RotE quote game...(spoilers all books)

[Farseer]

There was far more correct in Farseer's post than in yours.

Which bits though? That is the question! Althea or not Althea? Ship of Magic or Ship of Destiny?

*thinking, thinking*

I'm sticking with Ship of Magic, I think, because that's where the majority of the 'true grief' takes place - Ephron dies, Althea loses Vivacia etc and thus all seems lost. There are plenty of sad and heart-wrenching moments in other places eg Etta loses Kennit etc (not that I gave a damn about Kennit's death! ) but most of these latter 'grief' settings are strongly tinged with other things besides, eg anger etc, and this would include Althea's rape. Though she did want to die, like I said, and she grieved for Brashen as well as all other things, she was also very angry. Of course, there is anger for Althea with the loss of Ephron and Vivacia as well but these two instances reflect true grief on her part and are the moments in time that cause all of the momentous changes that follow. At least that's how I felt/saw it. Grief drowns me whilst anger anchors me, I find.

Brashen certainly grieved for Althea but he is a 'he', not a 'she'...and the quote clearly states she. Serilla and Malta may have grieved at various times (for loss of innocence/Kyle) but I just don't see this 'true grief' applying to them. These things are sad, horrible and definitely grief-worthy but...

I'm thinking this could apply best to Althea but I can't think exactly where or when. I know, as I said earlier, that she almost went into Vivacia while being punished by Kyle but she hadn't experienced real grief at that point...she hadn't lost either Ephron or Vivacia, despite the foreshadowing of these events.

I know she got drunk after losing her father and Vivacia because that's when Brashen took her home. I know that she also experienced 'true grief' but I think, for her, she had another avenue even then (revenge) once Kyle had made his promise that he would give her back Vivacia if she could get a ship's ticket. Now I'm talking myself out of it being Althea but it has to be her, doesn't it?!

Who else? Keffria did grieve for Kyle but this was always coupled with other feelings, and she did not truly share any profound grief for Ephron with us or even for Wintrow, Selden etc...more anger in the end (I think?) when she thought Selden was going off to the Rain Wilds. I don't know...I didn't like Keffria so found it difficult to sympathise with anything she experienced!

Ronica did grieve for Ehpron, and it was a true grief, as I imagine I would also experience should I outlive my own husband ...at one stage she lamented the fact that they would never get to go to the Spice Isles as they had planned etc...but I'm not sure if she got to grieve for him overly much with all of the goings on? She is a possibility though.

Aside from humans, the only other females who would have experienced true grief would have been Tintaglia, once she had taken flight (her grief would have been for the loss of her kind/Kelsingra), and She Who Remembers...but we weren't privy to SWR's thoughts prior to her escape and by then she'd not have had to grieve any longer. She was free, thanks to Wintrow. EDIT: Kind of second-guessing myself in that SWR did grieve even after escape...was it after Carrion ignored her and she felt all was lost?...but I still don't think it was her. END EDIT

The former two, Althea and Ronica, would fit with Ship of Magic but Tintaglia would not.

Sorry...thinking aloud... ...and still thinking...