On Throne Theorizing

"Game of Thrones"

It’s only been with the coming of the fourth season of “Game of Thrones” that I’ve run across a speculative article on how the epic “A Song of Ice and Fire” will end.  I agree with meme showing skeletons waiting for the fourth season of the HBO hit series, while poor book fans like me wait for the next book as a T-Rex skeleton in this overstretched, highly sophisticated epic story, “The Winds of Winter.” 

I’ll share this blog article with the warning that the blogger also gives that this article is better read by readers.  So if you’re super-spoiler sensitive, you may not want to read it, because it gets into details of “A Feast for Crows” and “A Dance With Dragons.”  To me, I don’t think it’s a big spoiler, because the last two books didn’t advance the plot very much and the single BIG game changer isn’t mentioned.

For the article: 

http://comeonhitme.wordpress.com/2013/07/31/game-of-thrones-jon-snow-will-lead-the-army-of-white-walkers-against-daenerys-targaryen-and-her-dragons/

 

Readers, please be polite to this blogger who dared to think “outside the norm” in the way most of us think of this story.  When I check, my comment still says “Awaiting moderation” so if you can’t see it, I suppose he decided not to post it.  Overall, I disagreed because of the core belief that Martin’s characters drive the plot more than the sideline stories.  I believe Jon and Daenerys are Ice and Fire protagonists.  Whether they fall in love and marry, knowing GRRM, he’ll find a way to spoil our happy fantasy.

But who’s to say?  This blogger may be right. Will Jon Snow and Daenerys end up on opposing sides?  Are the Others misunderstood? Because Targaryens are conquerors does that mean they are all evil?  Better question:  Which is life, Ice or Fire?  To maintain balance in the fictional world must Ice win over Fire?

To me, in fiction, undead are not death; they are the absence of life.  There is nothing natural about an undead, so undead, night, and darkness are usually associated with an antagonist.  Also, I disagree with this blogger, to steal newborn male babies is not a misunderstood noble act.  To remove innocent of a single gender, in fiction often the reason is the need of innocent blood for an evil purpose.

As for Fire, regardless of one’s belief in ancient history, the discovery and maintenance of fire is of utmost importance for survival, and is the method used for war.  Modern war of today uses some variance of fire for weaponry.  But to use ice as a weapon by humans for a good purpose, certainly can be used in fiction, and this blogger brings about some interesting points. 

As the series ramps up for the fourth season, I’m looking forward to see the characters come to life with a great production and talented cast.  Though I disagree with this theory, I applaud this blogger for putting this idea out there, outrageous to some, brilliant to others, and all of we “Martians” know we’re probably all wrong in one way or another.

On Lost Love: Elizabeth and Cersei

Elizabeth of York, "The White Queen"

Cersei Lannister, "Game of Thrones"

As the fourth season of the series “Game of Thrones” approaches, I’m always excited to see the better-than-average translation from book to film of the epic by George R. R. Martin “A Song of Ice and Fire.”  As a reader, while I love watching the characters come alive by a talented cast, I still await “The Winds of Winter” like a T-Rex skeleton in the meme.

My other favorite series “The White Queen” aired last fall on Starz, and that’s when I found out Martin took inspiration from the history during the time of the War of the Roses.  In my “Game of Queens” article, I do an analysis on the known inspirations, and also did my own analysis comparing Richard III to Stannis Baratheon as the loyal brother in the background, until the time arrived to take the throne, Richard took it from the heir boy Prince Edward, who went missing in the Tower of London and Stannis, who went to war and burned people for his gain, and almost burned his bastard nephew Edric Storm.

But a pair of women had me thinking more about this analysis.  Generally the relationship between Cersei and Sansa is Margaret of Anjou and Anne Neville.  But a young Cersei reminds me of Elizabeth York as written in Phillipa Gregory’s “The White Princess.” 

Elizabeth of York, raised as a Princess of Edward IV of England, had the training and luxury expected of such a status.  Unlike her controversial mother, her marriage would be to a very high noble by arrangement.  In the book (I’m setting history aside for a moment) she fell in love with her Uncle King Richard III.  He promised her he would make her his queen and she was very happy, because otherwise she was betrothed to Henry Tudor, whom she never met.  But at Bosworth it didn’t happen that way.  Richard didn’t win and was killed.  Henry won.  Elizabeth married him, and gave birth to the children of the wrong man that returned from Bosworth.

