Jack (The Cursed Heart)

Jack, a character in the The Cursed Heart series, is an enemy of the Fae Courts and the main antagonist of Book 2. He is first seen in Book 2, Chapter 1.

Appearance
Jack has medium-length wavy black hair, tanned skin, and hazel eyes. He wears a golden earring, a black and green long-sleeved vest with golden patterns and with his chest exposed, a brown cape, long black and golden gloves, and black and green pants with a long golden round chain.

Personality
For a currently unknown reason, Jack hates the Courts with a burning passion and desires to kill all of them.

Background
"There was once a boy named Jack, who grew up in a small village of no import on the edge of the Fae woods. Jack's father, a lifelong resident of the village, was by all accounts a bachelor. So when he crossed through the village gates with his infant son, professing the child's mother 'could not keep him', everyone believed Jack to be a result of an affair with a servant of a great house... or perhaps even a noblewoman.

"Jack grew into a sweet, if mischievous child, well-loved and accepted by his neighbors. His mysterious parentage was never questioned. Little by little, however, villagers began to take note of certain oddities... Jack never seemed to catch ill... He was uncommonly strong... And even the occasional broken bone seemed to heal within days.

"All of this could be shrugged off until Jack became a young man, and woke one day to find a pair of antlers growing from his brow. Jack's father was forced to reveal Jack's parentage to him. He was, in fact, the son of a noblewoman... Her name was Eisa, and she was a Fae of the Sun Court. Eisa's family considered half-human children to be abominations, and so Eisa secretly sent Jack and his father away.

"Jack's world upended beneath his feet. How could he continue to live a normal life amongst humans who hated and feared the Fae, when he now knew he was part Fae himself? All too soon... that question became irrelevant. No matter how many times Jack's father attempted to cut off his son's antlers, they would grow back in a matter of days. There was no hiding Jack's true nature. The village that had raised the foundling child then turned on him. When they discovered iron did not burn him, they threw stones instead, driving him into the Fae woods.

"Following his father's hasty, half-remembered directions, Jack found his way to the Sun Court in search of his mother, but the guards at the gates turned him away. They suggested he try the Moon Court, as they were uncultured reprobates keen to take in strays. After days of wandering, Jack finally came upon the Moon Palace. Approaching the gate, he spotted a lovely Fae woman strolling the garden, holding a young, laughing child with raven dark hair. Their features were too alike to be coincidence. Breathless, Jack gathered his courage... but before he could approach her, a Fae man appeared and kissed her on the cheek, calling her Eisa. The woman -- his mother -- appeared utterly content in her new, perfect life... with her new, perfect Fae family.

"Jack was consumed with resentment. Why should that child get to grow up in a loving family, accepted and secure in luxury, while Jack and his father were tossed away and forgotten? Jack stormed away from the Moon Palace, burning with hatred for all cruel and unfaithful Fae, vowing that one day... they would all pay for his suffering a hundredfold." — From 'The Changeling' Storybook Page in Book 2, Chapter 8.

Several years prior to the story, he murdered an elderly Fae and stole the Iron Sword from him. He would then go on to form The Eclipse, an organization composed of humans, changelings, and Courtless Fae who hate the Courts as much as he does.

Book 2

 * Chapter 1: The Last Stroke of Midnight
 * Chapter 2: The Raven and the Sword
 * Chapter 4: The Frolic
 * Chapter 5: The Fallen
 * Chapter 6: The Trials of the Moon (Mentioned)
 * Chapter 7: The Cruel Sun (Mentioned)
 * Chapter 8: When Stars Fall

Trivia

 * He shares the same name as Jack from Home for the Holidays, and the male version of Rival Matchmaker if the default name is kept.
 * His crimes include murder, theft, conspiracy and terrorism.
 * In Chapter 8, it's revealed that he is a changeling and Kieran's half-brother.