Rereading Cloud Roads

kk-maker:

…and, having gotten to know Stone and Raksura culture by now, the early scenes where Stone has straight-up kidnapped Moon are unbelievably funny.

[if you haven’t read The Cloud Roads by Martha Wells and you don’t want spoilers, SKIP THIS POST]

Consorts are super, super precious and highly-regarded and not terribly numerous. Culturally, they occupy a space equivalent to ‘fairy-tale princess’, ‘First Lady’, or ‘dowager queen’, depending on age, mated status, and the status of their mate. They know it and everyone else knows it from infancy.

Finding one outside of a colony would be ridiculous to even imagine. Finding one alone, wearing raggedy groundling clothing a long-ass way from any colony at all, is unheard-of.

Stone is a consort himself, BUT he’s long since old enough to be in the ‘dowager queen’ category, has always been something of an odd duck, and has the advantage of being able to transform to roughly the size of a bus. He also happens to be on a mission matchmaking for his very eligible great-great-granddaughter. Might as well look, no? Even if this lone consort’s in exile, it’s good to know what the other courts are doing, maybe gain a little gossip for leverage.

Lone consort is quick and mean and wily, and gets away. (Again, Stone is is the size of a bus… because he’s CENTURIES OLD, with corresponding experience. The Little Princess gave Fin Fang Foom the slip.) Lone consort is next seen drugged, beaten, and shackled to the dirt by groundlings to be eaten by a local monster. Lone consort has torn himself bloody trying to get free and is making a solid effort to defend himself with rocks.

Stone is like, okay, clearly I need to learn what this kid’s deal is and see if he at least has an eligible sibling consort somewhere.

Then he picks him up, very slowly teases the story out, and, from Moon’s perspective, accepts the whole thing with equanimity. After picking up three books & change worth of cultural cues and personal backstory, though, it’s pretty clear that Stone is internally doing the wise-grandpa equivalent of ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME.

A rough timeline of Stone’s thought processes:
– Trying to strangle me with your bare hands? Seriously? I’m a few hundred years past your weight class; you’ve got either a serious concussion or more violent instincts than sense.
– Holy shit this kid is some kinda mean and suspicious for a consort.
– Why does he think I am going to poison him? He’s acting like I’m a crazy groundling.
– Kiddo, what did your colony even do?
Obviously you’re not Fell, fool; I might only have one eye I’m not DEAD…
– He can’t be asking me what species I am. He’s either drugged or trying to pull one over—
– He doesn’t know what his own species is?
HE SERIOUSLY DOESN’T KNOW SHIT.
– This is the saddest fucking thing I’ve ever seen and if any of his court are still living I am going to shred them so fine the Arbora will have to use them for fertilizer.
– After all that, he still thinks I’m going to kill him and eat him. Fucking hell.
– Pearl is going to lose her shit when she sees what I brought home.

Making myself anatomy refs so I can actually draw some people.  Think I’m getting close to something I like… and then I’ll try to simplify it hah.  Excuse my lazy and cut-off wings.