#Erasmus captive prince

[captaincouture]

Yeah the Captive Prince trilogy has a million and one different tragedies in it, ranging from death of loved ones to explosive racial prejudices, but to me the biggest tragedy is that not everyone has read The Training of Erasmus because it wasn’t included in all printings of the first book.

Like so many readers only met Erasmus once he was already in Vere and subsequently considered him being sold to Torveld and going to Patras a happy ending for him. Like… the layers of symbolism and allegory to the idea that you can’t save everyone. It’s even more impactful considering Damens character arc has so much to do with learning about flaws in political systems and leadership and how it affects individuals like Erasmus.

Talk about a tragic story. Erasmus has this already doomed situation that screws with his view of himself and his life, yet has this tiny act of rebellion in his relationship with Kallias. And Kallias, who we only see from Erasmus’ POV, but who seems to at least somewhat understand how wrong their situation is and how much more they could’ve had in a different life. But then he shatters his relationship with Erasmus and any chance of ever seeing him again in order to protect Erasmus and give him a better life, knowing that Erasmus will probably never understand why he did it. Parallels to Damen and Laurent anyone?? Princes Gambit —> slaves gambit.

I could talk so much more about the those parallels between Damen/Laurent and Erasmus/Kallias, as well as Damens enslavement never being comparable to others because he never thought of himself as a slave if anyone is interested.

God there’s just so much tragedy and food for thought in the series, Pacat did such an incredible job on these books they will forever be some of my favorites.

I think Erasmus’ story hits a little harder because he never really gets that full circle arc like a main character would. We don’t really get to see him learning about himself as a person instead of an extension of someone else. Even if there’s that one scene where we see Torveld encourage him to care about his own well being/ not accept abuse done to him by people with more power than him. Being that Torveld is a prince and will always think of Erasmus as below him no matter how much he may or may not love/respect him, it definitely makes you appreciate Damens growth and understanding of his own position of power more.

I really wish Pacat could make an additional short story about Erasmus, maybe leaving Patras and seeing Kallias again at some point. I guess on some level that would take away from the impact of his story but I just really love his character and want to see more of him.

[rabid-reads]

[amsiib]

i’ve read and reread all kallias x erasmus fics on ao3, scrolled through their tag a million times, there’s an unjustly limited amount of media on them for me to consume!!! i love them so much they are so tragic but so beautiful they’re my favorite ever <3 i reread the training of erasmus like a million times to get a better description for kallias but it’s literally so vague other than blue eyes, dark brown curls, and super beautiful so i made due with that lol. if anyone loves them too pls talk to me so we can scream about them together pls

[hamrikaa]

I made a little captive prince dustjacket for myself hehe ✨️

I was a little frustrated that I couldn't get the polish captive prince special editions 😔 (And the new US covers weren’t out yet, but I will definetly get those now!!)

So I went: 'Fine. I'll do it myself."

I don't know what got into me, but I started to add more and more to this and it ended up taking me 60 hrs 💀

Still not satisfied with everything (especially the font and frame) but it's ok, maybe I'll come back to that a little later ✨️

!Not everything is super accurate since it has been some time since I read the books and I (again 😭) didn't have them with me, while working on this!

[eklaize]

"His eyes closed to just feel. Snippets of verse floated through his mind.  

In the columned halls, we embrace

His cheek rests against mine  

Happiness like this comes once

in a thousand years"

Captive Prince by C.S.Pacat

Erasmus and Kallias, our tragic lovers.

[laur-the-cat-prince]

[gabumk]

rkgk

Such a pretty boy😭💞

[evergreenerieh]

What if Erasmus and Kallias meet again?

[sinkko]

"Kallias," he chokes, "they are all about you"

Fanart for The Gold Shackled Singer, or the story of Erasmus and Kallias on ao3 by @fragiledewdrop / @ahandfulofsapphires I read in class and just HAD to draw something for. It wouldn't leave me alone.

