The Queen of Nothing

With the Faerieland universe dominated by pranks, court intrigue, and the pursuit of power and control, it is natural that war and violence form an essential part of life. Jude, in particular, takes fighting seriously. She has been brought up by Madoc, a redcap, and believes she has imbibed his love of violence and action. As she notes, “redcaps crave violence and blood and murder—in fact, they get a little twitchy when there’s none to be found” (17). For Jude, violence and fighting are also a way to prove her worth to powerful faeries. Unlike magic, which (she believes) is inherited, swordsmanship and fighting strategy can be taught to some extent. Jude has trained with Madoc as a warrior and is eager to display the skills she possesses. Because Jude takes fighting and warfare seriously, she can be punishing toward those who don’t, such as Oak. When Oak treats fighting as a game with his schoolmates, Jude sneaks up on him and nearly chokes him to instill in him the importance of keeping his guard up.

Jude’s ability to fight, and sometimes fight dirty, gets her the respect she wants, especially from fairies like Grima Mog. Grima Mog calls Jude by affectionate names such as “little cheat” and “little goat” after Jude defeats her, confessedly by dishonorable means (26).