Painted Girl's Chains

Auren, once a beloved child in a fae land, is orphaned and trafficked into the slums of Derfort Harbor. Her golden skin makes her a spectacle, exploited by Zakir, a flesh trader, who forces her to beg, steal, and eventually sell her body. The world is cold, wet, and cruel, and Auren's only comfort is the memory of her parents and the hope of escape. Her unique gold skin, which cannot be washed away, becomes both her curse and her only value. The trauma of her early years forges her into a survivor, but also leaves her deeply scarred, mistrustful, and desperate for belonging. The chapter sets the tone for a life shaped by captivity, abuse, and the constant threat of being sold to an even worse fate.

Golden Cage, Gilded Lies

Rescued—or so she believes—by King Midas, Auren is swept into a new kind of captivity. Midas, the Golden King, parades her as his favored, using her gold-touch power (which he claims as his own) to secure his rule and dazzle the world. Auren is kept in a literal cage, isolated from the other saddles (royal courtesans), and manipulated into believing her gilded prison is love. Midas's affection is transactional, his protection conditional. Auren's ribbons—magical extensions of herself—are hidden, a secret even from Midas. Her world is one of opulence and surveillance, where every kindness is a calculated move and every freedom is an illusion. The golden cage is both physical and psychological, and Auren's sense of self is eroded by years of gaslighting and emotional abuse.

The Rotting King Revealed

Auren is captured by Fourth Kingdom's army, led by the enigmatic commander Rip. What begins as antagonism turns to reluctant trust, as Rip challenges Auren to confront her own power and the lies she's been told. The shocking revelation: Rip is actually King Slade Ravinger, the feared King Rot, hiding in plain sight. This dual identity upends Auren's world—Rip, the one who saw her, is also the king everyone fears. The revelation is a crucible for Auren, forcing her to question everything: her loyalty to Midas, her understanding of power, and her own capacity for trust. The chemistry between Auren and Rip/Slade is undeniable, but so is the danger of their connection.

Power, Deceit, and Desire

Torn between Midas's manipulations and Slade's provocations, Auren is caught in a web of political intrigue and personal longing. Midas's need for her power grows desperate as his hold on his kingdoms weakens, while Slade's interest in her is both personal and strategic. Auren's own magic is volatile—her gold-touch can kill, and her ribbons are both weapon and vulnerability. The two kings represent different forms of control: Midas's gilded chains and Slade's challenging, sometimes brutal honesty. Auren's desire for freedom is complicated by her growing feelings for Slade, who pushes her to claim her agency, even as he withholds his own secrets.

The Price of Obedience

Auren's attempts to comply with Midas's demands only deepen her suffering. She is forced to use her power to gild the castle, draining herself to the point of collapse. Midas's punishments escalate—from emotional manipulation to physical violence and drugging her with dew, a narcotic that robs her of will. The saddles around her are addicted, numbed, and expendable. Auren's only leverage is her power, but using it costs her pieces of herself. The price of obedience is the loss of her autonomy, her dignity, and, eventually, her ribbons—severed as punishment, leaving her maimed and broken.

Schemes of Kings and Queens

The arrival of Queen Kaila of Third Kingdom and the scheming Queen Malina of Sixth add new layers of danger. Alliances are forged and broken, marriages arranged for power, and assassinations plotted. Midas's ambition knows no bounds—he orchestrates riots, manipulates public opinion, and plans to marry Kaila after Malina's death. Kaila, a master of voice magic, is as ruthless as Midas, threatening Auren and the other saddles to secure her own position. The ball becomes a stage for betrayal, with every royal playing a part in a deadly game. Auren is a pawn, but the queens remind her that women can be just as dangerous as kings.

Ribbons and Rebellion

The severing of Auren's ribbons is a turning point. Midas's cruelty is laid bare, and Auren's pain is both physical and existential. Her ribbons were her last secret, her last defense, and their loss is a profound violation. But in the aftermath, something new stirs—a rage that refuses to be caged. Auren's rebellion is born not from hope, but from fury. She begins to plot her escape, to ally with Rissa and the Wrath, and to reclaim her power. The rebellion is not just against Midas, but against every chain that has ever bound her.

The Breaking of Trust

Trust is a rare and fragile currency. Auren's trust in Midas is obliterated by the revelation that he was Barden East, the crime lord who haunted her childhood. Her trust in herself is tested by the violence she is capable of. Even her alliances with the other saddles are fraught—Rissa is a blackmailer, Mist is a rival, and Polly is a traitor. The only trust that remains is with Slade and his Wrath, but even that is complicated by secrets and the ever-present threat of betrayal. The breaking of trust is both a wound and a liberation, forcing Auren to rely on her own strength.

