Battle Ground spoilers: Harry’s pairing. What do you think?

[huangjimmy108]

Original title “ Battle Ground spoilers: Harry and Lara new pairing. What do you think?”

Edited for spoiler in title
-Serack

Well, Murphy is gone now, so the seat for main love interest for our favorite protagonist Harry Dresden is now open.

Previously I thought it is unlikely for Murphy to die unless JB decided to keep Harry a miserable single dog for eternity. The time he recovers from losing Susan and start looking for new love again is about 5 years give or take. Now Harry is older, more jaited, and burden with greater and greater responsibility. With Murphy gone, the new wound upon the old ones, In my opinion, it is unlikely for the current Harry to think about his love life, not if we assume that the series would only last for about 5 or 6 books more which translate to about 5 or 6 years DV timeline, assuming JB still use one year gap for each book.

Mab's demand for a political marriage between Harry and Lara however cleverly solve this problem though. It forcres Harry to think about his marriage, something Harry can't possibly take likely since it would mean the step mother for little Maggi.

What do you guys think?

[huangjimmy108]

For another thing, Who do you think could replace Murphy as Harry main action partner? I mean, would Harry start going solo now. Like it or not, Murphy is indeed Harry's partner of choice for most things. Could Lara take this role? I have a hard time thinking about a character suited for this role myself.

Thomas is out. Butters is a KoTC now and has his own responsibility. The white council is now enemies. Could Elaine come back and take this role? It would be awesome, but it would tell the White council loud and clear that Elaine is no small practicianer.

What do you think?

[Psyklone]

Mister, Kincaid, or Fix...   

If Harry doesn't go solo, which I think would be viable, as he really needs to spend time beefing up his magical arsenal, going solo would guarantee he makes a whole bunch of foci/trinkets, then whomever he pairs up with has to be competent.  The pool of people to stand next to him, reliably, is now practically zero...   So imo, he's either gonna go solo and arm himself to the teeth, or he will have to find some sort of frenemy to pair with.

As for Lara, I don't see a love happening there.  Lara will probably be called in to help from time to time, but it will still be limited to situations where her responsibilities make it necessary.  She is a vampire after all, and loyal to herself...

[Arjan]

Well, Murphy is gone now, so the seat for main love interest for our favorite protagonist Harry Dresden is now open.

Previously I thought it is unlikely for Murphy to die unless JB decided to keep Harry a miserable single dog for eternity. The time he recovers from losing Susan and start looking for new love again is about 5 years give or take. Now Harry is older, more jaited, and burden with greater and greater responsibility. With Murphy gone, the new wound upon the old ones, In my opinion, it is unlikely for the current Harry to think about his love life, not if we assume that the series would only last for about 5 or 6 books more which translate to about 5 or 6 years DV timeline, assuming JB still use one year gap for each book.

Mab's demand for a political marriage between Harry and Lara however cleverly solve this problem though. It forcres Harry to think about his marriage, something Harry can't possibly take likely since it would mean the step mother for little Maggi.

What do you guys think?

It completely depends on how Mab, Lara and Harry (and ultimately Jim) are going to interpret a political marriage. I do not think Lara gets the right to feed upon Harry for example but the Sidhe can have strange loopholes. Read the contract and let Molly read the contract.

But it can be a marriage in name only with not even a mention in mortal paperwork while Harry lives with a nice werewolf or it can be a millstone around the neck. Or everything in between.

Assuming it even goes through. A lot can happen in a year.

But it probably will happen in some form. It offers endless complications for Harry.

[ClintACK]

I wonder if there's a way for Lara to feed directly on the Winter Mantle -- I'm imagining something like the kiss at the end of White Night. Her power raises emotions in Harry for him to draw on to strengthen his magic, while she feeds on Winter, supercharging her Hunger's power.

I also wonder if there aren't ways they could help each other with the *costs* of their power. Could Lara feeding on the Mantle weaken its influence over Harry? Could feeding on the cold of Winter somehow weaken the influence of the Hunger over Lara?

Are there other aspects to the betrothal agreement -- is Mab contributing something else to the pot?

What will Lea have to say about all of this? -- She's still got an obligation to look after Harry.

[Arjan]

I wonder if there's a way for Lara to feed directly on the Winter Mantle -- I'm imagining something like the kiss at the end of White Night. Her power raises emotions in Harry for him to draw on to strengthen his magic, while she feeds on Winter, supercharging her Hunger's power.

I also wonder if there aren't ways they could help each other with the *costs* of their power. Could Lara feeding on the Mantle weaken its influence over Harry? Could feeding on the cold of Winter somehow weaken the influence of the Hunger over Lara?

Are there other aspects to the betrothal agreement -- is Mab contributing something else to the pot?

Mab will write the contract so nothing that reflects bad on her or winter like Lara feeding on her knight.

What will Lea have to say about all of this? -- She's still got an obligation to look after Harry.

Harry can ask Lea for guidance and those are always interesting scenes but Harry has to take the initiative. I do not think Lea is against it perse if it gives Harry more power but she can detect loopholes. Molly will be on it as well and she knows everything about winter law.

[forumghost]

[Completely silly mode engaged]

Nah, you see, this is really a plot to get Lara killed, because Mab wants to eliminate any competition before she makes her own play.

