#guinevere varmont

[forgottenarthur]

50. Writer's preference - "And what if it is not you?"

The barb stung and Arthur turned away as quickly as if she had struck him.

These walks had become something of a tradition between the Prince and former Princess over the rolling weeks. With the out of doors near unpassable, Arthur's mornings had shifted to a shorter indoor practice before dawn, followed by a brief repast and then a stroll through the Orangery with the Lady Aria. Though they still argued as often as they didn't, there was something free and flowing in these conversations -- a strange sense that no subject was off limits...And that every single one was somehow taboo. It was perhaps true that they had each been raised as royalty, but it seemed their worlds could not have been more different.

Today, the subject had fallen to that all-encompassing theme of his life, the most pressing topic in the empire, and the one least likely ever to be openly addressed: Roderick's line of succession. It was an ache in his gut, this, a hill he had run up all his childhood only to find a sheer rockface confronting him. Now, scrambling for footholds in the brutal cliffside, it was a race to the top against those he loved most -- a climb now far too high to risk the drop. It was success or the death of all meaning. But what was he to do? Throw his siblings from the sides? They too held on by meager fingertips and he could not bear to think of them dashed against the teeth of the unforgiving stone so far below.

Arthur's jaw clenched. He kept her pace, but he no longer looked at her as she spoke; heard her only as if from a great distance. What was there to say? Yet, her last words burned, searing like vinegar in his cuts, and he turned sharply towards her, a rush sounding in his head.

"What? You favor someone else?" he demanded, all effort at bluster or calm stripped away. Surprise seemed to register in his face and, pressing his eyes shut, he shook his head, realizing she meant this only as rhetoric and, with a look of defeat, he sighed; shook his head. "How should I know? It would be the end for me."

He didn't look at her, now, gaze straying upwards towards the gently nodding trees, branches heavy and sagging with fruit. He thought of the tart-sweet of them, tawny and opening with a kind of crack. Fibrous chambers of juice attended the tiny seeds at the center and this, then, was life. Even trees limned their children with sweet cushions against the harsh reality of the world around them. When he laughed, it was a bitter sound.

Sighing, Arthur shook his head. "Aria, I--" but he stopped. He'd not said her name so baldly before and he gestured, helpless, voice trapped within his throat.

Her eyes were dark: not mere chocolate, but something else as if the sea had leaked into them and tossed against stormy shores within her mind. Her face was set, but he could not read it. He searched for something written there, something designed for him to read: he wanted it. He knew the message he wished to read. A very simple message. He wanted to read it again and again, see it roiling within the storm of her eyes. But there was nothing. She was no harbor. She was, perhaps, another deathly drop.

Aria lifted her chin. "Go on."

"I don't know what will happen if my father chooses someone else any more than you do. But I do know I will be a threat to whoever is chosen, simply for having been in the running, and..."

And if it were Edmund who were selected, whom Arthur regarded as the most likely alternative, he would not expect to long outlive his father -- or even his father's choice. Enemies of the House of Calainon had a way of disappearing. Arthur was not altogether certain they even lifted a finger: they were witches, after all. Likely, all they needed do was wish for a thing, and their dark magic did the rest. Edmund might not wish him gone, perhaps...but Amira would not hesitate. He could not help but think that would make for a horrible ending, all the demons of hell rising at her command. His would be a silent end, he had no doubt, yet he knew, too, that if it were by Amira's hand, he would die howling.

If Aria had said something else, Arthur had not heard it. At last, she said: "And what if the Emperor doesn't choose? What happens to us all, then?"

Arthur stopped short, and Aria beside him. "Then it'd be war."

He walked out without another word.

