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Arcturus Mesarthim, often known by his ceremonial title of Warden, is the deuteragonist of the Bone Season series. He is rightful Warden of the Mesarthim and a loyal member of the Ranthen, a faction of Rephaim working against the tyranny of the Sargas family. His clairvoyance is oneiromancy, a rare ability that allows him to see memories.
Biography[]
History[]
Arcturus emerged from the Netherworld in a forest. He took several partners, including Kornephoros Sheratan, but had no great desire for a long-term companion until he met Terebell Sheratan. They were still together when the Waning of the Veils began, and fought hard to defend the Mothallath family during the civil war.
When the Ranthen were defeated, Nashira Sargas chose Arcturus as her blood-consort and war trophy. She promised to eradicate his family, as she had the Mothallath, if he refused. When she sent him the head of one of his cousins, Arcturus gave in and went to plight his troth to her in public, but Terebell challenged her to single combat. Nashira had honed formidable skills during the war, and came very close to destroying Terebell. Arcturus intervened, swearing Nashira that he would bind himself to her without question or contest, that he would be her servant in all things and pledge the Mesarthim to her cause in perpetuity, if she would only spare Terebell. Nashira agreed, but Terebell believed they should both have given their lives in defiance, straining her relationship with Arcturus.
Arcturus and Terebell remained close allies and continued to work against the Sargas family in secret. In 2039, they organised the Novembertide Rebellion, only for a human to betray them. To punish them, Nashira had them both mutilated by the spirit of Jack the Ripper, a violent poltergeist, leaving agonizing scars on their backs. Arcturus offered Nashira his dignity in exchange for drops of amaranth to alleviate the pain, forcing him to kneel before her in public.
The Bone Season[]
Paige Mahoney first sees Arcturus during her oration in Oxford, where he is observing the proceedings with several other Rephs, including Nashira. He chooses Paige as his tenant and takes her to the Residence of Magdalen, where he instructs her to call him by his ceremonial title of Warden. Paige takes an immediate dislike to him, but treats his wounds when she finds him injured in his bedchamber, hoping to preserve her own life.
Arcturus is often absent from Magdalen, leaving Paige to her own devices, but takes her to Nashira for her first test. After Suhail Chertan injects flux into her femoral artery, he convinces her to take the medicine she needs, despite her initial defiance. Over the course of spring, he trains her in dreamwalking on Port Meadow. When she finds him injured again, Arcturus appears to show genuine interest in Paige when she treats him, asking about her life. Paige works out that he has been visiting Gallows Wood in secret, unbeknownst to Nashira. She blackmails him, which causes him to ignore her for some time. Only when she angers Suhail Chertan does he speak to her again, admitting that Nashira wants to steal her gift, and that he is essentially training her to die. They come to a grudging truce, with Arcturus agreeing to treat Paige with care and courtesy if she will commit to training, despite the risk. She must also have a monthly supper with him. With his instruction, Paige is able to possess a butterfly in the Fields of Mercy.
Michael Wren helps Arcturus sedate Paige for her second test, during which she must flee from a Buzzer in Gallows Wood. When she wakes up, she is furious with him, but participates in the mandatory supper, during which Arcturus questions her about her past. He proceeds to burn her copy of On the Merits of Unnaturalness, concealing her link to the clairvoyant syndicate of London, which surprises her. She later protects him at the summer feast, lying to Nashira about his absences. He encourages her to open up to him about her role in the syndicate, but Paige remains wary of his intentions and tells him she is nothing but a small-time thief. Arcturus discovers otherwise during their external assignment to London, during which Paige goes out of her way to protect Jaxon Hall and the Seven Seals, and she finally admits to him that she is the high-ranking Pale Dreamer. In return, Arcturus confesses that he knew all along, having used oneiromancy to search her memories. This appalls Paige, but serves as proof that he is on her side.
After London, a mysterious golden cord forms between Arcturus and Paige, allowing him to find her when she is cornered by Kraz Sargas. He sacrifices his last dose of amaranth to bring Liss Rymore out of spirit shock, and Paige agrees to lead a rebellion for him.
