Would this plot send the wrong message?

Yes. From my standpoint, her being forced is dark ages. However, since they never really met before she ran off, you, as the writer, could turn it into a "they discover they actually like each other" story after all the other drama.

Gammer said:

To meet this new enemy, the king allies himself with a nearby kingdom. To solidify the alliance he arranges a marriage with the princess to the king's son. The princess doesn't want to and runs away.

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I feel like I've read this dozens of times. Noblewoman or princess is told she has to marry a man of her parents' choosing, so she runs away. Often without knowing how to survive in an environment outside that of the palace.

That said, I like the theme that to be a good ruler, you've got to do things you might not enjoy, and maybe that means marrying someone whom you're not passionately in love with. If the princess grows up during the course of the story and learns that an arranged marriage isn't the end of the world, that would be something I haven't seen so often.

But for the princess I'm afraid it could be interpreted as "arrange marriages are absolute and princess must learn their place and accept it" or something like that.

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Well, I think it's better than "True Love trumps Arranged Marriage every time".

Besides, who's to say she doesn't have power as the prince's wife? Maybe more so than if she'd married, say, a handsome woodcutter and lived in his hut. As the queen, she can have a lot more leisure time, a lot more money, a lot more influence and impact on the world.

Acceptance doesn't necessarily mean knuckling down passively and letting things happen to you - it could mean seizing those things with both hands and making the best of them.

her being forced IS from the dark ages. or today, in a good third of the world still.

that said, "responsibility" is one thing, but works can be slanted to either side of that equation. Ever see the film (for the love of all things holy, skip the fucking book) "Bridges of Madison County"? She stays with a man who loves her less, less completely and less well, and turns her back on a man who could make her far happier, for responsibility. And the audience all but begs her to run off with Kinkaid.

so, you can explore the theme, but from many sides...

Agreeing with the previous poster; as phrased here, it seems a little iffy as a message - especially the bit where people she loves get killed, with the underlying idea that she killed them because she was too selfish to get married to a man she doesn't know. (It also reminds me a bit of Disney's Brave.)

I'd suggest finding a way for her to come at this decision from a position of more power. Maybe, as she comes to know the prince, she realizes he's a worthy partner who also wants to secure peace in the land. Maybe they wind up fighting against a mutual enemy, and she realizes that, together, they make for a strong force.

Here's a possibly silly question: does it have to be the princess who runs away? Basically, this is how these stories always go. The girl is all in emotional turmoil, either scared or a romantic holding out for true love, and so she becomes a runaway bride. Yet I never see a runaway groom. Which could be kind of cool, especially if the princess was then tasked with bringing him back. I mean it's a fictional country, right? And she's just as royal as he is, so she should have resources at her disposal as well. Anyway, just a possibility.

Another possibility is to have the prince and princess work out another way to cement their alliance in the end, not running from responsibility, but challenging that there's only one way to be responsible in such a situation.

Of course, in the end the only one who can decide what's right for your story is you.

Gammer said:

I'm basically going for a theme of accepting responsibility and showing that to be in power and a good ruler means that sometimes your personal desires need to take a back seat.

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I'd say to not try too hard for any theme. Trying to prove anything would probably see the story paying more attention to how wonderful and noble it is for her to be less than happy, rather than focusing on what a difficult decision it is to make in the first place.

Don't downplay any of the effects this has on her and how this decision adds layers to her character. Focus on how she grows and toughens as a result of having to make such a choice.

It also doesn't have to end on a resigned note, if you want to avoid the whole has to learn her place and accept it bit. Where does she go from here? A marriage to guarantee peace isn't the end of the line of responsibilities for a good ruler.

Isn't it a pretty common romantic plot for someone who is forced into an arranged marriage to resist it at first, then discover that they really love the person they're tasked to marry? Another is to run away from the arranged marriage, then to meet someone they really do love only to eventually discover that he/she is actually the intended running away from his or her arranged marriage?

And there are plenty of stories where the ending is only a partial success, or the person has to make a terrible sacrifice in order to get what they really want (sometimes sacrificing the goal they had at the beginning of the story for a greater or more important one that emerges later).

I really think it might just be down to how you frame things.

