ON LAURENTāS REVENGE (An interpretation of the scene in the arena)
Iāve been thinking about the scene in the arena in the first book, the one where Damen is drugged and forced to fight against Govart. It is unquestionably one of the most unconfortable moments of the trilogy, not to mention the worst kind of violation Damen is threatened with during his time as a slave. It presents the court of Vere as a den of sin, a morally corrupted place where rape is considered an entertainment, where men have no qualms about taking children as bedpartners, where vile acts like poisoning a fighter are commonplace.
But above all this it is the first time we see Laurent in action. This early in the story we know nothing of him but Damenās first impressions (āself-assorbed and self-serving,raised to overestimate his own worth, and indulge in petty tyrannies over othersā; āspoilt, like fruit too long on the vineā), and subsequently it is natural for us to judge his behaviour very harshly. We are meant to see him as Damen does: a torturer, a privileged boy who plays with the lives of those weaker than him, a man full of prejudice and cruelty, a coward.
In retrospect, knowing the full context and Laurentās backstory, the events assume an entirely different meaning. Damenās humiliation in this chapter is not a casual cruelty, nor is it Laurent lashing out in anger at his brotherās killer. It is AN ACT OF COLD BLOODED REVENGE, so meticoloulsy calculated as to be, in Laurentās eyes, almost akin to justice. Itās retaliation, plain and simple.
We know that Laurent is never cruel for the sake of it. He doesnāt consider rape an innocuos entertainment, and he wouldnāt put an innocent in the ring, no matter their provenience or their station. It is explicitally stated that his presence at the arena, never mind his actual contribution to the spectacle, is more than unusual (āItās so rare to see you at these entertainments, Your Highnessā; āyou kept pestering me to put a pet in the ringā). Therefore, it is obvious that he is there BECAUSE OF DAMEN.
We also know that he is aware of Damenās real identity.
I donāt think we always fully grasp the true extent of Laurentās hatred for Damianos: he is his brotherās killer, obviously, but in Laurentās eyes he is also undirectly responsible for the abuse he has suffered as a child.The regent was able to take advantage of Laurent because Laurent was a kid, alone and grieving;he was alone because Damianos had killed his only protector, during a war caused by Damianosās father; Damianos is the root of everything.
Laurent has demonized him. He considers Damen a bloodthirsty barbarian who kills without thinking of the consequences (āI thought killing meant nothing to youā), who would sacrifice everything for power. From his point of view Damen is to blame for his own suffering as much as his uncle is. Killing him in a duel isnāt enough: he wants him to suffer what Laurent has suffered - HE EVEN SAYS SO,even if at this point in the book we are not able to understand the implications of his words (āYou really have no idea how happy that idea makes me. Itās perfect: a man who holds you down while he fucks you, with a cock like a bottle, and A BEARD LIKE MY UNCLEāSā). So he devises a fitting punishments, scarily accurate in the details:
Laurent has been raped by the Regent, so Damen is to be raped the Regentās thug, Govart;
Laurent had a chance to stop the abuse (at least he seems to think so. He blames himself for not being stronger, for not putting an end to it, even if there was nothing he could have done); therefore, Damen is offered a chance to fight. If Laurent wanted him raped, he could have had him tied down and left at he mercy of the soldiers (yes, his uncle admonished him not to, but he is Laurent: he would have found a way). He makes a point of giving him a chance to resist.
Laurent was abused when he was a child, by a man who was, in many ways, considerably stronger than him; this means that Damen must be weaker than his opponent. He has to be put in a position of disavvantage. Hence, the chalis.
You see? Parallels. As far as retribution goes, this is exquisite.
Except that Damen doesnāt deserve this kind of punishment. He killed Auguste in battle, in a fair fight, in order to win and to survive. He is in no way responsible for what Laurent has gone through since then.
Damen is not the monster Laurents believes him - wants him- to be, and he proves it for the first time minutes after the fight, when Nicaise is offered to him as a reward. Letās read this passage, trying to see it from Laurentās point of view:
He gathered the last of his strength to himself and said : āDo whatever you want to me. Iām not going to rape a childā
Laurentās expession flickered. [ā¦] Laurent was looking from Damen to the boy and back again. Frowning as if something didnāt make sense. Or wasnāt going his way.
āWhy not?ā he said, abruptly.
āWhy not?ā said Damen. āI donāt share your craven habit of hitting only those who cannot hit back, and take no pleasure in hurting those weaker than myself.ā
This barbarian, this man who he blames for his own misfortune, that he believes capable of anything, stands before Laurent and tells him that he is not going to rape a child, because it is an horrible act against an innocent, someone who canāt defend himself.Ā IT DOESNāT MATTER IF THE CHILD HAS SEEMINGLY GIVEN HIS CONSENT, like Nicaise has. Itās still WRONG. Itās still the act of a monster. Do you realize what this means to Laurent?
This is the first time someone, however indirectly, has told him that what happened to him is not his fault. That the Regent is the monster, NOT HIM.
This his the moment his perception of Damen starts to change. Granted, Laurent being Laurent, he thinks at first that Damianos is trying to deceive him (āyour little speech of fairlplay has fooled me about as much as your show of obedience. You have worked out, with whatever native inelligence you possess, that it serves your best interests to appear both civilised and dutifulā). He envisions plots and machinations against himself, like he always does. He has to watch Damen plead for a bunch of slaves and save th life of his torturer in order to trust him, butĀ once that first step is taken thereās no going back. Laurent doesnāt WANT to trust Damianos, he doesnāt want to like him, so he fights his own instincts.
I firmly believe that, even though he refused to aknoweledge it, the Prince of Vere started to fall for Damianos of Akielos that day in the arena, when the man he hated turned his world upside down without even realising it.
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