[ He shakes his head faintly at the first—he never knew Lord Luthor, except maybe in passing in the halls—and then listens with a faint smile. ]
It's a good point. I don't disagree. It's the brass tacks that are difficult. Convince the serfs to work with the elves, that's a battle. Convince them to work with the mages without pissing themselves in fear, that is a bigger one. But I can see a path to that. I can see—this, you know, what we have done here? Mix everyone together for a common cause, you work with them, you put a face to those labels, you sleep together, everyone is a real person now.
But then once the Empress is dead, [ is, for him, less literal than for Gwenaëlle, ] you have to make other decisions. We can even imagine that those decisions aren't all about divisions and squabbling over who gets what. Everyone is there in good faith, trying to solve a problem together. A mage, an elf, and a serf. How does the one who can read, who has an education, who can move mountains—little ones—and hold off armies, whose absence the others would suffer from more than she would suffer from theirs. How does she not have the final say? How is her life not considered more valuable? And it isn't that I think she would be wrong or selfish. Everyone thinks the first ruler will be good for them. That is how she becomes the ruler.
I don't think it is impossible, [ to clarify, post-pessimism, ] but I don't know how to do it.
no subject
It's a good point. I don't disagree. It's the brass tacks that are difficult. Convince the serfs to work with the elves, that's a battle. Convince them to work with the mages without pissing themselves in fear, that is a bigger one. But I can see a path to that. I can see—this, you know, what we have done here? Mix everyone together for a common cause, you work with them, you put a face to those labels, you sleep together, everyone is a real person now.
But then once the Empress is dead, [ is, for him, less literal than for Gwenaëlle, ] you have to make other decisions. We can even imagine that those decisions aren't all about divisions and squabbling over who gets what. Everyone is there in good faith, trying to solve a problem together. A mage, an elf, and a serf. How does the one who can read, who has an education, who can move mountains—little ones—and hold off armies, whose absence the others would suffer from more than she would suffer from theirs. How does she not have the final say? How is her life not considered more valuable? And it isn't that I think she would be wrong or selfish. Everyone thinks the first ruler will be good for them. That is how she becomes the ruler.
I don't think it is impossible, [ to clarify, post-pessimism, ] but I don't know how to do it.