#this was really interesting to write -- he's actually much more clear eyed (when forced to confront it) than id thought he'd be honestly #drabble #challenge #aria stafford #edmund varmont #amira varmont #guinevere varmont #ask #honestly still ruminating abt this like...this response really shocked me?????? #i kinda thought he'd be like 'guess id turn to duke or knight errant or smth' or just bluster but he was like 'nah im dead by black magic' #me: you ok arthur????? #arthur: obviously not #roderick varmont #arthur's gonna go hit smth really really really hard btw if you're wondering where he's off to #realizing being a knight isn't ~just abt proving himself (tho its v much that too!!!) its also a coping mechanism #and he's lowkey terrified every single day of his life and now im really sad #i honestly didn't think he was so aware of all that laksjdflkjslf #about #also if you're wondering what he was searching for in her face -- he just wanted to see a lil faith in him #that's all he really wants from anyone #and its all he never gets from anyone #if anyone anyone showed a lil faith in him or a lil love for him -- god forbid -- he'd go to the ends of the earth for them purely for that

[forgottenroderick]

The Banners of House Varmont

note: there may be more. the queens would have their own badges, as well, as would the late empress (tho likely that's now what guin is using, i'd think?), and cassandra likely has use of her mom's and/or arthur's with cadency marks, but since she's an imperial princess, and not just a royal princess, roderick would def ok her usage of her own badge, as well, though that's usually reserved for sons, heirs, and titled warriors, it is likely that guin, cassandra, and each of the queens, as well as the late empress, has at least one unit who fights in their honor given that roderick's empire is v much a military operation, so yeah! basically there may be as many as four other varmont insignias out there, but these are the big five! also pls note that i am convinced roderick has given each of his children an obscene number of titltes to bandy abt (tho not so many as he has!) in order to showcase their importance as his children, but we'll say these are perhaps shortened, more casual titles for astaira ;D

The Imperial Arms of His Imperial Majesty, Roderick the First of His Name, by the Grace of the One True God, of the Great and Holy Empire of [Varmont] and Astaira and of His other Realms and Territories One True Emperor, Conquer of the Twelve Kingdoms, Defender of the Faith, and God’s Own Champion

Or (yellow/gold): generosity and elevation of the mind

Gules (red): warrior or martyr; military strength and magnanimity

Pupure (purple): royal majesty, sovereignty, and justice

Phoenix: resurrection

Crown: heaven; victory, sovereignty, empire; success

Crown, naval (composed of masts and rigging): one who first boarded an enemy’s ship; distinguished naval commander/conqueror's crown

The Princely Imperial Arms of Her Imperial Highness, the Princess Imperial, Guinevere, of the House of Varmont

Or (yellow/gold): generosity and elevation of the mind

Argent (silver/white): peace and sincerity

Pupure (purple): royal majesty, sovereignty, and justice

Dove: represents the soul, the spirit of god; peace, purity, chastity

Crown: heaven; victory, sovereignty, empire; success/princely crown

Crown, Naval (composed of masts and rigging): one who first boarded an enemy’s ship; distinguished naval commander

The Princely Imperial Arms of His Imperial Highness, Archduke of [Varmont], Edmund, Prince of the House of Varmont, Lord of [the Riverbend]

Or (yellow/gold): generosity and elevation of the mind

Sable (black): constancy or grief

Argent (silver/white): peace and sincerity

Pupure (purple): royal majesty, sovereignty, and justice

Raven: divine providence; knowledge; durable resistance; bringer of death

Crown: heaven; victory, sovereignty, empire; success

Crown, naval (composed of masts and rigging): one who first boarded an enemy’s ship; distinguished naval commander

Crown, mural (a crown composed of bricks): defender of a fortress, token of civic honour; one who first mounted the breach in the walls of a fortress; power

The Princely Imperial Arms of His Imperial Highness, Archduke of [Varmont], Arthur, Prince of the House of Varmont, Lord of Kil-kennar

Eagle: nobility, strength, bravery, and alertness; magnanimity; or one who is high-spirited, ingenious, quick-witted, and judicious; a person of action and vigor especially where important and high matters are concerned; high intellect and quick comprehension; salvation, redemption, and resurrection

Eagle displayed (wings spread): the above + protection/one who is a protector

Or (yellow or gold): generosity and elevation of the mind

Gules (red): warrior or martyr; military strength and magnanimity

Pupure (purple): royal majesty, sovereignty, and justice

Crown: heaven; victory, sovereignty, empire; success

Crown, naval (composed of masts and rigging): one who first boarded an enemy’s ship; distinguished naval commander the imperial crown of conquest

Crown, mural (a crown composed of bricks): defender of a fortress, token of civic honour; one who first mounted the breach in the walls of a fortress; power

