#a woman doesn’t need to be a saint to not deserve to be mistreated by the men in her life

[milliesnotes]

A lot of y’all are just misogynist and don’t even try to hide it

[sincerelystranger]

Author: Basically this is like step 2 in rebuilding the Lotus Brothers’ relationship.

—-

Jiang Cheng is not jealous. He is the Yunmeng Jiang Sect leader – very rich and very handsome – and he’s not jealous. He doesn’t even know what jealousy feels like actually. Never felt it before.

He’s just a bit… disappointed. Yeah, he’s disappointed.

He’s raised Jin Ling for 16 years! Given him everything under the sun. Changed his diapers for him when he was a baby! So it’s totally reasonable that he’s just a tiny (tiny) bit disappointed that Jin Ling seems to have tossed him to the side for his newly alive uncle, Wei Wuxian.

Jiang Cheng should have expected it, he guesses, irritation bubbling in his stomach. Everyone always seemed to like that insufferable idiot more than Jiang Cheng… Whatever, Jiang Cheng doesn’t care.

He had just expected that his nephew might show him some loyalty…

Whatever, he’s not jealous. Wei Wuxian can have Jin Ling if he wants! Good riddance, actually! Jiang Cheng will probably have so much more free time now that he doesn’t have to run to Koi Tower every time Jin Ling is upset. Wei Wuxian can deal with Jin Ling’s temper tantrums now. See how he likes that! Good riddance.

Yes, so Jiang Cheng is totally not jealous and he’s totally not eavesdropping right now. He just happened to be sitting right outside of the room that Wei Wuxian is occupying during his stay at Koi Tower. He hadn’t known it was Wei Wuxian’s room! He just wanted to rest his legs for a little bit. And it was a total coincidence that Jin Ling was in there, chattering away. (Jin Ling never talked this much when he was with Jiang Cheng…)

“Were you always scared of dogs?” Jin Ling asks, “Can’t you get over it? It’s annoying to make Fairy hide every time you visit.”

(Fairy doesn’t have to hide when Jiang Cheng visits.)

“Can’t you just get rid of that evil creature?” Wei Wuxian replies petulantly, “I can’t even go outside for a piss because I’m scared I’ll run into that demon.”

“Fairy’s not a demon!” Jin Ling says indignantly, “She’s saved my life a bunch of times. If she was a cultivator, she’d probably be an immortal by now.”

“Well I’ll do all your life saving from now on, so go on, get rid of that demon for your poor uncle Wei Wuxian.”

“You’re so annoying,” Jin Ling sighs. (The most annoying! Jiang Cheng agrees silently.) “It’s a wonder uncle didn’t murder you growing up.” (Yes! Is Jin Ling finally seeing the light?)

Wei Wuxian, infuriatingly enough, laughs at that. “I was too fun for Jiang Cheng to want to murder me. Besides, if he had murdered me, your mother would have been upset and Jiang Cheng would never risk upsetting your mother.”

(That was true. There used to be nothing worse than upsetting shijie)

“I can’t imagine my mother liking you that much,” Jin Ling replies cuttingly.

Wei Wuxian laughs again. “She was a saint,” he says, “Too good to have been cursed with brothers such as me and Jiang Cheng.”

“Was she really as kind as you say?” Jin Ling asks suspiciously, “I can only imagine her being like a girl version of uncle.”

“To be honest, she was probably even kinder than what I remember,” Wei Wuxian says, something wistful in his voice that makes Jiang Cheng’s chest ache. “The girl version of Jiang Cheng was actually your grandmother – Madam Yu.”

“Really?” Jin Ling asks. (Why didn’t Jin Ling ever ask Jiang Cheng these sort of questions?) “What was she like? Was she as scary as uncle?”

“Scarier,” Wei Wuxian answers easily. “She’s probably the scariest woman I’ve ever and will ever meet in my life – in both lives actually!”

