The Elf King

The Elf King rules Sylvael from a throne of living branches in a palace grown from ancient trees. He is the father of Natali, the kingdom’s only heir, and the greatest obstacle between her and the man she loves. Proud, stern and devoted to tradition, he believes that a princess must marry within her rank, and as Natali and Baudouin moves toward the ritual of the Heart Tree, he proves willing to go further and further to make sure she does.

Appearance

The King looks about fifty-five, with chestnut hair streaked with grey, a short, neat greying beard and brown eyes with a heavy, commanding gaze. A tall crown of intertwined silver branches rises from his head. He wears a deep emerald mantle embroidered with gold and a fur collar fastened with a golden chain. When he enters the Academy in Part 6, heralds sound their trumpets and the banners of Sylvael unfurl; even when he sits alone in a dark hall, his presence fills the room.

Personality

The King loves his daughter, but he confuses love with control. To him, Natali is first of all the heir of Sylvael, and her marriage is a question of the crown. He reacts to the idea of a commoner with disbelief rather than anger, as if such a thing should simply be impossible. His orders are short and final.

He is also a ruler who knows the rules and how to bend them. In public, in Part 12, he reminds the court that the law is one and the Tree decides. In private, in Part 17, he asks Master Eldrin to guide the Tree, insists that everything has a price, and turns to Aelarion when the mage refuses. And yet the series does not paint him as a simple tyrant. When Natali leaves the throne room in tears in Part 7, his face softens for a moment, a sign that the man who gave such a cruel order is not entirely sure of himself.

Story so far

In Part 6 the King visits Moonroot Academy, notices that his daughter is searching the crowd for someone and follows her gaze to Baudouin. “Who is that boy?” is the first sign of trouble. In Part 7 he summons Natali to the throne room, reminds her that she is the heir of Sylvael and orders her to marry Aelarion. When she defends Baudouin as kind and brave, he does not change his mind.

In Part 12 he receives Aelarion’s proposal before the whole court with open delight: nothing would please him more. In Part 17 he tries to secure that outcome in secret. Eldrin refuses to influence the ritual, and the King quietly tells Aelarion, who waits in the shadows, to make sure the boy does not come. At the ritual in Part 20 he stands motionless beside the Queen. In Part 21 the Heart Tree chooses Baudouin for Natali, and the King, his face turned to stone, answers the will of the Tree with a single word: “No.”

Relationships

• Natali is his daughter and heir. He loves her, but he refuses to accept her choice or the Tree’s.
• The Elf Queen is his wife, who believes that the Tree, not the King, should decide.
• Aelarion is his chosen son-in-law and, by Part 17, his secret instrument.
• Baudouin is, to him, simply “that boy”, a commoner with no place beside a princess.
• Master Eldrin is the old mage who openly refuses his order.

See the whole royal family in the characters guide.