The Monster Within Unleashed

Pushed to the edge by Midas's final betrayal, Auren's magic erupts in a storm of gold. No longer limited by the sun or by fear, she calls every gilded thing in the castle to life, turning the ballroom into a sea of molten gold. Guards are swallowed, Midas is encased, and the world witnesses the birth of a monster. But the monster is not mindless—it is the product of years of abuse, of power denied and pain endured. Auren's rage is both vengeance and catharsis, a force that cannot be contained. The cost, however, is nearly fatal—her power threatens to consume her as she teeters on the edge of oblivion.

The Ball and the Betrayal

The celebration ball is the climax of every scheme. Midas announces his betrothal to Queen Kaila, Malina is declared dead, and Prince Niven is poisoned—framing Slade for murder. The crowd turns on King Rot, and Midas seizes the moment to try to destroy both Auren and Slade. But Auren, high on dew and stripped of her ribbons, breaks free in a storm of gold, killing Midas and saving Slade from ruin. The ball is both a massacre and a liberation, a night where every mask is torn away and the true monsters are revealed.

The Death of a King

Auren's vengeance is complete as she kills Midas, the man who caged, abused, and betrayed her. The act is both justice and tragedy, the end of a chapter and the beginning of another. Midas's death is not just the fall of a king, but the collapse of every lie he built. Auren's power is now undeniable, but so is the danger it poses—to herself and to the world. The aftermath is chaos, with kingdoms in turmoil and Auren's own fate uncertain.

The Storm of Gold

The unleashed magic is too much for Auren to control. The gold she called to life threatens to consume her, draining her life force and endangering everyone around her. Slade intervenes, risking everything to save her, even as she begs him to leave. In a desperate act, he uses his own rot magic to force her into stasis, saving her life but leaving her fate unknown. The storm of gold is both a triumph and a warning—the cost of power is always high.

The Edge of Power

In the aftermath, Auren is left broken but alive, saved by Slade's intervention. The Wrath and Digby escape with her, fleeing the chaos of Ranhold as the world reels from the massacre. Auren's power has changed her, and the world will never see her as a victim again. But the edge of power is a dangerous place—Auren must learn to control her magic, to heal from her wounds, and to decide what kind of person she will become. The question remains: did she fall, or did she fly?

Aftermath and Awakening

The kingdoms are thrown into turmoil. Queen Kaila survives, but her ambitions are checked. The people of Fifth and Sixth are left leaderless, and the legend of the gold-touched woman spreads. Auren's actions have consequences—she is both feared and revered, a symbol of vengeance and hope. Slade and his Wrath become her allies, but the path ahead is uncertain. The aftermath is both an awakening and a reckoning, for Auren and for the world.

The Promise of Freedom

For the first time, Auren is truly free—not just from Midas, but from every chain that ever bound her. She is no longer a pet, a possession, or a pawn. Her power is her own, and so is her future. The promise of freedom is both exhilarating and terrifying, a blank page waiting to be written. Auren's journey is far from over, but she is no longer running from her past. She is running toward her own destiny.

The Cost of Survival

Every character in Gleam pays a price for survival. Auren loses her innocence, her ribbons, and her illusions. Slade risks his kingdom and his soul. The saddles gamble with loyalty and betrayal. Even Midas, in his greed, loses everything. Survival is not just about living—it is about changing, about letting go of what no longer serves, and about finding the strength to begin again. The cost is high, but the reward is freedom.

Characters

Auren

Auren is the protagonist, a woman whose life is defined by captivity, abuse, and the struggle for agency. Her golden skin and gold-touch power make her both valuable and vulnerable, a prize to be owned and exploited. Psychologically, Auren is shaped by trauma—her early years as a trafficked orphan, her years as Midas's favored, and the constant threat of violence. She is resourceful, resilient, and deeply empathetic, but also scarred by self-doubt and a desperate need for love. Her development is a journey from victimhood to agency, from obedience to rebellion, and from self-loathing to self-acceptance. Her ribbons are both a symbol of her magic and her vulnerability, and their loss is a profound violation. Auren's relationships—with Midas, with Slade, with the other saddles—are fraught with power dynamics, trust issues, and the ever-present question of who she is when she is finally free.

