This essay contains spoilers for The First Law Trilogy
Long live the puppet, His August Majesty King Jezal dan Luthar the First.
Sitting on his throne built from deceit, Jezal reflects on his life thus far. Reflects on his blissful ignorance, reflects on the experience he gained on his grand journey, and reflects on the futility of his current situation. The torrent of tears gushing from his eyes mirrors Jezal’s pain of being powerless to help his despondent citizens, his agony of being stripped of any autonomy, but most of all, his relief of being spared from the eldritch powers from on high. The only thing Jezal can do about his newly acquired knowledge is realize how insignificant he is and curse at the futility of his own inability. Jezal’s character is one of growth as he opens his eyes to the harsh realities of the world: the wickedness that is war, the helpless torn from that subsequent wreckage, but most importantly, the cruel realities of those select few who act as puppeteers in the background. But in turn, his growth is one that can never truly manifest in his actions, leaving Jezal all but confined atop his throne of false glory and empty promises.
From childhood, Jezal was raised with a silver spoon in his mouth. Primed to be a glorious swordsman, Jezal spends his time drinking, gambling, bedding women, and reluctantly training. As an arrogant and selfish scoundrel at the beginning of the series, it is evident Jezal knows nothing of the world around him. His problems are small, and his goals even smaller, as all he seeks is fame and glory without any of the effort needed to attain that. Jezal considers the training he has to do as a nuisance, as he daydreams of anything but. The blood, sweat, and tears he has to pour into his training seems meaningless and nothing more than torture. He despises it, cursing his horrid luck for being stuck in such a position. His vanity utterly shatters his motivation, leaving him fed up with those brutal sessions with Lord Marshal Varuz. Jezal refuses to accept that training, or fencing in general, is something he needs to achieve the glory he so desperately seeks. The only reprieve from his supposed hellish torment is drinking away and gambling with his fellow military companions. Evidently, Jezal wants all the fame, without any of the hard work needed to reach that summit. He lacks a care in the world for anyone but himself.
And then he meets Ardee West, the moody younger sister of his friend and superior, Collem West. Her caustic mystique ensnares Jezal upon their first meeting. For Jezal, she truly is different from any other woman he has met. Ardee consumes his every thought, her crooked smile imprinting itself into his mind. And it is through Ardee that Jezal’s outlook slowly begins to shift, unbeknownst to him. That flirty and mysterious woman is all it takes for Jezal to find that spark of motivation again. It is her malicious teasing that enrages Jezal to prove himself to her that is more than a cocky jerk. Jezal wants to show Ardee he is someone who can hold his head up high and be that shining hero for her, notwithstanding the worlds of difference between them. It is not only Ardee’s doubts, but the doubts of everyone else around him, that Jezal wants to prove wrong. He wants to show to the world, and the woman he loves, that he is capable of being more than merely an arrogant and vain bastard. And to that end, the path is open for Jezal to become a conventional hero, to grow into someone deserving of the glory and act as a beacon of valor for the citizens of Adua through the fencing contest. It dawns on Jezal that winning the contest is the opportunity to become the hero he has been coveting for so long. In spite of his ignorance of the wider world around him, the glory of becoming the fencing champion appeals to his ego and captivates his very being. He finally realizes he has no reason to shy away from what he has been seeking this whole time. With Ardee’s taunting constantly in the back of his mind, Jezal reaches towards that glory with his own freewill, exerting effort for seemingly the first time in his life.
And once Jezal becomes the hero he wants to be by defeating the frenzied bull, Bremer dan Gorst, and winning the contest, he believes that his life can only go up from here. Ignorant to Bayaz’s tricks, Jezal reckons it was his own greatness that led him to where he now stands. He can finally wave goodbye to the tedium of training, and the dullness of his everyday life. Jezal truly believes this new found glory has been earned through his own efforts and that what awaits him will be nothing but the life he has always been dreaming of.
And it is there that the cracks begin to show in Jezal’s fantasy. Almost immediately after winning the contest, he suffered embarrassment from His August Majesty, when he was confused for the king’s son. Hoping for better fortunes later on, it became evident that his celebratory dinner served as nothing but a damp cloth after the high he received from his win; he was not even the centerpiece of his own celebration. Bayaz had all but swooped his one moment of glory right from his hands. The more Jezal is entangled with Bayaz’s affairs, the more he realizes he should stay far away from him. With the war in the North looming ever so close, Jezal believes the opportunity in the frigid North will be his chance to grow his legacy even further. Nonetheless, Jezal still has Ardee and heading North will mean leaving her until he comes back. Here, the seeds of love truly begin to take root; Jezal does indeed, from the bottom of his heart, love Ardee. And so, he promises her to wait, and that he will come back from the war he has been assigned to. Until then, their love will have to be on hold.
