Hmmm, as I've said earlier, I'm reasonably sure that Eragon's training took longer than a few months. I don't have much evidence, admittedly, but Eldest does talk about "the afternoons and evenings lengthen[ing]" during his training, which suggests that it's later in the summer, around August to September. That's in the middle of his training, so I can safely put another month after that, which would put us around the end of September.
And... Eldest says, in the chapter "To Aberon", that it "felt more like summer than spring". That is by the time they come back from his training. From my own calculations, his training begins at the beginning of June, and spring ends, at latest, at 21 June. Unless his training took a few weeks (which it really can't have been), there's no way this can take place in the same year. If he comes back next year, that gives him all the time to train and all the time for Murtagh to train!
(Blegh, Paolini's as inconsistent as MZB when it comes to timelines, and it's a pain to even try to keep track of.)
Of course all of that torture wasn't just a complete waste of time. Galby is a master of breaking into people's minds! He should have just led with that! Instead he left Thorn with a crippling phobia and could easily have straight-up killed him. How does any of that contribute to making the two of them his useful servants? None of this makes any sense!
I actually think he should have led with the illusions he used against Nasuada! If he played it right (show the Twins being punished for their rough treatment of Murtagh, for example), he might well win him to his service without having to resort to breaking Murtagh's mind. Thorn would be even easier to do this with, if he did it from his hatching. That would give them less reason for resentment, and work muuch better than all this (supposed) torture! I guess that wouldn't be Stupid Evil enough, though.
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Hmmm, as I've said earlier, I'm reasonably sure that Eragon's training took longer than a few months. I don't have much evidence, admittedly, but Eldest does talk about "the afternoons and evenings lengthen[ing]" during his training, which suggests that it's later in the summer, around August to September. That's in the middle of his training, so I can safely put another month after that, which would put us around the end of September.
And... Eldest says, in the chapter "To Aberon", that it "felt more like summer than spring". That is by the time they come back from his training. From my own calculations, his training begins at the beginning of June, and spring ends, at latest, at 21 June. Unless his training took a few weeks (which it really can't have been), there's no way this can take place in the same year. If he comes back next year, that gives him all the time to train and all the time for Murtagh to train!
(Blegh, Paolini's as inconsistent as MZB when it comes to timelines, and it's a pain to even try to keep track of.)
Of course all of that torture wasn't just a complete waste of time. Galby is a master of breaking into people's minds! He should have just led with that! Instead he left Thorn with a crippling phobia and could easily have straight-up killed him. How does any of that contribute to making the two of them his useful servants? None of this makes any sense!
I actually think he should have led with the illusions he used against Nasuada! If he played it right (show the Twins being punished for their rough treatment of Murtagh, for example), he might well win him to his service without having to resort to breaking Murtagh's mind. Thorn would be even easier to do this with, if he did it from his hatching. That would give them less reason for resentment, and work muuch better than all this (supposed) torture! I guess that wouldn't be Stupid Evil enough, though.