Malta *spoilers all Hobb books*

[Farseer]

If you've ever read the 'Which character is your favourite?' thread, you'll know I'm not a fan of Malta's...still, she is a significant figure who can't be ignored...after all, she DID have a horse named after her !

In 'The Mad Ship', two beings fought over her when she walked on Paragon's decks, right before he sailed. She was in company with Paragon and also Amber at the time of this enthralling event (below):

"Perhaps lightning struck her from the still-blue sky. She fell into a roaring black gulf. She tumbled, soundless, through endless black space. Then, from nowhere, a flash of gold appeared. It was too large a shape for her to see it all. In an instant, it loomed too close to her to be seen. Great talons seized her, wrapping around her chest and waist. They squeezed the air from her. She clawed at them, but they were armoured in scales like metal. She could not pry them loose to let herself breathe. Nor did she want to fall to her death if they let go of her. Choose a death, a dragon whispered. That's all you have left, pretty little one. The choice of your death.
No! She is mine, mine! Let her go!
Prey belongs to he who seizes it first!
You are dead. I have still a chance at life. I will not see it snatched from me!
Iridescent silver clashed suddenly with gold. Mountains collided and fought for possession for her. The talons clenched, cutting her in two. I shall kill her before I let you take her!
Malta had no breath to cry out. There was almost nothing left of her at all. These two were so immense; there was no room for her to exist in their world. She was going to blink out like a dying spark. Someone spoke for her. 'Malta is real. Malta exists. Malta is here.' As if she were being wound up like a ball of yarn, the layers of herself were gradually restored to her. Someone held her against the maelstrom of forces that tried to shred her apart. It was like being cupped in warm hands..."

Having learned this from Skill experiences with Fitz, and via the use of her Skill-imbued fingers, no doubt it is Amber who is the one telling Malta she is real and winding up her being like yarn, so she isn't lost within the Skill River. Do you agree?

Also, what are your thoughts as to the identities of the OTHER two beings? I don't believe it now but, when I first ever read it, I thought the golden dragon could actually be Amber as, in AQ, Fitz had described Fool as being like a golden carp within the Skill River and gold also seemed to match his/her colouring changes. I also had theories that made me believe Fool was as dragon-kin as Fitz, so his later taking the form of a dragon within the Skill River wasn't too far-fetched !

I also thought that one of the dragons could have been Tintaglia but, as we came to know, Tintaglia was blue, not silver or gold (though, I have to admit, she is described as being a combination of blue and silver at times, but you would think her colouring within the Skill River would be blue, her dominant colour?!).

Could they simply be the two dragons of Paragon fighting for domination within him, as they later do (the Greater and the Lesser) OR is this too obvious, and there is instead something more for us to understand?

['thul]

it is quite simple... its the two dragons whose cases make up the paragon...

the one that saved her might've been tintaglia...

[Chrischa]

I always thought that the dominant dragon inside Paragon is the golden one that seized her when she came on board, and that Tintaglia is the one that fought to remain posession of her, because she knew Malta's fate was somehow intertwined with her own. And I agree that Amber is the one who speaks to Malta to hold her together. She wakes up in Amber's arms, does she not? And isn't Amber even still speaking to her when she regains conciousness? (The books are at my sis's place, I can't check.)

Going from this, what I would like to figure out is why Paragon's dragon attacked her. I see no reason for it other then that he simply could.

['thul]

These beings are unsure about what colors the two dragons within paragon are, but from what they recall, the two did fight over malta for a while, then when they both tried to claim her, Tintaglia fought that claim with tooth and claw... Its rather obvious why she fainted, seeing that no less than three dragons fought over her within her head...

Amber might have been one to bring her back, or it could've been Tintaglia... It is hard to say... For that matter, it could've been both...

[Nuytsia]

Gees the things I've forgotten from these books!!!

I'd say that the silver dragon would almost certainly have to be Tintaglia based on what I know (unless there's things we don't know!), as it says:

"You are dead. I have still a chance at life. I will not see it snatched from me!"

I can't think of another dragon we KNOW of who could really have said that at that time, except Icefyre who is black and makes no real sense anyway.

Silver colour? Tintaglia was still in her cocoon at this point? Maybe she was still developing her blue colour? (grasping at straws a bit). Maybe her serpent colour had been silver and she imagined herself a silver dragon........

I am guessing the gold must be the dragon in Paragon, simply because Malta is on board Paragon at the time. I don't really have any other clues as to who else it would be!
Heee I love the idea that it could have been Amber! Bwahahaha Evil Amber the Dragon Lady!!!! Yeah!
Geees maybe it was! TWIST!

As to WHY dragon/Paragon attacked, I'm guessing it somehow sensed the hold of Tintaglia over Malta and was jealous? I guess someone who'd had close (mind) contact with a dragon was as close to an Elderling as it had come across in a while??? Not sure as I can't recall exactly what else was going on in the books at that point.