(His mother was the scariest woman Jiang Cheng had and probably ever will meet as well)

“Scarier than uncle, huh?” Jin Ling says, something like awe in his voice. “How did you survive her?”

“What do you mean survive? She was kind to me,” Wei Wuxian says to Jiang Cheng’s surprise.

(Kind? Kind? His mother had been a lot of things – powerful, ruthless, intelligent – but kind? Even as her son, he had known that his mother was not kind. His mother had a soft side to her, yes, but he had never seen her show it to Wei Wuxian. Was Wei Wuxian… sparing her memory for her grandson? Did Wei Wuxian have that kind of forethought?)

“Was she really kind, or are you just saying that because that’s what all orphans are required to say?” Jin Ling asks, again to Jiang Cheng’s surprise. (What was Jin Ling talking about? Orphan? Hadn’t Jiang Cheng taken care of him? Wei Wuxian had also been adopted – he hadn’t really grown up an orphan, had he?)

“What do you mean?” Wei Wuxian asks.

(Yes, what does he mean, Jiang Cheng wonders.)

“Oh, you know,” Jin Ling answers flippantly, “Like Jin Chan’s mom is a horrible, horrible lady, but since she’s my aunt and she let me live in her house when I was younger, whenever someone asks, I have to sound super thankful or they’ll say I’m ungrateful and curse my parents.”

Anger, hot and deep, boils inside of Jiang Cheng at Jin Ling’s words. How was this the first time he heard of this? He had been so grateful to Madam Yang for taking in Jin Ling when he was just a toddler – she had said that it was no trouble since her son was of similar age! Had she mistreated Jin Ling behind Jiang Cheng’s back? Had Jin Guangyao known about this? Why hadn’t Jin Ling told Jiang Cheng before?

“Jin Ling!” Wei Wuxian says, something dangerous in his voice. “Did Jin Chan’s mother treat you poorly? Did you tell Jiang Cheng about this?”

“She didn’t like… beat me or anything!” Jin Ling backtracks hesitantly, as if unsure why Wei Wuxian is upset. “Isn’t it expected that she doesn’t like me? I mean, I’m always going to have a higher standing than her son and I’ve always been a better cultivator than Jin Chan. Second-uncle used to say that she was just jealous.”

“She didn’t beat you, but what did she do?” Wei Wuxian asks darkly. Jiang Cheng has a feeling that Madam Yang will receive a visit soon – he wonders if he should stop Wei Wuxian or join him. Murdering the wife of a high ranking Jin sect member probably wouldn’t be viewed kindly upon…

“It’s not a big deal!” Jin Ling mutters childishly, “She’s a just a mean lady and she never stopped Jin Chan from beating on me with his friends, and she never let me eat at the same table as them, and she made me kneel outside a lot to ‘reflect.’”

Jiang Cheng will definitely join Wei Wuxian to visit Madam Yang. Anger and guilt are boiling in his veins, threatening to explode out of him. His fists are clenched so tightly that they’re shaking.

“Jin Guangyao knew this and he did nothing?” Wei Wuxian asks, his voice climbing higher with every syllable, “Does Jiang Cheng know about this?”

“He didn’t do nothing!” Jin Ling defends hotly (Jiang Cheng can’t fault him for defending that snake. He can… understand what it is like to love someone who everyone else has declared a villain). “He gave me Fairy – and she put a stop to Jin Chan’s antics. Besides, I never wanted to eat with her and stupid Jin Chan anyway so that worked out. And why would I tell uncle?”

“You told Jin Guangyao but you didn’t tell Jiang Cheng?” Wei Wuxian asks incredulously.

“No, I didn’t tell second-uncle either! He just found out somehow – you know how he is – was! He just… knew everything all the time.”

“Why didn’t you tell anyone?” Wei Wuxian asks, “Jiang Cheng definitely would have taken you back to Lotus Pier! You didn’t have to suffer like that!”

“Oh stop being dramatic,” Jin Ling huffs, “I didn’t suffer. It wasn’t anything worth troubling uncle over.”

