Going to bat for Savin is a new concept, but I'm open to it.Brutal backstab might have been a bit of a hyperbole on my part, i'll admit, especially since the whole thing does make a degree of sense, but it did make me feel a bit bad for her nonetheless.
I mean, might be expecting a bit too much here, but considering sub Arona is already a tamer version of her regular self, and considering her regular self isn't even all that bad by CoC standards, i think a showcase of character growth/unity within the party would have made for a nicer moment and served thematically better the scene as a whole.
You're right. There was a huge missed opportunity here where Arona can explain that she fought against the injustice of her brother to end the raids and to stop the taking of life. That anyone can redeem themselves, kind of thing. Now whether or not that would have flown is a different issue, but it was still a valid lesson to the children. That just because a leader is a dick doesn't mean the people under him are.