I think the story is the story, not a morality play. If the marriage truly would end the war, chosing to agree to it would be an ethical and mature choice for any princess who is at heart a utilitarian (as many people are.

Gammer said:

I'm basically going for a theme of accepting responsibility and showing that to be in power and a good ruler means that sometimes your personal desires need to take a back seat. (The prince also has to give up on his vain quest for glory along the way too).

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I don't like the theme of accepting responsibility and subjecting yourself to a loveless marriage because its noble or "personal desires need to take a back seat", but I do like the theme of claustrophobia and being trapped in insane and draconian societal conventions. The latter is potentially quite dark, tragic and interesting (to me, at least).

Maybe have the true love of the princess not die, but have her leave him and return home as she realises that with an arranged marriage comes power and control, which will allow her to be truly self-serving and despotic!

Who doesn't like a love story with a cruel heartless heroine who,puts riches and power before love?

virtue_summer said:

Here's a possibly silly question: does it have to be the princess who runs away? Basically, this is how these stories always go. The girl is all in emotional turmoil, either scared or a romantic holding out for true love, and so she becomes a runaway bride. Yet I never see a runaway groom. Which could be kind of cool, especially if the princess was then tasked with bringing him back.

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Yes, you could totally flip it. Have the princess do something dumb and selfish that starts the war, and daddy is like... ok, you spoilt little brat, you started this mess, now you're gonna damn well end it by getting me my alliance. Maybe she IS ready to accept her responsibility, because she already sees what a terrible thing she did (perhaps people she loves have already died) and wants nothing more than to make amends. But then on the eve of their wedding, when they meet for the first time and she's all like... hmmm, this prince dude aint all that bad actually.... he takes one look at her and does a runner*.

Then she has to get him back, but in the course of her quest she discovers something really huge and significant about the war - that she didn't really start it after all, the other king did for [nefarious reason]. When she finds the prince and reveals this to him, the two of them come up with another way to end the war, involving sacrifice (of loved ones and the old order) and creating a new political regime, with them as two neighbouring rulers, but in the end they realise they are better as separate allies than one single kingdom, and vow never to make war on each other again.

That would be different?

*p.s. total bonus points if your princess is not slim and beautiful, but a bit plain and dumpy, and DOESN'T lose weight and metaphorically take her glasses off and get a better haircut in the course of the story

How about the prince tracks her down, and they like each other well enough, but neither of them actually want to marry the other and are generally pretty pissed off at being used as political pawns by their parents. They do some fighting together, then return home to their respective kingdoms and depose their dads who treated them as a brood mare and a stud, to be sold off. They make an alliance with each other and end the war and each rules their kingdom allied to each other, remain friends and marry the people they actually want to marry.

Or whatever. Something along those lines. Accepting responsibility to her country and people doesn't have to mean knuckling under and doing what other people say is her duty. Give her the realization that she's got that obligation, but the initiative to find a different way to fulfill it besides the obvious.

What if the prince and princess mutually decide that going through with the marriage is the best plan for ending the war, but they don't have to have anything more than a political marriage if they don't want, and don't need to give up other parts of their lives. What's stopping the prince and princess from marrying, making a nice appearance in public, and having their own, mostly separate lives privately? The only potential issue would be if she had a male lover while married to the prince, and got pregnant, that could cause some ambiguity regarding whether the child was the heir to the throne or not, depending on the inheritance rules in your world. But I'm sure they could figure things out.

Personally, I'm not extremely fond of plots where a conflict involving an arranged marriage is fixed because the couple realizes they love each other. It feels like a bit of a cop-out to me. But you could end it on a slightly open-ended note--they start to develop feelings for each other, but they're both cautious and prepared to accept it if that doesn't work out and they choose not to be together romantically.

I like story lines that challenge conventions. All too often we fall into clichéd plots that are cosily consistent with our current set of morals and values. So I'm perfectly cool with a character making mistakes or doing something non-PC or being forced into a situation that they (and we) don't find entirely comfortable.

Arranged marriages are a fact. They were far more in the past, particularly amongst the nobility, and they are a fact of life for many around the world. So it would be fun to explore that.

