The lost city of Keris is the central symbol of Brittany’s forgotten sovereignty and immense magical potential. Initially introduced through folklore as a drowned city of legend, Keris points to a past in which Breton rulers commanded dragons and allied with the korriganed, embodying a power far greater than the political and military machinations carried out by France and Austria in the novel. Julien Moreau’s obsessive quest for the city establishes its significance as the ultimate source of power, as he believes “The master of Keris would be the master of all Christendom” (211). For Moreau, Keris is a tool of conquest and personal ambition, but for Anne, it becomes the key to her nation’s survival and independence. Her journey to find and restore the city is the culmination of her arc, moving beyond political maneuvering to reclaim an ancestral, magical birthright.

The restoration of Keris from the Lost Lands into the mortal world is both a literal and symbolic act of reclaiming a lost legacy. By becoming its queen, Anne fundamentally alters the balance of power in Europe, transforming Brittany from a contested territory into the seat of a magical kingdom. The city’s return provides her with the resources, army, and authority to defy France and annul her political marriages, allowing Anne to reject The Objectification of Women Through Conquest and forge a new destiny for herself and her realm.

The recurring motif of mirrors and reflections is linked to the sorcerer, Moreau, and the deceptive nature of his power. As a self-proclaimed catoptromancer, Moreau’s magic is mediated through reflective surfaces, symbolizing his distorted and manipulative relationship with reality. Unlike Anne, whose power becomes an innate ability to perceive and interact with the world’s hidden layers, Moreau requires a tool to create his illusions.

He uses his mirror to conjure false apparitions, travel unseen through shadows, and trap his enemies, demonstrating that his sorcery is fundamentally an art of deception rather than organic creation. The illusions he commands are a twisted imitation of reality, echoing his own psychological state as a man lost between worlds and driven by a corrupted ambition.

The motif culminates in two important moments. First, when Isabeau shatters his mirror, Moreau screams in agony, revealing his deep dependence on the object for his power and identity. Without his mirror, his control over the Lost Lands falters. Second, when Anne sees Moreau and Marguerite secretly plotting in a reflection, it exposes the truth behind the supernatural events plaguing her court, framing the mirror as a means by which truth can be unwillingly revealed and reinforcing the treacherous and ultimately fragile nature of Moreau’s power.