Captive Prince

Captive Prince (2013) is the first novel by C. S. Pacat and the first in her Captive Prince trilogy. Originally published serially on the social media platform LiveJournal, the novel began as an “m/m slashfic,” or “slash fiction,” which refers to fan fiction that pairs characters of the same sex in romantic relationships. Though Captive Prince was initially self-published in 2013, Penguin Random House acquired and published the book in 2015.

In writing Captive Prince, Pacat took inspiration from the Lymond Chronicles (1961-1975), a six-volume historical fiction series by author Dorothy Dunnett. Additionally, Pacat notes that part of the influence for the trilogy was her own background as a “wog,” a term used in Australia to refer to Mediterranean peoples, adding that the protagonist, Damen, like herself, is a proud wog.

The Captive Prince trilogy, which also includes Prince’s Gambit (2015), and Kings Rising (2016), was shortlisted for the Sara Douglass Book Series Award. Subsequently, Pacat authored a comic series, Fence (2018), which was nominated for a GLAAD award in 2019, and a young adult series, Dark Rise (2021, 2024), the first book of which won the 2021 Aurealis Award for Best Fantasy Novel and became a New York Times bestseller.

This guide is based on the Nook Berkely Publishing House edition of Captive Prince, published in 2015.

Content Warning: The source material and guide feature depictions of enslavement, racism, gender and/or transgender discrimination, anti-gay bias, sexual violence and/or harassment, rape, child abuse, child sexual abuse, graphic violence, sexual content, and physical and emotional abuse.

Plot Summary

Captive Prince follows Damen, formerly Prince Damianos, subsequent to his exile from Akielos after his half-brother, Kastor, seizes control of the country in a coup. Damen is sent to Vere as an enslaved servant to the country’s prince, Laurent, who hates Akielons, blaming them—specifically Prince Damianos—for the death of his brother, Auguste. No one recognizes Damen, though, which he uses to his advantage to protect himself. During his time as a captive in Vere, he learns about deceit and betrayal, identity, and power dynamics while also struggling with his feelings for Laurent.

The novel opens with a Prologue, in which Kastor’s forces capture Prince Damianos and hold him against his will. Adrastus, who trains enslaved Akielons, prepares Damianos (now “Damen”), and Guion, a Veretian ambassador, views him, after which he’s taken to Vere.

In Vere, Damen meets Laurent, who now owns Damen, and finds Laurent attractive but cruel. Laurent’s steward, Radel, instructs Damen, who continues to resist imprisonment until he realizes that the Veretians don’t recognize him. Damianos is known as the Prince-Killer in Vere because he killed Prince Auguste (Laurent’s older brother), in the Battle at Marlas six years ago. After Damen starts to submit, he’s taken to an arena, where he sees other courtiers with their “pets”—people who, though not enslaved, effectively belong to various courtiers as sex objects. In the arena, two male pets fight, and the winner sexually assaults the loser. After the first fight, the Veretians pit Damen against Govart, a member of the Regent’s Guard. Though Damen wins, his victory upsets the Veretians, who hate to see an Akielon beat a Veretian. Damen refuses to have sex with 13-year-old Nicaise, who takes offense at this rejection.

Damen learns his guards’ names, including Orlant and Jord, but they’re hostile toward him, seeing him as a threat. Radel admits that he drugged Damen before the fight with Govart, but no one’s willing to talk to Damen for long. Most days, he’s totally alone and unoccupied in his room, which he finds unbearable. Through brief discussions with others, Damen learns that the Regent, Laurent’s uncle, is effectively in charge of the country and is working to secure lasting peace with other nations. Damen lies to Laurent, claiming that he was a soldier in Akielos, but Laurent insists that he hates all Akielons, calling them barbarians. Laurent invites Damen to bathe with him, which Damen thinks is a sexual advance. However, when Damen advances on Laurent, he sees that Laurent isn’t aroused, and Laurent punishes Damen by having him strapped to a large wooden cross and ordering a guard to whip his back.

