[FICATHON] And Villeins Ye Shall Remain, for highfantastical

[angevin2]

Title: And Villeins Ye Shall Remain
Author: angevin2
Play: Richard II, pre-canon
Recipient: highfantastical
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Richard II, Henry Bolingbroke, with a couple of mildly slashy bits; references to Henry/Mary de Bohun and Richard/Robert de Vere that don't really affect the story
Warnings: fairly graphic discussion of severed heads, incessant monologizing

Comments

[gileonnen]

This fic is practically perfect in every way. Just enough kindness to leaven the grisliness; just enough hope to leaven the helplessness.

[angevin2]

Thank you! That means a great deal coming from you. :)

[likeadeuce]

I love this interaction between the two of them. The early part of Richard's reign doesn't usually get as much attention when discussing the plays, but it's there as part of their shared histories. They're so young here, and they have no idea what the future holds! Henry, at least, doesn't have any idea at all -- it's interesting to see a moment where Richard actually seems more knowing than Henry.

[angevin2]

I always found it so interesting that there's not really even a mention in the play that Richard used to be quite the little badass -- that line about how "all the treasons for these eighteen years...fetch from false Mowbray their first head and spring" is generally seen as a reference to the Revolt, although it doesn't really work because a) the scene technically takes place in 1398, and b) IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH ANYTHING. (This kind of elision of the Revolt is pretty common in Tudor-era accounts of Richard II, though; it doesn't really fit in with the narrative. Although Shakespeare's depiction of Jack Cade's rebellion is actually based directly on Holinshed's section on the 1381 revolt

[gehayi]

This is SO very them. They are so young and adorable and they desperately need hugs. I love that Henry is more worried about being thought a coward (and how desperately he tries to reassure himself that he didn't LITERALLY piss himself in the Tower) while Richard is tense and angry because he's being made to look like a liar. I love Richard telling Thomas of Woodstock that yes, he should go NOW. I love that Richard wants his subjects to love him and that Henry doesn't even think of this. I love that Henry thinks that being a king should be so very simple...and it's not. It's not.

As I said...it's so very, very them.

[angevin2]

One of my favorite things to do to Woodstock in fic is let Richard order him around. It's fun. ;)

Anyway, yes! Richard is totally worried about what his subjects think of him -- I thought about having him be more explicit about how he wants to be a great king but how can he be if his people resent him for going back on his promises? But I decided, what the hell, obviously people would get it. And of course Henry has a view that's...not exactly rose-colored, but he hasn't tried it, plus after Richard's actions during the revolt he probably assumes Richard can clearly do anything.

[highfantastical]

I ADORE THIS, please worry not at all, I am more than delighted with EVERY variation of Henry/Richard and my prompts are never more than very vague suggestions! This is amazing and a joy to read and I'm so, so glad you had fun writing it. Oh my god, just brilliant. I love poor Henry so much and it's fascinating to have a fic exploring what the aftermath was like for him - and gosh, poor Richard, too! I've always longed for more fic covering this period; thank you immensely for this story! :DDD

*uses icon of REJOICING AND GLEE*

[angevin2]

I am so glad you like it! I worried for ages about what to do with this lovely prompt, so I'm very pleased you like the result. I totally agree there should be MORE 1381 FIC -- I have a couple of fics in the works that involve it (including the Richeldis fic, which is going to have a lot of the main events onscreen, if you will) but who knows when I'll finish them.

Poor Henry has such a bad time during the revolt, and then he ends up feeling crappy and useless and AT LEAST I DIDN'T WET MY PANTS, WAIT, OH GOD, I DIDN'T, RIGHT afterwards. I do rather wish I'd brought it back to his issues more explicitly after starting with them and then sort of dropping it once I got to Richard -- Richard's monologues do tend to dominate things, and then, I don't think Henry's going to be very forthcoming about his feelings in Richard's presence, anyway. Maybe I should write an epilogue. :D

[speak_me_fair]

I really love this -- Henry's perpetual missing the point while still wanting, obscurely, to find some way of making Richard feel better about things, the image of the way the priest would have to be starved to fit in the space behind the altar, Richard's acceptance of what he can really get done.

And all the WONDERFUL foreshadowing of EVERYTHING.

Also, I have a complete thing for kid-fic, so this really hit the spot on all counts :-)

[angevin2]

Oh man, I worried SO MUCH about the foreshadowing! Especially the "what if I promised you something" dialogue because HI OBVIOUS. I'm glad it worked for you and wasn't just O HAI SLEDGEHAMMER OF FORESHADOWING.

And I really love writing kid-fic (teenagerfic? They're 14 so I dunno if it counts as kidfic) and haven't in a while. :D