Dominic Flandry to Penda, the Frithian King of Scotha:
"'Forgive me if, in my ignorance, I seem insolent." (p. 258)
Flandry could have worked for van Rijn! Very far from ignorant, he has learned the language and much more en route to Scotha, even noticing that southerners, recently conquered by the Frithians, rightly feel that they are culturally superior to them, like Greeks to Romans. Pretended ignorance is Flandry's defense for saying exactly what he thinks. His self-abasing politeness reminds us of: "'I am a stranger and ignorant...Forgive me...'" (See here.)
In the Frithian court, Flandry not only sees representatives of non-Scothan species but also discerns that they are not respected. He can make suggestions that they agree with. And he even catches the eye of Penda's Queen Gunli. Flandry's campaign of sabotage is already under way.
1 comment:
Kaor, Paul!
I noticed that ostentatiously humble "self abasing" of Flandry with King Penda. And of how, even then, Queen Gunli saw thru it, observing Flandry's irony and guile. So not all Scothans were deceived by him.
Ad astra! Sean
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