[SunnyKoala]

really I think the reason many of us want them to get together is because they represent someone in our own lives (even our own love life) and since in the real world there is no such thing as a fairy tale ending (or beginning a ;) ) we tend to want Maerad and Cadvan to have the end we all despretely crave, although this could just be more opinion.

oh, ye powerful stuff peoples :rolleyes:
or just hormonal (more likely) :D

lolz yeh maybe... ;)

[Gemini]

the fact that she had the slightest thought that he was a HULL after all that they had been through together shows that she really doesn't trust him and why should she, because she left Innail to gallop across the country with someone she didn't really know after being put on the spot at her first council meeting with only a second to think?
I'd like to point out that there's probably a lot of Transference on Maerad's part in that scene, IMO.

She's just found out that the head of the light in Annar, the one person who's meant to symbolise the true essence of Barding at it's best... betrayed her family and caused the sacking of Pellinor, she then has to deal with this silently, completely alone. She has no one to confer with to share her revelations and she's left to make her own assumptions. To cap that all off she then has the majority of the first circle as much as stating that Cadvan has had dealings with the dark.

In that moment and back in the room, she needs a way to release all her pent up fear and anger and the first opening for that is Cadvan. She latches on to the vague references and her own assumptions in an effort to find an outlet and someone to blame.

Also, I think it proves that Maerad does truly trust Cadvan by her willingness to have enough faith in him to flee to an uncertain destination so soon after such an outburst.

[Gemini]

Anyway i finished typing up all the quotes from the Gift that suggests that theres smthing between them... i'll post it wen i also finish typing up the riddle. :D just wait a few more days. hopefully by this weekend
BTW, amazing post SunnyKoala. I look forward to your collection of quotes :D

[Miss Perfect]

ok, maybe the point that Meared didn't really trust cadvan was a bit off the track :o
but my other points were more what I really thought
the fact that there are more 'needed and wanted' relationships (?) than just a romantic relationship and really what's the differance between Mearad and Cadvan's relationship now compared to a romantic lovey dovey relationship.

also, wouldn't it be, well, a bit weird if some strander came in while your milking a cow and instantley trust him as you never have with any man. doesn't it seem a bit strange. really, I guess my point is from ealier, 'how can we be sure that if Cadvan and Mearad do get together, if Mearad really does love him, or has just been taken by an older man's "wiles" for her' and the fact that she strangely 'trusts' him.
I think also that there are more important things than that kind of love between Maerad and Cadvan.

My earlier thought was:
'really, I think the reason many of us want them to get together is because they represent someone in our own lives (even our own love life) and since in the real world there is no such thing as a fairy tale ending (or beginnings ;) ) we tend to want Maerad and Cadvan to have the end we all despretely crave.
I must say the fact that I crave them to be together could be why I crave them to be apart so much (if that makes sense ) why should Mearad and Cadvan be like everyone else in the world.'
Do people agree with me on this thought?

[Gemini]

also, wouldn't it be, well, a bit weird if some strander came in while your milking a cow and instantley trust him as you never have with any man. doesn't it seem a bit strange. really, I guess my point is from ealier, 'how can we be sure that if Cadvan and Mearad do get together, if Mearad really does love him, or has just been taken by an older man's "wiles" for her' and the fact that she strangely 'trusts' him.
I think also that there are more important things than that kind of love between Maerad and Cadvan.

My earlier thought was:
'really, I think the reason many of us want them to get together is because they represent someone in our own lives (even our own love life) and since in the real world there is no such thing as a fairy tale ending (or beginnings ;) ) we tend to want Maerad and Cadvan to have the end we all despretely crave.
I must say the fact that I crave them to be together could be why I crave them to be apart so much (if that makes sense ) why should Mearad and Cadvan be like everyone else in the world.'
Do people agree with me on this thought?

Now, bear with me people, it's late I’m tired ... I may not be very coherent in the upcoming ramblings.... :D

I think the reason Maerad trusted Cadvan from the get go is that she recognised something of herself within him... his barding abilities perhaps? He was the first Bard still in his full power (unlike Milana) and still fully dedicated to the light, that Maerad had met (Mirlad (? I really don't remember if that's his name or not. :D) had fallen from the light and had probably abandoned the use of the larger part of his powers. Considering that it was never mentioned if people had though him a witch, like they did Maerad, leading us to believe he never used the greater part of his powers.) that was quite a tangent :D. So maybe she was able to subconsciously recognise the fact he was a Bard and linked that unconsciously with the memories of her childhood (see where I’m going here?).

I also think that Maerad instinctively trusts Cadvan, that she knows that he isn't like Gim... (argh, what. is. his. name??? :D) thugs. Have you never felt this way about anyone? Have you never known from the start that they were the kind of person you could trust? This feeling is of course tempered by Maerad's overwhelming distrust of all men. From memory, she doesn’t completely trust Cadvan at the start of the Gift. It takes time, only after he has kept his promises to her, treated her with the utmost care and loyalty that she fully trusts him... even then I think she has some issues (e.g. towards the middle of the Riddle)

Of course our desire for Maerad and Cadvan to be together is based on our own desires in love, our own fantasies... it's that way for every book we read, every TV show we watch. It's also linked to that whole idea of the fairy tale ending... the Hero always gets the girl, the Princess falls in love with her dashing saviour... it's a cliché that we love to perpetuate.