The Princely Arms of His Imperial Highness, Sebastian, Prince of the House of Varmont

Or (yellow/gold): generosity and elevation of the mind

Vert (green): hope, joy, loyalty in love

Pupure (purple): royal majesty, sovereignty, and justice

Falcon: one who does not rest until objective achieved; person of action

Crown: heaven; victory, sovereignty, empire; success

Crown, naval (composed of masts and rigging): one who first boarded an enemy’s ship; distinguished naval commander

Crown, mural (a crown composed of bricks): defender of a fortress, token of civic honour; one who first mounted the breach in the walls of a fortress; power

#obv lauren and lizzy feel free to lmk if these dont work w your visions etc!! i was just eager to see how they might look all together lkasj #ooc #about #edmund varmont #guinevere varmont #sebastian varmont #arthur varmont #me reading up on raven heraldic meanings for this and i get to BRINGER OF DEATH alskjfklsjdf #even edmund's sigil was tryna warn the malconaires lkajsfklsjdf #def pictured the dove in flight and the raven displayed but alas the site does not include those possibilities #still alksdfj abt bringer of death ngl lkasjdafkjsd me like oK CALM DOWN while amira like 'that's my boy' and godfrey winking at the camera #i ordered it by roderick then by consort then by birth order if you were wondering hahah but i did toy around w just stright age order lksa #my inner amira was NOT pleased ;DDD #which made me think -- you KNOW there's some insane antics jockeying for LITERAL position when they all go to enter a room alksdjfkljdf

[forgottenedmund]

arthur & edmund: "don't you dare throw that snowba--goddamnit!"

[ 15 years ago ]

"What on earth are you doing?"

It was snowing. And not just any snow: it happened to be the first snow of the season. The entire courtyard was covered with it. Edmund had stopped on their walk to grab himself a handful of the stuff.

"We don't have time to play in the snow." Arthur continued. There was no patience in his voice. All five of the Varmont children had been presented to their father that morning on one of his rare appearances. He had tested them all (Guinevere, Arthur, and Edmund more than the rest) and Arthur and Edmund had both been found wanting. It was Guinevere who had won the round and with this victory, he had asked her to stay behind after the other's left.

The jealousy and frustration Arthur felt at this slight was apparent.

"Arthur's right, Edmund," Sebastian said softly. "Our tutors are expecting us."

Edmund stood upright, packing a handful of snow in his hands.

Arthur arched an eyebrow, "Are you going to throw that at me?"

"Of course not," Edmund replied sarcastically. "I never throw a snowball after I've gone through all the effort of making one. That's the real fun."

Arthur did not appreciate his brother's sarcasm -- especially in this moment. "Stop being such a child."

"I am a child. And so are you." Edmund would have thrown it at him right then if he'd been confident he wouldn't miss. His throwing arm wasn't particularly strong and he didn't want to look like an idiot just now.

"I am not a child!"

Edmund supposed, in a way, he was right. Despite Arthur's rather childish declaration of not being a child, they hadn't had much of a childhood thus far. The three of them had been pitted against each other for their father's throne since the day they'd been born and Sebastian was always trying to run interference whenever their tempers flared. The only one who had ever really been allowed to be a child was Cassandra, who was too busy trying to catch snowflakes on her tongue to notice that her brothers were on the verge of fighting with each other.

"Alright, enough. Let's go," Sebastian interjected.

Arthur and Edmund stared at each other for a few more moments without saying a word. It was Arthur who turned first and started to head off after Sebastian. The fact that Edmund still hadn't dropped the snow in his hands had not escaped him. And after he'd turned around, he gave his brother one final warning,"Edmund, don't you dare throw that sno-- Goddammit!!"

At that moment, a snowball came crashing into the back of Arthur's head. To say that Arthur looked infuriated as he turned round, was an understatement. Before he could say another word, Sebastian stepped between the boys. "Arthur, Edmund I -- "

"-- I told you not to throw that snowball!" Arthur pushed passed Sebastian, heading straight for his youngest brother.

"I didn't." Everyone looked down to see that Edmund still had the snow in his hand. It was hardly resembled anything more than a melting mess, now.

