Right I hate that i have to do this at this late stage of the game, but here's the situation...
The DUc de Rouvrante is right now seventy years of age, and is a widower. His wife gave him no issue and he has some health problems. His physician gives him a handful of years at most - and indeed, he dies in six years. IN my world, the hierarchy goes like this - Grand Duc (lez Keeng) followed by the Ducs, then the Marquises, then Comtes, the Victomes, then Comtes then Chevaliers. The Marquises through Chevaliers are little rulers of their own respective holdings, and the Grand Duc nderstandably (with the help of the chancelier) rules over all, but the Ducs (of which there are always only seven, though other ranks can be promoted or demoted) are like deputies, dealing with the minutiae of their respective Duchies. They are also often holders of many smaller titles and much of the Duchy's wealth.
My FMC is the heir apparent to a Marquisat and already Comtesse in her own right, having inherited the title and holding from her mother (women inherit and hold properties and titles in their own right; they do not pass them to their husbands; in turn when she marries, for example, a Duc, she becomes Duchesse Consort instead of Duchesse. Likewise with a man marrying a Duchesse, he become Duc Consort). She also has ties via her foster mother (not her father's new wife, rather, her mother's best friend who was aksed to take over should mummy dearest die) to another Duchy. The Duc, who is her Duc Souverain, has made an offer to marry her. He would pay, as bride price, fourty thousad in gold to her father the Marquis and twenty thousand to her personally, give her, whlesale, a separate Marquisat, and make her his heir, over his brother, who is heir presumptive.
His brother is the Duc d'Illitienne and Chancelier. It is a long story, but needless to say, he rivals his brother in wealth, power and prestige (I'm using them as examples of the good vs. bad of the gentry). Rouvrante is openly of the opinion that there is such a thing as too much power, but I don't think this is enough reason. THere are a few widows in the Duchy and a couple other eligible young noble maids that he could have chosen, though certainly none as powerful and rich as the FMC (both her Comté and her father's MArquisat are extremely wealthy, and there are a few other Comtés and Vicomtés for her to inherit and she had inherited a couple of Vicomtés from her mother in addition to the Comté). Why would he choose to hand a single girl such massiveness of power to surpass even his brother's position by the Grand Duc's side?
I do not like the completely political angle as it seems more what his brother would do. Rouvrante had met my FMC at one point earlier, and I was thinking somehting she had done or said in his presence, but I'm coming up blank. I have also been hinting at him choosing someone young because by the time he dies, she will still be young enough to make good use of the power he gives her and to easily get a husband to get a child, as he is having...problems.
And I really don't mean to be a pain, but it cannot be something wrong with the other heiresses. I have a policy of not mentioning/creating a character if he or she does not play a significant role, and I have pretty much all of my big characters already. I cannot let him choose by exclusion without mentioning the other girls and expanding their characters.
Thank you so much in advance!!!! Any and all suggestions will help muchly
Moderator Note: Edited to remove excessively long subject line.
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There is no sin except stupidity.
- Oscar Wilde
52,500 / 50,000
Nov 27, 2008 - 02 21
To balance his brother`s power? (Well, this would be political, of course.)
Non-political... ok. He met her, so maybe she said something that makes him think she`d be good for the people, close to his own ideals how the land should be ruled? He simply likes her muchly and thinks someone else is mistreating her, so she should get more power to be free? He liked her mother and has transferred this feeling to her? Hmm... given his age, I actually like the last one.
Seeing as you`re writing fantasy, if you don`t have a clue, use a prophecy or something like that. No one would question it, if it fits your world.
----------2008: They came across the water
Writing experience:
www.portalstones.com Ages come and go, leaving memories that become legend. Legens fades to myth and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth comes again...
58,667 / 50,000
Nov 27, 2008 - 02 37
Haha the prophecy doesn't really fit, but I kind of like th mother thing, though now I have to figure out why he liked her mother; he is still thirty years older than the mother, even if the mother were still alive.. Thanks!
To everyone else, keep it coming? I still don't quite know...
----------There is no sin except stupidity.
- Oscar Wilde
57,532 / 50,000
Nov 27, 2008 - 03 13
Hint at a historical precedent in the past that allows for Ducs to adopt heirs as a matter of policy based on the personal choice (and interpersonal values) of the Duc. Perhaps your world has a Roman analog, where it was routine for patrician families to adopt their retainers into the household in order to have a pool of candidates groomed by the pater familias. It was a matter of sharing the same name, which was a strong enough association in its own right, that a male heir from the main bloodline wasn't a requirement. (Indeed I've seen it suggested that Roman women prefered this since they were hardly keen on ancient birth practices.)
----------"I have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night."
Sarah Williams
"All that's left are our own imaginings"
Kezia Spears
52,500 / 50,000
Nov 27, 2008 - 04 47
Well, in this case her mother could have been his daughter? A secret affair with your char`s grandmother?
Else the reasons I can come up with are all connected to the more usual heirs of his, that he doesn`t think they`re right for the job or has other plans for them. *shrugs*
----------2008: They came across the water
Writing experience:
www.portalstones.com Ages come and go, leaving memories that become legend. Legens fades to myth and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth comes again...
