Practical Squiring, Thursday

[givehimahand.livejournal.com]

"A knight is more than just a soldier when all is said and done. Anyone can have a weapon given to them and told to kill to defend their lord, but a knight is supposed to be better than that."

Emphasis on the 'supposed to be' there. Today they met in a regular classroom, devoid of barrels, or armor, or swords. Jaime granted the students a slightly brittle smile as he kept on. "To become a knight, you are made to swear vows before your gods--who or whatever they may be--vows that demand you protect the defenseless, defend the weak, obey your king and liege lord... All sorts of vows."

Perhaps it was Brienne's fault that he was even bringing this up for class. Time spent with that beast of a woman had forced him to remember when he'd actually believed in honor and glory.

"But what do you do when they conflict?" Jaime asked. "You will be an oath breaker regardless of your choice. So where does your honor lay? To defend the weak or to obey your master?"

Comments

Re: Discuss

[snarkyhealer.livejournal.com]

Mother Night, that was a painful question. And yet... it had a pretty easy answer. On the surface, anyway. She was sure they'd dig underneath it soon enough.

"I know what my Queen would want me to do in that case," Shira replied. "She would want me to worry about our people first and her second. But I think doing everything I possibly could to help my Queen's madness would count as serving my people -- we need this Queen the way she is now -- healthy and whole. If I gave up on her without trying everything in my power, then I'd be rather a piss-poor Healer."

Re: Discuss

[givehimahand.livejournal.com]

"You assume she is still sane enough to believe this," Jaime replied. "What do you do when all the court is feeding into this and you stand alone against it? As her sworn... woman."

Re: Discuss

[snarkyhealer.livejournal.com]

"I could bring down the Court," Shira said, looking troubled. "With the skill-set I have... with certain things I can do... it would be a simple enough matter to figure out how to take down the entire Court."

Not that she'd necessarily want to, but if Cassidy's Court ever stood against her like that -- and that sort of thing definitely counted as standing against her -- then Shira would take them down without so much as a second thought. Possibly -- probably -- burn her Jewel and her mind out in the process, because that kind of action would be too much for her to do and live through.

Re: Discuss

[givehimahand.livejournal.com]

"At the cost of your own life and possibly those of your house?"

He'd known for a long time Aerys held him as a hostage to cow his father, after all. Not that it had worked out for the man in the end.

Re: Discuss

[snarkyhealer.livejournal.com]

"At the cost of my life, yes, if necessary," Shira said. "And those of my house... some of the family by blood and others family by choice... would back me."

Re: Discuss

[nothornlessrose.livejournal.com]

"She would take me down because that is the best for her ...our people if I got that bad." Cassidy interjected firmly. "She's strong enough to take me down and the Court would follow her lead."

Cassidy had gone pale because the talk of her going mad was scraping against memories of that other her in that other Fandom.

Cassidy moved to Shira's side. "Since I'm the Queen she's talking about and she's one of the ones I know would do the right thing for the people, I know that beyond anything."

Re: Discuss

[givehimahand.livejournal.com]

"That is quite a bit of trust," Jaime replied dryly. "Pray it doesn't backfire on you."

Re: Discuss

[nothornlessrose.livejournal.com]

"It won't." Cassidy said firmly, letting her spine straighten. "She is my Healer and the first member of my Court. I trust her beyond anything as she does me."