---------- Original Message ---------------------------------- From: Mark A Mandel <mam at theworld.com> Date: Tue, 30 Mar 2004 22:42:52 -0500 >I'm catching up on the list. I'd THOUGHT it had seemed sadly Markless lately. HI! >[Vernoi:] "This is it, then. Do you know the Princess Loudin?" > >[Khaavren:] "That is your question?" > >[V] "Nearly. My question concerns her, which is why I ask." > >[K] "Well, I have seen her, if I am not mistaken. Was she not, some >years ago, one of Her Majesty's maids of honor, and is she not now the >Phoenix Heir?" > >[V] "The very woman. ..." > <<< > >Here, I nearly believe, we have an explicit and authoritative statement >that Loudin is the Phoenix Heir, very shortly before Adron's Disaster >and the Interregnum. WHICH REMINDS ME! Is there at ANY point some hint of _Loudin_'s parentage? I could swear that I saw at some point a reference to Noima having been delivered of a child. It's a throwaway line of Paarfi's during a paragraph where he's detailing Khaavren's usual duties, which included escorting Tortaalik to his bedroom at the end of closing the Palace. Sometimes Noima'd come along to discuss Tortaalik's morning outfit for the next day, sometimes not. Around THERE is where Paarfi tosses off the casual remark that anyway she had a kid so it must've been at least ONCE that Noima told Khaavren to beat it, she'd tuck in Tortaalik herself. Could this child have been Loudin? While it's like Paarfi to say something so potentially important and then never mention it again because he's caught sight of something even shinier a few hours later, this was PRETTY COOL even for a throwaway. And now I can't find it, even though I'm sure it was in FHYA _somewhere_. Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Or did I make this up? (I sure hope not. It charms me to think of Tortaalik as Zerika's grampy.) ¬ mj