How the prologue’s title (“What Must Be Done”) reverberates throughout Oathbound

SPOILER WARNING. THIS BLOG SERIES IS INTENDED FOR READERS WHO HAVE FINISHED OATHBOUND AND WANT TO EXPLORE DETAILS IN DEPTH.

Welcome to my new series, Deonn’s Pencraft, where I plan to explore details I annotated in Oathbound by Tracy Deonn. I’m on my second read of the book and look forward to sharing dozens of deep dives on its themes, humor, and imagery. I’ll also be sharing several annotation projects that you can do yourself!

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Like the tones of a bell, the titular words of Oathbound’s prologue — “WHAT MUST BE DONE” — reverberate.

The words “WHAT MUST BE DONE” keep ringing in various forms throughout Oathbound. The most chilling iteration comes from Sel in the book’s final lines. He riffs on the prologue’s title hauntingly, bringing us (at least through sound) right back to the beginning.

“What…shall…we…do?”

Oathbound, Chapter 62, page 642

Erebus and William are the only characters that utter the prologue’s title “WHAT MUST BE DONE” verbatim.

Before Erebus removes a piece of Bree’s soul, he invokes the prologue’s title.

“I see the answer in your eyes,” the King murmurs. “Now I understand what must be done.”

Oathbound, Prologue Part V, p 47

Before Nick calls Cestra to convene curia conventus, he says something that prompts William to repeat the prologue’s title word for word but with a twist. William turns the title into a question.

Nick’s jaw remains tight. “This must be done, William.”

“What must be done?”

Oathbound, Chapter 1, page 70

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What’s done in the past affects “WHAT MUST BE DONE” in the future.

Throughout Oathbound, characters consider what’s already been done in order to decide on future actions. I marked many quotes that explore the past specifically with the word “done.” It was worthwhile for me to annotate and reflect on these “done” quotes, and I wanted to share the most salient ones here.

Did you know Bloodmarked + Oathbound are tied by the word done?

I revisited Bloodmarked because Sel says a version of “WHAT MUST BE DONE” right at the end before Erebus whisks him away to Natasia. He aims this barb at Bree, and Bree doesn’t forget it.

“What have you done?”

Bloodmarked, Chapter X, page X.

In fact, at the beginning of Oathbound, Bree repeats Sel’s words above several times.

First, when she is reeling and breathless from her decision to leave with Erebus. She thinks specifically of leaving Nick behind, saying this:

My next inhale is a shaky one. What have I done?

Oathbound, Chapter 1, p 5

Then, on the next page, the same words come up again while thinking of Sel’s sacrifice.

My breath hitches and my eyes burn. It’s done. It’s all done, and nothing can change it.

Oathbound, Chapter 1, p 6

Finally, at The British Museum in London, just after Erebus wrenches Excalibur from Bree, she remembers Sel’s words from the end of Bloodmarked and internalizes them.

What have you done? I flinch at the memory of Sel’s last words to me.

His contempt joins my own. What have I done?

Oathbound, Chapter 1, p 13

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Another Sel Annotation

Sel really likes the “what’s been done” phrase!

When he catches Bree’s scent on his mother, who has just returned from Daeza’s, he notices something’s off and accuses Natasia of wrongdoing.

Sel tilts his head, drawing another deep breath as he steps closer. “Her scent is not… right. What have you done?”

Oathbound, Chapter 27, p 307

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My Penumbra Annotations

Bree and Nick use variations of “what’s been done” as they face their past in light of what’s been done to Bree’s knowledge and soul.

The glass stills. “We’ve done that before, yes. Not in an elevator.”

[…]

“Have we done that… a lot?”

Oathbound, Chapter 35, page 380

No sky, no horizon, no fall. Our infinite is over and done, not just here at Penumbra, but outside of it too.

Oathbound, Chapter 39, page 426

I’m talking about what’s been done to you. What Erebus took. Your quest—your real quest—isn’t complete.”

Oathbound, Chapter 45, page 486

“I thought I could hide it.” He inhales slowly. “At least until after it was done.”

“After what was done?”

Oathbound, Chapter 47, page 505

Ancestral Plane Annotations

Valec and Bree talk about the destruction of her ancestral plane and the Shadow King taking of a piece of her soul in “what’s been done” terms.

“Do you have any idea what you’ve done?” Valec snaps. “How irreversible this is?”

Oathbound, Chapter 54, page 569

I knew an explosion was coming. I just didn’t know from whom, or realize how much damage had already been done. How much could never be undone.

Oathbound, Chapter 55, page 574

Why did I take the time to annotate all these quotes? What’s the point?

I’ll tell you! I like to look at the “done” quotes from Oathbound as an annotation project that’s useful for THREE reasons.

First, the annotations exemplify the full-circle artistry of Deonn’s writing.

How cool is it that a single phrase connects….

• the end of Bloodmarked
  • “What have you done?”
• the beginning of Oathbound
  • “WHAT MUST BE DONE”
• and the final moment of Oathbound?
  • What…shall…we…do?

Deonn’s writing is so cyclical and pretty, and the way she uses “done” in repetition is complex and musical. “Done”- as a sound and as the basis of a phrase -coheres scenes and themes. The repeating sound creates sensory connections in our reader brains. If Oathbound was a song, its phrases with “done” would be chord progressions that help make the song flow.

Second, do you like tropes?

The way Tracy Deonn fleshes out the “what’s been done” phrase feels very tangential to the beloved “Who did this to you?” romance trope. It happens to make me think of the trope anyway, and I LOVE it when authors play with tropes.

Lastly, this phrase is a tool, a way to reread Oathbound in the future.

I’m always on the hunt for easy ways to refresh my knowledge of a book in a series. When I found something that cohesively ran through Oathbound’s pages (like the repetition of “done” in phrases), I latched onto it. That’s because patterns like this can be used as a tool for rereading efficiently. If you clearly mark these “done” quotes with tabs and make a labeled tab key like I did, they turn into stepping stones for rereading the book. Reviewing the “done” quotes will take you through major plot points: Bree’s decision to bargain with Erebus, the loss of Bree’s soul piece, Nick’s curia conventus, and Sel’s transformation. All that knowledge will come in handy when book four comes out, and you need a refresher!