rthstewart | Chapter 12, Comings and Goings, H&M

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Chapter 12, Comings and Goings, H&M

Chapter 12, Comings and Goings.
So, here we are at the end of a story arc long contemplated but almost not told when H&M began its slow decline this time last year.

First off thanks to those of you who read here and gave me the courage and incentive to pick it up. There was a lovely response to my Two Hearts Day piece and then E asked for Acceptance of Terms. Anastigmat’s pic fic of Morgan with the lion broach and Deny the Child followed. For a character who was introduced two years ago for no purpose greater than to allow Edmund to riff on his titles and as a jab at the conduct of evil investment bankers, we all are now stuck with Evil Banker Morgan of the House of Linch.

If you are interested, here are some notes on what would have been/should have been:
Maeve was the villain in a murder mystery to eliminate Morgan over Alan Meryl’s affections. After writing Alan and beginning to form Maeve, it just did not make sense. I also didn’t like the idea of a woman as a villain over affection, and didn’t like Morgan bedridden (see below).

The poisoning was always there but it was to have been Morgan who was poisoned at a dinner party (very Agatha Christie like), and rescued by Jina when she visits the apothecary and identifies the poison and its antidote. I have a lot of notes on medieval poisons.

There was to have been a very involved economic sub-plot that also implicated keeping Edmund’s identity a secret, the Lord Bar embezzlement, a prenuptial agreement, and tax policies. There were to have been reappearances by a very conniving Princess Evil More Dim and her kind, less dim, husband to be. Morgan and Alan were to have been more of a couple with Edmund as the definite odd man out with ensuing jealousy. This all became instead Constance and Alan Meryl.

I have complex charts and graphs of which Houses represented whom and over what accounts, all relating to the economic subplot.

Jalur was, at some point, going to come crashing through a window to save Morgan -- from what, I wasn't sure but it was probably a second assassination attempt.

The final meeting between Edmund and Director Linch is very, very different even from what was posted here in comments months ago. Until this week, I was still trying to hold on to some of it. I ended up tossing it all and going with what is presented here, with, yes, Edmund being a bit of jerk and the Director being protective of his daughter, but also mindful of his new client relationship with Narnia and the adage, "The client is always right." I liked what I wrote, but it no longer fit for Edmund had regressed and the Director had grown.

I really wanted to go the easy way out, have Seth pull a Mr. Noll, and die, thereby saving everyone the inconvenience of a greedy, craven, not especially talented, would-be murderer. But, I was mindful of the backstory -- how Noll’s suicide and the Moles’ treachery really affected Edmund (which he tells Morgan of in AW) and his views on retribution (which he discusses with Col. Clark). So, I didn’t.

I introduced Peridan completely forgetting about his real life counterpart. Oops. Once readers reminded me, I tweaked him a bit in this chapter to align him more closely with WC Reginald Tebbitt.

I have a whole thing in my head dividing the Houses on Hogwarts lines, with Stanleh as the Ravenclaws, Meryl as the Slytherins, and Linch as the Hufflepuffs and about their respective qualities that are tied to the House symbols of the red flower, yellow sun, green tree, and blue wave.

A few words about Morgan
This is my first attempt at Morgan’s rambling point of view. It was hard, and there is that moment between them, when Edmund is wanting her to say, “Can I come back to Narnia?” and she misses it completely. He is still, for all that the Code is changing, assuming that Morgan will remain in the Lone Islands, that she is committed to the relationship with Alan and assuming control of Meryl. Yeah, he’s looking for a convenient “out” and as presented here, Morgan is thinking he's really not such a great option, either. Morgan has very real and valid misgivings, which Edmund is helpfully reinforcing.

A scene also written but in the end not included is Sallowpad telling Morgan why Edmund is being so weird about Seth Stanleh. That’s come out now. It’s not nice, especially because Edmund, having taken Morgan to task for concealing things, is now concealing from her why a brother betraying his family for material gain is so affecting him. And, the readers know the reasons, so I reverted to third party points of view rather than wallowing in Ed-agnst.

There was going to be a scene with Edmund, Morgan and Aslan, with Edmund seeking advice on how to deal with Seth and Morgan basically asking Aslan, “Why am I this way?”

In the realm of TMI, RL, and the modernity and morality of the story
As I’ve said, I wrote By Royal Decree when the US and world economy were in freefall brought about in part by the collapse of the subprime mortgage lending market. There are a couple of things lurking here. First off is that the lifestyle of the bankers is very much an observation of life in the modern American workplace of lawyers, accountants, consultants, and bankers. The 80 hour week is very real to my own life experience, even now.

