#roslain crest

[furniture-piece]

it’s so funny to me that igrain spends the entirety of sabran’s childhood and teen years trying to mold her into an obedient queen but she doesnt factor in the loyalty of roslain, her heir. her entire plan to take the throne hinges on replacing sabran with her and roslain ends up fucking breaking her fingers to protect sabran. what a lady

[sshannonauthor]

Hello! I just finished Priory for the second time in as many months and while I adore all of it, one thing that particularly stood out to me on my second read-through is Roslain Crest, and how you didn't pit her against Sabran. I love that they just get to be friends and support each other but also have their own conflicts and struggles without the usual "dramatic" portrayal of relationships between women and I haven't seen it often before, so thank you.

I'm glad you like Ros – I really enjoyed developing her character.

[romans-art]

spoiler alert but I was re-reading The Priory of the Orange Tree by @sshannonauthor and just about died laughing when I realised my girl’s natural-born talent is just depression gjfjldjkfjgfds

I straight up saw this whole cast of awesome ladies and my brain immediately went “ah yes.......the depressed, touch-starved wlw shall be my favourite...”

[romans-art]

Roslain Crest in canon: tall, cool, dignified, loyal, Knight of Justice

me: lmao she small and ready to fight

[sshannonauthor]

When the four of them (Tané, Ead, Sabran, and Ros) are all standing together, is Tané's head ever used as an armrest?

Ha, she’s not thaaaat short in comparison

Order: Tané, Ead, Ros, Sab 

[sshannonauthor]

Did Sabran ever have any feelings towards Ros (or any of her other handmaidens [if that's the right word for them])?

No. Sabran lost her mother at a young age and has no living female relatives, so she always thought of her Ladies of the Bedchamber as family. 

I would say that Ros has some buried feelings towards Sabran. She’d never act on or even acknowledge them, since she’s deeply in love with her companion, but in my mind, her love for Sabran is a complex thing and does tip slightly beyond the platonic. It’s also mixed up with her religious fealty to the House of Berethnet. 

If you’re familiar with Christianity, you may know that the love between Christ and the church is sometimes described in erotic or marital terms, as in the Song of Solomon. That is, in my mind, something like how Roslain loves Sabran. It wouldn’t be a very healthy relationship, because Ros is devoted to Sabran in a way that sets the latter on a pedestal. 

[sshannonauthor]

Did those feelings change at all when it came to light that Sabran was more cursed by her bloodline than blessed by it? (Also who is Ros' companion?)

Ros’s companion is the very handsome and chivalrous Lord Calidor ‘Cal’ Stillwater. He’s the second son of Lady Nelda Stillwater, the Duchess of Courage. 

And you’ll have to ponder that for yourself . . . unless I write a sequel, of course.

[sshannonauthor]

Doesn't Ros riding into battle or a hunt in a side-saddle put her at a disadvantage? I'd imagine it's a lot harder to guard your back than it is your right or left side (is she just that good?)

1) Roslain Crest would never ride into battle, she’d die in one point five seconds. She can fight you only with her sharp tongue and icy glare. 

2) If she did ride into battle, then yes, she’d ride astride. I meant on a normal, battle-free day.