From your description, I presume that this isn't set in the modern day. So it is entirely possible that the characters will have a different viewpoint than us on things like free will.

One last thought. This sounds to be like more than a single novel - maybe a series? Book one describes the events you have described - war, losing friends, arranged marriage. Book two could then be her living within this arranged marriage - working with her new husband, exploring her feelings, having more adventures.

But, please, please, please, don't make the arranged husband into a 2D caricature. At one extreme, he might be a dashingly good looking hunk with a sensitive side who she falls madly and hopelessly in love with. At the other extreme, he could be an ugly tyrant who does unspeakable beastly things to kittens.

Much more interesting to explore the middle ground. She might respect this new husband, but not love him. He might struggle against the arrangedness too. Make both of them interesting, edgy, ambiguous, non clichéd.

Good luck. Sounds like an interesting idea.

Gammer said:

In my WIP, the basic plot is that the prince of a fictional country unintentionally sets off a major war, shattering years of peace.

To meet this new enemy, the king allies himself with a nearby kingdom. To solidify the alliance he arranges a marriage with the princess to the king's son. The princess doesn't want to and runs away. The prince is tasked to track her down and bring her back in order to redeem himself.

Along the way the princess falls in love and makes good friends who, as a result of the war, are killed. This prompts her to realize just how bad the war is and return in order to accept the marriage to end it.

I'm basically going for a theme of accepting responsibility and showing that to be in power and a good ruler means that sometimes your personal desires need to take a back seat. (The prince also has to give up on his vain quest for glory along the way too).

But for the princess I'm afraid it could be interpreted as "arrange marriages are absolute and princess must learn their place and accept it" or something like that.

Thoughts? And if it is indeed the latter, any way to improve it?

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Have the princess become a pariah because she's run away and war is the result.

Don't use the term 'arranged marriage' but let the princess know she could end the war if she married.

I'm a little shaky on how this would end the fighting. It sounds like both kingdoms are already at war with another kingdom.

I think it sounds interesting. The ending sounds like a bit of a downer, but it's very realistic. We're talking about a medevialesque fantasy setting, not the modern world and things are different in other places. People have to do things they don't want to do when they have that much responsibility. Don't let someone else convince you to change because your plot doesn't appeal to modern sensibilities with regard to feminism and self-determination; only change it if it doesn't feel right to YOU, the author.

I like your original plot. Falling in love with the person they have to marry is expected. Deciding to put the needs of and entire country ahead of her own says a lot about a person. And if her arranged husband turns out to be a terrible person, he might fall off his horse and break his neck. If he times it right, she could rule the country

DocMac said:

I like your original plot. Falling in love with the person they have to marry is expected. Deciding to put the needs of and entire country ahead of her own says a lot about a person. And if her arranged husband turns out to be a terrible person, he might fall off his horse and break his neck. If he times it right, she could rule the country

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I LIKE that idea...that's an awesome way to work self-determination into it without compromising the story you want to tell. But only after the war is over, of course...

IMO, not the wrong message at all. I like the idea. A story of self-sacrifice like A Tale of Two Cities.

I can accept that she would decide it's better to get married to ensue peace, but if you ended the novel then, that would be sending the wrong message and leave a bad aftertaste in readers' mouths. You need to continue the plot, maybe have something happen that kills off all of the principal actors except the princess who is the protagonist, and she survives to tell the tale.

WriteMinded said:

IMO, not the wrong message at all. I like the idea. A story of self-sacrifice like A Tale of Two Cities.

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So its a self sacrifice to agree to marry the villain in the name of peace?

I was thinking of the arranged marriage in GoT between Joffrey and (can't remember her damn name) that was married to the gay king who was shagging her brother.

She was in two arranged marriages but didn't buckle down to either of them!

Make your characters real people rather than soppy stereotypes and you can pretty much make anything work.

There's nothing wrong with the message, and as long as you make that message come across, you're fine. Or you can turn it into one more fairy tale that has nothing to do with reality.

My take: write whatever the story demands and don't worry about how readers interpret the message. Ten readers will typically have twelve different opinions.

Erm.... that's not always true.

Anyone remember the name of that book about Coals and Pearls representing black and white people? That pretty much got trashed for racism.