"What -- ?"

Everyone turned then to see Cassandra standing behind Edmund, eyes wide as she witnessed her brother getting angry. She'd seen Edmund making snowballs earlier and, while everyone was talking, had begun making one of her own oblivious to the tension that had been rising. She'd honestly meant to throw one at Edmund, but she'd thrown it too hard and it passed up over his head and landed, instead, on Arthur's.

"Nice shot." Edmund was both impressed (even if he knew Cassandra wouldn't have been able to replicate that again if she tried) and amused (it took everything he had not to laugh -- Arthur truly looked a ragged mess).

But Cassandra beat him to it yet again and although her brother's were all suddenly afraid that she might cry, the next minute she started to laugh at how ridiculous Arthur looked. Whatever tension had been growing between Arthur and Edmund began to fade away and it was now Arthur's turn to laugh.

"Your turn!" Cassandra shouted.

Arthur bent down and made a snowball of his own. "Don't think you I won't get you back, just because you are a girl!"

Cassandra squealed, laughing as she ran to hide behind Sebastian, "You won't be able to catch me!"

"Hmm, perhaps you are right," Arthur mused and, instead, he tossed one to Edmund instead.

"Not too old for this, after all?" Edmund raised an eyebrow.

"Guess not." Arthur shrugged.

It was Edmund's turn to throw and this time he hit Sebastian who had long ago given up on trying to get any of them to their lessons on time.

Moments later, the four of them were properly drenched from the snow and they'd managed to leave their footprints over almost every inch of the courtyard. It had been a long time since they'd played like this: forgetting every care they had in the world.

"What on earth is going on? Look at the four of you. Absolutely Deplorable."

All four of them stopped in their tracks and stared at Guin. No one had noticed her step outside and, noting the disapproval on her face, each of them were suddenly ashamed at this display. It was not befitting of princes and princesses.

"If you are going to have a snowball fight, you must do it properly. Not a single one of you have constructed a fort. How can you prepare your arsenal if you do not have the right defenses? Come, let me show you all how it is done."

#this honestly became a varmont kid drabble but no regrets! #drabble #challenge #arthur varmont #sebastian varmont #cassandra varmont #guinevere varmont #because of reasons i'm going to make notes about their ages atp #guin and arthur are 11 #sebastian is 10 #edmund is 8 and cassie is 7

[forgottenamira]

OOC | Amira & Edmund

hiya, it's ya mama!! ummm idk how to tell you this but...godfrey's the fun parent klajdsflkjsf amira is too busy tryna one-up varys at court and being all 'you embarrassed me today' when edmund fails as a motivational tactic lkasjflkjdf (and we've already discussed the kind of dad ~roderick is akljsdfkjsf) BUT don't let her fool you!! where roderick is all fire, amira is all ice and if you touch her kid you WILL quietly and painfully die -- not that she'd ever tell edmund that beyond smth along the lines of 'no one else matters, only us' bc her parenting is a++++

ANYWAY!! edmund is 100% the product of her ambition like...lol she don't give a flying fuck abt roderick! as far as she is concerned, roderick is a tool in multiple senses! ;D honestly, edmund ~is the person she cares most abt (sorry, bros!), but like...he's #2 in her life bc the thing she cares abt most isn't a person at all -- it is ultimately revenge/power (they're the same thing to her -- miss thing is a slytherin ;DDD) <333333 she's def got a 'the world is at your feet or its at your throat' mentality so she ~does 100% see gaining revenge/power as protecting edmund in her own weird way bc she's been at the world's mercy before and she'd do absolutely anything to make sure that edmund never is -- like, making him emperor is, in her eyes, the only way to keep what happened to ~her and to godfrey from happening to her baby, but that is still 100% more important than his happiness!!! and she would 100% acknowledge this openly there is no dancing around it alkjsfkljsdf like, she doesn't really believe in gods as such (just that there ~are super powerful beings out there that it pleases men to call gods), but if she did, that whole 'god doesn't want you to be happy, he wants you to be strong' quote is 10000000% amira's whole mentality so that's fun!!!

