Confession time: When I first met Weston, I hated his guts.
Like, I wanted to string out his entrails in the sunlight and let him roast in the Aerugan sun while dactyls feasted on his flesh and he felt every little poke and prick and rip.
And now I adore him and #MustProtect and he’s grown so much, and he’s not at like his father anymore, and I couldn’t be prouder of him and he’s become a man that I’d actually trust (which is saying something, considering his origins!)
I genuinely aspire to get Scars of Time out and in y’all’s hands by this time next year, and then the wonders of Andre’s good influence can be shared in full, so I’ll try to keep some of my line-of-thought here as spoiler free as possible.
I’ll start simply: Lord Everett Windsor is the scum of the earth and I loathe him. I also celebrated (literally, I made cake and had a little feast and cackled like a hyeana on coffee) when the time came for the curtain to close on him. So to have Everett be a father figure? To have Everett influence his only child, and a son, at that? Violet did the best she could, but when up against an abusive, gaslighting, foul creature like that guy?…it’s really no surprise that Weston exhibited some of those same traits in his younger years, when Everett had sunk those claws in so deep.
Yet there was still love and respect in Weston for his mother, despite Everett’s attempts to nullify that. There was still some openness and innocence in his heart, that knowledge that something wasn’t right.
Heh. Clever Violet, bringing in Andre to provide guidance to her wayward son. (Ahh, Violet. I really must write more short stories about her. She reminds me strongly of two ladies I know, who emulate such grace and pressure and through such trying circumstances. Backbones of steel, and wiles to match)
But to see Weston grow from a self-absorbed prick to an awkward young man, to a confident, respectful leader? Whales, I’m so proud of him. Grace abounds, and his redemption arc is easily one of my favorite threads in the entire series.
As for miss Abigail…I wasn’t anticipating her, honestly. She just showed up in my manuscript with a firm, “I’m here now. Deal with it.” and that was that. It’s easy to say she grew on me pretty quickly.
I’m glad she showed up, as sages aren’t rare, and I’d yet to have a female sage step into the light of the pages. Given her background as part Elph, she was a wonderful example of how the societies could mix and work together–and an example of justice and personal growth.
I love how both Weston and Abigail learned and grew into themselves through the books. Will they end up together in the end? I don’t know. Maybe. If nothing else, they have a solid foundation for a friendship to span the years. And if the snarks and sparks ever grow into something more, well, that’s an alliance that both kingdoms should be well pleased by.
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