History RewardedAsATraitorDeserves / Literature

* ''Literature/HarryPotter'':
** [[spoiler: Peter Pettigrew]] betrayed the Potters in hopes of being famous as Voldemort's [[TheDragon Dragon]], but instead it led to him being forced to go on the run and live as a common animal. Even when he gets the chance to revive Voldemort and resume his position, he has pretty much nothing to offer Voldemort except as TheIgor when he's at his lowest point, and they both know it. He spends the rest of the books in the background as Voldemort's contemptable, abused servant. [[spoiler: His death is also a classic example of the trope- Voldemort programmed the silver hand he gave Wormtail to strangle him if he ever betrayed Voldemort, because Voldy knew that he would do so in an instant if provided with a better option. Wormtail never really got that option, but his moment of hesitation in killing Harry was interpreted as betrayal and he got strangled by Voldemort's gift to him.]]
** In the fifth book Harry and friends have set up a secret society to practice Defence Against The Dark Arts - against the wishes of tyrant Umbridge. One member of the group is Cho's unwilling friend Marietta - who is said to have a mother working for the Ministry. She eventually snitches on the group to Umbridge, not realising that Hermione cast a jinx to punish anyone who betrayed them. Her face ends up marked with acne that spells out the word 'Sneak'.

* [[spoiler: Peter Pettigrew]] in ''Literature/HarryPotter''. He betrayed the Potters in hopes of being famous as Voldemort's [[TheDragon Dragon]], but instead it led to him being forced to go on the run and live as a common animal. Even when he gets the chance to revive Voldemort and resume his position, he has pretty much nothing to offer Voldemort except as TheIgor when he's at his lowest point, and they both know it. He spends the rest of the books in the background as Voldemort's contemptable, abused servant. [[spoiler: His death is also a classic example of the trope- Voldemort programmed the silver hand he gave Wormtail to strangle him if he ever betrayed Voldemort, because Voldy knew that he would do so in an instant if provided with a better option. Wormtail never really got that option, but his moment of hesitation in killing Harry was interpreted as betrayal and he got strangled by Voldemort's gift to him.]]

* In the ''Literature/NovelsoftheJaran'', a chapalli turns traitor to his leader and swears allegience to the human Tess Soerensen. Some time later he betrays Tess to his leader: when all three confront each other, the leader kills his traitorous subordinate, and apologises to Tess for the shameful behaviour of his subordinate in betraying her having pledged allegience to her.

* In ''Literature/TheArtOfWar'', if an enemy turns to your side, you should treat him well, and encourage others to do the same, though this is told in more of a DefeatMeansFriendship style.

* In ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'', the Winter Knight Lloyd Slate betrayed Mab, and the way she punished him was... excessive. She entombed him in ice, crucified on a tree of the same, until he's almost dead from frostbite and exhaustion... at which point Mab takes him out, feeds him, heals him, and takes him to bed with her, only to return him to his torture when he wakes up.

** Averted with [[spoiler: Harry himself]]: when ''he'' tried to cheat Mab of her Knight, she was not only amused and proud, but she risked ''reality itself'' by spending six months healing him. Justified Mab knew Harry well enough to know that he would try to find a way out. He was not betraying her to someone else, he was trying to find an end to their bargain, dying is a legitimate (possibly the only legitimate) way to do it, even via suicide.

* In Creator/MercedesLackey and Creator/AndreNorton's ''TheElvenbane'', a wizard decides that the rebellion against the elven overlords is doomed to failure and attempts to buy his survival by offering his services and his knowledge of the rebels' secrets to an elvenlord. The elvenlord smiles encouragingly, listens to him carefully, and then [[JackBauerInterrogationTechnique tortures him to be sure he wasn't lying]] and finally reduces the man to ashes when he's done.

* Averted in Creator/TomClancy novels, the American and Soviet characters make it clear that defectors must be rewarded and protected in order to encourage other defectors. It is part of the unwritten rules of espionage. Furthermore, assassination of a defector is a violation of the unwritten rules and even kidnapping a defector can be punished with death for the kidnapper. The espionage game is supposed to be civilized. The rules are more gray/grey when applied to [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proxy_war proxy wars.]]
* ''StarWarsForceCommander'': After proving their loyalty in combat, [[http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Tyr_Taskeen Tyr Taskeen]] allows several imperials to join the Rebellion as trusted officers. This is common in the Star Wars universe; defectors are only executed if discovered before they actually defect. Their new superiors trust them after a heroic action or the revealing of top-secret information.

