Line #95 Literature/CrownDuel


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6	A HighFantasy novel by Sherwood Smith consisting of two parts, ''Crown Duel'' and ''Court Duel'' (originally released in 1997 and 1998, reissued in an omnibus format in 2002, and reissued again as an e-book in 2010 with additional scenes by a second narrator). The story is set in the kingdom of Remalna, where the people's agreement with [[MageSpecies the Hill Folk]] to not cut down trees or burn wood has altered the standard MedievalEuropeanFantasy setting. A number of sequels and prequels set in the same continuity followed, including ''Literature/{{Inda}}'' and its direct follow-ups.
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8	In ''Crown Duel'', Countess Meliara Astair of Tlanth swears to her dying father that she and her brother will defend their people from the growing greed of the king. That promise leads them into a war for which they are ill-prepared, which threatens the very people they are trying to protect.
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10	In ''Court Duel'', Meliara is summoned to live at the royal palace, where friends and enemies look alike, and intrigue fills the dance halls and the drawing rooms. If she is to survive, Meliara must learn a whole new way of fighting-with wits and words and secret alliances.
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12	----
13	!! This book provides examples of:
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15	%%* ActionGirl: Nessaren. Meliara is forced into this about as often as she chooses it.
16	%%* AdiposeRex: Galdran
17	%%* AgonyOfTheFeet
18	* AintTooProudToBeg: In part 1, Meliara attempts to plead for the life of her brother despite her obstinate attitude. Just as the villain catches on to her behavior, she reveals she was stalling for time as the Hill Folk arrive and save the day.
19	%%* AloofAlly: Shevraeth, at times.
20	%%* AmbitionIsEvil: Lady Tamara
21	%%* AndThereWasMuchRejoicing
22	* AnnoyingArrows: Averted. The whole continent has a pact against using archers.
23	%%* AnonymousBenefactor: the Unknown
24	%%* AristocratsAreEvil: Mel and Bran start off believing this.
25	%%* BackupBluff
26	* BarefootPoverty: Though a noble, Meliara only ever wore cast-off clothes and only bothered with too-large shoes in winter.
27	%%* BatmanGambit: Shevraeth's plan to bring down Galdran.
28	%%* TheBeautifulElite
29	%%* BetaCouple: Bran and Nee
30	%%* BigBad: Galdran in part one, [[spoiler:his sister]] in part two.
31	* BigDamnHeroes: [[spoiler:Nessaren and her riding show up just when the wagon drivers are about to kill Mel.]]
32	%%* BigFancyHouse: The family houses around Athanarel's gardens.
33	%%* BindingAncientTreaty: The Covenant
34	* BookDumb: Meliara, at first, as her father had burned their library when she was young.
35	%%* BrainlessBeauty: More than a few courtiers.
36	%%* TheCaptain: Nessaren
37	%%* CivilWar: Ara's father, Prince Alaerec and Mel all want to avoid this.
38	%%* CloserToEarth: Mel, and anyone else who the Hill Folk like.
39	%%* TheConfidant: The Unknown is partly this.
40	%%* CountryMouse: Meliara and Bran
41	%%* CulturedBadass: Shevraeth
42	* TheDandy: Shevraeth has this reputation. He surprises everyone by being incredibly competent.
43	* DeadGuyOnDisplay: What would happen to the Astairs if Galdran got to them.
44	%%* DecadentCourt
45	%%* TheDragon: Baron Debegri is this for Galdran.
46	* EveryProperLadyShouldCurtsy: The first few chapters of part two involve Nee teaching Mel about Court etiquette.
47	* EvilIsPetty: This is what brings down Galdran, who insisted on fighting the rebels himself after Mel made Debegri look the fool.
48	%%* EvilMatriarch: [[spoiler:Arthal Merindar]]
49	%%* EvilRedhead: Galdran
50	%%* FamedInStory: Meliara
51	%%* FarmersDaughter: Ara
52	* FascistsBedTime: The army imposes this on the towns they pass through while hunting for Mel.
53	* FirstNameBasis: Savona asks Mel to call him by his first name after their first dance, which almost no one else at Court uses. [[spoiler:Shevraeth]] also asks to be called by name once he and Meliara resolve their differences.
54	%%* FoolishSiblingResponsibleSibling: Branaric and Meliara alternate who is being foolish at any given time. By the second part, Meliara has settled into being the responsible sibling, leaving Bran to be foolish.
55	%%* FriendlyEnemy: Shevraeth, at first.
56	* GambitPileup: All over the place. Most of part one's unpleasantness could have been averted if [[spoiler:Shevraeth]] had worked with the Astairs from the beginning.
57	%%* GemEncrusted: At least one of Fialma's dresses.
58	%%* GeneralFailure: Baron Debegri
59	%%* GildedCage: Galdran's Court is this for the young courtiers.
60	* GoThroughMe: Towards the end of part 1, Meliara stands before a large group of mercenaries and tells them that she knows she can't fight forty of them, but she's going to stand there and do it anyway because she took an oath to protect the Hill Folk. This visibly freaks them out.
61	-->"I know I can't fight forty of you, but I'm going to stand here and block you until you either go away or my arms fall off, because this, too, is an oath I took."
62	* GoodWithNumbers: After learning to read as a teenager, Mel takes over Tlanth's business and taxes.
