If Fergus were not a nice man...

[zute]

Okay, I'm plotting something out and I'm hitting a brick wall because I adore Fergus. I'm trying to think of reasons that Fergus might not want Elissa around. The only thing I can think of is that she was the heir and not him. Anyone else have something better?

Just if you post an idea realize I might be borrowing it! So don't post it if you want to write something about it yourself.

Comments

[jenna_thorn]

You're talking about the Couslands, right? the first thing I can think of is displaced survivor's guilt.

After all, his sister lived when his wife, his son, and his parents didn't.

[zute]

Yes, brother and sister Cousland.

Thanks for the suggestion!

[ashstoner_021]

Could always use the ol' sexist standby as well. She's a woman, therefore she could be useless and weak? I dunno, it seems so out of place for Fergus that I can't even imagine something like that lol. It just seems like something that COULD happen.

[polytene]

What part of the timeline? Maybe he's upset that little sis is a better warrior, and thinks he can't lead his men with her around to beat him every time they spar?

[zute]

Ah good question on the timeline. This would be after the Blight and they're reunited. He's not happy to see her. In fact, he'd like to get rid of her.

[polytene]

Hmm. Can you work it out so that he blames her for Howe's attack? Maybe he thinks she upset Howe by spurning his advances/rejecting his son for marriage/some other way, and even a nice Fergus could have worked up a lot of bitterness over the loss of his family.

[kelcat]

Well, if she spared Loghain at the Landsmeet (or just made Anora the sole ruler) that could definitely piss Fergus off. Not just because of everything Loghain personally did during the Blight, but also because he obviously knew that Howe was behind the Cousland massacre--and rewarded him for it by naming him ruler of Highever.

[owlmoose]

Survivor's guilt is a good suggestion. Another thought: if you are willing to use Awakening canon, maybe he's angry with her for not only sparing Nathanial, but putting him in a position of trust (shades of Alistair vs. Loghain?).

[scarylady]

He could still be a nice guy, but with jealousy eating away at his soul. She's the big hero, loved by the whole country, and what did he do? Get maimed by ONE group of darkspawn and lay on his arse on a pallet with the wilder folk looking after him.

[zute]

Oooh, good one!

[lorax]

IF you don't NEED him to have a selfish reason for the sake of the plot, then he could simply believe that she has a greater fate in store for her than to hang around as a second-born child? As in he wants more for her?

[le_monde]

Something to add to sibling rivalry: I always wanted to make the mabari puppy use Fergus so he can imprint on Elissa instead.

[niniane]

Is Fergus actually Fergus if he's not nice? Hmmm...

Is it possible that it could be Elissa who just doesn't want to be around? (i.e. she has exciting adventures to go on?) Possibly, also, she's a distraction. She's off trying to eat him out of house and home and insisting that they do fun stuff, when Fergus is desperate to rebuild Highever and just wants her gone for a while.

[zute]

Well, it is an AU work, so Fergus can be not nice. :) When I mean he doesn't want her around I mean like... concrete boots, drop her over the side of a boat, sort of not-around. Not just an unwelcome house guest. :p

There was a fic with a bad Fergus I just loved. The Night is Full of Stars. A Fergus who was quite pleasant on the surface but with ambitions that drove him to do awful, awful things.

[niniane]

OMG, no! Not a bad Fergus...I don't think that I could stand to read it. :(

[zute]

Hahaha! Oh, I love stories where the people have interesting alterations of their personalities.

I do adore the game Fergus though. A tad bit incestuously though when I play Elissa.

[scarylady]

That was a good fic. Overlong, with the plot obviously thought out as she went along, but good.

[ouyangdan]

I... can not wrap my head around a not- awesomely wonderful Fergus!

However, I think there are good reasons, if you use the end-game decisions of letting Loghain live and not placing Alistair on the throne (Couslands are royalists, and very loyal to the Calenhad line), I can see him disagreeing with her.

Add in letting Nathaniel live, and a good dispute because perhaps she won't tell him what happened to his family during the siege, and some survivor's guilt, that could work.

I'm going to stand over here and hug Fergus, because talking about this is weird! Ha!

[biffmclaughlin]

I vote for a big fat combination of things: a) she survived the massacre and went on to do great things, become famous, etc; b) he was unable to save his family; c) he got injured and was laid up, thus unable to help at Ostagar (which is silly, but we are talking survivor's guilt); d) she let Loghain live.

Did I miss anything? Oh yes, as a result of all this, he would probably be more likely to be a jerk in terms of her being a woman and inheriting what's left of the family lands/fortune.

[scarylady]

In view of (d) she let Loghain live, I assume then that we are talking about Lucy? If so, then there is always the possibility for (e) who the hell is this woman, because I'm damn sure she isn't my sister. Or worse, she killed my sister and took her body.

Nice man or not, that's a hell of a reason to murder her.

[zute]

Well, I don't want to get too specific, lest I give anything away. I think I've got a good enough base to go with this now. Yes, Fergus has exceptional reasons for not liking Lucy... but I was looking for a reason for him not liking Elissa. :) Sibling rivalry, inheritance things... maybe she caught him cross-dressing and held it over his head! Oooh, I do like that last one.

[varelishawt]

Remember when Dairren says something along the lines of 'everyone's saying how you (the younger daughter/son) should inherit the teyrnir' Yeah, I'd say that's cause for some teeth gnashing right there. I also agree with some previous posters about him being ticked off about the Loghain issue.

[sleepyowlet]

Because he's mad at her for destroying Bryce's (possible) gambit? As in, not marrying Cailan (cause he died) and then not marrying Alistair to become queen (and thus help the Cousland family)... he might see her as a traitor for that. In the vein of, what Howe didn't manage to destroy, you did! Not to forget that Elissa seems to have been a prissy noble, who thought commoners beneath her notice (if I remember correctly) - and there is only one kind of family that produces those.