(There’s nothing too small, Jiang Cheng thinks hotly. He wishes now that he had gone into the room instead of listening outside in secret. But would Jin Ling have even said these things if Jiang Cheng had been in there?)

“Oh, Jin Ling,” Wei Wuxian sighs, “promise me that you’ll let me know if someone so much as looks at you the wrong way. Promise me.”

“I don’t need you to coddle me,” Jin Ling snorts, “I’m the youngest sect leader – I get plenty of bad looks. If I reported every single one to you, I wouldn’t have time to do anything else.”

“Promise me,” Wei Wuxian repeats, “promise me or I’ll make a scene. I’ll take all my clothes off and run around Koi Tower in tears, yelling the whole time. You know I will.”

“Ugh, fine,” Jin Ling groans, “I thought you’d be less protective than uncle Jiang, but you’re somehow worse.”

“Whatever Jiang Cheng can do, I can do better,” Wei Wuxian answers solemnly, “except scowl. He’s got it over me on the scowling.”

“Yeah, no one can out-scowl uncle,” Jin Ling agrees (to Jiang Cheng’s ever growing irritation), “Anyway, you never answered my question. What kind of ‘kind’ was grandmother?”

“Really kind,” Wei Wuxian answers.

He’s lying, Jiang Cheng knows. He’s horrified to know that Wei Wuxian is lying – lying to save face for a woman who hated him. Someone who beat him regularly. How many times has Wei Wuxian had to say this lie, Jiang Cheng wonders faintly. How many times had Jin Ling lied to him?

Was this why Jin Ling kept seeking Wei Wuxian out? To speak this language of orphans that Jiang Cheng didn’t understand?

“Madam Yu and Uncle Jiang were kinder to me than I deserved.”

“You’re lying,” Jin Ling says plainly, “Grandmother must have been really horrible for you to lie so much.”

“I’m not lying!” Wei Wuxian lies again.

“You are!”

“Am not!”

“You are!”

“I’m not!” Wei Wuxian says exasperatedly, “Uncle and Madam Yu really were very kind – your grandparents were very kind people.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Jin Ling says, “I’ll believe that about grandfather, but I know you’re lying about grandmother.”

“Why do you think that?”

“Because you call grandfather uncle and grandmother ‘Madam Yu,’” Jin Ling answers matter-of-factly. “Besides, you said she was the female version of uncle – and uncle is great and all, but he’s barely nice to me, and he loves me! She must have been absolutely horrible to you.”

“She wasn’t horrible,” Wei Wuxian defends weakly, “She treated me fairly.”

Guilt and anger – two feelings Jiang Cheng is becoming intimately acquainted with during this eavesdropping mission. He remembers all those times he watched Wei Wuxian get punished. Punished for… being better than Jiang Cheng mostly. A better cultivator, a better swordsmith, a better archer – and Jiang Cheng had been helpless then. Helpless against his mother’s anger, her jealousy. He loved his mother – loves her still – but… it’s horrible, remembering the things she had done to Wei Wuxian. It’s one of the reasons Jiang Cheng can never find it in himself to raise a hand against Jin Ling. He’s never seen physical punishment used fairly.

“Sure,” Jin Ling says disbelievingly.

Wei Wuxian laughs at that, and Jiang Cheng can’t understand it. Why does that idiot laugh at everything? Does he think laughter will brush everything away? Every whiplash, every beating, every harsh word? There’s no way that Wei Wuxian has forgotten his mother’s cruelty – there’s no way that those memories could ever be something worth laughter. Jiang Cheng had only watched and even he can’t forget.

“Oh, Jin Ling,” Wei Wuxian says fondly, “I was just a kid on the streets – your grandmother had no reason to let me stay, but she did, and I’ll always be grateful for that. Thanks to her, I got your mother, I got Jiang Cheng, and now I have you.”

Jiang Cheng has to leave then. Can’t bear to listen to any more of this horrid conversation.

He’s always known Wei Wuxian was stupid, but it’s… jarring to realize just how stupid he is.

