Captive Prince / Characters

Main Characters

Damen

The Warrior Prince of Akielos, who is usurped by his half-brother Kastor and sent to Prince Laurent of Vere as a pleasure slave. Becomes the king of Akielos by the end of the series. Full name is Damianos.

Above the Influence: If Laurent is drunk, in a partial state of consciousness, or using sex as a distraction from emotional distress, Damen will refuse to sleep with him.
Accidental Pornomancer: Downplayed, because this isn't the case most of the time. However, when he visits the Vaskian camp, he agrees to sleep with a young woman named Kashel...only for them to be joined by several other Vaskian women who want to sleep with him afterwards.
The Ace: An indomitable soldier-prince with a talent for military strategy who's beloved by his people. (Oh, and he's also a Sex God.) One of the few things he can't do is play mind games.
Act of True Love: In the third book, Laurent gives himself up to the Regent so Damen won't be killed, as his own Act of True Love. In response, Damen promptly abandons the mission he's had since the first book and surrenders to Kastor. He knows this could very well get him killed; however, he also knows it means he will be brought (as a prisoner) to the location of Laurent's unfair trial, giving him a chance to rescue Laurent.
Always Someone Better: As far as combat goes, he is the bar upon which every other character is measured. One of the main reasons the series even happens is because multiple characters couldn't measure up to Damen.
- Prince Auguste, Laurent's older brother, was Vere's most beloved political figure and the greatest warrior in the kingdom. That didn't stop Damen from killing him in one-on-one combat when he was just a teenager, distinguishing himself as Akielos' greatest warrior in turn and earning the moniker "Prince-Killer" in Vere.
- Kastor's entire motivation for usurping the throne is because he couldn't stand constantly being in his younger brother's shadow. On top of being their father's legitimate heir, Damen is considered stronger, more skilled, more courageous, and overall the very picture of Akielos' ideal king. What makes it tragically ironic is that the person Damen adored more than anyone else was Kastor himself—the reason why he strove to surpass Kastor is because he loved and idolized his older brother and wanted to be just like him.
- Laurent is a master manipulator and strategist who painstakingly trained himself in swordplay for years because he wanted revenge on Damen for Auguste's death. Even after coming to fall in love with Damen, he still takes it hard when his lover proves to be a superior fighter during their sparring match in the third book, because it proves that Laurent would've never succeeded in his intended revenge.
Animal Motifs: Like Laurent, he is occasionally associated with felines. However, Laurent is represented by craftier and more silently dangerous cats (panthers, leopards), while Damen is represented by nobler and more physically imposing cats (lions, tigers).
An Odd Place to Sleep: At one point in Prince's Gambit, he leans against a tree trunk on the outskirts of the camp, only to fall asleep there. Laurent finds him the following morning and is rather amused.
Attack! Attack! Attack!: He spends hours viciously and relentlessly attacking the Regent's men at Charcy, even though his own men are massively outnumbered. Because he is very angry and his efficiency as a soldier is nearly inhuman, he pulls off an unfathomable victory.
Audience Surrogate: The story is told mainly through Damen's perspective. We experience the kingdom of Vere and the other things that go on through his eyes.
The Berserker: By the second book, hurting Laurent is a violent Berserk Button for Damen and will instantly provoke him into this state. Notable examples include Damen absolutely losing it after a clansman feels up Laurent, as well as after the Regent reveals he raped Laurent when the latter was a child. Damen also has some unrelated moments of behaving this way, such as at Charcy.
Beware the Nice Ones: He's generally a reasonable, sympathetic person, and though he enjoys fighting, he doesn't enjoy hurting people. Still, it's in your best interest to stay on his good side. He's an absolute nightmare to face in battle.
Big Brother Worship: Downplayed—worship would be an exaggeration. That being said, Damen always loved Kastor, viewing his half-brother as a model Akielon and prince. This becomes tragic when Kastor betrays him and it's made painfully clear his adoration is not reciprocated. In the last chapter of the third book, Damen even bitterly notes to himself that Kastor wanted the throne more than he wanted a brother.
Bigger Is Better in Bed: Damen has a well-founded public reputation as a Sex God, and Laurent says he is..."everywhere in proportion." It's also explicitly stated in "Pet" that Damen is "bigger than any Ancel has taken," which says something, because Ancel is a prostitute.
Blood Knight: He has a strong competitive streak and enjoys a good fight, though his experiences throughout the series teach him the value of peace over war. While he still enjoys testing his abilities, he no longer seeks out genuine conflict and does his best to avoid it whenever possible.
Bound and Gagged: Happens to him various times after he's Made a Slave, with this predicament becoming less common every book.
Brains and Brawn: The physically intimidating warrior to Laurent's quietly dangerous chessmaster. Worth noting that it's not completely black and white, as Laurent is stronger than he looks, and Damen is actually quite adept at battle strategy.
Break the Haughty: Downplayed. While he's a good person from the start, he begins the story prideful and opinionated, with very harsh prejudices against Vere. Being forced to live amongst Veretians with Prince Laurent as his master helps mitigate his hubris and make him more self-aware.
Bruiser with a Soft Center: He's a terrifying One-Man Army in battle, but he's still A Father to His Men. As a person, he's also quite sensitive and warm.
Brutal Honesty: When Laurent is being completely uncooperative or reckless, Damen often uses this to get through to him. Since Laurent is used to others either pandering to him or outright lying to him, brutal honesty is one of the only ways to penetrate his emotional defenses.
But I Would Really Enjoy It: He experiences intense sexual attraction to Laurent from the very beginning, and it only gets more powerful as he grows to like Laurent as a person. Starting in the second book, he works hard to control his lust so that he doesn't ruin their relationship or pressure Laurent into anything. (Notably, the only time Damen does something nonconsensual is in the first book, when he lusts after Laurent but still resents his personality.) The tension is finally resolved in the second book, when the two of them have fully consensual sex.
Cain and Abel: Damen is kind-hearted, with strong beliefs about fairness and justice. His brother Kastor does not have these traits, wrongfully seizing power of Akielos and sending Damen off to be a pleasure slave out of petty jealousy. Needless to say, Damen is the Abel to Kastor's Cain.
The Captain: Laurent expresses a desire to make him a captain from the beginning of the second book, due to his military prowess. He ends up captaining Laurent's men for a single night.
Child Soldier: It's implied that he started serving sometime in his teens, because by seventeen years old, he was a commander.
Chivalrous Pervert: He isn't above staring when he's Distracted by the Sexy, and it's well-known that he Really Gets Around. But he's also a kind, considerate person. He just wants to enjoy himself—without hurting anyone. This is highlighted in his relationship with Laurent, who he lusts after but treats extremely respectfully and carefully, because he knows Laurent is uncomfortable with intimacy.
Come Back to Bed, Honey: The non-chaste variant. Damen says this word for word (minus the "honey") in the Prince's Gambit bonus chapter. Laurent reluctantly obeys.
Conflicting Loyalties: He's the prince of Akielos, and he's fiercely loyal to his country. Unfortunately, he also slowly but surely becomes fiercely loyal to Laurent, who is the prince of an enemy nation. "A kingdom, or this"—"this" being Damen's relationship with Laurent—is a repeated line reflecting the aforementioned conflict. In Prince's Gambit, Damen ultimately chooses Akielos. In Kings Rising, Damen goes back on his initial decision and chooses Laurent. Luckily for us, the series ends with a kingdom and this.
Dating What Daddy Hates: Theomedes hated Veretians, associating dishonorable traits like deception and cowardice with their country. Damen reflects that if his father was alive, he would never have approved of his son falling in love with Prince Laurent of Vere.
The Defroster: After getting to know Laurent, Damen realizes that he's been navigating Vere's deadly political arena alone since he was thirteen. As a result, Damen becomes dedicated to protecting Laurent and making him happy.
Determinator: When he cares about something, he will fight for it until the very end—even if he's placing his own life at risk. This is most apparent when it comes to protecting Laurent and reclaiming his right to the Akielon throne.
Distracted by the Sexy: Damen is used to seeing Laurent in severe, tightly-laced clothing that covers as much skin as possible. When Laurent walks in wearing a chiton in Kings Rising, Damen drops a pitcher, completely misses the beginning of the conversation, and can't stop staring at his legs.
Dramatically Missing the Point: In the third book, he asks Laurent if there was anybody to comfort him after his brother died. Laurent replies that technically, there was. Damen obliviously answers that he's glad Laurent wasn't alone, even though it's very clear Laurent is trying to imply that Damen is the one person who comforted him and prevented him from being alone.
The Dreaded: In Vere, he's known and feared as the "Prince-Killer", for cutting down their beloved Prince Auguste in single combat during the Battle of Marlas. Many characters throughout the series are shown to actively fear the idea of facing him in battle because his skill as a warrior is so renowned.
Dumb Muscle: Laurent frequently accuses him of fitting this trope, especially early on. It's not true, though—while he may be a bit naïve at times, he isn't dumb.
Eating the Eye Candy: Damen lusts after Laurent powerfully from the very beginning—even while they both still hate each other. He's been caught staring many a time.
Emotional Regression: Downplayed. Damen is rather experienced in the bedroom, but when he's about to have sex with Laurent for the first time, he starts feeling like a nervous young virgin again.
Entertainingly Wrong: Prince's Gambit has Damen assume that Laurent doesn't sleep with anyone because he's straight, and premarital heterosexual sex is taboo in Vere. Laurent remarks that this is a straightforward and logical deduction, but his amused reaction makes it pretty clear that Damen is wrong. (It turns out that Laurent is gay—his rejection of sex has to do with his Rape as Backstory.)
Ethical Slut: He certainly has no problem with promiscuity or polyamory, but he does have a massive problem with rape, abuse, and pedophilia. When Laurent points out a discrepancy—Damen has used Sex Slaves before, although he personally treated them well and it's a part of his culture—this actually gets Damen thinking. By the end of the trilogy, he's anti-slavery.
Fatal Attractor: Downplayed, but his First Love Jokaste and Second Love Laurent are both very manipulative, ruthless people who end up getting him involved in a war. Nikandros is rather concerned about this, considering Damen holds the fate of their country in his hands.
Fatal Flaw: He is especially vulnerable to the political games of the Veretian court because he is unable to detect deception and possesses a Good Cannot Comprehend Evil mindset. The Regent takes advantage of this by revealing he raped Laurent as a child, causing Damen to lash out in a place where violence is forbidden and force Laurent to surrender to save his life.
A Father to His Men: He is always worried about the well-being of the Akielon people, especially the ones sent to Vere as slaves. When he discovers the abuse Erasmus and the others endured, Damen bargains his loyalty to Laurent in exchange for having them placed under the care of a new master.
The Fettered: He believes that he is responsible for the well-being of the Akielon people, he will do anything for his loved ones, and he will never betray his morals unless absolutely necessary.
First Friend: If you don't think a Cool Big Bro counts as a friend, then Damen is Laurent's first-ever friend. Laurent is famously antisocial, and even when he wasn't, he still kept completely to himself. This is why Laurent's men are shocked to see his behavior softening around Damen in the second book.
Forced Orgasm: While Damen is enslaved in the Decadent Court of Vere, Laurent has him restrained so that an escort can perform oral sex on him for the courtiers' amusement. It's unambiguously portrayed as a sexual violation and a deliberate cruelty from Laurent.
Gentle Giant: He's a tall, muscular man and a One-Man Army in battle. But in general, he's a very warm, dedicated person with a strong sense of right and wrong.
The Gift: He has an innate talent for combat that, combined with his already prodigious physical gifts and his strong work ethic, makes him into a nigh-invincible warrior on the battlefield. To illustrate the difference between Damen and everyone else, just look at his fight with Laurent in the third book. Despite throwing everything and the figurative kitchen sink at Damen, Laurent is completely unable to take control of the fight at any point and is ultimately defeated and beaten back with his opponent barely out of breath. By comparison, Laurent is able to defeat and kill Damen's brother Kastor with only moderate difficulty, despite being exhausted at the time due to having just suffered two days of harsh imprisonment.
Glory Seeker: Deconstructed. One of the reasons Damen sought out and dueled Auguste during the Battle of Marlas is because he wanted to win glory for himself and his country. He succeeded, as killing Auguste was the stroke that reclaimed Delpha for Akielos—and had catastrophic consequences for Auguste's younger brother Laurent, the man Damen would come to fall in love with years later. Damen quickly finds the glory he wanted so badly means nothing in the face of the pain of someone he's come to care so much about, and desperately wishes more than once that he had made a different choice that day.
Go-Go Enslavement: When he arrives in Vere as a Sex Slave, he's made to wear some rather embarrassing outfits. Of special note is the getup that includes paint (similar to makeup), fancy accessories (including nipple clamps), collar with leash...and pretty much no actual clothes.
Good Cannot Comprehend Evil:
- He has a very difficult time understanding people who are capable of ruthless manipulation and betrayal. He does grow a bit more proficient in this area over time, though, since he ends up dragged into Vere's political games.
- One notable instance is his failure to realize Laurent was sexually abused by his uncle. Laurent drops so many hints that most readers are already aware by the time Damen is finally told in the third book. Damen, however, never figures it out on his own because he can't comprehend the idea of family abusing each other in such a way—which is unsurprising, considering how he failed to notice for years how much Kastor resented him.
Gorgeous Greek: The prince of Akielos is a muscular, handsome Sex God. (Akielos is the Fantasy Counterpart Culture to Ancient Greece.)
Guyliner: Akielon slaves and Veretian pets often apply paint to their faces, in a manner that seems nearly identical to makeup. The first book has Damen explicitly describe paint being used to line his eyes.
Hair-Contrast Duo: Laurent is blond and Damen is brunette, but the personality expectations that go with the trope are reversed. Laurent is cunning, cynical, and unapproachable; Damen is honorable, idealistic, and friendly.
Has a Type:
- He likes fair skin, blond hair, and blue eyes. He also seems to find the Ice Queen / Ice King demeanor attractive, though he's reluctant to admit it. It's only natural that Jokaste and Laurent immediately grab his attention. Nikandros calls him out on this extensively, concerned that he's made a foolish political alliance on the basis of his (predictable) sexual attraction to Laurent.
- He's also attracted to martial strength. There's a story about him taking a skilled gladiator to bed after defeating the other man in battle, and he only becomes even more attracted to Laurent after seeing him fight and seeing how skilled he is.
Honor Before Reason: He makes some less-than-practical decisions for the sake of other people. This frequently leaves him in a vulnerable state, but he doesn't care.
Honor Thy Parent: Damen had enormous respect for Theomedes when he was alive, and while he's able to acknowledge his father's flaws later, he remarks that he still could never bring himself to say anything that would dishonor him.
Horrible Judge of Character: Laurent says that because Damen has no instinct for deception, he can't recognize when other people are lying to him. Likewise, Nikandros remarks that Damen sees the world in black and white, and he worries that Damen's lust overrides his good judgment.
Hot-Blooded: A Determinator and Warrior Prince whose will is nearly unconquerable. Even when he's in the worst situations imaginable, he simply doesn't know how to give up and will fight like hell to make things go his way.
