#hopefully this isn't late SLKDFJKLSD

[cogaytes]

Kenric & Oralie

Roisin's Reading Rumble, Round 1

@camelspit @arson-anarchy-death

Councillor Kenric Fathdon and his secret lover, Councillor Oralie, were the butt of several jokes in the first few books due to their clear affections for each other that both clearly weren't fully trying to hide despite the law against Councillors falling in love. As the story continued, however, and Kenric was murdered by his former colleague Fintan, the reader gains further insight into both the origins of their affections for each other, and what kept them from walking away from the Council in the first place, making their separation all the more tragic.

ROUGH BEGINNINGS:

Kenric and Oralie's first interactions after the latter was elected to the Council were anything but sweet or loving. In fact, they hated each other, especially after Kenric delayed confirming Oralie's election to the Council: "I’ve always wondered why it took so many days for everyone to reach a consensus, since Emery had told me I was the only Empath up for consideration. But apparently it was you" (Stellarlune). One of Kenric's memories that is recovered from the cache takes place following Oralie's coronation as Councillor, and they spend most of it arguing; Oralie thanks him for "dropping the polite act" and refers to him as "my enemy." Kenric makes his own sarcastic comments in response. Though Kenric claims that his reluctance to confirm her as a Councillor was due to his concerns about the fragility of Empathy, their rivalry may have actually been a reaction to the connection they both felt—something Oralie confirms herself: "We definitely did [hate each other]. It took years for us to respect each other—and even longer before we figured out that most of our resentment was a defense mechanism to help us fight our deeper feelings" (Stellarlune). Psychologists refer to this phenomenon as a cognitive defense mechanism known as "reaction formation," where someone will "defend" themselves against an unwanted attitude towards a person by unconsciously treating in the opposite manner of their true feelings. Kenric and Oralie's mutual antipathy, therefore, would betray their true affections for each other. And indeed, they did harbor great affection for each other, to the point where everyone around them noticed.

DANCING AROUND EACH OTHER:

Oralie and Kenric's interactions, once their mutual hatred had faded, could best be described as "flirty" or "overly fond." Kenric often called her by a nickname, "Ora," which no one else in the series has called her, demonstrating a certain connection they shared that Oralie had with no other elf. In fact, she herself described it as "a very special connection" (Stellarlune). Kenric often reached for her hand or touched her cheek in a subtle display of his affection, and made thinly veiled comments about his affection for her: "I always say too much when I'm with you" (Unlocked 420). Some of his comments were far less veiled/subtle: "Kenric flashed a smug grin as he stepped closer—so close, the toes of their shoes touched. 'I seem to remember you losing your train of thought twice the other day when I wore that gray jerkin with the emeralds on the collar. The one you've always said brings out the flecks of green in my eyes.' He batted his lashes" (Unlocked 421). Oralie seemed very fond of the time they spent together, remarking, "He could be quite charming when he wanted to be" (Stellarlune). However, the love they shared couldn't—or wouldn't—ever be something they could bring to the public eye.

ILL-FATED CONFESSIONS:

Their mutual pining came to a head in a memory that was washed from Oralie's mind and stored in her cache as a Forgotten Secret. Upon reflecting that sometimes he wasn't proud to be a Councillor, Kenric confided in Oralie that he was considering resigning, and begged her to come with him: "I may not be an Empath, but I know I'm not alone in this. Don't tell me you've never wished...you don't have to keep fighting this" (Unlocked 424). Oralie halfheartedly urged him to not say it aloud, but it only spurred him on to say heatedly, "Because of love, Ora. We both know that's what this is, no matter how hard we pretend otherwise" (Unlocked 424). In this moment, he named their mutual connection, asked her to think of the life and they family they could have together, and Oralie seemed tempted—she leaned into his hand—but then told him she "can't do this." And rather than be hurt, or angry, Kenric only went on to prove how well he knew Oralie, by guessing her most devastating secret and the very thing that kept them apart: Oralie's secret involvement with the Black Swan and contribution to Project Moonlark. No matter how hurt he was by her refusal to be together, he still supported her by agreeing to hide her secret, hide their love for each other, and not turn her in for breaking her oath: "And..I understand. Or I'm trying to, anyway" (Unlocked 426). Beyond that, he told her that he'd stay on the Council with her, because her daughter would need allies. His love for her stretched so far that he automatically agreed to commit his life to a job he was unhappy with, if it meant protecting her child. Oralie, too, was clearly longing to agree to his plea and run away together: "He leaned toward her and her lips parted, like she might let him kiss her. But at the last second she turned her face away" (Unlocked 425). Though Kenric never stopped hoping that things will change, they continued to not-so-subtly remain in love but apart until Kenric's untimely death.

