Do not see my fair rose wither (Histories AU)

[lareinenoire]

Title: Do not see my fair rose wither
Author: lareinenoire
Play: 1 Henry IV
Characters / Pairings: Hal, Isabel, Richard (flashback); Hal/Isabel, Richard/Isabel, Hal/Richard (sort of)
Rating: PG
Summary: After Richard's death, Isabel is escaping ghosts and Hal is chasing them.
Wordcount: 2153
Author's Notes: Part of the Big Shakespeare Histories AU, set just

Comments

[speak_me_fair]

AHHHHHH more of this! Yay! *gorges on*

I loved the flashbacks and the references to moving wallpaper, and sweet drunk Hal, and ISABELLE! That was wonderful! But what I really loved was him becoming Hal, and Poins's grin under the gaslamps, and the other world opening up....

...and most of all, that for a moment, I wasn't quite sure what the revulsion was for, which was just PERFECT.

AND POOR POOR JOHN HE WILL NEVER GET HIS MONEY BACK.

[angevin2]

Drunk!Hal is just the most adorable thing ever, isn't he? :D

[speak_me_fair]

Oh God he so is....

....actually, he is so adorable that even Percy gives in to it (a bit)....but that is in another world altogether. And no kisses are exchanged *G*

[angevin2]

HAL'S DRUNKEN CUTENESS IS A SUPERPOWER.

Also, I have to admit that picturing Richard's "..." reaction in this fic cracks me up a little. It has much to do, I think, with the sheer difficulty of actually getting him to do that.

[17catherines]

I do like this. And knowing that Hal ended up marrying Isabel's younger sister adds a whole interesting level to the interaction...

[lareinenoire]

Even more interesting is that after Richard died, Henry IV tried to marry Isabel to his son, but the French king wouldn't have it. They were fairly close in age too.

[17catherines]

I didn't know that bit!

I always found it just slightly disconcerting that two kings after Richard II you have someone marrying his Queen's younger sister - I know Isabel was very young when she married Richard, but it's still strange to think about.

[angevin2]

And Isabel herself, when the issue arose, was all "FUCK YOU AND THE HORSE YOU RODE IN ON."

In re: disconcerting age differences, I don't know whether it makes it better or worse that Catherine was eleven years younger than Isabel! It probably does make it less weird if you consider that Richard II was not really old enough to be middle-aged when he was deposed, and that Henry was the same age as Richard and didn't live to be particularly old either (he was about 45 when he died).

[angevin2]

I don't think I've commented publicly, but you know I adore this fic. Hal is so awesome when he is drunk, and Richard and Isabelle are terrific. And there are references to my fic! Who could ask for anything more? ;)

[lareinenoire]

Thank you! I am so glad, because you know how scared I am of writing this Richard (the other one I can manage).

[angevin2]

I do, but you do it very well!

[gileonnen]

We'd talked before about Terrible Things Happening versus existential angst--and I think this is you in the latter mood. Everything's so trapped and broken, and Hal's remove to the tavern is almost more about escape than about performance. He knows Richard's vices, and he knows that they didn't help, and yet he still goes to the tavern because it's better than being home with his family and the ghosts that they've made.

Excellent work.

[lareinenoire]

Thanks so much! I keep worrying that my Hal isn't obsessively performative enough (or manipulative enough, for that matter) in these earlier pieces, but I should probably just stop worrying and keep writing and see what happens. I'm still envious of how subtly you wrote him in Flattering Glass.

On a more cheerful note, the next AU piece featuring Hal will also feature Shenanigans, Poins, Falstaff, and ill-advised poker games.

[gileonnen]

!!! This is going to be SO MUCH FUN!

[angevin2]

I KNOW, I CANNOT WAIT.