Cersei in ASOIAF was raised like a Princess, though she was not. Her powerful father Tywin Lannister promised her in when she was a little girl, that she would marry the kind, honorable, and handsome Prince Rhaegar Targaryen.  Before the tournament when the betrothal was to be announced, Cersei and two friends saw a maegi to have their fortunes told.  Cersei’s fortune was “You will marry the King.”  She thought that meant she would marry Rhaegar after he became King, so good enough.  (I’m leaving the rest of Cersei’s future out..spoiler)  But when the time came, the King and his Prince left the area and no betrothal was announced.  The Prince married another.  Her heartbreak affected her deeply but she hid it from her brother Jaime, whom she eventually developed an incestuous relationship with.  When Robert’s Rebellion happened, he killed Prince Rhaegar on the Trident because Rhaegar ran away with his betrothed, Lyanna Stark.  After Robert was crowned, with a lost love, Cersei did as expected and married him.  For her the wrong man returned from the Trident.

Fantasy and history sometimes intertwine and to me bring light to both.  Since I’m not educated in history, I like to read about the background of stories.  For fiction, the real live people breathe real life into our fantasies, making us feel their regrets, their hopes, and their pain of lost love. 

Guest Post: Richard and Anne's own Courtly Love Story by Andy McMillin

Richard and Anne's own Courtly Love Story
I'm happy to again share my blog space with ace medieval scholar, historian, and fan of "The White Queen" series Andy McMillin.  Her blog, listed above, is excellent, and I suggest you take a click to see her work.  Below is her second guest post here about the controversial King Richard III: 


In BBC’s “The White Queen,” Richard, Duke of Gloucester (later King Richard III) portrayed by Aneurin Barnard finds Anne Neville, the Kingmaker’s daughter (Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick) portrayed by Faye Marsay, and rescues her after the battle Tewkesbury, where her husband is killed, and the Lancastrian cause is defeated.  He tells Margaret of Anjou to get back in her litter and go home while safely whisking Anne away to safety.  It is something out of a fairy tale. Handsome knight rescues princess in harms way. Did events shown, portray an accurate portrayal of how did these events actually did historically unfold? Did he really rescue her from crazed solders or was there another story, more fact that is more true to what really happened? How chivalrous was Richard to go chasing after Anne Neville?

Richard, Duke of Gloucester, and Princess Anne "The White Queen"

 
The story of Richard and Anne, was highly popular because it exhibits and proves that chivalry was alive and well during the 15th century. Hence making the match one of admiration and desire in many people’s eyes. The same can be said about Elizabeth Woodville and Edward IV’s relationship.
What do we know about Richard? We know he was an avid reader and had copies of many books while he lived in York in his younger years. One was found to have tales of chivalry, classical history, and two Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer.  Proving he was quiet educated, which was expected of nobles. Also noted, he had a copy of Tristan, the Gottfried von Strassburg (d. 1210) version which was adapted from the 12th century legend of Tristan and Iseult . The story itself, is modeled after most popular courtly romances of the time and with rhyming couplets. A rhyming couplets is the style and structure of the poem meaning “two lines of poetry that rhyme and have the same meter.”
Also as an accomplished military man, Richard would have also known what the chivalric code was, a reason for it being in his books.  For he had to have studied it at one point in time, as loyal as he was to his brother, as well as upbringing. Some of the principles he would have been familiar with would have been: 

Richard, Duke of Gloucester

 
Duties to countrymen
Duties to God
Duties to women
The third is where we see how he handled what really happened with Anne; “the idea that the knight is to serve a lady, and after her all other ladies. Most especially in this category is a general gentleness and graciousness to all women.”  This popular notion might have been some of his motivation to find her, and desire to keep her safe and want to marry her, adding to his beliefs a strong moral and loyal disposition.
Now how did the cat catch the mouse? In reality, Anne was not at the battle with her former husband, Edward of Westminster, that May 4, at Tewkesbury. Where she actually was, is a little unclear.  What we do know is she was imprisoned after the battle by Edward VI and taken prisoner.
George, Duke of Clarence, in trying to make any marriage between Richard and Anne difficult, took Anne with him first to Coventry, then to his London house, where he kept her as his ward and opposed her getting remarried. She even wrote Elizabeth Woodville, Elizabeth of York, and Edward IV of her ordeal and to plea her case, yet all requests failed.  The assumption was that George was wanting access to both of the girls inheritance, wanted to keep Anne as his ward in order to do this so he could claim her share of the money. Interestingly literature of the time such as The Crowland Chronicle reported that;
"so much disputation arose between the brothers and so many keen arguments were put forward on either side with the greatest acuteness in the presence of the king … even those learned in the law, marvelled at the profusion of the arguments which the princes produced for their own cases'. Whilst the acquisition of land, wealth and power was a factor in Richard's determination to marry Anne Neville it is reasonable to assume that their marriage was successful for there is no hint of scandal or mistresses.”
Concluding, the rift between the York brothers, and Neville’s youngest daughter’s inheritance and initial intent, was a bit scandalous at first, but laid to rest once things played out.