anyway, she's def raised edmund as mommy's lil warlord <3 he must be strong if he wishes to survive what's to come!!! (she also thinks roderick is actually weak af and that's why things have gone as abysmally as they have) also lowkey think amira might've poisoned guin's mom bc she was worried she would have a son </3 and amira can compete with marian for roderick's affections, but not w his og empress, so she didn't think edmund would stand a chance of ruling if the og wife ever had a son. like...amira's been looking towards this war since the first day she clapped eyes on roderick and said 'imma seduce that man' alskdjfkldf also tbh i don't think it actually ~was black magic that produced edmund but i think ~amira thinks it was alksjdfaljksdf so!! that's fun ksjdfaklsjfaksdf amira: you know what really spices things up in the bedroom? black magic babies!

ANYYYYYYWAY, she had edmund specifically and intentionally to create the next emperor and then stupid marian beat her to the punch (i.e., hearing about marian's pregnancy is when amira turned to black magic to ensure she'd conceive) but then amira really fucked up and started to actually care about edmund!!!! #whoops so she was like 'no more babies! i will not become weaker!' and that's why edmund has no full siblings aldksjfskldjf

so, re: amira's opinions abt the future!! she isn't really worried about guin becoming empress bc she honestly can't see roderick w all ~his hangups ultimately wanting guin to rule, what w being a woman, and besides -- and much more importantly bc amira doesn't give af what roderick wants tbqh -- guin obv doesn't wanT the throne so she aint gonna fight for it after roderick dies (in fact, bc of this amira is 100% fine w roderick picking guin -- she'll just oops! tragically die of grief after losing roderick, just like her mama did, and then BOOM edmund for emperor aljsflkjsf), but arthur ~will fight for the throne. sebastian's hardest to nail down, but he ~is male, so ppl of the varmont empire might still amass behind him, so amira means to axe him too someday, just for good measure

i do think once or twice, she has tried to kill arthur and sebastian when amira thought roderick was on the brink of making a decision she didn't like (yeah? that one really really srs childhood illness arthur had? poisoned by his stepmama, but tragically -- tho he nearly died -- he pulled through after all :/) but i do think she was only halfhearted even then bc i think she believes that the competition makes edmund stronger so his bros get to live a lil longer ig alsdjflksdf but she probs has been poisoning marian for awhile, just enough to keep her from conceiving again lkajsdfkljsdf bc amira realized too late that poisoning wife #1 actually made guin's position stronger w roderick and she def doesn't want that for arthur and seb, so marian gets to live lkajsdlfkjdjf

#edmund varmont #marian varmont #arthur varmont #sebastian varmont #roderick varmont #guinevere varmont #ooc #godfrey calainon

[forgottencillian]

OOC | Cillian & Guinevere

now valentina's actively encouraging varmonts to come to the house

cillian:

#guinevere varmont #ooc

[forgottenroisin]

OOC | Roisin & Guinevere

hihihi! ok so both arthur and edmund spend a lot of time hanging out at the malconaire home and hanging out w eithne and roisin, respectively, plus -- tho in reduced circumstances -- the malconaires are nobility of astaira so they probs do make appearances at court etc, so i def think that these two would know each other! roisin's impressions of guin are probs a touch colored by her brother's -- esp edmund's -- thoughts abt her bc she and ed are besties so probs 90% of her knowledge about his family comes from him hahaha and she ~is a bit naive so she doesn't really see all the strife that goes on between the fam and is probs like 'well her own brother would surely know!' but that being said she's ~also an optimist so even if ed was like 'she's the devil' (which i doubt), she would still be like 'but every soul is worth saving!'

ALSO, and this may be more significant, valentina is def like 'PLS COME TO OUR HUMBLE HOME WE ARE SO VERY PLEASED TO RECEIVE YOU' bc she def ships cassimir/guin (im so sorry guin alksjdfkjdsf) and would probs love to install Sonya as one of her ladies-in-waiting...which would get Sonya conveniently close to Roderick... ;D but anyway! as a result, Valentina would def be tryna get her to come eat dinner w them and see how pleasant their home is and how lovely a retreat it could make if she were to say, idk, MARRY CASSIMIR hahaha that being said, idk if guin would accept such an invitation or whatever, but it would def throw these two together if nothing else <3

#guinevere varmont #ooc

[forgottenronan]

OOC | Ronan & Guinevere

im so sorry about ronan...horribly, he thinks guin has to die since roderick is her dad, and thus guin might continue the evil emperor even if roderick's gone, if she survives, and i am so so sorry in advance </3 poor guin deserves sm better!!!

