently that it is impossible to sort them out. So she has to beware that she does not misinterpret the images, and maybe they did not show Axis’ death. Then we have this:
But if Borneheld does indeed kill Axis, then Tencendor is doomed. My sweet child, Axis is the only one who can meet Gorgrael. He must not be murdered before he can accomplish what he was born for.”
1) What are you basing this on? The Prophecy?
The Prophecy Demands It: 2
Seriously, if Axis is the only one who can “meet” him, why not try to talk to Gorgrael? Oh, we are probably supposed to think that he is too “hateful” for that, but there is nothing to back that up! I truly do not like that I am just supposed to go along with this because Douglass says so.
2) “What Axis was born for”? Was Axis then truly born just for the Prophecy? I certainly hope this is metaphorical, because I have had quite enough of this railroading already.
The Prophecy Demands It: 3
3) Also nice to see Jack apparently does not care if Axis is murdered after he meets Gorgrael.
Faraday whispers “no”, wraps her arms around her body, and rocks back and forth. She thinks “Not murdered”. Veremund now looks at the others, and they nod at him. He talks to Faraday again, saying that they believe she has two “very important tasks” to play in the Prophecy, “without which Axis will not succeed”. And her first task is “to stop Borneheld from killing Axis before he reaches his full potential”. They know what Axis and Faraday are feeling for each other, but if they follow their hearts now, “it will only result in Axis’ death”.
Not too bad, though I do wish they would not be so very long-winded.
Faraday asks why, though we are told she knows the answer in her heart. Veremund explains:
“Because if you break your betrothal vows to Borneheld and turn to Axis instead, it will enrage Borneheld so much that he might tear Achar to pieces in search of Axis.
And why would Borneheld do this, then? I am sorry to say, but I do not believe that Borneheld would abandon his army and Achar in order to chase after Axis. Sure, he would be quite angry, and I doubt he would want to work together with Axis, but tearing Achar to pieces seems very far-fetched to me. And that is also assuming that he would hear of it, which is quite impossible at the moment. Yes, it would be better if Axis and Faraday did not get together, but not because of what Veremund says here.
Also, this seems to me like an attempt to make Borneheld look awful to me.
Petty Ain’t the Word for You: 15
Do not become the spark that ignites Axis’ funeral pyre.”
Shut up, Veremund! Faraday does not want Axis to die, so there is no need to say something that amounts to “if you turn to Axis, you will kill him”. She is already feeling bad enough, after all! But that is probably the reason for this: Faraday must feel bad.
Petty Ain’t the Word for You: 16
What makes this worse is that Axis clearly is using mind-control on her (be it unconscious), and so she cannot exactly choose if she wants to be in love with him or not. And yet, if Axis made her break her betrothal vows, Veremund is saying here that it is her own choice, and she must bear the consequences. Yes, I know that Veremund might not know this, but I still want to give him a good punch.
Petty Ain’t the Word for You: 17
That aside…. “funeral pyre”? I thought the Acharites buried their dead…. Oh, this is actually a nicely subtle hint about who the Sentinels are.
Finally, this just reads so very stilted. I have noticed this problem several times before, so I think it is worth putting in a count: Talk Like A Natural (yes, my naming skills are just so good /s).
Faraday says that Jack said the trees show her “truth”, and what will be. So what does it matter who she chooses? That is a good point. If everything is as cast in stone as the Sentinels are making it out to be, what does it matter if Faraday breaks her betrothal vows? And if the Prophecy requires constant intervention to play out, then Faraday does not have to let herself be bound to it. So, one way or another, the Sentinels are lying.
Well, Veremund cuts her off before she can complete her question.
ASWLT: 14
He says that Axis and Borneheld “will battle it out one day”, as the vision “clearly showed that”.
The Prophecy Demands It: 3
And why do you take this as fact, Veremund? How do you know this will happen for certain, when you want Faraday to take steps to ensure that this can happen? Either everything is set in stone, and the vision shows with certainty what can be, or it is not, and the vision only shows possibilities. Both cannot be true simultaneously, Douglass!
And going by what the Sentinels are doing, it is quite clear that it is the latter here.
He goes on, saying that it must be “at Axis’ instigation and on Axis’ terms”. Why even bother to let it come to a duel? If it is imperative that Axis survives, why not get Borneheld killed as soon as possible? Oh right, ~because of the vision~.
The Prophecy Demands It: 4
Then we have this:
We, you, cannot afford to push Borneheld into challenging Axis now. If you marry Borneheld you will be in a position to moderate his hatred of Axis. To stay his hand. To allow Axis to grow into the man he must become.”
I think I can see what Douglass was going for: “Poor Faraday has to marry Borneheld because it is necessary for Tencendor.” What she got instead was: “Faraday gets bullies into doing what she wanted anyway because ~Prophecy~” and “Faraday has to be a man’s emotional regulation to keep a misogynistic bastard from harm because ~Prophecy~”.
No-Wave Feminism: 19 (+5)
Petty Ain’t the Word for You: 21 (+5)
The Prophecy Demands It: 5
Yr then speaks up, because letting Faraday have some time to think might let her reconsider, I guess. I am quite certain that that is what they are doing, at least. She says that Faraday will save Axis and Tencendor as Borneheld’s wife, not Axis’ wife, and then that the vision showed that.