Hunk: He's tall and muscular, embodying a type of attractiveness that contrasts with Laurent's elegant beauty.
Hypocrite: In the second book, Laurent points out that Damen thinks it's disgusting and wrong for him to be kept as a slave, yet he slept with slaves himself in Akielos without ever questioning how they felt. By the third book, Damen's experiences have led him to become uncomfortable with all slavery, and he suggests that he may end slavery as the Akielon king.
I Am Not My Father: Downplayed, as Damen loved and admired his father. However, in the second book he acknowledges that his father was an aggressive, prejudiced conqueror, and he realizes that he does not want to be the same type of king as Theomedes.
The Idealist: It's extremely difficult for him to understand people and actions that go against his personal values—to the point where his idealism is, initially, somewhat naïve. Kastor and Jokaste's plans succeed because he simply can't bring himself to believe that two people he loves would betray him. Being in a Cynic–Idealist Duo with Laurent does help him learn to be less unequivocally trusting.
I Gave My Word: He cares quite a bit about honor, and when he says he's going to stand by somebody's side, he means it—even if it doesn't always serve his best interests. This confuses Laurent considerably.
Ignore the Fanservice: In the third book, Laurent leaves a celebration at night and Damen follows him, figuring he might want to talk about the emotional pain of returning to Marlas. Laurent rejects Damen's heartfelt offer of support outright and instead proposes that they have sex. Realizing that Laurent is just trying to avoid confronting his feelings, Damen refuses his advances without hesitation.
I'll Kill You!: Damen has a rare moment of Tranquil Fury after finding out that the Regent raped Laurent, looking the Regent in the eyes and flatly promising, "I'm going to kill you."
I Love You Because I Can't Control You: Damen seems to find this idea rather appealing—he Really Gets Around, but the two people he actually falls for are both cold and frighteningly intelligent. In the third book, Nikandros accuses Damen of being interested in Laurent because he's "beautiful and unobtainable," meanwhile Damen has never been refused in his life.
I Need a Freaking Drink: He drops a pitcher of wine when he sees Laurent wearing Akielon clothes (more specifically, a short chiton) for the first time. He internally notes that if only he hadn't dropped the pitcher, he could take a huge drink of the wine.
In-Series Nickname: Damen is a nickname for Damianos. He is only called the former by people who are very close to him.
Jealous Romantic Witness: In the last book, Damen watches enviously as Laurent showers intimate attention upon his new slave, Isander. Subverted very quickly when it becomes clear Laurent is only doing this to adhere to traditional Akielon etiquette, not because he's personally interested in Isander.
The Kingslayer: Not the slayer of a king, but of a prince. Damen is known in Vere as the prince-killer—the monster who killed Auguste, their beloved heir to the throne.
Ladykiller in Love: A well-known Sex God with a multitude of lovers in his past, he loses his promiscuous behavior after falling in love with Laurent. Note that Damen has been in love before, specifically with Jokaste, but he didn't remain true to her in the same way he does with Laurent.
Large and in Charge: He has a tall, muscular physique, and he's a Warrior Prince.
Like Father, Unlike Son: Initially, Damen has the same proud personality and prejudices against Vere as his father. However, as time passes, Damen realizes that he's actually grown to be quite different from his father. Theomedes was an ambitious ruler who was more interested in land than peace, and he could not be swayed to rethink his opinions. Damen loves his country, but he does not believe glory is worth war, and he's capable of changing his mind about his prejudices.
Living Legend: In Akielos, he is revered for having killed the indomitable Prince Auguste of Vere.
Longing Look: His yearning for Laurent sometimes becomes visible. This is especially apparent in the last book, where Nikandros and several others notice it.
Love at First Sight: He implies that he fell in love with Jokaste immediately upon meeting her. Either the sentiment wasn't reciprocated or Jokaste thought it was best to play hard to get.
Love Interest: To Laurent, by the second book.
Made a Slave: After his half-brother Kastor stages a coup against him, he is stripped of his titles and sent as a personal gift to the prince of Vere.
Man in a Kilt: Wears a skirt in the third book, as is the custom for Akielon men.
Master Swordsman: He's an incredible fighter in general, but swordplay is his specialty.
Memento MacGuffin: After Laurent releases him from his service in Prince's Gambit, he has a smith come in to remove the gold cuffs from his wrists. However, he ultimately decides to keep one on, later gifting the other to Laurent when calling for an alliance between their countries.
Morality Chain: Plays this role for Laurent, who is willing to be a lot more unethical without his influence.
Laurent: There was a man I was supposed to meet. He’s got all these ideas about honour and fair play, and he tries to keep me from doing the wrong thing. But he’s not here right now. Unfortunately for you.
Noble Bigot: From the start, he's a good person who believes strongly in honor and justice. However, due to the influence of his culture and his father, he has a lot of prejudices against Vere. At the beginning of the series, he believes all Veretians are liars and cowards with no moral compass. As he gets to know Laurent, he gradually realizes he's wrong.
"Not So Different" Remark: Prior to the third book, he makes a few comments of this kind about Laurent and the Regent. He notices that these remarks tend to shock and horrify Laurent into silence.
Laurent: We are on my uncle’s board and these men are all his pieces.
Damen: Then each time you move one of them, you can congratulate yourself on how much like him you are.
Obfuscating Stupidity: Briefly pretends he got lost on the way to Laurent's side of the fort so that he has an excuse to examine Ravenel's defenses.
Oblivious Younger Sibling: Overlapping with Good Cannot Comprehend Evil, he fails to understand just how much Kastor despises him, even after Kastor usurps the throne. Even after the depths of Kastor's plotting are exposed, Damen lets his guard down around him just long enough for Kastor to try to kill him one last time.
Omniglot: Downplayed. He's fluent in Akielon, Veretian, and the dialect of Vaskian that is spoken in the court of their empress. It's also highly probable, though never explicitly stated, that he is fluent in Patran. He attempts to justify this by explaining that his father thought it was important for the royal family to know foreign languages.
One Head Taller: It's a bit unclear exactly how much taller Damen is than Laurent, but this description seems to fit best. Laurent says that he's an average size, but simply standing next to Damen makes other people perceive him as small. On a comment from Damen that his borrowed armor is too small, Laurent (sarcastically) suggests that he borrow the armor of a warhorse instead.
One-Man Army: His incredible battle prowess gets him out of quite a few sticky situations. At both Marlas and Charcy, he leaves his men behind, singlehandedly cuts a bloody swath through the enemy army to the commander, and kills him. His soldiers at Charcy are left staring after him in utter awe.
Only Friend: He's Laurent's first and only friend (if you don't count Auguste), as well as Laurent's first lover.
O.O.C. Is Serious Business: A minor example. "The Training of Erasmus" notes that he normally enjoys songs and poems about war, rather than those about lighter subjects like love. When he's really pining after Laurent in Prince's Gambit, he unthinkingly asks Erasmus to perform a love song.
Overshadowed by Awesome: Downplayed. Damen's intelligence gets insulted relatively frequently, both throughout the books and by the fanbase. However, Damen is far from stupid—he only appears unintelligent because he's constantly overshadowed by manipulative chessmaster Laurent. He's one of the few people who can see through Laurent's mask and actively penetrate Laurent's emotional defenses. It's also worth noting that he's superior at battle strategy, and he speaks better Veretian than Laurent does Akielon.
Powerful People Are Subs: Downplayed, as both he and Laurent seem rather switch-like. That being said: Damen is an indomitable fighter, a natural leader, and a Sex God used to being dominant in the bedroom. But Damen also gets turned on when Laurent kicks him during an intimate moment, fantasizes about Laurent sadistically leaving him naked and aroused on the bed, and enjoys the instances when he lets Laurent take control.
Prince Charming: He's a charismatic and courageous Warrior Prince. No wonder he's so popular with the people of Akielos.
Proud Warrior Race Guy: Damen starts out the story as the ideal Akielon Warrior Prince, and part of his Character Development is confronting the more negative aspects of his culture and reconciling them with his morals and his sense of honor. By the end of the last book, he has become a subverted example—while he still loves his country, he acknowledges that not all of their values and customs should be held sacred, and no longer sees battle and war as a path to glory.
Rage Breaking Point: He already hates the Regent by the last book for his manipulation of Laurent and actions against Akielos. He explodes in anger and spite when he finds out that the Regent also raped Laurent.
Rank Scales with Asskicking: Damen is both the rightful king of Akielos and one of its most renowned warriors—too bad he spends most of the trilogy not being king. The notion that Damen's skill with a sword somehow makes him a more fitting ruler is part of the reason Kastor resents him so deeply.
Really Gets Around: Damen slept with quite a few people before getting together with Laurent. "The Training of Erasmus" mentions that he's known for having strong sexual appetites, bedding many slaves as well as lovers of higher statuses.
Red Oni, Blue Oni: The passionate, spontaneous, physically powerful Red Oni to Laurent's austere, controlled, intellectual Blue Oni.
Rightful King Returns: Damen is the rightful heir to the Akielon throne, but his half-brother Kastor betrays him at the beginning of the series and sends him as a Sex Slave to an enemy country. The final book focuses on Damen's return to the throne of Akielos and defeat of Kastor.
Royal "We": When he returns to claim his place as the Akielon king, he starts talking this way during public accords. Neither the Regent nor Laurent do this, suggesting that this manner of speaking is used in Akielos, but not Vere.
Say My Name: Laurent carefully avoids calling Damen by his name throughout the first two books. In the final book, Damen demands that Laurent say his name to prove that he can accept their relationship, even knowing who Damen truly is.
Scars Are Forever: When he was thirteen, Kastor ran him through with a sword while they were "sparring," creating the scar on his abdomen. He got the scar on his shoulder at nineteen, while fighting Auguste.
Sex for Solace: He experienced horrible grief while watching his father on the brink of death, but it was too painful for him to discuss with anyone. He mentions that he did, however, occasionally comfort himself by sleeping with Jokaste.
Sex God: He has a reputation in Akielos for being extremely virile. A popular story about him recounts an incident where he fought a gladiator from Isthima, won, then had the man in his chambers for seven hours. Also perhaps worth noting: Laurent says sex with Damen was so good that he temporarily let himself forget Damen killed his brother.
Sex in a Shared Room: Apparently, before the events of the story, he occasionally fooled around with lovers while slaves were in the room. He explains that this was considered appropriate because of the massive gap in status between himself and a slave.
Sex Slave: His intended purpose when he is sent to Prince Laurent of Vere. Laurent releases him at the end of Prince's Gambit.
Shirtless Captives: While a slave in the first book, he pretty much never wears a shirt.
Slave Collar: He wears a golden collar in addition to the golden cuffs, indicating his status as a palace Sex Slave. Laurent attaches a leash at one point, too (when they're attending court during the first book). After Laurent frees him at the end of the second book, he has the collar removed.
The Soft-Hearted Warrior: He might be a Warrior Prince who's known for being the greatest fighter in Akielos, but off the battlefield, he's remarkably good-natured and considerate.
Spanner in the Works: His partnership with Laurent puts a major wrench in the Regent's plans, as his insight proves to be invaluable and makes Laurent's actions harder to predict.
Spirited Competitor: He thoroughly enjoys participating in tournaments, and he loves it even more when his opponent is someone skilled.
Strong and Skilled: He's very physically powerful, but he has also gone through extensive combat training and possesses tactical abilities.
Takes Ten to Hold: When the Regent delivers a terrible Internal Reveal to Damen, he goes incoherent with rage until he realizes he's being restrained by no fewer than six of the country's most elite soldiers.
Talented, but Trained: He's naturally skilled as a warrior, but he still trained relentlessly throughout his life in order to unlock his full potential.
Tall, Dark, and Handsome: Damen is described as having olive skin, dark hair and matching eyes. Combined with his chiseled body and the fact that he's One Head Taller than Laurent, Damen fits this trope perfectly.
A Taste of the Lash: In the first book, Damen bathes Laurent as one of his slave duties, but loses control of his lust and ends up touching Laurent inappropriately. In response, Laurent has him flogged almost to death, with the almost only existing because of the Regent's interference. The cruelty of this incident eventually ends up symbolizing the dark origins of their relationship, which neither of them want to acknowledge after they genuinely fall in love. In "The Summer Palace," they finally do acknowledge it, realizing that they must do so in order to heal, and Laurent in particular takes steps to nonverbally make up for what happened.
Thicker Than Water: He loves his family, which is why he initially refuses to believe that his half-brother Kastor would betray him. Even after he's proved horribly wrong by Kastor usurping and enslaving him, he can't bring himself to actually hate his brother, remembering their family ties and all the happy memories from when they were younger. Ultimately, while he does accept Kastor's death was necessary, that does not stop Damen from mourning him.
Throwing Your Sword Always Works: Ends up doing this in a desperate situation and succeeds in throwing his sword straight through his target. This only works because of luck—and Damen's canonical status as a monster of a soldier.
Took a Level in Cynic: Downplayed, as he's still optimistic and hopeful by default, but by the end of the trilogy he has learned not to trust so blindly.
Universally Beloved Leader: It seems that prior to the events of the story, he was beloved by everyone in Akielos, with the only exception being Kastor.
Unreliable Narrator: He starts the series this way, blinded by prejudice. But he improves, most notably when he gets to know the Laurent behind the cast-iron bitch front. He is still unreliable at some points, though, because he is too noble to perceive actions and intentions that go entirely against his principles.
- One specific, notable example: in the "Summer Palace" short story, Damen recalls the moments after Kings Rising. Apparently, by the time backup came, Damen actually lost so much blood that he passed out. This is contrary to his initial narration from the book:
It was not a mortal wound, but it was nice to have Laurent fuss over him.
Unstoppable Rage: He doesn't get completely overwhelmed by fury too often, but when he does, his prowess on the battlefield becomes terrifyingly evident.
Warrior Prince: The prince (and eventually king) of Akielos, who is extremely skilled on the battlefield.
"Well Done, Son" Guy: Downplayed. He mentions in the second book that he never used to question his father's beliefs, and that this was at least partially because he was pleased with his father's constant approval.
Worf Had the Flu: He only loses fights where he is at a heavy disadvantage, usually through trickery, drugs, or just being heavily outnumbered. Even then, that's not always enough to stop him.
World's Best Warrior: Perhaps downplayed, as he's never advertised as the best warrior in the world, but there's certainly nobody in the series who can defeat him—the person to come closest was Auguste, and that was when Damen was six years younger and much more inexperienced. At the very least, he's known for being the best warrior in his country. The few times he's bested have nothing to do with combat ability and everything to do with manipulation.
Wouldn't Hurt a Child: In the first book, he makes a point out of the fact that he does not hurt those inherently weaker than himself. This category, of course, includes children.
Youngest Child Wins: He's the youngest (and favorite) son of King Theomedes, but he becomes the heir to the throne because his brother Kastor is a Royal Bastard. Kastor tries his hardest to keep Damen off the throne, but the trilogy ultimately ends with Damen overcoming all hardships to become the king of Akielos.

