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Duc Faragon Shahrizai
Melisande Shahrizai
Melisande Shahrizai
"Kushiel has chosen you, Phèdre, and marked you as his own. To toy with you is to play a god's game"
- "Elua cared naught for mortal politics, nor did Kushiel."
The main villainess of the series. Melisande is ambitious, sadistic, and utterly lacking in any sort of conscience. Her great ambition is to be queen, and so she concocts several Machiavellian plots to help her achieve this. She becomes a patron of Phèdre's, and Phèdre falls in love with her. Phèdre, as an anguisette, is the perfect outlet for her sadistic desires.
- Abusive Parents: Her father Casimar isn't openly stated to have abused her, but it's probable given his spiteful personality. It is said that Casimar's actions helped mold Melisande into the woman she is in the Phèdre and Imriel books, and she'd resolved long ago to not be like him when it came to taking petty revenge on other people and instigating pointless cruelty.
- Affably Evil: Though she is the main antagonist of the first trilogy and poses a huge danger to Phèdre and Terre D'Ange, she is cool and collected and acts cordially to most people (even her enemies) even at the worst of times.
- Ambition Is Evil: All of her scheming comes from her desire to be queen, and leaving her son to be a great future monarch. Melisande herself doesn't see this as a great sin and she even argues to Phèdre she would likely be a better ruler than the current monarch.
- Arch-Enemy: She develops personal enmity with Phèdre no Delaunay having betraying her and causing Delaunay's death.
- Beauty Is Bad: Melisande is considered one of the most beautiful women in Terre D'Ange; she also has one of the coldest hearts in the series.
- Benevolent Boss: How she is viewed by the Maignard clan, who she helped bring out of poverty in exchange for their loyalty to her. The first thing she promised them when she asked for their loyalty was that she would never do anything out of spite, and as far as they know, she hasn't.
- Big Bad: Of the first two books of the first trilogy.
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: She is the most beautiful woman in Terre D'Ange, and is a deadly traitor. Phèdre describes her as having "a mind as subtle as Delaunay's, but a far colder heart".
- Black Widow: Averted. Melisande is rumored to have killed the men she married, but really, she just made a habit of marrying very old men so she could wait and inherit their money when they died.
- Brains and Bondage: Is very intelligent and very into BDSM. During the Longest Night, she even has Phèdre collared and dressed in a near-transparent garment as she leads her on a leash around the party.
- Break the Haughty: Imriel's ordeal takes a huge toll on her, and she is a much humbler and (only slightly more) compassionate person afterward.
- Broken Ace: Genius plotter, stunningly beautiful, powerful, wealthy, blessed by Kushiel, and a fantastic lover...Melisande really does have it all. And yet for all her scheming and plotting, all she has to show for it in the end is being banished, left to live on an isle with none of the power she once held, and the torture and rejection of the only person she ever truly loved: her son Imriel.
- The Chessmaster: She's an extremely skilled schemer and politician, being the brains behind The Coup against the kingdom.
- Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: Melisande betrays everyone she partners with, and people keep teaming up with her anyway because she's that beautiful, that smart, and her plans are that good.
- Consummate Liar: She's a skilled liar and manipulator, with many of her lies being by omission or being Metaphorically True or Exact Words.
- The Corrupter: She excels at manipulating powerful people around her into committing treason.
- Crazy-Prepared: She always has contingency plans in case her main plans fail.
- Depraved Bisexual: As a member of House Shahrizai, this is a given. However, Melisande goes to such lengths during assignations with Phèdre that Phèdre's other patrons wouldn't dream of. She is the only one to use flechettes on Phèdre. Shortly before selling Phèdre and Joscelin to the Skaldi, she tortures Phèdre in an attempt to find out what Rousse's message to Delaunay was, in such a way that Phèdre is heartsick and numb afterwards.
- Easily Forgiven: Subverted. While Phèdre and Imriel understand her reasons behind committing high treason not once but twice (and manipulating others into doing the same), the magnitude of her crimes and the effect they've had on her victims even years after the fact makes it impossible to forgive her.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: There is no one Melisande loves more than her son Imriel. As Imriel sees in Kushiel's Mercy, he is her sole weakness, and she can be hurt through him.
