[Chalion fic] As We Mean to Go On

[shimotsuki]

A post for the 2011 Bujold Fest at bujold_fic, for a prompt by philomytha: Ista and Illvin-More of their romance after the end of PoS, possibly with adventures.

As We Mean to Go On
(1805 words | PG-13 for innuendo | post-Paladin of Souls)
As Ista leads her traveling court into Jokona with the first wave of Chalionese troops, she must decide how to go about filling

Comments

[hrymfaxe]

Nice to see Ista continue in her path to make the life she wants (even if some of the direction has come from a certain Bastard). :)

Thank you for sharing!

[shimotsuki]

Thanks for reading! What I love most about Ista's story is the sense that she is making her own choices for the first time in her life.

[hrymfaxe]

Oh definitely. That whole book was such an amazing read towards the woman Ista could become, and your story is a really good continuation of this. (Only now I think you should write about Foix in Cardegoss. Will Mendenal even know what to do about him while they wait for help from the Bastard's rangs? ;))

[shimotsuki]

Ooh, a Foix story! I may have to think about that... ;)

I think Mendenal's probably doing all right! He's no saint, but he seems to be a very good administrator, so I'm betting he can look up in the Temple records about what to expect and how to proceed with a new Temple sorcerer. And Umegat can probably start coaching Foix in the basics, even before the seasoned sorcerer gets there. That's my theory, anyway. ;)

[gilpin25]

I like this upfront, no nonsense Ista, who is clearly determined not to hide either work or anything else behind a smokescreen of pretence. After a lifetime of having people pass judgement on her, there must be a lot of pleasure in observing their surprise and shock now. The line about having learned from the Provincara that if you take things for granted then so will others rings very true!

I'm seconding the Foix story request as his fangirl. He and his bear are probably not the most obedient of students, lol.

[shimotsuki]

I really enjoyed watching Ista interact with the people from her old life at the end of PoS, making it clear to them that their old expectations of her were no longer relevant. So this story explores that aspect of her psychology a little more.

I'm tempted by the Foix idea, but I would have to make up a lot of stuff about demons that I'm not sure I have the guts to do, lol. But maybe I should let it kick around in my head for a while. ;)

Thanks so much for reading!

[skeptic7]

Great story. So Liss is going to be banished to her own tent? In the normal course of things she should be sharing Ista's tent like when they were on pilgrimage, and now she is going to be all alone in the tent next door.
Ista is right, this is going to be only very slightly scandalous.

[shimotsuki]

Thanks for reading! I'm glad you enjoyed

chaperonage

[skeptic7]

Ista needs more people in her entourage. She was dragging around the bare minimum on her pilgrimage but now she is openly the Dowager Royina and Saint of the Bastard. She has picked up Illvin and a couple of other people, and can probably borrow a cavalry troop from the Marshall, but that is still much less then the necessary household. She needs a couple of scribes and a medic at least. Perhaps some respectable dedicate from one of the Mother's order would join the company and keep Liss company? Or another active young noblewoman who can keep up with travels. Or another woman courier from the postal service.
If Ista had a big tent with two compartments, Liss could have the outer chamber and Illvan and Ista the inner one.

Re: chaperonage

[shimotsuki]

I think the scenario you're sketching here is quite right for the longer term. But in my mind I was setting this story quite soon after the end of PoS (building on Ista's remark to Illvin that she expected Cazaril and Palli to turn up at Porifors immediately and waste no time advancing into Jokona). So given that it's all happening quickly, and that they're more or less a war party (or, technically, accompanying one), I didn't think Ista would have built up a full-blown entourage yet.

That said, Ista would need a clerk, and a medic is also a good idea for her to have along; either of these could also be more female company. If you like, you can imagine that such arrangements could have been made within a week or two of the end of PoS, and insert such personages into the background of this story. :)