Just A Place For All The CaPri Stuff

This, to me, is the area where Laurent truly reveals his vulnerability and naivety: the reality of abuse is that even a loving family member is often not a protection, especially when dealing with an abuser who is adept at manipulation and grooming. This is why I haven’t changed that aspect of the canon narrative (also because it is the reason for so many parts of why Laurent is the way he is as an adult).

In even in another time, the sequence of events that you have likely picked up on through Laurent’s memories is that their father died, both Laurent and Auguste spiralled into grief, and their uncle took advantage of the situation in the way that he, of course, would. In Laurent’s reflections, I am deliberately not explicit regarding their uncle, and try not to identify him except through absolute necessity. This is because Laurent has “dealt with” him, as he says to Damen in Chapter XIV, and is still actively engaging in an ongoing effort to put him out of mind and stop giving him control.

But take, for example, Laurent’s reflections on Auguste’s grief in Chapter XIII: “He had been sulky and stung for a near week afterwards, as Auguste had been surly and stiff. The offers of help from family started to be accepted, not long after.” We learn that a grief-stricken 21-year-old Auguste, struggling to cope, had invited their uncle to support him in looking after his brother. Then, in the following chapter: “Blood will make even the most powerful man fail to notice the viper beneath the roses; Laurent has seen it firsthand, his own brother using genealogy as a standin for critical thinking.” It is confirmed why Auguste would trust their uncle to look after his brother at all. In Prince's Gambit, Laurent says Auguste "had no instinct for deception; it meant he couldn't recognise it in other people."

Auguste, the first son, set to inherit, striving to live up to his father’s expectations, but only 21 when his father is removed from the equation and no longer able to mentor him — and who is the closest thing to his father left available to him? Why would he not trust his father’s brother with his own brother, and the family business, while he himself finishes up his studies and tries to get himself ready to helm a multinational corporation in his 20s? Remember as well that their uncle is an abuser and a manipulator, and Auguste was also vulnerable. He was still groomed, just not in the same way as Laurent. And think about it: a golden child wanting desperately to do his dead father proud, to prove himself a worthy successor — Auguste threw himself into study and professional development, doing things like taking a one month internship in Bazal and leaving Laurent alone with their uncle for extended periods of time.

The details that have been included in the fic so far are that Auguste’s functional (and often literal) absence and their uncle’s abuse of Laurent lasted for roughly three years, from Laurent being age 13 to age 15. At this point, Auguste has finished his Masters studies and is ready to assume more responsibility in the company and with his brother’s care; their uncle has lost interest, as Laurent is growing up. What Auguste expects, as older siblings often do, is for his little brother to still be sweet and innocent and naive, and idolise him above everything else. What he gets instead, as has been developing under his nose the whole time, is a Laurent who is flinty and shrewd and adept at slinging vicious insults, and who is angry with Auguste for some (apparently) unknown reason. Laurent is aware of Auguste’s diagnosis at the time: teen angst, still grieving their father. Auguste tries his best to reassert their brotherly bond, and make things as they once were. He continues, as older siblings sometimes do, to treat Laurent like a child.

This is only compounded when, at age 17 in the timeline (26 for Auguste), Laurent tells him everything that happened - the exact circumstances and outcome of this conversation will be revealed in a future chapter. Laurent mentions attending therapy in his later teen years — Auguste’s idea. Confronted with the evidence of having failed his brother in the most devastating way, Auguste doubles down on his protectiveness.

Laurent observes in Chapter II, “much of what Auguste does is driven by guilt, and the impotent anger over how something which is supposed to be under his care (read: Laurent) has been interfered with and he has had no chance to stop it. A more generous brother would see it as noble, as doting, as a manifestation of how highly Auguste regards Laurent’s personhood. Laurent sees it for what it is: vanity. Laurent has his hair products; Auguste has his protectiveness.” And then in Chapter XIV, “The ultimate embarrassment for Auguste, evidence of his ultimate failure, the ultimate insult against him levelled by their own uncle.” Yes, some of this commentary is fuelled by Laurent’s trauma, but is also a level assessment of Auguste’s character, the way he sees himself as a leader and protector, and the way he sees Laurent as his to protect and care for.

Sounds sweet on the surface, but think about it: he behaves protectively toward Laurent from a position of ownership and possessiveness (his brother, who he is responsible for - the way a lot of parents think about their children) rather than out of actual respect for Laurent’s personhood. This is where, obviously, Laurent sees the difference in Damen’s protectiveness: Damen doesn’t infantilise him or undervalue his strength or maturity. Damen doesn’t treat him with condescension when he asserts himself. Auguste, still seeing Laurent as a little boy, defaults to being overbearing and coddling — and also never lets Laurent forget that he has been victimised.

