Let's talk more about Madoc respecting Jude as a Queen.
That's literally one of the best parts in the trilogy. See these lines from chapter 5 of tcp,
“I want to make my own way at the Court,” I say.
“You’re no killer,” he tells me. I flinch, my gaze coming up
to his. He looks back at me steadily with his golden cat
eyes.
“I could be,” I insist. “I’ve been training for a decade.”
Besides being a redcap who lived for war and dipped his cap in the blood of those he killed, Madoc expected a ruler to not be afraid of getting their hands dirty if they want to run a court, or make their own way at the court, that is.
Although we know Madoc kept taking Jude for granted, he appreciated the things he saw she was good at in twk,
“As I thought. I
didn’t appreciate you properly. I dismissed your desire for knighthood. I
dismissed your capacity for strategy, for strength—and for cruelty. That was
my mistake, and one I will not make again.”
He did, indeed, underestimate his daughter but he saw those things necessary (presumably for someone running the court, even from behind the throne i.e. what Madoc aimed to do himself through Oak) And in qon,
“Enough blustering,” he says. “You’ve already won. Look.”
He takes me by the shoulders and turns me so that I can see where the
great body of the serpent lies. A jolt of horror goes through me, and I try
to wrench out of his grip. And then I notice the fighting has ebbed, the
Folk are staring. From within the body of the creature emanates a glow.
And then, through that, Cardan steps out. Cardan, naked and covered in
blood.
Only out of his spilled blood can a great ruler rise.
And all around, people go to their knees. Grima Mog kneels. Lord
Roiben kneels. Even those who moments before were intent on murder
seem overcome. Nicasia looks on from the sea as all of Elfhame bows to
the High King, restored and reborn.
“I will bend my head to you,” Madoc says to me under his breath. “And
only you.”
It might seem that Madoc surrendered here because he's no fool and could see he'd lost but that's not all. Here, Madoc saw his daughter for who she really was, a Queen. A queen who made difficult decisions like beheading the love of her life because he's cursed instead of a child who tried to keep him in any way she could. Jude was everything Madoc thought a ruler should be, for instance, these lines he said to Cardan in qon,
Have you
earned one single thing that you have? I have fought with those who
follow me and bled with them. I have given my life to Elfhame.
That's something Madoc saw Jude do. She earned the loyalty of those she worked with. She fought with her people in the battle against Madoc and gave her life to Elfhame because it was her home.
He presses his mouth into a thin line. Then he bows his head. “Yes, my
queen.”
No wonder he finally bowed to her. He didn't only accept his defeat, he accepted her as his Queen and respected her for it.
You’re the High Queen of Faerie.
Whatever you did to get there, I can only applaud it.
ps: this post isn't necessarily to say that Madoc isn't planning getting back at Jude but only that by the end of Queen of Nothing, he accepted and respected her as the Queen.