- Even Evil Has Standards:
- She won't stoop to blasphemy and claims to always keep her promises (though both statements should be taken with a grain of salt and then some.
- Also, she really loves her son.
- It would seem logical that such an intelligent woman as Melisande would just kill Phèdre instead of letting her live to cause trouble. However, for her to kill Phèdre would be blasphemous, so she won't do it.
- Even the Girls Want Her: Melisande's traitor status doesn't stop Phedre from being attracted to her. It doesn't help that she's also a very skilled lover.
- Evil Plan: Most of her plots can be categorized as this.
- Evil Virtues: Piety. One of the recurring themes is that she truly believes in the gods and would never blaspheme against them, even when it would serve her. It's pretty much the only line she won't cross.
- Face of an Angel, Mind of a Demon: She is very, very beautiful, and captures Phèdre's heart. It isn't until later that Phèdre realizes just how heartless she is beneath it.
- Fascinating Eyebrow: Tends to arch her eyebrows whenever she's amused.
- Femme Fatale: She's a sultry and manipulative woman, who often uses her charm and beauty to get others to do her bidding. Even Phèdre often struggles to resist her charms, despite knowing very well how dangerous she is.
- Fetishized Abuser: Her role in the Romanticized Abuse relationship she has with Phèdre. Melisande loves toying with and dominating people and due to Kushiel's Dart, Phèdre is deeply attracted to Melisande for that attitude. Unlike most examples, this is mostly played for horror, as Phèdre knows full well it's abusive and hates it.
- Foil: To Phèdre. Phèdre is Kushiel's chosen and an submissive and masochist anguisette, while Melisande is Kushiel's Scion with domineering and sadistic tendencies. Melisande also frequently wears black to contrast to Phèdre's often white outfits.
- For the Evulz: When Phèdre asks her why she did it, she replies, "Because I could." It's a little bit more complicated than that though. Melisande describes herself as being incapable of caring about the pieces in her games, while simultaneously loving the games she plays. Why does she play? She's D'Angeline.
- Freudian Excuse: It's a minor excuse, but in the second trilogy she appears to have some remorse for her actions and it's suggested that the reason she acts the way she does is because of her father Casimar.
- From Nobody to Nightmare: While not exactly a nobody, Melisande is not generally considered a major player during Dart. Delaunay is one of the very few people who identifies her as a major player and a threat, well before the extent of her plotting and treachery becomes widely known.
- Graceful Loser: When Phèdre manages to foil one her schemes and exposes her as a traitor, she takes it with a shrug even as she's condemned to be executed and even congratulates Phèdre on it, considering her a Worthy Opponent. This is then subverted when she breaks out of prison that night.
- Head-Turning Beauty: Even by the standards of the D'Angelines, who are all preternaturally beautiful, Melisande stands out as one of the most beautiful of all, and remains so even well into her fifties.
- Heel–Face Turn: Debatable, but she does appear to have some remorse for her actions later on in the series. And she does help save Terre d'Ange in Mercy.
- Hot Consort: To the ugly Ptolemy Solon. When asked why she would stay with such an ugly man, Melisande explains that it's his mind that holds the attraction for her.
- The Gadfly: She takes great joy in messing with other and her voice almost always carries a faint trace of amusement or mockery.
- I Gave My Word: She claims to always keep her promises, although several times they turn out to be Metaphorically True.
- Just Between You and Me: Explored with her. For Melisande, it's really all about the scheming, manipulation, and
Magnificent Bastardry. She does it very well, and she wants someone to see and appreciate that. Delaunay was a similarly-skilled schemer, if rather more heroic. He and Phèdre are the only people Melisande believes might fully appreciate her plots. To her, the game is more important than the outcome, and playing well is more important than winning. And so for this reason, she sometimes divulges small portions of information regarding to her schemes to Delaunay, and later Phèdre.Phèdre: [to Delaunay] Every artist craves an audience, my lord, and she has chosen you. Whatever is to occur, it is her desire that you know she is its architect. - Karma Houdini: Manages to escape all punishment, and gets to live out her days in a villa on a Mediterranean isle. Although it is implied that Imriel's torture at the Mahrkagir's hands is Kushiel's punishment for her.
- Lack of Empathy: She has a distinct lack of empathy, which she's begun to take notice of during the time she's spent in Cythera.
