History Literature / CaptivePrince

* 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's voice changed.]])

* {{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 basically [[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]].

* LongGame: [[spoiler:The Regent's plan to usurp the Veretian throne spans ''at least'' six years, considering he had his brother Aleron assassinated during the Battle of Marlas to make sure he was closer to the throne. He then spends the next six years ruling in an underage Laurent's stead while simultaneously slandering his nephew's reputation in older to bolster his position and ensure no one will look into how suspicious Laurent's death is once he's ready to do away with him. It's unclear how Auguste factored into the plan considering his death at Damen's hands in the same battle Aleron died in is the one thing the Regent ''couldn't'' have arranged, but it's likely the Regent already had something in place to get rid of him eventually, since Auguste was at the point old enough to succeed his father as king]].

* {{Foil}}: Damen and Laurent directly contrast one another in a number of ways. Damen's physical appearance is [[TallDarkAndHandsome tall and strong, with dark hair, dark eyes, and olive skin]]; Laurent has a more [[PrettyBoy slender build with blond hair, blue eyes, and very fair skin]]. Damen strongly believes that all conflicts should be fought fairly; Laurent's main mode of winning conflicts is through [[ManipulativeBastard manipulation]]. Damen trusts too easily; Laurent doesn't trust anyone. Damen's older brother Kastor has an InferioritySuperiorityComplex because of him; Laurent has an InferioritySuperiorityComplex himself surrounding his late older brother, Auguste. Damen ReallyGetsAround; it's rumored that Laurent is frigid, and even when we find out [[spoiler:he's not, it turns out he's only slept with one person before Damen]]. And the one person [[spoiler:raped him]].

* LegallyOustedLeader: Late in ''Kings Rising'', the truth comes out that [[spoiler:the Regent had the King of Vere assassinated in his plot to usurp the throne, so the Council sentences him to death for treason. It's unclear whether the Council could have sentenced a reigning monarch, but, as Herode reminds him, "You were never the King."]]

-->Also ColorCodedCharacters: Laurent wears blue, the Regent wears red. Laurent is definitely uptight, cold, and aloof, while his uncle the Regent presents himself as a courtly, warm, personable man. Yet under that blue, Laurent can be kind and loving (real virtues in Vere's DecadentCourt, whereas the Regent's red hides [[spoiler:a pedophile whose "pets" are prepubescent boys, who raped his then-13-year-old nephew and had his brother the King assassinated]].

->'''Damen:''' Is there anyone at this court who isn't my enemy?
->'''Laurent:''' Not if I can help it.

* TruceTrickery: The armies of Vere are notorious for staging surprise attacks during parlay. It's {{deconstructed|Trope}}: while Veretians treat it as simple {{Combat Pragmatis|t}}m, their ProudWarriorRace neighbours despise underhanded tactics and now assume that any Veretian truce is being offered in bad faith.

* NobodyThinksItWillWork: Damen and Laurent have a ''complicated'' history. They're the [[StarCrossedLovers princes of enemy nations]], Damen killed Laurent's older brother when their countries were at war, Laurent kept Damen as a SexSlave...no surprise that everyone else is extremely skeptical of how being lovers could possibly work for them. Except that [[spoiler:[[TheyDo it does]]]], and by the end of the trilogy they're essentially [[spoiler:[[WartimeWedding married]]]].

* TheyDo: The third book ends with [[spoiler:Damen and Laurent having conquered their enemies and embraced their relationship]]. They decide to [[spoiler:rule Akielos and Vere together from a palace on the border]], and their happy future is given a spotlight in the short story "The Summer Palace."

* InstantlyProvenWrong: Apparently, Torveld told his advisors that he was too old to get [[DistractedByTheSexy distracted]] by [[PrettyBoy beautiful young men]]. Cue Torveld instantly becoming smitten with Laurent while attending Vere's court. And when he realizes that's [[CelibateHero not going to work out for him]], he quickly shifts his attentions to [[SexSlave Erasmus]]. Wrong, indeed.

