How can an exile regain power?

[ascanius]

Ok so I have a character who has been exiled from his home land through treachery. He wants revenge and his birth right restored. He is pushing aside someone that he could have a romantic future with to achieve this goal. His sister is married to the prince, though in a far away land. And he has a friend who has power, though again not close by. He is far from home.
Anyone have any ideas how he could regain power that was taken from him. His exile is a sore point for him. His friends in power can only help to a very limited extent, they have problems of their own. Oh and I almost forgot he also knows through acquaintances a person who can have power if she wished, though it would be over a people viewed as enemies and slaves, even so wealth would still be lacking much less commitment to his cause.
Any ideas? I was kinda thinking count of monte cristo but..........

 

[Saigonnus]

There are a couple things that come to mind... either have them do a Danyris Stormborn (raise an army and take it by force) or the conspire from the shadows to bring down his enemies one by one (like Monte Cristo). It is a tough call because if they make friends with the people who are viewed as slaves/enemies, you'll have the resentment of the regular people to deal with once you invest them into their desired position. At the same time though it serves two purposes; to give him people to fight for him or at the least do his bidding, and it also could potentially give them their freedom, making them perhaps more ardent followers once he is in that position of power. I think it hinges on the characteristics of the exiled on how he'd go about getting what is rightfully his. If he is vengeful for example, he would resort to using more brutality to attain what he wants compared to someone who you think would be more honorable; using the people's trust to gain power.

 

[Caged Maiden]

Power is not simply a hat that is passed from one person to another. Perhaps he still has supporters in his homeland. I mean, look at all the crap Queen Elizabeth did to keep Mary Queen of Scots from power.

When one has the support of the people, noble or common, they can often gain the upper hand by simply reappearing and making a play for power.

 

[Queshire]

Hmm... I'm not sure if this is what you were thinking of, but just skimming it I imediately thought of Napolean, after his first exile, he basically managed to walk back to Paris, All the forces sent after him ended up joining him along with the civilians because of how much they loved/feared/respected the man.

 

[Shockley]

Unfortunately, my area of expertise (history) does not favor the exile. But I can think of a few examples. Use them to influence your story, if you'd like.

- Robert Bruce was defeated in battle after battle during the Scottish Wars of Independence, mainly due to the fact that he was inexperienced (and relatively young) as well as facing off one of the best military leaders to ever rule England - Edward I. This was not so much an exile for Robert (though he was forced to live in Ireland for a fairly long period of time), but a recouping period. Every moment of his time was spent winning allies, gathering soldiers and, most importantly, waiting for Edward I to kick the bucket. He returned with an army,

- Harold Godwinson was the scion of a powerful Anglo-Saxon family and, as a result of his father's opposition to the spread of French influences, the two of them spent a substantial amount of time in exile. Then, Harold decided he wanted to return to a place of authority. His father married his daughter to the king, and Harold become the Earl of East Anglia. After his father's death, he became the Earl of Wessex (making him the uncontested ruler of southern England) and eventually added the Earldom of Hereford to his holdings. This was pure political maneuvering, and Harold realized he needed to add one more plume to his hat if he would be fully restored: The destruction of the new Kingdom of Wales. With Edward the Confessor's support, he did so, and his power was at an all-time high. He would become King four years later.

- Harold's brother Tostig also spent much of his youth in exile, and followed his brother's rise through political maneuvering. At the same time Harold ruled as Earl of Wessex/Hereford/East Anglia, Tostig's holdings including Northumbria, York and Lancaster. So once Harold was king, he broke apart Tostig's lands and established independent earldoms, and Tostig fled the country. After a period of wandering, he arrived in Norway. Harald Hardrade, the Norwegian king, promised to help him regain his lost lands (Harald was the descendant of the Norwegian kings of England, and wanted to have some control over the throne). Tostig's fairly small army landed in Northumbria, Harold rushed his soldiers north and Tostig's men were slaughtered. It didn't end well, but the lives of exiles rarely do.

- Edward the Exile was the son of the last Anglo-Saxon king before the Danish conquest of the country. He spent most of his life traveling in Hungary, the Holy Roman Empire, etc. as a prisoner or guest of various monarchs. Fast forward forty years and Edward the Confessor learns that he's alive. He invites Edward the Exile to return and become heir apparent, since the Confessor was incapable of producing his own heir. He accepts, gets released by the HR Emperor and returns to England. He dies, probably murdered on orders of Harold Godwinson or a supporter, only two days later.

 

[Chilari]

I have the perfect example: Pisistratus, the tyrant of Athens. He made three bids to rule Athens. The first two failed and resulted in his exile. He then then spent ten years going to places where he had links already, especially if he was owed a favour in some way, and collected contributions of money and men. With the money he hired mercenaries, and along with a few eager supporters, marched on Marathon and took it easily. He was joined by supporters from the city. When those who opposed him went out to meet him, he attacked while they were having lunch, and sent his son to chase those that fled and tell them to go home - which they did. Thus the opposition forces never rallied, and he was able to march into Athens with relatively little bloodshed.

The second attempt Pisistratus made, incidently, was that he and one of the other two powerful men ganged up on the third, with Pisistratus marrying his temporary ally's daughter to seal the deal.

 

[Cloud]

I think it depends what kind of journey you're looking for in your character.

Under that premise I'd be inclined to send him off an adventure to find some great artefact of power or reputation, which will grant him the power to reclaim his birthright or inspire others to follow him, etc.

But I always like a roadstory/adventure.

As prev suggested - the best answer to your question comes from your character. What options can he see? How clever is he? How imaginative? Does he inspire loyalty in others? What weaknesses are there in his adversaries position? Get inside his head. Analyse the situation through his eyes. See what decision he would make. If it's not a decision that you feel leads your story down the kinds of roads you'd like, either develop the character more or develop the world around him more until the two click better and the answer becomes obvious.