First - apologies in the delay on responses. Work's been busy. Thanks for your patience!
Geoffrey is prideful, perhaps to the point of fault (more on that in this chapter) and having concede that he is a greater monster than his father would be quite damaging to his pride. That's not to say he wouldn't do it... but it isn't a simple choice for him - perhaps for all the wrong reasons.
I have not really used Bella much due to a variety of factors, but I decided to let her have some fun here. She is the daughter of Alearde, and grew up under her and Agnes' tutelage. It's hard to beat that, especially when you need to outfox Geoffrey!
Also... originally this was planned out to be a meeting between Geoffrey and Henri... I liked this better.
Agreed. Though I think his wavering sense of self and struggle with his illness makes him more prone to erratic decision making. Does a Geoffrey who is as he was after Essa was named Duchess fall for it? Maybe... but that Geoffrey also seemed much less insecure and much less in need for someone to stroke his ego.
On the other hand, I've written his desire for Bella before, so perhaps this was just the first chance he had to be played. It's all open for interpretation!
It's something that Geoffrey doesn't take lightly, given how obsessed he is with his own reputation. That is something that does come up in the future.
The irony of it all is as you note - he should know that not all battles are fought with troops. But I see him as both low on confidence and thus latching onto a familiar situation (Bella being the new Agnes) and thinking himself her superior. Of course, one thought of who her mother was and who she served under should have made him wary.
No failed seduction attempt there. I just decided to go with it, having as I wrote Geoffrey as already breaking that taboo with Agnes and desiring both Bella and Ermengarda (but not Antoinette).
There is this in there as well. He is both struggling with insecurity - that his illness is slowly destroying him, but also latching onto his successes and searching for more in things he is confident in. Bella appeals to his vanity, and he's eager to believe it to reassure him of the doubts he has. And after he bested her husband, how could she not admit it, right? So he stumbles into a trap. He also underestimated Bella, but then he tends to underestimate many of the women he's come across. And that's not related to his illness, either.
Geoffrey's not Bella - he's already talked himself out of God saving him. (Really he lost his faith, or what he had of it, when his son died. At best, he sees it as an ongoing battle/negotiation) The others... struggle with it more. But Geoffrey does have one more road he's going to go down. We'll get to it in a couple of chapters.
Bella probably does have an understanding... but she also probably thinks herself somewhat protected. As she states here, she believes Geoffrey's illness is a punishment from God so she probably believes she has some divine protection from him. And in a more tangible way - she's probably going to tell Henri that Geoffrey is a danger to her and their children. They don't want to provoke him into going to war against them via one of their enemies, but they will also want to guard against him.
The way I keep imagining these chapters from the revelation of Geoffrey's illness until we get to his end is basically the story of how a man dies. His struggles and breakdowns are not just of the body, but of the mind. I think he would have avoided Bella's trap a few years ago. Would he have successfully bedded her? I'm not as sure, just because of how well she has been trained to... counter him. Not intentionally, of course. But Alearde spent much of her life learning how to dance around Foulques, while Agnes did the same with Geoffrey, albeit in different ways. Bella hasn't been seen, but she knows how to play an Angevin man - probably better than anyone else.
I would say Geoffrey will be in for some suffering. But perhaps not the type he suspects. Or that you all do.
And I do love the portraits. All of them! Marguerite and Agnes both got huge upgrades, as did Herve. I also enjoy the prince's a lot more now.
Geoffrey rarely has displayed any bounds when it comes to his desires. The only limitation tends to be the potential ramifications... but Henri is too weak at this point to do anything to Geoffrey (in his mind), so Bella is fair game. I have some ideas for the next king of Aquitaine - he may not be scandalous as his father is, but I doubt he's going to be pure either. Devil's Brood and all.
As for his uncles... they're gonna be a complicated lot.
To all, again, thanks for your patience. I aimed to get this chapter up last night, but just did not have the time after I got stuck with some extra work. But it's here now, and hopefully worth the wait.
One thing I am worried about is if these chapters are too dark/depressing. They're obviously dealing with a depressing subject matter hanging over head, and this is, ultimately the slow death of the Camelot, for lack of a better analogy, Geoffrey had established in his Aquitaine with his inner circle. It's a balance, of course, to convey that properly it needs to have some dark elements, but I don't wish for it to get too bogged down.
So let me know if it's a bit too heavy. I will take the feedback as a whole and look to lighten things a tad.
As always, thanks for your commentary and feedback, and hope you all have had a fine start to your new year!
To cause an unfortunate accident for Bella, to not cause an unfortunate accident. That is the question...
Geoffrey is prideful, perhaps to the point of fault (more on that in this chapter) and having concede that he is a greater monster than his father would be quite damaging to his pride. That's not to say he wouldn't do it... but it isn't a simple choice for him - perhaps for all the wrong reasons.
Oh my Geoffrey got well and truly played by Bella - well done her!
Geoffrey is I think losing his, not touch so much as perspective. It is not the first time it has happened, but the first time I can think of it happening in two converstaions in such a short space of time.
I have not really used Bella much due to a variety of factors, but I decided to let her have some fun here. She is the daughter of Alearde, and grew up under her and Agnes' tutelage. It's hard to beat that, especially when you need to outfox Geoffrey!
Also... originally this was planned out to be a meeting between Geoffrey and Henri... I liked this better.
Agreed. Though I think his wavering sense of self and struggle with his illness makes him more prone to erratic decision making. Does a Geoffrey who is as he was after Essa was named Duchess fall for it? Maybe... but that Geoffrey also seemed much less insecure and much less in need for someone to stroke his ego.
