Second Son Read Along: Chapter 21

Good afternoon and happy Wednesday! Do you have any plans for Valentine's Day? We don't usually, because hiring a babysitter and finding a place where you don't have to wait for 2 hours just to sit down to eat isn't exactly our idea of fun. Of course, I'm a little weird, because my idea of somebody saying, "I love you" has nothing to do with jewelry or chocolate or flowers... but rather being given a new book... thankfully, my husband understand this about me!Anyway, we left Arnaud unconscious, so let's go see if he's okay..."I guess this means my vacation is ended?"How like Arnaud! Everyone's been worried that he's going to die, and he's just kind of bummed to find out that he's still king.Brant mentions that Arnaud has now saved his life twice. Because of Brant's bravado, Arnaud has no idea how close to giving up Brant was when he found him on the edge of the Harshlands and so he is puzzled by this comment. But he forgets his puzzlement when Brant announces that he is not returning to the palace with him.A chapter full of good-byesSaying farewell seems to be a theme in this book. I didn't do that intentionally, but at the same time, reading through the story and thinking about things in hindsight, it actually makes sense. I wrote this book during a time when I felt like I was saying a lot of painful good-byes — many of them to friends I believed I would never see again. In some cases, I did not see them again, and in others I had to say good-bye more than once... and it never got any easier.Calyssia is also leaving, taking up her full-time post as Gatekeeper (we'll learn more about that shortly). And we get another glimpse into the lives of these four sisters. We also get to see Dylanna, the pragmatic and ever-practical one, stepping forward to fill her older sister's shoes as the responsible one who takes care of everybody else.Scelwhyn takes his leave of Arnaud, as well. And while we do not get to see his farewell to his daughters, rest assured, he does say good-bye to each of them, but his passing from the world is not one that needed to be featured in this particular story.Discussion Questions:1. Have you ever had to say good-bye to someone and not know if you would ever see them again? (Not because they were dying, but because of a move or graduation, etc)?2. How did you feel about Brant leaving Arnaud's side at this point?