The war between the two fae courts, Seelie and Unseelie, originated in a revenge plot long before Atakan and Mildred’s part in the tale begins. When Unseelie Queen Kalista left her abusive husband, King Vorx, and sought refuge with Seelie King Garran, Vorx became obsessed with getting revenge. Vorx’s obsession intensified when Garran and Kalista fell in love; Garran, in turn, sought revenge on Kalista’s behalf for the abuse that she suffered at her husband’s hands. This dynamic sparked decades of conflict that drew in subsequent generations and neighboring kingdoms, including Nephrym, Mildred’s kingdom. The violence continued with each side seeking retribution for the sins of the other; during the main timeline of the novel, Seelie has struck the most recent blow by erecting magical wards between the two kingdoms; these barriers keep Unseelie fae trapped in their kingdom and prevent Unseelie creatures from attacking Seelie or human lands. Mildred’s fate becomes one more casualty in this quest for revenge. First, her marriage is arranged to create an alliance in this endless war, and she is later pursued by Vane, who wants to use her to break down the wards. As she finds her way through these convoluted political twists, Mildred must decide which forms of revenge are justified, and which are too destructive to be pursued.

Her most intense object lesson arrives in her interactions with Vane, who rationalizes his desire to seek revenge even as he rejects his father’s cruelty. Ironically, he sees no tension in this position, believing that some form of revenge is merited for his mother’s defection despite his condemnation of his father’s past abuse. This dynamic suggests that Vane, like his father, sees women as possessions that can be “stolen,” and this misogynistic attitude is reinforced by the fact that he treats Mildred as a commodity for his benefit. Seeing the issue at hand, Mildred urges him to let go of his desire to take revenge , especially when such a path would cost many lives and spark another pointless round of wars between the two kingdoms.

However, despite her intervention to prevent revenge at the political level, Mildred has much less of an objection to Atakan’s desire to seek revenge on a personal level. Notably, when he kills his father in order to protect her, she feels gratified and sees his actions as proof that he cares for her. Similarly, when Atakan comes to Unseelie in his pytherion form to retrieve her, she feels that his action is warranted—even if she does not want him to kill a great number of people on her behalf. Ultimately, she argues that revenge in and of itself isn’t necessarily unwarranted or wrong. Rather, she holds that the scope of that revenge must be kept in check so that the resulting violence does not affect those who have no personal stake in the conflict. Mildred’s nuanced position suggests that when royals seek revenge, they must do so with caution, as they have the power to let their personal vendettas spiral out of control and affect their entire realm and beyond.