Laurent

The cold, calculating prince of Vere, known for his beauty, his intelligence, and his hatred of Akielos. Becomes the king of Vere by the end of the series.

Academic Athlete: He turns himself into one of these after Auguste's death. His abilities naturally tend towards the academic, not the athletic; however, by the time of the trilogy, he has changed this through relentless training.
Act of True Love: In the third book, he surrenders himself to his uncle, agreeing to attend the "fair trial" that he knows will lead to his execution—all so that his uncle will spare Damen's life.
Aggressive Submissive: Played with. He's known for being very strong-willed and controlling, yet he's rather passive and awkward during his sex scenes with Damen. It's still not black and white, though, because he does have more dominant moments, and both he and Damen ultimately seem more like switches.
Ain't Too Proud to Beg: Laurent, who has quite a lot of pride and despises his uncle, gets down on his knees to beg his uncle for Damen's life in a mortifying display of desperation.
Always Second Best: Everyone around him seems to believe that Auguste was a better fighter and a better leader. The Regent in particular constantly brings this up in order to manipulate the public opinion of Laurent.
Always Someone Better: After training himself up to reach Auguste's level of swordsmanship, he finds that he still can't measure up to Damen in a real fight, much to his frustration.
Animal Motifs: Associated with snakes, and occasionally, felines (panthers, leopards, cats).
Anorgasmia: A bit of a complicated example. He can have an orgasm, but oftentimes he won't allow himself to, physically and emotionally locking down when he feels himself on the verge of release. This is initially presented as an extension of his lack of experience and Control Freak tendencies. However, it takes on a darker note when it's revealed that his only prior experience with sex was rape. Over time, Damen helps him learn to trust and let go.
Anti-Hero: By the second book, it's clear that he isn't the villain of the trilogy. However, he's still a cold, merciless Manipulative Bastard with no friends who is chronically unsatisfied and dismissive towards everyone. If someone poses a major threat to his plans, he is not above verbally ruining them, using their loved ones against them, or outright eliminating them. Damen is his Morality Chain and keeps him at least partially in check, but when Damen isn't around, be prepared for all hell to break loose. With all this being said, it should be noted that Laurent simply does what's necessary to survive—it's heavily implied by the last book that he'll become more traditionally good once his uncle's schemes aren't constantly threatening his life.
Attractive Bent-Gender: When he's Disguised in Drag and pretending to be Jokaste, a soldier comments that he is very beautiful.
Authority Equals Asskicking: He first wins his soldiers' respect by utterly dominating Govart in a duel and goes on to prove that he's almost as exceptional a warrior as he is a leader.
Badass Boast: In the second book, Damen gives a warning that success will only be possible if they spend all their time working and Laurent does absolutely nothing wrong. Laurent's reply? "Watch me."
Badass Bookworm: Initially just a regular Bookworm, but after Auguste's death, he invokes this by throwing himself into swordsmanship. As it turns out, despite his appearance, he's quite the formidable opponent.
Beautiful Sexual Assault Victim: At the end of the first book, the assassins targeting Laurent assume that Damen will want to take part in their planned rape, because Laurent is considered extremely attractive by everyone around him. (Damen is thoroughly disgusted by this.) And when the Regent talks about raping thirteen-year-old Laurent, he makes a subtle Blaming the Victim comment about how Laurent was too beautiful to resist.
Beauty Is Bad: Laurent seems as cruel and manipulative as he is beautiful, though that is only what Damen sees on the surface.
Beneath the Mask:
- His distant, unforgiving exterior hides a part of him that is actually rather loving and playful. We only ever get to see this when he's with Damen. It's implied that this aspect of his personality is more in line with how he used to be, and the mask is the persona he developed to survive when his happy life started getting sucked down the drain.
- He's known for exhibiting Dissonant Serenity most situations, which causes many characters to accuse him of being inhumanly cold. It's noted multiple times that his ability to remain calm even under highly dangerous circumstances is almost disturbing. We eventually learn that Laurent lives pretty much permanently in fear—he's just exceptionally good at affecting calm. The first section told from his point of view in Kings Rising reveals that he has to deliberately suppress his natural instincts, which are, of course, to panic.
Big Brother Attraction: There's quite a bit of Malicious Slander accusing him of romantic and sexual feelings for his late older brother. The accusations are not true, and his actual feelings resembled Big Brother Worship, as detailed below.
Big Brother Instinct: His snarky, manipulative relationship with Nicaise initially seems quite negative. The truth is that he actually cares for Nicaise quite a bit, knowing that the Regent will soon replace him with a younger pet and wanting to place him under better circumstances. Laurent may also feel the need to protect Nicaise because Nicaise reminds him of what it was like to be a child at the Regent's mercy.
Big Brother Worship: He idolized his older brother Auguste and loved him more than anyone else in the world. He still has some buried insecurities about lacking Auguste's easy charm and natural talent on the battlefield.
Bookworm: He's apparently been like this since he was a child. A bit of an Informed Attribute, since he's rarely shown reading, but it's probably justified: it's explicitly stated that this was more apparent when he was younger, and he rarely has time for anything other than navigating his uncle's mind games nowadays.
Brains and Brawn: The quietly dangerous chessmaster to Damen's physically intimidating warrior. Worth noting that it's not completely black and white, as Laurent is stronger than he looks, and Damen is actually quite adept at battle strategy.
Break the Cutie: He was a sweet-natured, bookish child before the deaths of his father and brother. After being taken in and sexually abused by his uncle, he became a cold, resentful Broken Bird.
Break Them by Talking: He is known for doing this, and for being rather vicious about it. After his betrayal is revealed, he subjects Aimeric to a verbal attack so bad that Aimeric ends up killing himself.
Broken Ace: A beautiful, intelligent prince with extraordinary abilities in swordsmanship, riding, and politics. He's also incredibly miserable and lonely.
Broken Bird: He is bitter, cold, and entirely closed off due to his older brother's death and the subsequent abuse at the hands of his uncle.
But I Would Really Enjoy It: He hides it quite well, but it becomes evident in the second book that Damen's lust for him is not entirely one-sided. He resists his urges because...well, he knows Damen is the man who killed his brother. And on top of that, his Rape as Backstory has made him extremely wary of physical contact and intimacy. He finally gives in to his desires around the last third of the second book, when he and Damen have Their First Time.
Cannot Spit It Out: It takes him a long time to admit that he reciprocates Damen's feelings. This is later justified after it's revealed Laurent knew Damen's true identity from the very beginning, and that made it harder for him to come to terms with his feelings.
Can't Catch Up: During the climactic spar between Damen and himself in Kings Rising, the physical disparity between them proves too great for Laurent to overcome and he is forced to confront the reality that he would've never succeeded in his intended revenge. The realization is shattering to Laurent, and it is only after Damen offers him the chance to take his revenge anyway that he is able to make peace with the idea, as it forces him to accept that he doesn't want his revenge anymore anyway.
Can't Hold His Liquor: Confesses this himself in Kings Rising. He's normally The Teetotaler, so he's also flat-out unused to being drunk. His incredible self-control can make it appear like he can hold his liquor, but he actually can't.
Celibate Hero: He's known for rebuffing every single one of the various sexual and romantic advances made towards him. He's so consistent in this regard that many people believe he's frigid. Eventually subverted, as he ends up returning Damen's love and lust. Also worth noting that his initial rejection of sex/romance probably has as much to do with his trust issues and abuse history as actual disinterest.
The Chessmaster: His main strength is his intelligence—and his willingness to use it in completely merciless ways. He's known for being extremely manipulative; he always thinks through the advantages and consequences of things before taking action.
Child Soldier: In this world, it doesn't seem particularly unusual for soldiers to be in their late teens. However, Laurent was thirteen when he fought in his first major battle. Even Damen (who was a commander by the time he was seventeen) comments that this is rather young and appears slightly upset about it.
Combat Pragmatist: When caught in a difficult situation, he'll use all kinds of twisty methods and Improvised Weapons to achieve victory. This part of him is on full display during his fight with Damen in the last book—he loses control of his emotions and begins attacking with everything in the room as well as his sword.
Complexity Addiction: Laurent is a Guile Hero whose intelligence usually serves him well, but there are times when his reliance on complicated schemes backfires. Damen calls him out on this and suggests simpler solutions when they will be more effective.
Conditioned to Accept Horror: Growing up in the Regent's court has eliminated any surprise Laurent might have experienced in response to witnessing emotional abuse, murder, rape, or pedophilia. That being said, Laurent is not actually okay with these things happening and actively works against them once he has the power to do so.
Consistent Clothing Style: Damen's narration frequently mentions Prince Laurent's wardrobe, which is invariably severe, high-necked, long-sleeved, and tight-laced to match his guarded nature.
Consummate Liar: If he's to survive his uncle's court, this is what he needs to be. And he delivers.
Control Freak: He can be very domineering and hates losing control, whether it's over a situation or over himself. When he starts allowing Damen to take more initiative in their relationship (both emotionally and physically), it's a sign of how much he values what they have.
Creepy Monotone: He speaks this way during his Heroic BSoD in the third book, when he gets down on his knees to beg for Damen's life and surrenders himself to his uncle.
The Cynic: He doesn't trust anyone and always acts on the assumption that somebody is out to get him. While he's like this for a good reason, it can also make him rather cruel. Damen, the other half of the Cynic–Idealist Duo, helps him relearn how to open up and trust others.
Cynicism Catalyst: To Laurent, his older brother Auguste represented hope and the fact that there were good people in the world. Then both Auguste and his father died. Making matters worse, because his mother was already dead, Laurent's only remaining family member was his uncle—who took him in and proceeded to sexually and emotionally abuse him. Naturally, after this point, he felt there was very little reason to have faith in others.
Dark and Troubled Past: When he was thirteen, both his father and his beloved older brother died in the same battle. To make matters worse, his mother was already dead. Oh, and his only remaining family took advantage of him in the face of his grief.
Deadpan Snarker: He has his moments, to the point where Damen and others sometimes struggle with the urge to punch him.
Death Glare: Does this quite a bit when Damen really pisses him off.
Laurent gave him the kind of look a swordsman gives as he decides whether or not to slice his unarmed enemy in half.
Death Seeker: In Kings Rising, he implies that if he had followed through with his revenge mission and found himself incapable of defeating Damen anyway, he would have wanted Damen to kill him.
Damen: You’re not good enough. You would have come for revenge, and I would have killed you. That’s how it would have been between us. Is that what you would have wanted?
Laurent: Yes. [Auguste] was everything I had.
The words hung between them.
Declaration of Protection: In the last book, he firmly tells Damen that no matter what, he is not going to let the Regent hurt him.
Defrosting Ice King: He's referred to by his soldiers as a "frigid bitch" and has a cold demeanor around everyone. He slowly opens up to Damen as he realizes, to his considerable confusion, that Damen is genuinely trustworthy. Only in private, though. It's also noted in "The Summer Palace" that even after the events of the story, he's not necessarily "defrosted" around others.
Dehumanizing Insult: Frequently degrades Damen in the first book by calling him an animal (specific examples include swine, dog, etc.).
Desk Sweep of Rage: He loses control after his verbal evisceraton of Aimeric, sending drinks and plates of food crashing to the ground.
Desperately Craves Affection: Not at all obvious, since he's cold, unapproachable, and Hates Being Touched. But he's been trapped in heartless political games for a long time, and the sexual abuse his uncle subjected him to made him hypervigilant regarding physical contact. Damen notes that once he lets his guard down, he reacts rather strongly to genuine intimacy from a person he trusts.
Did You Think I Can't Feel?: Expresses this sentiment to Damen a few times, such as when Damen is surprised by his positive reaction to intimacy, or when confessing to Damen that even someone like him didn't want to believe a member of his family would try to kill him.
Disguised in Drag: He disguises himself as Jokaste in Kings Rising so that he and Damen can get past a patrol of Kastor-aligned soldiers. The leader of the soldiers in question is thoroughly convinced, and even comments on the unusual beauty of "Jokaste."
Dissonant Serenity: Remains frighteningly calm in almost every situation. When he loses his cool, it's a case of O.O.C. Is Serious Business. It should perhaps be noted, though, that the brief perspective shift in Kings Rising suggests this is a facade.
Don't You Dare Pity Me!: Has this response when confronted after the death of Nicaise, although what he actually feels is probably more complicated.
Laurent: I hope you are not here for a mawkish display of sentiment. I will throw you out.
Do You Want to Copulate?: Upon returning to Marlas, Damen goes to offer Laurent support, only for Laurent to disregard his offer and bluntly proposition him. Damen recognizes that Laurent is emotionally unwell and refuses his advances.
Damen: If you'd prefer me to leave, I will.
Laurent: Why cavil? Let's fuck.
Damen: That isn't what I meant.
Laurent: It might not be what you meant, but it's what you want. You want to fuck me.
Eating the Eye Candy: If Damen is wearing something particularly revealing (or perhaps wearing nothing at all), Laurent occasionally spends some time openly staring at him, even before their Relationship Upgrade. In the last book, he finally outright admits that he finds Damen extremely attractive.
Establishing Character Moment: During his first scene, he expresses open hostility towards Akielos and patronizes Damen, all while retaining a completely cold, arrogant demeanor.
Even the Guys Want Him: Damen immediately notes that he is beautiful and occasionally becomes distracted by his looks, even before he grows to like him. In addition, much of Laurent's guard is sexually attracted to him, and several other men (such as the Regent and a clansman) are quite attracted to him as well.
Everyone Has Standards:
- He may seem unscrupulous and even cruel, but he can't stand the idea of children being pets. He also hates the entire institution of slavery.
- He thinks Kinslaying Is a Special Kind of Evil, and while he opposes his uncle and intends to undermine him, he never actually tries to kill him until the Regent tries to kill him first.
Face of an Angel, Mind of a Demon: Played straight at first. Even when Damen despises him for his ruthless, calculating nature, he can't help admitting that Laurent has an "astonishingly lovely face."
Fatal Flaw: He's stubbornly insistent on working alone, and his obstinance combined with his tendency to plan everything means that when things don't go as he expected, he is not always good at adapting. While he's extremely capable, these traits still work against him. Several of his plans would have failed miserably if Damen wasn't there to introduce new perspectives and improvise.
Freudian Excuse: When he was thirteen, his older brother and his father died during a battle against Akielos. He hero-worshipped his brother, so the loss absolutely devastated him. In the face of his grief, things only got worse: he was raped and thrown headfirst into relentless political games by his uncle—his only remaining family. All of this turned him into a bitter, closed-off person who manipulates everyone and refuses to trust anyone.
Friendless Background: In the Summer Palace short story collection, Jord mentions that Laurent didn't really have friends as a child, and this hasn't changed as he's gotten older.
From Nobody to Nightmare: He started off as the reserved, intellectual second son of a king. He kept to himself and had zero interest in military affairs. After his brother died, he became the calculating, merciless heir to the throne, caught up in a series of deadly political games and much more lethal than he appears.
The Gadfly: He occasionally makes offensive, explicit, or infuriating remarks simply to rile people up. This side of him becomes especially apparent when he's around Nikandros.
Good Is Not Nice: He's a harsh, prideful, unforgiving person. But he is good, even if it doesn't seem like it.
Good Cannot Comprehend Evil: Despite being a remarkably cynical person, Laurent is visibly shocked when he learns the Regent killed his older brother Aleron, Laurent's father. Of all the evils his uncle has committed, this is the one line that Laurent apparently never thought he'd cross, which is unsurprising when you consider how much he loved his own older brother Auguste.
Guile Hero: Cunning and perceptive, this is probably the most major part of his character. Worth noting that in the beginning, he doesn't seem like much of a hero, but eventually the name of this trope does end up fitting.
Guilt Complex: Very subtly implied, but Laurent seems to blame his younger self for falling into his uncle's schemes, claiming he used to be foolish and naïve. This is directly contradicted by Jord and the Summer Palace short story collection, which both present Laurent's younger self as serious and intelligent. Also, anyone else would consider it unreasonable to blame grieving, thirteen-year-old Laurent for the fact that his Manipulative Bastard uncle took advantage of him.
Hair-Contrast Duo: Laurent is blond and Damen is brunette, but the personality expectations that go with the trope are reversed. Laurent is cunning, cynical, and unapproachable; Damen is honorable, idealistic, and friendly.
Hates Being Touched: He can deal with some very impersonal contact, but the moment a touch even starts to feel intimate, he aggressively rejects it. This is probably a trauma response stemming from his rape at the hands of the Regent. He slowly becomes more willing to let Damen touch him, but even then, he often tries to control how exactly Damen touches him.
Heroic BSoD: Has one when the Regent publicly exposes his sexual abuse history, then forces him to get on his knees and beg for Damen's life.
Hero with Bad Publicity: The Regent has spent years convincing the public that he's a Royal Brat and an Inadequate Inheritor, even though neither of these things are true.
Hidden Badass: He has a mind for books and politics, and his appearance seemingly matches—he's slimmer than the other soldiers and not as physically intimidating. He soon proves everyone's expectations wrong when he publicly decimates his captain in fair combat, easily side-stepping all of his moves and injuring him enough to knock him out.
Ice King: He acts extremely aloof and harsh towards everybody. He's infamous for showing very little emotion, having no companions whatsoever (whether lover or friend), and being nearly impossible to please. This starts to change when he meets Damen.
Icy Blue Eyes: His eyes are frequently described as beautiful, but incredibly cold.
Improvised Weapon: Prone to using creative methods to attack people when unarmed. Examples include striking Aimeric across the face with a goblet, smashing Govart over the head with a chair, and hitting an Akielon with a rack of lamb in one of the bonus short stories.
Inadequate Inheritor: Subverted. Laurent is initially painted as a spoiled, irresponsible brat, entirely unfit to inherit the throne. But this is just the Regent's narrative, crafted to make it easier for him to steal the throne from its rightful owner.
Inconvenient Attraction: Laurent is not particularly pleased when he develops sexual and romantic inclinations towards an Akielon. Even worse, it's the specific Akielon who killed his brother in battle, and who he has been training to kill for years since. The issue slowly resolves itself as Laurent realizes he would rather have his love than his revenge.
Indifferent Beauty: Laurent knows everyone thinks he's gorgeous, but notably, his looks are one of the few things he doesn't use to manipulate other people.
Insufferable Genius: He's brilliant, but he's also very arrogant and will flatly state his belief that nobody can do what he does. The second part is justified a bit by his Friendless Background and upbringing amidst a Decadent Court, which convinced him that he couldn't trust anybody and could only rely on his own intelligence to survive.
In Vino Veritas: When Laurent is drunk, he becomes markedly more honest and open about his feelings. In the third book, he spends a great deal of time coldly dismissing Damen's affections, only to casually admit while drunk that he misses spending time with Damen.
"It" Is Dehumanizing: He first acknowledges Damen as "an Akielon grovelling on its knees."
It's Personal: Laurent's father and brother died at the hands of Akielons, and as such, Laurent carries very personal hostility against Akielos. He holds a special degree of hatred for the actual man who killed his brother—Prince Damianos. Worth noting that Laurent's father actually died from an attack coordinated by the Regent.
I Work Alone: Because he doesn't trust anyone, he's very insistent on getting everything done by himself. This frustrates Damen, who eventually becomes one of the few people Laurent allows to work by his side.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He seems cold and cruel to people who don't know him well. Those close to him come to realize that he's more caring than he shows. He has a particular soft spot for Nicaise (despite their temperamental relationship) and anyone who has been forced into slavery. (Damen is...a special situation.)
Kinslaying Is a Special Kind of Evil: Despite the Regent intending to usurp him and having raped him in the past, Laurent never sincerely considers killing his uncle until his uncle tries to kill him first, since despite everything, they're still family. It's for that reason he's shocked when his uncle doesn't return the favor and tries to kill him, and even more so when he learns the Regent killed Laurent's father Aleron, his older brother.
