Assistant to the Villain

These chapters dig into Evie’s past, exploring The Effectiveness of Trust-Based Relationships when that trust is unexpectedly broken to pieces. In this context, the magically infected and unhealed wound in Evie’s shoulder represents her unprocessed trauma. Evie initially explained away the blacksmith’s attack on her as the drunken misbehavior of a spurned lover. She therefore pushed the memory away because she believed it to be an isolated incident. However, as the narrative will later reveal, the blacksmith’s actions are tangled up in her father’s betrayal. In this broader context, the dagger becomes both a warning about the future and a reminder of her past. Given the nature of the author’s faux-fairy-tale world, it is only fitting that Evie should feel literal pain from the lingering wound, for she has not yet sought out a way to heal it and move forward.

In addition to deepening Evie’s backstory and serving a vital role as an accomplice to the as-yet-unknown spy, the blacksmith also acts as a foil for Trystan. During their interaction, the blacksmith treats Evie poorly and attempts to stab Trystan, even though neither Evie nor Trystan has done anything to harm him at that moment. This exemplifies The True Definition of Evil, for although Trystan bears the official mantle of Villain, the seemingly innocuous blacksmith demonstrates far more villainous behavior, thereby emphasizing the reality that good and evil are not as clearly marked as society would have people believe. The blacksmith is ostensibly an upstanding figure in the community and part of the public that the Villain supposedly terrorizes. Thus, he should automatically be placed into the category of “good,” but his actions and the joy he takes in causing harm suggest that he is evil at heart. By contrast, although Trystan’s actions often do harm and could be considered evil, he is motivated by the desire to protect Evie and anyone else the blacksmith has hurt. Neither the blacksmith’s actions nor Trystan’s are morally unassailable, and this ambiguity demonstrates that no single action can be simplistically classified as “good” or “evil.” The blacksmith acts with the intention to do harm, whereas Trystan acts with the motivation to protect, and as a result, their equally villainous actions hold very different meanings. The blacksmith feels justified in destroying people or things that have wronged him, while Trystan would enjoy killing the blacksmith because he feels justified in ending the life of someone who has taken joy in the suffering of others. Together, the two characters illustrate the multiple shades of gray within the realm of ethics.

However, all such moral quandaries must be set aside as the introduction of the guvre jumpstarts the events that will lead to the climactic sequence and Trystan’s eventual capture. The king’s reasons for wanting the mated guvres is not disclosed in this novel, but it is clear that he has malevolent plans for the creatures that will be explored in the next installment of the series. For Trystan, the guvres represent the complicated nature of villainy. He initially captures the creatures because the king wants them, and as the king’s archenemy, it is Trystan’s job to thwart the man at every turn. Once the male guvre is in captivity, however, Maehrer subverts the trope of typical fairy-tale villainy by showing the problematic logistics of containing the creature—namely, the violent storm and the resulting need for people to spend the night at the office. Furthermore, this development highlights the complicated relationship that Trystan has with Evie and the other members of his staff. Up until now, most of his employees have kept him at a distance, seeing him as the darkly mysterious figure that he presents to the world. However, when he is forced into proximity with his staff, Trystan’s villainous veneer begins to crack as he lets his guard down and shows his human side, proving that there is more to him than brooding evil. These events also force Trystan to acknowledge how much he cares for Evie and the others, subverting the stereotypical villain who cares about nothing but himself and his power.

The comically inaccurate likeness of Trystan in Chapter 25 is a physical manifestation of The Damaging Power of Expectations. For the general population, Trystan is a dark and mysterious figure to be feared and loathed. In truth, the people know nothing about him except what the king has told them, and they believe these lies because they trust the king and have no firsthand information to counter his claims. In conjunction with the picture, this uncritical mindset shows the profound effects that propaganda and fearmongering can have when they are used to manipulate a collective opinion. Most of the people want to believe in the ideas of good and evil that societal conventions insist to be true because those ideas make them feel safe. While there is theoretically nothing wrong with this mindset, it becomes problematic when those in power bend the truth to suit their needs. Within the context of the novel, the king has warped Trystan’s image into a wild misrepresentation. By convincing the people that Trystan’s looks and actions are equally horrible, the king creates a convenient enemy for everyone to hate and blame. The people believe his words despite having no proof of Trystan’s crimes or appearance; even the specifics of his innumerable evil deeds are never fully shared with the public. Thus, the predetermined expectations of good and evil do more to make Trystan hated than Trystan himself could ever do.