The Fair Folk
| Character | First appearance | Last appearance | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Queen Titania of Faerie | The Books of Magic Book Three: The Twilight Kingdom | The Books of Magic #75: "The Closing: Inner Child" | The current queen of Faerie, a proud but dedicated ruler of her people who is nevertheless quick to anger and often cruel in her revenge. She first encountered Tim when he was brought to her realm by Rose. Titania attempted to trap him with her by giving him a key that would unlock any door, which she assumed had such value that the boy would be unable to repay her with a gift of similar worth and so would have to remain in her service until he could. Unfortunately for her, Tim had come into possession of a Mundane Egg - the seed of a new world - which he gave to her to repay his debt. She is married to King Auberon, her second husband, but the relationship is troubled by mutual infidelities and a belief that the other has fallen out of love: in truth, both still hold great affection for each other, but struggle to show it under the burden of the crown. For Titania, this is complicated by the fact that she is not a pureblood Faerie as her husband believes but a human sourceress disguised by a powerful glamour taken from the previous Queen, Mab. Her interactions with Tim are clouded by the fact that he could well expose her: one of her early affairs was with the falconer Tamlin and produced a fully human child that had to be spirited away to the Mundane World under the pretence that he had died in childbirth. Titania believes Tim Hunter to be this child, but when she meets a dream of Tamlin he taunts her by saying that his one true love was always the mother of his child, Mary Hunter: as this was a dream created by Tim, however, it may be that it didn't know the true nature of Tim's parentage. Titania swears never to have anything to do with Tim again after trying to return the Mundane Egg to him and being rejected. |
| King Auberon of Faerie | The Books of Magic #10: "The Artificial Heart: Book 2 - Bleak Houses Hard Times" | The Books of Magic #75: "The Closing: Inner Child" | A purebred Faerie and the rightful King of Faerie, Auberon left his trusted uncle in charge of the throne in his early life, whilst he searched for his missing sister. Due to the machinations of the Amadan, his uncle refused to relinquish the throne of Auberon's return and had to be defeated in the field of war. Upon his victory, Auberon attempted to heal the divide in his kingdom by marrying his uncle's wife, Queen Titania. This political expediency caused Titania to believe Auberon had no feelings for her, but he is shown to have great love and affection for her: despite Titania's accusations of his infidelity, the only person he is shown making love to is his wife, having to disguise himself and become her chambermaid just to be close to her. Becoming disenchanted with the Fair Kingdom, Auberon walked in the Mundane World, where he was tricked into surrendering his soul by Gwen. Although the soul was eventually returned, with the help of Tim, the time he spent as a mindless servant changed him, and caused him to devote himself even more to his duties as a husband and king. |
| The Amadan | The Books of Magic #1: "Tearing Down" | The Books of Magic #37: "Rites of Passage: Locked In" | The fool to the Seelie Court, the Amadan seems to be a small and fawning Flitling . . . but is in truth a master manipulator and dangerous enemy, so much so that at times even Titania seems wary of him. He began life as a human-sized Faerie who was the illegitimate and unrecognised son of the Faerie King Magnus and a hag, and the exact details of his transformation have yet to be explained. It was the Amadan's manipulation that led to the death of his father, the unseating of Queen Dymphna and the eventual succession of King Auberon and Queen Titania - a carefully laid series of manipulations that he carried out seemingly for no more reason than it amused him to know that he could. Reduction in size does not reduce his bitterness nor his taste for intrigue - it is the Amadan who brings Molly to Faerie and forces her to delay there, a course of action that ultimately nearly results in the complete destruction of the whole land. This causes the masses to turn against him, looking for revenge for the loss of their homes and livelihoods. He finds himself outwitted and displaced, ultimately, by a meek Flitling called Yarrow. |
| Yarrow | The Books of Magic #28: "Rites of Passage: Part Two - This Is Not About Chocolate" | The Books of Faerie - Molly's Story Book 4: The Importance of Being Evil | Yarrow is one of the breed of tiny fairies known as Flitlings, a nervous and quiet little thing who attends the Queen. She is one of those who flocks to watch Molly as she attempts the unheard of feat of growing vegetables in Faerie, which provokes Titania's jealousy and results in Molly being tricked and cursed. As Molly cuts a swathe across Faerie, Yarrow knows in her heart that the true blame lies with Titania, and tries to help Molly as best she can. Along the way, she manages to convince the Amadan that the only way to escape a hoard of Faeries baying for his blood is to turn himself into a statue . . . and then beheads him when he complies and throws his head into the crowd. Taking his place as the Fool of the Forthing, Yarrow is tested by Huon the Leveller with all of Faerie hanging in the balance: when she passes, Yarrow ensures not just the survival of the land, but its rebirth as a new and brighter place. |
| Prince Taik | The Books of Magic #28: "Rites of Passage: Part Two - This Is Not About Chocolate" | The Books of Magic #38: "Rites of Passage Conclusion: A World of One" | Taik is the son of Auberon and Titania, and heir to the throne of Faerie. However, he was given to the Lords of Hell as payment of the tithe on the land of Faerie, where he was part-possessed by a demon. He escaped, and was transformed into a horse by his mother to disguise his true nature and prevent Hell seeking retribution from Faerie. Unfortunately, when he befriended Molly as a horse named Prince, it ultimately led to him being freed from his enchantment and Hell making war on Faerie. The demon that infected Taik attempted to kill Molly, but was held back by Auberon until Taik could best and destroy it himself. Following the rebirth of Faerie after the Leveller's visit, the land no longer owed tithe to Hell and the restored Prince Taik was free to remain in Faerie. |
Read more about this topic: List Of The Books Of Magic Characters
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