On the other hand, I've written his desire for Bella before, so perhaps this was just the first chance he had to be played. It's all open for interpretation!
do not kill family...
It's something that Geoffrey doesn't take lightly, given how obsessed he is with his own reputation. That is something that does come up in the future.
Geoffrey finds that some battles are not fought with troops and even he is not invincible in his chosen theatre of the battle of words. A tense few scenes ... I wonder, was there actually a failed seduction attempt behind that, or simply some well placed badinage between the two, given the fraught circumstances?
The irony of it all is as you note - he should know that not all battles are fought with troops. But I see him as both low on confidence and thus latching onto a familiar situation (Bella being the new Agnes) and thinking himself her superior. Of course, one thought of who her mother was and who she served under should have made him wary.
No failed seduction attempt there. I just decided to go with it, having as I wrote Geoffrey as already breaking that taboo with Agnes and desiring both Bella and Ermengarda (but not Antoinette).
Geoffrey may blame the illness, but I believe that part of the problem is that he's been buying into his own hype ever since taking his new crown (if not before, even). Even with all that's happened to him, a small part of him is still convinced that he's invincible, above the laws of God and man, and that somehow, some way, he'll manage to turn an "apparent" weakness to his advantage and beat the odds once more.
Denial at its finest.
There is this in there as well. He is both struggling with insecurity - that his illness is slowly destroying him, but also latching onto his successes and searching for more in things he is confident in. Bella appeals to his vanity, and he's eager to believe it to reassure him of the doubts he has. And after he bested her husband, how could she not admit it, right? So he stumbles into a trap. He also underestimated Bella, but then he tends to underestimate many of the women he's come across. And that's not related to his illness, either.
Yeah...someone just figured out that they can't talk their way into heaven and quickly find they need another way in.
So...stupid holy war? Cathedral? The pope himself? Whats G gunna do?
Geoffrey's not Bella - he's already talked himself out of God saving him. (Really he lost his faith, or what he had of it, when his son died. At best, he sees it as an ongoing battle/negotiation) The others... struggle with it more. But Geoffrey does have one more road he's going to go down. We'll get to it in a couple of chapters.
That was definitely an interesting turn of events. I wonder if Bella truly understands the depths at which Geoffrey will go to protect what he has gained and to protect his son/heir. Killing family may not be a good thing but in this case it maybe necessary.
Bella probably does have an understanding... but she also probably thinks herself somewhat protected. As she states here, she believes Geoffrey's illness is a punishment from God so she probably believes she has some divine protection from him. And in a more tangible way - she's probably going to tell Henri that Geoffrey is a danger to her and their children. They don't want to provoke him into going to war against them via one of their enemies, but they will also want to guard against him.
I can only agree with @stnylan here - Geoffrey really is slowly falling apart, not just in a corporeal sense. A few years ago, he would have managed Bella to feel bad for even suggesting that she believed the rumours and then managed to make her his lover while making it feel like she took the initiative. Now, he suffers a crushing defeat, failing even to notice the obvious trap she set for him.
Ancel was a warning, one he noticed, but he still couldn't avert Bella. I wonder if Geoffrey is going to withdraw even more from his element - politics - which would make him more of a tragic person than he already is, spending his last days in a forced atonement for his sins, suffering all along.
Speaking of portraits, Hervé and Almodis now look exactly like I imagine them - fits them perfectly.
The way I keep imagining these chapters from the revelation of Geoffrey's illness until we get to his end is basically the story of how a man dies. His struggles and breakdowns are not just of the body, but of the mind. I think he would have avoided Bella's trap a few years ago. Would he have successfully bedded her? I'm not as sure, just because of how well she has been trained to... counter him. Not intentionally, of course. But Alearde spent much of her life learning how to dance around Foulques, while Agnes did the same with Geoffrey, albeit in different ways. Bella hasn't been seen, but she knows how to play an Angevin man - probably better than anyone else.
I would say Geoffrey will be in for some suffering. But perhaps not the type he suspects. Or that you all do.
And I do love the portraits. All of them! Marguerite and Agnes both got huge upgrades, as did Herve. I also enjoy the prince's a lot more now.
My god. Even at this age Geoffrey's lust knows no bounds. Perhaps the next king of Aquitane will be less beholden to the whims of the body. Let's also hope that the prince's uncle's have some sembelance of loyalty to him.
Geoffrey rarely has displayed any bounds when it comes to his desires. The only limitation tends to be the potential ramifications... but Henri is too weak at this point to do anything to Geoffrey (in his mind), so Bella is fair game. I have some ideas for the next king of Aquitaine - he may not be scandalous as his father is, but I doubt he's going to be pure either. Devil's Brood and all.
As for his uncles... they're gonna be a complicated lot.
To all, again, thanks for your patience. I aimed to get this chapter up last night, but just did not have the time after I got stuck with some extra work. But it's here now, and hopefully worth the wait.
One thing I am worried about is if these chapters are too dark/depressing. They're obviously dealing with a depressing subject matter hanging over head, and this is, ultimately the slow death of the Camelot, for lack of a better analogy, Geoffrey had established in his Aquitaine with his inner circle. It's a balance, of course, to convey that properly it needs to have some dark elements, but I don't wish for it to get too bogged down.
So let me know if it's a bit too heavy. I will take the feedback as a whole and look to lighten things a tad.
As always, thanks for your commentary and feedback, and hope you all have had a fine start to your new year!
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