Second is that this is something of a meditation upon the demise of the principle of “caveat emptor” or “let the buyer beware” and its more current incarnation, “you can disclaim responsibility in the small print.” While principles of warranty and product liability have protected buyers for decades in US law, still we see every day how marketers attempt to disclaim the possibility (or probability) that things won’t go as the buyer expects with the “disclaimer.” As in, “I lost 30 pounds in two weeks” followed by the statement “Results not typical.” Or the small print disclosures in mortgage documents that very clearly stated that the home owner would have to pay the full, outstanding amount of the mortgage in 5 years and that the no down payment was in fact loaded into the mortgage and that when all was said in done, the homeowner really could not afford the house she was buying. It’s all disclosed, right? So no problem, right?

This is the view that Pierce expresses – those victims of the pyramid were told, “You could lose your money,” so what’s the problem? Even Maeve, who does take a stand, expresses her views not as, this was wrong, but you will get caught. Peter and Lucy challenge Morgan on this issue and Morgan to her credit gives a different answer.

Now, in fact, there’s been loads of interesting consumer research going to issues of consumers' poor comprehension and poor science and math literacy and the ineffectiveness of disclaimers. Consumers read “You could lose 30 pounds in two weeks, results not typical” as meaning that they could lose even more weight. Yes, I understand that at some point, you can’t protect the person who just refuses to be reasonable, but there’s something really wrong when a complex, small print disclaimer written at a level requiring a post-secondary education is sufficient to eliminate responsibility for actually achieving what is promised in the glossy, compelling advertisement. I’m not an anti-advertisement person by the way – I like it and some part of my RL has been devoted to studying, protecting and improving it. But, well, see above.

These are very recent developments in consumer protection circles and are very relevant to said economic meltdown which was in the background of BRD. And while you want to whack Edmund on the side of the head for asking Morgan to defend her moral compass, he has just lived through and heard the Captains of Industry and Robber Barons say and do some things that are pretty reprehensible to his Narnian ideals. So yeah, not cool, Edmund, but I do see his concerns as legitimate.

Regrets and whinging
My regrets about this side of the story are many. I could not fully realize the vision of the Bankers and ground it in a historically researched combination of the de Medicis, the Rothschilds, and modern Swiss and Bahamian bankers. I could not develop Gertrude Meryl into a mentor or a villain; she is just weak. It is not a compelling mystery. I did not have the story telling ability to weave a Bonfire of the Vanities, Rising Sun, or Wall Street sort of financial mystery. I could not find a way to tell a story of how economic policy is based upon moral choices with winners and losers – that there is a reason, for instance, the US tax code grants exemptions for children and home ownership and why we have trade embargoes and economic sanctions. The worldbuilding, while extensive, is still fragmentary, inconsistent, and begs for expansion.

In the end, though, it’s a Not A Romance and I would not have told the story at all were it not for readers. Morgan and Harold have a ways to go, still, before we reach the Edmund of Apostolic Way, though even there, it is only after his return from the Wall of Water that he realizes his missed opportunities.

It’s on to the Narnia Fic Exchange now, and my femgenficathon. I had a brainwave for Part 3 of H&M two days and I need to let that gel a bit. I should return to AW before people forget it exists.

Thanks again!

EDIT: For those interested in the Susan/Director of Linch ship, I blame Min, Linea, and H for this, which is also in the comments below.

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Ok, so I'm sitting here waiting for Harry in an hour and now this is at least the 4th nudge re: Susan and the Director and Clio scolded me for dismissing it too easily and that I should really try this. SOOO what would this look like? For how long? Where? Who else knows? And from a writing standpoint, do I keep it at the T or R rating, or push to Maenad levels? H, Min, Linea - this is all your fault. One idea is that Susan is shopping in advance sort of "under cover" because she is trying to blend in for some sort of diplomatic thing and they meet in a shop. Also Susan thinks his concerns about age are so quaint since her Dryad lover(s) is/are far older than he is. Soooo theoretically and when I'm not working on the NFE?

Or, they are on a boat.....
Though, the idea of the two of them going clothes shopping together has a lot of appeal. Though, I also kinda like him hanging out with Peter, too, who's just ever so cool about the whole thing. As opposed to Edmund who would sputter. NFE. I'm supposed to be doing NFE. But... oh dear...

