Damen of Akielos (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
giantanimal) wrote2025-01-27 10:04 am
giantanimal) wrote2025-01-27 10:04 am
Character History
CW: Slavery, rape, violence, torture.
Prince Damianos grew up knowing he would be king of Akielos one day. He was second born, but his big brother Kastor was a bastard, so Damen was heir as soon as he was born. Damen grew up loved, trusting, and a bit naive. He idolized his big brother and never thought for a moment that Kastor could have any negative feelings about having lost his future crown. Damen just went through life thinking the best of everyone and believing everyone was as straightforward and sincere as he was. He also believed that the slaves that served in the palace (including in his bed) were treated well and valued and liked being slaves. So maybe a little more than a bit naive. He just had no reason to think critically about the systems that benefited him.
He excelled at fighting and sports and all things physical. When Damen was nineteen, Akielos went to war with the neighboring country of Vere. Damen went with them and lead soldiers into battle. The war ended with Damen and Prince Auguste fighting a duel to Auguste's death. Vere had also just lost their king, so the king's brother, acting as Regent to 13-year-old Prince Laurent, ordered a surrender. Damen earned the title of Princekiller that day. He also earned the enmity of Vere and even more love from his people.
Things were going pretty well until Damen's father got sick. It was a long sickness, and eventually the king died. Damen found out about this when soldiers invaded his room and took him prisoner. He found out that it was on Kastor's orders, but he still thought it was a mistake up until they dragged him to the slave quarters and clapped him in golden chains. It was then that he learned that Kastor wasn't the only one who had betrayed him--Damen's lover, Jokaste, had joined Kastor, and the two of them had conspired to send Damen to Vere as a slave to get him out of the way. He was gifted to Laurent of all people (now 20) and proceeded to have a very bad time of it. Laurent didn't know Damen's true identity (or so Damen thought), but Laurent was still more than happy to take out his rage at the entire country on Damen.
It didn't help that Damen was used to being a prince, not a slave or even a servant, and he was used to the straightforward culture of Akielos, not the more conniving culture of the court of Vere (especially under the reign of the Regent). He had a bad time of it. He was beaten several times at Laurent's orders, including nearly to death with a whip in an act that left his back permanently and gruesomely scarred. It wasn't until Damen asked Laurent for help getting the other Akielon slaves to safety that they began to see each other differently. Laurent helped Damen, and Damen started behaving himself. And then Damen thwarted an attempt to assassinate Laurent. When Damen was subsequently caught attempting to escape, Laurent protected him in return, at great cost to himself. The Regent was sending Laurent to the Akielos border. When Damen realized it was a trap, he demanded to come with.
They still didn't like each other, but their goals were aligned, and slowly, they began to trust each other. Damen, who was an experienced soldier, helped Laurent wrangle his men into an actual fighting force. Laurent amazed Damen with his strategic mind and how much he actually cared about his country and his men. Slowly, they grew closer and started to rely on each other. And feel increasingly attracted to each other, though both of them knew it was a terrible idea and nothing good could come of it. This all culminated in Damen ended up captaining Laurent's army in a decisive battle against the Regent's allies and helping Laurent take a supposedly impenetrable fort. Laurent promised him his freedom in the morning. It hadn't become any less of a terrible idea, but the two of them slept together that night.
The next day, Damen had his collar and one cuff removed. He kept one cuff on out of sentimentality. Before he could leave, the Regent retaliated against Laurent by killing one of the few friends Laurent had and delivering his mutilated head to the gate of their fort. Damen went to comfort Laurent and promised to stay for three more days. Then Laurent left while Damen waited for reinforcements.
Those reinforcements happened to be Damen's childhood best friend Nikandros and an army of Akielon soldiers, so Damen was finally reunited with his people and restored to the title of King Damianos. They were supposed to meet Laurent in a surprise attack against the Regent, but Laurent and his army never showed up. Fortunately, Damen is really really good at killing people, so while the battle was a hard one and they sustained heavy losses, they did end up victorious. It turned out that Laurent had been ambushed and captured, but by the time Damen's army had achieved their victory, Laurent had managed to escape. Damen confronted him, ready to finally confess his identity, but it turned out Laurent had known the whole time. It also turned out the Regent had traveled to Akielos and now he and Laurent both needed to head to the capital at Ios to confront their usurpers.
