History Literature / CaptivePrince

* OneHundredPercentAdorationRating: Prince Auguste was beloved by pretty much everybody in Vere, viewed as a golden emblem of national pride.

* TeethClenchedTeamwork: Laurent and Damen starting from [[EnemyMine the end of the first book]], when they realize they need each other to prevent [[spoiler:the Regent]] from taking over Vere and Akielos. Their teamwork does get less teeth-clenched as they start to fall in love, but things remain pretty dicey until the second half of the third book.

* LowFantasy: The books are set in a ConstructedWorld but aside from that there are no other fantasy elements such as magic, with the plots being centered around politics and romance.

* DrivenToSuicide: It's implied that one of the Regent's preferred outcomes may have been [[spoiler:Laurent sleeping with Damen, then killing himself after realizing he slept with his brother's killer]].

* AmbiguousSituation: It's unclear whether the Regent [[spoiler:raping]] Laurent was a one-time thing, or whether it was part of long-term [[spoiler:sexual abuse]]. Unfortunately, Laurent's [[TraumaButton complex behaviors regarding intimacy and control]] seem to imply the latter. This is also supported by subtler indicators: in the second book, it's stated the Regent took Laurent on special trips from the time he was thirteen until he was fourteen or fifteen. ([[spoiler:The Regent only sleeps with prepubescent boys. Laurent calls fourteen the age when "the body begins to betray itself" in the first book, and the short story "Green but for a Season" identifies fifteen as the year Laurent hit puberty.]])

* PlotHole: In the first book, Damen claims that Auguste rallied the Veretian soldiers after the death of his father. However, in the final book, Pascal says Auguste died ''before'' his father.

** Jokaste and Laurent are Damen's FirstLove and SecondLove, respectively. They are both high-class individuals in their early twenties. They are both known for their beauty, with blond hair, blue eyes, fair skin, and a markedly elegant manner. Finally, they are both relentlessly manipulative and intelligent, their appearances hiding [[SilkHidingSteel immense strength]]. They do have differences--for example, Damen points out that Jokaste gives off the impression of nonchalant tranquility, whereas Laurent is graceful but constantly on edge. But their similarities are discussed with great frequency throughout the series.

* MirrorCharacter: Damen and Laurent serve as both this and [[{{Foil}} Foils]]. In the beginning, they're introduced with their differences accentuated. However, by the end of the series, it's apparent that they have quite a bit in common. They are rightful heirs to a throne (Akielos and Vere); a family member they trusted (Kastor and the Regent) kills their [[spoiler:father]] ([[spoiler:Theomedes]] and [[spoiler:Aleron]]) and [[TheUsurper usurps]] them so they can take the throne themself; the aforementioned relative attempts to kill them as well by involving them with the opposing nation; by the end of the trilogy, they are both [[spoiler:orphans]] because they were forced to [[spoiler:kill their only remaining relative]] in order to survive.

* TheChainsOfCommanding: Though ultimately downplayed, Laurent opines that all princes simultaneously lose everything and gain everything upon taking the throne. Damen eventually mentions this as well: he [[spoiler:regains his status as the king of Akielos]], but he also realizes that he will never again be able to experience the feeling of being youthful and carefree.

* CoitusEnsues: The second book contains a scene where Damen has sex with an attractive young Vaskian woman named Kashel--[[SexyManInstantHarem and several other Vaskian women afterwards]]. This is completely irrelevant to the plot. (Laurent's negotiations with the Vaskians could be considered important, but they happen ''off-screen,'' while Damen's simultaneous [[ReallyGetsAround endeavors]] are described in considerable detail.)

* HeroesPreferSwords: Main characters Damen and Laurent are [[MasterSwordsman Master Swordsmen]].

* DisappointedInYou: The Regent always talks about how unfortunate it is that Laurent is unfit for the throne, having grown up to be reckless, immature, and irresponsible. Of course, it's [[spoiler:all an act--the Regent isn't disappointed]]. He does this in order to [[spoiler:tarnish Laurent's public image while elevating his own, since he intends to become TheUsurper]].

* TrainingFromHell: In the second book, Laurent puts his men through a merciless training regimen that completely exhausts all of them. Damen remarks that by the end of each day, they're too tired to even complain about Laurent.

* ChildSoldiers: It's implied that skilled teenagers can be soldiers in this world, since Damen was a commander by the time he was seventeen. That being said, Damen also implies that people in their ''early'' teens are not usually soldiers.

* AbusiveParents: While Guion's direct actions towards fourth son Aimeric more closely resemble ParentalNeglect, his ''indirect'' actions land him firmly in the "abusive" category. He made a deal with the Regent that was essentially "[[spoiler:give me more political power and I'll let you rape my youngest son]]." Aimeric's mother Loyse might count as well, since she knew about all of this and didn't stop it, but her characterization is ambiguous. At the very least, it seems she's [[spoiler:reached her limits by the end of the third book]], since she's [[spoiler:much more upset about Aimeric's suicide than her husband]] and [[spoiler:actively sabotages Guion by publicly revealing his shady dealings]].

* {{Irony}}: In the second book, a dying Akielon soldier remarks that Damianos should have been the king of Akielos, not Kastor. His reasoning is that Damianos knew Veretians were liars and deceivers, and so he would never have "climbed into their beds" like Kastor did. In a broader sense, this is ironic because Damen ''also'' ends up allying with Vere, and in fact develops a much more personal and amiable relationship with them than Kastor ever does. (The trilogy ends with him [[spoiler:marrying the prince of Vere]] and deciding that they will [[spoiler:rule their kingdoms together]].) In a more specific sense, this is ironic because Damen [[spoiler:sleeps with the prince of Vere ("climbing into Vere's bed") a few chapters later]].