#but if this ever got adapted I would be totally fine if Alanna is 12 at the start of the series and George is 15

[moonybadger]

Thinking a lot about Liam Ironarm on this Lioness Rampant reread and I still don't really know what to make of him. On one hand, I do think it's a good depiction of like... a relationship where two people care about each other a lot but are just fundamentally incompatible romantically. But it does it in a way that doesn't actively villainize either party (though I do think Liam's really condescending towards Alanna in ways I find super irritating and unwilling to accept who she really is as a person). And I do think that's good for young kids to read about! Even though I never liked them together longterm, I found how their relationship was written was really unique to read as a young preteen. Honestly, same with Alanna's relationship with Jonathan! How they were in love as teenagers but just grew into different people that couldn't work together as a romantic couple, and how Alanna realized their relationship couldn't work out due to Jon's duties as king and what being married to him would force her to be. And again, just how she was able to maintain very strong friendships with both these people after the relationship ended (Jon took a minute, but they got there eventually)

BUT AT THE SAME TIME. Liam and Alanna's relationship is sooooo frustrating to get through, he's so condescending towards her aaaaaagh. And when I was a kid, I didn't realize that she and George had technically broken up because... I don't really get why they did?? I don't think Alanna ever planned to stay away from Corus FOREVER and George would totally have been down with a long distance relationship until she was ready to come back. I mean, that's how it went with Jonathan before they broke up (even though Jon was probably cheating on her cause he was still being an ass at the time and didn't see just sleeping with other women as being unfaithful, idk this never gets confirmed or denied) Honestly I really just wish Alanna and George had just stayed together for the majority of Lioness Rampant and just written letters to each other or talked through magic fire. It doesn't feel super fair that George is easily the best romantic option, but Alanna probably spends the least amount of time pining over him the way she does with Liam and Jon.

I mean, they do get married though. So my dude definitely wins in the long run. But still!! I wanted more pining!!