{"id":75182,"date":"2020-02-25T05:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-02-25T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/?p=75182"},"modified":"2020-02-25T11:43:21","modified_gmt":"2020-02-25T18:43:21","slug":"pwj-s3e13","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/2020\/02\/25\/pwj-s3e13\/","title":{"rendered":"PWJ: S3E13 \u2013 TWHF (Pt 1, Ch 16-17) \u2013 &quot;Long Live The Queen!&quot;"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"860\" height=\"625\" src=\"http:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Veiled.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-75243\" srcset=\"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Veiled.jpg 860w, https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Veiled-300x218.jpg 300w, https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Veiled-768x558.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 860px) 100vw, 860px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Everything is changing in Glome! Both the Priest and the King are dying, while their successors prepare to take over their respective mantels&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>S3E13: \u201cLong Live The Queen!\u201d<\/strong>&nbsp;(<a href=\"http:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/PWJ-S3E13.mp3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"Download (opens in a new tab)\">Download<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio\"><audio controls src=\"http:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/PWJ-S3E13.mp3\"><\/audio><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you enjoy this episode, you can subscribe&nbsp;<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/TheEagleAndChildPodcast\" target=\"_blank\">manually<\/a>, or&nbsp;any place where good podcasts can be found&nbsp;(<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/itunes.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/the-eagle-and-child-podcast-restless-pilgrim\/id1289456381\" target=\"_blank\">iTunes<\/a>,&nbsp;<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/music\/m\/Ixvobfgi2wk4rkdegdnbdqjjh44?t=The_Eagle_and_Child\" target=\"_blank\">Google Play<\/a>, <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.podbean.com\/podcast-detail\/wqkqe-5e798\/The+Eagle+and+Child\" target=\"_blank\">Podbean<\/a>, <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"http:\/\/www.stitcher.com\/s?fid=159766&amp;refid=stpr\" target=\"_blank\">Stitcher<\/a>, <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/tunein.com\/radio\/The-Eagle-and-Child-p1079872\/\" target=\"_blank\">TuneIn<\/a> and <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/overcast.fm\/itunes1289456381\/pints-with-jack\" target=\"_blank\">Overcast<\/a>), as well as on&nbsp;<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCcYFlFuyOmYL6LcuicqzULw\" target=\"_blank\">YouTube<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you&#8217;d like to support us and get fantastic gifts, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.patreon.com\/pintswithjack\">please join us on Patreon<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Time Stamps<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">01:57 &#8211; <em>Drink-of-the-week<\/em><br>02:21 &#8211; <em>Quote-of-the-week<\/em><br>07:27 &#8211; <em>Chapter 16 Summary<\/em><br>37:50 &#8211; <em>Chapter 17 Summary<\/em><br>48:27 &#8211; <em>Closing remarks<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>YouTube Version<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"860\" height=\"484\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/OQqzdFeiWUU?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>After Show Skype Session<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This Season, after each episode, Matt and I will be recording a ten-minute Skype conversation:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"860\" height=\"484\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Nf7e0bDPCEs?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Show Notes<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2022&nbsp;Boring drinks for Drink-of-the-week were a bit boring this week. Matt was drinking herbal tea and I was drinking Grapefruit Sparkling Water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2022&nbsp;The quote-of-the-week came from Chapter 16:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>&#8220;Well. You have a secret from me,&#8221; he said in the end. &#8220;No, don&#8217;t turn away from me. Did you think I would try to press or conjure it out of you? Never that. Friends must be free. My tormenting you to find it would build a worse barrier between us than your hiding it\u2026 There, do not weep. I shall not cease to love you if you have a hundred secrets.<\/p><cite>C.S. Lewis, Till We Have Faces (Chapter 16)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2022&nbsp;Toasted Rowdy and his son, Hayes Lewis, who was born last week. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2022&nbsp;I read my 150-word summary for Chapter 16:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>The Fox finds Orual. Hiding her wound, she says that she went to the mountain and, while not explaining how she blackmailed Psyche, tells him of her plan with the lamp and the subsequent destruction of the mountain. The Fox is horrified at her course of action, but doesn\u2019t press her to reveal the secret he knows she is hiding. Orual decides to veil permanently from now on. She stands up to the King when he mocks her. She devotes herself to learning, riding and fighting. Later in the year, the King sustains an injury which will lead to his death. The old priest is also near death. Bardia, the Fox, Orual and the new priest, Arnom, hold counsel and settle on terms of mutual support between Palace and Temple. Orual hears crying at the back of the Palace. Thinking it Psyche, she investigates, but instead discovers a strange man\u2026<\/p><cite>Summary of Chapter 16 of Till We Have Faces<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2022&nbsp;Orual Returns. She realizes that she\u2019s avoiding the Fox, and this makes her sad. Her servant, Poobi, cries when she sees her wound, providing more evidence that Orual is loved. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When Orual talks about the pain of taking off the dressing, I talked about my summer in France where I had an accident and had to wash the wound in iodine every night. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2022&nbsp;The Fox asks Orual where she\u2019s been. Hiding her wound, she tells him that she\u2019s been to the mountain and in that moment realizes that the Fox wouldn\u2019t approved of what she had done:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>\u2026he would rebuke me for putting that kind of force upon Psyche. One of his maxims was that if we cannot persuade our friends by reasons we must be content &#8220;and not bring a mercenary army to our aid.&#8221; (He meant passions.)<\/p><cite>C.S. Lewis, Till We Have Faces (Chapter 16)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He says that he thought they were going to continue formulating a plan that morning, but Orual curtly tells him that they stopped talking last night because he was tired. She is ashamed to realize that she sounded like her father. The Fox responds:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>&#8220;So that&#8217;s my sin,&#8221; said the Fox, smiling sadly. &#8220;Well, Lady, you have punished it. But what&#8217;s your news? Would Psyche hear you?&#8221;<\/p><cite>C.S. Lewis, Till We Have Faces (Chapter 16)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2022&nbsp;Orual gives him scant information. She tells him of the destructive storm and about how she heard Psyche going off weeping on the south side of the Mountain. She says that she didn\u2019t tell him about the god because he\u2019d either think her mad or dreaming! This drove Matt and me crazy!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Fox presses her for details about her conversation with Psyche, and she eventually tells him about the plan with the lamp. He criticizes the plan greatly, pointing out that this would have inevitably led to a bad end: either the mountain man would have taken her away to another lair, or hurt Psyche. He\u2019s worried that her weeping might have been from a wound given to her by her husband:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>\u201c\u2026Oh, if you&#8217;d only taken counsel!&#8221; I could say nothing. For now I wondered why indeed I had not thought of any of these things and whether I had never at all believed her lover was a mountainy man.<\/p><cite>C.S. Lewis, Till We Have Faces (Chapter 16)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Fox asks how Orual persuaded her to follow this plan. She realizes that he would be very annoyed if she said she\u2019d told Psyche that he and Bardia had been in agreement about her husband:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>He would make it seem that I had lied.<\/p><cite>C.S. Lewis, Till We Have Faces (Chapter 16)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She just says that she persuaded Psyche. The Fox can see that Orual is hiding something:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>&#8220;Well. You have a secret from me,&#8221; he said in the end. &#8220;No, don&#8217;t turn away from me. Did you think I would try to press or conjure it out of you? Never that. Friends must be free. My tormenting you to find it would build a worse barrier between us than your hiding it\u2026 There, do not weep. I shall not cease to love you if you have a hundred secrets.&#8221;<\/p><cite>C.S. Lewis, Till We Have Faces (Chapter 16)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We commented how different this was from Orual&#8217;s attitude towards Psyche!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2022&nbsp;Orual&#8217;s attitude as he left was shocking!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>I had hardly ever before been glad of his going. But I thought, too, how much kinder he was than Psyche.