Grateful, he says. Grateful. What an idiot.

----

Later that evening, Jin Ling eats dinner with Jiang Cheng in the room he uses whenever he comes to Koi Tower.

“Where’s Wei Wuxian?” Jiang Cheng asks, trying not to sound too interested.

“He’s probably in his room,” Jin Ling answers, his mouth full of food. It’s gross and Jiang Cheng definitely didn’t raise him like that. “I told him to join us but he said he didn’t want to risk being murdered over dinner.”

Jiang Cheng snorts at that. He wouldn’t murder Wei Wuxian in front of Jin Ling.

“You should try to get along with him,” Jin Ling continues, shoving more food into his mouth. “He’s not that bad once you get used to him.”

“Shut up,” Jiang Cheng huffs. He doesn’t need to hear that from Jin Ling – he doesn’t need to hear that from anyone! He knows better than anyone that Wei Wuxian can be… tolerable at times. “Also, don’t talk with your mouth full. It’s disgusting.”

Jin Ling pouts (is he really the Sect leader?) but dutifully swallows his food before talking again. “You’re so annoying, uncle,” the impudent little punk says, “I know you actually want to get along with him but you’re probably embarrassed or something. You shouldn’t be embarrassed, he’s really easy, you know.”

“Keep talking and I’m going to break your legs,” Jiang Cheng growls. He knows, he wants to say. He knows better than anyone how easy Wei Wuxian is. He can’t remember Wei Wuxian ever getting mad at him. Can’t ever remember a time Wei Wuxian wasn’t smiling. He’d always been so easy to please – so quick to forgive. A word from shijie, a gentle shove from Jiang Cheng, or a swim in the lake, and he’d be back to the annoying smiley idiot he always was.

Jiang Cheng knows better than anyone that he holds all the tools to decide whether the relationship between him and Wei Wuxian gets rebuilt.  

But the thing is that… he’s never been the one who’s had to reach out first.

It was always Wei Wuxian who chased after him. Always Wei Wuxian who apologized. Always Wei Wuixian who soothed Jiang Cheng’s hurt feelings, his hurt pride.

Maybe Jiang Cheng had taken it for granted all this time, but somehow he was still waiting for Wei Wuxian to reach out to him first. There’s also a horrible thought in his mind that tells him that Wei Wuxian isn’t reaching out because, actually, he doesn’t want to. What if Wei Wuxian doesn’t want anything to do with Jiang Cheng after all? It’s a childish and humiliating realization – even to admit to himself.

“Tomorrow,” he says as naturally as possible, “We’ll have breakfast in Wei Wuxian’s room, tomorrow. I will not murder him.” Great. That was natural, right? Totally natural.

Jiang Cheng thinks he hears Jin Ling snort into his bowl of rice.

“I think I should make that a rule,” Jin Ling says, “No murdering of uncles at Koi Tower.”

“Is it murder if I’m just defending you from all his nonsense?” Jiang Cheng asks seriously.

“I can defend myself just fine, uncle,” Jin Ling answers, rolling his eyes. Where had he learned all this rudeness? Probably Wei Wuxian. Jiang Cheng never rolled his eyes like that.

Maybe he’ll tell Wei Wuxian to stop teaching Jin Ling all these rude things tomorrow at breakfast. He feels a little… nervous. What will he say? What if Wei Wuxian and Jin Ling just talk together and leave him out? What if Wei Wuxian says something stupid and Jiang Cheng can’t contain his anger and says something mean? Ugh… breakfast tomorrow was a bad idea. He’s already regretting it.

“No take backs on breakfast,” Jin Ling says, as if he can read Jiang Cheng’s mind.

“I said what I said,” Jiang Cheng replies hotly, “A man never goes back on his word.”

“Yeah, sure,” Jin Ling snorts.

Impudent little ingrate!

They finish dinner and Jin Ling hangs out for a bit. Brings Fairy into Jiang Cheng’s room and shows Jiang Cheng all the new tricks he’s taught her since Jiang Cheng last visited.

