marycatelli (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
marycatelli) wrote2013-09-02 10:40 pm
marycatelli) wrote2013-09-02 10:40 pm
arranging the marriages
Plugging along on the outline, and it occurs to me that two characters will talk about an arranged marriage to cement a political alliance.
Whereupon it would occur to the characters whom is meant. The hero and the heroine have fallen in love, even though neither talk about it because it would be a shocking marriage. Meanwhile the bride has fallen in love with the man making the alliance with her father.
Except that man is dying and knows it. Trampling some legal convolutions underfoot, he's named the hero as his heir. (Also, he's married, though they expect to take care of that shortly on account of her treachery toward him.)
And I consider the characters' reactions.
Both the hero and heroine's first thought is, "I'm glad we didn't kiss that time we were tempted to" -- because that would make parting easier. And the bride also realizes it and what she thinks is that she is going to find someway to send the heroine far away.
The hero feels guilty when he remembers that he's descended from a second marriage; after the first, political marriage ended in the bride's death, the lord remarried below himself.
And I philosophically wonder how hard it will be to convince the readers -- or at least some of them -- that all of them take the prospect of an arranged political match in stride, as they regard as their duty. I suspect that some readers would utterly choke on even one of them doing it. Alas, the story wants to be written the way it wants to be written.
Whereupon it would occur to the characters whom is meant. The hero and the heroine have fallen in love, even though neither talk about it because it would be a shocking marriage. Meanwhile the bride has fallen in love with the man making the alliance with her father.
Except that man is dying and knows it. Trampling some legal convolutions underfoot, he's named the hero as his heir. (Also, he's married, though they expect to take care of that shortly on account of her treachery toward him.)
And I consider the characters' reactions.
Both the hero and heroine's first thought is, "I'm glad we didn't kiss that time we were tempted to" -- because that would make parting easier. And the bride also realizes it and what she thinks is that she is going to find someway to send the heroine far away.
The hero feels guilty when he remembers that he's descended from a second marriage; after the first, political marriage ended in the bride's death, the lord remarried below himself.
And I philosophically wonder how hard it will be to convince the readers -- or at least some of them -- that all of them take the prospect of an arranged political match in stride, as they regard as their duty. I suspect that some readers would utterly choke on even one of them doing it. Alas, the story wants to be written the way it wants to be written.