First she used her Proxy Lea to arrange for Susan to get caught up with the Red Court in Book 3, Then in Book 4 Mab shows up to introduce herself and save Harry's Bacon to catch his interest, This sadly didn't work.

Moreover, a year later Susan turned up in town again and hooked up with Harry, even getting with Child, thus sealing her fate- she was a threat again, so Mab arranged for the Red Court to be sacrificed to kill Susan and get her out of the way for good. She also arranged for the attack on the Raith deeps in order to get rid of Lash, who was becoming another major threat.
Once she has forced Harry to come to her in changes she thought she could try winning him by helping nurse him back to health, but somehow that backfired and he seemed to be getting along with Sarissa instead! This forced her to adjust her plans, and she arranged for the death of Maeve and Lily to get Sarissa and Molly out of the running, only for Harry to hook up with Murphy instead, thus forcing the events of Skin Game to try and get her killed, and latter Peace Talks/Battle Ground when Nick failed to kill her.

Now, seeing Harry and Lara getting along so well, she's going to try and force them into something, knowing that Harry will chafe at it and oppose the match on principle, and Eb will probably kill her if he doesn't.

Don't give up Mab! We believe in you!

Truly, the Dresden Files was a tragic love comedy all along.

[end completely silly mode]

[huangjimmy108]

It completely depends on how Mab, Lara and Harry (and ultimately Jim) are going to interpret a political marriage. I do not think Lara gets the right to feed upon Harry for example but the Sidhe can have strange loopholes. Read the contract and let Molly read the contract.

But it can be a marriage in name only with not even a mention in mortal paperwork while Harry lives with a nice werewolf or it can be a millstone around the neck. Or everything in between.

Assuming it even goes through. A lot can happen in a year.

But it probably will happen in some form. It offers endless complications for Harry.

It can't be just in name. I remember Mab mentioning about passing of bloodline or something like that at the end of Battle Ground. It means that Lara and Harry have to begot a progeny.

There is no escaping it and Harry's usual means of coping aka just ignore it for later isn't working, Mab only grant a year no more no less.

[bigdangmoose]

The way I read the scene in the castle is Mab sinking her claws into Harry, Molly, and now Lara even deeper.

Molly is upset that now even another woman gets to have Harry and she literally can't.

Lara was showing Molls that she is sorry that this is happening, and it wasn't her plan for it. I think, like Thomas was seeing something between Harry and Murphy, Lara knows Molly's true feelings for Harry and knows something is there between them.

Mab is closing down gates of escape for them, ensuring Harry's servitude for as long as he lives.

Paring that will happen at the end of the series, Harry and Molly. Because as Harry said to Eb about getting out of Winter, "Not without Molly."

[Arjan]

It can't be just in name. I remember Mab mentioning about passing of bloodline or something like that at the end of Battle Ground. It means that Lara and Harry have to begot a progeny.

There is no escaping it and Harry's usual means of coping aka just ignore it for later isn't working, Mab only grant a year no more no less.

I think Jim said something about no more children for Harry and as long as he keeps Murphy’s protection Lara can try but I don’t think she will like it.

And she can not run to Mab with it. She does not like lack of self control.

[forumghost]

That said, I suspect that "Marrying another woman" might break True Love protection just the same as sex without love would.

After all, those kinds of vows are a Big Deal where magic is involved, and especially when Mab would probably be the one officiating the ceremony for such an important Political Match.

[bigdangmoose]

That said, I suspect that "Marrying another woman" might break True Love protection just the same as sex without love would.

After all, those kinds of vows are a Big Deal where magic is involved, and especially when Mab would probably be the one officiating the ceremony for such an important Political Match.

That's a good point. After reading the short about Will and Georgia's wedding, what will a wedding do to Harry?

[Mira]

My vote goes to Gard, I liked how they have worked together in the past.  I think a pairing with Lara has too many complications.

[huangjimmy108]

My vote goes to Gard, I liked how they have worked together in the past.  I think a pairing with Lara has too many complications.

You have to get pass Mab for that. The Monarch has ordered her vassal and arrange his marriage. This is state affair not personal affair.

Only a few things come to mind if Lara and Harry pairing can be broken without challenging Mab's sovereignty:
1. Mab is dead, which is a major bad news.
2. Harry manage to find another pairing which is more politically advantageous to winter's interest and satisfy Mab.
3. Harry increase his own personal power and value to Mab and the winter court until the point that Mab can't ignore his will, and he has to do it within a year.

[Arjan]

You have to get pass Mab for that. The Monarch has ordered her vassal and arrange his marriage. This is state affair not personal affair.

Only a few things come to mind if Lara and Harry pairing can be broken without challenging Mab's sovereignty:
1. Mab is dead, which is a major bad news.
2. Harry manage to find another pairing which is more politically advantageous to winter's interest and satisfy Mab.
3. Harry increase his own personal power and value to Mab and the winter court until the point that Mab can't ignore his will, and he has to do it within a year.

Harry marries with Lara and lives with Gard.

As long as it is lowkey Mab wouldn't mind. Giving Lara's habits she might call it symmetry. And for that reason Lara wouldn't mind either, if she wants to be a proper vampire.

The only question is: Would Gard go for that?

I thing Gard likes Harry and respects him but I do not think she sees him as a potential lover. Freydis however.....