- Lady Macbeth: Melisande manipulates both Isidore d'Aiglemort and Prince Benedicte into committing treason in order to further her own ambitions.
- Likable Villain: A large portion of the fandom loves her despite her actions. In Kushiel's Avatar and the Imriel trilogy, she is painted in a more sympathetic light, and understandable reasons are given for her crimes.
- Lust Object: To Phèdre, who is attracted to her to the point of struggling to keep her composure whenever Melisandre flirts with her. She still shows some attraction to her even after they become clear enemies, sometimes even having an Erotic Dream featuring her.
- Mama Bear: She loves her son more than anything else and is extremely protective of him. Imriel later sees that he is her main weakness, and that her enemies would be able to hurt her by hurting him.
- May–December Romance: She had a habit of marrying very old men so she could wait for them to die & then inherit their money. She also marries the significantly-older Prince Benedicte.
- Metaphorically True: Melisande claims she'd never commit blasphemy personally, but looks the other way when Marie-Celeste corrupts the Serenissiman priestesses. She's also forbidden by Kushieline doctrine to kill the bearer of Kushiel's Dart, but has no problem sending Phèdre into dangerous situations where she'd be indirectly responsible for her death.
- Nerves of Steel: She never seems to lose her cool, even when confronted with accusations of treason and execution. The only time she really loses it is when Ysandre calls her out on her actions and accuses her of not knowing how to love.
- Never My Fault: As seen in For the Evulz, she refuses to admit she's responsible for her actions, blaming all of it on her father and on being D'Angeline. It takes Imriel's torture for her to finally admit fault.
- Not So Stoic
- She shows some subtle shock when she discovers it's Phèdre who is testifying against her treason at the end of Dart.
- In Chosen, she's genuinely shocked when Phèdre attempts suicide by bashing her head against the wall, rather than giving in to Melisande's offer, and it leads Phèdre to find out that Melisande does care for her wellbeing in some fashion.
- She loses her cool in near the end of Chosen
- Personal Space Invader: She tends to touch or caress people's faces, lips or chest in order to unnerve or seduce them, often with a single finger.
- Pet the Dog: She spares Phèdre's and Joscelin's life when they learn she's a traitor, although she still has them sold as slaves since they knew too much, but kept them together so Joscelin could protect her. She later admits that this was perhaps too merciful on her part.
- Pragmatic Villainy: She doesn't engage in villainous acts that don't have some kind of tangible benefit for her.
- The Quisling: She collaborated with Waldemar Selig to orchestrate the Skaldi invasion. If it had succeeded, she would've married Selig and ruled as Queen over a united Terre d'Ange/Skaldia, though she admits she would have eventually betrayed him and unified both kingdoms under her.
- Raven Hair, Ivory Skin: Like all Shahrizai she has long ebony hair that contrasts with her alabaster skin tone.
- Sadist: Naturally. She revels in Phèdre's humiliation and pain during their assignation on the Longest Night, and finds pleasure in watching Suriah squirming in Baudoin's arms during Baudoin's party in Cereus House. However, even she has lines she would never cross.
- Sex Goddess: She is an exceedingly skilled lover, especially when it comes to BSDM, which makes her a perfect match for Phèdre's masochist tendencies. Melisande often leaves Phèdre quivering with just her kisses or teasing touches. When Melisande actually take her to bed, she manages to give Phèdre extreme pleasure even while taking her kinks far past Phèdre's comfort level. Her skills are later described as being a match against any adept of the Night Court. This is played for Fan Disservice when she rapes Phèdre and still makes her enjoy it, much to Phèdre's horror.
- Sex Is Violence: That's how she likes it. She has the dubious one of being the only patron that made Phèdre use her safeword on.
- The Social Expert: She is keenly observant and Excellent Judge of Character, noticing things about people that even they haven't realized it yet, such as being the first person to perceive Joscelin had feelings for Phèdre.
- Statuesque Stunner: She's a beautiful woman with a tall, statuesque figure.
- The Tease: She enjoys flirting and teasing people, even to the celibate Joscelin.
- The Unfettered: She will do almost anything to bring her long-term plans into fruition, even betraying former friends and her own country into the hands of the Skaldi. The only thing she won't stoop to is blasphemy and spite.