Yes, I'll gladly shoulder my share of that. I love the idea of style and politics and power in fashion, so I could totally relate to that. And didn't Ed have thoughts earlier about Susan, and instruction from the Meryl? Oh, and the idea of 'don't be stupid, the dryads are way older than you' is just made of win. I like the idea of Susan shocking his socks off, when he's supposed to be the older, sophisticated and cynical one. As for the rest, yep, going to have to think on that some more.

What would this look like? Deliberate, conscious, each party knowing exactly how much they're giving (away) and not; neither really prepared to give up their position to join the other full-time, but perfectly willing to dally a while. Linch out of his depth, natch. Tee hee! Where? That doesn't matter too much to me; a sea voyage would give it a certain defined time frame, but so would the necessity of Linch's return to Narrowhaven for Conclave, for example. Who else knows? Well, certainly not Edmund or Morgan, whose obliviousness is becoming legendary but for whom I still feel very kindly...

Rating? Well, this is not My Children's Narnia. Peter and the Dryads are all very well, but if Susan remembers the feeling of a man's arms when Tebbitt embraces her, she'd better have at least one human lover as a basis of comparison. How many children read this, anyway?

The Linch and Queen Susan shopping together? LOL!

Yes! Linneasr, you've found the word I wanted exactly. Deliberate. There is no impulse to this, but a fully conscious decision, with the end probably in sight at the beginning (full disclosure of the terms, or something like that). A sea voyage is a possibility - might they have to go to Seven Isles or somewhere to look over some part of the Narnian account? Or is there a reason that the Director might have to come to Cair (hello, Peter). Either way, he's the CEO of his business, so I would think that any time he goes off, it's automatically time limited. Oh, and the idea that he's been Director and Linch so long that even he doesn't really remember his name is hysterical!!!

So, once again, I give the ending first. Oh, and his name is Rafe which means Wise Wolf. BWHAAAAA!

She had sailed into Redhaven that morning, he that afternoon. Supper, and what might, or might not, follow would wait.

Three years ago, they would have had this conversation in bed. Today, they tarried in the secluded garden of the Bankers’ guest house. The house was outside the town, affording a lovely prospect of the harbour. The trees of the garden were heavy with fragrant lemons whose scent mingled with climbing roses and honeysuckle.

Lambert had withdrawn to protect their privacy, a subtle, but important, distinction for a Narnian Royal Guard.

They two of them both could use and manipulate silence to achieve specific ends. They were long past that point now. The silence now was to allow a mustering of the heart. He waited, for it was she who needed to speak and he who would listen.

“You are being very patient with me,” Susan finally said with a brittle smile. She withdrew her hand from the fountain where she had been stirring the pool and accepted the glass of rose-coloured wine he poured. “Thank you.”

“I am sorry I could not come sooner,” he replied, resting a hand on her shoulder.

Susan bent her head and kissed his fingers. “I was only just able to escape myself. I am grateful you were able to come at all.”

He sat next to her on the stone ledge and sipped the wine, a favourite of hers. Its pink shade was a deception – the wine was not cloyingly sweet, but crisp, dry, and bursting with subtle, exotic flavours.

“The passage of a little time has been instructive, painfully so. I did speak to Aslan, and that has helped.”

“I am glad you found some comfort.” He spoke sincerely, though he had never sought the Lion of Narnia. Of course, he had never sought the Calormene gods or the protectors of the Woods, or the Telmarine pantheon, either. He did not worship money as he once had, and credited Susan and his daughter, for that change. No other god had replaced it. “He told you that you should not try to bear the guilt for all that occurred?”

“I did tire of hearing the same from Peter, to be sure.”

“I shall heed your implicit request and not repeat it, then.”

Susan leaned against him, lacing the fingers of her free hand in his. The contrasts were always remarkable, small and large, her light skin to his dark, bow calluses to quill. She sighed, her chest rising and falling against his arm.

“Seeing you again, my dear, I do understand better now why Prince Rabadash so appealed to me.”

“And why is that, Susan?”

“There were many reasons. His appeal to other than my vanity, the successful collaboration we enjoyed, his intelligence and subtlety, his respect for my intelligence and subtlety.” She paused, studying their joined hands. “His appearance and colouring, his attention to dress and understanding of how it is used. He is also older than I.”

