#historically they remained best friends even when risley left stephen's tutelage - like mantel hates stephen i know

[cosmic-walkers]

after seeing that amazing edit...I can't ever stop thinking about Wriothesely and the complexities of his character. From his prior loyalty to Thomas to his eventual loss of devotion to him, whether it be out of fear, lust for power, or both - but his unquestionable loyalty to Stephen at the very end of things. One thing I appreciate is that, in the show , Risley tried many times to help Thomas, trying to get him to make a move against his enemies (Norfolk), trying to warn him of potential threats. There were even instances where we knew Risley was probably talking to Stephen, and he still attempted to steer Thomas in the right direction but just realized he was too stubborn. Then Risley betrayed Thomas and Gregory, which negated all his good qualities unfortunately.

I don't think what Risley did to Thomas at the end of the day was right, by any means, but what I do think is that he is such a nuanced, and complicated character. and i love characters like him.

It would've been so much easier if he hated Thomas and the Cromwells, if he was planning to betray them from the very beginning but that isn't the reality. He loved them, he saw them as his own family, he enjoyed being around them and being in their presence. His heart absolutely ached for what happened to Thomas, despite being the most instrumental person in his master's downfall. It was Risley's confession - that i don't believe was actually in the show - that really pushed Thomas to be executed.

And then there is the other hand, where even in the books there is a power play between Thomas and Stephen when it comes to Risley. They both want him, they both want to use him for their own ambition, they both want to show him off to the other just to say' I have him and you don't.' One of Thomas's main reasons in the books for having Risley close, was to spite Stephen.

And then you have these instances where, as much as Risley loves the Cromwells, he questions his place in their lives. Richard and Rafe outwardly talk down on him, Richard calls him an idiot, Rafe never liked him to begin with. He mentions how Thomas laughed at him when he suggested something and you can tell he questions if this family really accepts him, or not. Or if he is just another example of a man of 'noble' birth that Thomas parades around to show that he can.

So many complexities in Risley - even down to his attire. I was never sure if it was cheetah or jaguar or leopard clothing but the point is, those are both ambush and solidarity predators. They don't fit well in groups, especially the males; they will fight and kill, and they will ambush. I always saw Risley as a person who tried to fit in with the Cromwells but realized at the end, he never had a place, so his next logical step was simply an ambush.

Another animal, at least I find him comparable to is the snake that Thomas many times references in the books. Not just the snake, but the poison that eventually catches up to Thomas. Thomas spoke about how he was bitten by a snake in Italy, but it didn't kill him, but he never knew if it was poisonous or not. However, after that, he would consistently get ill, and it was implied that the poison was killing him slowly he just didn't know when. There was something about Risley being there, like the poison festering from the snake wound, slowly undoing the Cromwell house hold, slowly sinking his fangs into the stability and that family that let him in, and then eventually, destroying them.