[rendoesart8]

the akielons!❤️🦁

[laurentspeach]

captive prince as shit i have on my phone

damen:

laurent:

lazar:

ancel:

erasmus:

literally everyone in the series:

[marzipanthots]

Back to our regularly schedule program! I have been missing ERASMUS SO MUCH! I though this scene was so cute hehehe💕

DAMEN UR OBSESSION FOR BLONDS IS SHOWING 🫵🏼👺

Also I desperately wanna to see Erasmus reaction when ever he finds out one day who he really was talking to 😭😭

[lucky-clover-gazette]

captive prince short stories highlights & annotations

the training of erasmus

(takes place before book 1: captive prince)

NOTE: this is a weird one. as i read through this short story, i kind of just started taking stock of all the different abuse and indoctrination tactics used against erasmus and the other palace slaves. because there’s a lot of that in this story, and i think it's a good way to understand how erasmus got to be the way that he is. there's some other analysis, but not much. curious to hear thoughts, because i think this story could mean vastly different things to different people.

indented text is from the book. some quotes have commentary, some do not. some comments are serious, and some are definitely not. most of them will only make sense to people who have read the series. and, like, there are spoilers. so please read the books first if you're interested!

also: part of the reason i'm doing such a close reading is to study cs pacat's style, especially in terms of how she does romance and erotica. there are "craft notes" that might seem weird, like i'm being redundant or restating something rather than analyzing, but those are more things that i want to remember/take away from the writing!

i'm going to tag these longer posts with "sam reads capri" in case anyone wants to read them all at once.

this is a google doc i wrote with overall content warnings for the captive prince series. it's not perfect, but i do think it's important to include. additional warning that this short story focuses heavily on sexual slavery.

It was right that training here in the palace should be more arduous than in the gardens of Nereus.

brainwashing. i'd call it gaslighting, but these people were groomed to never even question what they're told about the world around them.

He took his morning lessons with Tarchon in one of the small marble training rooms filled with accoutrements that he did not use, because from dawn until the sun reached the middle of the sky, it was the three forms, over and over and over again. Tarchon gave impassive corrections that Erasmus struggled to perform. At the end of each sequence, ‘Again.’ Then, when his muscles were aching, when his hair was drenched in the heat and his limbs slippery with sweat from holding a pose, Tarchon would tell him curtly, ‘Again.’

torture.

‘So Nereus’s prize flower has finally blossomed,’ Tarchon had said on the day of his arrival. His inspection had been systematic and thorough.

no personal boundaries.

‘Your looks are exceptional. This is an accident of birth for which you are not entitled to praise.

no recognition of individual merit.

You are training now for the royal household, and looks are not enough to earn you a place there. And you are old. You are older than the oldest I have worked with.

manipulation through conditional reinforcement (positive and negative).

He had not known what to do, or say. Arriving in the stifled dark of the litter, Erasmus had tried with each painful heartbeat to hold himself still. A fine sheen of sweat had broken out over him at the terror of being outside. Outside the gardens of Nereus, the calming, comforting gardens that contained all that he knew of life.

isolation and fear of the unknown to foster dependence.

‘Iphegin slipped on the stairs.’ And then, ‘You think Aden pushed him?’ The joke was awful. There were dozens of male slaves-in-training, but only four wore a golden pin, and Aden and Iphegin were the only two who wore the pin of the King.

competition.

Nereus had always said of him, A man only has to look at him to want to possess him.

that’s a bullshit generalization. i think he’s just convinced himself that everyone else in the world is as fucked up as he is, living in a culture where this is normalized

In the next moment Kallias was throwing his arms around Erasmus, holding him tight, pressing his cheek to Erasmus’s cheek, the highest intimacy allowed to those who were forbidden to kiss.

restriction of bodily autonomy and intimate activity.

‘I’m for the other Prince,’ said Kallias. ‘Kastor.’

i’m shocked that kastor’s type isn’t blondes with blue eyes, since that’s what damen is into

Close as brothers, the trainers said, smiling because this was a charming conceit, young slaves echoing the relationship of their princely masters.

infantilization and patronization. (by the way, it has never been lost on me that patras is called patras)

Erasmus talked hesitatingly and for the first time about his most private feelings

suppression of individuality and emotional expression.

The body knows when it is ready.

i don’t even know what to call this, but it’s fucked up. the idea that a person's physical reactions are more indicative of their desires or state of being than their thoughts or words.

