ONCE BROKEN FAITH open thread!

You have a very valid point about the Luidaeg's lack of choice, and it's one of the things that makes her such a sympathetic (if frightening) character. At the same time, she does have a lot of leeway in what price she demands, and often that price is really the best thing for the individual in question. That was certainly the case with Quentin, and I think the same is true in Arden's case.

But, let's look at the relationship between Toby and the Luidaeg. Toby trusts the Luidaeg, and I believe that will be enough. She'll do what's asked of her, because the Luidaeg will tell her it has to be that way. Personally I don't believe there's some dire fate awaiting the Selkies, the Luidaeg has just let them think that because it insured they never forgot the past.

I think the only thing dire for the selkies is that not everyone is going to get transformed into Roane (or whatever), and poor drunk Liz will have to deal with the objections to that from whoever's left behind.

Back to the Luidaeg...I have been stuck working public service at my job (not retail, but think like DMV) for the last four years (I have only recently been finally released from doing so and I'm still afraid they will change their mind and take it back because we had someone quit) and it's been a nightmare. One of the major reasons why it's a nightmare is because except for one exception, I'm categorically not allowed to say no to anyone. If I have to say no to something because it's against the rules, the customers make my life hell. I pretty much have to do anything to please or else someone will start calling every manager in the building to complain about me. Again. And oh holy god, do I know the rage I go about with because I can't stop people from doing what they want to me or demanding things of me I am not okay with giving. It drains me dry and I am giving from a cup of empty. I can't even imagine feeling like that for millennia. Everyone in Faerie is just lucky that the Luidaeg hasn't massacred everyone from the stress. Titania is the WORST.

I started wondering about the prices she charges. She was nice to Quentin and Arden in that (more or less), or at least that was stuff they could live with. Who knows what she asks other people, especially ones she doesn't like like say, the former imposter queen. Actually until this book I was wondering if her prices were something...I want to say "set by Titania," but that's not exactly what I mean. More like, not 100% up to her discretion/choice in what she asked. I guess not?

I think you may be right about the Selkies. We've already seen that there aren't enough skins to go around, so if the ultimate goal is to use Toby to somehow bring the Roane back, there's going to be a lot of unhappy Selkies. Make that devastated; under the current system, someone who was passed over still has the slim hope that another skin will become available, but that will end if the Roane are restored.

I like your analogy to the Luidaeg, cursed to forever serve a public that demonizes her. I'm pretty sure that would put me in a mood to eviscerate people after a day. Faerie is lucky, though, ironically, that may be because of Titania. The Luidaeg can't harm anyone claimed by her, so she'd only be able to massacre those claimed by Maeve and Oberon.

I believe her prices are discretionary; they have to cost the individual something, but how onerous that may be is up to her. Take Quentin, for instance. He got two favors from her, the first being his passage into Blind Michael's lands. The price for that was he had to come out with Toby, or not at all. She knew Quentin wouldn't have left Toby anyway, but it was still a price with very dire potential. The second was saving Katie; "There are costs and choices to be made - one choice, actually, but it's yours alone, and making it pays my fee." Quentin was the only one who could make the choice for Katie. Ultimately, as Toby said, the cost was Quentin's heart, but that was going to be broken no matter which choice was made. The Luidaeg couldn't spare him that, no matter how much she might have wanted to, but in making that her price she made certain Quentin would stay away, and Katie would remain free.

I think Arden actually earned some grudging respect from the Luidaeg. "You did something I wanted you to do, and you didn't whine nearly as much as I expected." That's practically a pat on the head and a cookie. And, as I said, I think this 'price' will be good for Arden, because she'll eventually come to the startling realization that she can be a good queen. In fact she's just the kind of ruler Faerie needs, someone to drag it, kicking and screaming, into the 21st century. I'm betting Cassandra will help with that.

Very good point on the pricing. Quentin was already going to have to pay enough as is in that case.

Hah, yes, "pat on the head and a cookie" is exactly how to sum that experience up with Arden. That's a downright "SHE LIKES YOU!" from the Luidaeg. Helped that Arden knew the score from Marianne and wasn't going into it grudge-y about the Luidaeg brewing the sleeping potion, and that overall I think Arden kinda knows that running isn't an option any more anyway.

I do hope Arden and the Luidaeg see each other within a hundred years and that the Luidaeg just meant "don't ask me anything like this again for a hundred years." That would hamper plot...

I think Arden will be fine, it seems pretty clear that she needs backup in order to feel good about this and right now she mostly feels like the only backup she has are Madden and Nolan. Hopefully she'll acquire more in the future.

I just came out of a session with my therapist bringing up this topic of service and rage, hah.

Yeah, I'm really looking forward to seeing Arden coming into her own and slowly building her household, in future books. It's a tough job, but the novella showed Arden developing the right instincts about finding and nurturing good people.

She really had good instincts all along. Hiding was the right move at the start; lay low, and when the time was right start carefully building support. Nolan ruined that when he brashly went off on his own, and in the end all he succeeded in doing was saddling her with a completely helpless charge. The False Queen was very clever there; if she had killed Nolan that would have probably just pissed Arden off and left her with nothing to lose.