Was anyone else mad at Nasuada?, Her actions in Brisingr Options

[bookwormgirl]

I don't like Nasuada either, but I still say she acted as best she could under the given circumstance.

[GreekFan]

No I think you are wronb here....Nazuada could be much better chaeacter but she is like Murtagh.She likes having power...

[Mjolnir]

I have started to see her as less of a benevolent character and as more of someone who might become dangerous for the protagonists of this story. I'm not saying she's evil or is "bad", but some of her actions have made me question her. I guess we'll see in book 4.

[thornegg]

Nasuada has always had quite a bit of power being the leader of the Varden and Eragon's liegelord, but never really "abused" that power.

In Brisingr, however, she kind of took it a little too far in my opinion. For example, even though she is Eragon's liegelord, she has never really relied on ordering him around, but rather would request things from him on the basis that they were the right things to do(which Eragon mostly agreed with in books 1 and 2). In Brisingr though, she orders him to seperate from Saphira to visit the dwarves, and generally makes more use of her command than on previous occasions. I was alright with her actions up to that point as I agreed that although it was questionable, her orders were probably the best way to go.

After that though, when it came to dealing with Roran's insubordination, I was very upset with Nasuada. Not only did she make the mistake of putting Roran under the command of an inept captain, she had to also have been the one to promote that captain in the first place. Then she sends this company of 250 out to fight against one of 700 (another mistake, no matter how shorthanded the Varden are) a battle that they should have by no means won. Then Roran saves her hide by ignoring orders that would have got their company killed, and instead leads them to an extremely improbable victory, slaying nearly 200 men by himself.

Think of the situation Roran saved the Varden from. If he had followed orders, they would have most likely been killed. 250 soldiers, including a good magician (Carn) as well as a warrior of Roran's caliber dead. The company they fought would have suffered casualties, but still would have been able to go about wreaking havoc throughout Surda in the time it would've taken Nasuada to send yet another group of soldiers out to take care of them.

So how does Nasuada go about rewarding Roran for covering her multiple mistakes? She has him whipped fifty times in front of the entire Varden. I get that there were certain precedents that are normally followed in cases of insubordination, but you would think those could be overlooked in this type of case. Not to mention it had to be bad for the morale of the troops seeing Eragon's cousin whipped (and even worse for the morale of those in the company who had their lives saved by Roran and witnessed his epic battle).

i also think that she took it a little to far.

[ikillu]

No I think you are wronb here....Nazuada could be much better chaeacter but she is like Murtagh.She likes having power...

I agree, shes a little unstable and in Eldest wasn't too bad about,but in book 3 she started to really be a bit more abusive of her power.

[GreekFan]

Nazuada has made many many mistakes.I think that is why she will be killed in book IV.And of course Eragon will be leader as Nazuada and Azihad asked that and the Varden will be much better...

[Silverine]

Nazuada has made many many mistakes.I think that is why she will be killed in book IV.And of course Eragon will be leader as Nazuada and Azihad asked that and the Varden will be much better...

As Elva pointed it out in Brisingr, Eragon's biggest fear is becoming like Galbatorix, this is why he's afraid to be a leader. And it's good like that. If the most powerful person (psychically and also the most skilled in magic) among the Varden (Eragon) becomes the leader, he'll have too much power and will easily become a tyrant. Knowing Eragon it's not likely, but this is what Eragon himself fears.
He has some kind of a Dumbledore-syndrome. And he afraids getting too much power just like Gandalf in Lord of the Rings, when he said he doesn't dare to carry the Ring, because through him it would gain too much power.

This is why Eragon can't become the next leader of the Varden. If Nasuada really dies, I think Roran will gain her place.

[bookwormgirl]

Umm, this is getting

Roran didn't complain about the way Nasuada treated him, so why should you?

[GreekFan]

No i dissagree about that.Eragon is a dragon rider and if he is leader or not he has the same rights(he said that while talking with Sloan).If gandalf wore the ring he would be like Sauron that is why he did not take it.And don't you want to see Eragon leader?Arya a prince,Eragon a leader.Do u think Nazuada told that on eldest 4fun?CP adds never 4fun.And Roran has not the ability on leading in the way of Eragon's that leads the Ntu Alta gata or sth like that:D.No i think Eragon will finish her work...

[lt dragon]

Dumbledore-syndrome

I like that term, very nice. And I agree. It's something along these lines: Voldemort had powers I will never have." "Only because you're too-well-noble to use them." Just replace Voldemort with Galby, and Dumbledore with Eragon.

I realize this is a little off topic, but i was just following the discussion.

Lt. Dragon

[Milou]

I don't like Nasuada either, but I still say she acted as best she could under the given circumstance.

She didn't get a choice in punishing Roran, stupid rules are stupid rules. She is an 'okay' charectar anyway.

I have started to see her as less of a benevolent character and as more of someone who might become dangerous for the protagonists of this story. I'm not saying she's evil or is "bad", but some of her actions have made me question her. I guess we'll see in book 4.

^Me too. I think her and Murtagh have been secretly meeting up and he has rubbed off on her.