With all secrets out, Laurent's anger at Damen bubbled back to the surface, and though they were publicly allied and publicly friends, privately they were back to being enemies. Or, Laurent was back to being Damen's enemy. Damen was still hopelessly in love, but there was nothing he could do about it. In a public ceremony, they signed a treaty and exchanged gifts: from Laurent, the prisoners who'd been responsible for murdering Damen's people, publicly flogged in an echo of what Laurent had done to Damen. Damen's gift, in return, was the gold slave cuff that matched the one he still wore, sized to Laurent's wrist, marking them equals.
The emnity continued between the two rulers and their two camps. There was internal difficulty on Damen's side too--the Akielon kyroi didn't like seeing their king wearing the cuff of a slave. Things only started to thaw when both armies partook in a day of games. To Damen's surprise, Laurent participated in the royal Akielon sport of Okton, a game that involves horses and throwing spears, and even ended up tying with Damen for the victory. Then, everyone celebrated, and Laurent got drunk with the Kyroi and the Akielon generals, and Damen had to help him to his room. Laurent drunkenly told Damen he missed him, and then Damen put him to bed.
The fort that was supposed to be their first battle as a joint army turned out to have been abandoned. The only people still remaining were Lady Jokaste and some of her servants. Jokaste had just had a baby, who was no longer there, and she implied that the baby might be Damen's rather than Kastor's. Laurent went to comfort Damen, who in addition to worrying about the child that might be his son, was finally feeling the grief from the loss of his own father, long put off. The two of them reconciled and slept together again, this time with no lies between them. Then, knowing that Damen would never risk the life of his maybe-son, Laurent helped him hatch a plan to get the kid back. They took off together with a small handful of men, in disguise, to meet at the Kingsmeet where violence was prohibited, where they could make an exchange: Jokaste for the child. Laurent and Damen continued to grow closer, and Damen wished there was a way they could be together despite being the rulers of rival nations.
Lucky for him, some fairies were apparently listening cause that's his canon point!
Prince Damianos grew up knowing he would be king of Akielos one day. He was second born, but his big brother Kastor was a bastard, so Damen was heir as soon as he was born. Damen grew up loved, trusting, and a bit naive. He idolized his big brother and never thought for a moment that Kastor could have any negative feelings about having lost his future crown. Damen just went through life thinking the best of everyone and believing everyone was as straightforward and sincere as he was. He also believed that the slaves that served in the palace (including in his bed) were treated well and valued and liked being slaves. So maybe a little more than a bit naive. He just had no reason to think critically about the systems that benefited him.
He excelled at fighting and sports and all things physical. When Damen was nineteen, Akielos went to war with the neighboring country of Vere. Damen went with them and lead soldiers into battle. The war ended with Damen and Prince Auguste fighting a duel to Auguste's death. Vere had also just lost their king, so the king's brother, acting as Regent to 13-year-old Prince Laurent, ordered a surrender. Damen earned the title of Princekiller that day. He also earned the enmity of Vere and even more love from his people.
Things were going pretty well until Damen's father got sick. It was a long sickness, and eventually the king died. Damen found out about this when soldiers invaded his room and took him prisoner. He found out that it was on Kastor's orders, but he still thought it was a mistake up until they dragged him to the slave quarters and clapped him in golden chains. It was then that he learned that Kastor wasn't the only one who had betrayed him--Damen's lover, Jokaste, had joined Kastor, and the two of them had conspired to send Damen to Vere as a slave to get him out of the way. He was gifted to Laurent of all people (now 20) and proceeded to have a very bad time of it. Laurent didn't know Damen's true identity (or so Damen thought), but Laurent was still more than happy to take out his rage at the entire country on Damen.
