Drustan mab Necthana

In Jacqueline Carey's Kushiel's Legacy series, Drustan mab Necthana is the leader of Alba, a descendant of the Black Boar people, and he is known elsewhere as the Prince of the Picti. He is club-footed in one leg, but an expert cavalry soldier and a great leader. He has dark hair and eyes, and wears a distinctive red cloak into battle.

For further information on the families and rulership of Alba see Alba and Eire (Kushiel's Legacy).

=Kushiel's Dart=

::"Main article: Kushiel's Dart"

Drustan is introduced as a young man during a rare visit to Terre d'Ange. Drustan and his uncle, the current Cruarch of Alba, visit Terre d'Ange under invitation from King Ganelon de la Courcel. There he meets Ysandre de la Courcel, the to the D'Angeline throne. The two fall in love and enter into a secret engagement to unite their countries. This engagement is kept secret because of the difficulty of making the marriage a reality. The two nations have been literally divided, unable to contact each other for hundreds of years, due to the Master of the Straits who controls the narrow channel between Terre d'Ange and Alba. Perceivably randomly, the Master of the Straits lets the Albans cross the straits this time.

Not long after returning to Alba, however, the Cruarch is overthrown, murdered by his own son Maelcon. Maelcon seeks to end the system of matriarchal rule and claim the kingship for himself. He is spurred on in this by his mother Foclaidha. Drustan flees to the western shore of Alba with his mother and three sisters, where the Dalriada of Éire give him shelter.

When Phèdre nó Delaunay crosses to Alba as the emissary of Queen Ysandre, she is met on the shore by Moiread, Drustan's younger sister. She and her companions are taken to meet the Dalriada. Phèdre tells Drustan that the price of marrying Ysandre is helping to save Terre d'Ange from being invaded by the Skaldi, but that the Master of the Straits will only allow Drustan and the Albans to cross to Terre d'Ange once Drustan has won his own throne back. Drustan is determined to try or die; he gives the Twins, the leaders of the Dalriada, one week to decide whether they will aid him, before he goes on with whomever will follow.

Phèdre nó Delaunay eventually persuades the Twins lords of the Dalriada to lend their aid to Drustan. He marches to war with the Dalriada and the following Alban tribes who back him: the "Decantii", "Carvanicci", "Credovalae", and "Dumnoii" of his own Black Boar people; the "Sigovae" and "Votadae" of the Red Bull; the "Trinovantii", "Atribatii", and the "Canticae" of the Golden Hind. From these tribes, Drustan raises an army of six thousand foot soldiers, seven hundred horsemen, and fifty chariots.

On the eve of battle, Drustan stops to give an inspirational speech to the troops, but is interrupted at the very beginning by the presence of an enormous black boar. Taking this as an extremely favorable omen, the army charges, and thus subverts an attempt by the usurper Maelcon to launch a surprise attack; if Drustan had kept speaking for another ten minutes, Maelcon would have been able to trap them, but with the advantage, Drustan's troops win the battle. He slays Maelcon himself.

Among the casualties is his younger sister Moiread. During the battle, Drustan's family stay away from the battle-field, hidden, with Phèdre and Joscelin as their guard. Unfortunately, they are attacked by a small group of Maelcon's men. Moiread, Necthana's daughter, is the first to reach her weapons and begin shooting them down, but she takes a spear to her middle and dies.

When the remaining people of the Red Bull clans surrender to Drustan and hand over Foclaidha, he grants them clemency; Maelcon's head he nails over the gates of Bryn Gorrydum. Drustan asks the opinions of the Twins and Phèdre before sentencing Foclaidha to death, considering that they, for their aid to him, deserve to have a say in the matter. He then cuts her head off immediately and in front of the council; he declares the lands of Foclaidha's Brugantii tribe forfeit, and bestows them on the Segovae and Votadae, who alone among the Red Bull people kept faith with him.

Drustan decides that three thousand foot soldiers and four hundred horsemen will journey to Terre d'Ange to aid Ysandre, with the rest left behind to secure Alba. The Dalriada decide that they will go along as well, with half of their fighting force. Together, he and Quintilius Rousse decide to sail straight south across the narrowest part of the strait, then cross through Azzalle to meet up with the forces of Somerville and Trevalion in Terre d'Ange.

Drustan is among those brought ashore on the island of the Master of the Straits when one of his men kills an eel in the Master's fishing waters, not knowing that was forbidden. Drustan first tries to take responsibility for what his men did, and then later forgives the men who were responsible when they would have worked themselves to the bone to pay penance. The Master of the Straits then lets them go, thanks to Phèdre nó Delaunay and her friend, Hyacinthe.

In Terre d'Ange Drustan has his forces attack the Skaldi forces on the river bank. It quickly becomes apparent, however, that the Skaldic forces far outnumber them; Drustan gives his troops the option of going home, rather than facing almost certain death in Terre d'Ange. They agree to stay, on the condition that, if they fall, someone carry word of their deeds back to Alba so that the poets may sing of them and their families may know how they died.

During the Battle of Troyes-le-Mont they set fire to Waldemar Selig's siege-towers and Drustan directs his men to lead the pursuing Skaldi into ravines and narrow paths, where the Albans and D'Angelines, under the direction of Ghislain de Somerville, ambush them. The Battle is successful and when it is over, Drustan and Ysandre de la Courcel meet before their armies as monarchs of equal standing, with dignity and respect, keeping their emotions and celebration behind closed doors. They marry in the following spring.

