u/Needing_fIght_tips

Hi everyone !

Here to update about my fanfic advancement, and askip y’all about some things (you would have guessed it, marriage and succession)

So I am currently writing a Northern uplift story, taking place around 700 years before the main story (or 400 before the conquest/300 years before the Doom of Valyria).

The main character is Brandon Stark « the Burner », son of Brandon Stark « the Shipwright » (I know they don’t exactly fit the timeline as « thousand of year » is vague but I placed them here and I think it make sense). The story start in 241 AR (I placed age 0 at the end of the Great Bolton Rebellion defeated by Harlon Stark and his brother Karlon Stark (founder of house Stark of Karhold), at the birth of Brandon.

Anyway avoue the update : it’s taking way slower than I think, but I have dozen of pages to make sure there are no incoherency, and I’m also taking in a lot of time to expend upon the character writing and the world building (and to make a big family tree too).

But to get back on point, my problem of the day is kind of for the « late game ». The MC/SI, Brandon, married Desmera Manderly. They had 3 children that lived to adulthood, Elric, Eden and Melara Stark. The only make child is Elric Stark, who himself ends up having 2 daughter : Eddara and Denya Stark.
In 302 AR, Desmera Stark die at the age of 66. In 280 AR, Elric Stark died from wound in battle.

My questions are thoses :

Does the SI, then age 61, face pressure to remarry given that he have no male son ?

Especially given that he does not want to remarry to destabilize succession, and have already established and put in law that his eldest granddaughter will inherit the Kingdom of the North. This have became accepted through roughly 30 years of « propaganda » and a (small) change of mindset/tradition in nobility.

EDIT : to clarify, the succession IS set and written in a code of law, and it is absolute primogeniture (through a long plot that happens in the story, ain’t spoiling). Eddara should inherit and her son after her. My question would be why would any of the northern lord opposite this ? (As said, the Starks never had a ruling Queen but I don’t see why not except tradition, which can be changed, or any kind of magic, on which we sadly have no indication).

So the complete situation is this (and clearly said and proclaimed like this, oath and all) : Eddara, grand daughter of the SI through his firstborn child and son Elric, is first in line to become King in the North. Then come her son, great-grandson of the SI, second in line (who is a toddler). Then come Denya, second granddaughter of the SI through his son Elric. Then come Eden, his second eldest child and eldest daughter. Then come Eden eldest daughter, then her second son, then her youngest daughter. Then come Melara eldest son, then second son. Then would come any brother/sister of the SI, and their children after them.

My question is : would anyone try to usurp anyone (grab for power probably), if the law is set and written and that most people (in what we could accept the « progressive » faction) accept it and that the SI is careful to not give any power to them.
And if he remarry and have a son, would he feel entitled to have a claim ? (Realistically he could never push it given that he would have little to no influence, but I’m interested in your opinion).

If he does feel pressure to remarry, it would most likely be from the traditionalist faction. Supposing he does remarry, what are your opinions on who he would/should remarry ? A widow/daughter/sister of a lord so that he may build new alliances, or a ruling lady so that he may (maybe) inherit her lands and add to centralization without forcing (too much) the process ?

Anyway I’d be curious to hear about your thoughts, don’t hesitate to ask any question that you wish for; thanks for reading all of this if you are here :)

Have a nice day, see you soon

Hiii everyone

I’m currently writing a fanfic that is happening ~750 years before 300 AC, so around 450 years before conquest (340 before doom). Anyway.

It’s an SI into the heir to the Kingdom of the North, and it’s globally an uplift story (with conflict and all, it’s my first story ever but I’m really committed to make it an interesting one). If you’re interested, you can check my other posts if you wish.

Anyway, the character is the son of Brandon « the Shipwright », and is basically left to rule the kingdom (under the regency of his uncle) at 15. He then become king and a few things happens, he build an alliance with Braavos, and then a few years later goes into a ship trip to test a few things and basically trade (kinda like Corlys Velaryon nine voyages but clearly not on that scale), and he intend to go himself because he need to do diplomacy and set a few things that I ain’t spoiling here (sorry :( ). This trip will include some of the free cities, then Valyria then back.

Sorry for the long intro, if you followed till there thanks to you 🙏. I have two problems : first of all is the reaction of his wife and child. He must do this voyage (that last around a year and a half/two years in total) when he is between 25 and 30 for the story to work out, and so his son will be between 10-15 years old. I wonder how you guys think he should react, along his wife (I already have my idea set but I’m unsure, so asking you all).

Then the second actual problem. In Lys (and the other free cities and Valyria) he faces the reality of slavery (and I mean it, my Valyria is kinda like in « the Mistress of Worms », so if you know you know), and actually stumble on Northerners bedslaves, including one his second cousin through his Umber grandmother who was kidnapped by wildlings, then kidnapped by Tyroshis and ended in the slave trade, and I wonder two things : how diplomatically acceptable do you think it would be for him to buy her back (then ofc free her) from Lys, like do they wouldn’t care at all ? I know it would depend on the status of the person, but still I’m asking you. He would also free other slaves (but since he can’t feee them all, he will have to do moral dilemmas and choices and so on…). Should that be fine ?

I’m currently writing the story as the answer being « yes », but that can ofc still change. However, considering those people get out of slavery and come back North, how do you think they would behave ?
I am not a rape/slavery survivor and do not wish to misrepresent those people, so I am wondering how they would behave, how they would (could?) readapt to society, and what their view toward for exemple marrying would be.

Thanks a lot for any help you could provide, and sorry for yapping that much 😭.

Have a great day :)