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In that one story they simply won't forget, at least they never knew my name This article is about a subject whose real name is unknown, and is known only by a title, nickname, alias or description |
| “ | Just remember, Mary, that I played by your rules all along. I never set a finger upon you until we were wedded. It wasn't until we laid together as man and wife…that you were well and truly fucked. | „ |
| ~ The Knave of Hearts to Mary, Fables: The Wolf Among Us #29 — "Heart of Glass Part 8 “Watch Me Bleed”" |
The Knave of Hearts is a Fable from Wonderland, who debuts Fables: The Wolf Among Us #22 — "Chapter Twenty-Two." He manipulated Mary, a mundy woman, into falling in love with him, but it was all a ruse so that he could conceive a baby with her through the mirror, in order to use its powers to escape the Looking Glass World. After Mary had served her usefulness, the Knave brutally murdered her. He eventually weds Abigail Williams and becomes entangled in the Crooked Man's sinister plans.
History[]
Man in the mirror[]
After stealing tarts[6] in Wonderland, the Knave of Hearts flees to the Looking Glass World,[5] using mirrors to communicate with numerous women susceptible to his charms, including Mary.
The Knave proposes to Mary and the two of them tie the knot and consummate their marriage through the mirror on their wedding night.[4] Mary's reflection becomes visibly pregnant, but Mary herself does not.[7]
The Knave becomes frustrated with Mary during her labor as she struggles to give birth,[7] and slices her open to remove their[3] glass baby, which he needs to escape this world and the authorities. Mary dies, but her reflection Bloody Mary lives on and takes revenge upon the Knave by smashing the glass baby[5] and castrating the Knave, before slaughtering every woman the Knave impregnated, therefore thwarting his plan.
The Crooked Man[]
In the Silverling, the Knave and the Crooked Man get the Knave's new wife Abigail Williams to rebuild the glass baby[2] and revive the child.[8] After the baby is fully resurrected,[9] the Knave and the Crooked Man's gang travel to Castle Allerleirauh, where Abigail is possessed by King Edward[10] who demands that they bring his daughter Faith, so he can marry her.[11] In order to break Faith's marriage to Prince Lawrence, the Knave convinces Lawrence to kill himself.[12]
Appearances[]
Fables: The Wolf Among Us[]
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Gallery[]
Original source[]
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland[]
The Knave of Hearts is based on the character of the same name from the 1865 children's book Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, himself taken from the nursery rhyme "The Queen of Hearts." In the novel, the Knave is accused of stealing tarts and is brought to trial, with the King of Hearts presiding as the judge. As the evidence becomes more and more ridiculous, Alice finds herself defending the Knave. Eventually, she is called to the stand as a witness. The White Rabbit makes his announcement, reciting the opening lines of the poem to list the charges:
The Queen of Hearts, she made some tarts,
All on a summer day:
The Knave of Hearts, he stole those tarts,
And took them quite away!
During the trial, the Knave stays quiet most of the time. The Hatter is called to testify, but he spends his entire time fidgeting nervously in front of the King and Queen of Hearts. The court then asks the Duchess' cook to reveal the ingredients used to make tarts. Both the Hatter and the cook lack credibility as witnesses, and the Knave's testimony does not serve as a strong defense for the accused. Although a letter appears in the courtroom, he denies ever writing it, even though he is aware that it isn't signed.
Alice diverts the attention of the court by continuously growing in size and engaging in increasingly heated arguments, culminating in a fierce debate with the Queen about the notion of "sentence first—verdict afterwards." Before a verdict can be reached on whether the Knave is innocent or guilty, Alice reaches full size and forcefulness, and boldly proclaims that all present are "nothing but a pack of cards!"
"The Queen of Hearts"[]
The nursery rhyme tells the story of how the Queen of Hearts bakes a batch of tarts, only to have them all stolen by the Knave of Hearts. The King of Hearts, married to the Queen of Hearts, demands for the tarts and beats the Knave severely for stealing them. The Knave responds by returning the tarts and pledging to never steal again. The poem goes:
The Queen of Hearts, she made some tarts,
All on a summer’s day;
The knave of Hearts, he stole the tarts,
And took them clean away.
The King of Hearts
Called for the tarts,
And beat the Knave full sore;
The Knave of Hearts
Brought back the tarts,
And vowed he’d steal no more.