Les Contes de Bergerac

Hello. This blog is dedicated towards my 5-part novella series Contes de Bergerac on Ao3. The series is set during the last years of the Orlesian occupation of Ferelden. More specifically from the Blessed Age 8:96-8:98. It follows Lady Aurelie de Bergerac, a chevalier, who becomes enamored by a Fereldan woman named Ser Branwyn of the Briars. I have two parts finished: 1. A Fool's Errand: This serves more as a very quick prologue of how they met. 2. The Courtship: I consider this the true start of the series as they begin their courtship.

The third one I'm writing and should be posted soon.

I guess the best way I can describe the style of writing is that it's a historical fiction with a romance. Not a romance in a historical fiction if that makes sense. Worldbuilding is more DAO than Inquisition and Veilguard.

Eef, looking a 6 part novella series than a 5 part. But for Novella 3.... I've been trying to write what the plot is. And I thought it was gonna be about religious sects, but I'm not quite happy with it. So I lied probably not gonna be about Testament of Ann Lee. Though it is super related. I think I want to write more about "mothers". Branwyn's mother is Lady Raillard, the one who made Branwyn a bastard. Maybe Aurelie's own view on motherhood. Andraste as a mother which we all kinda forget happened in lore. (she adopted 3 kids, beared 2). Also the "mother" role of colonization. I think the theme about mothers and control. I think there's something so tragic about being so betrayed by your mother that leaves one wounded-aka Branwyn.

No order:

Farnese from Berserk: A shitty noble trying to be better. Wanting to be more brave.

2. Tatiana from Eugene Onegin: A girl from the provinces who falls in love an "older man" (he's literally just a year older) .

3. Jamie Lannister from ASOIAF/GOT: A cynical knight being changed by a more chivalrous knight.

4. Anne Lister from Gentleman Jack: Classist, kinda bitchy, aristocrats in search of company

5. Cersei Lannister from ASOIAF/GOT: Extreme pride, does not like being snubbed or insulted. Golden.

The girl spat at her, and the blood-tinged saliva hit her cheek.

What would Moreau do, Aurelie thought before she took the dirk and pressed it to the other’s cheek under her right eye and pressed hard as she dragged it down, down, down. The girl screamed but Aurelie did not stop until it reached her lips. She thought there would be a savage joy that she was too craven to feel. But to her horror, when it was all done, there was nothing.

A Fool's Errand - Chapter 6: Steel your heart, craven!

“Did you mean what you said about the scar? How you still wanted to be at my side even if—?” Aurelie asked, ashamed of how desperate she sounded.

Branwyn nodded.

“I’ll make up for it my entire life, Branwyn.” Aurelie vowed. The Courtship - Chapter 13: Ser Branwyn of the Briars

--- So frankly I was going to write this more toxic yuri as you can see Aurelie, in her drunken and worst state, scars Branwyn. And this entire premise comes from one of my favorite opera Jenufa. It's a dark, dark opera. And I understand why people dislike it. Though I think it's one of the greatest operas ever created.

The themes of the operas are gender roles and how stifling they are. It's about how women would do terrible things to other women especially Mother to Daughter. And it's about redemption and forgiveness. Ok aside done, the man slashes the titular heroine's cheek for rejecting his advances.

And ultimately at the end, they marry.

When Jenufa is shunned by her community, her husband does not care.

Aurelie blinked as she kept her gaze on a worm that squirmed and writhed in agony. She turned her head and squinted hard at Davide. Only the sound of the quartermaster’s counting could be heard.

“Then what would they eat?” she finally asked, pained by his suggestion.

- A Fool's Errand: Chapter 4: Logistics

“I know beauty when I see it, Lady Aurelie,” he said while staring at her. The chevalier blinked. Unbecoming of her, she squinted at him. Oh, such a clumsy little trap. Should she be a good rabbit and crawl in?" - A Courtship: Chapter 5: Love! In its most impotent state!

Aurelie has a very severe look, but is pretty good at keeping her face neutral. She, however, has this habit of squinting at stupid people. It pains Aurelie when she sees incompetence. And the energy of her disdain is basically this meme:

I think Aurelie is good at suppressing her dialect. But it can slip out. Mostly how she curses.

--- So here it is! The entire point of this entire novella. Aurelie de Bergerac is of course named after my absolute favorite hero: Cyrano de Bergerac. The man with a huge nose that must hide his love for Roxanne. His romantic rival Christian is also in love with Roxanne. Because he lacks Cyrano's wit in seducing Roxanne, Cyrano speaks for him. It's soooooo romantic and that balcony scene--urgh, I can die. Greatest romance of all time.