#guinevere varmont #ooc

[forgottensaoirse]

OOC | Saoirse & Guinevere

ok so im not coming up w a ton for these two, except that they could perhaps meet when guin comes to the malconaire estate, every now and again? tbh idk that they'd have too much to talk about, saoirse will unforntuatnely judge her just on being a varmont alone and thus won't trust her v much but i swear she's a nice person once you get to know her!!! the whole invasion thing just weighs pr heavily on her mind hahahah

#ooc #guinevere varmont

[forgottenalaric]

ooc | Alaric & Guinevere

as I was saying to kate aa, I do think that Alaric is #teamarthur when it comes to the whole who-shall-succeede-roderick thing! I do think it stems from 1) alaric having always assumed that it would be arthur for many years and 2) ngl he probs thinks the empire would be better in the hands of a man over a woman, if a male heir is available.

That being said, he does love Guinevere deeply and does see that she's strong/capable/intelligent and is def of the same opinion as Roderick in that she's a special sort of woman (and probs could do the job, in alaric's opinion, even if her brothers are better suited to it)

#ooc #guinevere varmont

[forgottenpercy]

ooc | Percy & Guinevere

Percy is a servant at the palace who is leftover from Eilionora's reign, so I'm sure he'd occasional interact with Guinevere. He's not at all a fan of the Varmonts, but honestly I feel like he'd find Guinevere to be the v best of them!! And he'd literally die to see Eilionora be queen again, but if that doesn't happen, tbh Guinevere has his vote as she def seems the most reasonable!!

#ooc #guinevere varmont

[forgotteneilionora]

OOC | Eilionora & Guinevere

LAUREN!! these two are really interesting bc i feel like they're actually in v similar situations, really, forced into a role they'd rather not have by duty and pressure (tho in eilia's case, her father was great -- the pressure was def more external etc but still), they're also both big sisters and have to deal w everything that does along with all of that! yet, they're standing here on opposite sides of history, v nearly pitted against one another, yet simultaneously standing on the precipice of potentially being family and alksdjfkdljsf if this aint complicated idk what is! anyway, i def think we could have some fun w these two!

#guinevere varmont #ooc

[forgottenarthur]

OOC | Arthur & His Line of Succession

idk what to entitle this but!!! my brain at 5am was like 'here have this' so now you get to hear abt it too lksdjfkljsdfjl

ok so!! arthur's faction, even objectively speaking (like in an au where every single varmont really and truly is the disgusting vile monster that ronan thinks they all are, this is STILL an advantage for arthur), has a v big advantage over the others, and that is @forgottensebastian!! while sebastian just being the amazing person he is, is a total win for arthur, like i said, even if he were actually leck quasar born again (SCREAM), his v existence would still be a huge advantage to the Arthurian faction bc he's a designated and direct heir and historically!!!!! that is a huuuuge asset in getting ppl to fight/vote for you!! so i wanted to sort of explore this a bit!

so, when ur abt to embark on a civil war for 'who should rule us next' ur hoping ur not gonna have to turn around and do it all again once ur chosen leader kicks the bucket, and arthur having a clear, designated heir from the get-go is a a part of that! bc w edmund or guin, say they get crowned etc, well great! but they're just one person right so what happens if/when they die before having kids! ur back to square one -- if guin's crowned, well, whose her heir? edmund? arthur? ur back at it again!

this is (one of) the reasons @forgottengodfrey is so keen to get edmund hitched (also gaining the stafford/astairan alliance etc but yeah), so edmund can start making heirs of his own, pronto!