When Iphegin’s room was cleared out and his kithara given to one of the new boys,

so they just completely got rid of him, because someone else pushed him and he got a scar. do you think he lived? what happens if he doesn’t have legal personhood but is deemed unfit as a slave? execution?

‘He was named for Iphegenia, the most-loyal. But they don’t remember your name if you fall.’

SOMEONE ELSE PUSHED HIM. there is no coherent logic of justice here. there doesn't need to be, with how they've conditioned these people.

‘I’m to be Kastor’s welcome when he returns from Delpha.’ He said Kastor’s name with its honorific, as all slaves did when they spoke of those above them, Kastor-exalted.

it’s interesting that pacat didn’t write the honorific into the dialogue, but specified that it was there.

It had never made sense that Kallias was being trained for Kastor. Yet for some reason the Keeper of the Royal Slaves had decreed that his finest slave-in-training should go not to the heir, or the King, but to Kastor.

yeah i think the reason is that the keeper knows kastor is about to kill his dad and brother

‘Damianos doesn’t take male slaves.’ ‘Sometimes he—’ ‘I don’t have your colouring,’ Kallias said, and he opened his eyes, reaching up to put his finger around a curl of Erasmus’s hair.

this isn’t getting a “damen likes blondes” tally

A full performance of The Fall of Inachtos was four hours, and the Hypenor was six, so that every spare moment was spent in internal recitation.

forced repetition, memorization, and recital of prescribed literature.

But that night, he let his mind drift to other poems

good.

In the female gardens, of course, pins were more common. The tastes of the King and his two sons ran along predictable lines.

i don’t want to think about the female gardens

Erasmus was aware of the lingering responsiveness of his body, which he could not touch himself.

denial of bodily autonomy and intimate activities, specifically with one’s self.

Some days he liked it. He liked the ache of it. He liked the feeling that he was denying himself something to please his Prince. It felt strict, virtuous.

makes sense, given the strategic abuse he’s faced. which is fucked up.

He knew . . . he knew the Prince had many slaves. The attendants spoke of this with approval. The Prince had healthy appetites, and took lovers frequently, slaves and nobles too, when the need was on him. That was good. He was liberal with his affections, and a King should always have a large retinue. He knew the Prince’s eye tended to roam, that he was always pleased by something new, that his slaves were looked after, kept in permanent style, while his eye, roaming, frequently fell on new conquests. He knew that when he wanted men, the Prince rarely took slaves. He was more likely to come from the arena with his blood up and pick out some display fighter. There was a gladiator from Isthima who had lasted in the arena for twelve minutes against the Prince before he’d fallen to him, and had spent six hours in the Prince’s chambers, after. He was told those stories too. And of course he only had to choose a fighter and they would yield to him as any slave, for he was the son of the King.

damen’s development throughout the series really is incredible, both in terms of execution and the amount of development that occurred while still feeling believable

What it would be like, to be the receptacle for the Prince’s pleasure?

like you're an object, not a person.

Kallias sang the ballad of Iphegenia, who had loved her master so much that she waited for him though she knew what it meant to do so

using “history” to reinforce instilled values.

‘I want to be taken across the ocean. I want to see other lands. I want to see Isthima, and Cortoza, I want to see the place where Iphegenia waited, the great palace where Arsaces gave himself to a lover,’ he said, recklessly. The yearning inside him crested. ‘I want—to feel what it is to—’ ‘Live in the world,’ said Kallias.

The space between their bodies felt clouded and hot. He understood why those three places on his body were forbidden to him, because all of them began to ache.

Festival food for everyone: the ceremonies of First Night eclipsed anything he had seen in the gardens of Nereus, the height of a slave’s career.

and how fucking bleak is that

Tarchon said, ‘He is fit for a King. I always questioned Adrastus’s decision to send him to Kastor.’

at least there’s some kastor shade in this story. insulting that guy never gets old

Kallias laughed, the sound uneven. ‘Tell me again that we’ll be together. That you’ll serve the Prince and I’ll serve his brother. Tell me how it will be.’ ‘I don’t understand.’ ‘Then I will teach you,’ said Kallias, and kissed him.

seems like kallias figured it out

Standing two paces away, Kallias was holding Erasmus’s golden pin in his hand where he’d torn it from the silk.

oh.