 
Exactly how Richard found Anne, remains disputed. One account states she escaped and sought refuge at a cooking shop in London, disguised as a servant, and second, Richard actually went looking for her, tracked her down, then took her to sanctuary at Church of St. Martin le Grand, where they were later married. 

Richard and Anne's marriage "The White Queen"

 
Adding the whole courtly love theme into the dynamics of the actions of Richard and Anne being discovered, is also why some of the details of their childhood also have an importance to this theme.  They were acquaintances of each other. An interesting part about their relationship is that they actually knew each other before marriage, which was very uncommon. Marriages in the Middle Ages especially among the nobility were for political and diplomatic reasons. Getting married for love or the notion of was practically unheard of.  Both Richard and Anne had grown up in the same household for a while at Middleham Castle, in Yorkshire. But there is no documentation of how each other felt for one another. So the concept of a long drawn out love affair of admiration; is hard to prove.
When looking at the elements of this relationship and the popularity of courtly literature of the time and the idea of their sought after relationship; makes their story very popular.  It is one that was perceived to many as one of romantic notion and of what many authors before and contemporary wrote about. It was a story with its own elements yet similar to Tristan and Iseult. Thus, their story became quite popular, and is still of popularity today. For it was a 15th century romance within itself.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_Neville 

http://onthetudortrail.com/Blog/resources/biographies/anne-neville/ 

On Defining Sexy

Richard III "The White Queen"

Juliet Barnes "Nashville"

I realize I may be making an idiot of myself with this topic but I find this to be an interesting and important concept to a writer. I’ll make an early note that I’m not going into the depths of erotic definitions, so if you’re seeking that, E.L. James has a trilogy of books you might like or love to hate that made her millions, with an upcoming film.  By the way, congratulations to Ms. James, her work, her success.

The first time I thought about the definition of “sexy” was back last century when I was still a swinging single in the mid-80s.  I had it all:  The massive hair, dark suntan, black eyeliner, bright colored clothes, and moonlighting a bit as a model.  While at dinner with my loser boyfriend soon to be an ex, he tells me that I look sexy, but I’m not sexy. 

Ouch!  Excuse me?  Yes, I was more than a bit irritated.  So he pointed out my “non-sexy” attributes.  Of course, my looks were sexy until I opened my post college potty mouth, a terrible mix of Valley Girl and typical mainstream bestseller dialogue.  If I sat still and said nothing, he said I was “sexy.”  He became an ex very soon, but I couldn’t disagree with him.  Seeing a person may look sexy.  But meeting, talking, all of it needs to fit together. 

This fall, a group of us on Twitter had a lot of fun watching the ace Starz series “The White Queen” and swooned over Richard III’s character, played by talented and cute Welsh actor Aneurin Barnard.  Not being short on cute guys, like Max Irons or David Oakes, why did we go nuts over Richard?  Answer:  I think we were drawn to him because of his complexity; he showed honor, vulnerability, loyalty, and flaws.  He was a sexy character.

For the girls, for obvious reasons, sexy is harder to define.  But in the show “Nashville” Juliet displays many similar traits as she is beautiful, destructive, but her heart breaks easily.  A tough girl like her keeps going.  Overall, she’s a sexy character.

While I think “sexy” is often in the eye of the beholder, there must be some complication in the character, some vulnerability, and some darkness.  People are drawn to mystery, and if none is there, it’s just another pretty face.