Arcturus escorts Paige to the Bicentenary, where they share a kiss in the trap room of the Guildhall. Nashira catches them, strips Arcturus of his position as blood-consort, and has him beaten by Thuban Sargas and Situla Mesarthim. After Paige possesses Nashira, Arcturus helps her reach the train to London.
The Mime Order[]
Terebell and Errai Sarin tell Paige that Arcturus went to find her in London, but has not been heard from since. Paige uses the golden cord to track him to the Camden Catacombs, where he is being held prisoner by the Rag and Bone Man. After breaking him free with help from Nick Nygård and Jos Biwott, Paige takes him to a dosshouse called Blossoms' Inn on Little Turnstile. During one of her visits, they discuss the goals of the Ranthen.
Arcturus supports Paige in her attempt to become Underqueen and acts as her advocate among the Ranthen. When Terebell orders him to train her for the scrimmage, he turns the lesson into a dance. Although he asks that Paige keep the kiss a secret, to protect her from the doctrine of distance, he expresses his desire for a relationship with her, which Paige returns. After winning the scrimmage, she names him as a high commander of the Mime Order, placing him in charge of instruction of the syndicate's clairvoyants.
The Song Rising[]
Arcturus continues to work with Paige to transform the Unnatural Assembly into the Mime Order, a revolutionary army that will work against Scion and Nashira. During a meeting in Candlewick, he informs Paige that the core of Senshield is likely a form of ethereal technology, which harnesses the energy created by spirits. He also tells them his hypothesis that Senshield learned to detect aura through exposure. Their forbidden relationship has been strained by Jaxon, who has convinced Paige that Arcturus is using her for his own ends.
When a sudden curfew keeps Paige from meeting the Ranthen, they come to her safe house, where Terebell confronts her. Arcturus defuses the tension. Terebell informs Paige that the Ranthen are leaving to find Adhara Sarin, who is rumored to have Ranthen sympathies. Before leaving, Terebell informs Paige that she may no longer train with Arcturus. Paige is hurt by the fact that Arcturus plans to leave and tells him to not bother coming back from the Netherworld, which she quickly regrets.
A few days later, Arcturus rescues Paige from the River Thames after a botched raid on a warehouse in Fulham, where Hildred Vance had ambushed her. Wanting to be back on good terms with him before he leaves, Paige asks him to meet her at a safe house on Theed Street in Lambeth, where she tells him what Jaxon had said. Arcturus tells Paige that hiding what he feels for her and being forced to do nothing to support her in public is the price he is willing to pay for change. They give in to their feelings and spend the night together, only for Frank Weaver to declare martial law, causing Paige to go to Battersea Power Station. Arcturus reunites with her in the Beneath after the syndicate is forced underground. He proposes that the Unnatural Assembly sends a message through the æther, encouraging voyants to assist the Mime Order in its fight against Scion, and guides them in a powerful séance. The same night, Paige breaks up with Arcturus, wanting to put the revolution first. He understands and accepts her decision.
Arcturus and the other Ranthen make the crossing to the Netherworld the next day, while Paige and her group leave for Manchester. Upon finding Adhara, Terebell allows Arcturus and Lucida Sargas to return to support Paige in Edinburgh. After Colin Mahoney is executed, Arcturus agrees to accompany Paige to Haliruid Park, where he reassures her of her strengths as Underqueen. He unsuccessfully attempts to stop her giving herself up to Scion, but is waiting for her when Scarlett Burnish rescues her from captivity, and agrees to be her auxiliary in Paris when the Domino Programme recruits her.