* CruelToBeKind: ''The Training of Erasmus'' ends with Kallias [[spoiler:kissing Erasmus]], thereby [[spoiler:"tainting" him and ruining his planned future as the prized [[SexSlave bed slave]] of Prince Damianos]]. Shortly afterwards, Kastor starts his [[TheUsurper coup]], capturing Damianos and killing all of Damianos's slaves. Kallias had been [[spoiler:Kastor's slave]] for some time by this point; as such, it's heavily implied that he [[spoiler:knew the coup was going to happen beforehand]], and he [[spoiler:kissed Erasmus so that he would be sent to Vere before he could get killed]].

* CruelToBeKind: ''The Training of Erasmus'' ends with Kallias [[spoiler:kissing Erasmus]], thereby [[spoiler:"tainting" him and ruining his planned future as the prized [[SexSlave bed slave]] of Prince Damianos]]. Shortly afterwards, Kastor starts his [[TheUsurper coup]], capturing Damianos and killing all of Damianos's slaves. Kallias had been [[spoiler:Kastor's slave]] for some time by this point; as such, it's heavily implied that he [[spoiler:knew the coup was going to happen beforehand]], and he [[spoiler:kissed Erasmus so that he would be sent to Vere before he could killed]].

* CruelToBeKind: ''The Training of Erasmus'' ends with Kallias [[spoiler:kissing Erasmus]], thereby [[spoiler:"tainting" him and ruining his planned future as the prized [[SexSlave bed slave]] of Prince Damianos]]. Shortly afterwards, Kastor starts his [[TheUsurper coup]], capturing Damianos and killing all of Damianos's slaves. Kallias had been [[spoiler:Kastor's slave]] for some time by this point; as such, it's heavily implied that he [[spoiler:knew the coup was going to happen beforehand]], and he [[spoiler:kissed Erasmus so that he would be sent to Vere before getting killed]].

* CoitusEnsues: The second book contains a scene where Damen has sex with an attractive young Vaskian woman named Kashel--[[AccidentalPornomancer 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.)

* BelligerentSexualTension: Damen and Laurent's fights--both the physical ones ''and'' the mental ones--often toe the line between genuine hostility and suppressed eroticism.

* InnocentCohabitation: In the second book, Damen and Laurent sleep in the same tent (and, in one specific instance, [[ThereIsOnlyOneBed the same bed]]). But they're not romantically or sexually involved, despite Damen's status as Laurent's SexSlave and the growing [[UnresolvedSexualTension tension]] between them. When they [[spoiler:finally [[TheirFirstTime resolve the tension]]]], the cohabitation [[spoiler:stops being innocent]].

* CruelToBeKind: ''The Training of Erasmus'' ends with Kallias [[spoiler:kissing Erasmus]], thereby [[spoiler:"tainting" him and ruining his planned future as the prized [[SexSlave bed slave]] of Prince Damianos]]. Shortly afterwards, Kastor starts his [[TheUsurper coup]], capturing Damianos and killing all of Damianos's slaves. As Kallias had been [[spoiler:Kastor's slave]] for some time by this point, it's heavily implied that he [[spoiler:knew the coup was going to happen beforehand]] and [[spoiler:kissed Erasmus so that he would be sent to Vere before getting killed]].

* CruelToBeKind: ''The Training of Erasmus'' ends with Kallias [[spoiler:kissing Erasmus]], thereby [[spoiler:"tainting" him and ruining his planned future as the prized [[SexSlave bed slave]] of Prince Damianos]]]]. Shortly afterwards, Kastor starts his [[TheUsurper coup]], capturing Damianos and killing all of Damianos's slaves. As Kallias had been [[spoiler:Kastor's slave]] for some time by this point, it's heavily implied that he [[spoiler:knew the coup was going to happen beforehand]] and [[spoiler:kissed Erasmus so that he would be sent to Vere before getting killed]].

* CassandraTruth: Nikandros told Damen to be wary of both [[EvilPrince Kastor]] and [[LoveInterestTraitor Jokaste]] prior to the beginning of the series. [[GoodCannotComprehendEvil Damen]] refused to believe that his brother and the coman he loved could have anything but pure intentions. Unfortunately, Nikandros's warnings end up being extremely relevant...

* CassandraTruth: Nikandros told Damen to be wary of both [[EvilPrince Kastor]] and [[LoveInterestTraitor Jokaste]] prior to the beginning of the series. Damen refused to believe that his brother and the woman he loved would have anything but pure intentions. Unfortunately, Nikandros's warnings end up being extremely relevant...