On Those Great Good Guys

"Man of Steel"

As a dark fantasy writer, I’ve written before how the forces of good and evil stand so strong in our minds and attract us to the “superhero” or fantasy concept; of people having abilities or cleverness beyond our own to achieve the defeat of an evil entity.  While I’m a strong proponent of the importance of a well written, but not necessarily understood antagonist, the protagonist gleams as always as the lead character in most stories.

I use a flawed, anti-heroine in my stories, but I don’t deny the strength of the old-fashioned, manly, good looking, noble, standup, fight-it-out for the people we see like favorites in comics like Superman, Batman, or in stories like King Arthur being the picture of chivalry (and infidelity in some books, but never mind). 

What keeps drawing us to these characters, now remade many times in blockbuster films after originating in simplistic comic books?  Answer:  At some point to me, it brings back the kid in us, an innocence, when we could really believe a really good guy would always win, and do it the right way, not by a slaughter, but catch the bad guy and bring him to justice.  That’s the way the world is supposed to be. 

Another draw to these awesome powerful protagonists is their great power, especially the nearly omnipotent Superman.  I don’t know a guy that doesn’t like Superman (or a girl that doesn’t like the actors), and want to see him defeat the challenge posed by either native Kryptonians as in “The Man of Steel” or Lex Luthor to find some kryptonite in traditional Superman stories. 

As a writer of a complex, dark lead character and a bona fide “Game of Thrones” nut of the series and the books, I like to think of the strong good guy model for stories as going back to the basics.  (GRRM obviously isn’t sold on the good guy thing).  We fans of fiction like good guys.  And yes, we still like the really, really good guys, that play by the rules and are always awesome.

Bonnie’s Final Story

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“When did he say he’d be back?”  Said Shevata, slumped in the corner of Zermon’s throne before the huge firepit.  The surrounding black terrace lit up with red and orange flames echoing the sounds of agonized souls from the bottom of the fire.  She found Hell distasteful enough as Zermon’s prisoner, but again to do his job of dealing with unruly souls was beyond her tolerance limit.  The imps shrugged in answer to her question as they always did; stupid, unhelpful little monsters. 

A young woman was escorted before her.  Shevata sat cross-legged, wishing she could sleep.  “What is this?”  She said to the imps.

“My name is Bonnie.”  Said the woman.

“So?”  Said Shevata.

“I think I deserve a chance to explain myself.”

Shevata raised an eyebrow.  “In Hell?” 

“I’ve got my reasons.” 

“Make it fast.”

She looked down and pretended to wipe a tear from her face.  “You don’t look like the Devil.”  Said Bonnie.   

 Shevata smiled.  “You’re running low on time.”  

“Look, I just wanted my dreams to come true.  Don’t you know what that’s like?  Being stuck somewhere and can’t get out?  Knowing your life will be nothing?”  Her eyes sparkled in the fire, and Shevata understood why this woman thought she could talk her way out of the underworld.

“This is Hell.  Of course I understand.”  Said Shevata. 

“Since you understand, then you know I did some bad things and I know that.  But I had my reasons, and I think I should have another chance.”

Shevata leaned forward.  “You sold your soul to Zermon and ensured your destiny with the first person you murdered.”  Bonnie started to weep.  Shevata said,  “I’m not finished.  The man, the Texas Ranger that led the attack that killed you?  I offered him my soul.”   Bonnie then broke down crying on the terrace in front of the throne.  Shevata leaned back into the corner.  “Take her away and find Zermon before I find him myself.”

On Dark Fantasy Poetry

I’ll admit on this blog, I tend to focus on many genres and have given little attention to poetry.  It’s not that I don’t like poetry; I tend to not run across it as much as I do novels.  With this book, not only is my main genre Dark Fantasy is the focus, but the style is short haiku-like poems throughout, something I haven’t seen often, and to me, a very fun read.

“Words of the Weary King” by A. S. Washington

This collection of simple poems takes in the collective mind of Dark Fantasy as a whole.  All the way from Beheading to Jester, each piece is a little piece of the larger picture of what all of us see as something very powerful in our minds; the very essence of medieval dark fantasy.  This fast, easy read in the form of poetry is a delightful reminder that fantasy need not be told in epic novels or action stories.  Good writing can carry the message regardless of the method, when done well.  Five stars!

My favorite of his poems:

Assassin

Where is your blade?

You’ve not hidden your intent

It is in your eyes

Readers, sometimes less is more.