So while coming up with ideas for the prequels, I’ve been thinking a lot about why each Guen thinks and behaves and feels the way she does. So, this Guencap is an in-depth analysis of how each Guen feels about the other characters in the game and why, as well as any upcoming character development.
These are REALLY long, so I’m doing 2 Guens at a time.
Side note: While thinking about how long this was taking to write, I just had a TERRIFYING thought. If I keep going at my current rate, I’ll have 56 Guens by the time this series reaches it’s final book. If it goes higher, I could have over 100. I mean, playing that number is one thing (after the first 5-10 times, you can just skim the text), but just thinking about trying to write Guencaps for that number of Guens…
1. Good Girl Guen:
Personal Development: Experiences during her childhood left Good Girl Guen very passive and fearful to speak her mind. However, giving that speech to the army, and realizing that everyone loved it gave her a little more confidence in herself-enough to at least speak to Meliguant (who reminded her so much like her father in a foul mood that it chilled her to her bones) like she said she would. And even if she didn’t have the courage to confront him for attacking a child-well, at least that was something, right?
Success in rescuing Arthur in Michaelsmount would dramatically increase her confidence. After all, could a “mere brood mare” single handedly rescue her beloved from certain death without even any real combat abilities (Light Magic and Leadership only)?! So succeeding would be a HUGE confidence boost-maybe even enough to tell Arthur she wants to be more involved in running the kingdom. (They were supposed to be working towards his vision TOGETHER, yet the council meetings and diplomatic negotiations go on without her.) Failure, on the other hand, would likely convince Good Girl Guen that her father was right; girls were good for nothing but smiling and looking pretty and making sons (and she couldn’t even do that).
Arthur: Good Girl Guen came into her marriage hoping for love and a happier life. Though she was a bit nervous and fearful that Arthur would be like her father, she had heard nothing but good things about her betrothed. And of course, she was extremely nervous about the wedding night to come. She’d barely had a conversation with a man (other than servants and relatives) for longer than 5 minutes with her father present, and now she would be expected to have sex with a stranger. So even after conversing amicably with Arthur for hours, fear made it impossible for Good Girl Guen to make the first move. But after bonding a little more over the fireworks (and Arthur getting the courage to make the first move), the pair finally had a proper wedding night. Good Girl Guen was surprised at how much she enjoyed herself; a combination of her own lack of experience and being swept up in the romantic moment made her completely oblivious to how bad Arthur actually is in bed. Over the next week, they become closer through planning battle strategies against the Romano-Saxons in the council chamber and spending the night after the skirmish giving encouragement to the soldiers. But the moment she heard Arthur describe his vision…that’s the moment Good Girl Guen fell in love. A world where nobody would have to live under men like her father, where her mother would still be alive…that would indeed be a paradise. And even if it took a lifetime, her and Arthur would make that paradise real.
- Book II: Good Girl Guen and Arthur have formed a very loving and trusting relationship. Neither are the angry, grudge-holding type; she forgives Arthur for his mistakes as he forgives her for hers. Nobody’s perfect, and making others feel more guilty than they already do accomplishes nothing. It was after forgiving Arthur for the sheep incident that he told her “I love you” for the first time (a declaration which Good Girl Guen was only too happy to reciprocate). As for chasing the wrong Guen…well, it’s the thought that counts.
Lancelot: Though Good Girl Guen was a bit taken aback when Lancelot entered her dressing pavilion without even a warning, he seemed like a nice person otherwise. She was of course very grateful to him for saving her life from the assassin, and appreciated how he supported and cared for Arthur. So even if he was a bit too forward for her taste and made her a bit uncomfortable (like when he jumped into their room on their wedding night-again without warning), she made an effort to be friendly. Having never really been around men before, Good Girl Guen was pretty oblivious to Lancelot’s attraction to her until Morgana pointed it out. But when she tried to tell Arthur, he brushed it off as him being a “shameless flirt.”
- Book II: After 3 years of victory trophies, Good Girl Guen was pretty sure Lance’s feelings were more than just joking flirtation. She didn’t mind them though; Lancelot was obviously trying to circumvent his feelings as best he knew how. Good Girl Guen was slightly less understanding when Lancelot kissed her against her will, making him swear to never do it again and saying that him relocating to Gaul was probably for the best. She’s not the type to yell and rage or attack him with the sword, but Lance has definitely lost her trust.
Morgana: Hiding more than a few nerves and fears under an optimistic smile, Good Girl Guen appreciated Morgana’s kindness and concern for her on her wedding day more than she could say. And how could she not be friends with the woman who gave her her sweet little Fluffy?!