After the whipping, Radel is upset, but the other servants and guards become Damen’s friends, sympathizing with his punishment. Through them, Damen learns the differences between Vere and Akielos, including their treatment of enslaved people and servants. Everyone notes that Laurent doesn’t have sex with anyone, but many of the guards fantasize about having sex with him, since he’s universally considered beautiful. Because of Damen’s whipping, the Regent decides to punish Laurent, and Damen suggests a public flogging. Instead, the Regent calls a Council meeting at which he removes a large portion of Laurent’s lands, finances, and men. Laurent reluctantly accepts his punishment, but he still refuses to go to Delpha, or Delfeur, the land bordering Akielos. Laurent prods Damen, suggesting that Kastor sexually assaulted him, which upsets Damen.

Nicaise and Ancel (other “pets”) continue to harass Damen; for example, Ancel decides to perform oral sex on him with Laurent’s approval. Damen meets Erasmus, one of the enslaved Akielons given to Vere by Kastor, and learns that the other Akielons are being mistreated. Veretians hurt their “pets” for fun, and Damen resolves to help them. Govart interrupts Damen and Erasmus and threatens to sexually assault Erasmus but is stopped by a guard. Damen later discovers that Prince Torveld, from Patras, is visiting Vere to negotiate a treaty. Knowing that Patras is similar to Akielos in the treatment of enslaved people, Damen decides to barter with Laurent to trade the enslaved Akielons to Patras. Laurent tentatively agrees, though both Laurent and Damen are suspicious of the other’s motives.

At a dinner, Damen notices that Torveld is infatuated with Laurent, which he knows is largely because Laurent pretends to be charming and kind. Nicaise takes issue with Damen and Laurent, plotting to ruin Laurent’s plan to influence Torveld. The Regent sees Laurent flirting with Torveld and criticizes Laurent, who claims he’s taking the Regent’s advice by getting involved in politics. During some entertainment, at which Ancel performs with flames, guards bring out Erasmus, who panics because of the fire. Erasmus was branded, so even though Torveld’s initial reaction is to judge Erasmus harshly, he stops the performance to save Erasmus from abuse. Laurent’s plan works, and Torveld demands that the enslaved Akielons accompany him to Patras, which upsets Nicaise, who planned for Torveld to reject Erasmus because of his poor behavior around fire. Laurent has Damen handle the transfer of the enslaved Akielons, which allows Damen to learn about what’s going on in Akielos. Kastor is in charge and killed everyone who knew about Damen’s capture, but he’s failing to unify the kyroi, or provinces, of Akielos. On Torveld’s last day in Vere, they hunt boar, and Laurent kills his horse pursuing the kill.

Guards wake Damen in the night and take him to Laurent’s chambers, joking that Laurent will finally have sex with Damen. However, Laurent is surprised to see Damen, and the guards attack Damen and Laurent. Damen and Laurent kill the guards, but Damen realizes that Laurent has been poisoned. Noting Laurent’s weakened state, Damen tries to escape, waiting on the rooftops until the busiest part of the dawn. Damen runs into Govart, who calls the guard, and Damen is arrested, though the Prince’s Guard saves him from being killed in the street. Laurent takes full responsibility, claiming that the assassins attacked Damen, not him, which allows Damen to return to his room. There, Damen realizes that Laurent was the target of the assassination attempt but must be protecting whoever arranged it, since he lied to the Council. Laurent meets with Damen and confesses that the Regent sent the assassins. The Regent intends to organize Laurent’s death in such a way that they can blame Akielos, justifying a war against the already divided Akielon kyroi. Damen offers to help Laurent, who refuses.

Laurent then changes his mind, ordering Damen to accompany him to Delpha, a trip that Laurent was tricked into making. Damen knows that the Regent intends to seize power while Laurent is out of the capitol, but Laurent has no way to beat the Regent. Damen is given armor and a sword, and he rides with Laurent in the prince’s colors. Damen pledges to protect Laurent at any cost and plans to never return to Vere.