63	%%* GorgeousPeriodDress: InUniverse for Mel's masquerade ball.
64	%%* GuileHero: Shevraeth. Part two is partially about Meliara learning to become this.
65	%%* HeroicRROD: Meliara after [[spoiler:escaping Athanarel's dungeon]].
66	* HeroicWillpower: Meliara is a queen of this. She rides for at least three days with no sleep and faces down [[spoiler:forty wagoneers]], even though she has no hope of defeating them in a fight, just to help the Hill Folk.
67	* HoldingTheFloor: At the end of part 1, Meliara attempts to plead for the life of her brother despite her obstinate attitude. Just as the villain catches on to her behavior, she reveals she was stalling for time as the Hill Folk arrive and save the day.
68	* HomeFieldAdvantage: The Tlanthi led Galdran's army deeper into the mountains for this.
69	%%* HundredPercentHeroismRating: Meliara and, to a lesser extent, Branaric.
70	%%* IgnorantOfTheirOwnIgnorance: Meliara, until she can afford books.
71	%%* ImpoverishedPatrician: The Astairs in part one
72	%%* TheIngenue: Mel has shades of this
73	%%* InterdisciplinarySleuth: Azmus
74	%%* IrrationalHatred: Meliara for Shevraeth
75	* ItWasAGift: The ring Meliara receives from an anonymous admirer, and still more the ring she had made to reciprocate, move the plot in several instances.
76	%%* KindlyHousekeeper: Mora
77	%%* LadyOfWar: Meliara
78	%%* LastRequest
79	%%* LeeroyJenkins: Mel falls into this sometimes.
80	%%* LetTheBossWin: Courtiers had to do this a lot under Galdran's rule
81	%%* LikableVillain
82	* LiterallyShatteredLives: At one point, the BigBad is trying to make a point to the protagonists, so he turns everyone at court [[TakenForGranite into statues]] and smashes [[RedShirt someone we haven't really heard from so far]], just to up the dramatic tension.
83	%%* ManOfWealthAndTaste: Flauvic
84	%%* MasterOfTheMixedMessage
85	%%* MedievalEuropeanFantasy
86	%%* MeeknessIsWeakness: Nee and Elenet avert this.
87	%%* MissingMom
88	%%* ModestRoyalty: The Renseleaus'
89	%%* MundaneLuxury: Wooden chairs and tables.
90	%%* NiceToTheWaiter: All of the protagonists
91	%%* NobleFugitive: Mel is this in both senses
92	%%* NoblewomansLaugh
93	%%* NonActionGuy: Bran
94	%%* NotQuiteDead
95	* OstentatiousSecret: Meliara uses this to spread word and anticipation for Nee's adoption party.
96	%%* PassionateSportsGirl: Lady Renna
97	%%* PimpedOutDress
98	%%* ThePlan: [[spoiler:Flauvic]] has this going for him in part two.
99	%%* PlantPeople: The Hill Folk
100	%%* PlotTriggeringDeath: Meliara's father
101	%%* PoliticallyActivePrincess
102	%%* PoorCommunicationKills
103	* POVSequel: While the original version is told in first person from a single POV, the e-book edition includes several bonus scenes written from the POV of the narrator's love interest; given that she misunderstands his motivations for most of the story, it's interesting to see his side of the story.
104	%%* PragmaticVillainy: Arthal Merindar
105	%%* PrincessInRags: Or rather, Countess.
106	%%* ProperLady
107	%%* TheProudElite
108	%%* PublicExecution: Galdran threatens to do this to both Meliara and Branaric.
109	%%* RagsToRiches
110	%%* RebelLeader
111	%%* TheResenter
112	%%* TheRevolutionWillNotBeVilified
113	%%* RichBitch
114	%%* RichBoredom
115	%%* RichInDollarsPoorInSense
116	* RoyalBlood: Mel and Bran's mother was the last of Remalna's greatest royal line.
117	%%* RoyallyScrewedUp: The Merindars.
118	%%* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething
119	%%* RulingCouple
120	%%* SecondPlaceIsForLosers
121	%%* SecretSecretKeeper: The Unknown is a variant of this.
122	%%* SelfDestructiveCharge
123	%%* SheCleansUpNicely
124	%%* ShelteredAristocrat
125	%%* SilkHidingSteel
126	%%* {{Socialite}}
127	%%* SociallyAwkwardHero: Meliara
128	%%* SpannerInTheWorks
129	%%* TheSpymaster: Azmus
130	%%* StandardRoyalCourt
131	%%* TheStrategist
132	%%* TakenForGranite
133	%%* TallDarkAndHandsome: Savona
134	* TechnicolorEyes: Flauvic has gold eyes.
135	%%* TheyKnewTheRisks: The village people who agree to fight for Tlanth.
136	%%* TomboyAndGirlyGirl: Meliara and Oria in part one, with Nee taking over for Oria in part two.
137	%%* ToWinWithoutFighting
138	%%* TrappedByGamblingDebts
139	* {{Tsundere}}: Meliara is Sweet to such an extent that [[spoiler: Shevraeth]] has to resort to wooing her through anonymous letters.
140	%%* UnexpectedInheritance
141	%%* UpperClassTwit
142	%%* WellExcuseMePrincess
143	%%* WickedCultured
144	%%* WrittenByTheWinners
145	%%* YouRebelScum

Context Literature / CrownDuel