The Prophecy Demands It: 6
We Get It Already: 2
Veremund speaks up again, noting that she said earlier that “in the needs of a nation one girl’s wants are a very small thing”. Then she meant Achar. But in the needs of Tencendor, “[her] wants are but a tiny thing”. And how does this contradict what she said, Veremund?
PPP: 89
He says Tencendor’s hopes “rest on whose bed [she] choose[s]”. But they do not! He thinks for a bit, and then comes up with “the crucial argument”:
“Axis’ life depends on your becoming Borneheld’s wife.”
Ah yes, a “crucial argument” which has just been made already!
We Get It Already: 3
Well, the “weight of their arguments and the emotional strain” are too much for Faraday. She puts her hands on her face and “start[s] to sob”. Congratulations, you made her cry.
Faraday Feels Bad: 6
We are told that she can only think of how Axis held and kissed her. Veremund “cradle[s] her gently, giving her what comfort he [can]”. That is the least you should do, I would say. Then we have this:
Faraday was so young, so innocent, and Veremund felt a twinge of guilt at how they were pushing the girl. Still, it had to be done. The Prophecy demanded it.
Let me introduce This Is Fine, then.
This Is Fine: 1
Because, if we take the book at face value, they have just decided that she has to be married to someone very awful and abusive for no good reason. And because we are supposed to see this bullying as justified.
Also:
The Prophecy Demands It: 7
That phrase even literally appears here!
That aside, I am just very unimpressed with Veremund here. I do not care what he says; if he truly cared about Faraday, he would not be doing this. Yes, it is nice that he feels “a twinge of guilt”, but what would be the trouble in finding another way to keep Borneheld from killing Axis? If anything, his attempts to clear his name heighten my contempt for him.
Well, everyone is silent for a few minutes while Faraday cries, and when she calms down, Yr “lean[s] forward”. She is still a cat, Douglass. This is not impossible, but it is a little weird. Yr then says Faraday must marry Borneheld “as soon as [she] can”.
Faraday is horrified and asks them to please give her time. Veremund tightens his arms around her and launches into another speech.
He says they “cannot know it all”, but they can see “some things”. So they can see the future? That might have been nice to know earlier.
Manage Your Info Better: 22
Axis rides for Smyrton, “where he will not be detained for long”, and then goes to Gorkenfort. (What a prediction! That is just what anyone might have predicted.) It is vital that Faraday “get there before him, and that when he arrives [she] will be Borneheld’s wife”, because “Gorkenfort will be the making or breaking of Axis”, and she must be there to restrain Borneheld.
He goes on, saying that Borneheld will be “triumphant that [she has] come to him, and it will make him feel very powerful”.
Very Beautiful, Very Powerful: 11
I am still not seeing it, Douglass. If anything, I would expect this behaviour from Axis, and not at all from Borneheld.
Petty Ain’t the Word for You: 22
He further says that if Borneheld “feels powerful, if he feels as though he has triumphed over Axis”, he will not want to challenge Axis. Alright. He then says that Gorkenfort is “a crucial test” for Axis, which he has literally said before in the same paragraph!
We Get It Already: 4
Back to Faraday, we are told that what the Sentinels tell her in a strange way supports what Embeth told her about duty. She takes a deep breath and nods at the Sentinels. She says she thinks she understands and asks how she can reach Gorkenfort before Axis.
The Sentinels relax at this. And I too, as we have at least reached the point where Faraday has decided she wants to marry Borneheld, so maybe we can go on. They say they were uncertain whether Faraday would agree, “and they [can] not force her into any action she was unwilling to undertake”.
Hmmmm, that might track. When they put Axis and co. to sleep, they might have been willing to sleep. When Jack led Faraday to the trees, she did want to find out about Borneheld. When Veremund just approached her, I assume that she did want to trust her. And now, she did want to marry Borneheld earlier. The only problem is that they should have seen her abrupt change of heart, recognised it for what it was, and tried to unbind the spell about her, instead of bullying her into accepting Borneheld!
Look Away: 27
Well, Yr gets up and stretches, then walks over and “butt[s] her head against Faraday’s knees”. Faraday smiles and strokes her back, “grateful for the affection”. It still feels quite hollow to me.
Jack speaks up, saying that Faraday will travel with him and Yr. She ought to stay with Axis until they reach Arcen, because that is how far she would have gone anyway. And once Axis and the Axe-Wielders go to Smyrton, they will leave for Gorkentown. He adds that they must do it secretly, and Faraday should not tell Merlion about it.
Faraday laughs at that, and waves her hand around the Barrow. She says that if she tried to tell Merlion about this, Merlion would “give [her] an enema to clear [her] wits”. Here? While they are underway? That seems quite unlikely to me.
Also, I think this is exactly what the Sentinels would like to hear, because it means she will have no one to talk to about this outside of them. And by keeping her isolated, they will have all the more power over her. Blegh.
