The Stolen Heir

The Stolen Heir duology is set in the same world as The Folk of the Air series. The Folk of the Air trilogy includes The Cruel Prince (2018), The Wicked King (2019), and The Queen of Nothing (2019)—which feature the eventual High King Cardan and High Queen Jude. How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories (2020) is a companion novella to the trilogy. The Stolen Heir takes place eight years after the Battle of the Serpent, a major conflict in The Queen of Nothing.

The Cruel Prince introduces Oak’s family. His parental figures are Madoc, a ruthless redcap faerie who dips his cap in the blood of his enemies, and Madoc’s second wife, a faerie named Oriana. Together, the couple raises four children: Vivienne, the eldest, the part fae, part human daughter of Madoc and his first wife, a human woman named Eva; Taryn and Jude, human twins born to Eva and her human husband, Justin, after she fled to the mortal realm; and Oak, the youngest, who is widely regarded as Oriana’s biological child.

Oak is a child in The Cruel Prince, raised by Madoc and Oriana—but as events unfold, it is revealed that he’s the secret child of Dain, heir to the High King of Elfhame, and Liriope, a consort to the current ruling King of Faerie. Liriope was executed for her relationship with Dain, and is also the mother of Locke—a man Jude and Taryn both fall for in The Cruel Prince. Dain’s brother, Balekin, seeks the crown and murders him, along with their other siblings—except Jude’s later love interest Cardan, because the physical crown must be bestowed by a blood relative. The discovery of Oak’s lineage makes him a prince and the only person besides Balekin and Cardan who can claim the throne. This is a recent discovery made by Jude, but Madoc has leveraged the secret since Oak’s birth. Jude instructs her fae brother to crown Cardan against his will so he can escape Madoc, who eventually stages a coup with Balekin.

In The Wicked King, Oak lives with Jude and Vivienne in the mortal realm where he’s taught to defend himself with swordplay—until he returns to Faerie in The Queen of Nothing. In The Queen of Nothing, Madoc and Balekin are thwarted by Jude and Oak. Madoc then allies with the Court of Teeth, a kingdom in the north of Elfhame, to attack Cardan. When Cardan’s crown is cursed and he transforms into a giant serpent, Lady Nore and Lord Jarel of the Court of Teeth offer Jude a magical golden bridle to control Cardan, in exchange for marrying their daughter, Queen Suren (Wren), to Oak. Jude discovers the golden bridle is a trap intended for her and finds an alternative way to save Cardan.

By the end of The Folk of the Air trilogy, Jude and Cardan successfully become the rulers of Elfhame. When it comes time to punish the Court of Teeth for treason, Oak and Wren advocate for leniency. Jude forces Lady Nore and Lord Jarel to pledge loyalty and follow Wren’s commands. Madoc is exiled to the mortal realm, where he lives with Oriana and Oak—thus paving the way for Oak’s story.