- Book II: Good Girl Guen exchanged constant letters with Morgana, and always appreciated her practical advice to any problem she wrote about. She visited her before going to bed with Arthur, and although Morgana was sometimes a bit hard on poor Arthur, Good Girl Guen couldn’t help but laugh. After emboldening the sheep to escape their kidnappers, she let Morgana escape first, feeling that Morgana, with her dark magic abilities, had a better chance of surviving the forest alone.
Meligaunt: Good Girl Guen never liked Meligaunt, not from the moment she heard that he attacked a 13 year old boy. And his scowl and towering over her reminded her WAY too much of her own father. Honestly, she barely found the courage to speak to him. Him kidnapping her, hurting Morgana, and butchering that poor doppelganger obviously did not help their relationship, but the final straw was when he said he wanted to use her Fluffy as spell components. Good Girl Guen truly hated this man; he was EVERYTHING she was trying to remove from the world. If she encountered him at Michaelsmount, she planned to show him how it felt to be treated the way he treated others.
Grimald: Good Girl Guen used the oath charm, wanting to believe that Grimald wanted peace and not having much experience dealing with smooth talking schemers like him. It was only when Tilda killed the assassins and explained what was going on from her POV that Good Girl Guen began to realize that Grimald was a two-faced liar, and that oath charm may come back to bite her.
Tilda: Good Girl Guen was desperately hoping for Tilda’s (seeming) attraction to Lancelot to be reciprocated, thereby ending all the heartache of the last 3 years. When she found out that Tilda was actually a spy that was faking the whole thing, she was honestly a little disappointed. But besides that, Good Girl Guen was also stunned and in awe. A NOBLEWOMAN, fighting assassins and spying on people and just generally being that awesome?! She didn’t believe it was even possible before she saw it. It was partly seeing Tilda’s bravery and competence that inspired Good Girl Guen to believe that maybe she COULD single-handedly rescue Arthur at Michaelsmount.
2. Canon Guen:
Arthur: Canon Guen married Arthur out of duty, but still held out a little hope that perhaps they could learn to love each other. But although Arthur seemed like a good person, someone that she could grow fond of or even love like a little brother…the romantic attraction was nonexistent. Though Arthur was obviously trying, his missteps and inexperience did not exactly inspire passion. And the sex…Canon Guen did her duty, but that was all. She lied that it was fantastic in order to spare Arthur’s feelings. But despite the disappointment in the romance department, Canon Guen did her best to be a good wife and a good queen; being nothing but nice to Arthur, and even risking her life to fire the rocket in time. Though she was a little frustrated by Arthur not including her in every aspect of government, like making battle plans, and made a conscious effort to remind him to include her. But overall, even if she didn’t agree with his every decision (such as wishing to spare someone with a personal vendetta against his wife; Canon Guen had no choice but to kill him in self-defense), Canon Guen did genuinely admire and respect Arthur and his vision for a better world.
• Book II: Canon Guen supported Arthur’s vision overall, but tried to make sure Arthur’s naivety didn’t lead him to do anything too stupid. Though all too often she didn’t succeed. In the most infuriatingly nice way imaginable, Arthur could be quite stubborn. So though Canon Guen was disappointed that he didn’t ask her for her advice BEFORE bringing the sheep into the palace (considering she’d studied with Merlin and had learned a thing or two about animals), she couldn’t say she was surprised. But though the sheep incident could be classified as just one the usual exasperating things she had learned to live with, leaving Camelot basically defenseless while chasing the wrong Guenevere was a threat to the entire kingdom. Protecting and strengthening the kingdom was Canon Guen’s life’s mission, she couldn’t let Arthur tear it down through a bout of carelessness. So after Lancelot saved his sorry butt from Meligaunt (or at least she prayed to the Goddess that he would), Canon Guen planned to have a TALK with Arthur. It might not be pretty, but it might just save the kingdom.
Lancelot: From the moment she saw Lancelot, and he looked at her with that look that said that she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen, Canon Guen thought to herself “Why can’t it be you?” And though she tried to brush that thought aside and be a good wife to Arthur, that thought was always in the back of her mind. It was that thought that made her decide that it was important to learn how to defend herself even though she never picked up a sword in her life before. And she had the time of her life…not because she enjoyed fighting (which honestly, she could live without), but because Lance just made it fun, the way he made everything fun with his contagious enthusiasm and laughter. So when Canon Guen felt the intense reaction to his touch…she was upset and worried, but honestly not shocked. But she did know that she’d never do anything about it…until she kissed him in the tent, which kind of blew that plan. But at least her and Lance seemed to be on the same page; this would be a one-time mistake. They’d never express their feelings physically again; she was a married woman, a queen, and anything else was treason.