A younger man would be flattered. The old man was stricken. How could he even apologize, for what he was, or for what she saw in him? Were he in her place, he would do the same. To an extent he had. There was no formal oath between them, yet she had his loyalty, fidelity, and discretion all the same. Their relationship had crossed so very many lines, liege and subject, client and advisor, lover. “For your sake, I wish that were not so, Susan.”

She nodded. Her hand slipped out of his and she tweaked the cuff of his richly dyed, green robe between her fingers. “It seems that my die has been cast.”

WOOT!!! That is just completely, completely brilliant.

AAaaaahhhhh!!! This is superb! Just exactly what I meant! Ahahahaahaaa, Rth, you have PERFECTLY captured the nature and tone of a conversation between them. Eeeeheheeeee, now, please, someday, PLEASE fill in the in-between!

Hm. Upon second and third reading, I notice several things. The rose-coloured wine, deceptive and complex (just like Susan herself). That this snippet is post-HHB, which I have understood to be just prior to the White Stag, so this might be the last time the Linch and Queen Susan speak. Redhaven must be on a Lone Island, as it sounds too much like Narrowhaven to be an accident, but I don't remember where. Linch's acceptance of Rabadash and Susan, and the utter lack of rancour he feels. Lambeth's respect for the privacy of his Queen. All lovely, all spot on. Thank you!

Thanks! I'm glad it worked for you!

Redhaven is in the Seven Isles -- I liked the idea of the two of them traveling to see one another. And yes, the Rose wine was deliberate. Why Susan ever falls for Rabadash and becomes such an idiot (one reader, Miniver just ignores the "Oh Edmund whatever shall we do!" of HHB) is often explored in fic. It came to me as I was trying not to think on it, that I could draw a parallel between Linch and Rabadash -- that she hopes to find in the Prince what she has seen and very much admires in Linch. In something this short, I can't undo the racism that some see in Lewis' depiction of Calormen, but I can, at least, show that no one makes the mistake of assuming that all people of one colour are all one way. The age thing you and H. have pointed out also got me thinking -- by this count, Tebbitt is actually the young for Susan's tastes -- which is something I should go back and add in a few places -- I do that, by the way. When something like this comes up, I go back and add a few lines, or tweak something. I have done that with Edmund's Not Reflections on Morgan in Part 1, for instance.

There is the long coda in TQSiT of the aftermath of HHB -- Peter and Susan, then Peter and Cyrus in the tree, and then Peter and Edmund under another tree and then in AW, Morgan and Edmund together (leaning against yes, another tree). I'm not sure how much time they have left -- canon would have it be very soon. I'd like to think that that summer and autumn lasted a very, very long time.

Thanks! It was for you, Linnea, and H.! I just left in comments too, rather than a new entry! I'll need to direct Clio to it, too.

Wonderful! Did you have the Director's name worked out before this? I love that even in this snippet we see that their relationship has evolved over time, however long between meetings. And some insight on the further changes in the Director, whose worldview was so shaken by the attempt on his children and Edmund's reaction.

Susan combines a desire for respect and approval of those *she* respects with an ongoing search for guides in new areas (the Director in finance, Rabadash perhaps in the Calormene culture? And non-romantically as well, with "Sallowpad" in TQSIT) And now I *really* want to see how Susan develops with Asim and Tebbitt. Asim in very many ways fits her developing "type" here, but there's no hint of a romance there that I've seen- neither in the foreshadowing from the cards nor in Asim's character in general.

On the other hand, Tebbitt is a significant departure (younger, and initially *not* someone she respects although she comes to respect him as he comes to respect her during TQSIT). Somehow Tebbitt feels a bit like Susan cutting loose after relationships that were either very casual (Dryads) or with serious, intellectual humans.

I wonder if any of the four think to look at their second round of teenage years as an opportunity to have a bit of adolescent fun they could not as Monarchs, while still not being so adolescently stupid about it :-)

Still thinking on Edmund and Morgan's reactions. Ed finds out through Rats and Crows? Is somewhat disconcerted but stuffs it away. Comments to Morgan, who reveals that she had already placed bets on it with the Crows and simply didn't think it worth mentioning (unless, perhaps, the bet turned out to be an exceptionally good financial maneuver- but who would have tipped her off? Perhaps Jina. Jalur still does not understand why any of this is worth conversation, as he does not expect to have to eat any member of the house of Linch).