<\/p><cite>C.S. Lewis, Till We Have Faces (Chapter 16)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Orual records that she never tells Bardia anything of what happened on the Mountain. Given his own personal philosophy of gods and of men, I think it\u2019s unlikely he ever asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2022&nbsp;Before going to bed, Orual makes a decision to permanently veil:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>Hitherto, like all my countrywomen, I had gone bareface; on those two journeys up the Mountain I had worn a veil because I wished to be secret. I now determined that I would go always veiled. I have kept this rule, within doors and without, ever since. It is a sort of treaty made with my ugliness. There had been a time in childhood when I didn&#8217;t yet know I was ugly. Then there was a time (for in this book I must hide none of my shames or follies) when I believed, as girls do \u2014 and as Batta was always telling me \u2014 that I could make it more tolerable by this or that done to my clothes or my hair. Now, I chose to be veiled.<\/p><cite>C.S. Lewis, Till We Have Faces (Chapter 16)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I commented that Orual is no longer \u201cBareface\u201d, the original titles for this book. I also compared her decision to veil to that of Kylo Ren from the latest Star Wars movies, hiding behind a mask, trying to kill the past and take on a new persona.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2022&nbsp;The King comes back from the hunting party a few days later. They had only killed a couple of lions. Apparently he was very drunk, due to all the feasting. He and Orual have a confrontation about her veiling:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>As soon as he saw me veiled, he shouted, &#8220;Now, girl, what&#8217;s this? Hung your curtains up, eh? Were you afraid we&#8217;d be dazzled by your beauty? Take off that frippery!&#8221; It was then I first found what that night on the Mountain had done for me. No one who had seen and heard the god could much fear this roaring old King.<\/p><cite>C.S. Lewis, Till We Have Faces (Chapter 16)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She openly defies him and shows that she\u2019s unafraid and she ultimately wins the stand-off:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>He never struck me, and I never feared him again. And from that day I never gave back an inch before him.<\/p><cite>C.S. Lewis, Till We Have Faces (Chapter 16)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She also gets the King to entrust the monitoring of Redival to Batta.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2022&nbsp;We find out that some form of relationship develops between the King and Batta:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>Batta had grown very familiar with him of late and spent many hours in the Bedchamber. Not, I suppose, that he had her to his bed \u2014 even in the best of her days she had scarcely been what he called &#8220;savoury&#8221; \u2014 but she tattled and whispered and flattered him and stirred his possets, for he began to show his years.<\/p><cite>C.S. Lewis, Till We Have Faces (Chapter 16)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Both Matt and I were at a loss as to what was going on here&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2022&nbsp;Orual tells us that she lives a very detached life, since she\u2019s expecting to soon feel the wrath of the gods, but as time goes on, nothing seems to happen. She goes to Psyche\u2019s room and packs away everything which reminds her of their sorrowful times. She burns a Greek hymn which Psyche wrote to the god of the mountain, as well as her more recent clothes. Only the childhood Psyche was allowed to remain. She locks the door and puts a seal on it. She says she also locked a door in her mind and never again mentions Psyche.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She also comments that there was less comfort in being with the Fox. This reminded me of <em>The Four Loves<\/em> where Lewis speaks about how each person in a circle of friends can bring out what\u2019s lovely in others:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>Now that Charles is dead, I shall never again see Ronald&#8217;s reaction to a specifically Caroline joke. Far from having more of Ronald, having him &#8220;to myself&#8221; now that Charles is away, I have less of Ronald.<\/p><cite>C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2022&nbsp;Orual devotes herself to study, to fencing and riding. Matt and I thought she was staying busy to distract herself:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>My aim was to build up more and more that strength, hard and joyless, which had come to me when I heard the god&#8217;s sentence; by learning, fighting, and labouring, to drive all the woman out of me. Sometimes at night, if the wind howled or the rain fell, there would leap upon me, like water from a bursting dam, a great and anguished wonder \u2014 whether Psyche was alive, and where she was on such a night, and whether hard wives of peasants were turning her, cold and famished, from their door. But then, after an hour or so of weeping and writhing and calling out upon the gods, I would set to and rebuild the dam.