It didn't help that Damen was used to being a prince, not a slave or even a servant, and he was used to the straightforward culture of Akielos, not the more conniving culture of the court of Vere (especially under the reign of the Regent). He had a bad time of it. He was beaten several times at Laurent's orders, including nearly to death with a whip in an act that left his back permanently and gruesomely scarred. It wasn't until Damen asked Laurent for help getting the other Akielon slaves to safety that they began to see each other differently. Laurent helped Damen, and Damen started behaving himself. And then Damen thwarted an attempt to assassinate Laurent. When Damen was subsequently caught attempting to escape, Laurent protected him in return, at great cost to himself. The Regent was sending Laurent to the Akielos border. When Damen realized it was a trap, he demanded to come with.
They still didn't like each other, but their goals were aligned, and slowly, they began to trust each other. Damen, who was an experienced soldier, helped Laurent wrangle his men into an actual fighting force. Laurent amazed Damen with his strategic mind and how much he actually cared about his country and his men. Slowly, they grew closer and started to rely on each other. And feel increasingly attracted to each other, though both of them knew it was a terrible idea and nothing good could come of it. This all culminated in Damen ended up captaining Laurent's army in a decisive battle against the Regent's allies and helping Laurent take a supposedly impenetrable fort. Laurent promised him his freedom in the morning. It hadn't become any less of a terrible idea, but the two of them slept together that night.
The next day, Damen had his collar and one cuff removed. He kept one cuff on out of sentimentality. Before he could leave, the Regent retaliated against Laurent by killing one of the few friends Laurent had and delivering his mutilated head to the gate of their fort. Damen went to comfort Laurent and promised to stay for three more days. Then Laurent left while Damen waited for reinforcements.
Those reinforcements happened to be Damen's childhood best friend Nikandros and an army of Akielon soldiers, so Damen was finally reunited with his people and restored to the title of King Damianos. They were supposed to meet Laurent in a surprise attack against the Regent, but Laurent and his army never showed up. Fortunately, Damen is really really good at killing people, so while the battle was a hard one and they sustained heavy losses, they did end up victorious. It turned out that Laurent had been ambushed and captured, but by the time Damen's army had achieved their victory, Laurent had managed to escape. Damen confronted him, ready to finally confess his identity, but it turned out Laurent had known the whole time. It also turned out the Regent had traveled to Akielos and now he and Laurent both needed to head to the capital at Ios to confront their usurpers.
With all secrets out, Laurent's anger at Damen bubbled back to the surface, and though they were publicly allied and publicly friends, privately they were back to being enemies. Or, Laurent was back to being Damen's enemy. Damen was still hopelessly in love, but there was nothing he could do about it. In a public ceremony, they signed a treaty and exchanged gifts: from Laurent, the prisoners who'd been responsible for murdering Damen's people, publicly flogged in an echo of what Laurent had done to Damen. Damen's gift, in return, was the gold slave cuff that matched the one he still wore, sized to Laurent's wrist, marking them equals.
The emnity continued between the two rulers and their two camps. There was internal difficulty on Damen's side too--the Akielon kyroi didn't like seeing their king wearing the cuff of a slave. Things only started to thaw when both armies partook in a day of games. To Damen's surprise, Laurent participated in the royal Akielon sport of Okton, a game that involves horses and throwing spears, and even ended up tying with Damen for the victory. Then, everyone celebrated, and Laurent got drunk with the Kyroi and the Akielon generals, and Damen had to help him to his room. Laurent drunkenly told Damen he missed him, and then Damen put him to bed.
The fort that was supposed to be their first battle as a joint army turned out to have been abandoned. The only people still remaining were Lady Jokaste and some of her servants. Jokaste had just had a baby, who was no longer there, and she implied that the baby might be Damen's rather than Kastor's. Laurent went to comfort Damen, who in addition to worrying about the child that might be his son, was finally feeling the grief from the loss of his own father, long put off. The two of them reconciled and slept together again, this time with no lies between them. Then, knowing that Damen would never risk the life of his maybe-son, Laurent helped him hatch a plan to get the kid back. They took off together with a small handful of men, in disguise, to meet at the Kingsmeet where violence was prohibited, where they could make an exchange: Jokaste for the child. Laurent and Damen continued to grow closer, and Damen wished there was a way they could be together despite being the rulers of rival nations.
Lucky for him, some fairies were apparently listening cause that's his canon point!