#tobeis boon

she’s all chivalry and duty to the crown and practical that she doesn’t realize how her brand of justice and kindness and moral conviction is entirely rare and highly admired.

yes, she makes enemies for it, but the friends she makes stick to her like glue. The ending action in her final book, (along with rescuing Lalasa at the end of Page,) are the MOST pivotal moments in her story, and it’s so funny reading the former from her perspective.

She goes all “lone knight” (which we KNOW she isn’t, she’s a commander, her strength IS her people), because it’s treason, and she can’t put people in danger like that, and it’s her responsibility, not theirs, and her people love her so much they won’t let her do it alone.

she is loved wherever she goes, and her strength: it’s not in the hands of the Chamber, because the little seer girl gives her 50% odd chance of success. It’s not in the gods’ favor, or blessing. It’s not even in her own remarkable iron will and training , though it is instrumental.

Tamora Pierce shows us how deeply Kel’s strength is her kindness, honesty, hardworking nature, and empathy, because it gives her incredible allies. COUNTLESS examples of this throughout the books, but the ending sequence says it all; Kel runs off by herself and immediately

Raoul sends Dom and Dom’s entire squad (who all volunteer.) They go under orders into enemy territory, fine, but

Neal, Esmond, Prosper, and Merric, make plans to follow her. All fresh knights who risk their shields because this is treason. They risk treason, for her. Death or at least dishonor, for her

Tobe, a boy of all of… 10? Who is TERRIFIED of being left behind, has spent his whole life surviving, willingly goes into danger and fights for her.

Owen, who, as it’s said, betrays his duty twice over; to the crown, but also to Wyldon, the night master who (at Kel’s direct request, mind you) saved him from squiredom to a desk night (one of her own worst fears). Wyldon, whose approval means so much to Kel, and especially to Owen.

the ARMY of animals that go with her?

Fanche and Saefus of Haven, who have grown to trust her and refuse to go back to safety without following her lead there.

even the village people of fief Rauthhausek, wary at first, recognize her as being who she says she is, and follow her into battle.

she is a true commander. She takes a burden from every single on to those people, but she doesn’t realize just how much they will carry for her. But they do. Everyone who’s met her is won over, even Wyldon of fucking Cavall, who says he is honored to know her, and that she is a true knight. (His character growth is also fascinating)

I don’t know what I’m saying, but the choice to make Kel a strong leader, whose sense of practically and morality serves her so well, is… so important to me, ya know? Tamora Pierce gives us a world where justice IS a reasonable thing to ask for, and the small and weak SHOULD be protected, and just because something is “tradition” doesn’t mean it’s right.

Watching Tamora Pierce’s writing, and world, and worldview expand over the course of the first three Tortall series has been heartening, and beautiful. Kel’s was actually the first series I read by her, and still, I think, remains my favorite. Another post, but Kel as representation was everything to me.

ANYWAY, TLDR:

Meanwhile, Toby 100% has a voodoo doll of Owen of Chas law that he uses out of jealousy

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Translation: Oh, and Owen of Jesslaw 100% has a statue made out of bubblefum in the shape of Kel

i’m SO glad you liked the kalasin story!! here’s one about tobe to thank you for the compliment!

Tobe whistled as he meandered down the long aisle in the center of the pages’ stables, horses perking their ears up or neighing quietly in greeting as he passed. He’d lived at the palace for nearly a month and had found--to the surprise of no one except himself--that it quite suited him. He’d known that Peachblossom, Hoshi, Magewhisper, and the rest were well-bred and well-trained, but even after Lady Kel had described the palace in detail, he still hadn’t been prepared for the sheer number of perfect horses, living stall after stall for what felt like miles of stables. Their coats shone, muscles rippling beneath as they responded to the lightest touch of his knee against their sides. It was like magic.

Stefan and Daine, meanwhile, were teaching him to control his actual magic, spending hours meditating with him and instructing him on the best ways to listen. He marveled for a moment as he walked at how much clearer the voices around him sounded, even compared to only a few weeks before, when he spent most of the ride south translating Peachblossom’s complaints about the mud for Lady Kel’s benefit. He’d spent time admiring and trading wry jokes with Loey’s shaggy ponies in the Riders’ stables and spent most afternoons practicing with his bow on their standing targets while they were busy on horseback, but that was a decision for next year. For now, he was more than content to enjoy the marvel of newly discovered magic and the heady sensation of his newly earned freedom.

He was distracted as he wandered through the stables, making his way towards the hay lofts at the far end, where he’d left some tack that needed mending. He was reveling in the sounds—although really, Daine had explained last week, they weren’t sounds as he understood them—of the horses’ idle gossip. Equine gossip was always so much more interesting than two-legger gossip, Hoshi had insisted time and again when he came to her and Peachblossom with a tidbit about one of his two-legger friends, and Tobe found that he had to agree.

He didn’t notice at first when the tones changed, but suddenly, he was aware that the genial chatter he’d been so enjoying had turned tense and quiet. Some of the more skittish warhorses had backed up to the corners of their stalls, pawing at the floor with hooves the size of the plates in the mess hall while the whites of their eyes shone in the dim light. Similarly, some of the more skittish pages had fled their horses’ stalls, eager to avoid broken toes or bruised ribs.

He knew what his job was now. He was to go find Stefan as fast as his legs could carry him and warn him that a fight was brewing. Then, Stefan would wander through the stables in the casual, quietly purposeful manner he had perfected, silently reminding the pages that they’d best groom their horses properly and pick fights on their own time. He’d witnessed it twice since he’d started as a groom, and he was eager to emulate the walk himself one day.

He’d already turned to go when a sample of the words drifted towards him over the quiet scuffles of pages fleeing the scene, eager to avoid the punishment work that they’d surely earn if they were caught brawling in the stables.

“A stupid trollop…no better than you ought to be…”

"It's not the war, Tobe. I've been shot at. I can bear it. I'm crying because me friend is unhappy and everything is changing."

"Is that what you're supposed to do? Cry for your friends, though they ain't dead? Cry when things change?"

"If the changes are hard ones. If they take away the things you knew were good... Don't you cry when your friends are hurt?"

"Dunno. Never had no friends..."

"You have friends now... And with luck, Peachblossom and Jump and I won't do any crying for you."

"I hope not, lady. It don't sound like any kind of fun."

From Lady Knight by Tamora Pierce

Kel: ...

Neal: ...

Merric: ...

Peachblossom: ...

Hoshi: ...

Jump: ...

Literally everyone at New Hope: ...

Tobe: Why is everyone staring at me?

Neal: You just called Kel mom; you said thanks, mom.

Tobe: What? No, I didn't! I said thanks, My Lady.

Kel: Do you see me as a mother figure, Tobe?