The thought that no story is complete without a romance has become the norm, we automatically look for pairings from the get go in any book, TV show... whatever. At least in my experience, you'll always have someone paring people off from the start.

I think the reason that the M+C ship is so popular is that we don't really see Maerad making any solid relationships with many (eligible) men besides Cadvan. I'm sure if Dernhil was still around we have a large population of M+D supporters (I’d be one :eek: ). Also, you can't deny that M+C have forged an incredibly deep bond, they both care for and love (platonically... for now;)) each other. The depth of their relationship is made incredibly clear throughout the last part of the riddle. We see this and think "Yes! They have to be together!" it's a trained response. We can't help ourselves.

IMO, I’d like Maerad and Cadvan to be together and yes, I do think that's in part a response to some wish that life may imitate art. But I also think that the events in the books could, in all possibility, lead to that outcome in isolation of what I personally want from the story.

Overall, I think Maerad's and Cadvan's relationship is, at this moment, one of a Father and Daughter, if they said "Hey! Let's GET. IT. ON!" in the first pages of Singing, I’d be a little p*ssed off :D, not to mention a little weirded out (and convinced that we'd finally sent Alison over the edge with all those mad pieces about cheese, violins and wet clingy shirts... you'd have to have been a while to get that :D). Right now, their relationship isn't conducive to them going farther. They still both have to grow a bit for it to change.

Ah... wow, what was I talking about again? :D

[Leonie]

Wow Gemini that was a lot of writing!! And you have convinced me!! I don't think that M&C are quite ready for the next step quite yet, but let's not completely abandon the idea!! There is still the Singing in which things may step up a notch!!;)

I think that you are right that in every film/tv programme/book people tend to try and pair people off, I know I do!!! :o I then convince myself that it has to happen and if it doesn't I tend to hate what else happens and it takes me a while to get used to the idea. But after a while I do come round to the idea, most of the time!!

[Lemur_Girl]

Good ramble, Gemini! :D I agree with alot of it...

One thing I can say is that I don't think Maerad will ever completely recover from her brutal childhood and will always have a certain distrust of men. It's all fine and dandy now, but within Maerad still lurks an abused heart. I mean...on the outside Maerad may seem fine with all the men she's around, but it's only when nothing is serious. Her attraction to Arkan may have given her a bit more...how shall I say this...maturity, when it comes to that kind of thing...but she is still afraid, I think. She was afraid of the way Cadvan looked at her on the boat, and nothing has happened as of yet to evaporate that fear, of course she was overjoyed to see that Cadvan was alive, but if that happened again, I think she would be almost as scared as before. She's scared of the weakness that comes with love, and she's afraid of being vulnerable, because time and time again she's been reminded that you can get hurt badly.

Has anyone ever thought about this: Apparently, when girls are just beginning to go through what Maerad's going through (learning to love etc.) they are attracted to boys who look more feminine. This is because big, fully grown men can, quite frankly, be pretty scary. They get over this after a while, it happens naturally, but Maerad has been through so much to make her twice as afraid and uncomfortable around men like Cadvan and Dernhil. Just a thought...

[SunnyKoala]

yeah i agree with u Gemini, good post :) ... they mite bcome more than just friends towards the end of the Singing. i remember it said somewhere in the riddle that Andomian (is that it?) and Beruldh's story is sort of like her fate and thinks Cadvan probably knew that?:confused: not sure. and Ardina keeps telling her that love hurts... i'll finish typing up all those quotes and post it soon... their relationship is kinda complicated... Alison herself said she doesnt know wat way they love each other.... Did Andomian and Beruld love each other in a romantic way? if that's the case, then Cadvan and Maerad MIGHT b like them, but not die like they did? cant wait to read the Singing!! :) .....but gotta wait till 2008!!:eek: :rolleyes:

[wowwit12345]

Ok, aside from the fact that their ages differ greatly (we all know by now, ok, so PLEASE, save the lecture) and they're both too scared to admit their true feeling for each other, WHAT IS WRONG WITH THEIR BEING TOGTHER???

Ok, If you were maerad who would you want to be with. Hmm...this is SO tough!!!

Let's see...Dernhil? he's um...well...in a better place.

Hmm...The Winterking? Oh wait, that's right... he tried TO USE YOU!!!!:mad:

Saliman? Um, yeah right. When have we ever showed affection?

Wow, :confused: this is hard. WHo else is there that I have showed signs for loving unconditionally?

Cadvan? Nah...he's only rescued you from your prison, respected the distance you wanted from him, saved you from a pack of wers, kept a mt. from falling on you, trained you, mentored you, helped you through...er...uncomfortable times that any other man would have run from (e.g. Derhil *cough*), shared a bond with you so powerful, you cannot resist him, and been there for you SINCE THE DAY YOU OFFERED HIM MILK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

But no, you can't end up with him. Why? Well, because the teensy weensy percentage of Alison croggon fans (aka anti-m+C activists) SAID YOU CAN'T BE WITH HIM!

Now, how rational does that sound?

I say now, as is my duty as a pro-M+C supporter, that Maerad and Cadvan, however old or young they may be, deserve to be together because of their undying love for each other (Though they haven't realized it yet).

I rest my case.

[StarLily]

reading all these new ideas took a while!!! :D but they're all v. good :D