The Red Queen

The Red Queen, commonly referred to as the Queen, is a spit in the Stoneheart Trilogy. She is the central part of the statue of Boadicea next to the Westminster Bridge and the House of Parliament in London.

History
The Red Queen's statue is based off of the British Iceni queen Boadicea (died AD 60 or 61) who fought the Roman Empire and led an attack on the historical city of Londinium (modern day London).

The creation of the statue of Boadicea was carried out by Thomas Thornycroft. The statue was completed in 1905 by Thornycroft's son. Ironically, the statue built to resemble a protector of the city is of a woman who is famous for destroying it.

Appearance


The Red Queen is a regal woman who wears a simple dress and a long cloak. A small spiky crown is on top of her head. She carries a spear with her; when she does not move, it is held up in her right hand. She, along with her two daughters, rides in her chariot pulled by a pair of horses.

Personality
The Red Queen is fiery and quick to anger. Also, she has an apparent dislike for men, and she asserts that women can complete tasks better than men can. Her temper is checked by her daughters, who have to calm her down on occasion. She is very protective of girls, as in history she took revenge when her daughters were harmed by Roman soldiers.

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The Red Queen is first seen as the Black Friar walks past her plinth. She speaks down to him, offended that the Friar did not acknowledge her presence. After hiding several insults behind his words, the Friar goes too far when he makes a remark about the Queen having red hair. The Queen becomes furious, but her anger is quelled by her daughters.

Before the Friar leaves, the Queen asks the spit if he has seen two children (George and Edie) pass his pub. The Friar, however, lies and says that he has not seen any children. The Friar leaves, and the Queen decides to find the children herself.

Later, the Queen and her daughters run across the Last Knight, who is carrying Ariel back to her plinth after he accidentally struck her with his lance. The Queen sends her daughters to stop the Knight, and she insists that she takes over in saving Ariel. The Knight reluctantly hands the injured spit over to the Queen and he leaves. The Queen then remarks that a man should never be sent to do a woman's job.

Trivia

 * The Red Queen earned her nickname because Boadicea destroyed the city of London and spilled the blood of its people. The Black Friar, however, jokes that it is because she is a redhead. This comment offends the Queen.