#paschal

(spoiler warning and trigger warning, you want to strangle people while reading that)

I always wondered if there are people who actually knew about it or at least had a clue, and a few people come to my mind there: Govart, Nicaise, Guion, Audin and Paschal. (And, as always, feel free to let me know what you think about that, who knows, who doesn't know, and why?)

So I thought about it and I came to following conclusion:

I'm still unsure about Govart. Guion and Audin probably did know, and Paschal knew as well. Nicaise is sure about it but Laurent never told him.

And now, for everyone who is interested, I'll give you my thoughts and explanations for this opinion:

Guion: Guion knows the Regent's tastes very well... He has "sold" his own son to the Regent, not for money but for status... A son in a similar age to Laurent, who had no one left but the Regent at the time... So Guion must at least have considered the possibility that the Regent took advantage of the sitiuation.

Govart: Govart is Govart. He is involved in many things the Regent does, and I don't think he'd mind it to happen. We know what he is capable of, and I don't think he has any boundaries, even not when it comes to kids... Dispite all that there is something that speaks against it... I think he would have explicitly mentioned the abuse when he had captured Laurent and was in the cell with him, to provoke him or to hurt him or probably both. So in my first thought, I ruled Govart out because of this. The only thing that makes me suspicious there again is when Laurent says that Govart always wanted to be on the other side of the door, and now he is... (When he is in the cell with Laurent). Maybe I interpreted to much into this because I was looking for hints. Laurent also says there that this is something the Regent hasn't known about Govart, but the Regent does know what Govart would like to do to Laurent... (So please give me your opinion here!)

Audin: Audin knows the Regent's tastes, too. The way he creeps around Nicaise in the first book, and how he offered him to Damen... Disgusting! Does he admire the Regent so much or does he share his tastes... No matter what it is, it makes him a disgusting person as well and I don't see him stepping in to help Laurent, only if it would be to his advantage. And Laurent was a boy there, not ready to rule, and Audin must have known that the Regent hasn't had the intention to give his power away again.

Paschal: I'm a little unsure if I have Paschal's history in my head right. But he was the Regent's physician for a while, wasn't he? And he switched sides because of loyalty to the crown. And what the Regent did to Laurent is disloyalty and a reason for Paschal (and any decent person) to stop working for the Regent. And that he looks after the Regent's pets is a well known theory. I mean why else should Nicaise have trusted him enough to give him the letter out of all people...

I wrote this for kinktober, but it's not very kinky. I think it is quite sweet, though. If you are interested in Charls and Paschal as a ship...read on.

Words: 1,200 | Rating: T

Laurent is the worst patient in the history of patients, and yet… The care remains.

The Anglo-Saxon chronicler Bede gave us this simple explanation for the name of the festival. "Eostremonath has a name which is now called Paschal month, and which was once named after a goddess of theirs named Eostre, and in her honour feasts were held in that month. Now they name the Paschal season by her name, calling the joy of the new rite by the time-honoured name of the old rite." Nothing else is known about Eostre, although Jacob Grimm did speculate that the old German name Ostara was probably her cognate. He was trying to work backwards from traditions he saw in his time and it was only a theory, but it would be logical to assume a connection with Eostre in the lands the Anglo-Saxons originated from. Eggs and bunnies are not connected in any way to Eostre, these traditions come about much later on and within a Christian context. Eggs were prohibited during Lent so people would have had a glut of them to use at Easter, and I have no doubt lots of them were painted and blessed for the occasion. The Easter bunny was always a hare, never a rabbit, and hopped out of the mists of 17th century German Lutheran folklore. During the Medieval era it was also commonly believed that hares could impregnate themselves, leading to an association with Mary. So here's a medieval Easter bunny, a 14th century carving of a hare at, you guessed it, the Church of St Mary, at Elmley Castle in Worcestershire. Have a great Easter! ~ Hugh Williams On another note: "There is simply no evidence for this commonly repeated myth. It’s not factually true and is simply speculation by one monk in 725. There is no evidence that he was correct about this. There are no references or images of Eostre anywhere else or in anything else at all. He also documents Woden and Thor, but they are verified as deities that were worshiped, but not so with Eostre. In fact it appears to be far more probable that the name of the lunar month Eosturmonath is actually a reference to “the month of opening” for the rather obvious reason that it is springtime. When it comes to this goddess, we have no images, no carvings and no legends, just this single reference by Bede that appears to be speculation, and so that is why most folklorists will dismiss the assertion that Easter is named after the goddess Eostre as a myth. Ronald Hutton, expert in pre-Christian religion, argues that: "It is equally valid, however, to suggest that the Anglo-Saxon ‘Estor-monath’ simply meant ‘the month of opening’ or ‘the month of beginnings’, and that Bede mistakenly connected it with a goddess who either never existed at all, or was never associated with a particular season but merely, like Eos and Aurora, with the dawn itself.’3" Hard to find a better source than Prof Hutton." ~ Matt Lewis

‘You never told me how you ended up in Laurent’s faction’ ‘I was the Regent’s physician.’ ‘So you ministered to his household.’ ‘And to his boys,’ said Paschal. Damen said nothing. After a moment, Paschal said, ‘Before he died, my brother served in the King’s Guard. I never swore my brother’s oath to the King. But I like to think that I’m carrying it out.’