The Cruel Prince

Jude relates several incidents that have led to her desire protection as a mortal growing up in Faerie. When she was young, one of Madoc’s guards bit off the tip of one of her fingers; a faerie got her drunk and made her dance at a party (knowing that she wouldn’t be able to stop dancing once she started); Madoc’s young son Oak used magic to coerce her into playing with him. These encounters, which made her feel powerless, have contributed to Jude’s desire to become a knight.

To retaliate against Jude for her salting prank, Cardan and his friends throw her and Taryn, along with their school supplies, into a river. Afraid of such an outcome, Jude had tried to get Taryn to stay home from school that day. The sisters are afraid of nixies—monsters that hide in the rivers and drown swimmers—and they eventually see the creatures swim up to them. After taunting the sisters and making Taryn kiss his cheeks, Cardan makes Taryn promise not to side with Jude at their lessons, to which Jude’s sister agrees. In return, Cardan and his friends promise to leave Taryn alone from then on, and again tell Jude not to appear in the tournament.