ICW: The Reformer: King Jonathan IV (An excerpt), G
Jun 19, 2016 13:54:30 GMT 10
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Post by Idleness on Jun 19, 2016 13:54:30 GMT 10
Title: The Reformer: King Jonathan IV (An excerpt)
Rating: G
Word Count: 1532
Summary: An excerpt from a history book written 200 years after the reign of King Jonathan.
Notes: I don't know if this is within the rules, haha.
It is generally agreed that the years following the Immortals War were personally difficult for King Jonathan, particularly in his relationships with his Queen and his Champion, and this can be considered in parallel to the social upheavals happening in Tortall at that time. Indeed, the years before the Immortals War were incredibly stable, when considering the events of the coronation—the rebellion of fiefs Tirragen and Eldorne, and the Duke of Conte and all that his vile sorcery wrought. It is a testament to the level-headedness of Jonathan, and the strength and loyalty of his friends and advisors that Tortall pulled through the famine that followed, very much intact, and able to prosper again within a decade. Not only that, Queen Thayet and Sir Alanna themselves were central to the progressive reform agenda that marks Jonathan’s reign. Both were unconventional for Tortallan standards at the time, and both were enthusiastic champions of often contentious changes. Ironically, while much progress was made, in practice these issues also created the greatest conflicts between Jonathan and these two powerful and important women as political realities brushed up against ideals.
The years 453 to 455 were particularly hard for Jonathan, with a schism opening between himself and Queen Thayet, and his Champion Sir Alanna over the issue of girls in page training. The rupture with Thayet was over Jonathan’s bargain with Princess Kalasin, in which the princess agreed to forego a knighthood in order to make a political marriage, if Jonathan granted her a veto right over potential suitors. Kalasin eventually went on to marry Kaddar Illiniat and become Empress of Carthak—a country that would not have accepted a woman who was also a knight as Empress. While this decision undoubtedly saved Kalasin much heartache later, as political marriage would have inevitably been in her future, the way Jonathan cut Thayet out of this decision was likely the real cause of the rift between them. It is well documented that Thayet was angry enough to move out of their rooms and they were not seen together at events and ceremonies during this time. Jonathan’s relationship with Sir Alanna remained largely intact during this time. It is evident from letters that Alanna was not without her own anger over Jonathan’s manner, or sympathy for Thayet’s position, though Alanna also understood that it was unlikely that Kalasin would have been a sensible candidate for the first female page since herself due to her position and her considerably strong Gift.
The break between Jonathan and Alanna came soon after, however, when Baron Piers of Mindelan wrote to Jonathan requesting entry of his daughter Keladry to page training. This placed Jonathan in a political bind. The Mindelans were Tortall’s ambassadors to the Yamani Islands, and it is noted that Baroness Ilane of Mindelan in particular was instrumental to their high standing in the Emperor’s court and the Emperor’s eventual agreement to a marriage treaty with Tortall, which can be seen as one of the most significant political achievements of Jonathan’s reign. It would have been extremely poor form to disoblige the Mindelans after their dedicated and loyal service to the Crown. At the same time, the conservatives at court were flexing their muscles. Sir Alanna they could tolerate—as an anomaly—and the fact that no noble family has put their girls forward for page training in the ten years since it was opened to them was taken as further evidence that the majority naturally did not accept lady knights. They elected Immortals War hero and then Training Master Lord Wyldon of Cavall, as their representative. Jonathan, who could not afford Cavall’s resignation so soon after the war, and reliant on his presence at court, agreed that Keladry of Mindelan could enter page training on probation.
Sir Alanna was furious, and immediately left court. Again, it could be speculated that this rupture was partly of Jonathan’s own making. Alanna’s letters to Myles of Olau from this time indicate she believed that the probation was agreed between Jonathan and Lord Wyldon before she was perfunctorily acquainted with the arrangement. It is certainly known that Jonathan met with Wyldon and other conservative lords frequently before this conflagration. Nor would not have been the first time that Jonathan and Alanna fell out over his high-handed approach to making decisions without consideration of the feelings of the people he most needed to take with him. There is no doubt that Alanna felt this as a betrayal of values she thought they had shared, and it was some time before she could view the situation dispassionately enough to appreciate the pressure Jonathan had been under, and effect a reconciliation.