‘You can’t serve the Prince now, you’re tainted.’ The words were sharp, jagged. ‘You’re tainted. You could scrub at it for hours and you’d never wash it off.’

‘You said you wanted to cross the ocean,’ said Kallias.

this... hits a little too close to some things for me. but i get what the story is saying, and i appreciate it, and it is very sad that this was the best option. i guess i'll just say that if you think any of those kinds of abusive indoctrination and conditioning tactics are normal and happening in your life, they're not normal, and they should not be happening. you deserve better. and you probably won't listen to me or even recognize that at all, because this is real life and institutions like this one do exist and entire lives go to waste and unlike in fiction you can't care about someone hard enough to change that if they don't care about themselves. anyway.

He would never wear a pin, but he would make an excellent table attendant, and perhaps a trainer himself one day, patient with the younger boys.

oh my god the trainers are slaves too.

Astacos said he saw soldiers speaking with Adrastus, asking for the names of all the slaves who belonged to Damianos. Everyone wearing a lion pin was taken away. That’s where we thought you’d be. Not here with us.

so i think kallias did what he did because he knew kastor’s plans and wanted to save erasmus’s life. but i also think, not even considering that, there’s a subtler implication of the tragedy of this existence, in which the closest thing to freedom is excommunication. it’s one thing to leave because you know it’s the right thing to do, even if it’s hard, and that’s not something people groomed and abused under these conditions would be able to just do. but to be sabotaged, in this case, is liberation. i think this story would have been just as effective, if not more effective, if it hadn’t involved kastor’s plot at all. an alternate conclusion: kallias drank the kool aid like erasmus and everyone else for his entire life, was the best of the best and sent to the prince, but then faced abuse and the harsh reality of kastor’s cruelty when serving him. he realizes that this is fucked up and tries to spare erasmus from the same fate, and the sadism from kallias is implied both in his dialogue and appearance, but erasmus himself does not understand. that would be effective without the twist of literally saving erasmus’s life because kastor is going to kill damianos's slaves. because when they're living like this, they don't even have lives to lose in the first place.

It occurred to him, stupidly, that Kallias would know what was happening, that he should ask Kallias, and that was when the screams began.

do you think kallias lived? kastor didn’t kill his own slaves, right? i feel like the story is trying to tell me that kallias dies here, but it doesn’t make sense why that would happen.

final thoughts:

again, i think this honestly would have worked better if the ending had not been the inciting events of capri, but either the implication that as kastor’s slave kallias would live a life experiencing sadism and physical abuse, or erasmus learning that kallias took his own life. i don’t know, i just think i want this to go harder on the institution, rather than this specific situation. yes, damen treated his slaves “well,” but i think the idea of kastor not doing so makes a lot of sense. and if the conclusion is “this system puts cruel people in positions where they can abuse people without free will,” rather than “kastor is bad and killed slaves even though they did nothing wrong,” it just works a lot better for me. i think this story is working on both levels, partially to tie it into the main series, but also quite frankly because this is a sexual fantasy for some people. to me, it's horror and tragedy, and hits way too close to real-life institutions to ever be anything but that. i am guessing that this story was written before prince's gambit and king's rising, where the series's stances become a lot more pronounced and the slave kink stuff becomes almost irrelevant.

the story is well-written, is saying something, and i don't think it's bad. upsetting fiction is not bad fiction. and the world building here does provide more context to the main series. but yeah, i don't see myself reading this short story ever again.

[amsiib]

kallias and erasmus!! <3 i am not exaggerating when i say they are everything to me. i am living off of CRUMBS they deserve so much more love ugh. they are so tragic so beautiful. anyways!! second pic w the wings is based off of @my-dear-brute ‘s kallias/erasmus fic Sweetest Fruit on ao3 <33

[tototalks]

Next side story, The Training of Erasmus! 🩷✨

I really enjoyed the world-building in this, and I more so than ever want nice things for Erasmus (and Kallias!)🥰

- Starting off, it’s immediately clear to see the difference between the nature of pets in Vere and the nature of slaves in Akielos where submission is given willingly and cultivated in a very different, almost scholarly way. I like that Erasmus clearly takes pride in what he does and enjoys it.