-H

Thanks, H.! At some point, I feel like maybe I should move this to a new post. These threads are getting hard to follow! But, I think we're nearing the end, and I'm chugging on the NFE right now. I'm SO GLAD it worked for you three!

The name came to me, out of the blue, either when I was talking to myself in the car or walking the dog. I liked the name Rolf or Raffe and then wondered about some name tied with wealth and then saw that the names mean Wise Wolf in Nordic languages, so HA!

Clio in an email to me also drew the comparison to Tebbitt, pointing out how it is against her type -- he is white and the age is a bit screwy, but in years lived, she is older. It did not occur to me to compare her seeking out of mentors, but this Susan does do that. Despite some pressure from a few readers, I am incapable of shipping Asim with anyone -- the jokes about dark chocolate notwithstanding. But yes, he stands as another potential mentor. I very carefully wrote those chapters with Sallowpad to cast it in terms of a mentor relationship. I didn't want any shippiness in it at all.

The Rabadash relationship in my head canon is a Game of Thrones situation that she misjudges and loses and by backing into this relationship with Linch, I'm actually more comfortable with that. She thinks she's found something in Rabadash -- the men are similar in some superficial respects, though Rabadash is more politically appropriate, and she's probably not as cautious as she would otherwise be.

Despite, again, some reader enthusiasm to the contrary, I'd not seen Susan's relationship with Tebbitt as a "one true pairing" for her -- and I don't tend write OTPs regardless. It develops over time. It is enjoyable. She comes to respect him a great deal. But, I'm just not sure that the characters I've written would have Tebbitt as a great love of hers. I see him as being weak, in some ways, which frustrates her. I've not thought about that relationship in a while, so this bears some more consideration.

LOVE the idea of the wagers. And Jalur. He'll trust Lambert to do the eating if necessary, I suppose.

Asim does seem un-shippable. He's taken the Lucy's traditional role as the spiritualist who sets aside romantic relationships. Except that most writers do this with Lucy in a way that keeps her childish, as opposed to Asim's informed choices about his life (IIRC, there was some comment indicating that he had some experience with women even if it had been a long time since he sought such companionship).
Yes, yes, and yes, but no. I just had to look up IIRC. There are readers who have lobbied for Asim to be involved with 1)Peter 2)Agnes 3) Ruby 4)Dark chocolate. I stuck in a few lines in the AW chapters addressing dark chocolate (last piece was in Lyon in 1940 and Richard tells him bluntly that the day Asim has a wife is the day he may criticize Richard regarding Mary. Though I've not written about it, the traditional Muslim separation of men and women makes his wandering with Mary EXTREMELY unlikely, which I get around with a magical paw wave by saying that he thinks God told him to do so, so he does. In a couple of instances (TQSiT, Moles in the Garden, Part 1 most notably), there's actually a subtext going on there regarding Polly and Mary (which Kwong Lee is actively aiding and abetting with the bedroom machinations and the bottle of vodka) and it goes right over Asim's head. He's WAY clueless regarding women or men and intimate relationships -- he's given over to war, God is his passion, and there's no room for anything else.

Well that's what I get for not looking things up before referring to them :-)
Having since looked it up, I was misremembering / taking too expansive of a view of the last part of the line "He knew nothing of marriage and very little of women", having turned it around in my head to imply that he knew at least something. Anyway, for whatever reason, Asim's choices seem more informed and deliberate to me than the way most people write Lucy. And that makes for a character whose choices I can respect a lot more easily.

It occurs to me that this way you just phrased Asim as having "no room for anything else" is an interesting reflection this bit of Dalia thinking about Peter with respect to a promising suitor bowing out:

***
It was those limitations that made Peter the High King that he was. He would place devotion to Aslan, Narnia, his subjects, and his siblings above all else. Peter loved everyone and everything, too much, too well, and too deeply. With so much love already given, Dalia had wondered whether he had any leftover. Nadie had, unsurprisingly really, seen it as Dalia herself did.
***
(and yes, this time I did look it up!)

I did notice, and was quite amused by, the subtext you mention with Polly and Mary :-)

-H

Hmmm... this begs the question. Who are, if there are any at all, Susan's great loves? So far, it seems that Tebbitt is the closest, though you say here that he isn't. Linch is shaping up to maybe, possibly be one. Does she even have any "what ifs" or "if onlys" in her lifetime?

Or is she more like Peter, but only with a few more closer encounters than we've seen him have?