Kuudere: An Ice King hiding the part of his personality that truly cares for people and simply wishes to no longer be alone. He alternates between letting Damen in and shutting him out until Kings Rising, when he makes a consistent decision to let Damen in.
Leave Me Alone!: During several emotionally charged situations where he's unable to maintain control, he snaps at Damen to get out. Damen himself notes that Laurent sometimes needs time to cool off on his own, after which his composure and rationality return.
Leg Focus: A Rare Male Example. Damen mentions several times that he has long, attractive legs. To the point where Damen drops a pitcher when he walks in wearing a leg-exposing chiton.
Liquid Courage: Laurent, who's normally The Teetotaler, is drunk the second time he comes face to face with Damen. He admits in the third book that he thought it would be easier to confront Damen if he was drunk, since he knew Damen's identity as his brother's killer all along.
Lonely Rich Kid: A friendless prince whose entire family is dead, save for his abusive uncle.
Love Interest: To Damen, by the second book.
Lust Object: To Damen and seemingly all men. With regards to the former: Damen initially despises Laurent, but he's also intensely physically attracted to him. Laurent graduates to become Damen's Love Interest in Prince's Gambit, as noted above.
Malicious Slander: There's a lot of gossip about him, but the rumor that seems to bother him the most is that he was in love with his brother. It's clear later on that Laurent just deeply admired his brother and saw him as something akin to a hero; thus, having to experience his death left him utterly broken and closed off to others.
Manipulative Bastard: One of his defining traits. He's incredibly smart, and he's very willing to use people's emotions and circumstances against them.
Master of the Mixed Message: After rejecting Damen at the beginning of Kings Rising, he alternates between two moods. The first mood involves acting cold, calculating, and utterly disinterested in Damen's affections. The second mood involves acting teasingly and even sadistically flirtatious, in a way that's seductive but not at all romantic. This is used to show the instability and unhappiness that result from Laurent's denial of his feelings for Damen. Once he finally accepts this and gets together with Damen permanently, the mixed messages stop.
Master Swordsman: In a different way from Damen, whose abilities are based primarily on straightforward training and raw power. Laurent is a strategic fighter who merges his own intelligence with swordplay techniques. He hides his skill, though, which means Damen is very surprised to discover that he can fight.
Minidress of Power: Laurent is a Badass Bookworm and Master Swordsman. The short chiton he wears in the last book could count as a minidress.
Mistaken for Gay: Inverted. In Vere, it's taboo to sleep with someone of the opposite sex before marriage, so everyone just has same-sex relations before that time. After repeatedly hearing that Laurent doesn't sleep with anyone, Damen asks if it's because Laurent is only interested in women, which would prevent him from being able to have socially acceptable sex. We find out later that Laurent is actually only interested in men, and his refusal of intimacy is for a different reason. No wonder he found Damen's assumption amusing.
Moving Beyond Bereavement: Beneath the Mask, he's still in deep mourning over the death of Auguste and has been unable to properly grieve for his older brother due to having to fight for his life in the hostile political environment that is the Veretian Court. Part of his character arc is coming to terms with Auguste's death and moving on from the loss—a problem made all the more difficult due to his love interest being Auguste's killer.
Nephewism: His mother died shortly before the war with Akielos; both his father and brother died during the war. This left him in the care of his uncle, the Regent, when he was thirteen.
Nerves of Steel: You won't catch him panicking, even when things have gotten really, really bad. What he feels internally or occasionally reveals in private moments is a little bit of a different story, though.
Not So Above It All: In Nesson, he lets loose a surprisingly mischievous side and reveals that he does, in fact, have a sense of humor.
Not So Stoic: There are several times throughout the series when something pushes Laurent over the edge, forcing him to openly express his grief or frustration. For example, he fails to control his emotions after Nicaise and Aimeric's deaths, or during his sparring session with Damen in the third book (which he sees as proof that he could never have succeeded in his revenge mission).
Of Course I'm Not a Virgin: This is his reply when Damen asks if the rumors about his ostensible virginity are true, but he won't elaborate. Accepting this, Damen becomes rather confused by Laurent's discomfort with intimacy and inconsistent sexual awareness. Becomes much darker when we find out Laurent isn't a virgin...because his uncle raped him when he was thirteen.
Omniglot: Downplayed. He's fluent in Veretian, all dialects of Vaskian shown in the books, and possibly Patran. He's damn near fluent in Akielon too, requiring only some brief help from Damen to give off this impression. (Though Damen does say he has a cute accent.)
Only Has Same-Sex Admirers: He seems to be a Lust Object for practically every man in existence, but he's never shown attracting a woman. It's possible this is because nearly every character in the trilogy is male (or because it's assumed that he's gay), but this still contrasts heavily with Damen.
O.O.C. Is Serious Business: You know something has absolutely devastated Laurent if his ironclad composure starts slipping. Said slippage has been represented multiple ways:
- When Laurent succumbs to one-on-one physical violence, as shown with Damen and Aimeric.
- When Damen's Brutal Honesty hits a little too close to home, Laurent tends to suddenly fall silent, get very pale, and appear visibly nauseous.
- The clearest example of all is Laurent's Heroic BSoD after the Regent publicly talks about raping him. Rather than displaying any of the above behaviors, the normally prideful and stoic Laurent becomes horribly flushed, frighteningly submissive, and starts speaking in a disturbingly detached, emotionless tone of voice.
Paper-Thin Disguise: He enters an inn with Damen disguised as a pet. While this is a good idea, considering no one would expect the prince of their country to disguise himself as a prostitute, his "disguise" consists of...a single earring. Shockingly, this works. Shortly afterwards, he "disguises" himself again by putting on a hat to hide his blond hair. (This also works.)
Playing the Victim Card: Does this a few times in the first book in an attempt to make Vere's Decadent Court sympathize with him, despite his bad reputation compared to his uncle and his mistreatment of Damen.
Please, Don't Leave Me: Laurent certainly doesn't beg Damen to stay—at the end of Prince's Gambit, his plea is simply a quiet "don't go." This is still a huge deal for Laurent, who generally keeps his emotions in check at all times and often refuses to do anything but work alone.
Powerful People Are Subs: Downplayed, as both he and Damen seem rather switch-like. However: Laurent is a prince with an extremely cold, domineering personality. That being said, he's typically the bottom when he has sex with Damen, and he acts pretty damn submissive when he lets himself go.
Pretty Boy: If there's one thing that's always noted when describing Laurent, it's his looks. His beauty is described as elegant and slightly androgynous. He's an object of widespread (and often unwanted) sexual and romantic desire because of it.
Prince Charmless: Plays this straight in parts of the first book, where his character primarily surrounds the way his superficial charm belies his sadistic, manipulative personality. As the series continues, it becomes increasingly clear that his true nature is not quite this simple.
Properly Paranoid: He behaves as though everyone he meets is trying to exploit or kill him. While he's not always right, as long as he's a victim of his uncle's court, his assumptions remain disconcertingly correct.
The Proud Elite: A coldly intelligent prince who has very little patience for other people. He is like this for a reason, and he's hiding a warmer side.
Psychological Projection: Downplayed. During an argument, he furiously calls out Damen for his "domineering arrogance." While Damen does have some pride and admits to the hubris he possessed prior to the events of the story, Laurent himself is extremely domineering and arrogant.
Rape as Backstory: In the last book, it's revealed that the Regent raped him when he was thirteen—and while he was mourning the deaths of his brother and father. It's one of many reasons why Laurent doesn't trust anyone and holds a special degree of spite for his uncle. It also probably explains why Laurent Hates Being Touched, is The Teetotaler (the Regent may have used alcohol to make the sexual abuse easier), and has very specific boundaries/discomforts regarding sex.
"The Reason You Suck" Speech: Gives an absolutely merciless one to Aimeric after it's revealed that he's a mole. Laurent breaks down Aimeric's claim that his betrayal was for the sake of his family and exposes the truth: that Aimeric was molested by the Regent as a child and, as a result, developed a misguided "love" for the Regent. Laurent then proceeds to berate Aimeric rather cruelly, declaring him naïve and pathetic for thinking the Regent loved him when in reality the Regent only ever used him to satisfy his fetishes and further his agenda. Laurent also mocks him for continuing to believe the Regent's lies, even as an adult. The emotional consequences of this rant are so bad that Aimeric is ultimately Driven to Suicide.
Red Oni, Blue Oni: The austere, controlled, intellectual Blue Oni to Damen's passionate, spontaneous, physically powerful Red Oni.
Refuge in Audacity: What to do when you're hiding from enemy soldiers and your cart gets stuck? Call the soldiers over, enlist their help with the cart, and fast-talk your way into traveling with them for a day, if you're Laurent.
Revenge: Akielon prince Damianos killed his brother, and because of this, he holds absolutely no love for Akielos as a whole. He learns swordplay after Auguste's death in hopes that he will someday be able to kill Damianos. When Damen is gifted to him as a slave, he initially intends to kill him, because he knows Damen is Damianos.
Revenge Myopia: He wants revenge against Damianos for killing his older brother, Auguste. However, Damianos and Auguste were fighting for opposing countries during a war, and their confrontation had nothing to do with bad blood. If Damianos hadn't killed Auguste, then Auguste would have killed him. Of course, this doesn't matter to Laurent, who only sees the situation as the loss of his most beloved family member and the root of his misery.
Royal Brat: Damen expects this of him after observing his mannerisms and facial expressions. However, he soon proves he has a cunning mind and is always thinking ahead of others.
Second Love: Laurent is this for Damen, whose First Love was Jokaste.
Secret Secret-Keeper: Damen is blindsided in Kings Rising when Laurent reveals that he's known Damen's true identity all along.
Sesquipedalian Loquaciousness: Downplayed, as Laurent doesn't always speak this way. However, he's rather eloquent, and there have been quite a few times when he's used an unnecessarily complex turn of phrase. Damen finds it funny and endearing that he also talks this way during sex.
Laurent: Your inclination appears to be much as it was last night.
Damen (charmed): You talk the same in bed.
Laurent: Can you think of a better way of putting it?
Damen: I want you.
Significant Wardrobe Shift: His Consistent Clothing Style (dark colors, tight laces, conceals as much skin as possible) represents his Ice King demeanor. Partway through the third book, he decides to wear a revealing Akielon chiton. While he justifies it by pointing out that he's surrounded by Akielons in similar getups, it still signifies that he has finally accepted his relationship with Damen and is defrosting quite a bit.
Silk Hiding Steel: A Rare Male Example. He is elegant and soft-spoken, and he knows how to charm people into sympathizing with him. That being said, his intelligence and willingness to take advantage of others makes him extremely dangerous. Damen says he, like Jokaste (another example of this trope), possesses a core of steel.
Single Woman Seeks Good Man: Well, Single Man Seeks Good Man. Laurent lives amidst a Decadent Court filled with Manipulative Bastards. It's no wonder that he starts to fall for Damen when he proves himself to be honest, reliable, and a genuinely good person who cares about others. The only real obstacle to their relationship is the fact that Damen is the one who killed his older brother Auguste; when Laurent moves past it, they became a couple for real.
Sir Swears-a-Lot: Downplayed, but in a cast full of people who swear, it's quite possible Laurent is the most unapologetically vulgar of all of them. Damen says he "talks like he was raised on the floor of a brothel."
Sleep Deprivation: It's subtle, but multiple times throughout the series, it's shown that Laurent barely sleeps. Considering people keep trying to kill him, there's probably a good reason. He only seems to sleep through the night in Damen's company.
So Beautiful, It's a Curse: He's known for being extraordinarily beautiful, and that nets him a lot of unwanted attention, especially considering his general status as a Celibate Hero. He regularly fends off aristocratic suitors, even his soldiers want him, and assassination attempts against him are frequently planned with the added component of sexual assault...just, you know, for fun.
The Social Expert: An interesting example. He has a Friendless Background and a reputation for being abrasive, which means that not everyone likes him, and he has pretty much no close companions. However, he's incredibly cunning and perceptive, and if he has an ulterior motive, he can be very charming.
Soft-Spoken Sadist: Goes hand in hand with his Dissonant Serenity. Calling him a sadist might be a bit of a stretch, but he certainly seems like one in the beginning, and in specific scenes it definitely still counts. This is especially apparent in the first book with Damen, and in the second book when he verbally breaks Aimeric.
Someday This Will Come in Handy: Very clever and consistent in employing this. Most of the seemingly casual topics he raises with Damen (Akielon words for military terms, Nikandros of Delpha, etc.) are very intentional, as he will eventually use them for political gain.
Sophisticated as Hell: He's extremely intelligent and refined, with a skill of charming people through pretty words. He is simultaneously known for having an absolutely filthy mouth when he's not trying to be charming.
Sour Outside, Sad Inside: His personality is bitter and abrasive. He's like this because his uncle's machinations left him unable to trust even those closest to him. Secretly, he's incredibly lonely.
Spare to the Throne: Laurent was originally the spare to the Veretian throne, being the younger son of King Aleron. The death of both Aleron and Auguste during the Battle of Marlas immediately thrust him into being the heir; the only reason he wasn't immediately crowned king was because he wasn't of age at the time of their deaths.
Spoiled Brat: He definitely comes off this way at first, ostensibly taking advantage of his uncle's kindness so he can get away with cruel, reckless behavior. However, it's soon revealed that he's just trying to survive his Manipulative Bastard uncle and the corresponding Decadent Court. In reality, he's quite intelligent and hard-working, and doesn't mind occasionally have to get his hands dirty if need be.
The Stoic: Tries to remain composed at all times and rarely displays open emotion. This gradually changes as Damen defrosts him.
Stronger Than They Look: He looks and acts like he doesn't know how to fight, but he's actually quite the skilled swordsman. The trope is zig-zagged a bit, since his abilities mostly revolve around his intelligence rather than his physical strength. But Damen does say that when outside of his elegant clothing, it's noticeable that he has the upper body musculature of a swordsman.
Successful Sibling Syndrome: Laurent is a bit stuck in the shadow of his late older brother, who he looked up to and whose reputation lauded him as damn near perfect. In contrast to the strong, brave, kind-hearted Auguste, Laurent possesses no natural battle prowess, handles all conflict through mind games, and is capable of being rather unethical. The Regent in particular loves to point out how Laurent is a failure compared to his brother.
Sugar-and-Ice Personality: He's very cold and unapproachable, but as he warms up to Damen, he starts revealing another part of his personality that's surprisingly sweet and doting. He does only show this part of him to Damen, though.
Sugary Malice: In the first book, he often delivers threats and patronizing comments to Damen while using a sweet and falsely innocent tone of voice.
The Tease: A somewhat complicated and possibly downplayed version of this. Laurent is infamous for his apparent lack of interest in romance and sex. However, as he develops an interest in Damen, he starts taking advantage of the obvious effect he has on him. Laurent usually has some rational excuse for his behavior, but by Kings Rising, it's pretty obvious at least some of his teasing is very intentional.
Teen Genius: Nicaise is a cunning, intelligent fourteen-year-old; Jord claims that Laurent was ten times smarter than him at around the same age.
The Teetotaler: During his second meeting with Damen, he's drunk, but we later find out that he doesn't drink. This indicates that coming face to face with his brother's killer affected him far more than he showed.
Terms of Endangerment: Does this occasionally throughout the first book, calling Damen (who he despises) things like "sweetheart" and "little pet."
That's an Order!: After a surprising moment of intimacy between himself and Laurent, Damen awkwardly tries to leave, using armor/weapon repairs as his excuse. Laurent stops him and insists he rest; when he replies that he's fine, Laurent says it's an order.
They Call Me MISTER Tibbs!: Damen has a tendency to drop the proper deference for Laurent's rank when they're alone. After a rather long time of letting it slide, Laurent eventually points out that he never gave Damen permission to call him by his name, prompting Damen to start saying "Your Highness" in private as well. This is short-lived, however—Laurent soon changes his mind and gives Damen explicit permission to call him by his given name.
Too Clever by Half: His uncle is a social expert and chessmaster of the highest order. Yet he's so confident in his intellect that he believes he can outplay the Regent on his own—while navigating several disadvantages. At the end of the first book, he decides to involve Damen in his struggle for the throne, and it becomes increasingly clear that he could never have actually defeated his uncle without Damen's help.
Took a Level in Badass: He readily admits that fighting doesn't come naturally to him—when he was a child, he was bookish and introverted. But after his brother died, he threw himself into swordsmanship and, through the sheer force of his will, became extremely skilled.
Took a Level in Cheerfulness: He's a cold, uncompromising Broken Bird in the beginning. While he's never exactly "cheerful," the second half of the third book shows him becoming quite soft and loving around Damen.
Took a Level in Idealism: Downplayed, as he started off so cynical that even by the end of the series, he can't be called an idealist at all. However, he has learned that it's at least possible for happiness to exist in his life and for hope to prevail.
Tragic Bigot: He starts off the trilogy hating Akielons, seeing them as unintelligent, immoral barbarians. His country is prejudiced against Akielos in general, but Laurent also lost his father and brother to a war against Akielos, which solidified his own prejudice. Eventually, falling in love with Damen and allying himself with Akielos forces Laurent to realize the error of his ways.
Tranquil Fury: His specialty is calmly eviscerating others with words.
Troubled, but Cute: Maybe not cute, per se, but definitely attractive. He's isolated, unhappy, and viciously manipulative; however, he's an object of sexual (and occasionally romantic) desire for a lot of people.
Underestimating Badassery: He looks and acts like a spoiled Pretty Boy, and he hides the fact that he's a Master Swordsman. For these reasons, people do not expect him to be a formidable opponent. They always learn the hard way that they're wrong.
The Unfavorite: Laurent did not have a tumultuous relationship with his father, but his older brother was the favorite. This was supposedly because his father understood his brother's skill on the battlefield more than Laurent's intellectualism.
The Unfettered: There are very few lines he will refuse to cross in order to defeat his uncle. However, he does have more of a moral compass than it seems, with Damen eventually functioning as his Morality Chain. Furthermore, it's implied that he will be more ethical following the end of the trilogy, since ruthless pragmatism is no longer necessary for him to survive.
Unwanted Harem: It seems like every man in the world wants him, but he is famously unattainable and does not return anyone's affections...unless they're Damen.
Used to Be a Sweet Kid: He was always intelligent and introverted, loving puzzles and lacking many friends even as a child. But it's implied that he was much more open and happy when he was younger.
Virtue Is Weakness: A rather complex example. Being forced to navigate his uncle's Decadent Court from a young age taught him that traits such as honesty, loyalty, and kindness would only get him killed. Thus, in adulthood, he is a Manipulative Bastard Broken Bird. However, it's revealed later that his natural instincts actually tend towards virtue, and there are certain lines he either won't cross or will powerfully resent crossing. Furthermore, he judges (and is confused by) Damen's Honor Before Reason demeanor, but it's also a major reason why Damen is the person with whom he falls in love.
Warrior Prince: He seems to fight his battles through his intellect. However, it's revealed that he's actually excellent at swordsmanship, since he started training relentlessly after Auguste's death in pursuit of revenge.
Weak, but Skilled: He is not as strong as many other characters in the series. However, his cunning mind allows him to use tactics that can defeat much more physically powerful opponents.
What Beautiful Eyes!: His Icy Blue Eyes are noted to be striking and beautiful.
When He Smiles: In the first book, his smiles only ever reflect arrogance, sadism, or a false display of kindness/sympathy. When he starts smiling genuinely, Damen is quite taken by it.
Worthy Opponent: Even though Damen has the upperhand for most of their spar in the third book, he can't help but admire Laurent's skillful swordsmanship and openly acknowledges him as a capable fighter.
Xanatos Speed Chess: While he prefers for things to simply go according to plan, he's definitely capable of adapting. Unfortunately, this ability is one he shares with (and possibly learned from) his uncle.
Youngest Child Wins: Zig-zagged. Auguste's life seemed better than Laurent's in many ways: he was their father's favorite, he was beloved by his people, and it's implied he had a significantly easier time socially than his younger counterpart. However, Auguste is a Posthumous Character, and the trilogy ultimately ends with Laurent turning his unhappy, isolated life around to find happiness with the man he loves.