- I also really appreciate the subtlety and class of Pacat’s writing, especially given the nature of the setting. It makes the whole thing much more alive, and thus palatable to read, because this pleasure slave training could easily sound like a terrible Wattpad “how tf did this get published?’ book, but it doesn’t. It’s immersive and believable as part of the Akielon culture.

- Erasmus is really just so keen to please, and has so much pressure on his shoulders given his training. Now he has his transition into adulthood and still feels like he cannot truly reciprocate the love shown him, even by his friends. Conceal don’t feel never did anyone any good. Let it go, Erasmus.

- Every time Akielos’ marble floors are mentioned I think about how hot it must be to walk barefoot on that in the sun. All the slaves hopping and skipping in fear of burning their feet. Like walking next to a swimming pool in summer cursing your scorched toes. 😂

- The training grounds give very convent vibes, peaceful and concealed… and everyone is a virgin.💀

- If I were one of the trainees, I’d be terrified that one tiny scar from falling is enough to render the years of training useless. I fell over a flat fuckin surface this week. Makes me wonder if jealous slaves trip each other on purpose to get ahead.

- So much emphasis is put on physical appearance and the notion of perceived purity. I find this interesting actually, and it makes a real change to see these kinds of expectations put on a male character.

- Iphigen’s name was a cool choice! The mythological character of Iphigenia was killed as a “maiden” (Iphigenia in Aulis) - however, in some versions of the story (Cypria) -Artemis, the goddess of maidenhood, saves her before her father, Agamemnon, can kill her as a sacrifice… yeah ain’t foreshadowing a bitch lol

- I love that there is absolutely not a mean bone in Erasmus’ body. He isn’t jealous of Kallias, and supports him wholeheartedly in his endeavours. Erasmus’ kind nature has proven time and time again to be one of his greatest strengths. You don’t have to be a warrior to have power.

- I’m glad Erasmus got to experience real affection before truly becoming a slave, even if he was prevented from manifesting it fully. He experienced love that wasn’t transactional. ♥️

- Aden on the other hand is turning green and sweetheart, that is NOT a good look for you. Being jealous of Erasmus is like hating a cotton ball.

- Poor Erasmus just wants to read his cute love poems and is forced to memorise the Iliad, Odyssey, and Bibliotheca because Damen has the literary tastes of a five year old who likes swords. 😭😭

- I also love the detail that there’s an Akielon Homer and everyone is like “ffs how do you have THAT MUCH to say about one war??” Because same honestly. Thank you very much for the tedious lists of boats and lineages. Very helpful. I feel you, Erasmus 😂

- I like the mention of how Damen’s eyes are known to roam, and this serves only to highlight how down bad he is for Laurent later on. That boy fell HARD.

- “I wish you could have been my first.” 🥺🥺🥺 Torveld better fuckin take Erasmus to see the world like he wanted.

- Erasmus must have felt so betrayed by that kiss, but it 100% saved his life, and he definitely had to acknowledge that privately some time later on. Kallias was also his first kiss.🥲

- There’s a certain brutality in itself that comes with training the slaves for “innocence”, and placing purity on a very high pedestal. Your value being entirely attached to your virginity. So much so that one touch can render you ‘useless’ and ‘tainted’.

- I like that Erasmus doesn’t violently resent Kallias for the kiss even immediately after it happens- he’s confused and upset, but he must have known there was a reason.

- And here’s my million dollar question: WHAT HAPPENED TO KALLIAS?? 😨

[x-xhiro]

Prince's Gambit Erasmus

I wanted to give him some jewelry, inspired by "gift to favored servant from master" Roman archeology finds. Because I think Torveld would gift him things. Unfortunately, it was an major afterthought.

The outfit was inspired of art works from Moroccoan servants. I'm trying to figure out Patras. Right now, my major influences are North Arab African, medieval Spain, and Perisan.

I also wanted to remove his cuffs, but when I was reading the sections, I didn't see anything mention about them being on or off.