I love Eileen for her honour, honesty and courage. Her spiky awkward attitude is the flip side. She’s utterly committed to Derek, Jennifer, Edward and, for Jennifer’s sake, Paul too. She sees magic’s disadvantages and is not afraid to criticize her own side. She sees her royal status as something to be used to help people rather than to advance herself. She loathes evil. She is incorruptible. She sees through flim-flam, which is why she never got on with Brankaresh. The fact she is prepared to follow her heart and principles by going to earth and turning her back on all she’s known takes great courage. It would’ve been easier to dump Derek and stay in the magical realm.
Jenny
I love Jenny for being prepared to stand up to her mother, which many in the magical world would not do. Jenny doesn’t abandon Eileen after the latter’s devastating revelation as to what she is despite the girl realizing immediately the fallout from this story is going to hit her hard. Jenny knows her own mind (can’t think where she gets that from!, well actually I can!) and marries a man she loves, like her mother did, despite Eileen taking an instant dislike to Paul. Later as Jenny comes to terms with her new status as a half fairy, she finds her own way of using the magic she’s inherited in her blood from Eileen and that she was given by the dying fairy, Rose. Jenny certainly does not do anything simply because her mother says she should
The Fairy Queen - Roxannadrell
The Fairy Queen is devoted to her realm, though devastated at coming to the throne thanks to the assassination of her mother. The Queen feels duty is all and wants nothing to wreck the realm again, understandable given the Fairy Kingdom has been beset by wars. The Queen feels calm is crucial especially after her mother’s death. The Queen does have courage and honour, recognizes people’s true abilities but cannot understand why all are not as committed to the cause as she herself is. She sees Eileen as a loose cannon to be controlled, which is true to a certain extent, though she would’ve been better off dealing with Eileen’s discontent. The Queen also recognizes L’Evallier’s character for what it is and knows she needs him to tell her true, especiallly when she hates it.
The Chief Witch
The Chief Witch has grievances and good reason to hold them. She has more honesty and honour than most of her ancestors holding the hereditary title. She blames the fairy royals for losses to her family but is less keen to admit some relatives brought their misfortunes on themselves. She has a soft spot for Eileen, though the godmother is her chief rival. The Witch is intelligent, determined not to make the mistakes her ancestors did, but is blinded by her wish to take the throne and wield the ultimate magical power. She genuinely feels she has a better claim to the throne. Her one big mistake was not to take Eileen’s offer of an olive branch. That mistake ultimately kills the Witch…