Alys Vorpatril

Character
Name:	Alys Vorpatril
Occupation:	unofficial First Lady of Barrayar
Relationships:	Ivan Vorpatril (son), Padma Vorpatril (husband), Simon Illyan (lover), Tej Vorpatril (daughter-in-law), Aral Vorkosigan (cousin), Miles Vorkosigan (nephew), Byerly Vorrutyer (colleague)
Fandom:	Vorkosigan Saga
Other:
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Alys Vorpatril is a secondary character in the Vorkosigan series by Lois McMaster Bujold who serves as the female power behind the Barrayaran throne for much of the series. Introduced in the novel Barrayar, where she gives birth to Ivan shortly after her husband's murder during the Vordarian Pretendership, Alys appears in all subsequent novels set on that planet. She plays a particularly important role in Memory, in which she & former security chief Simon Illyan become lovers.

Fandom

Alys is a well-liked character who is surprisingly popular in fanworks given her age. According to the Crack Van overview:

She is the arbiter of good taste and propriety on Barrayar... She is sharply intelligent and allied to Aral and Cordelia’s progressive agenda, though generally far more conservative. Her political and social influence among the High Vor cannot be overstated, though (as a woman) she holds no formal position and most Vor Lords consistently underestimate her.

Beatrice Otter describes the young Alys during Barrayar as a strong, smart woman who is determined to survive.

Gen fanfiction often explores her friendship with Cordelia Vorkosigan, and her behind-the-scenes female networking with Cordelia, Laisa Vorbarra, Ekaterin Vorkosigan & others. Other popular topics are the questions of why she fails to remarry, and how she came to be the imperial hostess. Alys appears as a minor character in numerous Ivan stories, often attempting to persuade him to marry, and her bride search for Gregor Vorbarra often comes up in Gregor works. Another popular topic is how she became Byerly Vorrutyer's ImpSec contact, sometimes complicated by the popular Ivan/Byerly pairing.

Her autumnal romance with Simon was well received and dominates pairing-centric stories. A little fiction explores her marriage to Padma, and there are a few works that pair her with Aral Vorkosigan, either unrequited or in AUs where Cordelia never appears on Barrayar; Serg Vorbarra is another occasional partner. Other pairings are rare.

Authors noted for their Alys-centric fanfiction include Philomytha, whose prolific Simon/Alys series has popularised the pairing. Alys is not a particularly popular character in fan art.

Example Fanworks

Fanfiction

Gen

• Endowment by The RCK. The beginning of Alys & Cordelia's friendship (2006)
• A Man About Town by Hossgal. An early take on Alys & Byerly (2006)
• The Hand that Rocks the Cradle by Philomytha. Gapfiller that tells how she escaped the capital with Kou Koudelka during Barrayar (2010)
• Grey by Philomytha. Short character study, on how Alys comes to take the role of imperial hostess (2010)
• The Baba by Glishara. Alys searching for a bride for Ivan (2010)
• Sacrifices by Philomytha. Alys talking politics to Aral during The Vor Game (2011)
• Prisoner by Avanti_90. Alys & Kareen Vorbarra; part of an AU in which Serg is not killed at Escobar (2012)
• The Committee To Prepare The Ground by Raven. Alys & Helen Vorthys secretly working for ImpSec (2015)
• Give My Regards to Brodsky by A_T_Rain. Alys & Byerly's first meeting (2016)

Simon/Alys

• Alys/Simon fics by Philomytha. More than 20 stories, charting the couple's relationship from its early days to the aftermath of Cryoburn (2009–14)
• Miracles and Modern Medicine by Glishara. Marriage & parenthood (2010)
• Recall by Elvaron. Deals with Simon's memory issues (2012)
• See Simon/Alys for more examples of this pairing

Other Pairings

• Reconstruction by Philomytha. Alys/Aral AU (2011)
• The Messenger by Avanti_90. Alys/Aral AU (2012)
• And the Darkness Shall Turn To the Dawning by Elvaron. An AU in which Alys marries Serg (2012)
• The Spare by Minutia_R. The beginning of Alys' relationship with Padma, in the context of past Alys/Aral (2013)
• Slowly, You Cleave To Her by Amoama. Alys/Kareen. A rare example of femslash (2013)

Fan Art

• Alys Vorpatril by Gemmiona Digital art three-quarters figure (2010)
• Lady Alys Vorpatril by Kate. Photoset based on opera singer Véronique Gens (2016)
• Lady Alys by Heckofabecca. Pencil portrait (2016)
• Lady Alys Vorpatril by AmiMercredire. A rare nude; digital art (2016)

Meta

Examples Wanted: Editors are encouraged to add more examples or a wider variety of examples.