Ea
so watch me close as i unveil -
you are the heart and i am the nail.
you are the heart and i am the nail.
The silver girl does have much to learn, despite what she thinks. She has been spoiled by her bloodline – her mother was not only a queen, but a queen willing to teach her daughter, to fight for Ea so that she did not have to. Scorch was not awarded this same luxury. She had been forced to fight for everything she now had – her Jungle, her husband, her children. Her story was impressive. But Ea will not have to face her same struggles. She may have to prove herself to the people of the Dale, but that seemed hardly comparable.
It does surprise Ea that she is being sent to the Dale – she had always assumed that the Jungle would be hers. “Why the Dale?” She had not learned much about the kingdom, except that it was Tiphon’s, and relatively quiet. “What do you think of her son? Have you met him?” She knew of her mother and Lagertha’s differences – Lagertha was power-hungry, but (in Ea’s opinion) went about it the wrong way. She was hostile and rough; no expert at manipulating those already in power. And, for this, Ea thought she was perhaps a bit dumb. Anger and hostility were wasteful emotions.
Her mother mentions Ea’s and her shared manipulation of twilight, and before Ea can wonder what she means by this, there is a flash of light and then darkness. She is blinded, frozen in fear only noticeable by her quickening heartbeat, and then it is over. She takes deep breaths, looking around warily before relaxing once again. “I want to learn how to do that,” she says, pausing, “but why should I learn to fight if I am queen? Isn’t that what the army is for?” After all, fighting a battle takes far more effort than Ea is willing to put in.