So @Dustine Skywalker got me thinking about this topic. As you look at the characters populating our beloved world of the Green Ember, you'll find a variety of experiences and backgrounds. Among those of the younger generation-who are of course the main protagonists and their closest friends and associates-are who they've had, if anyone, to look to as examples when it comes to romance. And in most if not all cases, you can see the impact it's had on how they approach the matter.

Picket and Heather

First off, there's the Longtreader siblings. Heather and Picket (and Jacks, though he doesn't really come into this) were fortunate enough to spend most of their lives up until the beginning of the series being raised by their two loving parents. Sween and Whittle Longtreader love each other, and it shows. Their relationship also has certain aspects that their kids clearly picked up on.

Whittle and Sween's affection is obvious, but also quiet. They communicate with looks, offer comfort with touches. Whittle, of course, has the tendency to wax eloquent when he gets emotional or openly expressive. I think Heather takes after this aspect of their relationship. She is often at her most poetic and passionate when it comes to speaking to, or about, her beloved Smalls.

Of course, Father and Mother Longtreader are also known for their teasing. Sween in particular likes to keep her husband humble, though Whittle's a good sport about it. Picket's approach to romance seems to follow this pattern, as evidenced in his relationship with Weezie. That being said, Whittle in particular is also known to praise his wife for her bravery and self-sacrifice. Picket wasn't around for what we see of that in the books, but judging by how he expresses admiration for Weezie at times it seems apparent that he saw it at home.

Smalls and Emma

Now we consider the Joveson siblings-or, at least, the two most prominent in the series. Regrettably, of course, Smalls and Emma did not have the upbringing Heather and Picket did. Their father was murdered when they were both young children. Their mother, though living, kept her distance for their safety as well as her own. Both of them were essentially raised by a male friend of their late father, neither of whom had a wife (or at least, not a living one😢) for most of not all of the time they had a young royal in their charge.

While I'm sure Wilfred and Rake both did the best they could, there were certain areas that they couldn't really cover. I have no doubt that Smalls and Emma both learned how it felt to be loved by a father. But neither of their foster fathers came with a foster mother, and so the prince and princess didn't have firsthand experience in seeing a husband and wife in love. Anything they learned about this probably came from seeing other rabbit families interacting, rather than their own "home" life.

It should thus come as no surprise that, as Dustine affirms, Smalls is somewhat reserved if not outright reluctant in his relationship with Heather. He loves and admired her, but he's never seen much of how to express things like that to a doe. It seems quite telling that one of the most notable signs of his affection towards her is the giving of her torch pendant. It echoes how King Jupiter gave him the Green Ember. That story taught Smalls that when you see something special in someone, you give them a gift, and that's what he does with Heather.

Emma, by contrast, seems almost indifferent to romance. She believes-and rightly so-that she doesn't need to be married to have meaning. I can't help but wonder if part of that is due to watching Lord Rake do so much for so long without the support of a spouse. One can only hope that she'll eventually come around to that part of life.

I was initially planning on this being one post, but the first two sections proved surprisingly lengthy. I'll be back soon with part two, if not three or four too.