[X] Feathers in the Wind
-[X] "Thank you, mother, but I'm afraid it's more complicated than that. It's fortunate that you talked of Dorne, however. I've told you of the aid I've given them, I think, but I treated with Prince Doran on the matter of the agreement made in the name of our house eight years ago." Breath. "I offered Dorne something other than my hand, and they accepted. Tyene's words were very correct in calling your return a hope for the future, given what I promised. And it is a promise I have no intentions of breaking."
Address dynastic alliance concerns first. This might confuse her a little, but it's important to get this in ahead of anything else. Securing our Southern flank, as it were.
-[X] "I've spoken of how the world has changed, of how magic has caused the lines of power to warp and shift given the power that mages can wield. Yet many still refuse to see that change, and so any sufficiently powerful ally would consider us a junior party in a dynastic alliance at best. At worst, their lack of understanding for the powers I and my companions wield could be a liability, preventing us from applying our full strength. I rule a Kingdom now, and that has been recognised, but it is a small one. And many can claim the right to the Iron Throne when they do not hold it."
Logic on the matter of dynastic alliances, pointing out the potential weaknesses of one given our status within the feudal game. Also the beginning of explaining that it's starting to become hopelessly obsolete.
-[X] "And yet, when our power is understood by those who currently dismiss or try to avoid it, our backing of a single house in Westeros could send the entire realm into turmoil. With the Others stirring, that could prove a fatal development."
More of the above.
-[X] "The Targaryens weren't always one of the Forty. They won their way into the Houses of Valyria through power, the same power as runs in my veins and that is mirrored by my companions. The Freehold prized magic above all else, both power in the Art and understanding of it. Sorcerer's Deep and my other holdings are its closest analogue, and it has been magic that has tended to my people, and held our walls against those who would seek to tear them asunder. Lya's knowledge of the forgotten arts goes beyond any of those in my company. In the days of Valyria, I have little doubt that if she wished to she would have founded her own dynasty."
Further logic mixed with ancestral history, trying to solidify the place of Mage as equivalent to Noble without bringing it too close to Maester due to how they aren't marriage prospects at all.
-[X] "To marry one without such power would be to sentence them to the life of a caged bird, and no matter the gilding of that cage, it would still be a prison."
Emotion mixed with logic, moving into the more emotional side of the argument to finish it. Rhaella lived that prison, after all. Our unwillingness to subject someone to it is likely to win some points somewhere.
-[X] "We have gone through fire and hell together, and if either of us were to fall, we have the knowledge and means to pursue the other's restoration. Her aid has saved Dany and I more often that I would care to count, and without her I doubt I would be standing here with you. And...I love her, mother, and she loves me. For all she has given, I could not ask her to be a mistress."
The final words, emotional resolution following a chain of logic and reassurance.
Many thanks to other plan makers for the material I've scavenged from them for this. Now to be clear, I don't expect Rhaella to
accept this. What I'm hoping for is a continuation of her willingness to learn and adapt to the new world. I'd have vastly preferred getting into this matter later, but if we're doing it now we do it right. You might wonder why Dorne is being brought up here at the start. It's quite simple. If we don't bring it up before we challenge the idea of Lya as a mistress, it looks like we just trying to justify. If we bring it up before, we're still trying to justify, but it
looks different.
What we have here is pretty complicated, but it's the best thing I've been able to draw together to properly resolve the issue. Step by step, it goes like this:
- Address dynastic alliance concerns, show that it still holds, but with a new bargain.
- Address the changing state of dynastic and feudal politics, carefully.
- Layer history and heritage on top of this, in how our House rose to power and nobility within Valyria.
- In this, we are trying to merge the classification of Noble (or Knight) with Mage.
- Something on the Knight classification, one of the King Consorts to a previous Targ queen was knighted two weeks in advance of the wedding, as his status wasn't seen to be sufficient for such a role.
- Emotional concerns, with some relation to her own life as Queen. It was a cage in all but name, and we won't inflict that on someone after seeing what it did to her.
- Double down on Lya's ability and power, and her undeniable affection for and loyalty towards us. She's an equal in all but one thing, the station of her blood, and others have been made Knights to be 'worthy' of being consort to a ruler of the Seven Kingdoms.
That's pretty much it. Comments and suggestions most welcome, as always.
) So we need to use the kid gloves for his benefit as much as hers.
