Winter Court Line of Succession

[Mira]

So Mab tells Harry, no, orders Harry to kill Molly if she falls.  Why?  Because though she shows promise as a Winter Lady she is no way ready to be Winter Queen.  Like Harry really is going to follow that order.  Anyway, if Mab is dead, and Molly is dead, who becomes Queen? I presume it is Lea, but then who gets the Lady mantle?

[BrainFireBob]

I assume it is either Lea's to distribute or it will go to the nearest suitable mortal with Fae connections.

At a bare minimum, Elaine exists within the circle of the world. Her connections are to Summer, but Sarissa shows that not being a limiter.

[vultur]

I believe if Mab dies, Molly immediately becomes Queen and the Lady mantle jumps to a new host on its own; so if Molly then immediately dies that new person becomes Queen.

Mab's order is rather odd; why would some random person be better suited to be Queen than Molly? It's also a bit odd that Mab assumes that Harry would be capable of killing even a new-to-the-Mantle Winter Queen.

But perhaps Mab knows Harry would not follow such an order, and her giving that order has some other effect down the road she does want?

[morriswalters]

Remember the banner.

[forumghost]

My guess would be if there's no viable candidates to hold them, the Mantles would go back to themselves (in this case to Mother Winter) so they can be handed out again.

That's probably part of their job- contingencies and all that.

[Yuillegan]

^^Agreed. I believe that Molly is too emotional/not rational enough to be Mab. And I think that runs counter to the mantle, and would risk everything. Which may well be foreshadowing for Molly's future. Jim's leaving himself room to manoeuvre. I think.

Mother Winter would then have to go select the right candidates. And I sure she would find them, eventually. Would be prime opportunity for the Gates to be attacked. 

[vultur]

^^Agreed. I believe that Molly is too emotional/not rational enough to be Mab.

Eh, I actually think that Molly would make a very good Winter Queen (probably better than Mab, for the current era - she's much closer to human, and mortals are becoming far more relevant) -- but that Mab doesn't (and can't) understand that after a thousand years of being Queen.

[SintraEdrien]

Eh, Mab probably just ran the numbers on Molly.

[Arjan]

Eh, Mab probably just ran the numbers on Molly.

She can be wrong. She has very good reasoning skills but there are some holes in it and she might just not understand Molly completely and from a story perspective Molly barely succeeding with the echo of Mabs words works just fine.

[Bad Alias]

So Mab tells Harry, no, orders Harry to kill Molly if she falls.

Doesn't that break Mab's agreement with Harry from Changes?

[Mira]

Doesn't that break Mab's agreement with Harry from Changes?

 My theory, in very Mab fashion it doesn't break the agreement because she'd know from her own experience that once the Queen's mantle enters the body, Molly will cease to be Molly.  I am betting that is when humanity, the soul is kaput, the full Fae takes over.  She may also be hinting that the effect is something like the Winter Knight's mantle on steroids, very hard to control.  She may think that Molly is too soft at this time to handle it.  But in light of that, the creature that Harry would have killed would not be the Molly he loves.

[Arjan]

My theory, in very Mab fashion it doesn't break the agreement because she'd know from her own experience that once the Queen's mantle enters the body, Molly will cease to be Molly.  I am betting that is when humanity, the soul is kaput, the full Fae takes over.  She may also be hinting that the effect is something like the Winter Knight's mantle on steroids, very hard to control.  She may think that Molly is too soft at this time to handle it.  But in light of that, the creature that Harry would have killed would not be the Molly he loves.

It is not instantly. Even with Mab the process is not completed. It will still be Molly.

And I don’t agree with Mab anyway. By the time Mab dies she will be ready.

[Mira]

It is not instantly. Even with Mab the process is not completed. It will still be Molly.

And I don’t agree with Mab anyway. By the time Mab dies she will be ready.

I think so too, but perhaps at the time of the battle, Mab thought she wasn't, but Molly did prove herself I think.

[raidem]

I'd mention that Murphy now has more of a chance to rise in rank in Winter now that she is respected by all of Winter, even though she is temporarily 'dead'.  She seems einherjaren and her direct boss Vadderung has a Winter mantle and is a vassal of Mab's.

It seems Harry is waiting for a plan that will remove both Molly and himself from their Winter mantles.

[Mira]

I'd mention that Murphy now has more of a chance to rise in rank in Winter now that she is respected by all of Winter, even though she is temporarily 'dead'.  She seems einherjaren and her direct boss Vadderung has a Winter mantle and is a vassal of Mab's.

It seems Harry is waiting for a plan that will remove both Molly and himself from their Winter mantles.

It seems that temporarily dead in her case is a very long time, she has to pass from living memory before she can return.  Harry says to that that she is pretty unforgettable.