Jiang Cheng watches all the tricks dutifully. Jin Ling obviously worked at them, after all. But his mind does drift a little. Wonders why Jin Ling speaks about such… serious things with Wei Wuxian but not with Jiang Cheng. Did he not think Jiang Cheng was a good listener?

Jiang Cheng clears his throat after Fairy’s last trick. “Um, great job,” he says naturally. Super naturally. “Uh, Jin Ling… If you ever have anything you want to talk about with me… you… can.” Great job. Totally natural.

Jin Ling stares at him strangely for a couple of seconds.

Jiang Cheng stares back, feeling prickles of embarrassment making their way up his spine.

“What would I have to tell you?” Jin Ling says finally, tilting his head just a little. He looks like a toddler again like that, his soft cheeks looking even softer in the candlelight.

“Just… anything…” Jiang Cheng answers. “Anything that might be bothering you.”

“Well…” Jin Ling says slowly, “there’s one thing…”

Finally! Real bonding time with Jin Ling. Take that, Wei Wuxian!

“Why is Wei Wuxian so scared of dogs? I want to show him all of Fairy’s tricks too, and it’s annoying that I have to hide Fairy away every time he comes over. Do you think I could, like, train him out of his fear of dogs?”

Jiang Cheng feels the blood vessel in his forehead fill with blood.

“Nevermind,” he says, waving at Jin Ling to get out of his room. “I take back what I said. Don’t tell me anything. Get out before I break your legs.”

“I thought men didn’t go back on their word!” Jin Ling says cheekily, sticking his tongue out at Jiang Cheng before running out of the room. Fucking brat.

Wei Wuxian can have him.

[general-du-vallon]

Post Musketeers Don’t Die Easily. I dunno, it’s late. Constance had a shit time in this episode.

Constance sends the woman who comes to help her to the garrison. She can’t go herself, not after that with d’Artagnan. Mary, who came and got her to tell her about Bonacieux, who even likes Bonacieux. When they were first married Constance had found her a comfort, the woman who came and told Constance she was sensible, that love would grow, that affection was important, that ‘the master’ loved her, that a roof and food were important and wonderful. Constance distrusts her, now, which is unfair. She’s a good woman. She takes Constance’s message and returns a little flustered, Porthos removing his hat as he bends to come through the door behind her. 

“Thank you, Mary,” Constance says. 

“I’ll check on the master before I go, shall I?” Mary asks, giving Constance a stern look at being asked to be left alone with this big, armed, muscular soldier. “Stay long enough to escort monsieur back out.”

“That won’t be necessary,” Constance says. “He’s here to see my husband, not me. Boncieux asked for him.”

Mary smiles and bobs a curtsy, issuing further into the house in a rough bustle to tell the master his guest is here. She returns a little confused but shows Porthos up. Constance is surprised, seeing as Bonacieux hadn’t asked for Porthos at all. Mary comes back out. 

“About an order,” she tells Constance, smiling, content. “I’ll be back tomorrow, if you’d like?”

“No, come next week as usual,” Constance says. “I can manage.”

Mary tuts and promises to come tomorrow, then leaves. Finally. Porthos comes back out into the kitchen and sits opposite her, setting his hat and guns on the table. 

“Thought it must’ve been about an order I made with him,” Porthos says. “He was very apologetic about not being able to complete it. I think he misunderstood Mary, must’ve thought I’d come to see him. He’s out of it.”

“I wondered,” Constance says. 

“What can I do for you?” Porthos asks. 

“You said you wanted to be friends, then you lied to me, let me think d’Artagnan was fighting with you, let me think Athos was dead, that d’Artagnan was in trouble again. You do know d’Artagnan, don’t you, sir?” Constance says, looking at her hands on the table-top. “He’s always in trouble and he’s got a hot head.”

“Yeah,” Porthos says, rubbing the back of his neck. “Wasn’t that hard to sell that bit.”

