Prologue of
The King's Justice:
Quote[Kelson] had fallen heir to magic: the puissant and forbidden Deryni bloodline of his mother, Queen Jehana, her heritage unknown even to herself before she was forced to use it as his coronation
"even to herself"? Am I reading this right, that the
Camberian Council didn't know of the Deryni blood of the grand-niece or something of Lewys ap Norfal, and of the royal house of Bremagne?
Quote from: tmcd on March 10, 2025, 01:26:27 AMPrologue of The King's Justice:
Quote[Kelson] had fallen heir to magic: the puissant and forbidden Deryni bloodline of his mother, Queen Jehana, her heritage unknown even to herself before she was forced to use it as his coronation
"even to herself"? Am I reading this right, that the Camberian Council didn't know of the Deryni blood of the grand-niece or something of Lewys ap Norfal, and of the royal house of Bremagne?
Yeah, I know. This is where we've just gotta give KK a break and say "it was her first book, she had no idea she was going to create this mega-world where everyone's ancestries were going to be looked over with a fine-toothed comb."
Being fair, a lot of Deryni lie about their identities. See Duncan's kinship to Morgan. It's a survival trait in the situation they're in.
It's not impossible that Lewys ap Norfal's kin did everything they could to obfuscate that connection once it was clear that the Camberian Council was hammering down on that. And it could have taken a while to unravel that.
And there were anti-Deryni priests in Bremagne since we know that Jehane was taught by them. Yes the country does have a Deryni population but with Gwynedd as a neighbor and friend, it's best to keep quiet about Deryniness. Especially those Deryni in the royal house.
Jehane's father was the Roi/King of Bremagne. By right of kingship, if he showed any powers, it would be attributed to his anointing. I am not sure if Bremagne has an Empowerment ritual or not, but either way, the crown on one's head allows a Deryni person to show their powers in emergent times, without leading to the instant accusation that this ruler is Deryni. Therefore, the whole family could easily hide their Deryni bloodlines, if they desired to do so. The Ruler would tell his Heir about this, and he might tell his spouse. But would he tell his daughters? If he does not think there is legitimate reason to teach his daughters how to use magic, why would he tell them. Especially when you want to marry them off to the wealthier men of a kingdom that condemns being Deryni. Might it be better that the daughters just don't know about it.