* ''RomanceOfTheThreeKingdoms'' plays this trope straight and averts it in some instances: Good civil servants and military officers were in need, after all. Several officers that would become practically synonymous with one of the Three Kingdoms started out fighting that kingdom (Zhang He, Zhang Liao, Taishi Ci, Gan Ning, Ma Chao, and Huang Zhong to name a few) and none were thought any less honourable for having switched sides. They however, usually changed allegiance after their lord was dead or surrendered and most of them went over openly. Most backstabbers and people who actively betray their lords feel the wrath of this trope:

** The Small Council in ''A Feast for Crows'' suggest doing this to [[spoiler: House Frey]] after their [[spoiler: horrific betrayal of House Stark/Tully in the [[MoralEventHorizon Red Wedding]]]], but Cersei just tells them to let them be, considering that [[spoiler: Walder Frey is very old and is likely to die soon.]]
** The first, however, is a combination of YouKnowTooMuch and YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness with the standard Traitor's Reward cited as either an explanation or an excuse. By contrast, the Small Council is actively seeking to publically distance itself politically from an atrocity committed with their secret approval and tacit encouragement. The only person who expresses distaste for such a den of traitors is Jaime Lannister when confronting [[spoiler:Lady Spicer]], and he still sticks to his father's agreement to reward her with titles and good marriages for her family (though decidedly ''not'' quite the ones she was hoping for). So, this is also an aversion of this trope after nodding at it. A Lannister, after all, pays his debts... even while twisting his top lip in distaste. However Jaime's cousin Ser Daven Lannister also shows distaste for the Freys, wishing that some of those under his command would die, though notably finds a few decent (the ones that didn't take part in the [[spoiler:Red Wedding]]).

** ''The Bible'' also has two aversions. The first one: Balaam showed his loyalty to Yahweh even though his life was at risk and blessed the Israelites rather than cursing them as God told him to. He was killed for trying to have it both ways. He wouldn't betray God by pronouncing a curse where a blessing was required, but he still wanted the reward that the Midianites were offering to him. So he taught them how they could [[TakeAThirdOption turn the Israelites away from the commandments of God and bring His curse upon themselves,]] making him a pretty straight example of this trope.

* Averted in ''Literature/TheLegendsongSaga'' when Glynn is rescued by myrmidons on Fomhika. Instinctively trusting her, they take her back to the inn where several Darkfall allies have gathered and, despite her attempts to leave, offer her the chance to join them. Hella then reveals that Glynn is working for the Drakka and they realise she now [[YouKnowTooMuch knows too much]], but they offer her the chance to spy on the Drakka for them instead. Glynn is tempted to take their offered escape, but her [[HonorBeforeReason sense of honour]] forces her to refuse. Duran is impressed, and reveals that if she had accepted she would have allowed one of the other myrmidons to kill her. Instead she lets her go, offering friendship and requesting that Glynn reconsiders about her loyalties.

** Averted with [[spoiler: Harry himself]]: when ''he'' tried to cheat Mab of her Knight, she was not only amused and proud, but she risked ''reality itself'' by spending six months healing him. [[Justified]] Mab knew Harry well enough to know that he would try to find a way out. He was not betraying her to someone else, he was trying to find an end to their bargain, dying is a legitimate (possibly the only legitimate) way to do it, even via suicide.

** Averted with [[spoiler: Harry himself]]: when ''he'' tried to cheat Mab of her Knight, she was not only amused and proud, but she risked ''reality itself'' by spending six months healing him.

* In MichaelFlynn's ''[[Literature/SpiralArm The January Dancer]]'', Sweeney points out Hugh to an assassin and is promptly killed.
* In the ''{{Redwall}}'' series book ''Mattimeo'', Slagar adds a defecting shrew to his chain gang of slaves after the shrew volunteers useful information.

* Done with a twist, in ''Literature/ThisRoughMagic'' by MercedesLackey EricFlint and Dave Freer. The Hungarians threaten a man's son in order to get him to give the location of some heroes. The man does this and finds his son has been killed anyway, but then the heroes help the man to escape with his life and tell him to go tell everyone about this, which creates bad publicity for the Hungarians and helps the heroes defeat them in the end.

%%** Played straight with Tom.

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* In ''[[Literature/VorkosiganSaga Barrayar]]'', Cordelia walked in on a conference where two of Vordarian's men were trying to sell him out. This was no longer possible, of course, because [[spoiler:she had Vordarian's severed head in the shopping bag she was carrying]], but she advised them to throw themselves unconditionally on Lord Vorkosigan's mercy, adding, "He may still have some." Although she didn't '''speak''' the words, "I certainly don't," everyone in the room heard them.
** Played completely straight in ''[[Literature/VorkosiganSaga The Vor Game]]''.
** Also played straight in ''[[Literature/VorkosiganSaga Captain Vorpatril's Alliance]]'' with the person who sold out House Cornodah to its enemies.