So this is um my favorite trajectories of romance. The circles represent the novellas.

spoiler for novella 2 ending

SOOOO... Novella 3 is gonna be a strange one. Novella 4 and 5, I already have the outline (ish), but Novella 3 is gonna be more into a deep dive of Branwyn. That I still have to kinda outline. And I guess the themes I want to explore is what is the cost of colonization to the colonizer. Particularly, the peasant Orlesians. The cheapening of labor. I have in mind, Orlesian peasants forced to settle in Ferelden against their will. The horrors of being far from home and isolation.

Also I love writing about religious fervor. And frankly, a large chunk of my novellas is not only about colonization and a romance, but about one's faith. The institutional faith versus the personal. And I love the idea of weird religious sects that seem to occur in Ferelden especially (thus predicting the Herald of Andrade of Inquisition).

--- Mederic Cahir, is of course, inspired by Samwell Tarly from ASOIAF/GOT except Mederic is no craven. He doesn't do well with blood nor violence. He vomits at the sight of corpses. But I'm hoping to show in the future novellas, this man does not fuck around. This man is probably the bravest of everyone.

"Camille de Bergerac was beautiful. Her sister had eyes that sparkled with mischievous mirth. Her plump lips always curled at the corners. She acted above her station, which would be a death sentence in the Grand Game. But no! The women of court could not help but adore the girl from the Provinces who rose to become a Duchess. She was the story of Viviane de Bergerac come to life." The Courtship- Chapter 7: Beauty ---

Camille de Bergerac imo would definitely be played by Amanda Seyfried. Camille has the same blonde hair/grey eyes as her older sister, but she lacks any of the severity that Aurelie de Bergerac has. Camille de Bergerac is meant to be an extraordinary woman. If I was going to write a m/f romance hitting all the popular tropes: it would star Camille de Bergerac and how she married her sulking, gloomy Duke of Val Chevin. They adore each other. My idea of how the Duke hopelessly in love with her is that she took her mask off in the first date. Not because it was political scheming, but it was fucking summer dude.

So the relationship between the sisters was influenced by two things: 1. Empress Elisabeth of Austria and Duchess of Helene in Bavaria Helene was the older sister who was to marry Emperor Franz Joseph I of the Austrian Empire. But Franz Joseph became enamored with Helene's younger sister Elisabeth. Elisabeth just got the beauty and liveliness while Helene was known more for her... piety and obedience. And I was looking at Helene's picture:

Versus her more famous younger sister:

And I kinda liked the idea of having a character who isn't the best and brightest of her family. Aurelie is the Lady of Bergerac by title and inheritance. But um Camille is a lot more famous. And frankly kinda more interesting than Aurelie. Aurelie loves her sister. Truly loves her sister. But it kinda breeds in her a feeling of...inadequacy. Camille loves her older sister. And thinks that Aurelie is a lot more intelligent than her. More self-assured (lol). 2. Tatyana Larina and Olga Larina The idea of them being sisters growing up in the provinces emerged from the Russian poem and opera of the same name Eugene Onegin. Olga Larina is already engaged while her older sister is reading her sad novels, ruminating, and writing love-letters to strangers.

So abeilles are just morels. Beautiful spring mushrooms. Really hard to misidentify, though be sure to cut them lengthwise to make sure they're hollow. A lookalike is the false morel.

So somewhat filler, but I think having two joust chapters was too much! So decided on an interlude to break up the action. Gonna type up what I was trying to go for in terms of theology in a different post, but I loved writing a historical sermon. This entire sermon is based on Luke 5:16:  But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.

And I feel like after the First Blight, this idea of Andraste who sang the Chant in the Blighted Lands would be powerful. You cannot heal the Blighted Lands (I'm pretty sure that's canon right?) It cannot be reversed. Only the return of the Maker can heal the Blight. Kinda drives the lore reason for why Anderfels-which is absolutely Blighted-have the most devout followers. So a criticism I have of the Western Approach is that it's too much of a regular desert! It's too pretty! It's supposed to be a blighted wasteland.  "The Approach had a strange sort of beauty to it even so. It was a desert, but not a warm desert with glowing yellow sand. It was a cold desert, mottled purple like an unhealed bruise. Rocky pillars jutted out of the sand like brittle, twisted bones; there was a sense that the howling winds had long covered everything else." - Dragon Age: Asunder 

Thankfully, a decade of academic publishing gave me an extremelllly thick skin. So kids that’s one benefit of a STEM PhD. Makes you a hardier fanfic writer