The Priory of the Orange Tree

“Dawn cracked like a heron’s egg over Seiiki.”

This simile, used to depict the Eastern region of Seiiki, exemplifies the novel’s context-specific descriptions. Since this passage is from Tané’s point of view, it references objects and expressions with which she would be familiar.

“‘By the Saint’s codpiece—’ Niclays stared. ‘Sulyard!’”

Niclays lets out this rude expression on discovering Sulyard in his workshop. The expression illustrates the author’s unique use of language in the novel. While the narration is in contemporary English, the term “codpiece” is archaic English for a loin cover or underwear. “Saint” is a reference to Saint Galian, whom Niclays, being a Westerner, reveres. Besides creating a sense of time and place, the exclamation, with its mild oath, provides insight into Niclays’s character and establishes his frequent role as comic relief.

“We may be small, and we may be young, but we will shake the world for our beliefs.”

Truyde’s remark is filled with idealism and purpose; it is also an example of foreshadowing. Truyde and Sulyard will set off a chain of events that will overturn the paradigm most of the world follows. East and West will come together, and the monarchy of Inys will give way to a more democratic form of government. There is also pathos in Truyde’s statement, since she will die to achieve her mission and never see it fulfilled.

‘“SEED OF THE SHIELDHEART.’ More stone fell from the tower. Arrows skittered off his armour. ‘COME FORTH AND FACE YOUR ENEMY OF OLD, OR WATCH YOUR CITY BURN.’”

The High Western wyrm Fýredel—his name containing an archaic spelling of fire—taunts Sabran into facing him by invoking the name of her famously brave ancestor, Glorian Shieldheart. To readers of fantasy, the language in which Fýredel delivers his threat may recall that of J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings novels. The difference here is that the threat is delivered to a female ruler—one of the many ways in which the novel subverts the medieval high fantasy genre.

“At some point, she had started to realize how fortunate she was to have the chance to be a dragonrider. That was when her heart had grown harder, like a ship collecting barnacles.”

Tané’s inner dialogue shows how she has quenched her innermost nature in her drive to become a dragonrider. She has learnt to adhere to rules almost mechanically, letting her heart harden. Tané’s evolution as a character will involve learning how to be both her true self and a dragonrider.

“You have not seen death, my lord. You have only seen the mask we put on it.”

The wise shiphand Estina Melaugo tells Kit and Loth that the blighted land of Yscalin is about to shake their world-view. The protected squires might have witnessed ornate funerals, but not dying and death in its ugly, protracted reality. Estina personifies death in this statement; its “mask” refers to the process of washing, embalming, and dressing up a corpse for the funeral.

“‘Do you not see that this is a divine mission?’

‘No, I do not, you witless cabbage.’”

Sulyard’s exchange with Niclays reveals both the young man’s idealism and the older man’s cynicism. Though the exchange is comedic, Niclays’s quick dismissal of Sulyard’s theories is not. Sulyard’s beliefs are proven true in the end, but not before he is executed in pursuing them.

“Remember, Tané, that a sword does not need to be whetted at all hours to be sharpened.”

Dumusa, another apprentice, uses this metaphor to tell Tané that she doesn’t need to practice at all hours to be perfect. Practice needs to be balanced with leisure: If she keeps working without a break, Tané will wear herself out. The remark is wise because Tané does indeed tend to be self-punishing.

“I do not sleep because I am not only afraid of the monsters at my door, but also of the monsters my own mind can conjure. The ones that live within.”

Sabran reveals to Ead the real reason for her insomnia: the night terrors from which she suffers. The monsters of the mind are a metaphor for her troubled thoughts; in referring to them, Sabran offers a window into the interiority of her character. She is not just a title and a figurehead, but a human tormented by human dilemmas. Showing her human side to Ead involves a degree of intimacy, and Sabran’s relationship with Ead is only going to grow closer from this point.

“Not all evil comes from wyrms.”

Donmata Marosa’s statement to Loth sums up a prominent idea in the novel: People can act in evil ways out of their own volition. Lord Sigoso is a good example, having planned Queen Rosarian’s painful death before Fýredel occupied Yscalin. Fýredel may even find Sigoso easy to control because Sigoso has already embraced this darkness. Marosa’s line shows her wisdom.

“For the first time, she saw Sabran Berethnet for who she was beneath the mask: a young and fragile woman who carried a thousand-year legacy on her shoulders. A queen whose power was absolute only so long as she could produce a daughter.”

By Sabran’s wedding night, Ead is beginning to see Sabran as a complex human being rather than a spoiled monarch whom she has been sent to guard. It is also becoming clear that though Sabran has married Aubrecht, she is very nervous about consummating this relationship with a strange man. Ead’s thoughts reflect a key theme of the novel: Rulers are often encumbered by their roles, forced to suppress their individuality to perform their so-called duties. The evolution of Ead’s perspective on Sabran also marks a starting point for their love.

“‘I am god-chosen,’ Tané screamed at the executioner. ‘She is under my protection. The great Nayimathun will bring the sky down on your heads for this!’ He might as well have been made of stone.”

Tané’s desperate attempts to stop Susa’s execution show the limits of magical power. Though she invokes her authority as a god-chosen dragonrider, it does not stop the stone-faced executioner from beheading Tané’s beloved friend. The horrible incident shows that though magic does exist in the world of the novel, it cannot always stop human beings from carrying out evil acts. This is a loose analogy for the real world: Creativity, faith, hope, and belief help people but cannot weed out evil. Defeating evil involves constant engagement and resistance.

