#GoldenEagle Debriefing: The Unlikely Triumvirate

Today's debriefing topic comes from a lovely reader request, and we're talking about the Unlikely Triumvirate: Alexei, Dante, and Sev(en). 

In fiction-writing, there are storylines you plan out to the nth degree; arcs that you arrange with great care and forethought - like Nikita and Sasha's relationship. And then there are the arcs you didn't see coming. The unexpected, but wonderfully perfect situations that grow organically from the character seeds you've sown. Moments when characters start interacting with each other, and you, their mere muse, scramble to catch up and follow along: that was the case with Alexei, Dante, and Sev. 

Beware, here there be spoilers....

(under a gap and a cut so you can turn back if you need to)

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To be blunt: Alexei is a little shit. Not without reason. I talked about his journey in this post: he's lived in both splendor and squalor, in sickness and in health, and he's a complicated soul. Sometimes pompous, sometimes babyish. Though he's grown physically beyond adolescence, the murder of his family more or less arrested his emotional growth. Alexei needs guidance, firmness, and structure - but he also needs the chance to learn proper empathy and responsibility. Two different ways of growing, that will require two very different kinds of influence. 

The pack is his guidance, firmness, and structure. Nik and Trina have become, without meaning to, his new parental figures. He's Lanny's sire, technically, but his relationship with Lanny - and Jamie and Sasha - is much more fraternal. They're like squabbling siblings. So I knew that the empathy and responsibility would need to come from outside of the pack, at least to begin. 

Enter Dante. Or should I say Basil Norrie? He prefers Dante. 

In truth, I wasn't expecting Dante at first. I wanted a sleazy playboy type for one scene; a quick way to bridge a gap between Alexei and the start of his self-actualization. But it quickly became aparent that Dante wasn't just a sleazy playboy; there were layers and layers there. The scene where he shows Alexei his study, all his books and photo albums, and reveals his former occupation, I realized Dante was going to be very important to Alexei - to his story, and to his heart. Because just as Lex is two people - the prince and the pauper - so too is Dante: the timid scholar, and the pleasure-seeker. Dante's been living just as Alexei has, throwing himself into every sort of thrill to keep from dwelling on past hurts. After all, why not? They're immortal, and strong, and no one cares about them, so fuck it all, let's dance. Both of them are incredibly lonely; both of them would like very much for someone to truly see to the heart of them, and give a damn about what lies there. 

I had trouble envisioning a lover for Alexei for a long time; I kept thinking it needed to be someone who would temper him with a steady, rational outlook; someone much more composed and organized than him. Dante does temper him, because Dante can be very gentle - but Dante needs him in a way that someone more put-together wouldn't. Push Dante too hard, and he caves; push Alexei that hard, and he's this furious little monarch who wants heads to roll. In that instance, Dante becomes the vulnerable one, and Alexei the protective one, and I love the ways they are similar, the ways they are different, and the ways they complement one another in a nearly seamless way. 

And then there's Sev. Seven. Severin. 

"Three cities of seven hills." The number has a holy ring. A lucky number. And the name Severin belonged to ancient Rome; a name for saints. A name that means "stern," and "serious." A fitting name for a very serious boy - one who is also divided in two. Half lab rat, half terrifying magic-weilder. Like Dante, he's chosen his own name; like Dante and Lex, love is a stranger; water on a barren field. 

Lex and Dante both see parts of themselves in Sev; like recognizes like. While it would have been overall healthier for him, probably, to become attached to an older and wiser vampire, he again provides Alexei with the impetus to stand up and take hold of what's happening around him. Alexei has to be the strong one. And to Sev's benefit, Alexei and Dante are the people least likely to judge him harshly for any slips as he starts to navigate real world morality. 

I feel like there's so much to explore with the three of them, individually and together. I think they have the potential to bring out the best in each other - plus, this is a vampire series, so there's room for all sorts of dynamic explorations of their bond. 

After a bit, Dante set his head down on Alexei’s shoulder; Alexei could feel the faint tremors moving through him, and didn’t know if it was the cold, or a lingering weakness. Just because vampires could heal didn’t mean it was easy, or painless.

“What are we going to do with him?” Dante asked, playing at conversational.

Alexei could play, too. It was always easier than heavier things. “He didn’t want to go with his sister. Keep him, I suppose.”

“Hmm.” A beat passed. “And what will you do, Your Majesty?” Voice going soft, and uncertain.

Alexei laid what he hoped was a reassuring hand on his knee. “Figure out how to be a better Romanov than all the ones who came before me. Probably see if the Brothers Dracula need help saving the world.”

He could feel Dante’s smile. “Is that all? That sounds lovely.”

“It kinda does, doesn’t it?”

Outside, Sev held out a hand, and a cardinal even brighter than the boy’s hair alighted on his wrist, and pecked the seed straight from his hand.