<\/p><cite>C.S. Lewis, Till We Have Faces (Chapter 16)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2022&nbsp;She comments that her relationship with Bardia changes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>He used me, and talked to me, more and more like a man. And this both grieved and pleased me.<\/p><cite>C.S. Lewis, Till We Have Faces (Chapter 16)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She clearly has developed feelings for him. It reminds me of Joy Davidman\u2019s annoyance at Lewis\u2019 praise of her \u201cmanly virtues\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2022&nbsp;Around Midwinter, the King slips on the steps and breaks his thigh bone. He slips because (a) he had probably been drinking and (b) one of the houseboys had been cleaning the steps and the water had frozen. The King doesn\u2019t want help and presents us a portrait of a hurting person. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Orual takes charge of the situation and they send for the second priest from the House of Ungit (a man named \u201cArnom\u201d)who knows of a good surgeon. The King reacts badly to the veiled Orual:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>&#8230;Between his screams [the King] kept on pointing at me with his eyes&#8230;and crying out, &#8220;Take her away! Take away that one with the veil. Don&#8217;t let her torture me. I know who she is. I know.&#8221;<br><br>&#8230;<br><br>&#8220;Master,&#8221; said the Fox, &#8220;it is only the Princess Orual, your daughter.&#8221; <br><br>&#8220;Aye, so she tells you,&#8221; the King would say. &#8220;But I know better. Wasn&#8217;t she using red hot iron on my leg all night? I know who she is. . . . Aiai! Aiai! Guards! Bardia! Orual! Batta! Take her away!&#8221;<\/p><cite>C.S. Lewis, Till We Have Faces (Chapter 16)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Who does the King think she is?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2022&nbsp;On the third night, there is a meeting in the corridor outside the King\u2019s room between Bardia, the Fox, Orual and Arnom the priest. Anom says he thinks the King will die. Orual is concerned that she\u2019ll be driven out of Glome. We wondered whether this is how she will become like Psyche. Arnom explains that the House of Ungit is in a very similar situation, as their priest will not last the week. Incidentally, he calls the Fox by his real name (\u201cLysias\u201d which means \u201cDestroyer\u201d).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The priest laments that Orual isn\u2019t married:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>&nbsp;&#8220;A woman cannot lead the armies of Glome in war.&#8221;&#8230;<br><br>&#8220;This Queen can,&#8221; &#8230;and the way he thrust out his lower jaw made him seem a whole army himself.&nbsp;<\/p><cite>C.S. Lewis, Till We Have Faces (Chapter 16)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After having agreed that the Royal House and the Temple must be united, Arnom says that there\u2019s one issue of contention which has yet to be resolved, a land dispute over an area of land known as The Crumbles. Orual gives it to the Temple, under the condition that Ungit&#8217;s guards be henceforward under Bardia, and chosen by and obedient to the ruling monarch. I suggested that this would prevent the power play which happened when the old priest came to pressure the King to sacrifice Psyche.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When they\u2019ve left, Orual reflects:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>To be a queen \u2014 that would not sweeten the bitter water against which I had been building the dam in my soul. It might strengthen the dam, though. Then, as a quite different thing, came the thought that my father would be dead. That struck me dizzy. The largeness of a world in which he was not . . . the clear light of a sky in which that cloud would no longer hang . . . freedom. I drew in a long breath, one way, the sweetest I had ever drawn. I came near to forgetting my great central sorrow.<\/p><cite>C.S. Lewis, Till We Have Faces (Chapter 16)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2022&nbsp;Orual hears the sound of a girl weeping behind the Palace. She rushes out, crying for Psyche. She then realizes that its chains of a well:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>I remembered that when the chains of the well swung a little (and there had been breeze enough to sway them just now) they could make a noise something like that. Oh, the cheat of it, the bitterness!<\/p><cite>C.S. Lewis, Till We Have Faces (Chapter 16)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I wondered whether the god of the West Wind could be the cause of the breeze causing the chains to swing. Did he want to draw Orual to the courtyard and, if so, was it for good or for ill?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2022&nbsp;Orual sees a figure move in the darkness and when she catches the person, she hears a man\u2019s voice which says<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>&#8220;Softly, sweetheart, \u2026 Take me to the King&#8217;s threshold.