Look, there's something profoundly wrong and not okay with the all 3 of the Fortemps brothers, but especially Artoirel and Emmanellain and it is easy to see their Father's part in it (the neglect of who they are as people, the way he never sees them or what they contribute, the sideways comparisons to Aymeric and finding them wanting, the idealization of the knighthood and freedom that Haurchefant represents for him against their duties as heirs of House Fortemps, the fact that they mostly seem to exist to fill a part of his duty he'd rather forget he's trapped in), but their mother must have contributed too.
And how could she not, married to a man who had an affair, who openly acknowledged the bastard child who resulted, who constantly overlooked the children (heirs) she gave him. There's no mention of her by Edmont, she might as well never have existed for all he speaks of her. And you can feel her resentment of that fact and how she passed it on to especially Artoirel in early Heavenswards so very clearly. Emmanalein is the useless one, the one who doesn't fit, but Artoirel is his mother's son, he's the one who mentions her, who feels the emotion of what her place in the family was.
And Artoirel's growth is subtle and background, but his acceptance of his father's shortcomings and disregard for him and decisions to do his duty anyway, to not resent Aymeric for being his father's new favorite the way he resented Haurchefant, to stand beside him and fight for a new Ishgard, is such a good arc in that light. He won't be consumed by the resentment that is fair at all the things his father is and isn't, he's going to do what is right and care anyway, he's going to be secure in his own worth rather than lash out anymore.
theartofmadeline
romaincrisis