ironically, its also one of the reasons @forgottenroderick is so reluctant to let his kids marry bc then ppl might start wanting one of his kids to rule more than they want ~him too!!!! its also the reason he was so desperate to have kids in the first place and took three wives to do it </3

but annnnyway, as a result, i do think arthur's sort of...thought abt this a lil bit frankly (he's so much more introspective than i ever thought it throws me every time i swearrrr) now, obv, idk how this will all go down but, if roderick were to die, and arthur to begin his gambit to seize the throne, i think he'd make his line of succession basically the sons of roderick in order of age; the sons of roderick's father in order of age (aka alaric), the sons of roderick's grandfather in order of age (aka bartholomew) and then their male line descendants in order of age (aka eoin). if all these men were to die, then it would follow the same structure but w women so:

arthur

sebastian

edmund

alaric

bartholomew

eoin

guinevere

cassandra

ciara

now, in his ideal world alaric and the other male varmonts would inherit before edmund like so:

arthur

sebastian

alaric

bartholomew

eoin

edmund

guinevere

cassandra

ciara

but he def recognizes that obv edmund has a way better claim to the imperial throne (not necessarily the kingly one of the og country tho depending on how ~those inheritance laws are written, but in that roderick apparently reopened old laws from ther abt multiple wives, im assuming its still true that edmund would have a better claim to ~that throne as well?) than alaric, bartholomew, or eoin so yeah! the top one is what he's currently thinking! HOWEVER i do think the more he talks to @forgottenarias the more he rethinks his position and so i think he may potentially end up considering heirs in order not just male heirs so:

arthur

sebastian

cassandra/edmund

edmund/cassandra

guinevere

alaric

bartholomew

eoin

ciara

now this would actually be a mistake for his faction, really, bc it'd mess up his ability to claim that ~he should be king since guinevere is, in fact, older, so i do think he'd at best do some handwave abt how roderick's male heirs come first bc that was the intention of the founder or whatever, and THEN roderick's female heirs and then everybody else hahaha but i do think he'd still want to be like CASSANDRA OVER EDMUND but yeahhhh idk if he could reasonably pull that off so i do think it'd result in a lot of confusion abt who has precedence between those two were he ever to actually realize his claim (unlikely!!) but yeah!! sldkjfalksdlfjdslkfj

anyway, he might potentially handwave abt his mother's line being the true imperial one (and thus cassandra still having precedence over edmund despite her sex) as marian became ~his mother and thus cassandra having precedence over edmund or smth but idk -- if they're still at war w edmund when this comes down the line he'd def be like 'yeah that's how that's happening' but if somehow arthur's in power and edmund's cool w it or whatever then he'd probs feel edmund would be a better fit for the crown than cassandra tbqh and have him as the third

anyway!! ngl none of this will probably EVER matter bc even if we do kill off roderick and start our war w/o that one big revelation etc, we uhhhh know that lil smth abt arthur that he don't know so yeah!! (and lbr even if he did manage to seize power as soon as he and edmund made peace, amira would just poison him soooo) but anyway here we are i thought of it so i thought id share it hahaha

#ooc #about #edmund varmont #aria stafford #sebastian varmont #guinevere varmont #roderick varmont #cassandra varmont #eoin varmont #alaric varmont #ciara varmont #bartholomew varmont #godfrey calainon #i think i tagged all the varmonts skdjfkldsjf tumblr was suggesting them in a weird order and it threw me a bit #marian varmont #also i pranked myself bc i forgot i tagged myself in this and then i was like 'why do i have notifications now!' heehee #amira varmont

[forgottenroderick]

OOC | Roderick & Guinevere

hihihi! ok so obv there's a lot [ here ] regarding general treatment, but!! ngl just straight out the gate, guin's his favorite child alsdkfjklsdf she's also the one he feels most guilty towards bc of what happened to her mom so he's always looking to make up for things in his own weird way??? largely this consists in sending her clothes and jewels. she ~is the kid he shows up most for, but honestly even that isn't saying ~that much bc he's still off subduing nations etc and like???? he's there if he gets to it but??? actually interacting w her occasionally at least appears on the to-do list (in the if-i-get-to-it category but still that's more than the rest get)!

he def does feel that her mother's loss is his fault and she was the one he truly loved and frankly her loss haunts him. i also think guin probs resembles her mom, at least a bit, so he can never really put that to the back of his mind either and alkdsjfkjsdf

anyway, i think you said that she resents him a bit iirc? do you think this is obv? or does she keep this under wraps, bc that would def impact the way he interacts w her, too!