“Her feelings had come like a flower on a tree. A bud, gently forming—and just like that, an undying blossom.”

At the Priory, Loth asks Ead why she intends to return to Inys, risking the wrath of the prioress. Ead realizes that her actions reflect her love for Sabran. The author uses the flowering of a bud as a metaphor for Ead’s feelings for Sabran. This indicates that Ead’s love for Sabran is natural and organic and also plays on Sabran’s association with flowers (specifically, sabra blossoms).

“Before the Nameless One had taught the Inyscans to fear the light of fire, this forest had taught them to fear the dark.”

The northern woods beyond Goldenbirch where Galian is buried were once the realm of Kalyba. As Ead and Margret travel through the dark forest, Ead notes that Margret’s fear of the forest is based in some truth. The forest is indeed forbidding and scary. This highlights the value that the novel finds in stories and myths, which should be examined closely for clues to real experience.

3.    “I AM THE LIGHT OF FIRE AND STAR

WHAT I DRINK WILL DROWN”

Riddles play an important role in the text, often building suspense and mystery. They also act as plot devices in that they help clarify complex concepts, such as this riddle inscribed on the slab guarding Ascalon. Ascalon is the light of fire and star because Kalyba forged it with fire magic from a shard of starlight. It can only be revealed by what it drinks—its basic material, starlight. This is a clue for Ead to hold the celestial jewel forged from starlight before the slab to reveal Ascalon.

“Love is complex, Eadaz.”

Kalyba’s statement to Ead is full of dark humor since she is using it to justify her romantic feelings for her adopted son, Galian. Kalyba’s “love” contrasts sharply with the redemptive force that animates (for example) Niclays’s memories of Jannart; Love should be healthy and unconditional, rather than based on deception and coercion. The remark also shows how people can twist any argument to suit their purposes, which often happens in the text (for example, when Igrain murders Queen Rosarian in the name of piety).

“I ask for no mercy, and make no apology […] Aubrecht Lievelyn was a sinner and a leech. Rosarian Berethnet was a whore, and Sabran Berethnet is a bastard who will never bear a daughter of her own.”

Igrain’s defiant statement at the moment of her execution shows that she believes in the righteousness of her actions. Taking her calling as the Duchess of Justice too far, Igrain has judged those around her intensely, deeming them unworthy of living. Her statement shows the realistic way in which evil operates in the world of the text. It also reveals a common fallacy: mistaking judgment for justice.

“‘You see my lord,’ Harlowe murmured. The light feathered in his eyes. ‘You can find beauty anywhere.’”

As Loth heads eastward carrying Sabran’s missive to the Unceasing Emperor, he has misgivings about the region that worships dragons. On the way, the ship’s crew spots a beautiful natural phenomenon like phosphorescence on the water. Captain Harlowe uses the sudden sight as a metaphor for opening one’s mind. If Loth keeps an open mind, he will see that there is beauty everywhere, including the East.

“Black doves and white crows flew to her, for she was mother to the outcasts.”

Black doves and white crows are metaphors for people who are considered anomalies or aberrations—in other words, people whom society shuns for being different. Such people come to Neporo since she welcomes all “outcasts,” being one herself. The line is a good example of how the author uses figurative language to build the world of the novel, as well as lend depth to characters. Neporo features only briefly in the text, but the image of her as a mother figure surrounded by black doves and white crows immediately defines her as a sympathetic, compassionate, and kindhearted hero.

“To be kin to a dragon you must not only have a soul of water. You must have the blood of the sea, and the sea is not always pure. It is not any one thing. There is darkness in it, and danger, and cruelty.”

Water is often used as a metaphor for a person’s spirit or nature in the East; here, Nayimathun explains that a person’s nature need not be pure in an abstract sense but should be capable of change. It is the capacity for flexibility that defines a warrior. Therefore, Tané should not judge herself for being impure.

“The children of the past died believing that Galian Berethnet wielded the sword and that Cleolind Onjenyu was no more than his adoring bride. That can never be undone, nor mended…but the children of tomorrow will know the truth.”

Kagudo Onjenyu, the queen of Lasia, announces the beginning of a new world order. The truth about Virtudom will be revealed, shaking the foundation of belief in the West. Uncomfortable as the truth will be, it will bring about balance and catharsis. Kagudo’s view, like that of the novel, is forward-looking and optimistic.

“All his life, he had intended to find a companion. Now he wondered if he was fortunate to have never fallen in love.”

After Dranghien tells Loth about his heartbreak, Loth experiences a shift in perspective about romantic love. He begins to question the narrative that finding a companion or a soulmate is one of life’s chief goals. Loth’s questioning of previously held beliefs continues the novel’s theme of building new narratives instead of resting on assumptions. It also highlights the text’s focus on LGBTQ(+) experiences, as Loth may be happy without a companion.

“And then, as if that were not sufficient heroism for one night, she and Tané Miduchi had finished him off with the jewels. It was the stuff of legend, a tale destined to be enshrined in song—and Niclays had slept through the whole damned thing.”

Niclays’s statement is characteristically sharp. It also highlights how the world works: Enormous events happen all the time without people witnessing them. Niclays’s acceptance of this demonstrates the evolution of his character. Previously voyeuristic, Niclays is now content to pursue his own dreams.