The Stolen Heir

Eighteen-year-old Wren spends her time observing her unfamily—her former human family. Whenever she referred to these humans as her family at the Court of Teeth, she was brutally punished by Lady Nore and Lord Jarel. Now, she remains in the mortal realm, to “remind [herself] of what they were to [her], and what they will never be again” (23). When Wren is not watching her unfamily, she’s at the Devil’s Tree in the local graveyard, where teenagers often come to seek wishes from the devil—a glaistig, a bloodthirsty faerie with goat feet. As she eavesdrops on the glaistig, she overhears news that the Prince of Elfhame and heir to the Greenbriar line—Oak, whom she hasn’t seen in four years—is in the area. At night, a man makes a deal with the glaistig, but when the glaistig disappears, Wren severs his curse. Having been cursed by Lady Nore and Lord Jarel throughout her childhood, she’s become adept at breaking curses, and does so to save foolish humans.

Afterward, Wren returns to her unfamily’s home, where she eats their leftovers and entertains fantasies of rejoining the family. Even if this were possible, she knows revealing herself would only bring the storm hag Bogdana to their doorstep. As she leaves, she discovers Bogdana lurking and draws her into a chase far away. Though Bogdana hunts her now, she was the only one who looked out for Wren in the Court of Teeth. When Lady Nore and Lord Jarel punished and tortured Wren, Bogdana came to her aid, offering help and words of encouragement. When Bogdana catches up to Wren, Oak and his personal guard, Tiernan, appear on horseback and threaten Bogdana into leaving before binding Wren’s wrists.

Oak and Wren were once childhood friends, but when Lady Nore and Lord Jarel offered their help in the Battle of the Serpent—the battle that occurred when a curse on High King Cardan’s crown transformed him into a giant serpent—in exchange for Oak marrying Wren, he and his sisters, including High Queen Jude, reacted with disgust. Since then, Wren has blamed Oak for her life on the run from Lady Nore’s bounty hunters.

Seventeen-year-old Oak offers Wren his cloak, but she’s never been affected by the cold. She believes this to be a move of fake gallantry to counter her restraints, but accepts the cloak to cover her efforts to free herself. Oak, Wren, and Tiernan stop by a deserted house, where another prisoner, Tiernan’s former lover Hyacinthe, resides. He was cursed into a part falcon form by High Queen Jude, as punishment for joining Madoc’s coup against Elfhame eight years ago, and wears the magical golden bridle—which elicits a “shudder of recognition” from Wren (41). Oak and Tiernan detail how Lady Nore has remade the Court of Teeth, and rules from the Ice Needle Citadel in the north, using old magic to create monsters. Oak claims Lady Nore stole the bones of the first queen of Faerie, Mab, imbued with the power of creation. She is currently growing her cause, recruiting Folk and falcon-soldiers by enticing them with the promise of breaking their curses.

Oak and Tiernan believe Wren’s power over Lady Nore—enforced by High Queen Jude’s order that Lady Nore “follow Suren and obey her commands” (46)—will allow them to defeat her and secretly rescue Oak’s foster father, Madoc. Though Madoc loves Oak like a son, his ruthless redcap nature prompted him to murder the royal family to place Oak on the Elfhame throne—and rule through him. His coup ultimately failed because Lady Nore betrayed him during the Battle of the Serpent, but Oak seems to love his father despite this. A traumatized Wren agrees to help, as she assumes Oak will place the golden bridle on her if she refuses. She knows she must eventually confront Lady Nore.

Wren recalls the failed marriage proposal between her and Oak. In the memory, Oak sneaks into Madoc and the Court of Teeth’s encampment, where he finds Wren tied to a post. He offers her food and a game to play. They play for entertainment, but Wren eventually suggests they play for stakes. The first stakes prompt the loser to share a secret. When Oak loses, he tells a story of glamouring his human sister to hit herself “over and over, and [he] laughed while she did” (54)—which he now regrets. Wren allows the story to remind her that “no matter how soft he seemed or how young, he was as capable of cruelty as the rest” (54). She raises the stakes, owing Oak a favor if she loses; Oak must cut her bindings if he loses. She loses, and he asks her to sing a song. Oak loses next, and attempts to cut Wren’s bindings, but cannot get through them before Lady Nore and Lord Jarel return to camp. At Wren’s disappointment, Oak promises to return the following day.

Oak returns with a sword to cut through Wren’s ropes. He hides her in his room, where she spends days eating the food he brings, hiding under his bed, and playing human card games with him. After three days, she is dragged out in chains and exiled from Elfhame by Jude.