Saw some people chatting about the moral questions regarding different ship dynamics, and especially the differences in the power imbalances between different ships, particularly in the context of kcd. It sent me yet again on the ever-revolving loop of just how much I love the power Radzig has over Henry, both in the social hierarchy kind of way but also emotionally, and what all that can mean for their relationship both in general as well as if we add a sexual-romantic component into the mix. Thus was born the following ramble, which is riddled with my own head canons and built mostly on somewhat loose interpretations of what we see of their relationship in the two games. Nothing here's new, nothing here's ground breaking, nothing here's probably even interesting to read for anyone else, this is simply a ramble of some of the things that keep me so hooked on these two. :_D
Now, as far as incest shipping goes, I'm a big fan. A big fan of all the different versions that I can think of. Just to get that out of the way. But in this particular case, I love that Radzig didn't raise Henry, and not in any way because of what it can be twisted to mean in terms of perceived problematics. No, I love it as is.
I love that before the events of the game start unfolding, Sir Radzig Kobyla is just the most recent lord of the castle Henry's lived next to his whole life. I love that Henry has no idea who he is, as a person. No idea what drives him, what motivates him, what makes him angry, what he might and might not allow. He's not only his liege lord, but someone he has no grasp of as a ruler yet, let alone as a human being. To Henry, Sir Radzig Kobyla is just some new, high-ish born lord guy who fights for King Wenceslas and moved next door a couple of months ago. Owns the mines, or whatever. Gave permission to roast a pig for a party. Ordered a sword from Henry's Pa. That's not a very exhaustive list of things to know about a person. The people of Rattay had more things to say about Hanush than Henry did about Radzig when questioned by the guards of Talmberg.
It's not really until Henry is in his active service that Henry gets to start grasping at who this particular lord is. And to learn how he reacts when Henry steps out of line, or stays within. When Henry goes above and beyond. When he goes too far. When he falls short. And obviously he pretty much immediately finds out that while he should follow Radzig's every command, he's not exactly punished for doing what he thinks is right either, and he also seems to get the opportunity to ask questions. And has them answered, and in quite lengthy ways, too. Not all the nobles he interacts with allow him that.
And thus the relationship that starts forming is immediately way too familiar for Henry to be just some guy. The easy answer is that it's because apparently Radzig knew his parents well enough to know who they were. But can he really simply shrug it off, when he's faced with countless opportunities for other people to let him know that Radzig is treating him in a special way?When random Bohemians, both noble and peasant, comment on it. When his own friends quip about it. When Radzig himself makes sure to tell Henry to take care of himself, that he doesn't like it when Henry puts himself in danger (and then pretty much in the same breath tells him to go put himself in more danger... but that's an entire topic for another ramble). When he goes as far as to take him aside to tell him he's not disappointed in him. Gives open praise, both in front of others as well as in private. Henry pretty much never comments on it, but he must be aware that he's not being treated like just any village boy.
Or perhaps not, perhaps he's too blinded by the grief he's pretending to push through by focusing on all these exciting tasks he's given in an effort to fulfill the last promise he made to his father.
In any case, there's already all of this going on between them, and then Henry finds out about his actual parentage, and now this new lord from the castle next door who he might think he's getting to know personally is also revealed as someone who keeps things from Henry. Keeps things about Henry himself, from Henry. But does tell about it to other people. And in the game we don't really get to properly explore how devastating that could be to the trust they've started forming between each other, but we do get to ponder that forever in our minds. Suddenly, there's this whole entire layer to their relationship that obviously Radzig's been aware of this whole time, and that many people around them have known for god knows how long, and Henry's been entirely clueless about the whole time. Radzig could've told Henry ages ago. He could've told him first thing, or he could've told him when Henry stepped into his service, and he could've told him any day after that. But he didn't. And instead he just gave Henry all sorts of lectures on what life is about and how the enemy might think, and, of course, all the tasks none of his actual trained men would or could do. And he was quite patient about it, yes. Kind. Encouraging. And all along he was also dishonest. And everyone around him went along with it.
Keeping in mind that Henry still hasn't had enough time to get to know him at all, pretty much all he knows about Radzig, at this point, is that he can't trust him. How could he, now, when Radzig's words might never be quite the whole truth. If he didn't tell Henry this huge thing, what else might he not be saying?
And what does it even mean, the fact itself but also the not telling about it part? What is Henry's place, now, when he's not only in active service of Radzig, but also his son? What is he supposed to think about it? Is he even allowed to decide that for himself? What can he question, and what can he not?
What does his father Sir Radzig Kobyla want from him?
What has he wanted this whole time?
And that's all already so lovely to think about, and to wonder the effects of, but because we're shipping Henryzig here, now let's add romance and sex. Let's add all the new kinds of intimacy that they can bring into a relationship that is already heavily imbalanced in such a profound way, and let's ponder the layers of trust issues that would build themselves into such a dynamic, and how they might manifest in this particular case.
In Henry, who needs to learn to navigate what Radzig asks from him and what he might want, all over again. What he tells him and what Henry must interpret himself. What his expectations are, and whether any of them are ever verbalized. If Radzig is hiding something else from him, even now, even when he's balls deep in Henry's throat, or when he's got him seeing stars on his back, naked in his silks and lavish pillows. When sweat and spent semen are cooling on Henry's skin, and Radzig's hand is caressing his hair, is he hiding something from Henry still?
And why? Why didn't Radzig tell him? Was he not good enough, had he not solved enough problems? Has he now? When would he have told him? When would he have been good enough to learn this? Would he ever have?
And then let's also give a shout out to a version of Henry who isn't aware of any of this, not consciously, because he's busy solving all the world's problems, because he was told to and because he wants to become a better man, and thus doesn't have time to ponder such things, but who is still reacting to and suffering from it all. Love me a Henry of Skalitz who refuses to acknowledge that he might have feelings that should be dealt with. Who does what he's told, and if that's not enough, then he does even more, and more, and more still, and doesn't stop, and doesn't understand why he's tired, why he's sad, why he's angry. Why sex isn't helping. Why the praise that used to make him move mountains has started to feel lukewarm, then irritating, then something that makes him feel unclean.
And while all that is already so good, we can make it so much better — and by better I mean diverse, which really is a great synonym for it in all kinds of fandom contexts — with different versions of Radzig's side of it. Radzig, who is aware of everything or even some of the things that could possibly be running through Henry's mind, and is being pained by it, but doesn't know how to — or if to — talk about it. Or Radzig, who is aware, and simply expects everyone to move on from it, because that's what one does. Or Radzig, who couldn't possibly even begin to wonder about those things, because he simply cannot relate to Henry's position at all.
And of course, Radzig, who has never been able to trust that Henry's feelings are alike his own, and though he tries to ignore that doubt, tries to will it away, refuses to acknowledge it, it never quite goes away. Henry might be looking at him like he hung the whole starry sky up for him, but he's supposed to, isn't he? He's his liege lord, and his father, and he also just gave him one of the more thorough orgasms Henry's gotten in his life, and he has the power to do that again any time he wants to, and so what can Henry do but obey Radzig's every command? Nothing at all. And if he cannot object, or feels like he can't, or even slightly doubts his permission to, then can he ever truly consent either? Can he ever truly want?
And I didn't even start on when their relationship might've fallen over into the romantic-sexual side, and the layers of betrayal and trust issues that that would've brought had it been pre vs post Vranik, and all the ways their individual religious world views might've affected any of, well, anything, here, really. It's just all so very tasty to ponder, and I love that there are so many facets to the whole ship. Truly an entire silver mine, this, or a cornucopia, even a sampo, if you will. <3
