The Priory of the Orange Tree

These chapters introduce new and important places, such as Komoridu. The significance of objects and relics continues, with the scrap of fabric Niclays inherited from Jannart proving a vital narrative clue. Ead begins to realize what Truyde has been hinting all along: that the isolated regions of East, West, and South are connected in vital ways. Thus, as the plot picks pace, important threads begin to converge.

The biggest development in the relationships between characters takes place in these chapters in the form of the romance between Ead and Sabran.

After Sabran’s encounter with a new High Western and her subsequent miscarriage, Ead and Sabran develop a romantic relationship. The language used to describe Ead and Sabran’s relationship is sensual but also tender, signifying that their connection is a sanctuary for both women; Ead describes Sabran’s scent as “creamgrail and lilacs, laced with the clove from her pomander” (387). The relationship also establishes Ead as a person of great integrity and loyalty, building on the theme of the importance of friendships and love. Ead declares to herself that she will never abandon Sabran, whatever the Priory may desire. Friendship and love are more important than institutional duty, the novel suggests.

As Ead’s feelings for Sabran change, so does her vocabulary for the queen. Ead often compares Sabran to a flower, which ties in with Sabran’s name, reminiscent of sabra flowers. It also recalls Ead’s earlier practice of placing a rose under Sabran’s pillow to give her sweet dreams, maintaining thematic continuity across their relationship. When Ead becomes more aware of Sabran, she notes that she has developed a “rosebud” of feeling for her; when they make love, Sabran’s body is a “flower just opened to the world” (386). The flower symbolism signifies Sabran’s beauty, as well as the organic nature of Ead and Sabran’s relationship. Their love is not forced or artificial but has bloomed spontaneously.

Another symbol linked with love finds repeated mention in this section: the “Milk Lagoon.” During a remembered conversation with Jannart, Niclays wonders if the Milk Lagoon—a mythical land where lovers can live freely and where class and sexual orientation don’t matter—is real at all. Ead wants to spirit Sabran away to the same Milk Lagoon. Later, it will emerge that Queen Rosarian, Sabran’s mother, might have visited the Milk Lagoon with her lover. The text never reveals the mystery of the legendary region; however, it symbolizes an idealized, pure society—perhaps one towards which all societies should evolve.  

One of the narrative’s key conflicts is the clash between Sabran the individual and Sabran the queen. As an individual, Sabran has never desired to marry or have a baby, yet it is her queenly duty to produce an heir. Sabran’s miscarriage further complicates this internal tussle: Now she feels guilt at “spurning the childbed for so long” and views the miscarriage as divine punishment for her so-called crime (383). Though Sabran might not have wanted the pregnancy, she still feels grief at the loss of her unborn daughter. Sabran’s mixed emotions reflect the pressures women in the real world continue to feel around issues of marriage and motherhood. Significantly, though the Inysh fetishize biological motherhood, Cleolind, known to the Priory as the “Mother,” never married or had children. Tané finds a mother figure in the dragon Nayimathun, whereas for Ead, Chassar represents maternal love. Thus, the text shows that anyone can embody motherhood.

This section also reveals that Sabran’s isolation may be a result of her courtiers’ engineering. Once Combe learns that Ead and Sabran are lovers, he attempts to have her imprisoned, much as Loth was exiled for his rumored affair with Sabran. It is clear that at least some in Sabran’s court want to isolate the queen and control her inner circle, suggesting that the corruption in the Inysh court is deeper than even Ead suspected. Meanwhile, the identity of the Cupbearer remains unclear and is one of the text’s central mysteries.

The story behind the scrap of silk seized by the Golden Empress becomes clearer in this section. Jannart inherited it from his aunt, a former ambassador to Orisima. Jannart’s aunt received the scrap from a man who told her to take it as far from the East as possible. Now the Golden Empress is shown to be seeking the same scrap for clues regarding a mulberry tree on the lost island of Komoridu. The scrap is of immense value, though it is not yet clear why the man wanted the scrap removed from the East. Perhaps he wished the mulberry tree to remain a secret, seeing immortality as a mixed gift.

Relics like the fabric scrap illustrate the intersection between legend and reality. Earlier chapters revealed that the feared Lady of the Woods is real and associated with Kalyba, a disgraced sister of the priory. Here, Komoridu, an island from stories, is shown to be real. In the world of the text, legends and stories often contain true histories, preserving it better than official accounts do. The novel suggests that stories—including those from other cultures, which we may view more skeptically—need to be taken seriously.

The idea of being open to new perspectives also informs the novel’s point of view, which centers on a few key characters rather than unfolding in the third-person omniscient. Point-of-view characters highlight the theme of shifting and evolving perspectives—for example, Ead’s changing views of Sabran across several chapters. Niclays has also changed. He hated life in Orisima, but on the Pursuit, he misses his dreary room on the island. This is a particularly important lesson for Niclays, who is in a permanent state of dissatisfaction.