Nick Robinson, in the role of Prince Henry, has been projected as a character who is caught in a dilemma of choosing sides between good and evil. He is, however, only a tool in the hands of his evil mother, the Queen of Aurea, Isabelle. Robin Wright has done an excellent job of playing the role of the vile queen, who intends to sacrifice innocents to keep her bloodline going. Will Henry betray Elodie? What was Isabelle’s motive? Why did she decide to appease the dragon by feeding it young maidens? Let’s find out the motive of the mother-son duo!
Spoilers Ahead
What Was Queen Isabelle’s Motive?
Queen Isabelle had sent Lord Bayford a letter in which she asked him to get his daughter married to her son in exchange for some wealth. The Lord agreed to it because he thought that it was the only way to help his own people thrive. After Lord Bayford reached Aurea along with his family, the Queen started showing her true colors. When Elodie’s stepmother went to have a heartfelt conversation with the Queen, she told her off, saying that she was of a lower strata and that she did not wish to converse with her. The evil mindset of the queen is further revealed after the wedding. She instructed the newlyweds for a ritual up at the mountaintop, where Elodie was flung into the abyss by Prince Henry on queen’s instructions.
The Queen had planned this out so that she could keep her own bloodline safe. She wanted to make sure that the blood-thirsty, fire-breathing dragon was satiated with the young maidens that she flung one after the other into the abyss after getting them married to her son. The sly Queen fooled the dragon into thinking that the maidens were a part of their family by getting Henry to do a blood pact with them (as a part of the ritual,) so that the dragon would sniff the royal blood in the maidens’ veins. She had crafted this way to keep her bloodline safe, but little did she know that this very idea of hers would be the end of her someday.
What Did Isabelle Do To Elodie And Her Family?
Queen Isabelle did not hesitate to instruct her son to sacrifice others to protect their own kingdom. The selfishness in her had driven her to become a ruthless butcher and have no mercy for others. On Elodie’s return, she realized that the dragon would come after them; therefore, she held her stepmother captive and took away her younger sister, Floria, to sacrifice her to the beast. Her ruthlessness is evident when she doesn’t hesitate to sacrifice a young child just to protect her own crown. She might have fulfilled her duty as a queen by protecting her own people, but she had failed the test of humanity. It was evident that even Prince Henry was not pleased with his own mother for sacrificing innocent maidens in the name of saving her own bloodline.
Was Prince Henry Reluctant To Get Married To Elodie?
On meeting Prince Henry, Elodie somehow felt that he was not as excited as her. When she asked him about it, he tried to divert the topic, apologizing to her and saying that he had not meant to offend her. Henry was well aware of the fact that she would soon be cast into the abyss and probably did not want to get too attached to her. However, the spinelessness of the prince resulted in him getting married to Elodie and thrusting her into the dungeon. Spending a good time, riding horses, and exploring the castle together did not affect Henry’s heart much. It is as if his heart had been turned to stone after leaving all his brides to be devoured by the dragon. Even if he did not want to get married to Elodie, he had no option left; he was just a puppet in Isabelle’s hands, who had been pulling his strings for her own benefit.
Why Did Prince Henry Betray Elodie?
The mollycoddled prince was not one of the valiant types! He knew how to hide behind his mother and escape the bellows of truth. He married Elodie and took her up to a mountaintop to complete the ritual there. He did not dither in breaking Elodie’s trust and throwing her into the abyss. He could have chosen to valiantly face the dragon rather than casting helpless young women to be devoured by the creature. The timid prince could do no better than listen to his witch of a mother and sacrifice innocent people. However, the fact that he did not like the fact of casting innocent people into the abyss is revealed when he mustered the courage to oppose the Queen when she was about to throw Floria in there. He could stand up to her as she labeled him as ‘weak’.
What Happened To Isabelle And Henry?
Doomsday finally arrived when the dragon came to know how it was being fooled. It attacked Aurea, burning the prince and the queen alive. Prince Henry had closed his eyes when he saw the fumes engulfing his kingdom, as if in acceptance of his own fate (for supporting his vile mother for so long). All the glory that the royalty had been trying to save all these years was gone in a jiffy. The entire kingdom was destroyed by the wrath of the fire-breathing beast. All the sacrifices of the young ladies had therefore not gone in vain, as their wrongdoers had eventually been punished!
Final Thoughts
Prince Henry was not as vile as his mother, but he was equally responsible for the downfall of many innocent souls. He might’ve deserved the same fate as that of his mother, but at times I feel like a lesser punishment (as compared to the Queen) would have been more befitting for him, as he was just a scapegoat. Queen Isabelle, on the other hand, is as vile as any evil character can be. The Queen has a sugar-coated tongue when it comes to her own affairs, but she doesn’t hesitate to toss a human over for her own benefit. These attributes make her even more dangerous as compared to the beast itself!
