Bwaharr,

People should really read the Temeraire books =P Yeh, I'm still at the series. Took a long break from it, but I picked up the books again. SO! Thought it would be fun to share a short fragment from the second book.

The converstation is about why women do not appear on a battlefield, or in politics, etc, etc. There's a reason why they came to this subject, but if I told it would be a rather BIG spoiler. So I won't. Note that the time this story plays is in the 17th Century. Temeraire's the big dragon, Laurence's his closest human friend and his 'rider' (abit like Eragon), and Riley is a good pal.

Translated from dutch to english, so excuse me.

***

     Temeraire has been listening to the conversation with a tilted head and growing confusion, and now said: ‘I don’t get it. Why would it make any difference? Lily is a female and she can fight just as good as I can, well almost’, he corrected, with a bit of indulgently in his voice. 
     Riley, who, after Laurence’s comforting words still wasn’t all too sure, looked after this remark as he was asked to explain the reason for the flowing of the tide, or the moon circling around the earth. Laurence, who was already familiar with Temeraire’s radical way of thinking, said: ‘In general, women are smaller and weaker than men, Temeraire, and less resistant for the heavy duties.’ 
     ‘I never noticed that captain Harcourt is much smaller than any of you,’ said Temeraire, and indeed he would not notice such difference that quickly, considering he speaks from a height of thirty feet and being over eighteen tons of weight. ‘Besides, I am smaller than Maximus, and Messoria is smaller than me again. But that doesn’t mean we can’t fight.’ 
     ‘For dragons things are different than for humans,’ Laurence said. ‘Just to name a thing, women have to give birth to children and take good care of them in their childhood, while your kind lay eggs and when you hatch you can take care of yourself right away.’ 
   With astonishment Temeraire blinked hearing this news. ‘You don’t hatch from eggs?’ he asked, intensively fascinated. ‘But how…’ 
     ‘Excuse me, I belief I hear Purbeck is looking for me,’ Riley quickly said, and walked away with a speed that, Laurence thought enviously, can be called remarkable for someone who recently ate almost one fourth of his own weight on food. 

***

Read the book to know how this conversation will continue =P