Mark Reads ‘The Will of the Empress’: Chapter 15

In the fifteenth chapter of The Will of the Empress, Sandry confronts Berenene. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to read The Will of the Empress.

Trigger Warning: For kidnapping, rape, misogyny, PTSD.

I definitely expected a scene like this would happen much later in the book, but it’s not, and now I’m incredibly, incredibly worried about what’s going to happen in these last five chapters.

N O P E.

The Rescue

So… where’s Daja? Why keep her away from this? I get that she’s with Rizu, and that’s fantastic, but I’m curious as to the motivations for writing her out of this huge scene. It seems like the kind of moment to bring the quartet back together and unite them in their power. But I’ve got five more chapters to read, and I’m real interested to see Daja’s take on all of this. Will she leave Rizu behind?

Anyway, let me back up. This whole sequence is thrilling, despite that I believed Tris and Briar would rescue their sister. I am still in awe of Briar, who uses his connection to Sandry to keep her thinking of anything but the darkness. The man likes to pretend that he doesn’t care about emotions or feelings, but he’s so good at shit like this. He just likes to give the appearance of being tough and gritty. But at the end of the day, he cares deeply about the people who love him. And he loves Sandry, and there’s no doubt in my mind of that while reading this section. The same goes for Tris. Her fury is a sign of her love, as far as I’m concerned.

The rescue goes off without a hitch, and the three of them learn that Fin really did plan on transporting Sandry by sea to the home he had ready to imprison her. And then they set out to BRUTALLY MURDER FIN. Okay, they don’t, but what if that was what this book turned into?

I’m a mess, don’t mind me.

The Mind of an Empress

While I might be uncertain about Daja not appearing here, I am absolutely in support of the brilliant choice to have the entire confrontation scene come from Berenene’s point of view. THERE IS JUST SO MUCH HERE THAT MAKES THIS CHARACTER BETTER. Not like… morally better, but she’s got so much more depth than ever before. And I adore it. Where do I even start?

He had begged her pardon, with such polished innocence that she had half-wondered if he had not arranged to kidnap Sandry tonight. She immediately dismissed the idea. Fin was not fool enough to stage such a thing within the walls of the palace, which was sacrosanct. No one would risk that.

SHE DID IT. SHE THOUGHT THE WORST THING POSSIBLE. Oh my god, this must be what it’s like watching me stumble through these books, I swear.

Even though the text doesn’t outright address it, I did want to state in the review that Sandry’s use of a letter and the empress’s personal audience chamber was brilliant. I honestly thought she was going to charge into the middle of the reception, in front of everyone, and confront Fin. Despite having every right to, and despite that she was both furious and afraid, Sandry still respected Berenene enough to hold her confrontation in a private room. That’s very smart of her, y’all. SO SMART. It allows Berenene to prevent a scene from being made, which is ideal, and it allows Sandry and her foster-siblings to be much more frank than they probably could have been in a larger audience.

And what frankness, y’all! The whole thing is one of the most tense scenes in the entire Emelan series, especially since I spent a great deal of it unsure what Tris was doing with her braids. BUT COME ON, LET’S TALK ABOUT HOW GREAT THIS ALL IS.

“He seemed to think you would let him get away with it, Cousin, since you admire bold young men so. Everyone knows you want me to stay in Namorn. And you expect women to escape like you did. Of course, I doubt that you were put in a box.” The huskiness in her voice thickened. “I doubt that the head of the Namornese Mages’ Society put spells on you and guaranteed to keep them there until you signed the contract. It would have been harder to escape under those circumstances, don’t you think?”

OH, SO ALL OF THIS IS HAPPENING NOW, IS IT??? OH SHIT, I WASN’T READY. As the trio tear Berenene apart, reveal the existence of the secret passage, and criticize pretty much everything in this court, Berenene has a very interesting reaction to it all:

One of the hardest parts of being imperial was learning when to back off from a fight.

Wait, was she really going to do this? Back off from a fight? Yet when Sandry calls Berenene out for failing to protect her own cousin, she quietly admits to herself that Sandry is right. Fin ruined her for ages, proving that any women who were under Berenene’s protection weren’t safe. But it’s Briar who delivers the roughest blow:

“It’s my sister he tried to kidnap, and our magic is plenty thicker than blood. Or maybe I should just give him to Sandry when he doesn’t have drugs and spells to make him the big man.” His voice was heavy with contempt. “You think a strong woman can always beat this? I call it rape, in any country.”

I am so endlessly thankful that Pierce has this spelled out as it is here. Look, I don’t talk about it often, and I honestly have only told a handful of people the details of what happened to me. But when I first was raped back as a freshman in college, multiple people treated me as Berenene treats women here. They said they didn’t believe it had happened because I hadn’t fought my way out. It doesn’t matter that I tried; since I did not succeed, then I was worthless.

Nah. Fuck that. And that’s the same attitude that Sandry has:

“I’m going home. I’ve made arrangements so Cousin Ambros will never be strapped for money again. My friends may stay or go as they will, but I’m going back to Emelan, where I am a person, not an heiress.”

I was in shock. I wasn’t expecting this kind of decision so soon, but it’s time. She’s not safe, and this is just a taste of what’s to come. It’s telling, then, that Berenene’s first thought? She’ll have to find another way for Sandry, “a haughty young clehame,” to simply “see things reasonably.” There’s nothing unreasonable about her reaction, of course. It’s the most sensible action possible. But in a matter of minutes, the empress has lost everything she’s wanted. Does she reflect on why this is and try to grow? No. The pity and guilt she felt momentarily are swept aside for anger and entitlement, and she works to secure both Tris and Sandry for her own.

This is gonna get ugly, isn’t it?

Briar

I wasn’t surprised by Briar’s decision either. There was that moment during the end of the confrontation when Berenene mentioned Gyongxe, and I’m pretty sure it triggered Briar. If not that specific moment, the whole night’s events sent Briar into another episode, his nightmares reflecting the hellish reality of what he went through at the hands of the emperor of Yangjin. Can you blame the guy for not wanting to become fodder at the hands of another emperor? The only thing left for him to do to keep himself safe was to decline Berenene’s offer.

I’m guessing that Daja won’t stay either. She couldn’t leave her family behind, as heartbreaking as that might be. But I’m mostly concerned about what horrible thing Berenene has planned next. I am not ready.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYnLq3CgXAc

Mark Links Stuff

– I am now on Patreon!!! MANY SURPRISES ARE IN STORE FOR YOU IF YOU SUPPORT ME.
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