Think about the pepper spray in Chapter I; something Auguste gave Laurent for his own protection, simultaneously underestimating Laurent’s physical capabilities and capacity for self-defence, and almost feminising Laurent in a way — a defensive weapon largely associated with women and rape prevention, a reminder of the way in which Laurent has been most abused and also the way he is still vulnerable. When Laurent calls him out on this (albeit very crudely), he can't hear it: he wants to forget about what was done to Laurent, but he won't let Laurent forget it.

Just as Auguste’s feelings about Laurent as a helpless child in need of swaddling endure, so does Laurent’s idolisation to an extent. He wants, more than anything, to prove himself to his brother (time is a circle — Aleron and Auguste, Auguste and Laurent). Laurent has grown up entirely in Auguste’s shadow, and is forced to remain there by Auguste’s protectiveness (and, to an extent, his own guilt; not wanting to cause Auguste further problems, wanting to make up for years of “teen angst” by being the perfect brother). Laurent’s desires to be dutiful and supportive are at odds with his own ambitions, his own inherent leadership qualities, his own aptitudes and accomplishments. He is destined for greater things than Auguste has planned for him. It is narratively crucial to Laurent’s character development, both in the books and this fic, that Laurent loses Auguste. His love for Auguste binds him to his brother, and only removing Auguste could be the catalyst for Laurent finally accepting and rising to his own potential.

The crux of it all is that Auguste loves Laurent, and Laurent loves Auguste. That hasn't changed; just because siblings get older and cause each other hurt doesn't mean they stop loving each other. But trauma will always complicate relationships, and to use Damen's phrasing about himself in Chapter VII, Auguste is "just one man." He isn't perfect, and Laurent's image of him as such was shattered in a pretty unceremonious and horrible way. As much as Laurent blames himself for the abuse (as victims often do), he also blames Auguste to an extent. He doesn't want to, and feels guilt about it, but you have likely picked up through his narration that he resents Auguste's protectiveness given that Auguste all but abandoned him. The thing is, Auguste blames himself too, and that is exactly why he is so overprotective.

I could go on about this for another dissertation-length post omg, there is truly so much to say. Auguste truly is The Guy for me - given so few details about him in the books, and those details being filtered through Lauren'ts idolisation, I've really enjoyed giving him this personality and motivation, even if it is mostly through memory. I can't WAIT for you all to see the other details about Auguste and Laurent's relationship as the chapters unfold! You may have to pick through layers of Laurent's obfuscation to get to them, but they'll be there for sure hahaha

Damen’s frown intensifies. At moments like these, with squinty eyes and pouty lips, he reminds Theomedes strongly of Egeria and a sharp pain twists on his chest like a knife.

“Kas is going with you.” Damen murmurs.

“Kastor is more than twice your age.” Theomedes replies knowingly. “When you reach his age, we may discuss it again.”

Truthfully, he began taking Kastor with him to political visits by the time his boy was six. But pointing it out now would only fuel Damen’s agitation as he would insist four is practically six.

Damen makes a distressed sound. “That’s too many years!”

“Well then,” Theomedes taps his nose. “I guess you need to sleep a lot and catch up.”

Damen is quiet for a moment and just as Theomedes thinks he’s out arguments, he says, “Baba.” with the sweetest voice.  “Don’t leave me please. I will be soooo alone! ”

Theomedes rubs his face tiredly. “You won’t be alone. You have many people looking after you. And Lady Hypermenestra is here too.”

“Nessa treats me like a baby. ” Damen sniffs with a feisty attitude. His eyes are almost closed now. “She picks me and kisses and kisses and kisses my cheeks.”

At that, Theomedes can’t help but huff in amusement. Indeed; whenever Hypermenestra encounters Damen, she drowns him in kisses and hugs and Damen preens like a kitten under her attention.

“I’ve never heard you complain before.” he says. Damen finally succumbs into sleep and falls unconscious before he can come up with a response. Theoemedes sighs in relief, carefully getting up from the bed to not jostle him.

His Damen is a well-tempered child with a smile always adorning his face; so it’s quite a surprise to see him stand on the deck with the most cross look on his face when it’s time to see them off the next day, his little hand held by Hypermenestra. When Kastor finishes bidding goodbye to his mother and looks down on Damen, the child steps forward and wraps his arms around Kastor’s leg like an octopus.