i also think that, in general, he doesn't view women as capable of ruling (yikes) but he holds guin as an exception to this -- not in a 'you've proven women capable way' but in a 'wow you're not like other girls' way which alkjsdfjkadsf but anyway here we are im so sorry for him in advance alskdjfakljsdf

#guinevere varmont #ooc

[forgottenedmund]

ooc | Edmund & Guinevere

LAUREN!!!!111

omg this family and all of their drama alsjfasjfsljf

Okay, so like all of his siblings, Edmund does love Guinevere and would literally lay down his life for her ... it just ... isn't always obvious. Just like Arthur, he feels like he is in competition w/ Guin for the throne. He's not trying to win it because he wants to rule, or even to win the favor of their dad, he's literally just trying to win (and prove to everyone and himself that he could do it).

Privately, I do think he believes that Guin is actually the best suited for the job of the three of them and if he must lose, he would want to lose to her (it wouldn't feel nearly as much of a defeat, somehow, then it would be to lose to Arthur).

Edmund respects Guin a hell of a lot because she's so smart and he also really appreciates her sarcasm and wit, but yeah he also sometimes sees her as his competition and probably keeps her more at an arm's length then he would have otherwise.

I also think he feels kinda on the outside a little bit in their family, since Arthur, Sebastian and Cassandra are all full-siblings, and he's outside of that circle ... and I think he sees Guin as kinda an outsider too, especially since their mom died and their dad is super busy, she kinda doesn't have anyone to really go to and while Edmund does have his mom, she's also pretty manipulative and determined to see him be king and I feel like that's all she ever talks about .... and I'm not sure that he necessarily has acted on it/tried to reach out, but I do think he at least (silently) feels like he might know how Guin feels sometimes and completely understands why she likes to be alone so often.

#guinevere varmont #ooc

[forgottenamira]

OOC | Amira & Guinevere

so like...i didn't realize this when i took her but as ive been thinking more abt amira over the past week...i feel like she might actually have killed guin's mama??? like, def no one knows, but i feel like -- if you're cool w it -- amira may have poisoned her a la lucille sharpe in crimson peak/alex sebastian in notorious and the various inconvenient wives in those movies laksjdfaljksdfj she probs even nursed her and used all her grandmother's (learnable) witchy ways to try and save her for show (all the while just incrimentally upping the poison dosage -- and probs inadvertently further cementing roderick's hatred of witches alkjsdfjklsdf)

anyway, amira is a v cold person, but she still had a somewhat affectionate way abt her when roderick's kids were children, mostly in encouraging them to challenge edmund as best as they could bc she thought this was good for him and that the competition would make him stronger. its also weird bc im realizing that amira is probs the first mother that guin really knew since her mom died so early -- and it was quite possibly amira who killed her alkjdsfkjlsdf and amira plans to kill guin, just like she did her mom, if roderick chooses her to rule sooo lakjsdfljkf all kinds of weirdness to explore here lkdsajfklsdjfds

#ooc #guinevere varmont

[forgottengodfrey]

OOC | Godfrey & Guinevere

ok so godfrey is edmund's maternal uncle!! he's def team edmund for the throne but honestly it's nothing against guin, he just thinks edmund is awesome and, sure, he's a bit biased being his uncle and all (and honestly as im thinking abt this probs a far more reliable father figure to him than roderick ever was, really, honestly whoops laksjdfkjsdf)

but anwayy, godfrey's a fixture at court, an earl, and currently engaged to guin's cousin, ciara, so im sure they know e/o! he ~is a warrior so he goes off to fight when there are wars, but other than that he's generally flitting around court with the movers and the shakers and always up to smth. he's debonaire and charming, but he's also kind of this...shadowy figure bc some ppl swear he's honorable and true and others are like 'that dude's the devil' and kajdsfakljds spoiler alert: they're both right somehow laksjdfjkdsf

anyway he didn't grow up w any kind of privilege, like she did, his grandma was a straight up witch, and his sister is rumored to be one, too, and getting a handle on this dude is probs pr tough but anyway here he is and now poor guin has to deal w him hahaha

#guinevere varmont #ooc