As for Jonathan, his letters to his cousin Sir Gareth of Naxen reveal his personal sorrow and regret over the distance between himself and his wife, and of course with Sir Alanna. It is in these letters that we get some of the most revealing information about Jonathan’s private thoughts during this time. In August 452 Jonathan wrote to Sir Gareth,
…I don’t think I’ve ever seen [Alanna] so angry. I expected her to be upset—how could she not?—but you know what she’s like. She doesn’t usually hold a grudge, and she’s eminently reasonable once she’s had time to think. We’ve disagreed many times before, as you have well witnessed. But this feels different. I’m afraid that she won’t come around, that our relationship may be irrevocably damaged…
He also goes on to comment on his relationship with Thayet in a letter dated months later;
…I asked Thayet to go riding with me last Saturday. To my great relief she came. I told her I missed her and I want her to come back, but that I don’t regret what I did and that it was ultimately Kally’s decision. She pressed her lips together with that look on her face, and was quiet for a whole hour. I thought I’d put my foot in it again, Gary. I know you’re probably laughing right now, but it was one of the most dreadful hours of my life. I thought about what Alanna would’ve said, and finally I told Thayet that I was sorry for being such an insufferable prig and I should have talked to her. The smile she gave then, though small and hesitant, felt like the light of spring after a dreadful long and dark winter. She said she owed me an apology too, and admitted that Buri had given her a dressing down and accused her of throwing a temper tantrum. She moved her things back into our rooms the following day, though things are still tense at times… I have great hope now that we’ll be able to mend things between us…
In addition, some correspondence to Jonathan from Baron George Cooper of Pirate’s Swoop, the husband of Sir Alanna, also survives. Not long after their spat about the probation of Keladry of Mindelan, Baron George wrote,
…Myles and I have spoken to Alanna. We’ve both, separately, attempted to point out why things have to be the way they are, but her feelings are far too hurt at the moment for acceptance, even as I know she sees the sense of it. My lass also has her pride—not even the Gods could convince her to forgive you until she’s well and ready.
Be assured that I have never got between you when you’ve been on the outs, and I don’t intend to now. Of course I’d rather you weren’t. Alanna is my wife, but you are one of my oldest friends and this does not come between us…
It is a great pity that George destroyed much of his personal correspondence, as Jonathan had once reportedly described him to Sir Myles of Olau as the only person who truly understood his struggles with kingship. We can only guess at what Jonathan confided in his letters to George from the responses that do survive amongst Jonathan’s personal papers. Indeed, by this time, Sir Gareth and Baron George were Jonathan’s closest confidants from his youth, and if he shared his private feelings with anyone else, no letters or other evidence survives. Jonathan’s relationship with Lord Sir Raoul of Goldenlake and Malorie’s Peak, another of his contemporaries from page training, had become more distant since the early days of his reign, though this is likely down to a clash of personality that became more apparent as each man matured. Of other people known to be personal friends of Jonathan, such as the mages Numair and Daine Salmalin, he did not burden with his personal woes.
Nevertheless, we know enough to speculate that Jonathan felt the rift deeply, and this was compounded by the small circle of people he could confide in for personal matters. Luckily, by the end of 454, Jonathan had mended his relationship with Thayet. The rift with Alanna took more time to heal, though the success of Keladry of Mindelan and Jonathan’s implicit support of the now squire went a long way to convince Alanna that he always meant for the next lady knight—and all who followed her—to succeed.
Rating: G
Word Count: 1532
Summary: An excerpt from a history book written 200 years after the reign of King Jonathan.
Notes: I don't know if this is within the rules, haha.
It is generally agreed that the years following the Immortals War were personally difficult for King Jonathan, particularly in his relationships with his Queen and his Champion, and this can be considered in parallel to the social upheavals happening in Tortall at that time. Indeed, the years before the Immortals War were incredibly stable, when considering the events of the coronation—the rebellion of fiefs Tirragen and Eldorne, and the Duke of Conte and all that his vile sorcery wrought. It is a testament to the level-headedness of Jonathan, and the strength and loyalty of his friends and advisors that Tortall pulled through the famine that followed, very much intact, and able to prosper again within a decade. Not only that, Queen Thayet and Sir Alanna themselves were central to the progressive reform agenda that marks Jonathan’s reign. Both were unconventional for Tortallan standards at the time, and both were enthusiastic champions of often contentious changes. Ironically, while much progress was made, in practice these issues also created the greatest conflicts between Jonathan and these two powerful and important women as political realities brushed up against ideals.
The years 453 to 455 were particularly hard for Jonathan, with a schism opening between himself and Queen Thayet, and his Champion Sir Alanna over the issue of girls in page training. The rupture with Thayet was over Jonathan’s bargain with Princess Kalasin, in which the princess agreed to forego a knighthood in order to make a political marriage, if Jonathan granted her a veto right over potential suitors. Kalasin eventually went on to marry Kaddar Illiniat and become Empress of Carthak—a country that would not have accepted a woman who was also a knight as Empress. While this decision undoubtedly saved Kalasin much heartache later, as political marriage would have inevitably been in her future, the way Jonathan cut Thayet out of this decision was likely the real cause of the rift between them. It is well documented that Thayet was angry enough to move out of their rooms and they were not seen together at events and ceremonies during this time. Jonathan’s relationship with Sir Alanna remained largely intact during this time. It is evident from letters that Alanna was not without her own anger over Jonathan’s manner, or sympathy for Thayet’s position, though Alanna also understood that it was unlikely that Kalasin would have been a sensible candidate for the first female page since herself due to her position and her considerably strong Gift.
