Alaric’s experience with women

[Wren]

I recently have wondered about Morgan's encounters pre Richenda. One of the books has him losing his virginity in Bremagne at the age of 11 ( which seems very early, even for him). We next meet him when he is 29 years old and a feared Dernyi warrior. Obviously he was not celibate from age 11 to age 30( when he met Richenda), but  how would he manage a discreet sex life given his notoriety? Given that he is rich and handsome, there are instances in the books of women fawning over him, but him apparently not interested. So, who was he with and how was he keeping it discreet given everyone seems to know everything about him? I can see woman he Was with bragging about it or at least gossiping. Most noble ladies probably wouldn't want the stigma of being with with him. So who was he involved with  and how did he keep it discreet? How did he keep from getting any of them pregnant, thus creating even more of a dynastic issue for Gwynned? Alaric seemed to have no real use for women, other than physically and he often gives off the air that it isn't worth the trouble. Yet he did not go years celibate. His interactions with Richenda show he has a healthy interest.

[whitelaughter]

It's been years since I read the relevant passage, but I'm pretty sure that there's a section with Kelson and/or Duncan teasing Alaric about his fear of women; may be with the one where they persuade him to try wearing something other than black, but I wouldn't swear to it.

If he was 11, he would have taken permanent mental damage. The best way to understand it would be to imagine making a toddler run up a hill with a military style back pack of rocks: the body simply hasn't developed sufficiently to avoid taking injury.

But it's also likely that Alaric was burned - and nearly literally - due to romance.

"Oh a girl has fallen for the Deryni...must be evil mind magic. Burn the sorcerer. "

Or, he survived because he was already hesitant around women. Of course, one or more of his friends may not have been so lucky.

[Laurna]

First of all, Alaric's cousin and most trusted best friend, Father Duncan, is celibate. So there is no one-upsmanship or challenge on that subject happening between the young men. Alaric's other best friend is King Brion and he has been having trouble with his wife, so that is not an encouraging example. Also there would be no Wild-parties at the palace that might lead to ill-considered acts of indiscretion. In medieval times, fathers of noble families would have watched and protected their daughters from before-marriage relationships. Every father wants to marry their daughter off before they get into that kind of trouble and that would have been girls between the ages of 14 and 20. I am sure many a marriageable-aged girl was paraded before Alaric at every feast, but it would always have been a look but don't touch situation, especially because of his racial background, yet his money would have been very tempting to many a father.  No wonder he lost interest in that game pretty early on. I would like to think that Alaric had small private moments with a lady or two of good family standing who was likely a widow and a very private person who would not go around blabbing about their affair. It would not have been love, but it would have been convenient for them both. I get the impression that when Alaric meets Richenda it has been awhile since he has had even that kind of quiet dalliance on the side.

[DesertRose]

I would like to think that Alaric had small private moments with a lady or two of good family standing who was likely a widow and a very private person who would not go around blabbing about their affair. It would not have been love, but it would have been convenient for them both. I get the impression that when Alaric meets Richenda it has been awhile since he has had even that kind of quiet dalliance on the side.

That was my impression too.  There would have been at least a few widowed ladies/upper-middle-class women who might, say, have noticed how much effort Alaric expends on ensuring the safety and well-being of his people in addition to his responsibilities to Brion and then Kelson and been sympathetic enough to extend an offer of friendship that later became a discreet protector/mistress arrangement.

[DerynifanK]

I remember a conversation Meraude had with Richenda where she noted how many women would be willing to overlook concerns about his Deryni heritage in the interests of becoming duchess of a very rich duchy.  I think he would suspect women of being more interested in his money and position than for himself. That would surely be off putting. And she said that he had been in and out of "love" half a dozen times over the years she had known him but he had not been serious about any of them until Richenda. She also said that he had not had a string of affairs or mistresses nor had she ever heard a whisper of scandal about that aspect of his life. I think Richenda had the advantage of also being Deryni so they could know and share their inner feeling and thoughts which made it easy for them to be close.

[Bynw]

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