#the opposite of the traitor isn't the one who is being betrayed..it's the loyal one | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

fantasyfangirling4ever · 1 year

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So apparently Holly Black said that in The Prisoner's Throne Jude will be dealing with a political problem. Here are my theories on what that the problem is (obviously SPOILERS):

Suren herself. She has claimed the citadel and her role as Queen of the Court of Teeth, whose disbandment was one of Jude's first decrees as Queen. Suren has unchecked magic and her claim to power is treason. And critically Suren has Oak, Jude's brother and heir, held captive and under her control with the bridle. No Bueno. I know people think this conflict will be over quickly and our gals will team up to take on the world. I'd love that but there isn't really another clear conflict left with Lady Nore dusted. However, getting the Elfhame Vs Court of Teeth conflict done early and moving onto something bigger wouldn't be the most surprising twist Black has ever written so sure, but the layers of this conflict make it a real doozy. Oak is bridled and he has a legitimate claim to the throne. Suren could order him to marry her, challenge Jude and Cardan for the throne, and make her Queen of Elfhame- and this seems to be the direction the duology is going in since as Mellith (??) technically Suren has more claim to the throne than any Greenbriars according to the story we learned in TSH?? I know that everything we know about Suren as a character contradicts this theory (she would never order someone to marry her or use the bridle against Oak long-term becuase of her history with it, she doesn't seem to want power in fact she seems to actively not want it) but her character went on the flippity flop at the end of TSH and this strategic move is possible in the plot and it makes sense for her Queen Suren era inspired by Oak's betrayal. And since Jude is a mortal ruling Elfhame, I can see a lot of the folk getting involved. I'm not saying the book will end that way, it would be weird for Holly Black to go back to Elfhame just to undo everything she did in tfota, but she could threaten to. It is a problem. Also I think Oak wants to marry Suren so I'm not sure how much of a fight the little simp would put up.

Madoc. Daddy didn't take his exile well and now he's back. With an army. The same army that betrayed Jude- three times now. First they fought beside Madoc. Second they didn't forsake him and swear loyalty to her. And third, instead of undoing their curse by the means given to them by Jude (being fed for a year) in the decade since QoN, they decided to join the Court of Teeth and fight against her again for Lady Nore. And now they return as a 'gift' with the very traitor they first left with. What is she supposed to do with them? Also along for the walk of shame back to the brugh is Hyacinth, the lover of Tiernan, Jude's friend and loyal soldier, who tried to KILL HER HUSBAND and was mercifully not killed only for Oak to cheat-undo his curse and use him to go behind Jude's back to rescue Madoc. Hyacinth really took 'Be Gé, Do Crime' to another level. This merry band of traitors and their bad tidings are a political nightmare for Jude.

This Madoc Mess ties into Suren as well. Jude's rulings on the Court of Teeth and Madoc's army were her first ones as an official monarch, she made them in front of the whole kingdom and they ended the war which her family (Madoc) started and which marked her uneasy rise to the throne. And now both of those decrees have been undone in The Stolen Heir; Madoc is back with his betraying army knocking on her door and The Court of Teeth is re-established with more power than ever. Her love for her father and her understanding of/ sympathy for Suren is in direct opposition to her authority as queen. She cannot just let Madoc and Suren off but their role in the books and the fact that this is only a duology means that it is unlikely that she will declare war on Suren or execute Madoc. I'd say those are a few pretty big political problems for youse.

Then we have the succession. I know this is a point of contention among readers but Holly Black has explicitly said that Jude and Cardan's (hypothetical?) children being a threat to Oak's claim to the throne is an issue in these books and it's already been brought up in TSH. Apparently a lot of people hate the idea of Jude and Cardan having a child?? I guess I'll make another post about that but basically it would make sense plot and character wise for a Jude pregnancy to be a conflict in The Prisoner's Throne. It would give an immediacy to the issue of Oak's responsibilities as heir- we know it's not a conflict for him: he doesn't want the throne end of, but neither did Cardan. Also he starts the upcoming book as a prisoner. And it's called...The Prisoner's Throne...Anyway, it seems Jude and Cardan still want Oak to inherit the crown and it would be beneficial to Suren if he did, it is a possible resolution to the conflict set up at the end of The Stolen Heir. Jude's decree to disband the Court of Teeth wouldn't matter if she retired and Oak and Suren ruled together and a threat to that claim in the form of Jurdan baby could add more complexity to the plot and bring up the themes of family and court intrigue etc.

Nicassia and the sea. Everyone and their mother has complicated feelings about Nicassia but at the end of tfota trilogy the Undersea was somewhat uneasily allied with Elfhame through The Wicked King treaty and in fact Nicassia was the ambassador of the Undersea in Elfhame and even chose to fight with Jude when she technically didn't have too, this decision might have been an attempt at a redemption arc for her (she still tortured my girl so personally...no) which could be used as a stepping point to further explore her character. But I digress, whether or not Nicassia and Jude get along now, the threat to her mother's reign and her claim to the succession that we learned about in TSH is a direct threat to Elfhame- and Jude and Cardan.

And so, with the hard won ceasefire from the Sea now teetering, Madoc skipping back to his daughter with a falcon army, and Elfhame's heir locked in Queen Suren's basement it's safe to say that Ms. Black has a variety of political problems for Jude from which to chose. It seems like waaay too much to deal with in one more book so I can't wait to read the action and intrigue and see where Holly goes next. Holly said this duology will be followed by MORE THE FOLK OF THE AIR BOOKS from a different character's perspective and that we would know at the end of the duology what the conflict would be and who that character would be so I think one of these outlined problems will probably outlast the duology and be addressed in FUTURE BOOKS. I think it's probably the Undersea right? Books from Nicassia's point of view as she fights for her throne would be interesting... Though from a selfish point of view I would like to stay on land. But come on people, I feel like as a fandom we aren't collectively freaking out about the fact that THERE IS EVEN MORE TFOTA ON THE WAY!!!!!

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