The Dragon Prince Rewatch 1.5, "An Empty Throne"

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Viren's plans solidify and advance, and the Dragon Prince's egg moves east.

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1.5, "An Empty Throne"

Written by Aaron Ehasz and Justin Richmond
Directed by Villads Spangsberg

Synopsis

That's not ominous at all, is it?
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

In the castle of Katolis, Viren surveys some of the magical creatures he keeps for use in his sorcery. He also works that sorcery in his chambers, empowering himself.

Callum considers the magical cube he had asked Rayla to retrieve from the royal lodgings as she and Ezran sleep. He begins to puzzle out some of its attributes, if clumsily, and wakes Rayla. She makes to retrieve food, her still-bound hand paining her. As she walks off, she finds a place alone to consider her situation and try to remove the binding--without success. Cries of alarm from Callum call her back to them; he is amid a spell he cannot complete. With some assistance from Rayla, he discharges the energy.

One hand gesture, fit to the situation, is missing.
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

Amaya confronts Viren in the throne room of Katolis. She rebukes him for events, and he tries to excuse himself; she continues to press, and he continues to argue the need for him to take control. He offers to crown Amaya as Queen Regent; she demurs in favor of finding her nephews, to Viren's chagrin.

As Rayla, Callum, and Ezran proceed, Rayla reveals problems with travel by water. Despite her protestations, Callum is able to convince the group to continue on a boat downstream towards Xadia. Bait's name is explained along the way, and Rayla suffers from something like seasickness. Callum tries to distract her, not entirely successfully, before they run into rapids and go over a waterfall.

There is a resemblance.
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

Amaya visits her sister's memorial, seeking solace and counsel. Her adjutant, Gren, stands by silently as she prays; Viren joins them shortly after, paying his own respects to the late queen. They reminisce together and reach what seems to be some accord regarding governance. She makes to lead a search party but is convinced to return to her regular post, leaving Gren at the capital to lead it in her stead. She warns Gren against Viren--with good reason, as becomes clear as soon as she leaves for her post.

They're going to need a bigger boat.
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

After Ezran, Rayla, and Callum find calmer water, they realize Bait has gone overboard. The truth of his name becomes clear as a lake-monster tries to eat him, necessitating rescue by Rayla. The rescue is forthcoming, despite Rayla's difficulties with water and trouble with her hand--and Callum helps. After, she relates some of her unfortunate family history.

Discussion

Early in the episode, Rayla comments to Callum that the exercise of magical power is accomplished in part by a word or phrase spoken "in Old Draconic." It may be a simple translation convention, but the English-language audio of the episode and previous episodes tends to present such speech as not-always-apt Latin. The practice is hardly unique to The Dragon Prince, of course; the Harry Dresden works feature it, as do those centering around Hogwarts. And it hearkens back to medieval Europe, certainly, which tended to use Latin as a language of power and authority--both in terms of human institutions and in attempts to reach and engage with the supernatural. Too, it is something distant from daily life, as noted; the Latin of medieval Europe was hardly common speech, and it cannot be thought that a "magic" language among non-magic-users is an everyday thing.

Notably also, while the language of "good" magic is knock-off Latin, that of dark magic is reversed and remixed English (again, in the English-audio version of the series; I am not conversant enough in other languages to watch the series in them). It would seem to reflect tensions between "correct" usage and emerging vernaculars present in medieval Europe (with Latin and with English, the latter of which receives comment from Caxton in his preface to the Recueil des Histoires de Troye) and in later times; those who have had occasion to teach English, I know run into the issue of changing usage being seen as "wrong," even by people who use the changed forms, as do many people besides. The series appears to come down on the conservative side of that argument, which has implications that might well be traced out.