The Stolen Heir

Oak is a 17-year-old antagonist, ally, and love interest to Wren. He attempts to rescue his father figure Madoc and prioritizes Wren’s safety—and by extension, Mellith’s heart. Yet, his Manipulation of Truth ultimately makes Wren an enemy rather than an ally. Oak is the biological son of the deceased Liriope and Prince Dain. Liriope was rumored to be a gancanagh, a love-talker or honey-mouth, who used her power to seduce both the former High King and Prince Dain; Oak is believed to have inherited this power. However, believing the power led to her death, Oak, who isn’t aware whether or not he has such an ability, does not use it.

Oak is lean but muscled, with golden curls, a scar along his throat from a failed assassination attempt, goat feet and horns, fox-like eyes, and “a trickster’s mouth and the swagger of someone used to people doing what he wanted” (38). He’s often able to sweet-talk his way out of trouble and, therefore, treats every situation, no matter how dire, as a game. He “moves as though he expects the world to bend to his will” (34), his fox-like eyes and trickster’s mouth illustrating his talent for manipulating the truth, as fae cannot lie.

Despite the boyish charm he exudes, Oak uses it to hide his strengths. He appears as a spoiled prince, but proves a skilled swordsman, having inherited his bloodlust from Madoc. However, his martial prowess and propensity for games lead him to underestimate his and Wren’s bond, as the novel ends with Wren imprisoning him for his many betrayals.

Lady Nore is the main antagonist, the beautiful ruler of the Court of Teeth with gray skin and pale hair, but a “cruel set of her mouth” that “warned Wren not to trust her” (15). She is disgusted with humanity and weakness, her values including “ferocity, ambition, and no hesitation about spilling an abundance of blood” (238). These values fuel her torture of Wren and use of Mab’s bones to create monsters. Much of Lady Nore’s power is dependent on words, as her daughter Wren has the power to take away her autonomy with verbal commands. Even when under Wren’s control, she is able to regain a measure of power to alert her allies.

When Wren realizes she has Mellith’s heart, she uses the Power of Words to unmake Lady Nore by wishing her dead, and “with no more than the force of that desire, she is spread apart on the snow. Taken apart” (329). Mellith (“mother’s curse”), the name given to the storm hag Bogdana’s daughter by the first queen of Faerie, Mab, is what Wren becomes to Lady Nore.

Tiernan, a guard, and Hyacinthe, a prisoner, are sidekicks to Oak on his journey to rescue Madoc. The two men “once made the sorts of promises lovers make” (249), though their relationship is now complicated due to serving on opposite sides of the Battle of the Serpent eight years ago. While Tiernan is an Elfhame-approved guard for Oak, assigned by High Queen Jude herself, Hyacinthe is one of Madoc’s traitorous soldiers who were cursed into falcon forms for betraying High King Cardan. Hyacinthe is controlled with a magical golden bridle.

Tiernan is described as knightly, though he never officially became a knight, having joined the Court of Shadows as a spy. He has short blackberry hair, wary dark eyes, a long nose, and “the look of someone more comfortable saluting than smiling” (35). Tiernan is a foil to Oak, efficient with his words where Oak is eloquent: “[if] Oak is the sunlight filtering through trees in the woods, all shifting gold and shadow, then Tiernan seems like those same woods in winter, the branches barren and cold” (70).

Hyacinthe has long mahogany hair, purple eyes, light brown skin, and a falcon wing for one arm—illustrating that his curse is only partially broken. His unwilling enslavement reminds Wren of her own childhood, earning her sympathy because she values The Importance of Autonomy. His loyalty is questioned by Oak and former lover Tiernan, who knows and loves him best. However, his loyalty to Wren is earned when she helps him escape the golden bridle; he warns Wren of Oak’s gancanagh heritage and releases her from Lady Nore’s dungeons out of gratitude.

Bogdana is an ancient storm hag who can control storms and serves Lady Nore and Lord Jarel, having helped them magically conceive Wren. She spends her days hunting Wren after she escapes the Court of Teeth. She is described as a “huge, looming creature, spindly, with mushroom-pale skin and a head full of wild black hair” (16), and claw-like fingers “as long as flower stalks” (29). Bogdana has “been killing mortals and faeries alike since long before [Wren] was born” (31) and is the only being whom Lady Nore fears. Despite her malicious nature, she is the only person Wren misses when she’s away from Elfhame. Bogdana serves as a mother figure to Wren, which makes sense considering Wren is her biological daughter. When she created Wren for Lady Nore and Lord Jarel, she included the heart of her deceased daughter, Mellith. During the reign of the first queen of Faerie, she was tricked into killing Mellith, but cursed Mab’s line in retaliation. Bogdana exemplifies The Power of Words through her encouragement and support of Wren, especially during her torture at the Court of Teeth.