Vere

The Regent

Prince Laurent's uncle and only living relative, serving as the ruler of Vere until Laurent comes of age at twenty-one.

Ambiguous Situation: The full extent of his machinations are never revealed, only inferred. His assassination of Aleron indicates that his plan to usurp the Veretian throne reaches back several years, likely even before Vere's war with Akielos, but the particulars beyond that are unclear. Whether he had a hand in orchestrating the war, or played a part in Auguste's death (the event that played the biggest part in his rise to power) is never touched upon in the series.
Ambition Is Evil: He will do anything, no matter how unethical, in order to become king of Vere and Akielos. This includes murdering his own family, from his nephew Laurent to his older brother Aleron.
Aristocrats Are Evil: A second son from Vere's royal family, and certainly not a good man.
Batman Gambit: In the Kingsmeet, violence is forbidden. During his confrontation with Damen and Laurent in this location, the Regent reveals that he raped Laurent soon after his brother's death, knowing this will make Damen attack him in a blind rage and the only way to save Damen's life will be for Laurent to bend to his will.
Beard of Evil: What is there to say? He's bearded, and he's the Big Bad.
Big Bad: It doesn't seem like it at first, but he's a dangerous chessmaster who has no regard for ethics and whose hunger for power extends beyond even his own country. He also arranged (or helped arrange) pretty much every bad thing that happened in the story.
Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: He presents himself as a reasonable leader who is constantly subjected to the selfish antics of his spoiled, uncontrollable nephew. In reality, he's cruel, manipulative, power-hungry, and a pedophile.
Blaming the Victim: A somewhat subtle example from when he admits that he raped Laurent: "I probably should have turned him away, but who can resist when a boy with a face like that asks you to stay with him?"
Brainy Brunette: He has dark brown hair, and his role in the series is that of an extremely dangerous master manipulator.
Cain and Abel: The third book reveals he murdered his own brother as part of his plot to eventually claim the Veretian throne.
The Chessmaster: He is by far the best long-term planner and manipulator in the story. Not even Laurent can hold a candle to him, at least not on his own. This is made all too clear when it's revealed his plans to usurp the Veretian and Akielon thrones extends back to at least the Battle of Marlas, when he deliberately arranged to have his brother assassinated by giving Aleron faulty tactical advice, putting him in position to be killed by an archer the Regent had paid off once he was vulnerable.
Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: He has no true loyalty towards anyone but himself. He will manipulate anybody into playing the role he wants, then betray them the moment they pose a threat to his plans.
Consummate Liar: He's got a great deal of the public convinced that he's an honest, rational man. This is not true.
Creepy Uncle: Not apparent at first, but he raped his thirteen-year-old nephew Laurent while he was grieving his brother's death, so he absolutely counts.
Dirty Old Man: A more despicable example than most. He's a middle-aged man who sleeps exclusively with prepubescent boys, and in the past, he raped his child nephew.
Disappointed in You: 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 all an act, and he's exaggerating or fabricating most of Laurent's alleged flaws. He does this in order to tarnish Laurent's public image while elevating his own, since he intends to become The Usurper.
The Dreaded: Everyone who knows his true capabilities is terrified of him. A great deal of time is spent in the series simply fearing what he's planning and what he could do—before he has actually appeared or made another move.
Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": He is only ever referred to using his title.
Evil All Along: In the beginning, Damen believes the Regent is a reasonable ruler who's significantly more ethical than his nephew. One of the earliest reveals in the series is that the Regent is actually a Villain with Good Publicity.
Evil Regent: Believe it or not. He assassinated his brother and is currently trying to get rid of his nephew so that he can be king.
Evil Uncle: Laurent's uncle is not a good person. He is (or is trying to be) The Usurper, he keeps causing the deaths of his family members, he's a pedophile...the list goes on.
Faux Affably Evil: He's mild-mannered and polite, even when he's talking about killing his fourteen-year-old escort or raping Laurent.
Hate Sink: He has absolutely zero redeeming traits, being an unrepentant sadist with Chronic Backstabbing Disorder. Even Kastor has a small Freudian Excuse.
The Hedonist: He hides it, but he'll go to horrific measures for his own personal pleasure. It's no coincidence that the entertainment in his court is based on violence and nonconsensual sex. He wants power over two countries and sex with prepubescent boys, and...well, that seems to be it. But he will kill anyone, including children and family, if they get in the way of these two things.
Hypocrite: In the first book, the Regent remarks that perhaps Laurent's inadequacy as a leader stems from his birth as a second son. Privately, Damen notes that the Regent himself was also born a second son.
Immaturity Insult: This is his go-to when it comes to Laurent. Nearly every time there's a confrontation between the two of them, the Regent has something to say about how Laurent is a childish Inadequate Inheritor. Of course, this is all a part of his emotional abuse of Laurent and determination to ruin Laurent's reputation.
Karma Houdini Warranty: Nobody knows that he had his brother (the former king) assassinated, and nobody knows that he sexually abused his nephew. Nobody in the depraved Decadent Court he's created seems to care that all his escorts are prepubescent boys. And speaking of the Decadent Court...nobody is objecting to the "performances" he enjoys, which include things like violent display fights and simulated rape. Eventually, though—after a long while of getting away with everything—his despicable deeds are exposed to his country, and he is publicly executed.
Kinslaying Is a Special Kind of Evil: The Council ultimately turns against him because he killed his brother, who was the former king of Vere. They remain loyal to him prior to this revelation, even in light of his other heinous actions.
Lack of Empathy: He shows not an ounce of genuine concern for anyone other than himself. He doesn't care who gets hurt in his pursuit of his desires. He doesn't even express guilt over having his brother killed or raping his nephew.
Manipulative Bastard: He subjects everyone to his mind games. Victims include Laurent, the Veretian court, and the Akielon royal family.
Non-Action Big Bad: In practice, at least. Throughout the trilogy, not once does the Regent engage in a physical confrontation—all conflicts with him are through mind games. Since he's a member of the Veretian Royal Family, it can be assumed he was trained in combat at some point, but it isn't his strength nor is it a focus of his character.
No Sense of Personal Space: He has a tendency to caress Laurent's face, and oddly enough, he usually does this right after subjecting Laurent to some sort of public humiliation. Considering Laurent Hates Being Touched and was raped by the Regent when he was younger, it's probably a method of keeping Laurent in check by intentionally triggering a Trauma Button.
Off with His Head!: At the end of Laurent's trial, he is charged with treason and executed by way of decapitation.
Playing the Victim Card: He earns people's support by convincing them that he's a reasonable, efficient leader who just so happens to be stuck with an irresponsible Royal Brat for a nephew. It's not until it's revealed he assassinated Aleron that everyone finally sees him for what he really is.
Politically Incorrect Villain: It's not obvious, but Laurent mentions that his uncle does not like women, and he resents that he must rely on the female courtier Vannes to maintain foreign relations with Vask.
Rape Is a Special Kind of Evil: He's a horrible man in general, but his sexual relationships with underage boys (and especially his rape of thirteen-year-old Laurent) are supposed to hammer home how truly despicable he is.
Regent for Life: He's only supposed to rule until Laurent turns twenty-one, but he has no intention of actually giving up his power. Knowing that he can only extend the regency for so long, he attempts to have Laurent killed multiple times throughout the trilogy; as Laurent has no biological children, the Regent is his heir presumptive as the younger brother of Laurent's father, King Aleron, and stands to become King should Laurent die before he can claim the throne.
Sadist: He seems to enjoy watching as his plans destroy people's lives. A particularly abhorrent example is his habit of guiltlessly taking advantage of young boys, convincing them he's in love with them, and then completely abandoning them.
Sibling Murder: Indirectly. He offered a better future to an archer in exchange for the assassination of his brother, King Aleron. (He did not give the archer a better future.)
The Social Expert: Arguably an even better one than his equally manipulative nephew, since he has the ability to appear reasonable at all times. All of his plans work because of the way he understands people—figuring out what they want, predicting what they will do, and controlling how he's perceived by the public.
The Sociopath: A charming Consummate Liar who cares not at all about how his actions hurt others, and sometimes even appears to find their pain amusing. He lives with only the intention of satisfying his own desires and fixations, whether that means becoming The Usurper or creating a Decadent Court that accepts violence, rape, and pedophilia as forms of entertainment.
Soft-Spoken Sadist: He never raises his voice, making sure to appear calm and diplomatic at all times. But he has an utter Lack of Empathy towards anyone else and often seems to derive pleasure from making others suffer.
The Unfettered: He wants to rule Vere and Akielos. He doesn't care about anybody other than himself, so he will hurt anybody, using any method, in order to achieve this goal. His concerns are efficiency and probability of success—never ethics.
The Usurper: He's trying his best to kill Laurent, who is the only obstacle between himself and the Veretian throne. It's later revealed that he also assassinated his brother, the former king, prior to the events of the story.
Villain with Good Publicity: He definitely counts, especially in comparison to his cold, difficult nephew. He has used his influence to frame himself as a just ruler and Laurent as a spoiled, selfish brat, in order to isolate Laurent in court and cement his own power.
Villainous Incest: He's the Big Bad of the story, and he raped his nephew.
Would Hurt a Child: He's a pedophile, and he has no qualms about using children as leverage or killing them if they get in the way of his plans.
Xanatos Speed Chess: He tends to find a way for his undertakings to achieve some level of success, regardless of whether his initial plans were thwarted.

