Responses
I also know Gjord doesn’t know that Sylhan is being abused initially, but at the same time Gjord observes signs of abuse on Sylhan and clearly suspects it’s from Lister. So it’s crazy that he has the nerve to interrogate Sylhan about a suspected sexual relationship between them, while admitting he knows that Sylhan wouldn’t have really had a choice. If you were really concerned you would have asked him if he was okay and if he was abused or assaulted instead of making him feel guilty and uncomfortable.
I have a few criticisms of Gjord’s character. He says that everything he does is for Sylhan but he’s never really there for Sylhan when he’s going through the worst times in his life with the abuse and SA. I understand Gjord can’t be everywhere at once but as a reader, these writing choices make Gjord seem unreliable. But it sucks to know every single time we’re about to witness an abuse scene, I know Gjord isn’t going to show up and Sylhan isn’t going to be able to defend himself either. although Gjord’s plan is to free Sylhan and put him back into a position of power, Sylhan never has a day of relief. it’s really aggravating and makes it seem like the author enjoys writing Sylhan being abused.