Jack says they would have her leave as soon as they can, and ideally, they would set out tonight. But “when Axis realised” that she is missing in the morning, he would send his Axe-Wielders to searching, and “not even a Sentinel” could hide from them.
I think that first bit should read “if Axis realises” or “if Axis would realise”
PPP: 90
Also, thank you for the thoroughly unnecessary explanation, Jack.
Faraday says she understands, and then asks if Axis knows any of this. The Sentinels shake their heads, and Ogden says no, because he must “grow a little” before he can learn more. He will have a “very different path” which involves “discover[ing] his own identity”, and she has to trust them on this.
Well, I am certain that not telling Axis anything when Gorgrael might attack soon will have no bad consequences at all!
Faraday asks one more thing. She says they said she needed to perform “two important tasks”. The first one was to marry Borneheld, which she understands and accepts, but what is the other? Veremund pats her shoulder and says she will not find it “quite as distasteful” as the other one. But she has “heard enough tonight”.
This Is What the Mystery: 13
(I think we do know what her second task will be.) Anyway, Jack and Yr can tell her more on the way to Gorkenfort. He lets his eyes glow “bright gold” and asks if she will be true to them and to Axis. And she had better not disagree, or else. That is the implication I get, anyway.
Faraday whispers that she will be, though “[she] think[s] [they] do not understand the sacrifice [they] ask of [her]”. Which is entirely true, as we have just seen. Then just see Veremund’s reaction:
“The Prophecy demands much from many people, Faraday. And no one will have to sacrifice more than the Sentinels. No one.” His voice hardened. “Do not speak to us of sacrifice!”
Well, Veremund, if I remember correctly, you agreed to serve the Prophecy and were not pressed into it in any way. In contrast, Faraday was mind-controlled and bullied into serving it. So I think she has every right to complain about sacrifice! In fact, I think she might say this to you, Veremund.
It is just… I hate him so much for this, especially after how he just acted to Faraday. Hmmm, would he actually mind being hurt? Or would it just give more material for his “sacrifice” bit…?
ASWLT: 15
Well, Faraday says she is sorry, because of course she does.
Petty Ain’t the Word for You: 23
Veremund’s eyes “dim[] a little in contrition”, and he says that he knows she is sorry and that she will be true, and all of them recognise that it is a sacrifice they ask of her. Then maybe you should not have said that in the first place, Veremund. He says that he is sure Faraday must feel “very tired”, and he asks Yr to escort Faraday to bed.
Yr does so and leads Faraday down the Barrow. At least Faraday can take a break for a bit… Once they are gone, Jack speaks, saying that “it has begun”. They have alerted Gorgrael to their presence, “yet [they] still lack one of [their] number”.
Veremund closes the chapter with this:
“Where is she?” asked Veremund. “Where is she? Why isn’t she here?”
Could you not have asked those questions a little before now? This seems like something quite significant, after all. And yet, it will take until the end of Enchanter before she is found, through no effort of the Sentinels.
Well, that was that, at least. And this chapter was certainly not nice, exactly. I frankly think it is the sheer repetition that I could bear the least.
(shakes self) At least things should pick up next chapter. Until then!
no subject
Hang on - are the sentinels seriously talking like Axis can't control whether or not he acts on his desire for Faraday? Seriously?
NRSG: Yes, it seems that that is indeed going on. Thank you for the catch!
News flash Douglass, being a woman author doesn't make your work feminist.
That is something Douglass truly needed to hear, I think.
Well done qua fic! For what it is worth, I would say that tense thing did not distract me while reading. And what, exactly, is that culture, if I might ask?
Also very well said on sacrifice! (applauds)
How are you supposed to ensure victory over the Destroyer if you can't even manage a headcount?
Well, to be fair, they noticed she was gone two thousand years ago. They have just not bothered to look for her until now. (I am very sure this is what actually happens in this series.)
no subject
Another name they'll accept is 'The Watchers', since they tend to be passive observers of events. They have an unusual view of time - in their home context they have time magic, and collectively have timeline magic - which manifests both in being particular about when in time a thing is happening and their belief that an event unwitnessed isn't fixed and might change on them, what with time magic making a mockery of 'past' and 'future'.
In their home context they spend much of their personal timelines observing events they want to fix in history from 'elsewhen', or points sideways in time from the period being observed. Someone who knew to look for them could see them, but elsewhen and when can't interact with each other. Their grasp on time magic allows them to step between when and elsewhen at will, and they live predominately in elsewhen time. (In theory they could teach others how to access elsewhen, in practice they don't have the tools to teach people who didn't grow up surrounded by their casual use of time magic. Think trying to explain how to drive a car to someone whose culture is barely up to waterwheels.)
English grammar is double-jointed - you can contort it so many ways!
It's the way they're only reacting to her continued absence now, when they should have noticed it much earlier. It makes it feel to me that they hadn't noticed until now.
no subject
NRSG: Oh, that is fascinating. Thank you for the explanation! (I do like stories about time travel.)
It's the way they're only reacting to her continued absence now, when they should have noticed it much earlier. It makes it feel to me that they hadn't noticed until now.
Indeed... It does feel like certain aspects of the world have only just come into existence.