Auguste

Laurent's older brother and the former crown prince of Vere. Killed by Damen in single combat during the Battle of Marlas six years prior to the events of the trilogy.

The Ace: A Living Legend during his lifetime, he was an insurmountable fighter and leader who inspired both incredible love and loyalty from his people. His death devastated Vere, and Laurent lives in his shadow.
Always Someone Better: Auguste was a near-peerless swordsman and the greatest warrior in Vere. That didn't stop Damen from killing him.
Ambiguous Situation: It's never made clear whether or not the Regent had a direct hand in his death. Aleron's assassination proves the Regent had designs on the throne since at least the Battle of Marlas, and he is responsible for the terrible battle strategy that caused Auguste's demise, but whether or not he somehow engineered Auguste's fatal duel with Damen or had something else in place to kill his nephew only for Damen to get to him first is left unclear. The only thing that is certain is that Auguste's death was pivotal for his plans, as it allowed him to claim power as Laurent's regent, whereas if Auguste had survived Marlas, the Regent's influence would've been greatly diminished as his oldest nephew was old enough to be king in his own right by that point^note.
Big Brother Instinct: He was utterly devoted to Laurent, and would've done anything to protect him. It was only after his death that Laurent became truly vulnerable to the Regent's advances.
Cool Big Bro: What he seems to have been for Laurent. He was an extraordinary fighter, an exceptional leader, and an honorable, good-hearted person. He was also deeply dedicated to his younger brother.
Death by Origin Story: He died years before the beginning of the trilogy. His death set in stone Laurent's feelings towards Akielos and mission of revenge against Prince Damianos.
A Father to His Men: It's mentioned several times that while Laurent controls his soldiers through fear, Auguste controlled his soldiers through charisma and love.
Good Cannot Comprehend Evil: Laurent describes Auguste as a person who was not naturally deceptive and, as such, could not understand when or why others were taking advantage of him.
Honor Before Reason: According to Laurent, he was very similar to Damen: honorable and with little aptitude for deception.
Living Emotional Crutch: Auguste was everything to Laurent, and losing his older brother destroyed him. The only reason Laurent has been able to keep going since then is his duty as Vere's next king and a burning desire to avenge Auguste's death by killing Damen. Ironically, it isn't until Damen comes into his life and becomes his new Living Emotional Crutch that Laurent is finally able to start healing from Auguste's death.
Master Swordsman: Auguste was the greatest swordsman in Vere, and killing him in single combat is regarded as one of Damen's greatest feats. He is notably the only swordsman mentioned to have ever given Damen difficulty in a one-on-one fight.
"Not So Different" Remark: Laurent states that despite growing up in another kingdom with a vastly different culture, Auguste was very similar to Damen—an honorable Warrior Prince who had very little aptitude for deception and was a devoted brother. He is convinced that in a different, kinder world, they would've grown to be close friends.
Parental Favoritism: On top of being beloved throughout the kingdom, Auguste was the favorite child of his and Laurent's father. This is because Aleron had a better time understanding Auguste's martial prowess over Laurent's intellectual interests. When Auguste died, Aleron was so devastated that he foolishly removed his helm while still in the midst of a pitched battle, leaving him vulnerable to the arrow that killed him.
Plot-Triggering Death: His death triggers the events of the trilogy, as it put Laurent in direct line for the throne and pushed the Regent into power, along with cementing Laurent's hatred of Akielos and Damen in particular. Even as Damen and Laurent get to know each other and become closer, Auguste's ghost proves to be the biggest obstacle to their growing romance—Damen feels guilt over having killed Laurent's brother and causing him so much pain, while Laurent is conflicted over having fallen in love with his brother's killer, as it is in some ways a betrayal of his memory.
Posthumous Character: Auguste died several years before the beginning of the trilogy, but he is mentioned frequently by various characters, and one of the main characters is his younger brother.
Practically Different Generations: There is a twelve-year age difference between himself and his younger brother. That's presumably one of the reasons why he was the favorite—it's much easier for a king to get along with a son who can help you rule than one who is a child and still growing up.
Present Absence: Despite being long dead by the time the books start, he remains a lingering specter throughout its events. Damen is still reviled throughout Vere for killing Auguste during the Battle of Marlas, forcing him to keep his identity a secret from his Veretian allies during the first two books. Laurent, in addition to constantly living in Auguste's shadow, still loves and adores his older brother, and one of his main motivations prior to falling in love with Damen is to avenge his brother's death. In addition, it's openly acknowledged that everyone's lives would've been much easier had Auguste lived; at the very least, the Regent would've had a harder time accruing power and conducting his plans with both Auguste and Laurent standing in his way to the throne.
Prince Charming: By all accounts the ideal prince: kind, righteous, intelligent, and strong. All of Vere revered him, and heavily mourned his death.
Universally Beloved Leader: He was beloved by pretty much everybody in Vere, viewed as a golden emblem of national pride.
Worthy Opponent: The scar on Damen's shoulder is his handiwork, and Damen still has nothing but respect for his abilities years after his death.

Aleron

Laurent and Auguste's father, and the former king of Vere. Killed during the Battle of Marlas by a stray arrow.

Cain and Abel: He is the Abel to his brother's Cain, having been murdered by the Regent as part of the latter's plans to usurp the Veretian throne.
Doting Parent: King Aleron doted on Auguste, although he didn't pay much attention to Laurent.
Jock Dad, Nerd Son: Aleron was a warrior king who preferred the battlefield, while his youngest son Laurent is more of the intellectual variety. Ironically, it was only after Aleron's death that Laurent started focusing on martial pursuits.
Outliving One's Offspring: Aleron outlives his eldest son, Prince Auguste...for a very short period of time.
Parental Favoritism: Downplayed. It's stated that while Aleron did not hate Laurent, the two weren't very close due to Laurent's young age and intellectual pursuits. Aleron, who understood and prized martial skill, was more affectionate with the warrior Auguste than he was with his scholarly younger son.
Parents as People: He could be neglectful of Laurent, mainly because the two didn't share any interests. On Laurent's end, while he doesn't seem to hold any ill will toward his father for his neglect, he doesn't seem to particularly care about him either, at least compared to Auguste.
Plot-Triggering Death: Both his and Auguste's deaths are responsible for the events of the series, as they allowed the Regent to claim power. His death gets less focus, however, as Laurent was much closer to his brother than he was his father.
Small Role, Big Impact: Initially, his death seems less important than Auguste's due to how much closer Laurent was to his brother and because of the role Damen played in Auguste's death. Then, in the penultimate chapter of the last book, it's revealed that Aleron was assassinated by his brother the Regent during the Battle of Marlas, proving the Regent's treason beyond all doubt and ensuring his downfall.
A Tragedy of Impulsiveness: The news of Auguste's death blinded Aleron with grief, and he pulled off his helm in the midst of battle. As a result, he was shot in the throat with an arrow, and control of his country passed to his Manipulative Bastard brother. It's possible this was partially suicidal in addition to impulsive, as Paschal theorizes that Aleron felt he "had no reason left to be careful" (although one would think his other son should count as a reason).

Nicaise

A very young and clever pet whose master is an important member of the Veretian court.

Age Insecurity: Nicaise is insecure about being...fourteen. So he lies that he's still thirteen. Disturbingly, this insecurity exists because the Regent (his master) only likes prepubescent boys, and he's terrified that he's inevitably approaching the age range that will see him abandoned.
Beneath the Mask: At first glance, it seems like he hates Laurent and naïvely believes the Regent to be a good man. However, he is more loyal to Laurent than the Regent deep down, which sadly gets him killed. Laurent says that while the Regent brought out the worst in him, he still possessed some good instincts.
Brainy Brunette: He has curly brown hair and is unusually guileful for his age.
Bratty Half-Pint: He's only fourteen, but he's a bit of a Chessmaster. He also acts like he's better than everyone and delights in causing problems for others. Unfortunately justified, as he's been a High-Class Call Boy since he was eleven or so. His childhood has operated under the influence of a Decadent Court and his sociopathic, pedophilic master.
The Chessmaster: He's quite cunning, especially for his age. If he's not already a chessmaster, then he's certainly one in the making. He's an interesting contrast to Jokaste and Laurent, because unlike the two of them, he probably wouldn't also be considered a Manipulative Bastard—he's fairly good at manipulating events but is not as skilled at manipulating emotions.
Conflicting Loyalties: He's devoted to the Regent, partially because the Regent pays for his livelihood, and partially out of the (false) impression that the Regent loves him. Unfortunately, he also cares quite a bit about Laurent. This causes a major problem when he realizes the Regent plans to kill Laurent. In the end, he begs for Laurent's life, and the Regent kills him for it.
Decapitation Presentation: The Regent has Nicaise's head delivered to Laurent as a threat, claiming he was Rewarded as a Traitor Deserves. Laurent snarks that murdering a helpless child isn't much of a show of force, but he's privately extremely distraught by the boy's death.
Enfant Terrible: Downplayed. He's a small fourteen-year-old with Innocent Blue Eyes and a very youthful face. That being said, he's a resentful, manipulative Bratty Half-Pint who's capable of some pretty bad things. It's hard to blame him when you consider his career and his master, though.
The Gadfly: Like Laurent, he takes pleasure in provoking other people.
Guyliner: He often wears paint on his face (which is this setting's equivalent to wearing makeup). Damen once notes while they're at court that Nicaise's eyes are "fringed like a whore's, or a doe's."
He Knows Too Much: He ends up finding the written confession of Paschal's brother, who assassinated King Aleron at the Regent's request. This, in combination with his loyalty to Laurent, is enough for the Regent to have him killed.
High-Class Call Girl: A Rare Male Example, as he's a pet, which is essentially an escort with high-class clients. He's quite well-known in this industry, because his master is the Regent. A point is made out of the fact that he is very young to be a pet...
Innocent Blue Eyes: He has huge blue eyes that accentuate his youth and contrast with Laurent's Icy Blue Eyes.
Killed Offscreen: We don't see the Regent kill Nicaise. We find out Nicaise is dead when the Regent sends his severed head to Laurent.
Off with His Head!: The Regent kills Nicaise and has the boy's head delivered to Laurent as a message.
Older Than They Look: He looks slightly younger than his actual age. When Damen first meets him, he internally comments that the boy is fourteen at most but looks more like he's twelve.
Sir Swears-a-Lot: He has a bit of a filthy mouth, which is a little shocking due to how visibly young he is. He usually doesn't get as explicit as Laurent, but it's still noticeable, especially when he's trying to work somebody up.
Spanner in the Works: While Nicaise doesn't get to live long enough to see it, he ultimately proves to be the undoing of the Regent, through stealing the letter proving that his master had King Aleron assassinated from Govart and giving it to Paschal for safekeeping. This allows Paschal to produce the document during Laurent's "trial" in the penultimate chapter of the last book which, combined with Paschal's testimony as the assassin's brother, is enough to turn things around on the Regent and charge him with treason, for which he is promptly executed.
Too Clever by Half: He's rather intelligent, but he's still a young boy navigating a Decadent Court full of Manipulative Bastards. It was a little too bold of him to assume that he could outplay Laurent—instead, Laurent ends up predicting his exact actions and incorporating them into his own machinations.
Troubling Unchildlike Behavior: He is a fourteen-year-old working as a pet (high-class escort). To make matters worse, he's been a pet since he was eleven, or possibly younger. Aside from his career, he can also be cruel and manipulative in a way that does not befit his age, and he's very sexually explicit when he speaks.
Used to Be a Sweet Kid: A bit of an odd example, considering he's still a kid, but Laurent implies that he used to be less bitter and manipulative prior to the Regent's influence corrupting him.