The break between Jonathan and Alanna came soon after, however, when Baron Piers of Mindelan wrote to Jonathan requesting entry of his daughter Keladry to page training. This placed Jonathan in a political bind. The Mindelans were Tortall’s ambassadors to the Yamani Islands, and it is noted that Baroness Ilane of Mindelan in particular was instrumental to their high standing in the Emperor’s court and the Emperor’s eventual agreement to a marriage treaty with Tortall, which can be seen as one of the most significant political achievements of Jonathan’s reign. It would have been extremely poor form to disoblige the Mindelans after their dedicated and loyal service to the Crown. At the same time, the conservatives at court were flexing their muscles. Sir Alanna they could tolerate—as an anomaly—and the fact that no noble family has put their girls forward for page training in the ten years since it was opened to them was taken as further evidence that the majority naturally did not accept lady knights. They elected Immortals War hero and then Training Master Lord Wyldon of Cavall, as their representative. Jonathan, who could not afford Cavall’s resignation so soon after the war, and reliant on his presence at court, agreed that Keladry of Mindelan could enter page training on probation.
Sir Alanna was furious, and immediately left court. Again, it could be speculated that this rupture was partly of Jonathan’s own making. Alanna’s letters to Myles of Olau from this time indicate she believed that the probation was agreed between Jonathan and Lord Wyldon before she was perfunctorily acquainted with the arrangement. It is certainly known that Jonathan met with Wyldon and other conservative lords frequently before this conflagration. Nor would not have been the first time that Jonathan and Alanna fell out over his high-handed approach to making decisions without consideration of the feelings of the people he most needed to take with him. There is no doubt that Alanna felt this as a betrayal of values she thought they had shared, and it was some time before she could view the situation dispassionately enough to appreciate the pressure Jonathan had been under, and effect a reconciliation.
As for Jonathan, his letters to his cousin Sir Gareth of Naxen reveal his personal sorrow and regret over the distance between himself and his wife, and of course with Sir Alanna. It is in these letters that we get some of the most revealing information about Jonathan’s private thoughts during this time. In August 452 Jonathan wrote to Sir Gareth,
…I don’t think I’ve ever seen [Alanna] so angry. I expected her to be upset—how could she not?—but you know what she’s like. She doesn’t usually hold a grudge, and she’s eminently reasonable once she’s had time to think. We’ve disagreed many times before, as you have well witnessed. But this feels different. I’m afraid that she won’t come around, that our relationship may be irrevocably damaged…
He also goes on to comment on his relationship with Thayet in a letter dated months later;
…I asked Thayet to go riding with me last Saturday. To my great relief she came. I told her I missed her and I want her to come back, but that I don’t regret what I did and that it was ultimately Kally’s decision. She pressed her lips together with that look on her face, and was quiet for a whole hour. I thought I’d put my foot in it again, Gary. I know you’re probably laughing right now, but it was one of the most dreadful hours of my life. I thought about what Alanna would’ve said, and finally I told Thayet that I was sorry for being such an insufferable prig and I should have talked to her. The smile she gave then, though small and hesitant, felt like the light of spring after a dreadful long and dark winter. She said she owed me an apology too, and admitted that Buri had given her a dressing down and accused her of throwing a temper tantrum. She moved her things back into our rooms the following day, though things are still tense at times… I have great hope now that we’ll be able to mend things between us…
In addition, some correspondence to Jonathan from Baron George Cooper of Pirate’s Swoop, the husband of Sir Alanna, also survives. Not long after their spat about the probation of Keladry of Mindelan, Baron George wrote,
…Myles and I have spoken to Alanna. We’ve both, separately, attempted to point out why things have to be the way they are, but her feelings are far too hurt at the moment for acceptance, even as I know she sees the sense of it. My lass also has her pride—not even the Gods could convince her to forgive you until she’s well and ready.
Be assured that I have never got between you when you’ve been on the outs, and I don’t intend to now. Of course I’d rather you weren’t. Alanna is my wife, but you are one of my oldest friends and this does not come between us…
It is a great pity that George destroyed much of his personal correspondence, as Jonathan had once reportedly described him to Sir Myles of Olau as the only person who truly understood his struggles with kingship. We can only guess at what Jonathan confided in his letters to George from the responses that do survive amongst Jonathan’s personal papers. Indeed, by this time, Sir Gareth and Baron George were Jonathan’s closest confidants from his youth, and if he shared his private feelings with anyone else, no letters or other evidence survives. Jonathan’s relationship with Lord Sir Raoul of Goldenlake and Malorie’s Peak, another of his contemporaries from page training, had become more distant since the early days of his reign, though this is likely down to a clash of personality that became more apparent as each man matured. Of other people known to be personal friends of Jonathan, such as the mages Numair and Daine Salmalin, he did not burden with his personal woes.
Nevertheless, we know enough to speculate that Jonathan felt the rift deeply, and this was compounded by the small circle of people he could confide in for personal matters. Luckily, by the end of 454, Jonathan had mended his relationship with Thayet. The rift with Alanna took more time to heal, though the success of Keladry of Mindelan and Jonathan’s implicit support of the now squire went a long way to convince Alanna that he always meant for the next lady knight—and all who followed her—to succeed.