āOne of us has to leave,ā [Aldridge] said. āThat part never changes. If it's you, if she's raised on the shore, all the things she's meant for can come to pass. She'll inevitably be presented to the only one who can fix what's broken, and her being will remind that one of how the Selkies and Roane were never meant to be divided. She'll help to make our world better, for all of us.ā
āAnd if it's you?ā
āYou'll keep the bakery open, and she'll grow up happy, surrounded by her playmates, and when the hour comes that her influence could have turned the tide, she won't be there. The reminder won't be given, the stitches will stay undone, and more will suffer for what's already happened than already have. And you'll always know you could have made things better, and you'll turn that knowledge inward, against yourself, the way you always do with your injuries. You're going to cut yourself to ribbons already over the things you can't undo. Don't add one more to your penance.ā
~ Seanan McGuire, āDrown the Lamentingā (Patreon, September 2023)
Aldridge presents two possible future: Liz leaves and he stays; Liz stays and he leaves. But he doesnāt actually explain why āone of [them] has to leave.ā Why does that part ānever changeā?
itās clear that Liz going back to Half Moon Bay is crucialāitās the only way that Diva will meet āthe only one who can fix whatās brokenā aka the Luidaeg. so itās understandable why Liz and Aldridge raising Diva together on the Duchy of Ships would be a problemāDiva would still never meet the Luidaeg.
but why canāt Aldridge go with Liz?
that always struck me as a bit odd and difficult to reconcile, because surely it would be easier to convince the Luidaeg to be kinder to the Selkies if one of the Roane themselves was actively making a home with the Selkies?
(I know the Doylist reason is that weāve already met Liz and Diva in the present, and Divaās father isnāt around. but Iām more interested in Watsonian reasons here.)
if Aldridge was around at Half Moon Bay, if he was part of Diva life, the Luidaeg justā¦wouldnāt have developed a close relationship with Diva.
first of all, I bet she wouldnāt have come around Half Moon Bay much, beyond her observations of the skin ceremonies. (and maybe not even thenāshe could stick to watching those from the water, if she really wanted to be avoidant.)
partially because of her habit of avoiding the Roaneāand unlike Diva, Iām sure Aldridge would figure out quickly who she is. partially because, while Liz having a kid with one of her descendants may be fine in the abstract, it would probably feel weird for her to visit if the father in question is actually around and part of Lizās life (even if not romantically). I think she would not be immune to feeling Some Kind of Way about it.
and, even more importantly, I think Liz would be in a better emotional space if she had one (1) friend. so Diva would have a more mentally healthy mom and a present dadāand a Roane in her life already. so even if Annie did visit, Diva would not imprint on Annie so hard. she wouldnāt be desperately seeking a stable parental figure.
so the Luidaeg wouldnāt be that close with Diva, she wouldnāt be close with Aldridge, and it would be easier for her to keep compartmentalizing the Selkies and the Roane.
Liz has to be alone, so sheāll become a depressed alcoholic and push Diva away. She has to push Diva away, so Diva will cling to Annie as a mom figure, and Annie will have to confront the reality of Diva as a child of both the Roane and the Selkies, and become easier to persuade towards kindness.
I donāt think Aldridge knows any of the details of cause and effectāhe canāt see Antigone directly, and seeing that X leads to Z doesnāt tell you why.
but I think he knows that heās picking and pushing for a future where Liz and Diva are unhappier, but the Selkies will have a kinder end, and there will be so many more Roane. and he decides thatās worth it.
he warns Liz that the years wonāt be easy. he says that if Diva grew up on the Duchy, she would grow up surrounded by friendsāvs. we know she was bullied and desperately lonely on the shore. he seems to know, at least in the broad strokes, that he is advocating for an emotional turbulent future for Liz and Diva specifically.
Aldridgeās choice is understandable, but he does persuade Liz away from futures where she and Diva would be happier, for the greater good.
(yes, he says that Liz will ultimately be unhappy if she stays, that sheāll āalways know [she] could have made things betterā and ācut [herself] to ribbonsā over it, if the kinder future for the Selkies doesnāt come to pass. but the only reason she would be unhappy is because Aldridge basically tells her sheāll be fucking up the future if she chooses wrong. he is the reason she would feel guilty for doing anything but leaving alone.)
and this is one of the reasons why Liz & Aldridgeās relationship fascinates me. he is genuinely her friend! he genuinely helps her emotionally! he also talks her into some very impulsive, life changing choices and persuades her towards a future where sheāll be more miserable, for the sake of the rest of the Selkies. his actions are understandable, but emotionally messy. itās a complicated relationship that I am constantly chewing on.
