Flight of the Heron read-along: Part III chapters 3-4

[regshoe]

Keith is back! :D And so is Ewen, and so we get to the really good bit.

Next week we'll only read the one chapter—partly because chapter 5 is the last in Book III and I think sticking to the Book boundaries makes things neater, partly because it's a fairly pivotal chapter and I want us to have time to appreciate it properly...

Comments

[killclaudio]

God, this section was a bit grim in parts, wasn't it? Like you, I found Keith's attitude really interesting, and I felt a bit sorry for him; he must have invested a lot of time and effort and loyalty in the army, so it can't be easy to face up to the awfulness of it all or his part in it.

I don't know anything about the Habsburg war that Keith was fighting in Flanders, but I wonder if he's so eager to go back because it felt cleaner than this? Fighting other professional soldiers instead of his own countrymen, at least.

The way Keith swooped in to save Ewen was wonderful! And then arguing for Ewen's life, even though it goes against every instinct he has to imply that Ewen would be less than perfectly honourable. ♥ I love that he came all the way back to help him, since of course that means they can be alone again in the next chapter. :D

Either Ewen or someone else must have explained it to him while he was there, which is a rather sweet scene to imagine, or he must have asked around about it afterwards. Aww, I love this!

[regshoe]

I wonder if he's so eager to go back because it felt cleaner than this? Fighting other professional soldiers instead of his own countrymen, at least.

I think that's exactly what he does feel–and I suppose it's an interesting contrast with his similar but rather differently motivated feeling at the beginning that he'd prefer to go back to Flanders because there it's 'real warfare' rather than being surrounded by barbarians and not seeing any actual fighting (because he thinks it won't come to that). Hmmm.

I love that he came all the way back to help him, since of course that means they can be alone again in the next chapter. :D

Terribly important :D