The Books Of Faerie Comic

Summary

The first volume of The Books of Faerie details the fall of the Regent King Obrey and the journey to power of the ruler known as Titania. We first meet her as a small ordinary human girl named Maryrose, dressed in rags, in "England, a long time ago." A cart full of bodies is visible in the background. Her "Gran" sends her for kindling, warning her not to follow the fairy lights, which of course she does. The lights turn into the childlike attendants of Queen Dymphna of Faerie,who she is brought to, who takes her in. Renamed Rosebud, she grows into young maidenhood in Faerie, a favorite of the Queen and apparently taken for a fairy by most. When King Obrey returns after many years away at war, the manipulator Amadan convinces him that he can at last sire true a fairy heir by Rosebud (fairies usually having a very hard time bearing children}. He conspires with him to imprison Dymphna in an oak, whereupon he takes the girl as his very young bride. The Amadan, keeper of everyone's secrets, advises her to take the coronation name Titania. As it turns out, Obrey is only the regent of Faerie, and dies in battle with his nephew, the true heir, Auberon: in returning to take the throne, he also takes Titania as his wife to reunite the two sides of the war, unaware of her origin. He is not unkind to her, and indeed gives her time to get used to him – a little too much time, as Titania travels back to the mundane world where she meets the falconer Tamlin and consummates an affair with him just as Auberon tells her it is time to produce an heir. As The Amadan promised, Titania becomes pregnant, to the joy of all Faerie – especially Auberon, who immediately sends for his old brownie nanny Bridie to care for Titania and aid the birth. Titania goes into labor early, while the king is away, and though the baby boy lives, he is as pink as only a true human child would be. Bridie takes the child away to hide him, leaving Auberon wracked with guilt that his choice of nursemaid might have killed his son. It later becomes apparent that Titania believes the Opener Timothy Hunter to be the child that Bridie hid, although Tim himself is told that he isn't by Auberon. It should be noted that Auberon said Timothy Hunter did not have "a drop of faerie blood in him", which, if he was the son of Tamlin and Titania, and if Titania was a human who had gone to Faerie, would be exactly right.