Ifir's mutiny

*'You have traitors in your own Inner Court,’ Ifir said, his lip curling. ‘How are we supposed to trust you? Why would any of us follow you when your heartsong is surrender? Tell me that. Tell me who you expected to follow you to their deaths for surrender.'*

## Introduction

During *The Court of Five Thrones*, Ash Glashtyn encouraged Ifir to kill Gwyn, then-King of the Unseelie Court, and Ifir recruited other generals on Gwyn's War Council of Generals to join him. The mutiny failed.

## Appears in

Major canon:

*The Court of Five Thrones*

## Details

Gwyn served as part of the Seelie military for nearly 3,000 years, killing Unseelie fae and, particularly in his role as General, taking Unseelie territory. He was known as a successful soldier and leader. Ifir served in the Unseelie military for tens of thousands of years, and thus, they were enemies.

When Gwyn and Gulvi Dubna Vajat convinced Ash to side against Augus Each Uisge, Ash displaced his own culpability and self-hatred for agreeing and then helping to take Augus down onto Gwyn, partially encouraged by Gwyn reneging on their deal to surrender Augus to Ash's custody at the Unseelie Court, and keeping Augus at the Seelie Court as a prisoner. Augus' Display at the Seelie Court, along with Ash's downward spiral, what Ash eventually learned about Augus' time as a prisoner at the Seelie Court, and Gwyn kicking Augus out of the Unseelie palace, only cemented Ash's hatred.

Ifir, like many of the other Unseelie, distrusted Gwyn's 'switch' to the side of the Unseelie, and felt he was a weak leader - using Seelie tactics for Unseelie problems - and that he had too much Unseelie blood on his hands. Ifir frequently criticized Gwyn's decisions, and was quite patronizing to him, to the point that other Generals and Gulvi pointed out that Ifir was a problem, so Gwyn and Gulvi set a watch on Ifir's home and movements. Ash began drinking with Ifir, encouraging his distrust in Gwyn. What ultimately cemented Ifir and his co-conspirator's plan against Gwyn was when Ash told them that Gwyn's heartsong was surrender. They had no faith in a leader with such a heartsong.

Ifir called all the Generals - and Gwyn - together at the raven arena in the Unseelie Court. Ifir was dressed in armor, and behind him stood Kyoufu, Magisakuna, and Ocypete. 'The others were either behind Gwyn, or to his left. Vane looked worried, his gaze going nervously back and forth between Gwyn and Ifir.' Ifir announced to them all that Gwyn's heartsong was surrender, which Gwyn did not protest, though he realized Ash was the source for that information, as Ash had threatened to reveal it at the Triumphal Entry. When a number of the Generals prepared to attack, and Ifir threw a fireball at Gwyn, Gwyn started to move aside, but Vane jumped towards Gwyn - to protect him - pushing Gwyn back into the path of the fireball. Vane took most of the damage, and was gravely injured, but Gwyn was also badly hurt. Gwyn pushed Vane aside, then attacked Ocypete with his light, killing her. He quickly cut down Kyoufu, and attacked Magisa.

Baw, Hai-Hong, Mu, Burralga, Kerri, and Euryale all kept to the sidelines, observing, while Zudanna, Luma, and (previously) Vane were ready to assist.

Gwyn finally killed Magisa with his light, then cut Ifir's ankle, quickly taking the upper hand in a brief, tense struggle, that resulted in Ifir pinned to the ground with Gwyn's sword in his side. Gwyn handed Ifir's mace to Zudanna, and ordered Ifir to surrender.

Zudanna stepped forward to watch over Ifir, and Gwyn demanded her sword in turn, and said that if any of the Generals teleported away, he would hunt them down himself, and then left to deal with Ash. In the throne room, Gwyn grabbed Ash by the shirt and slammed him into a pillar, explaining to all present - including Augus and Gulvi - that Ash was a traitor who had turned the Generals against Gwyn, and further elaborated that Ash had been undermining Gwyn's Court from its inception. He then ordered the servants to fetch Aleutia the Rat-Maiden for Vane. He brought Gulvi back with him to the raven arena, ordering her to play along with his gambit. He 'ordered' her to go after Ifir's family, and 'kill' his daughters, Ada and Adalia, as a ploy to break Ifir's spirit. After she left to 'take care' of the deed, and Ifir begged and stared in shock, Gwyn noted that Ifir might have damned his own sons, as well, and then demoted Ifir to underfae. Gwyn then turned to the remaining Generals and demanded their allegiance or that they leave. All present - save Ifir (and Vane, who was unconscious) - did so. Gwyn then had Vane sent to the medical wing, Ifir sent to the dungeon, and the Generals sent to the east-wing meeting room.

When Gwyn finally met with the remaining Generals, they discussed avoiding civil war with the marid-djinn afrit. Gwyn later met with Iliak, Ifir's brother and leader of the marid-djinn afrit, who also didn't want war, and who even offered advice on how best to punish his brother. Gwyn then interrogated Ifir himself, and cut off a piece of Ifir's horn, before putting him on probationary status. Gwyn's demonstration of his own abilities, fairness in serving out punishment, as well as destroying his own heartsong of surrender and replacing it with something else, helped cement his place in Ifir's eyes, and Ifir served as a loyal general from then on, even to the point where Ifir discouraged his son, Eran Iliakambar, from calling Gwyn the 'Traitor King'.

## Trivia

* Vane later revealed that he only 'protected' Gwyn's life during the mutiny because Vane swore a blood-oath to Crielle ferch Fnwy that *Vane* would be the one to make the mortal blow to kill Gwyn.

## Quotations

* 'Now,’ Gwyn said, ‘because I’m quite certain you need me to prove myself to you, due to my having this heartsong, I am going to prove myself to you. Do you think we haven’t had members of this Court watching your loved ones? Do you think we haven’t suspected you in the past? How naïve did you think I truly was, Ifir?'
* 'Does anyone else want to fight me?’ Gwyn said, sounding almost normal. ‘We could make a game of it, if you like. As you can see,’ he gestured to the bodies behind him, ‘I have been spoiling for a good battle, lately. . . . I don’t need you to like me . . . But if I do not have your respect, you can walk away now.'
* Zudanna: 'Gwyn ap Nudd, King of the Unseelie Court and its Kingdom, and those that live within it, you have seen us through more victories than we had ever expected to win in recent times, and I expect you to see us through many more. I declare once more my allegiance to you.'
* 'I wanted everyone to know what you were,’ Ifir said, talking to Gwyn. ‘They could choose their side. I’m of the old guard, we don’t serve surrender.'
* 'I tried to convince the others to turn against you. Tried to convince them that the stories of how you came to the Unseelie throne don’t add up. They don’t. But Zudanna, Vane…some of the others, they are loyal. At least for now. It’s still not enough.'

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 *The Court of Five Thrones*, Chapter 37: Explosion. Accessed 30 May 2021.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 *The Court of Five Thrones*, Chapter 41: Interrogation. Accessed 30 May 2021.
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 *The Court of Five Thrones*, Chapter 39: Want. Accessed 30 May 2021.
4. ↑ *The Court of Five Thrones*, Chapter 54: Fraught. Accessed 30 May 2021.
5. ↑ *The Ice Plague: Book 1 - The Forest of Fire*, Chapter 5: Animosity. Accessed 30 May 2021.
6. ↑ *The Court of Five Thrones*, Chapter 53: Arrow. Accessed 30 May 2021.