Tough Traveling – To Blathe (True Love)

Nathan over at Fantasy Review Barn is the mastermind of Tough Traveling. What’s Tough Traveling? Pretty much, it’s a weekly feature on Thursdays where we dig around to come up with examples of common tropes in fantasy, using Diana Wynne Jones’ The Tough Guide to Fantasyland as our inspiration and guide. Nathan has invited one and all to join in the fun, so feel free to come up with your own lists and add the link on Nathan’s weekly post, which will also contain (unleash) the next weeks theme. So let the fun begin …

This weeks theme? TO BLATHE

Sonny, true love is the greatest thing in the world. Except for a nice MLT, a mutton, lettuce and tomato sandwich, where the mutton is nice and lean and the tomato is ripe. They’re so perky, I love that. But that’s not what he said! He distinctly said “to blave.” (Thanks to Wendy again. Let’s find those examples of True Love!)

OK, the “To Blathe” reference is new to me, so I’m going to go with True Love! (and hope I have it straight!)

Corin and Tam from Moth and Spark by Ann Leonard

So, a prince goes undercover to enjoy the experience of a Carnival as just a normal young man. While out, he crosses paths with a commoner with an unusual abilities. They are drawn to each other as a moth to flame. Corin is the handsome prince every young lady is after, Tam is a bright and witty daughter of a doctor, new to town and unfamiliar with the ways of court. Quite an unlikely couple (in their world at least), but one that seems destined to happen.

Dominick and Clarice from The House of Four Winds by Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory

This is definitely a Disney style romance, it comes on hard and sudden, but is rather apt for the fairy tale style story that this is. A princess disguised as a boy on a ship, falls in love, yada yada.

Mal and Coby from The Night’s Masque Trilogy by Anne Lyle

Sometimes, the world is safer for boys, maybe it also presents addition opportunities for those of the male gender. Now, an enterprising young woman may notice this, and perhaps take advantage of a safer life. You can’t really blame her. So, what’s a girl to do when she falls in love, but the object of her affection thinks she is a boy? Ouch.

Alana and Marko from Saga by Brian K. Vaughan

You know, so many romances in books stay in the courting phase, or just hint at a future. I have to love Saga for starting the story with the birth of their child.  It adds an interesting perspective, and another chance of adventure in the story (in addition to fleeing across the solar system). From warring worlds, this couple has the odds stacked against them, but who doesn’t love a forbidden love?

And from A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin, I’m hiding this one incase anyone somehow has managed to escape knowing this (if you’ve watched even one episode of the show, or read Game of Thrones, this is safe:

View Spoiler » Jaime and Cersei Lannister! You have to give them props for building on the traditional brotherly/sisterly love, and twisting it into their own hardcore, lustful, passionate sibling love affair!

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