However, before Jezal even has the ability to go to the North in search of that glory, he is whisked away by the First of the Magi, forced to accompany Bayaz and his other reluctant companions on his self-serving quest for a relic of ages past. Not only is he separated from the one he loves, but his one chance to grow his own legacy has now been cut short before he could even start. Jezal is now forced to assist Bayaz’s journey and be a mere cog in the machination of the First of the Magi, away from the eyes of anyone who would be willing to spread the glory of his name. And just like that, the flame igniting Jezal’s personal desires is extinguished, as he is left with no choice but to est for the Seed begins. Starving, wet, and beaten down, the quest is a far cry from the glory that Jezal so vehemently pines for. Surely, glory will never come from being a bumbling guard who lacks any sort of practical skills on a quest barely anyone is aware of. And it is in those long days of travel that Jezal has time to reflect and think. Those exhausting days of travelling have made Jezal realize that success and glory are not all that they are made out to be. Glory itself is a vicious cycle that will never yield happiness to those seeking it. Those hellish and gruelling days have only made Jezal treasure the precious value of simply spending peaceful days with the one he loves even more. Hence, Jezal vows to change his ways after he is done with the vapid quest in front of him. Jezal also slowly opens up to his travelling companions, the same ones he sneered at before that trying journey began. With his conversations with Logen, Jezal confirms the value in settling down and leaving war for those blinded by seeking glory. Stigma be damned, Jezal realizes what brings him truly happiness is living blissfully with Ardee.
And in his first real fight, Jezal sustains a brutal injury, resulting in a disfiguring scar on his once-dazzling face. Having experienced the horrors of fighting firsthand, it only confirms Jezal’s belief that glory is not all it is made out to be. The prospect of dying is much too potent; there is no reason in achieving posthumous respect if he can not be there for the people he cares for. It is through his injury, and everything else that has happened to him on the quest before, that Jezal resolves to be a better person, to shy away from his vain and arrogant past and become someone worthy of love. He wants to be someone that Ardee can look up to with no qualms. He wants to be a lover who can be a positive influence. He wants to be someone who can be a faithful and true person to the one he loves. Heroism is nothing without the people to support the hero.
With the quest finally behind him, Jezal vows to leave his past of being that rich and haughty bastard as nothing but mere history. Instead, Jezal swears to be a better person and become someone he, and Ardee, can be proud of. Despite the quest failing in its original intention of obtaining the Seed, Jezal feels he gained much more in his time journeying through the vast West. The scar he received in that skirmish is proof of that. All that waits for him if he searches for glory is pain. He learned his lesson already and Jezal is willing to accept a happy boring life, one without glory, but one without pain as well. Having been humbled by his first real skirmish, Jezal comes to see the reality that comes with seeking glory and recognizes it is not all that he has made it out to be in his head. And so, he begins anew, starting with visiting his lover, Ardee, in hopes of rekindling their past love. Having been awakened to the crushing loneliness of having to abandon his lover in order to accompany a mad sage on his futile quest, Jezal wishes nothing more than to simply settle down with her and live a quaint and fulfilling life with her. A life without the sorrow or pain that had tormented him during his journey. A life without the glory or praise he desperately sought in his past. No, what Jezal wants now is happiness and love. He does not need to be that shining hero to the people any longer; he realizes he only needs to be a hero to the girl he loves.
Jezal’s initial meeting with Ardee is tumultuous, wrought with the thorny baggage she carries from the past. Her tempestuous nature initially causes Jezal to reconsider his newly awakened stance, but he persists, even if it feels like a lie. He swore he would stay by Ardee’s side no matter what, and not even the worthlessness born from Ardee’s past is able to dent Jezal’s newfound determination and a quaint and blissful life awaiting him. Ardee may think herself defective and trivial, but that does not negate Jezal’s profound joy when spending his waking moments with her. Ardee has worth and Jezal is ready to affirm the love he has for her. The Jezal of the past would have run away, his cowardice taking over. However, Jezal knows cowardice will get him nowhere, and promises himself to not escape when challenges arise. He had faced difficulty before and survived. Nothing can stop him now. No matter how difficult it will become, Jezal swears to stick by Ardee.
And yet, Bayaz calls Jezal back, dragging him kicking and screaming back into the frontlines of glory. And there Jezal is, negotiating with the leader of the disgruntled farmers to quell the ensuing rebellion. Everything goes swimmingly and Jezal manages to efficiently dispel those gruntled rebels from inciting any further revolts. However, there is something off about that meeting the more Jezal ponders about it; nonetheless, he can not put his finger on it. Hopefully, being subject to Bayaz’s whims such as his meeting with the rebel leader will be a one time prospect. In spite of the warm welcome he receives upon returning from that less than trying task, within his mind, the thought reverberates within Jazal’s mind that all he wants to focus his energy on is being a better lover to his beloved dearest. All of the glory before him now comes across as shallow, and less fulfilling.
The king dies while Jezal’s procession back home. Without any heirs, an election is required to select the new king. Jezal thinks nothing of this, instead spending the days leading up to the election with Ardee. But as it so happens, Jezal happens to be watching the election of the new king from the chambers of the Open Council. He bears no real interest in the matter; however, it is vital to keep tabs on the nation he is serving and living in. So, he attends and listens. And then, the impossible happens. Bayaz calls him the long-lost bastard to the former king. Bayaz lists his heroic accomplishments, in spite of the fact that Jezal knows it is all a farce. His journey to the Old Empire, his supposed last stand, his quelling the rebellion; Jezal knows the truth of those events better than anyone else, and yet, there is nothing Jezal can do to stop the tidal wave of support he receives from the noblemen of the Open Council.
