*talks about jaime’s father instead of jaime* whoops
jaime’s father, aldwyn, was very much the opposite of his own son in his youth; boisterous, outgoing, hated his studies but loved the feel of a sword in his hand. a bit of a wild child… very passionate, headstrong. he had a way with people— and talking— that let him talk his way in and out of most things, but he could be a handful… it was probably very frustrating for his parents and teachers! he wouldn’t listen to anything he didn’t want to and thought he could do everything himself, but i think he had the sort of air that often made people believe he could. very confident.
of course, as with most youthful rebellious streaks, he mellowed out with time… he was more well-rounded and mature by the time he took the throne.he still had his confidence, but it had quieted out some, grown up from how cocky he was in early life. his people were his greatest priority and his greatest passion; he was very devoted to the welfare of his citizens during his rule, and he was very diplomatic in foreign relations. he strived to create strong ties with foreign powers and to maintain peace.
he felt very “love at first sight” about the woman who would be his wife and queen; he was quite smitten with her from the moment they met, and all the moreso as he got to know her in private. there can be little doubt that the former queen was someone who aldwyn very much considered his equal— openly so, although it was a bit odd, considering the timepoint, and i suppose there may have been some minor rumors about the matter— and that, while their marriage was arranged for political purposes, the two genuinely fell in love with one another. he was a very doting husband and his wife put the stars in his eyes… he was a very affectionate man, and it was very clear to anyone who spoke with him about her that he loved her wholeheartedly!
in regards to his son, jaime, his love ran just as deep as it did for his wife. while the two were very different in a lot of ways, they shared similar interests, and they had a very healthy and strong bond as father and son; there was never a moment where aldwyn was not fiercely proud of jaime, and never a moment where he considered his son to be anything close to a disappointment. while at first his son’s distaste for things like swordplay worried him, he undoubtedly loved jaime all the same, and was very supportive of the areas his son was interested in; in fact, the two bonded over a mutual fascination with history and foreign relations, and he was very proud of his son’s eye for tactical strategy.
it wasn’t uncommon for the king to shirk minor duties in favor of spending time with his son, a somewhat annoying habit for the people who had to deal with it in his stead, but naturally it was only very minor business. spending time with jaime was “more fun”, and while aldwyn was certainly a capable and matured ruler at that point, there were some things that time could never change— like his willful streak and certain aspects of his playful personality.
in terms of his persona as, well, king… solemn business was handled accordingly. he knew when and how to be serious if he needed to be, and when it was necessary, he was capable of whatever he had to do— he was firm, but at all times fair. he valued mercy just as much as he did justice. situations where being so iron faced was not needed… meeting with dignitaries and the like, that sort of thing; he had the polite manners expected of a king at this point, but there was still a lot of personality there.
like, he was very personable! he was a natural with people from his earliest years, it seemed, and that stayed in adulthood. if he was not required to be entirely serious then he certainly wasn’t; he liked to joke, he liked to treat everyone around him— nobles, foreign royalty, castle staff alike— like he considered them a friend, like he really cared about them. and he did. he had a very big heart and was very empathetic towards other people.
he took a genuine interest in other people’s stories, especially about themselves and where they were from. he hated studying growing up but he’d always been curious and loved to learn about people, about the world… but he found books on the subjects to be lackluster compared to first hand accounts! it’s better hearing it from a real person, right?
all in all he was a very… friendly, good-natured man. very much a natural socialite; he was a man who enjoyed his get-togethers, liked to invite foreign nobility to kanto… he wanted to help and was the sort of person who felt deeply when anyone else suffered. tl;dr i think he was a good king !!!! (wow duh)
his wife passing was a struggle, and his health seemed to go fast after that, i think… he loved her so deeply. i think he tried to seem strong for jaime, but it was clear that losing his wife took a great deal from him. i think he handled the loss the same way jaime did, despite their many differences; they both internalized it, but it took a great toll on him, and by the time he himself fell ill and died you could see it just looking at him, that he wasn’t quite what he once was? thinner, paler.
he kept up good relations until his death, but he became much less socially active; not any less polite, or caring for that matter, but simply too tired for parties and traveling and that sort of thing.
he’d be very proud of jaime, i think.
