Nicholas de Lenfent
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Nicolas de Lenfent is a fictional character in the Vampire Chronicles universe created by Anne Rice. He is a vampire and was born and raised in Auvergne, France, the eldest son of a draper. He was a companion to Lestat de Lioncourt.
Initially the two met as young boys on a Sunday school outing to 'The Witches' Place' as they call it. They meet again when Lestat defeats the wolves plaguing the village. Nicolas, who is spokesperson for the town, and numerous other merchants line a coat for Lestat using only the finest of the deceased wolves fur and also make him a pair of boots - both items for him to use for the hunt.
Nicolas wishes to speak with Lestat privately so that Lestat can tell him how he achieved the impossible. A week later Lestat seeks out Nicolas, as his mother insisted he should, and they end up talking drunkenly, long into the night. Lestat discovers that Nicolas attended school in Paris where he was supposed to study. Instead he fell in love with the violin and sold all his schoolbooks on lessons, to the lasting dismay of his father. His father therefore frequently threatened to break his hands.
Eventually Nicolas and Lestat run away to Paris. Lestat pursues a career as an actor and Nicolas as an accomplished violinist (although his student friends are very much against this). Lestat and Nicolas work in a small theatre on the Boulevard du Temple, called Renauds, where Lestat begins acting, and Nicolas plays the violin.
Nicolas has a very dark, cynical and pessimistic nature. Although he often manages to conceal this from Lestat, he has a sarcastic and ironic nature that contrasts with Lestat's own generally enthusiastic and wildly cheerful outlook on life. It is interesting to watch the flip of the psyche's of the two characters. The story starts out with Nicolas being still convinced that the Christian teachings are correct, and he cannot understand Lestat's unwillingness to believe. Later in the story we see Nicolas losing some of his faith. He delves deeper into his cynicism and his view of the world takes a darker turn. He claims that there is no good or evil, there is only good art, or bad art.
One night Lestat is kidnapped by Magnus and transformed into a vampire. Believing that Lestat is still alive, Nicolas becomes angry that Lestat does not come to him, but rather that he sends gifts. He later refers to this as Coin of the Realm and uses it as an insulting phrase. He sinks into a depressive and drunken state, living in the apartment which Lestat buys for him from afar. One night Nicolas senses Lestat nearby and plays the violin in an attempt to coax him out although Lestat remains hidden. Lestat returns to the theatre where he and Nicolas are reunited. Lestat reveals his supernatural nature on the stage and a startled man in the audience consequentially shoots him. Due to his new nature, Lestat is unharmed but Nicolas is horrified and has to be restrained from running to him immediately. Lestat's wound heals and Nicolas is baffled. Lestat runs away but Nicolas follows, clinging to him desperately.
Lestat does escape, and Nicolas grows more angry and resentful. He believes that Lestat is keeping this magical gift from him. Again, the world takes on a slightly darker outlook for him as his moods deepen and he becomes despondant.
Shortly thereafter, Nicolas is abducted by a coven of Vampires led by Armand. He is vertiably tortured by what he views as demons. They feed from him yet do not kill him, and his mind snaps irreperably, plunging him into a darkness that he does not escape. Lestat comes to the catacombs under Les Innocents, knowing that Armand has Nicolas, and liberates him after some difficulty. Nicolas is taken to the tower given to Lestat by Magnus and is locked into one of the rooms during the day. Lestat awakes to banging and curses coming from the room where Nicolas rages within. He enters to find that Nicolas is irate with him. he spouts insults and continues his barrage of questions. Finally he accuses lestat of keeping The Dark Gift from him and Lestat tells him simply that if he really wants it, he must take that step and come to Lestat. Nicolas does.
As Lestat feeds from Nicolas, he is plunged into the darkness in which Nicolas resides. He describes the scene as a seamless black sea, where all colours have faded, and that he sees only a bird soaring over the void expanse. He describes a feeling of having lost all that was once cherished. He describes it also as worse than his moment of darkness at the Inn, and tries to recoil from it. he does give Nicolas the Dark Gift, and a silence is put between them.
After the transformation, Nicolas becomes catatonic. Gabrielle and Lestat take Nicolas into Paris, where he slips from their grasp and dissappears into the night. Gabrielle tells Lestat that the only things Nicolas thinks of are the funeral pyre under Les Innocents, upon which he was almost killed, and Renauds theatre. They deduce that he must have run to the theatre and the find him there. Lestat gives the violin he had retrieved for him over and Nicolas begins to play. The music he makes is soemthing terrible though, fashioned as mortal hands could never seek to fashion it, it tells of a great dark despair. The remaining members of Armand's coven appear and begin to dance, and Nicolas join them. Lestat describes the music as "The darkness exploded, the darkness molten" and is horrified by it. Nicolas finally becomes vocal, and he demands Lestat give him the theatre, slinging insults at him and finally admitting to him that he never wanted them to suceed in Paris, he wanted them to starve, because it was what he wanted, rather than what his father wanted. Nicolas proclaims he and his group the Theatre of the Vampires, thereby founding the theatre which features in the first book, Interview with the Vampire. He writes many of the plays later to be adopted by Armand. Lestat leaves Paris with his mother Gabrielle and thus leaves Nicolas in Armand's care. Armand restrains Nicolas and cuts off his hands to prevent him from playing his violin so manically. Nicolas becomes full of despair and once released demands that they build him a funeral pyre and hold a sabbat, else he will use the theatre as his funeral pyre. Nicolas gives himself to the flames, committing suicide.
Centuries later, during Lestat's journey to heaven and hell, he does not locate Nicolas. This indicates that Nicolas could still be alive, in one form or another.
It was hinted that Nicolas and Lestat were lovers. They are often written as showing physical signs of affection and kissing, however this could possibly be a strictly Europe friendship rather than actual homoeroticism. However, Lestat does refer to Nicolas as his lover in the book and they are known to have shared a bed in Paris.
