THE WINTER LONG open thread!

The pretender Queen thought, "She'll kill me," when Toby drank her blood. But "she" isn't Toby. That caught my attention in the original reading. The ex-Queen works, or worked, for the Winterrose.

What I want to know is why Evening wanted Toby to find the hope chest Goldengreen. I have suspicions about it, though...

Good one! It does seem logical that the ex-Queen worked for, or with, or owes the Winterrose.

(Also puts a different light in how the pretender Queen refused to help Toby investigate Evening's "death".)

Yes, sending Toby for the hope chest seems odd. Did Evening expect Toby to use it?

I think Evening expected Toby to find it.

From the novella "Through This House," we learned (spoilers for that story in ROT13) gung gur Jvagreebfr qvqa'g bcra Tbyqraterra. Nznaqvar qvq, jvgu gur uryc bs n snr jbzna jub znl be znl abg unir orra Frcgrzore Gbedhvyy.

We have also learned (references to Chimes and Winter, detailed speculation) gung gur ubcr purfg vf anzrq Tbyqraterra. Gur xrl gung svaqf gur ubcr purfg vf n xrl gb gur fhzzre ebnqf gung vf nffbpvngrq va fbzr jnl jvgu Znrir; gur Yhvqnrt hfrf vg gb pnyy ba ure.

Fb jung jnf gur Jvagreebfr qbvat va n xabjr gung jnf bcrarq ol Nznaqvar? Jung jnf gur Jvagreebfr qbvat jvgu n ubcr purfg gung funerq vgf anzr jvgu gung xabjr -- znlor rira tnir vgf anzr gb gung xabjr? Jung jnf gur Jvagreebfr, ryqrfg qnhtugre bs Gvgnavn, qbvat jvgu n xrl pbaarpgrq gb Znrir?

V fhozvg gung gur ubcr purfg naq xrl jrer nyjnlf va Tbyqraterra, fvapr vgf sbhaqvat; gung Nznaqvar uvq gur purfg jvgu gur uryc bs gur xrl, gung gur Jvagreebfr pbhyq abg hfr; naq gung gur Jvagreebfr unq ab evtug gb gur purfg. Ohg Gbol, Nznaqvar'f qnhtugre, qvq. Ol grzcgvat Qriva jvgu gur ubcr purfg naq ratvarrevat ure nggnpx, naq ol phefvat Gbol gb fbyir gur zlfgrel, gur Jvagreebfr tbg Gbol gb svaq naq oevat bhg gur ubcr purfg sebz vgf uvqvat cynpr. Vg jbhyq cerfhznoyl or npprffvoyr gb gur Jvagreebfr sebz gung cbvag ba.

I haven't read the novella, so that was interesting to me. I'm a little fuzzy on the details, but that Library book says that the hope chest named Goldengreen was given to Eira, right? Or was it just that "a hopechest" was given to Eira (not named)?

That does confuse me, if so. Was it given to Eira and then given to someone else (and not recorded)? But it makes sense why Toby would have to be the one to find it, and why she needed to die.

That said, I had always been confused why a fae named "Evening Winterrose" would have a knowe named "Goldengreen". I mean, golden and green doesn't exactly evoke winters. That makes a lot of sense now.

I need to get that book.

One flaw with this hypothesis: It's clearly stated in Chimes at Midnight that Goldengreen was given to Eira Rosynhwyr for safekeeping.

Safe, yes, but from whom? Because in that (awesome) scenario, it would have been pretty safe from Eira herself.