&#8221;<\/p><cite>C.S. Lewis, Till We Have Faces (Chapter 16)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2022&nbsp;I read my 150-word summary of Chapter 17:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>The stranger discovered by Orual is Trunia of Phars, the Prince she wrote about earlier who is in a civil war with his brother, Argan. Trunia has been separated from his army and asks for Glome\u2019s protection. She says that she can only shelter him as a prisoner. Upon hearing this he tries to run, but injures himself and is taken captive. Orual speaks to Bardia and the Fox, suggesting that she fight Argan in single combat for Trunia. This way they avoid a war with Phars and make a friend in Trunia. Both are resistant to the idea, especially the Fox, but Heralds are eventually sent to Argan. Orual realises that her brief queenship has given her a respite from her mental tortures. Worried that the King will survive, she goes to his bedchamber, but returns comforted that she will indeed be the Queen of Glome.<\/p><cite>Summary of Chapter 17 of Till We Have Faces<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2022&nbsp;The stranger Orual discovered at the back of the Palace is a real smooth talker:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>Who are you?&#8221; said I\u2026 A slender, tall man stepped out. &#8220;A suppliant,&#8221; he said, but with a merriment in his voice that did not sound like supplication. &#8220;And one who never let a pretty girl go without a kiss.&#8221;<\/p><cite>C.S. Lewis, Till We Have Faces (Chapter 17)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fortunately, Orual has a dagger with her and this keeps him at a distance. He flirts outrageously and this slightly disorients Orual, not used to being spoken to in this way. He reminds me of <a href=\"https:\/\/disney.fandom.com\/wiki\/Flynn_Rider\">Flynn<\/a> from the movie \u201cTangled\u201d. He repeats that he\u2019s someone in need of an audience with the King. Orual points out that, unless the King makes a miraculous recovery, she is now Queen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2022&nbsp;The man identifies himself as Trunia of Phars. Earlier in this book, Orual had told us that he was the prince in the middle of a civil war with his father and his brother Argan. While he was not defeated, he was beaten in a skirmish and as he was fleeing, he blundered into Glome territiory and is now cut off from his own army. Orual says that if they receive him as a suppliant, they must defend him, but they don\u2019t want war with Phars. She can only shelter him as a prisoner. At this, Trunia turns and runs, but he trips on an old millstone and injures his ankle. Orual assures him that they\u2019ll save him if they can as long as it doesn\u2019t mean war with Phars. She calls the guards and tells him to cover his face to keep his identity a secret. He\u2019s then given food and drink and his wound tended. He\u2019s eventually taken to the tower room, where Psyche was previously held.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2022&nbsp;Orual joins Bardia and the Fox in the King\u2019s bedchamber. The Fox tells her that Arnom of Phars has crossed their borders and are nearby with a large number of horses seeking Trunia. Orual tells them that Trunia is in the Palace. Feeling awkward around her father, they go to the Pillar Room\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2022&nbsp;In the Pillar Room, the three of them are of one mind\u2026 Firstly, if Trunia can get back to his army, he\u2019ll likely win the war. Secondly, that they would prefer Trunia on the throne of Phars, particularly if they can help him now when he\u2019s in trouble. Lastly, they agree that their country is in no shape for a war with Phars<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We\u2019re told about the brother Argan:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>was false, cruel, and hated by many, and had, moreover, from his first battle (long before these troubles) an old slur of cowardice upon him which made him contemptible<\/p><cite>C.S. Lewis, Till We Have Faces (Chapter 17)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2022&nbsp;Orual suggests that they have someone fight Argan in single combat for Trunia. Argan can\u2019t afford to have rumours of his cowardice revived. She suggests herself. Bardia responds:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>&nbsp;Oh, Lady, Lady, it&#8217;s a thousand pities they didn&#8217;t make you a man.&#8221; (He spoke it as kindly and heartily as could be; as if a man dashed a gallon of cold water in your broth and never doubted you&#8217;d like it all the better.)<\/p><cite>C.S. Lewis, Till We Have Faces (Chapter 17)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8230;as does The Fox:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>&#8220;Monstrous \u2014 against all custom \u2014 and nature \u2014 and modesty,&#8221; said the Fox. On such matters he was a true Greek; he still thought it barbarous and scandalous that the women in our land go bareface. I had sometimes said to him when we were merry that I ought to call him not Grandfather but Grandam. That was another reason why I had never told him of the fencing.