Aimeric

The fourth son of Councillor Guion, sent to serve Prince Laurent as a soldier during the journey to the border of Vere.

Aggressive Submissive: He has a rather combative personality, but Damen observes him becoming "attractively pliant" during physical intimacy with his partner Jord. Damen internally notes that his antagonistic instincts must not follow him into the bedroom.
Attention Whore: He Desperately Craves Affection, but when he feels that affection is off the table, he will also actively seek out negative attention. This is why he's constantly provoking people.
The Baby of the Bunch: Aimeric is the youngest of Councillor Guion's four sons, as well as one of the youngest soldiers in Laurent's faction. This makes him hard-working, but also immensely frustrated in his desperation for attention and approval. It's implied that his family doesn't pay much attention to him, and the other soldiers look down on him due to his youthfulness and sheltered background. (In reality, Aimeric is less than a year younger than Laurent, but pretty much everyone forgets this because Aimeric seems so much more immature and restless.)
Becoming the Mask: He starts out as a mole infiltrating Laurent's camp for the Regent. While he initially gets together with Jord as a Honey Trap, it's heavily implied that his affections eventually become sincere.
Broken Tears: He breaks down crying after Laurent gives him a brutal "The Reason You Suck" Speech. Shortly afterwards, he commits suicide.
Conflicting Loyalties: He starts out completely loyal to the Regent, joining Laurent's group of soldiers only as The Mole. However, it's heavily implied that over time, he developed genuine feelings of camaraderie towards them. It's suggested that this may be why he kills himself once he's revealed as a traitor—he has finally reached the point where he needs to definitively pick a side.
Dark and Troubled Past: When he was a child, his father gave the Regent permission to sexually abuse him in exchange for a higher position in court.
Dehumanizing Insult: Calls Damen a dog near the beginning of the second book.
Desperately Craves Affection: He's generally either ignored or looked down upon due to his status as The Baby of the Bunch. As such, he really wants to be noticed and loved. This is one of the reasons why he still clings to the affection that the Regent gave him when he was a child.
Driven to Suicide: After he's captured and exposed as a traitor, he kills himself.
Establishing Character Moment: During his first appearance, Damen overhears him picking a fight with a more experienced soldier. His refined voice makes Damen mistake him for a courtier.
Evil All Along: He acts as a member of Laurent's faction for much of the second book, but he turns out to be The Mole.
Freudian Excuse: He's an ignored member of his family who yearns for love. Unfortunately, when the Regent raped him as a child, he came to process this as the love he always craved. While twisted, this is why he is loyal to the Regent in the present day.
The Friend Nobody Likes: In the beginning of Prince's Gambit, he joins Laurent's cause as a soldier. He is immediately victimized by both the Regent's men and Laurent's men, due to his combative nature and the fact that he's highborn. Jord is the only person who likes him until, eventually, the general dislike aimed towards him dies down. Unfortunately, the old contempt returns with a vengeance when it's revealed that Aimeric is The Mole (and a Love-Interest Traitor to Jord).
Hair-Trigger Temper: He is very easy to provoke into a physical or verbal fight. Damen thinks it's a part of his nature to be hostile and rebellious.
Honey Trap: It's heavily implied that the Regent told him to fulfill this role, which is why he tries to devote romantic attention to Laurent and, when that fails, starts a romantic/sexual relationship with Laurent's captain Jord.
Hypocrite: In an attempt to drive home the idea that Laurent is morally bankrupt and disloyal to his country, Aimeric disgustedly says that Laurent is willing to sleep with Akielons, who are supposed to be the enemy. Laurent retaliates by pointing out that Aimeric was willing to sleep with Jord, so he too slept with the enemy. (Laurent also points out that while his sexual relationship with Damen is a rumor, everyone knows for a fact that Aimeric actually had sex with Jord.)
Ignored Enamored Underling: He is one of the soldiers fighting for Laurent, who is his prince. He spends a lot of time picking fights with anyone who dishonors Laurent's name and staring at Laurent with admiration, but Laurent himself is completely disinterested. He eventually shifts his attentions to fellow soldier Jord, who returns his feelings. Later, it's revealed that his puppy love for Laurent was an act—he was a mole for the Regent all along, and he was encouraged to behave as a Honey Trap.
I Just Want to Be Loved: Damen believes this is the root of all of Aimeric's behavior—from his intense work ethic, to his antagonism, to his tragic and misplaced devotion to the Regent.
A fourth son, thought Damen, waiting for someone to notice him. When he wasn’t trying to please, he was baiting authority, as though negative attention could substitute for the approval that he sought—that he had been given, once, by Laurent’s uncle.
Like Father, Unlike Son: He and his father are both willing to lie and betray for the sake of the Regent, but that's pretty much the only similarity between them. When it comes down to it, Guion is driven entirely by selfish political ambitions, placing this over his family's safety/happiness and feeling no remorse for his underhanded actions. Aimeric is driven by desperation for love from both his family and the Regent, but in the end, he commits suicide because he can't live with his betrayal of his friends.
Love-Interest Traitor: Jord pursues a romantic relationship with Aimeric, who unfortunately turns out to be The Mole. It's suggested Aimeric was a Honey Trap as well, but his suicide note suggests his feelings for Jord may have been genuine.
The Mole: He fights for Prince Laurent throughout much of the second book before revealing he's actually allied with the Regent.
Politically Incorrect Villain: He has the trademark Veretian hatred for Akielos, calling Damen a "turncoat Akielon dog." (He uses Laurent's supposed willingness to sleep with Akielons as a reason why he could never have genuinely served under him).
Powerful People Are Subs: He's an aristocrat, and his partner is a commoner. When they have sex, he's the one who becomes passive and accommodating.
Pretty Boy: He's described as an attractive young man with a delicate, aristocratic face.
Rape as Backstory: The Regent molested him when he was a child, and depressingly, he considers this the greatest display of approval and affection he ever received. Which is why he ultimately acts as The Mole for the Regent and betrays Laurent.
Romantic Fake–Real Turn: Jord, The Captain of Laurent's men, develops a relationship with the aristocratic soldier Aimeric. It turns out that Aimeric is a Honey Trap and a mole...but his later behavior and deeply regretful suicide note imply that he ended up with genuine feelings for Jord.
Sex for Solace: He freaks out a bit after killing Orlant and begs Jord to distract him this way.
Sheltered Aristocrat: He's a nineteen-year-old nobleman whose social status is considered significant even by other individuals of noble birth. He's spent most of his life in his home region, alongside his family and other high-class individuals. As such, he's in for a bit of a shock when he's sent to fight for Laurent alongside a rabble of boorish commoners. His sheltered nature is the main reason why he becomes an immediate target to the other men, although he does get better over time.
Sour Outside, Sad Inside: He can be pretty obnoxious, and he definitely has a bit of a Hair-Trigger Temper. It's all covering up the painful degree to which he longs for love and attention.
Thicker Than Water: He joins Laurent's faction as a soldier, only for it to eventually be revealed that he's a mole for the Regent. He declares that he betrayed his friends because he is loyal to his family and would do anything for them. Darkly subverted when we find out he also did it for the Regent himself (out of misguided "love"), and he ends up committing suicide because he can't live with what he did.
Uptown Guy: He's a high-ranking aristocrat, and Jord, a commoner and soldier from the Prince's Guard, develops an interest in him. The interest ends up being mutual, and despite Jord's initial reservations over pursuing someone supposedly far above him, the two of them start a relationship. Things come crashing down when everyone finds out Aimeric is The Mole.
The Unfavorite: It's implied that his parents (especially his father) don't really pay attention to him, since they have four sons and he's the youngest.
"Well Done, Son" Guy: Multiple characters comment that his actions are driven by the desire for his father to notice him.

Akielos

Theomedes

The previous king of Akielos, and the father of Damen and Kastor. His death at the beginning of the first book serves as the trigger for Kastor's coup, leading to Damen's enslavement in Vere.

Abusive Parents: Not intentionally, if Damen is to be believed, but he was on some level emotionally abusive to Kastor. Even if it was the law or tradition, stripping the position of heir from Kastor after he had been raised as a future king for the first nine years of his life was a thoughtless and cruel thing to do. Combine that with alleged Parental Favoritism, and it's not really surprising Kastor turned out the way he did.
Arranged Marriage: His marriage to Queen Egeria, Damen's mother, was politically motivated. While the two were amiable with each other, they were not in love, with Theomedes having a mistress on the side that he did love: Hypermenestra, Kastor's mother.
The Conqueror: His main goal as king was to emulate his forefathers and reclaim Delpha, which was taken from Akielos by Vere a century prior. The moment Vere was left vulnerable by the loss of their alliance with Kempt, he pounced and claimed Delpha, with Auguste and seemingly Aleron as the casualties.
Did Not Die That Way: Damen spends the first two books under the impression that his father died after a long illness. At the end of the second book, Laurent reveals to him that Theomedes was actually poisoned by Kastor.
Fantastic Racism: He hated Veretians. He wouldn't have approved of Kastor conspiring with the Regent (even ignoring the fact that their plans involved murdering him), and he definitely wouldn't have approved of Damen falling in love with Laurent.
A Father to His Men: Damen says that the Akielon soldiers were very attached to his father when he was alive.
The Good King: Zigzagged. Certainly, to martially-inclined Akielos, he was the ideal king, with the reclamation of Delpha being considered his greatest victory. However, when Damen visits Delpha for himself in the second book and sees the damage the war has caused to the region and how much its citizens resent Akielos' presence, he's forced to acknowledge that Theomedes put his legacy above the actual desires of the people he ruled over.
Incurable Cough of Death: He was seemingly dying of illness for months before he finally kicked the bucket. In reality, he was slowly being poisoned to death.
Parental Favoritism: According to Kastor, he favored Damen heavily over his eldest son. Notably, while Damen insists that their father loved them both, he doesn't deny the accusations of favoritism.
Parents as People: He was a loving father to both Damen and Kastor but was also a ruthless warmonger who was intent on expanding Akielos' borders at any cost. In addition, he wasn't above Parental Favoritism, stripping his eldest son of his position as heir to the throne and giving it to his younger son just because the latter had more legitimacy—and thus, failing to see how damaging this would be to Kastor. Part of Damen's Character Development is coming to terms with the harsh realities of his father's character; by the end of the series, it's clear that while he still loves Theomedes, he has no intentions to follow in his father's footsteps.
Plot-Triggering Death: His death serves as the catalyst for Kastor's coup and leads to Damen's enslavement. It's later revealed that Kastor was deliberately poisoning him in order to get the opening he needed to usurp the throne.
Posthumous Character: As he dies at the beginning of the series, he never makes a physical appearance. All the information the readers learn about him is secondhand, from Damen's recollections of his father and the words of others who knew him.
Proud Warrior Race Guy: Damen describes his father as a prideful, opinionated man who "ruled by the sword" and was more than pleased to fight for his country's glory.
War Hawk: When Queen Hennike died and Vere lost their alliance with Kempt, Theomedes immediately prepared Akielos for war and ignored all of Vere's attempts at diplomacy. As Paschal put it, he wanted land, not peace.

Kastor

The first son of King Theomedes and his mistress Hypermenestra, who lost his claim to the throne when his legitimate half-brother Damen was born. The trilogy begins with him usurping Damen after their father's death and sending him to Vere as a Sex Slave.

