Having any relationship with Marika must be terrible.
Either being her child or partner, you can never fully trust your position- Marika has no problem taking out and replacing those, who do not fit her criteria at the moment. Godfrey was only good for securing the dominant power of Leyndell, then he was pushed away. Messmer was only good enough for his ability to inflict suffering on others and then he was sealed away. Mogh and Morgott were simply unlucky to be born Omens, something they had no control over and were imprisoned. Maliketh was placed as just seal for Death, made into figure of fear, even while having much gentler demenour. Any faction which aligned themselves with Erdtree eventually rotted away.
Zamors helped Godfrey conquer Giants and their civilzation went into ruin. Storm King was killed and his culture lost, only traces of it remaining. Caria did not bow down to Erdtree, so Marika ordered Radagon back into Leyndell, completely destroying it, clearly not caring what will happen. Ancient Dragons gifted their power and knowledge to Leyndell and it did nothing for them- humans might hunt drakes but it will never bring back their glory days. They are far too gone. Misbegotten, Beastmen, Albinaurics... list goes on.
Imagine being born in such place. Being Godwyn, Malenia and Miquella- this is their only family, their roots. Marika might love them but they are aware of her machinations and ways. Godwyn's father was taken away from him. Miquella and Malenia only exist because their parents broke another family apart. They clearly were not blind to what Marika had not in other areas. Since Miquella had something going on with Mogh (charm, consensual pact, whatever you think it was) and traces of other sibling exist in Lands of Shadow, it's well known what happens to kids who do not fit into Marika's ideas.
No matter the amount of love, relations, you cannot shake knowledge of such burden placed upon you. The knowledge of being replacable if need arises. Radagon might also be aware but he is okay with it since he willingly left Rennalla.
Was this knowledge reason why Godwyn, instead of fighting Dragons, made peace with them? To have something to fall back on, if his mother had enough of him? All his sibling had something going on if Erdtree would reject them- Caria sibling could come back to Liurnia and they had their own livehoods not dependent on Marika (Radahn as general in Caelid, Ranni as princess in Caria, Rykard was fine in Mt. Gelmir). Mogh and Morgott had each other and if anything else fails, the Blood Mother. Miquella and Malenia established Haligtree for themselves. His brother Messmer had only Erdtree and when thrown away, he ended with nothing. The same with Godfrey. And they were the most loyal, closest people to Marika. The only people not thrown away was Maliketh... yet, was he truly not pushed away, as vessel for Death, forced into much more isolating existence?
Do you think when Black Knives attacked him, he thought it was Marika getting rid of him? Was he thinking it was simple kidnapping before being killed? Was he accepting such fate, since he deep down believed, that no matter what he had done for his mother, he would always be another useless cog for her in the end?
Sorry for text, I was just having a lot of thoughts and needed to tell them.