=Kushiel's Avatar=

::"Main article: Kushiel's Avatar"

Drustan and Ysandre de la Courcel have two children, Sidonie and Alais. (see House Courcel)

=Kushiel's Scion=

::"Main article: Kushiel's Scion"

Prince Imriel de la Courcel nò Montrève is third in line for the throne (see House Courcel and of pure D'Angeline blood. This is a contentious issue in Terre d'Ange, especially since Alba's future rulership will have no D'Angeline blood in them, due to the custom of matrilineal succession. It is also apparent that as much as Drustan would like to name Alais as his heir, he cannot without risking another civil war. It would also go against his own fight to regain his throne from Maelcon the Usurper. If Alais were to wed Talorcan, she would rule at his side but their children wouldn't inherit the throne as Alba works by matrilineal succession. When Prince Imriel is 18, Prince Talorcan, Drustan's nephew and heir apparent, joins in the King's annual spring visit to Terre d'Ange, bringing Princess Dorelei with them. The hope is that Prince Imriel could wed Dorelei, making their son the future Cruarch, meaning Terre d'Ange's influence in Alba would not wane.

As such, Ysandre de la Courcel and Drustan make efforts to match-make and inform Imriel of their hope. While they would never make him wed someone he dislikes, or anyone against his will, they are aware that often love can grow after a marriage when it may not have been there before the marriage. While not pressuring Imriel in any way, Ysandre does ask him to seriously consider it. He says he will.

Imriel, however, does not seem happy and very distracted. He goes through a period of turmoil upon which he decides to leave for University in Tiberium. Upon his return, he agrees to wed Dorelei, to Ysandre and Drustan's delight.

=Kushiel's Justice=

::"Main article: Kushiel's Justice"

Imriel de la Courcel returns to Terre d'Ange. When he presents himself to the Queen, he tells her that he has decided to wed the Alban Princess Dorelei.

The next summer, Prince Talorcan and Princess Dorelei accompany Drustan on his annual trip to Terre d'Ange in the spring. Dorelei is sweet and kind-hearted but Imriel is distracted with his love for another. He still agrees to wed Dorelei though. The wedding is a public affair with all persons of import in attendance. They are given many gifts though Imriel's most cherished gift is that from Drustan's family, vambraces carved with the image of the Cullach Gorym, their family emblem (their "diadh-anam"). Thus he is welcomed into the royal house of Alba. During the wedding everyone is happy except for Prince Imriel, who is brooding and moping though smiling at all the right moments and doing his duty. A couple days late, all depart for Alba with a large D'Angeline escort, Drustan's family, Phèdre nó Delaunay and Joscelin Verreuil.

After the wedding, they travel across Alba to Drustan's old home, Clunderry, using the "taisgaidh" roads. On Imriel's first night on Alban soil, missing his lover, he fantasizes of her and pleasures himself, spilling his seed on the soil. During his sleep he is woken by an irresistible lustful pull. Following it, he is lead to a lone Alban woman named Morwen, who seems to have the ability to control him and wants him to have a child with her. Though he tries to refuse, the spell she has cast on him strong. Suddenly, some of the Albans from the escort interrupt them and the woman flees. The Albans and Drustan tell him he was stupid indeed. By spreading his seed, filled with his lust and love, on the "taisgaidh" soil, this woman has been given the tools to ensnare him by making a small "mannekin" of him, allowing her to call on him whenever she wishes. Drustan also tells him that the two claw tattoos on her face means she is of the Maghuin Dhonn. The spell is strong and his only help is to go to an Ollamh, who casts a spell on him to make him immune from Morwen's pull.

In Clunderry, all is typical of a noble Alban home. Imriel has earned their respect and Drustan visits occasionally, though he is busy ruling in Bryn Gorrydum. Dorelei has become pregnant and Imriel cannot wait for his child. Alais also grows and matures significantly at Clunderry, studying with the Ollamhs. Though she does not love Talorcan, she is leaving her doors open and does not refuse him. Talorcan is patient.

By spring, Dorelei is very large from her pregnancy and she and Imriel are looking forward to their first child, who should be born soon. A couple days after the Day of Misrule, Morwen appears out of the woods right in front of Clunderry's men. Drustan hears of the deal she made to free Imriel of her control and the ensuing deception: Berlik, the Maghuin Dhonn leader who can shape-shift into a bear, has killed Dorelei and her child and has badly hurt Imriel.

Imriel falls into a deep depression and is transported to Bryn Gorrydum, where he is treated by an Eisandine healer. Alais keeps him company most days but vengeance was what keeps Imriel alive; he wants Berlik's death. Drustan leads the hunt for Berlik in Alba but is unsuccessful. Hyacinthe, the Master of the Straits, however, sees a large bear swim to Azzalle, across the straights. While he could not be sure it was Berlik, Imriel is. Imriel swears he will bring back Berlik's head and burry it as Dorelei's feet. Urist promises to help him, as do a number of Clunderry's men. Drustan gives his hopes of Imriel's success but assures him that, regardless of what has happened, Imriel is still an Alban and a kinsman of Drustan.

It is a long hunt for Berlik, taking Imriel all the way to empty forests past Vralia. Imriel, however, brings Berlik's head back to Terre d'Ange and then takes it to Clunderry, to burry at Dorelei's feet. Drustan is with him at the ceremony and gives his thanks, saying that Imriel has gone beyond his duty and brought justice to all of Alba. While Drustan does not like Imriel's affair with his daughter, Sidonie, he does not take a public stand against it and tries to convince Ysandre to calm down, to no avail.