The Priory of the Orange Tree

Sabran IX is the queen of Inys and one of the novel’s three protagonists. Sabran’s line is descended from Saint Galian, the founder of the religion of Six Virtues, and Kalyba, the Witch of Inysca; however, for most of the novel Sabran believes Cleolind to be her female ancestor. Sabran’s mother—Queen Rosarian—was assassinated when Sabran was a child. Her father is ostensibly Rosarian’s husband (an ambassador called Wilstan Fynch), though by the novel’s end it is suggested that Captain Gian Harlowe may be her actual father. Since her mother’s death, Sabran has been mentored by Lady Igrain Crest, one of the members of her ruling council.

The reader glimpses Sabran mostly through the eyes of Ead, and at the beginning of the novel she appears to be haughty, entitled, and petty—a symbol of the excesses of monarchy. As the narrative proceeds, Sabran’s character begins to evolve. Ead sees that Sabran is also courageous, such as when she faces the High Western Fýredel. It slowly becomes obvious that Sabran feels weighed down by tradition and responsibility and that much of her queenly demeanor is a defense mechanism. By the end of the narrative, Sabran’s love for Ead and her people redeems her. Like Ead, Sabran sacrifices her romantic life in the short term to do the right thing by the people of Inys.

Sabran’s position as queen exacerbates her struggle with heteronormative gender roles. Because the people of Inys believe the Berethnet bloodline protects them from wyrms, they expect Sabran to produce a daughter. However, Sabran neither wants to wed or give birth and seeks a way out in the form of an immortality elixir. When Niclays Roos cannot produce the elixir, Sabran casts him out of Virtudom. It becomes clear over time that Sabran’s real anger is towards her impossible situation.

Though Sabran tends to be moody and wallow in self-pity at times, she can also be extremely brave, such as when she announces the loss of her pregnancy to her court, promising them that she “will ride into any battle for you, as Glorian Shieldheart rode for her people. Come what may” (554). Ead notes Sabran’s charisma; though she does not possess actual magic, Sabran has the magical ability to lead and persuade: She is “golden-tongued” (554). Sabran also shows tremendous growth when she becomes the first ruler to suggest an alliance between West and East, sending her friend Loth to the Emperor Dranghien as her messenger. This is a far stance from her early prejudice and close-mindedness. Sabran also accepts the losses in her life with grace, whether it is the death of her husband, Aubrecht, and their unborn child, Glorian, or that of her belief system.

A protagonist in the novel, Tané is a young woman from Seiiki with a distinctive fishhook-shaped scar under her eye. Tané is one of four point of view characters. An orphan whose entire family perished in a fire in her native village of Ampiki, Tané has lived in the Seiikinese city of Cape Hisan since she was three, training to be a dragonrider (or “Miduchi”). Driven, hardworking, and brave, Tané is also secretive and somewhat self-serving in the beginning of the novel. Tané is unduly hard on herself and can judge peers who don’t work as hard as her. However, as the story advances Tané goes through several upheavals that contribute to the evolution of her character. After Tané’s actions indirectly lead to her friend Susa’s execution, Tané is filled with deep remorse. She forms a close relationship with her dragon, Nayimathun, and resolves to put Nayimathun before her own self. Though Tané judges herself terribly for her mistakes, Nayimathun reminds Tané of her worthiness. Tané has the “soul of water […] the blood of the sea. And the sea is not always pure” (680). In other words, Tané is flexible like water and deserves a second chance.

Tané’s realization of her inner strength parallels her discovery of an actual magical object sewn into her side. In a reversal of fortunes, Tané learns that she is of extraordinary lineage, being the heir of Neporo, who bound the Nameless One alongside Cleolind. Tané carries the same gem that Neporo wielded. The gem thus symbolizes Tané’s inner power; tellingly, it controls water, Tané’s element. Like Sabran, Tané lets go of her close-mindedness about other cultures as the narrative proceeds. She forms a working relationship with Loth and agrees to accompany him to Inys. She even visits the Priory to retrieve an orange fruit that will save Ead’s life. By the end of the novel, she has grown tremendously as a character.

Handsome and affable, Loth is a member of Sabran’s court and the heir to Goldenbirch estate. At the onset of the novel, Loth seems a minor character, but as the story progresses it becomes clear that he is one of the chief characters. Loth is one of four people whose point of view dominates the narrative.

Like Sabran, Loth feels trapped in tradition. As the elder child of his family, he is supposed to run Goldenbirch; however, his inclination is to be at court and to travel. Loth undergoes many tragedies and journeys that test his mettle and make him grow as a person. Not only is he exiled from Inys for a rumored romance with Sabran, but he is also sent to the blighted country of Yscalin, putting his life in peril. The loss of his close friend Kit and his own brushes with danger make Loth mature.

Loth shows his innate kindness when he agrees to help the princess of Yscalin at the risk of his own life. Though he is a devoted believer in the religion of the Six Virtues, he begins to accept that his religion may not be the whole truth. Loth is also instrumental to the plot because it is he who tells Tané about Ead and carries Sabran’s request for an alliance to the East. His friendship with Ead and Sabran and his unconditional acceptance of their relationship show his loyalty and open-mindedness.

Surly and self-centered at the beginning of the novel, Niclays is a surgeon and an alchemist exiled to Orisima for failing to produce an immortality elixir for Sabran. Because Niclays is a point of view character, the reader knows that he has a negative, resentful outlook towards the world. The most redeeming feature of Niclays at the outset of the novel is his devotion to his departed lover, Jannart, and Jannart’s granddaughter Truyde. Thus, Niclays highlights the key theme of the redemptive power of love and friendship.

Although Niclays seems beyond redemption for the longest time, at the end of the text he turns over a new leaf. Niclays has the critical realization that the true nature of alchemy is the purification of the self rather than other substances. He lets go of his hatred for Sabran, his mission to kill Ead, and his fruitless pursuit of immortality, and he even gives Ead, Tané, and Sabran a vital clue about defeating the Nameless One. Niclays emerges as a dynamic character, who symbolizes that every person is capable of change and improvement.

Headstrong and bright, 17-year-old Truyde is the granddaughter of Jannart and Aleidine. She represents the energy of youth as well as the price innocence and idealism sometimes have to pay in the quest for truth. Long before any other person in the novel, Truyde realizes the necessity of uniting East and West to defeat the Nameless One. She and her beloved, Triam Sulyard, try to carry out this mission but die in the process.

Truyde’s single-minded idealism sometimes leads to questionable actions, such as when she stages an attack on Sabran that goes horribly wrong. She can also be haughty, taunting Ead for her outsider status and threatening to reveal that she possesses magic. However, Truyde’s devotion to the larger good and her fierce intelligence redeem her.

Nayimathun is a Lacustrine dragon, or a dragon hailing from the Empire of the Twelve Lakes (the adjective “lacustrine” comes from lake). Milky-green-scaled, enormous, and beautiful, Nayimathun flies with the help of wings. She chooses Tané as her rider and is devoted to saving humanity.

Nayimathun is not only a maternal figure and a voice of conscience for Tané but for the text as a whole. Nayimathun chides Niclays for chasing immortality, always a dangerous mission. She urges Tané to help Sulyard and agrees to carry Loth to the East to deliver Sabran’s message. She does the right thing throughout the novel, unencumbered by the partisan politics of humans.

Dragons (distinct from wyrms) are believed to be gods in the East, and Nayimathun symbolizes the power of goodness and truth. She repeatedly saves Tané and forgives her for her flaws. She also makes the crucial point that to be pure in an abstract sense is not important: What is important is being true to one’s nature.