The Hillfolk

[osprey_archer]

Ever since I read The Grim Gray Hills, which I admire and envy, because I want to be able to harrow readers like this - it begins This is what it means, to be a noble in the Hill Country: you are a traitor to your people. - I’ve started twitching every time a Tortall book mentions the Hill Country. I am all “It is the hillfolk, the conquered and

Comments

[carmarthen]

I would like to subscribe to your newsletter! I have strong theories about Delia and Lerant and their relationship to their fief....

[osprey_archer]

Are these the theories that you wrote about already, or have they evolved since your last essay on the subject? Because if they have changed, I am curious to hear it!

Also, do you recalls if there's any internal evidence in the Tortall canon about whether the current Hill nobles are the descendants of Hillfolk who sided with the Tortallan invaders, or the descendants of Tortallan knights installed by Jasson? Either could be plausible, and either would make a good story, but if we have definite evidence for one of the other I don't want to contradict it.

indeed, it's pretty likely that it's a mix of the two: Jasson kept the Hill nobles who came quietly, installed Tortallan knights into the fiefdoms of the ones who resisted to the bitter end, and since then they've intermarried.

This would definitely be in keeping with the ALL THE ANGST approach. No matter what Lerant does, he'd be betraying SOMEONE.

[carmarthen]

Oh, gosh, I don't know. Probably not substantively. I have a Delia story I really should finish one of these days, except I started writing it two years ago and should probably gut it and start over.

No internal evidence that I recall--there's really almost nothing about the Hillfolk in canon, so Ankhiale and I have largely been creating theories out of whole cloth.

Jasson kept the Hill nobles who came quietly, installed Tortallan knights into the fiefdoms of the ones who resisted to the bitter end, and since then they've intermarried.

That's my thought.

Does this mean you're going to write angsty Hillman!Lerant fic?

[osprey_archer]

Does this mean you're going to write angsty Hillman!Lerant fic?

Yes, probably!

Also angsty Lerant who has an unrequited crush on Raoul, and angsty Lerant who realizes that he is beginning to like Kel against his will. ALL THE LERANT ANGST.

[anait]

Thanks for that rec. I went and read and left copious praise.

Wow. It's instant head-canon for me. Just: Yes. Alex and Delia and Roger.

And yeah, that premise just adds layers upon layers to Lerant. It works every bit as fantastically well when applied to him too!

[osprey_archer]

I know! It makes their motivations a thousand times more understandable than they are in canon!

Plus of course the bonus Lerant angst it inspires.