58,667 / 50,000
Nov 27, 2008 - 06 13
...um...he MARRIES her. Then as his wife he makes her his heir. Thanks though. Familial connection would explain it, but certainly not allow for the mariage. So. Um. Keep 'em coming? Thanks a lot, though, for the replies...
----------There is no sin except stupidity.
- Oscar Wilde
50,259 / 50,000
Nov 27, 2008 - 07 29
Spite!
If he knows he is dying, he may want to one last time spit on all the nobles including his brother that he dislikes. Choosing someone that is not a direct line choice is way to do that.
This could go back to some trivial event between him and his brother over who got the nicest pony as a present. It could that the other brother wrecked his own toys and then claimed they were the Duc's toys. Thus the Duc ended up with wrecked toys and his good toys being taken by his brother.
It could go back to a woman they both coveted. His brother was successful in suit to the woman but only desired to bed her and afterwards banned her from his portion of the kingdom. The woman later committed suicide after giving birth to a baby (this though is pretty cliche but as a sort of karmic connection). It would have a bit of ick quality as the child grown up and married to the Duc would be his niece (though if it was a marriage in name and not consumation then most readers would ignore it though royalty inter-marrying is pretty common).
58,667 / 50,000
Nov 27, 2008 - 08 03
Haha this could work! As in, the spite thing. The Duc has a wicked sense of humour you find in old people who declare that they can do and say anything because they're old.
But I still need to answer this - why her and not another girl?
----------There is no sin except stupidity.
- Oscar Wilde
50,282 / 50,000
Nov 27, 2008 - 09 42
Perhaps her father and the Duc are good friends, or he owes the Marquis something. i.e. he made some sort of bet with him, and lost, or the Marquis saved the Duc's life at some point when they were much younger. In the past, the father would often make arrangements for the daughter's marriage, so that would be a logical conclusion. (I understood from your explanation of the Bride-price that the father was still alive?)
Another idea might be (and yes, it's a bit cliche, but hey.) that the Duc had met your FMC in some non-official setting, and liked her (spunk? personality? orginization of her sock drawer? you get the idea) ANYWAY, he liked something about her, and sent men to 'spy' on her, to learn more about her. When he made his decision, he approached her.
Just a couple of ideas.
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So what? I'm not your average girl. ~Barlowgirl
50,259 / 50,000
Nov 27, 2008 - 10 31
Maybe they were both at a ball.
When the Duc came in and everyone was bowing and scraping, she was the only one to whisper a bit too loud how awful his clothes looked.
Maybe she was dancing at a ball and her partner spun her a bit too hard and she went flying into the back of the Duc causing him to spill wine on himself. She then immediately went to try and fix the mess but instead of grabbing up water and a cloth she got more wine and a cloth. Thus the mess just got worse.
He started choking on a piece of food and to help him she punched him in the gut causing the food to pop out (early Heimlck manouver).
Any of a dozen reasons.
50,053 / 50,000
Dec 2, 2008 - 02 29
The Duc probably either owes her/her family, or maybe he simply doesn't like his brother. maybe both?
----------anyhow, the major reason to pass the holdings out of the bloodline would be marriage, and youve sorted that one, so why her?
well, he met her somewhere?
he owed her family/her?
her family owed him?
he just likes her?
she has some kind of style he likes?
she likes him, maybe, and rigged it?
to write? or... not to write. hmmm...
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..
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Write.
xox Capricious_Angel xox
34,106 / 50,000
Dec 2, 2008 - 12 27
I liked a lot of the comments and suggestions that the others have stated but I have an issue to raise. You stated that it is essentially the law in the land that his brother is heir because he sired no children of his own. This makes sense as there is some earth-bound precendent for this in history. If that is the case then wouldn't the Duc need to get approval from the Grand Duc and perhaps the coucil to transfer his power to a non-familial heir?
This could actually lend a ton of political intrigue and interesting scenes where the woman is presented before the council and the Duc makes his case. His brother of course will work to oppose the move. Could be fun.
Anyway, that was my thinking on the subject.
58,667 / 50,000
Dec 6, 2008 - 05 33
heir presumptive basically means that in the absence of a closer heir (or in this case, another declared heir) he will inherit. The Duc's role in this whole affair is essentially to die and leave her everything. I don't intend for him to live past the first two pages of the second part, and the first part ends with her acceptance of his proposal. And his brother does contest the will, though only after the Duc's death because clever Duc didn't tell anyone.
Thanks for your thinking though! Anyone else?
ETA: You know, your council idea has led me to somehting almost unrelated... INstead of having to get approval now, later when the brother contests the will, they bring it to the Grand Duc, and THAT is why she goes to hte capital. You see, I needed her to go there and befirned the Grand Duc's daughter and heir, but I had no idea how to get her to do that other than running away from her problems, but I hated that because I hate runners. Thanks!!
----------There is no sin except stupidity.
- Oscar Wilde