Eleanor

!SPOILER ALERT!

Eleanor, Queen of Faerie, Queen of Tirn Aill, wife and queen to King William of Lyonesse, is mother to the protagonist of the Jester King Series,  (William) Billy.

She left the safety of Tirn Aill after she fell in love with King William, through a magical reflecting pond, and because she desired to help mankind learn to live peacefully with each other and nature. After she married William and ruled as Queen of Lyonesse for a time, she was murdered (though it was a secret to all but a few). Having foreseen her assassination (see “the sight“) and fearing for her son’s life, she secreted him away with the help of Sir Sedgemore and Lady Enaid, whose mission was to get Billy out of the country to Albion or Cornwall ahead of the assassins.

While Eleanor was Queen of Lyonesse, she was loved by the people and helped her husband King William bring about a golden age for the nation. All this changed drastically after her death, with the king falling into a melancholy and nobody brave enough to stop the king’s cousin, Ergyfel from poisoning the king and court with his evil influence.

Through most of the Jester King series she is only seen through Billy’s eyes in visions and dreams. Billy also senses her and hears her voice through her magic ring, which she gave to Sir Sedgemore for safe keeping.

While Eleanor was beloved by her subjects in Faerie, many plotted and schemed to gain her throne in her absence. By the time Billy arrives in Tirn Aill, (The Prince) the faeries are deeply entrenched in a heated dispute for the throne, with many claimants.