<\/p><cite>C.S. Lewis, Till We Have Faces (Chapter 17)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Orual points out that she\u2019s not yet safe on her throne and that this would bolster her standing among the people:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>&#8220;Child, child,&#8221; said the Fox, his eyes full of tears, &#8220;it&#8217;s your life. Your life. First my home and freedom gone; then Psyche; now you. Will you not leave one leaf on this old tree?&#8221;<\/p><p>I could see right into his heart, for I knew he now implored me with the same anguish I had felt when I implored Psyche. The tears that stood in my eyes behind my veil were tears of pity for myself more than for him. I did not let them fall..<\/p><cite>C.S. Lewis, Till We Have Faces (Chapter 17)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Orual orders a herald to be sent to Argan with terms of the duel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2022&nbsp;Orual has some time to reflect, and we get to see what\u2019s going on inside her head\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>I looked back on the things the Queen had done and wondered at them. Did that Queen truly think she would kill Argan? I, Orual, as I now saw, did not believe it. I was not even sure that I could fight him\u2026 How would it be if, when the day came, and the trumpets had blown, and the swords were out, my courage failed me? I&#8217;d be the mockery of the whole world; I could see the shamed look on the Fox&#8217;s face, on Bardia&#8217;s. I could hear them saying, &#8220;And yet how bravely her sister went to the offering! How strange that she, who was so meek and gentle, should have been the brave one after all!&#8221; And so she would be far above me in everything&#8230; &#8220;She shall not,&#8221; I said with my whole soul. &#8220;Psyche? She&#8217;s never had a sword in her hand in her life, never done man&#8217;s work in the Pillar Room, never understood (hardly heard of) affairs of state . . . a girl&#8217;s life, a child&#8217;s life. . . .&#8221;<\/p><cite>C.S. Lewis, Till We Have Faces (Chapter 17)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2022&nbsp;At this train of thought, Orual wonders if her sickness was returning, since these are starting to sound like the ravings of her delirium. She then begins to think that this duel would be the gods\u2019 means of execution, but she also realizes that being queen had given her a brief respite from her mental torments (remember what she wrote earlier about hiding from the gods in labour), she resolves the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>&#8230;that for the two days left to me I&#8217;d queen it with the best of them; and if by any chance Argan didn&#8217;t kill me, I&#8217;d queen it as long as the gods let me. It was not pride \u2014 the glitter of the name \u2014 that moved me; or not much. I was taking to queenship as a stricken man takes to the wine-pot or as a stricken woman, if she had beauty, might take to lovers. It was an art that left you no time to mope. If Orual could vanish altogether into the Queen, the gods would almost be cheated.<\/p><cite>C.S. Lewis, Till We Have Faces (Chapter 17)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2022&nbsp;The chapter ends on a dark turn. Orual worries about whether her father will actually die. She goes to his bedside and she perceives that he looks at her with terror:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>Did he know me and think I came to murder him? Did he think I was Psyche come back from the deadlands to bring him down there? &#8230;I looked again at his face \u2014 terrified, idiotic, almost an animal&#8217;s face. A thought of comfort came to me: &#8220;Even if he lives, he will never have his mind again.&#8221; I went back and slept soundly<\/p><cite>C.S. Lewis, Till We Have Faces (Chapter 17)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2022&nbsp;Read Chapters 18 &amp; 19 for next week!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Everything is changing in Glome! Both the Priest and the King are dying, while their successors prepare to take over their respective mantels&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":75245,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_crdt_document":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3111],"tags":[1914,2969,4438,4834],"class_list":["post-75182","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-podcast","tag-c-s-lewis","tag-featured","tag-the-eagle-and-child-podcast","tag-till-we-have-faces"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Veiled-1.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75182","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=75182"}],"version-history":[{"count":17,"href":"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75182\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":75341,"href":"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75182\/revisions\/75341"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/75245"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=75182"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=75182"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=75182"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}