• Book II: In the 3 years that passed, Canon Guen missed Lancelot more than she could bear. She knew his absence was the right thing for the kingdom, but honestly, his victory trophies were often the only thing that kept her going in a life she seemed to lead for everyone else except herself. Canon Guen just wished he would stay long enough for her to tell him that. And then he finally did…in the company of that little tramp Tilda! It was all she could do not to slap her stupid face; but luckily, she was able to keep her composure in public, and save her revenge for later, when she gleefully allowed the sheep to tear up every one of Tilda’s dresses. And when she caught her trying to seduce Lancelot in the gardens, Canon Guen quickly foiled that little enterprise by telling Lance that the king had urgent business with him, much to Tilda’s annoyance. When she saw him again, it was fighting Meligaunt to defend her, looking so brave and heroic. And Lance knew who she was; he’d know her anywhere, even if her own husband didn’t. When he rescued her from the carriage, she tried to be aloof just to stop herself from jumping into his arms (“You could have got here a little sooner”). But when he kissed her…any and all semblance of control was lost. It felt like fate, like magic, like falling into the right place. After it was done, Canon Guen felt a twinge of guilt and regret, but that all fell away once Lance finally told her he loved her, finally said out loud what she’d been thinking for years. It almost broke her heart to send him away to Michaelsmount, but she was not about to leave her kingdom to the civil war that would inevitably follow Arthur’s death. (And even if she didn’t love him, Arthur was a good man.) This romance didn’t mean that Canon Guen was going to abandon her duties. She would be a good queen, a great queen, putting the needs of Arthur and the kingdom first in every way…except one. Lancelot was the only source of happiness she had in her life, and she would not give him up for anybody. And Goddess help anyone who tried to take him away from her.
Morgana: Canon Guen was a little cautious and wary about Morgana, having heard the rumors about dark magic and her father Gorlois’ use of it. But over the course of the week, she began to open up to Morgana a little more as she realized that Morgana was a kind and caring woman and nothing like the ugly whispers she had heard. Canon Guen even grew to trust her enough to ask her for advice about what to do about Lancelot’s attraction to her, though she NEVER admitted that she reciprocated those feelings, and certainly not that they’d kissed. After all, a knight lusting after a beautiful queen is nothing new, but a queen falling for someone other than her husband and king…treason. And though Morgana did seem like a good woman, you could never be too careful.
• Book II: Canon Guen exchanged friendly letters with Morgana, but never felt comfortable enough to divulge her darkest secrets. Though she had been away from Cornwall for 3 years now, the prejudice against dark magic users ingrained in her childhood had never been fully eradicated. But laughing with her about Arthur’s bouts of stupidity (FINALLY, somebody understood), went a long way in helping Canon Guen let her guard down a bit.
Meligaunt: Canon Guen wasn’t exactly eager to welcome into her home a man who had tried to kill a thirteen year old boy. However, she was practical enough to realize that for the sake of a much needed alliance with Frankmarch, some things just had to be done. But when she found Meligaunt had broke into her private chambers, Canon Guen knew he was up to something. She tried to tell Arthur as much…too bad his overly trusting nature wouldn’t believe it. When the doppelganger spell was cast, she and Morgana broke into HIS room and realized he was behind everything. Knowing this, Canon Guen decided it was best to stay in her room, rather than be vulnerable to attack in the courtyard. Too bad Meligaunt found her there. But so did Lancelot, and he defended her, fighting Meligaunt like a hero from a romance novel while Arthur was nowhere to be found. She cast a defensive spell to help Lance, and tried to trip Meligaunt and distract him…but it wasn’t enough, and she was kidnapped. And then not only did he kidnap her, the Queen of Britain, but he had the audacity to threaten her cat…Canon Guen wants vengeance against this man, and is currently praying for Lance to bring her his head (figuratively, of course; the actual rotting head would be a disgusting sight to behold).
Grimald: Grimald seemed like the typical foreign dignitary; properly dressed, impeccably polite, and probably hiding a hidden agenda. Canon Guen expected that agenda had something to do with cheating them on the price of sheep. Kidnapping? Well, she had not been expecting that. She wouldn’t trust Grimald as far as she could spit. However, telling him so and making a dangerous enemy would do no good at all, so she used the oath charm anyway. Besides, Canon Guen did actually want peace with Frankmarch…just hopefully one in which Grimald would be without any power whatsoever.
Tilda: Canon Guen disliked Tilda from the moment she saw her flirting with Lancelot. Of course, it’s not like they were together. Canon Guen was a married woman, and Lance was an eligible bachelor. Tilda could flirt with him if she wished. That’s what Canon Guen told herself, over and over again, as she tried to be civil and restrain herself from slapping the stupid smile and infuriating giggle right off Tilda’s face. Canon Guen watched with no small amount of satisfaction when the sheep ripped up the little skank’s too-short dresses. When she found out that Tilda was actually a spy who was not interested in Lancelot at all, Canon Guen’s opinion of Tilda rose markedly. Not enough to trust her with Lance alone (not NEARLY enough for that), but certainly enough to give her the tip about the decoding device.