#erak

Halt: *sneaks unseen as a ranger should*

I’ve always found the development of Erak to be interesting in this book and overall in the series. He goes from the one capturing Will and Evanlyn and giving them as slaves to becoming a friend of Will’s to the point that Will and co. travel to Arrida to help rescue him in Erak’s Ransom.

After a decade of reading the series I’ve gotten some quotes and scenes stuck in my head and think about them repeatedly over the years. Some scenes include the ones during the third book where Erak and Will are thinking of the other and having thoughts of mutual respect and understanding. Both characters understand why the other has done what they have done and respect them for doing that. And, they respect each other as warriors. Cool scene, but now on this reread, I’ve been struck with a thought:

Did Erak know what was to happen?

Chapter three, Erak is looking at Will and Evanlyn interacting and thinking about how much they’ll need each other when they arrive at Hallasholm. He thinks “they’d be sold as slaves and their life would be hard physical labor, with no respite and no release. One grindingly hard day after another, month in, month out, year after year. A person living that life would need a friend.”

What got me thinking was the “year after year” part.

I don’t know if this is said later in the book (I’m only on chapter three in my reread right now), from other online discourse about the books, or a fanfic, but I remember hearing somewhere that most of the yard slaves don’t survive long at all (unless of course they’re a part of the Committee) and after a brief peruse through the book, I did find some quotes that support this idea being canon (when describing the Yard, Will thinks that being a slave in the yard is “downright dangerous” and Erak, when talking with Evanlyn about helping her and Will escape, says “no one survives the yard”—which does answer my earlier question of yes, Erak did, in fact, know what was to come).

Surely, and as the “no one survives the yard” quote suggests, Erak knew Will wouldn’t make it to being a slave “year after year.” He has expressed respect for Will being a warrior and surely he would’ve thought “huh, he’s a warrior, he’s athletic and muscular, I wonder if they’ll put him in the yard then. After all, the yard typically takes the athletic and muscular people as slaves.”

And I suppose that’s just his character. I think connecting Will’s physique and where he will be as a slave isn’t something he could do because it meant thinking through it and connecting it together, something that I don’t think he wanted to do.

I think emotionally, he couldn’t connect those things together. He’s devastated when he sees Will’s condition and what warmweed has reduced him to. I think on some level he knew that Will’ll be a yard slave and that “no body survives the yard.” But he couldn’t know know it, not consciously. And not because the plot dictated it but because of his character at this time.

At the end of chapter three, right after the scene I discussed earlier and quoted several sentences from, is the scene I mentioned earlier about Erak respecting Will and understanding his actions. And he thinks about how hard the future will be for Will, but not too far into those thoughts, for Erak tells himself “getting damn maudlin!” and stops thinking about that anymore.

At least until he runs into Will later on in the book and sees what has happened to him. When he has to confront it head-on. When what he has known sub-consciously (“no one survived the yard”) becomes something he knows consciously.

And it is at that moment that Erak makes a choice to help Evanlyn and Will, to give Will a chance to live, and ends up saving them.

Erak: (about to reply)

Svengal: at least we’re not sea lions

Erak and Will: (look at Svengal)

Svengal: come on that was funny!

Erak: What happened?

Thorn: I fell in the kitchen and instead of laughing, all my kids came running to see if I was okay.

Erak:

Oh.

Heck. I have a lot.

Sorry.

THANKS FOR THE ASK!

Here I go.

Robin Hood | The Stormwhite Between Them - Chapter 13 (Distraction) 

(on Wattpad) https://www.wattpad.com/story/332375763-robin-hood-the-stormwhite-between-them

There isn't a soul in the world that doesn't know the story of Robin Hood. Most know she is more than a story and have seen her face on wanted posters across countries. 

 Lots have even been saved by her charity. 

 But Skandians, they know Robin Hood, or should I say Jarl Robin Hood as the beloved woman who helped to save their country. The first female to become a Jarl let alone hold the position of a senior Jarl. 

 What happens when Robin Hood on one of her adventures bumps into the Oberjarl on his quest for vengeance and the recovery of his prized possession?

Hal: