Gild

“I’m the darling of King Midas, ruler of Highbell and the Sixth Kingdom of Orea. People flock to see me just as much as they come to look upon his gleaming castle worth more than all the riches in the entire realm.

I’m the gold-plated prisoner.

But what a pretty prison it is.”

This passage lays the foundation of the world building in the novel, including the gold-covered Highbell Castle and the six kingdoms of Orea. Additionally, Auren’s descriptions establish her understanding of her status as an object to be envied, and she even reveals a brief glimmer of her dissatisfaction with her captivity. Though she professes to feel grateful and safe, she still acknowledges that her accommodations, no matter how pretty, are still a “prison.” These early flashes of dissent foreshadow her ensuing quest to break free of those who would seek to control her.

“‘You are not here to have thoughts,’ Midas snaps, cutting me off in a rare harsh discipline that makes my breath catch. He was in such a good mood, and I ruined it. ‘Do I not treat you well?’ he demands, flinging his arms up as his voice cracks through the vast room. ‘Do I not bestow every comfort to you?’

[…]

‘There are whores in the city right now, living in squalor, pissing in buckets and humping in the streets to make a coin with their cunt. And yet, you complain?’”

From Midas’s first lines of brutal, misogynistic dialogue, it is clear that despite his vaunted claims of protection and favor, he treats Auren with nothing but contempt, dehumanizing her and denying her even the right to “have thoughts.” Although Auren herself displays the stereotypically fawning response of one who is habitually abused, the narrative makes it clear that Midas has no redeeming qualities in this unbalanced relationship. However, at this point, Auren has been conditioned to believe that she deserves whatever ill treatment she receives, and her instinctively cringing reaction reveals The Psychological Impact of Captivity on her sense of self.

“The bird just continues to stare at me, and I tell myself to stop talking to the thing. It took its last breath a long time ago. I don’t even remember the sound of its song anymore. I imagine it was beautiful, though, before it solidified into a gleaming, silent specter.

Is that going to be me?

Fifty years from now, will my body go completely solid like the bird? Will my organs fuse, my voice silent, tongue weighted?”

Birds are an important symbol throughout the novel, and this scene marks the first appearance of avian imagery, which Kennedy frequently uses to express different aspects of Auren’s captivity. In this scene, Auren explicitly compares herself to the solid-gold pet bird in Midas’s possession. Like the bird, Auren should be free but remains caged, and her fears that she will one day be rendered silent and unmoving like the bird capture the true realities of her life under Midas’s thumb.

“Midas saved me. He pulled me from ruin and put me in a castle. I gave him my heart, and he gave me his protection. One look. He said he took one look at me, and he loved me, and I loved him right back. How could I not? He was the first man to ever treat me with kindness. How can he ruin that and give me to Fulke of all people?

My throat catches as I grip the bars, my vision tilting in unsteady panic. ‘No, Tyndall, please.’”

In various glimpses like this one, Auren gradually reveals the reasons for her trust and faith in Midas. Because he saved her as a child and promised to protect her, she has always placed him in a position of undying love and loyalty. She now hopes to draw on that foundation of trust by calling out his given name, Tyndall, and her lack of deference shocks their audience. Ironically, Midas’s cruel abuse of her trust becomes the very thing that destroys it.

“King Rot’s reputation precedes him. Tales of how he rots the land to keep his people in line, how he’s vile and cruel. They say he doesn’t act with honor even on a battlefield—that he uses his power to make people fester and decompose, leaving their bodies in his fields for the flies to hatch maggots in.”

King Ravinger of Fourth Kingdom, who is nicknamed “King Rot” because of his magical ability to inflict decomposition on people and objects, appears in the novel only through dialogue and exposition. Although he never appears directly, the other kings’ focus on his power and depravity indicates that he will take on a more important role later in the series, foreshadowing events to come.

“You’re giving me to Fulke.

But even as I silently scream at him, that nagging voice in the back of my head chirps at me. This is Midas. This is the man who was once a vigilante. No crown, no title. Just a strong, confident man with a purpose. The one who rescued me and took me in. Elevated me until I became renowned throughout all of Sixth Kingdom—hell, all of Orea. He made me his gold-touched prize and held me up on a pedestal. But even before that, he was my friend.”

By describing her urge to remain subservient as a “nagging voice” that “chirps” at her, Auren once again equates the submissive part of herself to a bird in a cage, and this moment of internal conflict demonstrates her ongoing struggle to reconcile the inherent conflicts between her conditioned loyalty in Midas and her desire for autonomy. On the surface, Auren still believes that Midas is a friend who genuinely cares about her well-being, but her deeper self is fully aware of his betrayals. Auren’s inner thoughts also reveal key aspects of Midas’s backstory—particularly the fact that he does not come from wealth or nobility but was once a vigilante roaming the wilds and then rose to power through sheer will.

“Rissa, ever the professional, continues to sway seductively.

She’s beautiful. High apple cheekbones; large, round eyes; blonde hair nearly down to her waist; curves; and full pink lips. It’s no wonder why Fulke likes her so much. And it’s not just her beauty, either—all of Midas’s saddles are beautiful—but it’s her confidence, the way she can read a man and know how to seduce him. She can transform, form her walk to her words, into becoming what someone wants.”

Auren focuses on Rissa’s appearance and behavior often in the novel, always finding herself impressed by the woman’s skill and professionalism as a royal saddle. Rissa therefore acts as a foil to Auren, who, despite technically being a saddle herself, has never been required to seduce multiple men or indeed to suffer the touch of any man except Midas.

“I can feel a sharp, wet crackle burn in my eyes like a spitting wick, some invisible flame flickering in the center of my irises as tears threaten to pool like liquid fire.

And there, in the corner of a ten-year-long foundation of reliance and trust, a break appears. Like a shallow, jagged chip knocked into glass, a tiny fissure like spider’s silk spreads up an inch.”

Midas’s betrayal and lack of concern cause the first cracks in Auren’s foundation of trust. This scene marks a crucial moment in Auren’s slow progress toward The Importance of Self-Discovery and Empowerment, and it also demonstrates the flaw in the plans of men who actively use violence to control the women in their orbit. In this case, Midas uses emotional violence to control Auren, and his callous decision ironically begins a process that will cause him to lose that control.

“‘Worth?’ King Midas seethes as he stops in front of me. His tone is quiet, but the closest onlookers can still hear, and everyone is pressing closer, straining to hear what he says. ‘You are worth more than all the gold in this castle. But I still own you, and I will spend you any way I see fit.’

‘I’ve never heard a heart shatter, but it sounds like a crack spreading up a glass.’”

In a previous scene, Queen Malina taunted Auren by calling her an object that Midas owns and treasures but does not love. Now, Midas confirms the truth of this statement for the first time, explicitly equating Auren with a gold coin to be spent and traded among men as violent as himself, with no regard to her feelings or desires. Though Midas is unaware of the fact, his declaration marks the moment in which he irrevocably breaks the tether of control that he has over Auren.

“Midas leaves before dawn with a kiss, but his lips don’t take the taste away. And there in the dark, alone, I cry.

And that, that secret sob I let drain into my pillow, is an ugly truth. But it’s not one I’m ready to face yet.”

Auren is briefly charmed and cajoled by Midas’s calculated lies and false promises, and this dynamic demonstrating her internal struggle with the psychological impact of captivity. The narrative makes it clear that any effort to reclaim her agency after years of abuse and manipulation will necessarily progress only in fits and starts. Although Auren knows deep down that her faith in Midas has been broken and was never deserved to begin with, she cannot yet admit to herself that she has been shackled to a cruel abuser rather than saved by a righteous man.

“When I chose to hide away, I was barely more than a girl. Vulnerable. Battered. Scared. Utterly sick of what the world had to offer.

So I hid in a cage, and I was content to do so. After the things I endured, I wanted it. I accepted the bars, embraced them, even—not to keep me in, but to keep others out.

But I missed this. The fresh air in my lungs. The smell of the breeze. The cold against my cheek.”

As Auren steps beyond the castle’s boundaries for the first time in years, her visceral enjoyment of the environment causes her to reflect on her willingness to remain caged out of a need for safety. Her thoughts imply but do not fully acknowledge the emotional manipulation that Midas has inflicted upon her. However, despite Auren’s fear of stepping beyond the “safety” of captivity, she welcomes her first chance at freedom and open air with excitement, likewise implying that an autonomous life is what she truly wants.

“Call me naïve, but I assumed since Midas was crowned, since the palace turned from stone to pure gold, that the entirety of Highbell became a wealthy city too. I didn’t even consider that some of Midas’s people would be poor, right here in the city. Why would they be? He has all the means to pay them handsomely, no matter the job. Gold is no hardship for him, so why are his people living in squalor like this?”

This scene reveals both the extent of Auren’s sheltered perspective and the disastrous wealth disparity that afflicts Sixth Kingdom despite Midas’s ability to create instant gold. The political and social situation therefore highlights Midas’s greed and lust for power. He first came to power when he was a man with no title, and although he set himself up as a savior of the people, he refuses to use his vast wealth and power to help those he once promised to save. As Auren ventures out into the world, her understanding of Midas’s character continues to shift and evolve.

 “The bodies are molding in some places, like King Ravinger used his power to make them decay like a piece of fruit. Green, white, and black tufts of furry mold clusters over their mortal wounds like a macabre plumage.

Other parts of them are browned and shriveled, like a husk left out too long in the sun. And the rest of them… just gone. Like those parts of their bodies rotted away completely, disintegrating into the air as nothing more than peeled scraps of skin and powder of bones.”

As before, King Ravinger’s magical ability and cruelty are put on display through description and dialogue, though the character himself never appears on the page. Auren and the others regard this scene with horror and disgust, and their visceral reactions once again foreshadow Ravinger’s importance to future installments of the series.

“More than the desire to go outside, more than the craving for change, I realize how much I’ve wished for this, this connection with another person. Not an alliance for similar goals, not anything driven by politics or society or even lust. But a simple friendship. Just two people who enjoy talking to each other, who can share stories and meet in laughter, conspiring only for one another’s amusement.”

Auren continues on her path toward a renewed sense of self and agency as the caravan travels toward Fifth Kingdom. Even more beneficial than her newfound physical freedom is the friendship that she builds with Sail. Previously, she viewed Midas as her only friend, yet when she experiences Sail’s easy respect and affection, she begins to realize that Midas’s treatment of her pales in comparison.

“He doesn’t deserve this. He made it from the shanties to the barracks, to a personal guard of the king’s favored, all without a coin in his pocket. He’s the kindest person I’ve ever met, and he doesn’t deserve to be shoved up a hill by a pirate with no name.”

Having been captured by the pirates, Sail apologizes profusely to Auren for failing to keep her safe. In contrast to Midas, who threatens Auren while promising safety, Sail has consistently backed his promises with kindness and care. His actions therefore stand in direct opposition to the culture of violent misogyny that Midas represents.

“Guilt, acidic and hot, steams in my stomach, each rising tendril malignant. Is this a punishment? Do the Divine gods and goddesses scorn me for my urge to leave Midas’s cage? Maybe this is a reprimand of the fates, proof that I should’ve been satisfied with what I had, been grateful for it.”

Auren has made progress on her path to empowerment over the course of her journey with the caravan, but in this moment, the stresses of fresh captivity cause her to revert to her former subservient, cringing mindset. Beset by a deadly combination of fear and guilt, Auren irrationally blames herself for the pirate attack, believing that the group’s current predicament constitutes a form of cosmic punishment for her audacity to wish herself free. However, the hyperbolic nature of her words makes it clear that her guilt is a lingering symptom of the psychological impact of her long captivity rather than proof of real fault or wrongdoing on her part.

“I’m going to cut off some of her pretty hair and send it to Midas in a pretty box, because it will amuse me to taunt him. Perhaps I’ll even take hair from her golden snatch. […] And after I’m bored with her—who knows when that will be—I’ll see her to whoever will give me the highest price.”

Captain Fane of the Red Raids is the third antagonist of the novel, and his first appearance makes it clear that he revels in misogynistic violence and cruelty, therefore standing as yet another avatar of the novel’s thematic focus on The Damaging Effects of Patriarchy. In this scene, he gleefully fantasizes about what abuses he might inflict upon Auren, and his derogatory language is designed to taunt Sail, whose broader role in the novel is to act as a counterpoint to this culturally condoned violence against women.

“I scream, a horrible rage tearing out of my throat, my voice an unearthly noise that rents through the air, hollowing out the night, thrashing through the mountain pass, cursing at the covered stars.”

Auren viscerally reacts to Sail’s murder, and the hyperbolic intensity of her descriptions conveys how deeply she has come to care for him and what his friendship has meant to her sense of self. Additionally, the mention of the “covered stars” recalls imagery from the first chapter when Auren tried to see the stars through the clouds above the atrium (271). Just as her initial yearning to see the sky symbolized her longing for freedom, the “covered” stars in this scene indicate that yet another hard-won modicum of freedom has been cruelly snatched from her grasp.

“All twenty-four of my ribbons move like tentacles. All down my spinal cord, growing in perfect symmetry out of my skin, the inch-wide satin strips rise up on either side of my spine, from the bottom of my neck, to the dimples above my butt.

Their long lengths are like snakes ready to strike. Not at the captain, but to Sail, to the ropes that bind him to the pole.”

Auren’s ribbons are a symbol of her innate power and her defiance. She has used them in subtle ways in previous scenes, but now she uses them to dramatic effect in a moment of rage. Significantly, she does not seek to free herself from her predicament, and it is clear that she becomes most powerful when she is defending others; in this case, she seeks to protect Sail’s defiled body rather acting in her own defense.

“I wish Midas were here.

The thought surges into me so violently that tears fill my eyes. I would give anything to see him right now. For him to swoop in, to rescue us, to protect me once more. Just like he saved me from those raiders all those years ago. My vagabond savior. My champion king.

But Midas isn’t here.”

As before, in moments of fear and danger, Auren reverts to her earlier mentality, when she not only accepted but also longed for the safety of her cage and viewed Midas’s ill treatment as protection. This inner conflict illustrates the twisting nature of her path toward greater agency, as she must gradually and consciously unlearn the patterns of submission that she was forced to adopt in captivity.

“I keep waiting for rescue to come, for a dawn to bloom, for a star to hatch, for a hope to surface. But it doesn’t.”

As Fane drags Auren and Rissa to his chambers, preparing to rape them, Auren again yearns for the stars, which she equates with mercy and hope. Likewise, she waits for rescue to come from some external source, hoping that Midas or someone else will charge in and save them. However, when she realizes that no one else will save them, this moment becomes the catalyst that eventually galvanizes her into action.

“Anger appears in me, like my own rising dawn. My hands fist and my jaw locks. I know it the second that the sun officially crests the horizon, because with it, so does my resolve.”

Having acknowledged in the previous passage that no one else is coming to save her or Rissa, Auren feels her anger rising to the surface, and her cosmically themed similes convey the pure intensity of her emotions. Like the star she was hoping for, she resolves to become her own savior for the first time. Just as with Sail, her true power rises not in defense of herself but in defense of others—in this case, the much-abused Rissa.

“His face is the last to go.

Because I want him to watch. I want him to see. I want him to look at me and know that my eyes are his punishing promise.

The last thing Captain Fane is able to do is widen his gaze in shock. But he doesn’t have time to blink or breathe. Not again. Not ever.

[…]

Because I just turned the motherfucker solid gold.”

The short, blunt syntax in this passage vividly conveys Auren’s combined rage and determination as she allows her rising power to destroy her tormentor, using both her ribbons and her newly realized ability to kill Fane. In this climactic scene, Auren reaches an important milestone in her progress toward self-discovery and empowerment and fights back effectively for the first time.