[Trimaris] Re: SC - Highnesses, Lownesses, and Period Cooking.

[david friedman]

At 1:59 AM -0500 3/1/00, Jehanne Argentee wrote:

(I had written)

>  >A question--on the obligations of retainers:
>  >
>  >Suppose you conclude that the attacks are correct and Her Highness is
>  >wrong. Could you look at yourself in your mirror if you didn't point
>  >out Her Highness's error and do everything you could to persuade her
>  >to correct it?
>
>Yes, but I would talk to her quietly, and privately. See if the problem was
>what she said, how she said it, what she felt... and ask her quietly about it.
>
>I will agree that the letter was poorly phrased. Especially in light of
>what I know of Her Highness's good nature and her love of good cooking.
>
>However I would also defend her in public and try to explain to people
>about the Princess I know personally, and what she's said to me in the
>past. I'm a gentle and retiring soul by nature, which is how I ended up in
>the kitchen in the first place. I don't like discord.

"Defend her in public" is a somewhat ambiguous term. If her highness 
acts badly, you can still properly defend her against mistaken 
responses--but not against valid criticisms. That, at least, would be 
my view of the matter.

>Lance is more confrontational than I, and more likely to ruffle feathers. I
>know the idea of him challenging someone over how they talk about the
>Princess seems outragous to some people... but in Trimaris it has been
>known for a fighter to call another out during a feast, the two go out,
>armor up, and fight... then come back to the feast so that the challanged
>fighter could apologize to the ladies at the table for having used
>profanity in front of them.

Challenging doesn't seem outrageous to me. The last time I can 
remember issuing a serious challenge, as it happens, it was over the 
territory that is now Trimaris. I challenged the Board of Directors 
for having transferred the territory from the East Kingdom to 
Meridies without having consulted (indeed, without having even 
notified) the crown of the East.

David/Cariadoc
http://www.best.com/~ddfr/