“You didn’t think that maybe I’d be in trouble, too? Being as he’s close to me, which isn’t exactly a well-kept secret, seeing as the Cardinal bloody well knows. Why he cares I don’t know, but he seemed to enough to send my husband snooping,” Constance says. 

“Didn’t know that, did I?” Porthos says. “Not the only one keeping secrets.”

“My secrets don’t generally put you in line to be kidnapped,” Constance says. “Which, by the way, if you come across a whore called Céline you might do something for her.”

“Who’s she?”

“The woman who Milady’s friend Sarazin put to guard me,” Constance says. “I didn’t much like her obviously, but I got the impression she hadn’t much choice, whatever she said about love. She was a drunk.”

“Ah,” Porthos says. “I might be able to find her. Can’t do much though, I can’t save the world you know.”

“Bloody right, I’ve noticed,” Constance says. She looks up at him, expecting to find at least a little remorse, but all she finds is tiredness. “Why didn’t you tell me any of this? You came and drank wine and ate supper here, two nights before all of this, after rescuing her majesty from that convent.”

“That was good bread,” Porthos says, livening up a little and looking around hopefully. Constance bangs her hand on the table, loud enough to remind him that she’s angry but not enough to bring her husband down. “Sorry. I didn’t have anything to tell, then, and after that, it happened quickly, I didn’t think.”

“Yeah, that’s what I thought. Some friend you are,” Constance says, letting out some of the bitterness and anger of the past few days. 

“Bonacieux is trapping you here with him on purpose, he doesn’t love you, this isn’t love,” Porthos says. “I doubt he ever was really even in danger of dying.”

“Porthos!”

“Yeah yeah, you want to talk about our shit conduct, I know. I know it was shit, we didn’t consider you, we’re awful friends,” Porthos says. Constance holds up a hand to interupt. 

“You,” she says. 

“Right. Me. Anyway, I didn’t know anyone except us knew about what was between you and him, he’s your lodger to the world, it was safer not to tell you, not when we were possibly being watched. Drawing attention to any kind of ties between you and us, any closeness beyond you being his landlady, wouldn’t have helped matters,” Porthos says. 

“And when I came to the garrison and asked how he was and you sent me off home with a platitude, instead of trusting me?”

“Same excuse, plus we were distracted,” Porthos says. “Your husband came looking, you know. Came into the tavern and yelled at us. Should’ve done something then, if you really want to get into it that’s the deficiency in my friendship you should pick at. You want my excuses for that? I just buried Athos. Doesn’t seem to matter much, seeing as he’s not dead.”

“He’s no saint either,” Constance says. “I have no sympathy for Milady, she’s ruthless and cold-hearted, but I heard her story. No woman deserves to be forced, and no one listens to us or gives a damn either way. He thinks his wife’s been mistreated by his brother in her own house and he hangs her for defending herself? Oh, maybe she was lying, maybe she had other faults, she’s certainly murdered since then and she’s all twisted and evil, but I can’t help thinking of my friends, of myself. You say Bonacieux don’t treat me right, but I don’t see you having a go at Athos for treating people badly.” 

“Athos is dead,” Porthos says. “Wouldn’t dream of having a go at a dead man.”

“He’s not dead,” Constance says, her anger faltering. Porthos gives a rough, low laugh and she looks at him again. 

“Yeah,” Porthos says. “Will be one day, sooner than later the way he goes. Doesn’t matter anyway. I’ll trust you in the future Constance, I promise I will.”

“Good enough,” Constance says. 

“Right,” Porthos says. 

He doesn’t stay to drink wine or eat with her, how he sometimes has been. He gets up and sets his hat on his head and leaves, steps heavy. Constance considers worrying about him but decides she doesn’t have the energy. She goes up to the bedroom and passes through, pretending not to notice Bonaxieux awake, and lies down in her narrow bed. 

