Top 10 Sad Captive Prince –Moments
I haven't found something like that yet, so I just did it:
In the Captive Prince trilogy there can found many moments that make the readers just feel bad for some of the characters and arouse pure hatred for other characters. It wasn’t easy to rank the situations and maybe, reading this list in a time, I would change a few things myself. Or maybe I missed some moments. But I tried my best to consider everything. So that’s just my personal opinion and everyone can feel free to have another one. If you haven’t read all three books to the end, this is probably full of spoilers.
10. Who was stronger
I really couldn’t decide if No 10 goes to the girl in the attacked village who wished someone would have been stronger than Damen or to one moment Damen talked about about Auguste. But somehow, these scenes are related and so I put them both here.
The first moment I’m talking about:
After the attack of a village that should not just blame Damianos but also separate Makedon and his men from Damens troop, Damen went to see one girl of the village to tell her that he would get revenge for what happened to her people.
The girl didn’t like it though, she still blames Akielos and doesn’t want to hear anything Damen had to say.
“It wasn’t fair what happened to your village,” Damen said to her. “No fight is ever fair. Someone’s always stronger. But I’ll give you justice. That I swear.”
“I wish Akielos had never come to Delfeur,” said the girl. “I wish someone had been stronger that you” (KR 171)
Think about it. Who could that someone probably have been? Auguste. But what would that have meant?
Then, there is the other moment I was talking about. After Damen had beaten Laurent in a fight. At this particular moment, I really hate Damen. Actually I don’t, but hearing Damen talk like that was just unfair.
“I know,” said Laurent, “that I was never good enough.”
Damen said, “And neither was your brother” (KR 137)
Later Damen admitted that he really wasn’t fair to be like that and that Laurent didn’t deserve this. But what makes me really mad was that Damensaid that even if he wasn’t stronger than Auguste. Just in that particular moment. And for a good reason. We don’t know who’d have been stronger, if Auguste hadn’t been fighting for hours already.
And here we go again. Maybe Auguste would have been stronger. We can't say for sure. But that in return would have meant Damens death (we clearly don't want that, either). And all of that just because their kingdoms are at war.
Laurent once said, they’d liked each other.
9. Laurent’s realisation
Laurent is a very smart character. So, when he admitted when he finally realised that the Regent really wanted him death, it’s kinda sad. I’m sure one part of Laurent already knew, but it also shows that Laurent still had a blind spot for the Regent until he poisoned Laurent’s horse and sent killers for him.
Of cause Laurent actually must have known that his uncle would go that far. Otherwise he wouldn’t have ditched his dutys at the border or suspected his uncle in the first place. But part of him just didn’t want to believe it until this moment... Pretty late, especially for Laurent, who doesn’t trust anyone in the first place.
“I didn’t think he’s really try to kill me,” Laurent said. “After everything... Even after everything.”
And the end of that quote even gives something else away. And that blind spot for the Regent is also seen in the other of the Regents boys. Even stronger.
8. Aimeric’s Betrayal
Aimeric, soldier in Laurents army and son of one of the most loyal of the Regent’s councillors, was thought of someone loyal to Laurent. He took more than one beating protecting the prince’s name from the Regent’s men. Even bigger hit the shock when Aimeric finally revealed why he actually joined the Princes guard. To cause trouble, maybe get some information and betray Laurent in the best possible moment.
“I can deny anything I like,” said Laurent, “in the absence of proof.”
“He has proof. He has my testimony. I saw everything.” (PG 257)
This isn’t quiet it, because this puts Jords (probably most trusted member of the princes guard) loyalty and feelings to the test. He was the one who fell for Aimeric and even covered his absence right before the boys betrayal.
Another effect of Aimeric’s betrayal is that Orlant (killed by Aimeric for being a traitor) really was the one who tried to protect the prince and his guard. Oh, he was a good friend of Jord, by the way.
“Orlant,” said Laurent, “didn’t deserve to die alone on the sword of a self-serving aristocrat he thought was a friend.”
“I know that,” said Jord. (PG 311)
7. Nicaise’s Farewell
Nicaise already knew he wouldn’t see Laurent again and and that this goodbye was for good. He knew the Regent wanted to kill Laurent, he just made the mistake to believe the Regent wouldn’t kill Nicaise himself.
“I remember the offer you made me. Everything you said then was a lie. I knew it was,” said Nicaise. “You’re leaving.”
“I’m coming back,” said Laurent.
“Is that what you think?” (CP 242)
6. Laurent’s internal struggle
Of cause we know that Laurent hated Damen for killing his brother, and probably blaming Damianos of Akielos for anything elsoe that he’d been trough. Who could blame him for that? But the more time Laurent spends with Damen, the more he noticed that Damianos isn’t the man Laurent thought he was.