--Indil

If I could do it without coming across as horribly self-aggrandizing, I'd just start a new journal entry: Susan and Morgan in Rth's head, what is she taking and do I want some?

Someone pointed out that in this vision, it's the two had had guards of the same sex who were able to create sound, lasting relationships in Narnia -- and the monarchs who had Guards of the opposite sex did not. I have some readers who are more serious Tebbitt/Susan shippers than I am. The Linch relationship came out of the writing, but I do like how it helps make some sense of Rabadash.

I have thought that Lambert is really Susan's great love -- in my original outline, it was her devotion to him that would "bring her back" to Narnia. Well, that's changed, obviously. The Susan of this vision will never deny Narnia -- she just gets there by a different road and really disagrees with Peter about how to get there.

Do you see Tebbitt as a "great love?" I have written Susan as a bit passive/aggressive and I think that another one of her flaws is that she seeks out these very strong, very Alpha type males, in personal and professional relationships. Tebbitt is s bit against type for her --- they work well together and he respects her, which are very important to her. However, I see him as not really strong enough as a true foil to her. Some readers do disagree with that, though...

In head canon, I've seen Susan seeking out female relationships occasionally when she wants something comforting, familiar, supportive, and uncomplicated. I've thought of doing this much later in AW, but I'm not sure I have the right characters in the story for it. I mentioned it to one person and I got a real long pause and then the comment, "Weeelllll, I've bought you doing crazier things, but you think so? Really?"

As for Peter, we're not there yet.

I don't see Tebbitt *not* being a "great love" of Susan, but I think I'm searching for things from a different angle. The terrible romantic in me finds the possibility fascinating of Susan (well, really any of the Pevensies) not being able to find "true love" in Narnia, but do in England.

And Tebbitt does read as rather strong, at least to me, but I'd say just equally strong as Susan, not by any means above her. They've put themselves through similar circumstances after all.

I do buy Susan as a, as they say, a LUG: Lesbian Until Graduation. Or, I suppose, in her case, a LUNO: Lesbian Until Narnia's Over... ha!

And now there's something to look forward to reading regarding Peter.

On a completely unrelated, yet still highly relevant, note... there's a song on the new Duran Duran record called "The Man Who Stole a Leopard." It's a rather tongue-in-cheek fictional account (set to music, natch) of a man who is in love with his pet leopard, and I cannot listen to it without thinking of Peter and his OTL cheetah. Hysterical. I highly recommend giving it a listen!

--Indil

YES.

WE HAVE DARK CHOCOLATE!

I love the part about Susan thinking his concerns about age are quaint. This all also potentially lays useful groundwork for Susan getting back together with Tebbitt in AW if indeed that's where her arc ends up going. He wouldn't even have been her oldest *human* lover at that point.

I think it would also be important for the Director to surprise Susan a bit. It shouldn't be all her turning the tables on him- he is, after all, an experienced man with two children. Hopefully he learned a thing or two at some point that Susan's dryads may not know.

Theoretically, I also like the idea of him hanging out with Peter as well. It's interesting to see the Bankers interact with the Heart and Soul as well as the Concert of Minds (I liked seeing Morgan with Lucy, although she's pretty hopeless around Peter). I also love seeing older siblings *not* being stupidly over-protective. Approving or disapproving depending on whether they like the person is fine, and of course ready to step in if anything goes wrong, but not "OMG my baby sister doesn't know what she's doing!" (With these Pevensies, of course she does).

I don't think it should be too long or involved, as it would start to be a bit odd that it hadn't come up in the later views of the Narnia side. The duration of one somewhat extended visit in either direction, or perhaps sporadic across several visits as opportunity allows?

Ratings: whatever works for the story. I'm always more interested in what it shows about the characters than anything else.

-H

See above re: Susan/Director ship. I totally did not write that this evening. Except I did.

I also love seeing older siblings *not* being stupidly over-protective. Approving or disapproving depending on whether they like the person is fine, and of course ready to step in if anything goes wrong, but not "OMG my baby sister doesn't know what she's doing!" (With these Pevensies, of course she does).

As the younger set say, w0rd. I first went this route with Aidan and Lucy and made a point of him being someone that they were all very enthusiastic about. In fact, they are more enthusiastic than Lucy is at some points. I've had them all, repeatedly emphasize, that, as you point out, they might not like a person in particular, but each sibling respects the decisions of the others. It's really nice when someone notices these things because they are there deliberately!!

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Chapter 12, Comings and Goings, H&M

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