FOREVER APART:

Sophie caught on to Oralie and Kenric's mutual attraction from the very first day she came to the Lost Cities, between observation and reading Bronte's mind. She noticed Kenric "scooting his chair a touch closer to Oralie's than he really needed to" (Keeper 45), then caught Bronte thinking about how he'd caught them: "And you're tired of watching Kenric stare at Oralie.' Bronte's jaw fell open and Kenric's face turned as red as his hair. Oralie looked down at her plate, her cheeks flushing pink" (Keeper 48). Others, too, had much to say about Kenric and Oralie's closeness; Edaline commented that Jolie's party dress was, "probably the most talked about thing at the party—even more than how many times Councillor Kenric asked Councillor Oralie to dance" (Everblaze 108). They lived in neighboring castles; Kenric's surname was the password to Oralie's cache, and Kenric's required Oralie's eyelash to open. He was devoted enough that Sophie could instantly rule out the possibility of his survival by realizing, "Kenric would never let Oralie suffer" (Neverseen 469). Kenric also remained protective over Oralie—she reflected that "He always insisted on being involved in everything I did" (Unlocked 419), and that "He always kept me out of anything he'd decided was 'too intense'" (Unlocked 423). Clearly, Kenric did his best to keep Oralie safe, even if they couldn't be together. And he clearly thought often about what could have been, as he paid a visit to the matchmakers to confirm that he and Oralie would have been each other's first choice. Oralie commented on how Kenric was "usually far more cautious" about keeping their mutual adoration a secret—no matter how obvious comments like "You always make everything better" (Everblaze 186) might have seemed to those around them. But as tragically separated as they might have seemed, this was nothing compared to their final separation after Fintan's murder of Kenric.

ORALIE'S GRIEF:

Kenric's death shook Oralie to her very core, even months after his planting. The sight which confirmed to Sophie that Kenric was truly gone was the image of "the rest of the Councillors gathered around a sobbing Oralie" (Everblaze 203). Oralie was so devastated by her lover's loss that even the full strength of the Council could console her; this was made even clearer by Sophie's narration of the Council attending the funeral: "But the finery didn't make them look any less weary and miserable. Especially Oralie. Her eyes were nothing more than puffy red slits, and she leaned on her goblin bodyguards like they were the only things keeping her standing" (Everblaze 215). To be so crushed by someone's loss that she was rendered unable to stand up on her own, Kenric was clearly very, very important to Oralie. And the marks never faded, even with time; after Bronte referenced Kenric's death, Sophie commented, "Silence followed, and Sophie had to steal a glance at Oralie, feeling her heart twist when she watched Oralie's eyes turn glassy. Clearly all the months since Kenric's death hadn't lessened Oralie's grief over losing the person everyone had suspected she'd secretly been in love with—and who'd obviously been in love with her, too" (Legacy 145). Clearly, Oralie was significantly impacted by Kenric's death, and continued to be so for months and months. It affected everything from her clothing choices at the Peace Summit during Lodestar to her decision to hold Sophie back from hurting Gethen as he taunted her, because "Kenric would have wanted me to" (Lodestar 334). The residual impact of his death also left Oralie wondering if there was anything she could have done to prevent it. With Kenric's death fresh, Oralie risked her position on the Council to fulfill his last wish: that his cache be given to Sophie. During that tearful exchange, Oralie added, "'Though I should've done more to help.' Tears slipped down Oralie's cheeks. 'I should've done so many things'" (Neverseen 23). Though Oralie at first seemed to be only referring to how she hadn't been able to do anything to prevent Kenric's death despite fearing that it would happen, she also was likely referencing her choice not to resign with him. Before, she was clearly regretful but firmly unyielding in that decision, but now, with him gone, she perhaps wondered if it truly was worth it to sacrifice their life together. In another moment of reflection, this time about Oralie's inability to save Mr. Forkle's twin, he told her, "'One thing I've had to learn,' Mr. Forkle interrupted, 'and I suspect you know this better than most—is that it's far too easy to analyze a tragedy after the fact and feel like you should've been able to prevent it,'" and she responded, "'Yes,' Oralie whispered, 'It is.' Sophie had a feeling Oralie was thinking about the day Councillor Kenric was taken from them" (Nightfall 124). Even months after his death, Oralie carried the weight of his absence and the regrets she had every single day, demonstrating the true extend of his importance to her.

CONCLUSION:

Both Kenric and Oralie are primarily characterized by their devotion to each other. Though in recent books each has gained further depth, between Oralie's reveal as Sophie's mother and Kenric's erased memory of meeting with Prentice, they cannot even seem to be mentioned without referencing the other. From a reader's perspective, their dynamic is fascinating: they hated each other, then fell in love but were kept apart, then Oralie refused to walk away from the Council even if it meant being with Kenric, then Kenric remained devoted by her side despite her rejection, and then he died and it clearly came close to breaking Oralie. They shared a common love, but also a sense of duty that prevented them from acting on that love, and a clear loyalty for each other that never wavered. Kenric and Oralie are the ultimate doomed star-crossed lovers, kept apart not only by fate, but also by death itself.