Yennefer of Vengerberg (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
tellmehowstuffworks) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
fandomhigh2020-09-29 09:10 am
tellmehowstuffworks) wrote in fandomhigh2020-09-29 09:10 am
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Guiding the Powerful Yet Incompetent, Tuesday, Second Period
Yennefer was positively beaming as she greeted the class today. "The castle has awakened this morning to the news that the queen has been safely delivered of a healthy baby..."
Yennefer paused and took a deep breath, and the smile fell off her face. "Girl. The new princess joins her five sisters in the nursery." She cut a glance over at the king, sulking upon his throne. "Did I happen to mention that this is the sort of kingdom where only men are dubbed fit to rule? I don't suppose it came up until now.
"Now, his majesty here has several options in this situation. He could change the law of succession. Some other kingdoms already allow rule by women, and he has several lovely, intelligent daughters." She looked at the king again and felt compelled to explain, "...they take after their mother. He could cross his fingers and hope that the next one is a boy, solving the problem, or that the queen dies in childbirth, leaving him free to remarry. Or he could decide that this is all the queen's fault, as obviously the man has nothing to do with whether a baby is a boy or a girl, and he needs to get rid of her immediately and find a new wife who will give him lots of sons!" Yennefer gave her students another smile. This one was bitter and mocking. "Guess which option he's chosen.
"Again, within the umbrella of 'get rid of the queen,' the king has multiple options. He could reason with the queen and convince her it's for the best for everyone, and quietly divorce her, setting her up with her own household and all honors. He could unilaterally divorce her, bulling it through the courts despite the objections of the faith and her noble relatives. He could accuse her of adultery, manufacture evidence, and execute her. Or he could hire an assassin to get rid of her quickly so he can just move on with things. There's a lady in waiting he's got his eye on." Yennefer gave the king a contemptuous look. "Again, you can guess which option our sovereign with impulse control problems has chosen. Your job is to talk him out of it, of course...and probably most of that last list, as well. Best of luck."
Yennefer paused and took a deep breath, and the smile fell off her face. "Girl. The new princess joins her five sisters in the nursery." She cut a glance over at the king, sulking upon his throne. "Did I happen to mention that this is the sort of kingdom where only men are dubbed fit to rule? I don't suppose it came up until now.
"Now, his majesty here has several options in this situation. He could change the law of succession. Some other kingdoms already allow rule by women, and he has several lovely, intelligent daughters." She looked at the king again and felt compelled to explain, "...they take after their mother. He could cross his fingers and hope that the next one is a boy, solving the problem, or that the queen dies in childbirth, leaving him free to remarry. Or he could decide that this is all the queen's fault, as obviously the man has nothing to do with whether a baby is a boy or a girl, and he needs to get rid of her immediately and find a new wife who will give him lots of sons!" Yennefer gave her students another smile. This one was bitter and mocking. "Guess which option he's chosen.
"Again, within the umbrella of 'get rid of the queen,' the king has multiple options. He could reason with the queen and convince her it's for the best for everyone, and quietly divorce her, setting her up with her own household and all honors. He could unilaterally divorce her, bulling it through the courts despite the objections of the faith and her noble relatives. He could accuse her of adultery, manufacture evidence, and execute her. Or he could hire an assassin to get rid of her quickly so he can just move on with things. There's a lady in waiting he's got his eye on." Yennefer gave the king a contemptuous look. "Again, you can guess which option our sovereign with impulse control problems has chosen. Your job is to talk him out of it, of course...and probably most of that last list, as well. Best of luck."
Re: Listen to the Lecture
She nodded thoughtfully. "We'll definitely have to speak with the lady in waiting, yes. If she's at all intelligent, it shouldn't be hard to convince her to help us. And if she's not, she won't be much of a problem." She sighed. "I hope she isn't actually in love with him."