King Midas (Tyndall)

Midas is the primary antagonist, a man whose ambition and greed know no bounds. He is charming, intelligent, and ruthless, using Auren's power to secure his rule and expand his influence. His love is transactional, his protection conditional, and his punishments escalate from emotional manipulation to physical violence and drugging. Midas's psychological profile is that of a narcissist—he needs to be adored, feared, and in control. His backstory as Barden East, the crime lord of Derfort, reveals the depth of his duplicity and the roots of his cruelty. Midas's downfall is his inability to see Auren as anything but a possession, and his ultimate fate is a direct result of his own greed and hubris.

Slade Ravinger (Rip, King Rot)

Slade is both Auren's adversary and her salvation. As Rip, he is the enigmatic commander who pushes Auren to confront her own power and the lies she's been told. As King Rot, he is feared and misunderstood, hiding his true identity to protect his kingdom and himself. Slade's magic is as dangerous as it is misunderstood—he can rot living things, and his power is both a weapon and a curse. Psychologically, Slade is driven by a need to protect, to challenge, and to connect. His relationship with Auren is transformative for both of them—he sees her as a person, not a possession, and pushes her to claim her agency. Slade's own trauma and secrets make him wary of trust, but his loyalty to his Wrath and to Auren is unwavering. His development is a journey from isolation to intimacy, from king to partner.

Rissa

Rissa is one of the royal saddles, a woman who uses her beauty and cunning to survive. She blackmails Auren, threatening to reveal her secret, but eventually becomes an ally in the plan to escape. Rissa is pragmatic, fiercely independent, and deeply distrustful. Her loyalty is conditional, and her primary motivation is freedom. Her relationship with Auren is fraught with rivalry, suspicion, and a grudging respect. Rissa's development is a testament to the power of female solidarity in a world that pits women against each other.

Mist

Mist is another saddle, initially antagonistic toward Auren. Her pregnancy with Midas's child makes her both valuable and expendable. Mist's jealousy and bitterness are rooted in her own trauma and the precariousness of her position. When threatened by Queen Kaila, Mist becomes a symbol of the dangers faced by women in a patriarchal world—valued only for what they can provide, and discarded when they become inconvenient. Her relationship with Auren is a microcosm of the larger dynamics of competition and solidarity among women.

Polly

Polly is a saddle addicted to dew, the narcotic that Midas uses to control his courtesans. Her addiction makes her both pitiable and dangerous—she betrays Auren, but is also a victim of the same system. Polly's character is a study in the ways that trauma and addiction can be weaponized by those in power. Her relationship with Auren is antagonistic, but also a warning of what happens when women are pitted against each other for survival.

Queen Kaila

Kaila is the queen of Third Kingdom, a master manipulator with the power to control voices. She is as ruthless as any king, using threats, blackmail, and assassination to secure her position. Kaila's psychological profile is that of a survivor—she will do whatever it takes to maintain her power, and she recognizes both Auren's threat and her potential. Her relationship with Midas is transactional, and her interactions with Auren are a chilling reminder that women can be just as dangerous as men in the pursuit of power.

Queen Malina

Malina is the queen of Sixth Kingdom, Midas's wife, and a political casualty. Her attempts to hold onto power are thwarted by Midas's schemes, and her eventual death is both a personal and political tragedy. Malina is cold, calculating, and deeply insecure, her barrenness both a personal wound and a political liability. Her relationship with Auren is antagonistic, but her fate is a warning of what happens to women who become inconvenient to powerful men.

Digby

Digby is Auren's guard, a man of few words but unwavering loyalty. He is a surrogate father, the only constant in Auren's life. His suffering at Midas's hands is a direct result of Auren's rebellion, and his survival is both a comfort and a burden. Digby's character is a study in the costs of loyalty and the ways that even the strongest can be broken by cruelty.

The Wrath (Lu, Osrik, Judd, Ryatt)

The Wrath are Slade's inner circle—warriors, spies, and friends. Each has their own backstory and trauma, but together they form a found family that is both protective and irreverent. Their loyalty to Slade and, eventually, to Auren, is a testament to the power of chosen bonds. Psychologically, they are survivors, each shaped by violence and loss, but united by a code of honor and a willingness to fight for each other.

Plot Devices

Duality and Hidden Identity

The story is built on dualities—Auren as both victim and survivor, Midas as both savior and abuser, Slade as both Rip and King Rot. Hidden identities and secret powers are central plot devices, creating tension and driving character development. The revelation of true selves is both a source of conflict and a catalyst for transformation.

The Cage and the Ribbon

The cage is both literal and metaphorical, representing the ways that [Auren

Last updated: May 15, 2025