A feudal lord in my sword and sorcery fantasy novel is treacherously killed by a rival. His son (around 16-17) goes into hiding, with the intention that he will come back and fight for his title when he sees an opening. The reason he can't, right now, is because raising an army would be very difficult in his current position. The invader has possesion of the castle, and the means to pay an army. Also, the population of his territory has been through quite a few wars recently, and are a little sparse on able bodied fighters.
Would you consider this cowardly? The thing that makes me hesitate is that he is leaving behind female family members. The women are not in danger of death because of their gender (In this culture, they would be considered no threat), or rape because they are related to the invader.
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39,096 / 50,000
Nov 4, 2009 - 00 48
If they are evil invading types, they probably have no scruples. Therefore, I don't see why they would stop at a bit of incest?
I don't think it is cowardly so much as sensible, but it would make sense for your character to dwell on it a little. Maybe have the women urge him to go?
292,191 / 50,000
Nov 4, 2009 - 01 15
More sensible than cowardly, though it would help if he is looking for allies, support and maybe a loan. Some way to gain an advantage to retake his title. As long as he's alive he's a potential threat. But since he was betrayed he does need to be cautious about which allies to approach.
The sensible next step for him is to leave the area and start looking at past alliances that have proved trustworthy historically. Hole up with minor nobility that were solid on his side or his family's closest ties. Maybe ramble from castle to castle looking for sanctuary and/or support.
Depending on whether any religions offer the medieval custom of sanctuary, he could check out the temples and churches too. But he will need to get a handle on politics as well as a fortune to raise armies.
At sixteen or seventeen he's a young man who's probably ready for military service. He might get brought along on some military adventures by other nobles that were more or less allied with his house. If any of those prove lucrative, that could solve his problem. Heading to unrelated allied nobility would be his best bet at this point -- of course that's also the opportunity for further betrayal attempts, maybe capture-escape a couple of times till he finds an ally he can trust.
Most of his class would at least, if neutral, regard him as a possible recruit for their own adventures but probably not be offering him marriageable daughters until he proved he could gain some lands again and advantages for them. Still, the gals may notice.
You can also do the realistic but unexpected twist of handing him some resources by way of an attractive widow a little older than he is. She needn't be that much older. She might even be his age, they married young. But if she has lands and people and no lord at the time, she may well be looking for a new husband -- and might find him more palatable than some old fart. Plenty of ways he could gather up resources. He would most likely have to court her well though and make himself useful to her in some significant ways, not just be young and handsome and courtly.
If he holds onto his goal to retake his lands and reclaim his title in truth -- he can either be coy about his name or flat out tell the story wherever he goes. Others would respond as they do. He would do well to stir up alliances against that rival because if he got invaded like that, where is the jerk going to stop?
As for abandoning female relations in a cultural context where the rival's own views on life and women would keep him from raping or killing noblewomen, as a reader I can understand his finding that acceptable. Plenty of nasty possibilities though. Including the rival courting one of his sisters or his mother -- if the rival married his mom that may cut him right out of the succession.
Now all this is not to say that HE might not have some internal conflicts about it and questions about his courage and his ethics. It is the most sensible thing he can do to ride off, go into hiding and then seek allies so that he can come back with enough force to claim his lands.
To the feudal mind it is not rape if he blackmailed the woman into marriage or showed enough force that he could just force it, incidentally. Though you could get a nice bit of Lucia di Lammermoor violence out of that if she really hated the idea.
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2,477 / 50,000
Nov 4, 2009 - 01 45
Thanks for all the feedback! I have a lot of ideas to think about, now.
I think I am going to have him go, but be distressed about leaving behind his family members. And that can fuel his determination come back and win. It helps that his mother is quite a capable character in her own right.
Well the villain is the type of bad guy who doesn't like to think of himself as evil. He can justify murder to himself, but he won't violate the principles that make him seem like a good guy in his *own* eyes.
42,056 / 50,000
Nov 4, 2009 - 05 54
Basically that is one of the main premises of MacBethm though most of it is really shown from evil emperor's side, though.
Now, I am not saying that if Shakespeare can write it well, you can do so too, but I am saying it can be written well, so I wouldn't worry if I were you.
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