The Dawn Chorus[]
Paige and Warden are in the Scion Citadel of Paris, staying in a safe house so that Paige can try to recover physically and mentally from her time in the Westminster Archon. Because of Suhail Chertan's mental and physical torture, Warden's very presence fills Paige with self-loathing and she can't bear for him to touch her, even though his touch brings her comfort. Warden administers doses of scimorphine for her pain. Since Paige can't handle being near water, even to drink it, Warden sets up an IV to rehydrate Paige and get her nutrients. She asks Warden if he ever gave up on her, and he says that he didn't. He was willing to propose a hostage exchange, his life for Paige’s. But Terebell and Ognena Maria forbade it. He might have done it anyway, but an alternative plan arose, the rescue conducted by Scarlett Burnish and the Domino Programme.
When Paige's withdrawal symptoms ease, he tells her that he knows what it is like to crave a drug, as he must take amaranth for the pain from his scars. He tells Paige that all he had to offer Nashira was obedience and his dignity. In exchange for those, Nashira gave him and the other Ranthen small doses of amaranth. Of course, she made certain to withhold them from time to time. This is the reason why he always had to kneel in front of her. While battling with her body and mind, still unable to bear Warden's touch despite how badly she wants it, she realizes what Suhail has done through his mental torture. Nashira must have ordered him to keep invoking Warden, to chisel away Paige's ability to take solace in him, so that even if she escapes, it would always hurt to be in his presence. Paige is determined to not let Nashira take Warden from her. Throughout the whole recovery process, Warden remains calm, supportive, and understanding. While Paige is now considered an agent of the Domino Program, Warden is not. He is Paige's auxiliary, or supporting role.
The Mask Falling[]
Arcturus and Paige move to the Scion Citadel of Paris, where Arcturus takes care of Paige while she recovers from her illness and struggles with PTSD after being waterboarded. The Ranthen gave him twelve thousand pounds before he left for Paris, which he gives her without question. He assists Paige in her search for the clairvoyant syndicate in Paris, Le Nouveau Régime, and is also the one to deduce that the grands ducs have a way to enter the Château de Versailles.
Arcturus participates in the raid on Versailles and is there when Paige confronts Jaxon. When she realizes she is incapable of shooting her old mime-lord, she offers the chance to Arcturus, which he doesn't take, not wishing to shoot an unarmed human. While in Versailles, Arcturus obtains an opaline sword and engages in a fight with several other Rephs, including Thuban Sargas. The presence of Jack the Ripper weakens him significantly, but Paige convinces him to keep going, confessing she still has feelings for him.
Upon returning to the safe house in Paris, Arcturus and Paige spend the night together and commit to their relationship again, but Arcturus is weakened once more by the pain in his scars. While he is asleep, Paige leaves the safe house to speak to Léandre. During her brief absence, the hideout is raided by Vigiles, and Arcturus is taken to the Île de la Citadelle. Paige attempts to rescue him from the Sainte-Chapelle, but when she gets to him, he reveals that he was a double agent, and intends to reveal every piece of information he extracted from Paige to Nashira, who arrives with Situla and Graffias Sheratan. She tells Paige that Arcturus has been reinstated as blood-consort and taunts her with his betrayal. Situla and Graffias attempt to take Paige into custody, but she is somehow able to channel her overwhelming emotions into her dreamscape and attack the Rephs. She escapes with the help of Le Prince Creux.
Devastated, Paige leaves and spreads word of the betrayal to the Mime Order and the Ranthen. During a meeting with Cade Fitzours, she recalls that Warden once told her there was "something that proved that he was always on her side. Something that would betray him if anyone but her could see." She realizes he meant the red drapes in his dreamscape that only a dreamwalker could see. Arcturus feels safest in the place he had first held Paige in his arms, a moment so powerful it had transfigured his dreamscape. This makes Paige realize that Arcturus could not have betrayed her and that he was possessed by another dreamwalker. Paige tries to get back to the Forteresse de Justice when bombs begin falling on Paris in retaliation for Operation Madrigal. La Forteresse de Justice is hit, and Paige is left not knowing if Arcturus is alive or dead under the rubble, fearing not even a Rephaite could survive such injuries.