And so, Jezal becomes the new king of the Union.
Long live His August Majesty, King Jezal the First.
Installed on the throne immediately, Jezal realizes that his job as a king is nothing but being a subservient puppet to the Closed Council, his people, and most importantly, to Bayaz. His personal desire to see his goals through has been utterly obliterated. He can no longer merely act for himself. To that end, there is no imaginable way he can enact any of his desires or ideals. All of his internal realizations had all been for nothing. Additionally, the quaint life he wanted to attain will now forever remain a distant memory, a mere possibility that will never bear any fruits. Living a blissful and tranquil life as a king is an absurd notion. He can kiss goodbye to the happy life he wants with Ardee. The fame and renown he once pined for but now rejects is ironically now thrusted upon him. It is only when he abandons his past ideals do they finally appear before him. Perhaps with his newfound knowledge and growth, can Jezal make something positive from these set of circumstances. Nonetheless, with the manner in which the Closed Council and Bayaz operate, that seems less than likely.
And therein lies the tragedy and irony of King Jezal. He is a person that wants to grow, to become better, but he is forced to live in a shell, confining him to be that ignorant and vain bastard he was before. His life as king would have been so much easier had he remained that cocky bastard. And yet, it was only through opening his eyes to the world around him that he was even considered for the position of king in the first place. Jezal now has the glory he had so desperately wanted before, but the actualization of that glory brings him nothing but the suffocating reality of hopelessness. No matter what path he takes, there is no happiness for the person, Jezal dan Luthar.
While Jezal is able to promote his comrade, Collem West, to the position of Lord Marshal, he lacks the autonomy and authority to have a direct hand in every other decision. His every opinion on the governance of his citizens is challenged and questioned by his Closed Council. He is barely able to speak during meetings, being nothing but a figurehead. Even his personal choices are left to the whims of Bayaz and the Closed Council. The love of his life, Ardee, is stripped away from him, and he is forced in an involuntary political marriage to Terez of Talins, a woman who vehemently detests Jezal with every fiber of her being. His final meeting with Ardee after he becomes king all but confirms that there is no future for Ardee and Jazal any longer. Jezal now finds himself in a loveless marriage, isolated from everyone he cares for, with no control over the very country he is supposed to serve, and now two hostile nations encroach on his throne and nation. He is nothing but a figurehead, meant to simply look pretty and give false hope to the people. And that he does. As the Gurkish approach the once-glorious capital, Jezal leads one final charge of desperate citizens, ready to save their city from everlasting peril. For a brief moment, he appears as a shining beacon to his citizens, but the reality of the brutal charge is all but evident, as Jezal is evacuated by his Knight Herald, Bermer dan Gorst almost immediately given that his horse was cut down by the enemy. So much for the exalting courage of King Jezal the First. As Bayaz states, it is easy to find someone to act as a beacon of light; the difficult part of leading need not be their worry.
And once the war is all said and done, Jezal recognizes the efforts required in order to rebuild the Union back to its former glory. Jezal knows that imposing levies on the banks, such as Bayaz’s Valint and Balk, will speed up his efforts. From the horrors he has suffered through, he wants to find some way to fix his country and provide relief to his citizens. Jezal wants to do good. Jezal wants to be a king his people can be proud of. And yet, Bayaz undermines his every step, with Glokta right there to remind Jezal of the consequences. Bayaz can simply dispose of Jezal and find a new puppet to act as his figurehead of the Union. Backed into a corner and fearing for his own life, Jezal relents and meekly continues to serve dutifully under his wicked master. Forever the coward, Jezal cries in shame for the denizens he will never be able to help; and yet, he is relieved he will be able to live to see another day. And it is in his tears that Jezal is able to reflect on his past and his coming future. All the growth and enlightenment he experienced has all been for nothing. He can only sit back and watch as his country is taken in a direction different from his one of hope and tranquility for all. Any sort of happy life has all but escaped him. The futility of his situation is bleak; nothing will ever be his decision, and yet he will be blamed for it all. He is burdened with the scorn he never asked for nor never desired. He can not even have his pillar of support, Ardee, by his side to aid him in his kingly endeavors. His love life is only but a miniscule portion of the confines he now finds himself in. The good king that could have been is all but locked away by the arrogant bastard everyone sees him as. No one will ever know the good that could have been. Jezal will forever remain a prisoner to his fate forced to him by his maniacal overlord, Bayaz. Alone in his bedroom, crying tears of shame and relief, Jezal mourns for the King Jezal that could have been. Henceforth, King Jezal shall rule the Union atop a throne of deceit and shame. Never will Jezal be able to reach the light he so desperately wanted to seek.
Thus ends the tragic tale of King Jezal the First, condemned to a fate of cowardice and incompetence, forever the fool, never the hero.