- Villain Has a Point: It's hard not to agree with Melisande even a little bit when she explains some of her reasoning behind her machinations.
- Villain with Good Publicity: In the beginning of the series, she is in good graces with her peers and at Court, is so popular that songs have been written about her beauty, and is the adored lover of Baudoin. No one except Delaunay and his allies suspects that she may be involved in any political machinations, and even they don't realize how deep her treachery runs until it is too late.
- The Woman Behind the Man: She's the true brains behind The Coup that put her husband Benedicte de la Courcel on the throne.
- World's Most Beautiful Woman: Not explicitly described as such, but she's extremely beautiful, even for someone from Terre D'Ange.
Persia Shahrizai
Persia Shahrizai
A kinswoman of Melisande who betrays her but later aids her in escaping Troyes-le-Mont. She is the sister of Marmion.Tropes applying to Persia:
- The Atoner: She helps Melisande escape execution at Troyes-le-Mont out of guilt for having betrayed her.
- Character Death: She dies in a house-fire caused by Marmion's retainers.
Marmion Shahrizai
Marmion Shahrizai
Brother of Persia.- Accidental Murder: Marmion inadvertently causes the death of his sister Persia when his retainers accidentally set fire to her house. Marmion is exiled for it.
- The Exile: He is exiled for accidentally causing the death of his sister.
Mavros Shahrizai
Mavros Shahrizai
Imriel's cousin, Mavros is a Shahrizai and is utterly unapologetic of this fact, and the ramifications and desires that come with it. While Imriel's past experiences initially cause difficulties with their relationship, as he becomes more comfortable with his sexuality, they bond. Mavros eventually fills a roll somewhere between Imriel's at-home Lancer, and a big brother figure, providing advice and support about both politics and relations. He has a rather one-sided infatuation with Sidonie's lady-in-waiting.
- Brains and Bondage: As to be expected for a Shahrizai.
- Depraved Bisexual: While not malicious, Mavros is a Shahrizai.
- Really Gets Around: He gets around quite a bit.
- Secret-Keeper: He is one of the few peers who know about Imriel's affair with Sidonie before it is made public, but never reveals anything about it to others as Court or even the Queen. He also plays a major role in aiding Sidonie and Imriel in conducting their affair in secret, and voices his and his House's full support of their relationship (as the Shahrizai always support those of their own family).
- Token Evil Teammate: Is, easily, the kinkiest member of Imriel's immediate circle of friends at court. He rather delights in this.
- You Need to Get Laid: He insists on taking Imriel on a tour of the Night Court before he weds Dorelei and goes off to Alba.
Balthasar Shahrizai
Balthasar Shahrizai
A close friend of Prince Thierry. He declines to join Thierry on his first expedition to Terra Nova, but insists on going with Moirin to find him when he learns that Thierry's alive. Moirin is initially wary of him, though she eventually comes to like and respect him after their experiences in Terra Nova.
- Agent Peacock: Despite appearances, he's a skilled swordsman.
- Depraved Bisexual: He is a Shahrizai, after all
- Fire-Forged Friends: He and Moirin
- Hidden Depths: Moirin initially sees him as a idle pretty boy, but comes to like and respect him when she sees the depths of his loyalty and courage.
- Idle Rich: Moirin's initial impression of him. She learns there's much more to him than that.
- I'm Not Hungry: Refuses to eat bugs, even when there's nothing else available.
- I Will Find You: He's determined to find Thierry.
- I Will Only Slow You Down: Tells the others to leave him behind when he becomes so ill from malaria that he can barely stand.
- Must Make Amends: He feels guilty for not accompanying Thierry on his voyage and insists on making amends by leading Moirin's expedition to find him.
- The So-Called Coward: Describes himself as a coward numerous times, but as the journey goes on it becomes clear that he's not a coward at all.
- The Team Benefactor: Organizes and finances the expedition to find Thierry.
- Undying Loyalty: To Prince (later King) Thierry de la Courcel, House Courcel and Terre D'Ange as a whole, and Moirin mac Fainche.
- Working Through the Cold: Continues on the quest despite contracting malaria, but eventually becomes so ill that he tells the others to leave him behind.
