Red Queen

After lunch, Mare meets her second instructor, Julian Jacos, who is the brother of the deceased queen (Cal’s mother). Compared to everyone else Mare has met in the palace, Julian has radical ideas, e.g., Silvers are wrong to treat Reds the way they do and hating all Reds or all Silvers on principle is a poor way to act. As they talk, Mare realizes there are no cameras in the room because Julian has the power to turn them off. He believes Mare is the kind of change needed to heal the broken relationship between Silvers and Reds, a “slow burn that will quench a revolution with a few speeches and smiles” (130). Mare isn’t convinced but listens to him because he might be her only hope for survival.

Mare’s days continue with the same pattern. One day at luncheon, women from various houses discuss how much Mare’s life has changed and how sorry the existence of a Red is. Mare forces herself to agree, all the while hating herself. A woman in military garb interrupts to ask what the king is doing about the Scarlet Guard and their many attacks. Elara explains that the rebels have only attacked once and gives reasons for the other incidents the colonel describes, but Mare can tell the queen is lying.