Porthos returns in the morning, slipping in early with fruit. He’s there when Constance goes down, waiting for her. He gives her a mug of wine and a plate of fruit and some bread and sits beside her, helping himself to the same, stretching his legs out in front of him and eating comfortably. Constance picks at her food and waits, for whatever it is he’s here for. Her face is bruised and the skin feels tight over her cheek, she’s still tired and dirty and sore from being stuck in a cellar, from falling down the steps, from being dragged about and bound. She’s still afraid and worried. She loves d’Artagnan and misses him and worries for him even though he’s got all these friends, and she can’t help the deep guilt over her husband. She promised to make a life with him, before God, and she hasn’t been doing that, recently. He broke his promises to care for her, too, though. His sort of love, Porthos is right, is no love worth having. She can see that, despite Mary’s platitudes. She’s not sure d’Artagnan’s love’ll be much better. It would be wonderful, but he doesn’t take the time to understand any more than anyone else. 

“It’s harder to spend time with you,” Porthos says. “I don’t want to make things harder. I don’t want to leave you alone though.”

“I’m not alone,” Constance says. 

“Yeah, ok,” Porthos says. “There must be women...?”

“Yeah,” Constance agrees. She’s not lying, there are women she’s friends with. But... “Boncieux...”

Porthos grunts his understanding and runs his hand over his hair. Then he looks at her for a long time, reaching out to touch his fingers lightly to her bruise. Finally she sees the regret and remorse she was looking for last night. He lets his hand drop to the table and smiles, forcing cheer. 

“Then you are stuck with me,” Porthos says. “I’ll be subtle. Despite what the others say I can be subtle.”

Constance snorts, both because he is the least subtle person she’s ever met and because she can imagine some of the things that have made the others thing that he isn’t subtle. She trusts him, though, and no one’s noticed yet his comings and goings. As far as she knows, anyway. Maybe she should see if she can poke about a bit and find out for sure. 

“I don’t want you to be lonely,” Porthos whispers. 

“I won’t be,” Constance lies. 

“I dunno what I’d do without the others,” Porthos says. “Except that I do, because I lived a long time before I found that with the musketeers. I know loneliness. If you need me, send for me. You don’t have to send Mary, just leave a token. You know that tall wall on your way to the garrison, just passed the tavern called the cockerel? you leave something there, I’ll come visit. I’ll keep an eye.”

They work out a token she can leave that won’t be removed or be in danger of falling off, then he gets up and when she gets up to see him out he embraces her and apologizes into her hair before ducking away and out, gone. 

***

Later, far later, when the queen tells her d’Artagnan commended her and recommended her, Constance thinks of Porthos saying he didn’t want her to be lonely; the queen seems to be the loneliest woman in Paris. Perhaps, Constance thinks, they can change that for each other. 

[meowshroom1230]

hey original poster here. all of you have brought up completely valid points and I’m really sorry this post came off as misogynistic and victim blamey. this was simply supposed to be a Lynda hate post and honestly i felt kinda weird after posting it but I really didn’t like her.

Despite that all of you are right. This post put the full blame of the situation she’s in onto her. I tried to say that it’s her husband’s responsibility too but clearly I did not explain that well enough. This post was ment to be more about how I hate when a ‘antagonist’ character gets a ‘tragic’ backstory to make the viewers feel bad for them. I don’t know why I decided to get all theorizey about Lynda’s home life and what she could’ve done better.

Also the bitch thing wasn’t meant to be gender specific (would’ve called her the same thing if she was a man). It was just kinda like calling her an asshole, or douche bag or whatever. But women being called bitches, especially by men to demean them, has such a bad history attached to it I should’ve thought twice about what was happening in the scene. All this to say I’m sorry about how the post was phrased and came at it with too heavy of a “why doesn’t she just take control and fix it” mindset because it’s not her job to be the only person to fix the misogynistic men in her life. I still don’t like her, but what I said was not cool.

Tl;dr

Lynda hate post gone terribly wrong, my apologies.

A lot of y’all are just misogynist and don’t even try to hide it