Alcuin nó Delaunay
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Alcuin nó Delaunay is a main character from the first book of Jaqueline Carey's Kushiel's Legacy series, Kushiel's Dart. He is Phèdre nó Delaunay's foster brother, having been saved by Anafiel Delaunay from a Skaldic invasion when he was a child. He felt immense loyalty to Delaunay after this, going so far as to offer himself for prostitution and espionage to help further Delaunay's political cause.
He is described as loving, caring, dignified and beautiful, with a "quicksilver mind and prodigious memory". With white hair and pale white skin, he would be considered an albino were it not for his very dark eyes. Having had a Skaldi wet nurse, he speaks the language of Terre d'Ange, Skaldic, Caerdicci and Cruithne fluently, and acted as royal translator on more than one occasion. Naturally scholarly, he devoted a great deal of his last years to the study of the Master of the Straits. Alcuin is indentured to Delaunay as a Servant of Naamah; his marque is a design of a mountain stream and birch tree, rendered in soft greys, charcoals, and a few hints of pale green.
Alcuin was born in Trefail, a village in Camlach, gotten on a village girl by one of Prince Rolande's men. His mother was turned out by her family and faced starvation, but when word of this reached Prince Rolande, he had the father court-martialed, and paid the mother's family a dowry-price himself. Rolande also found for Alcuin a Skaldic wet-nurse, from whom he learned the Skaldic language. When the Skaldi were again overrunning the borders, Anafiel Delaunay rescued Alcuin to fulfill the then-dead Rolande's promise that the boy would always be cared for.
When Alcuin is sixteen, the bidding for his virgin-price is held at a party given by Cecile Laveau-Perrin, and is bought by Vitale Bouvarre for six thousand ducats. He is thereafter used often in Delaunay's machinations and political intrigues. Alcuin attends the visit of the Alban delegation at Delaunay's behest, a valuable resource because he speaks the Alban language Cruithne, though no one else attending but Delaunay and King Ganelon are aware of this.
Alcuin truly had no desire to be a Servant of Naamah, and is in fact blasphemous for entering her service unwillingly. All he does, he does for love of his master Delaunay. His final assignation is with the same man as his first, Vitale Bouvarre, from whom he coaxes the names of those responsible for the murder of Isabel L'Envers. In a panic, Bouvarre has his men attack Alcuin's coach when he departs; Alcuin is injured but survives, while Delaunay's man Guy is killed. After his recovery, Alcuin goes to the Temple of Naamah and asks to be absolved of his vows and of any blasphemy committed. Once his marque is completed, Alcuin persuades Delaunay to become his lover. It is implied by Phèdre that they were lovers for the weeks before their deaths.
Alcuin is killed in the same attack as Delaunay, murdered by agents of Isidore d'Aiglemort. Before dying, Alcuin reveals to Phèdre that Delaunay stood as oath-sworn protector to Ysandre de la Courcel; he instructs Phèdre to tell the Dauphine what has happened and to pass on to her the message from Admiral Quintilius Rousse, to trust Rousse and the remaining members of House Trevalion, that Thelesis de Mornay knows about Alba, and that the important figure is the Dauphine, not Ganelon. Alcuin dies in Phèdre's arms.
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