* Averted in ''Literature/TheLegendsongSaga'' when Glynn is rescued by myrmidons on Fomhika. Instinctively trusting her, they take her back to the inn where several Darkfall allies have gathered and, despite her attempts to leave, offer her the chance to join them. Hella then reveals that Glynn is working is working for the Drakka and they realise she now [[YouKnowTooMuch knows too much]], but they offer her the chance to spy on the Drakka for them instead. Glynn is tempted to take their offered escape, but her [[HonorBeforeReason sense of honour]] forces her to refuse. Duran is impressed, and reveals that if she had accepted she would have allowed one of the other myrmidons to kill her. Instead she lets her go, offering friendship and requesting that Glynn reconsiders about her loyalties.

** The first, however, is a combination of YouKnowTooMuch and YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness with the standard Traitor's Reward cited as either an explanation or an excuse. By contrast, the Small Council is actively seeking to publically distance itself politically from an atrocity committed with their secret approval and tacit encouragement. The only person who expresses distaste for such a den of traitors is Jaime Lannister when confronting [[spoiler:Lady Spicer]], and he still sticks to his father's agreement to reward her with titles and good marriages for her family (though decidedly ''not'' quite the ones she was hoping for). So, this is also an aversion of this trope after nodding at it. A Lannister, after all, pays his debts... even while twisting his top lip in distaste.

* Averted quite notably in ''[[{{Temeraire}} Victory of Eagles]]'': Napoleon's offer in the last book of [[spoiler:sanctuary for Laurence and Temeraire ("I will not insult you with offers of treasure"), or barring that free passage to China, in return for the plague cure was at least in part a coldly logical tactic for keeping the bloodline of the Chinese Celestial breed away from the British. However, during increasingly violent foraging raids from occupied London, ''despite'' the fact that both Laurence and Temeraire were both serving the British once more, Laurence's family estate remained untouched apparently out of nothing more than sheer gratitude.]]

* Littlefinger does this in ''ASongOfIceAndFire'', having the man [[spoiler: who helped sneak Sansa out]] turned into a human pin-cushion as soon as his job was done.

* In MercedesLackey and AndreNorton's ''TheElvenbane'', a wizard decides that the rebellion against the elven overlords is doomed to failure and attempts to buy his survival by offering his services and his knowledge of the rebels' secrets to an elvenlord. The elvenlord smiles encouragingly, listens to him carefully, and then [[JackBauerInterrogationTechnique tortures him to be sure he wasn't lying]] and finally reduces the man to ashes when he's done.

* Done with a twist, in ''ThisRoughMagic'' by MercedesLackey EricFlint and Dave Freer. The Hungarians threaten a man's son in order to get him to give the location of some heroes. The man does this and finds his son has been killed anyway, but then the heroes help the man to escape with his life and tell him to go tell everyone about this, which creates bad publicity for the Hungarians and helps the heroes defeat them in the end.

** Simliarly, in TheArtOfWar, if an enemy turns to your side, you should treat him well, and encourage others to do the same, though this is told in more of a DefeatMeansFriendship style.

* In Creator/JRRTolkien's ''TheSilmarillion'', Sauron tells his captive Gorlim that he will be reunited with his wife Eilinel (apparently captured by Sauron) if Gorlim reveals where the heroes are. Gorlim gives in, at which point Sauron reveals that Eilinel is already dead--and Sauron does, indeed, [[ExactWords reunite Gorlim with her]].

** The first however is a combination of YouKnowTooMuch / YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness, while the Small Council is seeking to distance itself politically from an atrocity committed with their secret approval. The only person who expresses distaste for such a traitor is Jaime Lannister when confronting [[spoiler:Lady Spicer]] and he still sticks to his father's agreement to reward her with titles and good marriages for her family (though not quite the ones she was hoping for) so this is also an aversion of this trope. A Lannister, after all, pays his debts.

* ''Literature/HarryPotter''. Despite [[spoiler:his crucial role in Voldemort's return]], Wormtail isn't rewarded much apart from getting his hand replaced. Voldemort himself says he was unimpressed by Wormtail's lack of loyalty to him. A few books later, he is posted to Snape's house, where Snape uses him as a servant. [[spoiler:In the final book, his "reward" was a sort of loyalty insurance. The moment he resisted Voldemort and tried to help Harry, even if it was a fraction of a second of consideration, the hand would strangle him. And that is exactly what happened]].