The Villain's Perspective: The Unseelie King

By: Annie (edited by:Bookperson876)

Cover art by: TeamLeo638

One of the most enigmatic villains of TSC is undoubtedly, the Unseelie King. With his long, white horns, his fifty sons and penchant for destruction, he is no one’s favorite. But what was he thinking, waging war against the Clave? Was his hatred for Shadowhunters more deep-rooted than simply the Cold Peace? And honestly, was he truly just a villain, born bad, bred bad, or did he have a heart?

First, The Unseelie King’s most attractive feature: his face. Split down the middle, one half showing a youthful man with graceful features and the other showing the face of a rotted corpse, if we’re being polite. But what did his face truly mean? His symbol, the broken crown—shows his desire, his want, for the unison of both Courts—the Seelie and Unseelie. I theorize that his divided face shows that half his face can thrive and survive ruling only the Unseelie Court, but the other half is dying. A divided Faerie can survive—but not for long.

The Unseelie King’s story is altered by Auraline. He convinced the Seelie Queen to unite Faerie by having a child with royal blood from both lines, someone inspiring perfect loyalty and perfect love. He would be the First Heir, the savior of Faerie. But when the child is born a girl, the Unseelie King was angry. He was, in plain words, sexist as he believed that a girl could not rule as well as a boy. He ordered Auraline killed in a fit of rage, but she escaped.

The Riders of Mannan attempted to kill her and her descendants. But why would The Unseelie King destroy his dream of a united Faerie? The answer is this: He hated Auraline. She was the product of his hopes and dreams. In Hindi, the word would be umeed, a hope that surpasses everything else. Auraline broke that. In an essential way, she broke him.

There has never been a mention of a kindness the Unseelie King bestowed upon anyone, but after Auraline’s flight, the window of goodness inside of him was shut forever.

My last point, (I don’t wish to bore you all any longer) is the reason the Unseelie King hated Shadowhunters - to the extent that he was ready to use demons to destroy them.

The Faeries are an ancient folk, far more ancient than Shadowhunters. We are prone to forget that before the Accords, Downworlders were hunted for sport. The Unseelie King was angered then and even more so when he was forced to swallow his pride and sign the Accords for the first time. After the Dark War, the Cold Peace came about, stripping all faeries of their dignity and wealth. Remember, it was only the Seelie Queen who sided with Sebastian during the Dark War, not The Unseelie King. Nevertheless, all fey, guilty or not, were punished. This was a turning point for the Unseelie King. Like all of us, at some point, we snap, like a rubber band pulled too far. The Cold Peace snapped him. He dedicated his life to the destruction of Shadowhunters.

The Unseelie King wasn’t purely bad, he was insulted. As much as we try to defend the Shadowhunters, believing that the Unseelie King was only to blame, we are wrong. Shadowhunters insulted and demoted faeries and all Downworlders, without thinking of the consequences. Sometimes, they are prone to forget that even Downworlders have feelings and emotions. Villainy isn’t like flicking on a switch. People or faeries in this context, are a mesh of memories and experiences. They change us, make us or break us. I end at this note, and a famous quote: “Goodness is a point of view.”

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Thank you Sam (Teamleo638) for the beautiful cover art, and N (Nanananana9) for the brainstorming!