Physical Description[]
Warden is 6"9' and muscular. He is taller than most other Rephs. His sarx is a dark gold. He has a strong jaw, bow-shaped lips, and stone-cut features. Like all Rephs, his eyes are golden in their neutral state, but change when he feeds on aura. They are about the only thing that ever give away what he might be thinking or feeling, described as variations on fire and heat, dimming and brightening depending on his state of mind. For example, they glow softly when he is content. He has no coloboma and his pupils do not reflect light.
Despite his large size and strength, Arcturus is quick and graceful enough to catch a butterfly in his hands. He has broad knuckles, and one of his hands is scarred from when Nashira almost severed his fingers. He bears painful scars on his back from his torture at the hands of Nashira. They cause a constant, deep pain that gnaws at him as if someone had beaten him with a mace. His scars are like an iron trellis on his back. The larger ones are raised welts, while the smaller ones are hairline threads. The scars are smooth as wax. The pain of them can increase at Nashira's will. Warden is usually dressed in black. Paige describes him as “the single most beautiful and terrible thing” she has ever laid eyes on. His voice is deep and soft. His aura is wrapped around him and is strange, soft, and overshadowed by other auras nearby. His aura resembles a dark cloud that spits occasional glints, like embers, like many Rephaite auras.
Personality[]
Arcturus is not like the other Rephaim. Most notably, he is the only one who does not seem to have prejudice against humans. He treats humans with respect and consideration, even in Oxford. Upon first arriving on Earth, Arcturus believed that humans were reckless and destined to destroy themselves and the æther with their endless, petty wars, and that humans might benefit from Rephaite leadership. He took no pleasure in the degradation and misery of the penal colony. However, he does tell Paige not to "labor under the illusion that he is a bastion of moral goodness."[1] He has mainy aims and desires. He wants to bring about a settlement between humans and Rephaim, restore the Netherworld, and above all to end Nashira Sargas. He admits that years as a blood-consort to Nashira have eroded his sanity.
As an oneiromancer, Warden can make a person dream vividly of the past by manipulating the memories in their dreamscape. His gift gives him "infinite respect for memory."[1] Another ability he has an oneiromancer is that he forgets nothing from his life. Warden's dreamscape is ancient, strange, dark, ashen, and completely featureless. It is a pressing silence. After meeting Paige, Warden's dreamscape begins changing. After escaping Oxford, his dreamscape has created red velvet drapes swirling down from high above and vanishing into bonfire smoke. His dreamscape is like a floating island in the æther, taking no clear form. At the very heart of his mind is his dream-form, a hollow and washed-out creature. A flower has grown from the dust. It has petals of a warm and unnamable color sealed under a bell jar. His dreamscape has twelve specters, and he knows exactly which memory is represented by which specter.
Warden is never seen succumbing to violence or anger, but is a level-headed friend and confidant. Warden is particularly gifted at keeping his composure, making him inscrutable and enigmatic. He is a source of moral support for Paige, giving her strength, counsel, and solace. He has a deep respect for duty. He is patient by nature. Arcturus is intelligent and perceptive in conversation. He is solicitous, a good listener, and has a bone-dry wit. Warden doesn't mind being linked to Paige by the golden cord. It roots him again, and she "reminds him what it is to have a home."[2] Warden’s both soft-spoken and forthright in a confrontation, which coupled with his chilling eyes, tends to get people to listen to him.
Etymology[]
Arcturus is the brightest star in the northern celestial hemisphere. In biblical form, it means "a gathering together." Arcturus can also mean "guardian of the bear." It just so happens that Paige's last name, Mahoney, means "descendant of the bear." It is part of the constellation Boötes, the Herdsman. Mesarthim is the fourth-brightest star in the constellation Aries, also known as the ram.
Trivia[]
- Warden is a talented organ and piano player.
- He has met every Scion leader since 1859.
- He prefers music from the twentieth century and finds human languages interesting.
- Arcturus is fluent in six human languages: English, French, Swedish, Greek, Romanian, and Scion Sign Language.
- Arcturus has a habit of drumming his fingers on nearby surfaces.
Appearances[]
Gallery[]
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