And that made everything worse. But let Laurent explain it himself:
“I hated you. I hated you so badly I thought I’d choke on it. If my uncle hadn’t stopped me, I would have killed you. And then, you saved my life, and every time I needed you, you were there, and I hated you for that, too.” (KR)
This probably happens when you want to give in and trust a person, but on the other hand you hate the person for a very good reason.
5. Aimerics Death
Here we finally learn why Aimeric did what he did in the first place. What makes his whole betrayal even worse. It’s not, how Jord thought, that Aimeric was loyal to his family. Laurent confronted Aimeric with the fact that Aimeric was one of the Regent’s lovers, too, and manipulated by him.
“Why do you think my uncle asked you to whore yourself out to a common armsman before he’d deign to touch you? That’s what he thought you were good for. Screwing my soldiers. And you couldn’t even do that right.” (PG 318)
That’s why he finally killed himself. Of cause, Aimeric made a big mistake, but he clearly didn’t deserve death. And he clearly didn’t deserve to kill himself just because he could neither make it up to the Regent nor to Jord.
“I’m sorry, Jord”
They were the last words anyone would have from him. He had killed himself. (PG 361)
We’d like to have seen how Aimeric could have made amends, helped Laurent fight the Regent and Jord forgiving him. But he didn’t get the chance.
4. Marlas at night
When they were at Marlas, of cause Laurent had to visit the place where Auguste dies. Augustes death is the reason everything happened to Laurent the way it did and for Laurent, everything had been about Auguste. As a child he was his hero and growing up the one thing he wanted most was taking revenge for his brother’s death. And being where Auguste took his last breath must wake every bad memory in Laurent.
Auguste’s death itself just doesn’t belong to this list because it happened six years earlier and wasn’t in the book (only in Damens memories). “Here was the place where he had killed the last of the Prince’s guard, and came face to face with Auguste” (KR 113) Otherwise it would have been going straight up to the top of the list.
But seeing Laurent standing at the place where his brother died really is a heartbreaking moment that belongs here. Even more when Damen (Augustes killer) showed up and offered Laurent, to be there, as a friend.
Damen said, “I thought you might want—“
“Want?”
“A friend” said Damen. (KR 114) How must that feel for Laurent?
And that’s still not enough, because Damen (just meaning well) started talking about his fight with Auguste and how Laurents brother died. Maybe not a good timing but it gives the moment it’s heavy impact.
“He died well,” Damen made himself say. “He fought better than any man I’ve known. It was a fair fight, and he felt no pain. The end was quick.” (KR 115). And you can’t really argue about Laurents response to this:
“A fair fight?” said Laurent, turning back to him. “No fight’s ever fair. Someone’s always stronger” (KR 117) It was a well chosen statement because Laurent brought it up a little while after that conversation. But he is right. The fight wasn’t fair. Auguste was fighting for hours already while Damen came fresh from the Akielon tents and just made his way through the Prince’s guard straight to Auguste. Who knows if Damen would have won under other circumstances. And don’t take me wrong, I wouldn’t have liked that, either. But it’s something to think about.
But as if this isn’t sad enough, there is so much more in this moment. Damen and Laurent kinda talking about their night together. And this conversation, especially Damens statement, is a huge clue to another sad fate Laurent has to deal with.
“No. You fucked like a virgin,” said Damen, “half the time. The rest of the time—“
“Like I knew what to do?”
“Like you knew what you were used to” (KR 115)
Of cause it’s Damen and he doesn’t have a clue what he was talking about, but still, all of that happened because Laurent was mourning Ausguste’s death, wasn’t it? Well chosen place for this conversation and to make it even harder to read.
3. Nicaises Death
With Nicaises death, Laurent lost his little brother (Yes, not by blood, but still), too. The herold, who told Laurent that he commited treason and should stay trial in PG, just brought Nicaises head along and told Laurent this was a message from the Regent. “The soldier pulled the bag away from the severed head. [...] But it’s tumbled brown hair was dressed with star like pearls, and from the shape of his face, you could see that he has been beautiful” (PG 356) This hurts in many ways.
First of all, Nicaise is death. A character who shows us Laurents past and (even if he would never say so) cared for Laurent in a way. “Don’t tell him I came” he’d said. They’d had always, from the beginning, had a strange affinity. “This one pleaded for you” (PG 357)
Then the way Laurent acts and the things he said. Of cause Laurent never showed his real emotion and it’s hard to know what is on his mind. But those cold words hurt, even if you know that Laurent really liked Nicaise.
“You can tell my uncle boykiller, he can cut off the head off every child from here to the capital. It won’t make him into a king, it will simply mean he has no one left to fuck” (PG 358)
Other words Laurent used were “my uncle’s catamite” or “my uncle’s whore”. I can’t remember him using Nicaises name in that situation. Probably he doesn’t even know what to do with his feelings. But he finally showed what was really on his heart when he was alone with Damen.
“I’m sorry, I know what Nicaise meant to you.”
“He was my uncle’s whore” said Laurent.