As to whether it was Amber that called Malta back, I guess the main point in favour of that is that it defnitely seems a different voice to the two dragons and I don't have any other candidates!! Although I am not sure that (at this point) I would have thought she'd know this much about accessing people in the Skill river? (or is it just that my memory craps out again.....)

[Bink]

I concur with Chrischa.

It is most likely that the dominant dragon within Paragon and Tintaglia were the ones fighting, and that Amber brought her back.

Tintaglia is most definitely having a silver-blue sheen so it is not such a leap to suggest as such.

It is unlikely that the lesser dragon is the other one, as it is clearly described as one of the dragons to have a chance of life, and in this case, only Tintaglia fits the profile.

By process of elimination, we can arrive at Chrischa's conclusion.

[Farseer]

I concur with Chrischa.

It is most likely that the dominant dragon within Paragon and Tintaglia were the ones fighting, and that Amber brought her back.

Tintaglia is most definitely having a silver-blue sheen so it is not such a leap to suggest as such.

It is unlikely that the lesser dragon is the other one, as it is clearly described as one of the dragons to have a chance of life, and in this case, only Tintaglia fits the profile.

By process of elimination, we can arrive at Chrischa's conclusion.

I agree on all counts, and have pretty solid evidence to substantiate Tintaglia's presence !! First up, I think I may have confused the 'blueness' of Tintaglia with the 'blueness' of Sintara (as it was Sintara, I think, who was particularly disappointed to discover that she was a 'common blue' and not a rarer colour!). Though Tintaglia WAS blue once she emerged, she was a silver-blue and that made me think of something I remembered mentioned of her earlier colouring whilst she was still in the cocoon, and this is where she still was during the clash of the dragons AND when she appeared in one of the dreams shared by Reyn and Malta. This being so, I went back to one of those dream-box scenes and found:

"A dragon hovered above the trees. The powerful beat of her wings spurred the winds. Even the cloud-dimmed light of the sun could not diminish her glory. She was iridescent (same word used to describe silver dragon in the original quote). Colours chased one another over her silver body and wings . Her eyes were copper."

Gotta love research !

[Farseer]

I forgot to add earlier that I could find no evidence re colour, relating to either the Greater or the Lesser dragons of Paragon BUT I would think out of the two, it would have to have been the Greater who fought...he referred to the Lesser dragon as "weakling" so seemingly had dominance over it (while Paragon had dominance over the both of them).

My main thinking that it had to be one of Paragon's dragons was that it did occur on Paragon's deck and, after the event, Amber demanded that Malta be removed immediately from the ship. Once ashore, she was fine. Paragon himself was also very upset afterward and I took this to be because the Greater dragon had gained ascendancy over him for a time and so it had been him who had spoken earlier to Malta when he said, "I was a king!...I was a lord of the three dominions. But you have made me this. A shell, a toy, a slave!"

As for WHY they wanted to clash over Malta, well, Tintaglia needed her for obvious reasons and had already staked a bit of claim via the dream box etc....the Greater (and even the Lesser) possibly needed her to enable his/their ascendancy at last. Of course, they did ascend and merge with Paragon in the end but it was not Malta but Amber who made this happen, when she placed her hands in Paragon's 'blood place' whilst begging Paragon to save her.

It was this same ascendancy which Vivacia and Bolt fought for, and both could only have once they merged in the end...if they hadn't merged, one would always have had dominance or ascendancy over the other OR, at the very least, they would have been in constant turmoil. Chrischa, you can see that I'm going to have to add this 'ascendancy' point to my Gernia thread, don't you ?!

Ok, another question...a little before the event with the dragons, Amber had been speaking to Malta: " '...Your time will come to fly. And when it does, you must be strong, not bloodied and weary.' Amber's eyes went suddenly wider. 'Beware of one who would claim your wings for her own. Beware of one who would make you doubt your own strength..."

So, who was it who tried/would try to claim Malta's wings for her own? I haven't thought much on it but I can't think of anyone off the top of my head, in the LST or RWC, who tried to do this. Wings makes me think someone may take her Elderling status from her...it also makes me think of Thymara and her Elderling status but I'm doubting there'd be an issue there? Thoughts?

['thul]

Most likely that was in reference to Tintaglia, but who knows what it can turn into?

[Chrischa]

It was this same ascendancy which Vivacia and Bolt fought for, and both could only have once they merged in the end...if they hadn't merged, one would always have had dominance or ascendancy over the other OR, at the very least, they would have been in constant turmoil. Chrischa, you can see that I'm going to have to add this 'ascendancy' point to my Gernia thread, don't you ?!

Yeah, good one! Another thing that sounded vaguely familiar but I hadn't "clicked" on yet. I look forward to giving that a good think-over when I've got a bit more time.

OT - Gosh, I miss my spellchecker... I've had to downgrade my Internet browser and this version doesn't check... any spelling mistakes in my current posts are entirely my own.