Serpent & Dove

Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2019

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Part 1, Chapters 7-9Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 1

Part 1, Chapter 7 Summary: “Two Named Wrath and Envy: Reid”

During training with Jean Luc, Reid’s mood is sour, as he is furious at himself for letting yet another witch escape because he was distracted by Lou. Célie was devastated that a witch was in her house and wouldn’t look at Reid, adding to his feelings of shame. Jean Luc baits Reid during their sword fight about Célie and Lou, claiming he is only jesting. Reid realizes that Jean Luc, a lifelong friend, has changed his attitude toward Reid since the latter was promoted to captain of the Chasseurs. Reid tries to sublimate his anger, remembering techniques the Archbishop gave him to control himself. Just as he is ready to break, the Archbishop arrives. Telling Reid he isn’t at fault for the errors the night before, the Archbishop orders Reid to accompany him to the theater. Reid realizes as he leaves that Jean Luc is envious of the Archbishop’s favoritism.

Part 1, Chapter 8 Summary: “A Mutually Beneficial Arrangement: Lou”

A bruised Lou wakes in pain and confusion as the theater bustles with activity; she had forgotten there’s a Saturday matinee. Sneaking into the lobby’s bathroom to urinate, Lou is startled by the sight of her damaged face in the mirror. After everyone goes into the theater for the performance, she tries stealthily to return backstage. Just then, the door opens, and Reid strides in. Horrified, she flees as he gives chase.

Seeing an actress, Lou pleads for help, and the actress (whose name is later revealed to be Estelle) screams at Reid, which startles the performers. As Lou twists in his grip, Reid grabs and rips her dress; the two wind up tumbling onstage in a compromising position. The audience gasps and then everyone falls silent. Estelle, thinking Reid has abused Lou, calls him a pig. In embarrassment, he throws Lou off. Scandal burgeoning, Lou only worries that she has been exposed to Morgane or one of her followers.

Reid is seized by crew members, and the Archbishop arrives. He tells everyone to leave but makes Lou stay. Reid identifies her as a thief from Tremblay’s mansion, and the Archbishop wonders what they should do now that Reid’s reputation—and by extension his own—is in jeopardy. When Lou gets sarcastic with the Archbishop, he hits her across the face. To preserve Reid’s reputation, the Archbishop says the couple has no choice but to marry.

Lou protests while Reid stands numb. The Archbishop tells Reid he sees him as a son and that he can discard Lou after the marriage, implying he can gratify himself sexually before he does. Reid is horrified by this, but before he can say any more, Lou throws up on the Archbishop. He raises his fist to strike her again, but Reid stops him. He agrees to marry Lou and warns the Archbishop not to touch her again. Lou realizes she may finally be protected. Thinking of the ring, she determines to escape later but agrees to the plan.

Part 1, Chapter 9 Summary: “The Ceremony: Reid”

Addressing the crowd, the Archbishop defines the altercation as a domestic squabble. He tells Reid and Lou that they must make people believe they were already married when the incident occurred. He orders both to the Doleur River, where they will be married and Lou will be baptized. Turning back to the crowd, the Archbishop urges women to repent their sins and obey their husbands. The only person who seems outraged at this is Estelle, who magically afflicts the Archbishop with flatulence. This humors Lou. Reid, smelling magic, momentarily suspects her to be a witch but decides she only smells of cinnamon.

At the river, Reid and Lou meet the Archbishop and Jean Luc, who will act as witness. Reid wonders why the Archbishop is forcing this union but then remembers that the Chasseurs’ reputation is of the utmost importance. In a rare moment of sympathy, Jean Luc asks about Célie and expresses his condolences. Lou argues with the Archbishop before her baptism, and he holds her under water too long in retaliation. Reid and Jean Luc rush into the water to pull the two apart. Lou reacts with rage and swear words, shocking the three men.

When they begin the ceremony, Reid notices a lone dove and feels light-headed. Lou squeezes his hand, and they exchange reassuring glances. Asked for her last name, Lou provides a pseudonym despite the Archbishop’s warning that marrying under a false name would be grounds for an annulment. The couple exchange vows, and the Archbishop pronounces them man and wife. He orders them to consummate the marriage and says he will send someone later to confirm they have had sex.

Part 1, Chapters 7-9 Analysis

These chapters solidify Reid’s character. Again and again, he tries to suppress his passionate nature, as expected by the Archbishop. Reid is consistently torn between his sympathy for Lou and his preconceived notions about her as a “heathen.” His desire, which he keeps denying, becomes a source of shame that allows the Archbishop to manipulate him.

Mahurin develops the theme of Loyalty in Friendship as Jean Luc’s envy comes to the forefront. Despite being Reid’s oldest friend, he is driven by his own goals. In contrast, Ansel stands up for Reid. Loyalty is not without its downsides, however; it also motivates Reid’s unthinking acceptance of the Archbishop’s dictums. Rather than please himself and pursue Célie, Reid agrees to marry Lou, in part to protect the reputation of the Archbishop and the order of Chasseurs.

Juxtaposed with Reid’s self-sacrifice, the Archbishop’s hypocrisy is prominent. Estelle symbolically emphasizes that hypocrisy by enchanting the Archbishop to publicly expel gas, a figurative reminder that he is full of hot air. He only cares about retaining his power despite comparing Reid to a son. The Archbishop’s sexism, and the patriarchal society that supports it, is clarified by the theater audience’s reaction. As soon as they’re told Lou is Reid’s wife, their evaluation of the scene shifts. Reid is no longer Lou’s possible attacker; rather, Lou is a rebellious wife, and anything Reid does to her is both justifiable and a private matter.

The Archbishop is such a committed zealot that he almost kills Lou for protesting the baptism. Ironically, his violence toward Lou enhances Reid’s desire to protect her, even if it means he must disagree with the father figure he has always held in esteem. During the ceremony, he also finds solidarity with Lou as a fellow pawn in the Archbishop’s schemes. Though Reid would not yet describe the Archbishop’s actions in those terms, the rift between them will only get deeper in Part 2 as Resisting Dogma becomes an increasingly important theme.