“He was more than that. You thought of him as—“
“A brother?” said Laurent. “But I do not have terrible good luck with those.” (PG 366)
In my opinion this quote alone is pretty dark and sad, isn’t it?
Other hints that Laurent was mourning Nicaises death were released when Damen saw Nicaises earring after the boys death, that Laurent had held in his hand (PG 372) and that Laurent still thinks about Nicaise later (KR 276).
Another sad fact about Nicaises death is how Laurent blamed himself for it. There was nothing he could have done about it. He couldn’t have taken him along, but he still feels responsible.
“You’re right. I killed Nicaise when I left it half done. I should have either stayed away from him, or broken his faith in my uncle. I didn’t plan out. I left it to chance.” (PG 373)
And finally, think about that: Nicaise died alone “But in the end, the only person on his side was him” (PG 374), not knowing that the Regent got what he deservend and Laurent won. Probably he was even convinced that Laurent would lose this war and die in the first place. Pretty heavy knowledge for a 13 year old boy.
2. Kingsmeet- Damen realises
Even if Damen could have known sooner, because there were many hints (some even from Damen himself), he finally saw what the Regent did to Laurent (Another sad fact that happened before the book). The Regent told him on purpose, and Damens reaction was planned. He drew a sword in Kingsmeet, the place in Akielos where violence is punished with death imeadeatly. Damen kinda knows that he killing Auguste set that whole butterfly-effect in motion. And in this situation it goes even further because the Regent used Damens realisation to get his will and Laurent sacrificed himself for Damens life. So even because of his own crimes the Regent gets his way again. This is really hard to believe because we really understand Damens anger right there. And even worse, there was a point Laurent knew exactly it would happen that way.
“Damen, get out,”said Laurent.
“No” said Damen. “He’s just a man.”
“Damen” said Laurent.
“No” (KR 285)
“He wants you to leave,” said the Regent. “Aren’t you curious why?”
“Damen” said Laurent.
“He has knelt for me”
The Regent said it in a calm, matter-of-fact voice, so that it didn’t penedrate at first. It was just a collection of words. Even when Damen turned, to see crimson on Laurents cheeks like a stain. And then the meaning of those words began forcing all other thoughts. (KR 286)
So Laurent knew what was going to happen and tried to prevent it by sending Damen out, but of cause Damen wouldn’t be Damen if he just left Laurent alone with the Regent. And the Regent pushed it even further.
“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? He was so lonely after his brothers died.” (KR 389)
So, we really can understand Damens reaction and that he didn’t even thought about his attack against the Regent. To be fair, it was the only reaction that made sense for Damen and his loyal and caring character. And of cause, his shock of the guards just letting that happen is understandable, too. Even if this is Kingsmeet.
“You all heard him, are you going to let him do this?” (KR 389)
1.Laurent actually believes he is worthless
The Regent does everything to ruin Laurent’s reputation over and over again. He cuts him off his supporters and makes the council and the Regent’s men believe that Laurent is a traitor to Vere and the crown and that the only thing his nephew deserves is execution.
But that’s not the worst thing about it. Laurent comes to the point where he really believes that he failed his brother and is worthless and alone. And of cause that plays in the Regent’s hand.
“I didn’t understand that he was fighting alone, and that he had been fighting alone for a very long time” (KR 307) was what Damen said at Laurent’s trial. This shows how much the Regent had cut Laurent off everyone he could trust.
“It was clear from the open look of horrified recognition on Laurents face that he hadn’t expected Damen— that he had not expected anyone” (KR 303) Another proof that Laurent really believed he was alone. And who could blame him? He had to ecpect treason even from his own men. Who wouldn’t feel lonely in this situation.
Laurent didn’t believe in himself, that’s shown when he sacrafices his own life first for Damen’s (not Damen’s) kid “Laurent was expecting me. He is here to give himself up for the child” (KR 284) and then for Damen “Laurent hadn’t brought Loyse to clear his own name, but to clear Damens” (KR 317). He had given up on himself and just tries to get the best out of it for Damen.
“Seeing Laurent’s shocked face, Damen realised that something had happened that Laurent hadn’t imagined.” (KR 323) when the Council finally showed Laurent loyalty. That’s proof that he had given up already. And he did this probably a long time ago.
When the herald blamed Laurent for treason and told him to stand trial in KR, his reaction showed this, too. “Laurent said nothing, an uncharacteristic silence, and Damen saw the subtle signs, the tension across his shoulders [...]” (KR 184)
But I’d push that even further. There’s another quote that probably shows us that Laurent thinks he’s worthless:
“´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? `
´Yes,` said Laurent.”(KR 137)
So Laurent just wanted revenge for Auguste, we knew that. What’s new there is that he knew that he’d probably die trying. And this is exactly what nearly happened at the end of the triology. Just that he changed the enemy. It wasn’t Damen’s death anymore that he wanted. He wanted to protect Damen and give his life for that. Because that was the only thing he considered his life worth for. And this is in my opinion the saddest moment or better parted into moments in the books.