“Damen, stop being a baby.” Kastor chides. Theoemedes thinks about Damen using the same word last night and wonders if he has picked it up from his brother. “We will only be gone for five nights.”

Damen stubbornly clings on.

Kastor drops a desperate hand to his head and ruffles his hair. “I’ll bring you pretty shells if you are a good boy while we’re away. Deal?  Now, go and bid father goodbye.”

At that, Damen’s whole body goes rigid and before anyone has a chance to stop him, he takes off and runs away from the deck. His nursemaid hastily follows him.

“Well, no kisses for his baba I believe,” Theoemedes says with dejection. Despite knowing Damen is four and therefore prone to tantrums from time to time, he still feels slightly upset that he has to leave without a proper goodbye from him. He leans on and kisses his lover’s cheek. “Take care of him?”

Hypermenestra’s smile is blinding. “Of course, sire.”

Once they set sail, he takes a final look at the land and his heart immediately jumps into his throat at the sight: Damen, with a tear stricken face, running towards the deck this time; as if ready to fling himself at the sea in an attempt to catch them. Just as he opens his mouth to yell in alarm, Hypermenestra snatches him up with all the ease of a skillful mother and clutches him to her chest tightly just as Damen begins sobbing into her shoulder.

Theomedes lets out a deep breath. This boy…

-

“...and I believe we made a similar deal a few years ago with Patrans.” Theomedes is saying to Konstantin. The night is clear and cloudless with the smell of jasmines in the air. Next to him, Kastor is dozing with his head leaning mostly on Theoemedes’s arm. He lets him be; it’s been a long and tiring day and Konstantin isn’t a stranger. “Jase, hand me the scroll.”

Jase nods his head and opens the bag that contains the documents Theomedes asked for. Just as he’s taking it off, another piece of paper falls out of the bag. Jase frowns.

“What is it?”

Jase quickly takes a glance at the paper and when he lifts his gaze, his eyes are almost amused. “Ah, Exalted… I believe this is a note from Prince Damianos.”

Konstantin makes a questioning noise. Theomedes wordlessly reaches a hand and demands to see the note.

It takes him a while to read the whole thing. Damen is a smart child and his tutors always say he’s a good student,  but he’s four after all and his handwriting is atrocious.

Deman- Danio- Damen to his father, greetings. It was so nice of you not take me with you to island. If you refuse to take me with you to Isma I won’t write you a letter or speak to you or wish you a good health. So if you to go Isma I won’t take your hand or kiss you ever again. If you refuse take me, this will happen!

Theomedes reads the note over and over again like the words are going to make sense if he tries harder; and then he starts laughing so loudly that it rings in the air. Kastor wakes up jumping. “What, what is it?”

Theomedes hands him the note, still laughing too hard to form proper sentences. Kastor reads it and then passes it to Konstantin, whose lips curl upwards for a little smile as he reads it as well.

“He’s turning into an incredibly spoiled child.” Kastor comments with a scowl. Theomedes thinks it’s a bit harsh criticism and opens his mouth to tell him so when Konstantin intervenes.

“I believe the young prince is so devoted to you because he feels lonely,” he comments with his usual calm manner. “There are barely any children around his age in the palace so he has to make do with his father and brother.”

Theomedes reaches out and pats his shoulder. “I’m glad you brought it up, old friend. Say, isn’t your youngest boy around my Damen’s age?”

“Nikandros?” Konstantin says with a slight surprise. “He’s two years older than the prince but yes… I believe they may get along.”

“Excellent. Say, what would your lovely wife say about spending the half of the year in Ios?”

Konstantin smiles. “I believe I shall ask and find out, Exalted.”

-

Whatever he’s expecting upon his return, it certainly doesn’t contain Damen running towards him with tears sliding down his face the second he sets his foot on land. Still, he easily scoops his son up. “Hello, cub. What’s the matter?”

“I was sooo mean! ” Damen wails, chest heaving with sobs. “I’m so sorry for my mean letter! Are you angry at me? Do you still love me? Nessa said you of course love me but baba— I’m sorry.” More sobbing.

Theomedes runs his hand through Damen’s hair over and over again until his boy calms down, his heart incredibly fond. Eventually, Damen’s sobs quieten. “There there… you are sorry for the way you behaved?”

“Yes baba.”

“Will you behave the same way the next time Kastor and I need to go on a journey?”

A quiet sniff. “No baba.”