Always Second Best: One of the reasons the events of the trilogy happen is because Kastor couldn't stand being always second best to his younger half-brother.
Ambiguous Situation: The novels are unclear over whether or not he is The Corruptible or Evil All Along. Damen's memories of him being a loving big brother hint at the former, while Nikandros' words hint at the latter. It's also entirely possible that Kastor is a combination of both.
Ambition Is Evil: Wanting to be king? Completely understandable. Poisoning your father and enslaving your half-brother to fulfill that desire? Not as much.
Aristocrats Are Evil: The elder (but illegitimate) son of the Akielon king is an Evil Prince willing to destroy his family over jealousy.
Bastard Angst: He was raised as the heir to Akielos for nine years, only to lose his right to the throne when Damen was born. In addition to believing Damen stole the throne from him, he feels that their father loved Damen more than him.
Bastard Bastard: He's the illegitimate son of the king of Akielos, so he poisons his father and usurps the throne from his legitimate half-brother Damen. He has a Freudian Excuse in that he spent his first nine years expecting to become king, then lost his birthright when Damen was born.
Beard of Evil: He's an antagonist, and Damen mentions in the last book that he grew out his beard, making him look like Theomedes.
Betrayal by Offspring: While the death of King Theomedes was made to appear natural, in reality, Kastor was slowly having him killed.
Big Bad Wannabe: While he's certainly a problem, he's nowhere near the Regent's level of intelligence or immorality. Damen remarks multiple times that while his half-brother is dangerous, he isn't cunning enough to play mind games without Jokaste's help. Worth noting is the end of the third book, when Kastor thinks he's in control of the proceedings only to realize halfway through that the Regent is actually the one controlling everything.
Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: To Damen and Theomedes. He played the part of the caring big brother to Damen for most of their lives, and he supposedly put on a very convincing display of grief when his father was dying. It later becomes apparent that he loves the throne far more than he loves his family, as he enslaves Damen, and it turns out he was the one poisoning Theomedes all along.
Broken Pedestal: While not quite to the same extent as Laurent's Big Brother Worship of Auguste, Damen loved and adored Kastor and refused to even fathom the idea of Kastor betraying him because his faith in his brother was so strong. It isn't until the start of the first book, when Kastor betrays and enslaves him, that he is finally able to accept what kind of person his brother is.
Cain and Abel: An Evil Prince and Royal Bastard who poisons his father and enslaves his legitimate half-brother so he'll end up with the throne. He's the Cain to Damen's Abel.
Dragon Their Feet: Despite not being the Big Bad (that would be the Regent), Kastor is the last physical threat of the trilogy, with Damen and Laurent chasing him down to prevent his escape, and thus an all-out war. He manages to trick Damen into lowering his guard and delivers a near-fatal stab into his brother's side, only to be killed by Laurent in a duel immediately long after.
Driven by Envy: The trilogy begins with him staging a coup against his older brother, Damen—the legitimate heir to Akielos. He despises Damen for taking what he believes should have been his.
Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas: He may have enslaved his half-brother, but he was apparently very emotional while witnessing his father's final days. Unfortunately, it turns out that was all a facade, making this a Subverted Trope. He was actually the one poisoning his father the whole time.
Even Evil Can Be Loved: Subverted. Despite everything, Damen still loves him and is willing to show him mercy when he finally has his brother cornered. Kastor taking advantage of his love to try and stab him under the guise of an embrace therefore shows that his half-brother is Beyond Redemption. Subsequently, after Laurent dispatches Kastor, a heartbroken Damen shows him no ill-will, forced to concede that his lover's actions were necessary.
Evil Prince: Kastor is a Royal Bastard who poisons his father and stages a coup against his half-brother (the legitimate heir) so that he'll become king instead.
Freudian Excuse: He's a Royal Bastard, but because Queen Egeria appeared unable to have children, he grew up with all the public attention, parental love, and promises of kingship received by the heir to the throne. When Egeria miraculously birthed Damen, he lost all of this to his legitimate younger brother.
The Ghost: He makes no physical appearance until the last two chapters of the third book. As the Regent is the principal villain of the trilogy and the one behind Kastor's coup, Kastor, as a much less dangerous threat, is mainly treated as an afterthought.
Green-Eyed Monster: Kastor deeply resents everything that Damianos got by virtue of his birth, including the throne that Kastor expected to pass to him.
Half-Sibling Angst: Kastor and Damen have different mothers, but the same father. Kastor is extremely envious that their father seems to prefer Damen, giving him more attention as well as the throne.
Hates Their Parent: We don't get to hear a lot from Kastor's point of view, but clearly he hated his father enough to poison him. It's implied the resentment comes from his father suddenly viewing him as The Unfavorite after Damen's birth and subsequently making Damen the heir to the throne that was originally promised to him.
I Just Want to Be Special: More like I Just Want to Be Special Again. He clearly enjoyed the love and attention he received when he was being raised as the heir, which is why he becomes a Green-Eyed Monster when Damen is born and everyone shifts their adoration to him.
Like Father, Unlike Son: Damen distinguishes himself by being better than his father; Kastor distinguishes himself by being worse. Theomedes was a proud man with stubborn prejudices about Veretians, but he believed strongly in honor and thought he was earning his country the respect it deserved. Kastor knows nothing of honor, as evidenced by his betrayal of his family, and he proves his selfish hunger for power when he unhesitatingly forms a corrupt, controversial political alliance for his personal gain.
Master Swordsman: Not quite to the degree of Damen, but he's certainly a capable fighter in this area.
Patricide: Poisoned his father and made it look like a natural death from sickness.
Puppet King: He's intelligent and cunning, but also easily manipulable, with both Jokaste and the Regent pulling his strings at different points. Laurent even speculates the reason why Jokaste chose to back him over Damen is because he was so easy to influence, since such a situation would theoretically give her more power.
The Resenter: He despises Damen for ostensibly stealing all of the power and affection that he was owed.
Revenge by Proxy: After stabbing Damen, he decides to drive the knife in further by killing his brother's lover Laurent in front of him. This leads to his own death when Laurent defeats and kills him in the subsequent duel.
Royal Bastard: Kastor is the illegitimate son of the king of Akielos and was heir to the throne until his legitimate half-brother Damianos' birth knocked him down the line of succession. He sets off the events of the series by usurping the throne after the king's death, which he turns out to have caused.
Self-Made Orphan: He poisoned and killed his own father in order to usurp the Akielon throne.
Smug Snake: He still remains stupidly overconfident in the last chapter of the third book, even after his biggest ally has been convicted of treason and executed, and after his own treason has been publicly exposed. This is what gets him killed, as he underestimates Laurent during their duel, allowing Laurent to successfully trick him with a feint and leaving him open for a fatal blow.
Successful Sibling Syndrome: Public opinion seems to hold Damen above Kastor in nearly every way: stronger, more courageous, more attractive, more fit to rule...is it any surprise that Kastor resents his half-brother?
Thicker Than Water: Exploited, as he clearly doesn't feel this way, but he knows that Damen does. In the last book, he convinces Damen to have mercy on him by reminding him that they're brothers, and it's a horrible thing to hurt one's own family. He then proceeds to stab Damen with a knife.
Too Clever by Half: Kastor's coup is presented as a clever plot at first, but its success only serves to make his situation worse in the long run. Several of the kyroi are immediately suspicious when Damen "dies" right after the death of their father, leaving his older brother a convenient path to the throne. The subsequent political turmoil quickly bubbles up to a potential Civil War that leaves Akielos vulnerable to outside invasion, which is what the Regent, Kastor's co-conspirator, intended to happen all along. Combined with leaving Damen alive to eventually challenge his rule, and all Kastor has done has ensured that, one way or another, he's not going to be King of Akielos for very long. Damen later lampshades this, acknowledging that Kastor simply isn't clever enough to claim the throne on his own and wouldn't have gotten as far as he did without Jokaste's and the Regent's help.
The Unfavorite: He claims that Theomedes cared more about Damen than him. Damen insists that Theomedes loved both of them, but he doesn't actually deny the accusation of Parental Favoritism.
Unwitting Pawn: The Regent plays him like a fool for the entire trilogy, supporting his coup in order to purposefully destabilize Akielos to make it vulnerable to a Veretian invasion. Even if Damen and Laurent hadn't succeeded in toppling the Regent, Kastor wasn't going to hold onto the Akielon throne for very long.
Used to Be a Sweet Kid: Despite Kastor's betrayal, Damen can't help but reminisce over all the good memories he had with his older brother growing up after his death. From his recollections, Kastor genuinely was a good brother to Damen before his obsession with the throne corrupted him.
The Usurper: Turned his half-brother into a Sex Slave and killed his father to ensure his place on the Akielon throne.
Villain Has a Point:
- Downplayed. Kastor is not portrayed as sympathetic, and the sheer cruelty of his actions renders any of his "good points" irrelevant. However, he comments that Theomedes raised him as the heir for nine years, only to rip the throne away from him immediately upon Damen's birth—for no discernible reason other than "tradition." He can't really be faulted for thinking this was a rather questionable and hurtful decision on his father's part.
- He deftly points out that being better at swinging a sword is in no way a measure of ability when it comes to kingship. While it's coming out of a place of jealousy over Damen's martial superiority, especially since it's clear that even if Damen wasn't a superior warrior he'd still be a superior king to Kastor, it's also a very true statement.
Warrior Prince: He is not as skilled as Damen (which he knows and resents), but he's still very competent in combat.
We Hardly Knew Ye: While he's discussed quite a bit, his only actual appearance is at the end of the third book, and it doesn't take long for this scene to lead to his death.
Would Hurt a Child: While this is never proven, both Damen and Jokaste believe he's capable of killing a baby, should its existence threaten his right to the Akielon throne.

Jokaste

The lover of Prince Damianos, who cheated on him with his half-brother Kastor and helped bring about the coup that would dethrone him.

Beauty Is Bad: She is strikingly beautiful, but she's also capable of being very manipulative and immoral. Possibly subverted by the end of the trilogy, when we find out that despite everything, she probably didn't completely betray Damen.
Beneath the Mask:
- On the surface, she is tranquil and refined. Beneath that, she's a clever, cold, and manipulative woman who's willing to do anything to actualize her goals. But there's another layer beneath even that, which reveals that she is not as unscrupulous as she seems and has remained at least partially loyal to Damen, all this time.
- Laurent, who is able to see through her somewhat because they are alike, implies that she is not as self-assured as she seems. When she asks him if he's attracted to Damen because Damen has "surety, self-belief, and strength of conviction" (unlike him), he turns the statement back on her. She does not immediately respond afterwards. Then she changes the subject.
Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: She was Damen's lover prior to the events of the story, and it's implied that he would have married her. Unfortunately, it turns out that she was cheating on him with his brother and helping his brother figure out how to usurp him. Eventually played with, as the third book reveals she may have been trying to help Damen all along.
The Chessmaster: She's a Femme Fatale and Manipulative Bitch who uses her cunning to control the people around her.
Consummate Liar: Part of what makes her so dangerous is that it's nearly impossible to tell if she's telling the truth.
Cruel to Be Kind: She and Kastor sent Damen to Vere as a Sex Slave. However, in the last book, we find out that Kastor's original plan was to kill Damen outright. It's suggested that Jokaste convinced Kastor to make Damen a slave just so that Damen would have a chance at survival.
Dissonant Serenity: Her demeanor is perpetually peaceful, which can be quite off-putting when she's surrounded by the chaos of a coup or making rather merciless political negotiations.
Establishing Character Moment: She is introduced calmly negotiating with a Veretian aristocrat. Shortly afterwards, she fearlessly approaches an infuriated Damen, informing him of his new circumstances with no emotion except for a hint of patronizing, sadistic pleasure.
Face of an Angel, Mind of a Demon: Her appearance is described as almost angelic, but she's very dangerous.
Fake Defector: She has shades of this, but it's complicated. Her decision to betray Damen for Kastor was possibly so that she could increase the chances of Damen's survival through her influence on Kastor. However, it's rather ambiguous, and she shows no interest in returning to Damen's side. Several of her unethical decisions would probably make it impossible for her to do so, even if she did desire it.
First Love: She seems to have been this for Damen.
Femme Fatale: Damen implies several times that she uses her beauty and sensuality in order to manipulate others. He even ensures that only guards with no interest in women are assigned to watch her. This is one notable difference between her and Laurent, who is generally comfortable being manipulative in all ways except for this.
Gambit Roulette: It's implied that she pulls one off by convincing Kastor to send Damen to Vere as a slave, instead of killing him. This would give Damen at least a chance to ally himself with Laurent, though she had no way of knowing how any of it would work out—it's possible she simply didn't want him killed.
Ice Queen: She's stoic and coldly intelligent. It took three months of courtship from Damen for her to acknowledge him.
Icy Blue Eyes: Her eyes, like Laurent's, are described this way.
I Did What I Had to Do: One of the implied reasons for her betrayal of Damen. While she was apparently pulling a Zero-Approval Gambit in a desperate attempt to help Damen, there's also the much simpler fact that she probably had to side with whichever faction was less likely to get her killed.
The Kingmaker: Zig-zagged. Her intelligence is really what ensures the success of Kastor's coup, and Damen outright calls her a kingmaker in the second book. However, her betrayal of Damen was at least partially motivated by a desire to help Damen through manipulation of Kastor's actions, so she is not necessarily the power-hungry politician that she seems.
Kuudere: She has the exterior of a stoic, pragmatic Ice Queen. While most of the time we don't get to see what's beneath, the reveal that she may have truly loved Damen and been trying to save his life all along implies that there is a warmer part of her somewhere. After all, her letter at the end of Kings Rising wistfully recalls the way Damen looked at her when they met, and posits that they could have been happy together in another world.
Love-Interest Traitor: Damen was in love with her, but when his half-brother Kastor started plotting against him, she betrayed him by taking Kastor's side. Later complicated by the fact that she may have actually sided with Kastor to protect Damen, by way of influencing Kastor's actions.
Manipulative Bitch: Dangerously cunning and intelligent, she rivals Laurent on this front.
Playing Hard to Get: Implied. She acted aloof and would not return Damen's affections for a considerable amount of time, even though her letter in the last book suggests she may have reciprocated his feelings from the beginning.
Silk Hiding Steel: She is refined and beautiful, with a tranquil air about her. However, she is extremely cunning and will dispense with ethics (to an extent) in order to get her way. Damen describes both Jokaste and Laurent as possessing a core of steel.
Small Role, Big Impact: She has very few actual appearances, yet she's the one who convinced Kastor to send Damen to Vere as a Sex Slave. It's also heavily implied that she's the reason behind a number of Kastor's other successes, since she's The Chessmaster and he is not. If she didn't exist, the entire series wouldn't happen.
The Social Expert: She's very perceptive and cunning, with a skill for taking advantage of what people want. This is why she's so valuable to the more straightforward Kastor when he's navigating an alliance with Vere's Decadent Court.
Sophisticated as Hell: She is a graceful, intelligent noblewoman...who has absolutely no problem reciprocating Laurent's rather blunt and vulgar manner of speaking.
Jokaste’s voice was as refined as her poise, as if the practice of high manners was not disturbed by either Laurent’s words or her own.
The Stoic: She is coolly unemotional at all times. As Damen puts it, she is "ruled by her mind, not her heart."
Sympathetic Adulterer: Jokaste, who cheated on Damen with his half-brother, is initially portrayed as anything but sympathetic. However, this changes when it's implied that her affair was actually an attempt to save Damen's life by manipulating Kastor's actions.
The Tease: Damen implies that she's quite capable of employing this tactic to get what she wants, though we never see it in action.
We Hardly Knew Ye: She appears once in the first book, and a few times in the last book. By the climax of Kings Rising, she's gone.
What Happened to the Mouse?: Jokaste and her child with Kastor both count. Towards the end of the final book, Laurent releases Jokaste knowing she is useless as a hostage and that the child is Kastor's rather than Damen's. She leaves behind a note clarifying this to Damen and is never heard of again after leaving. As for her child—when all the characters learn it is not Damen's, the plot point never gets picked up again, aside from the hint that the child is alive and safe, though orphaned.
The Woman Behind the Man: Discussed. Laurent speculates one of the reasons why Jokaste chose to support Kastor over Damen is because Kastor is much easier to manipulate. Damen may lack aptitude for deception and can be a little thick at times, but he's still a forthright man who is committed to his ideals and morals and is not easily swayed. By comparison, Kastor has no such principles and has a massive inferiority complex, so all Jokaste would have to do is appeal to his ego to get him to do what she wants.
Wouldn't Hurt a Child: She insists that she, in fact, Would Hurt a Child; however, it's implied this is a lie. Laurent realizes that the father of her child is Kastor because he does not believe she would actually use Damen's own child against him. At the end of the third book, she makes sure that the baby is safe, even though she previously threatened to hurt him if her terms were not met.
Zero-Approval Gambit: It's implied that she manages to pull off one of these—if Laurent's deductions are correct and she herself is to be believed. Supposedly, she was genuinely in love with Damen, but she found out about Kastor's planned coup and realized Damen would never believe it could happen until it was too late. As such, she pretended to betray Damen herself, which allowed her to gain some influence over Kastor. To prevent Damen from getting outright killed and give him a chance to ally himself with Laurent, she convinced Kastor to send him to Vere as a slave. It cost her Damen's love and branded her as a traitor to her king, but it worked.

Characters / Captive Prince

Main Characters

Vere

Akielos

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Characters / Captive Prince

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Main Characters

Vere

Akielos

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