- "I’m sure you’ll find your little queen. Perhaps you already have. Maybe it was Siobhan or that Eliza from a few centuries back. Now she was a sweet girl, Eliza. Would’ve made a lovely queen, don’t you think?"
- ―Beira to Keenan
Beira was the Winter Queen and mate to the former Summer King, Miach. She is the mother of the Summer King, Keenan, whom she schemed to place a curse upon when he was born. She is one of the antagonist in the Wicked Lovely Series.
Biography
Early Life
Beira was the Winter Queen who ruled over the Winter Court for over nine centuries. She, at one point in time, fell in love with the Summer King, Miach, and began an unstable relationship with him. The two loved each other deeply despite their faults and, eventually, entered a bonding ceremony. Bananach began influencing Beira shortly after this arrangement and, before she knew that she was with child, Beira murdered Miach without any reasoning behind her actions. As she feared the power her son, Keenan, would possess once he become a full regent, Beira asked the Dark King, Irial, to bind his powers, thus removing half of his abilities and placing them in an unknown mortal who would become the fated Summer Queen. This would come to be known as the Foy Family Curse.
Beira raised Keenan under the inflated of both the Summer Court and Winter Court, he not choosing a single fealty until he had reached the age of consent. It was at this point that he, as his father before him, chose the Summer Court and her motherly nature grew dormant.
Cold Iron Heart
- Main Article: Cold Iron Heart
In Cold Iron Heart (1890s), Beira arrives at the home which the Summer Court intends to dwell in for the duration of their stay in New Orleans, Louisiana. She wished to be greeted by her son, Keenan, but he is mysteriously absent and she must, instead, keep herself occupied with the Summer Advisor, Niall. She questions the fealty of the Summer Advisor and teases him about his previous relationship with the Dark King, irial. Niall does not respond to her remarks as she desires and, in retaliation, she fatally injures him before departing with the promise of interfering with the search for the fated Summer Queen.
Beira encounters Thelma Foy as she flees to the docks of the city, she having spoken to Bananach and told to get as far away from the faery courts as possible. She briefly considers allowing the human to be found by Keenan, but after much consideration, believes it would be more entertaining to send her to the Realm of Faerie. Beira unceremoniously pushes Thelma through the veil with words to contact the High Queen, Sorcha, with her identity. The story of their meeting is twisted by Beira when she recalls it to Keenan and Niall, she simply stating that she pushed the mortal off the dock - with them filling in the blanks as "to her demise".
On her departure from the city, Beira stops by the Garden District House to speak with Irial. It is here where she hints that women who are with child, particularly that not of their court, act irrationally; however, Irial does not understand her words. Beira practically states that Thelma is with child and was taken to the Realm of Faerie before knocking him unconscious for annoying her.
Winter Dreams
- Main Article: Winter Dreams
In Winter Dreams, Beira accepts the vow of the Dark King, Irial, not to reveal the presence of the humans - later revealed to be halflings which he feels are important to the Dark Court - to anyone, even her own child. This is in exchange for a favor of equal magnitude which, without context, may prove useful to her. Beira departs without further discussion.
Wicked Lovely
- Main Article: Wicked Lovely
In Wicked Lovely, Beira visits the Winter Girl, Donia, whom had been damned to warn mortals about the intentions of the Summer King, Keenan. She reminds Donia of the constraints of this curse and, as always, informs her that they are not to risk the chill of winter. Donia vows to do everything in her power to do so, but Beria insists that it is not enough this time - Donia must do anything, including cheating and lying. This surprises the younger female, but she does not object, especially when Beira threatens her with death. It is several days later when Beria returns, she angry at the discovery of Keenan making advancements with his newest mortal, Aislinn Foy. The cackling of the winter fae, Agatha, causes Beira to snap, thus she kills her as a warning of failure for Donia.
Beira occasionally visits Keenan throughout the weeks that he spends courting Aislinn, she taunting him over him fawning for such a girl. Her words include belittling of Donia as well - who she always misnames on purpose - , she commenting that the Winter Girl is hurt by Keenan's newest mortal. This, of course, angers Keenan and provides her with the reaction she desires. Beira does not control Aislinn until word returns from the Eolas that Aislinn is indeed the Summer Queen and, in a rage, she approaches the pair outside of Rath and Ruins to taunt them. Keenan nearly loses his temper, but Aislinn steps in and heals the wounds of winter with a kiss. Beira, now willing to do anything to murder the girl before she can claim her throne, leaves angrily. She orders Donia to murde Aislinn on her behalf, else she will end Donia's life instead.
In an attempt to intimidate Aislinn further, Beira attacks her grandmother, Elena Foy, and kidnaps her boyfriend, Seth Morgan. These actions anger Aislinn rather than send her cowering, so when she bravos the chill of winter and proves herself the Summer Queen, Beira is forced to escalate her attacks. Beira kidnaps Donia from the revelry and begins torturing both her and Seth, she finally deciding to kill one to hurt the Summer Court. The essence of winter is forced into Donia as a means of killing her, but she is unable to complete the act due to the arrival Aislinn and Keenan. Beira is subdued by the pair before they end her life.
Physical Appearance
Beira is a woman who is often described as horrifying and lovely all at once, she something of a femme fatale. Her eyes are blue with the brightest snow and sparkles of frost painting her blood red lips. The body of Beira is described as impeccably maintained with intricately designed hair and freshly manicured nails, though her sense of fashion is the most interesting item to note. Beira enjoys clothing for lack of a better phrase, her outfits changing with the centuries and favoring the latest styles. In Cold Iron Heart, she wore a fur coat over a period dress, her hair falling over the white designs in black rivulets of ink. Those who surround her comment that the outfit is fit for a queen, an ironic statement considering her placement in the faery courts. In Winter Dreams it is revealed that she has taken a liking to the 1950s style of dress, thus she keeps a modest floral dress, frilly apron, and single strand of pearls as her standard attire if only to mock her son, Keenan. She frequently comments that she is the epitome of motherhood despite lacking any motherly instincts.
Personality
Beira is cruel woman who desires power over all else. She is willing to do anything to maintain her position amongst the faery courts, she even going as far as to murder her lover, thus damning the Summer Court to a weekend state. Her calculating nature makes her a threat to all those who oppose her, even those who she has aligned with. Beira is not afraid to bend the constraints placed upon her even when it could lead to her own damnation as evidenced by her willingness to order the Winter Girl, Donia, to kill Aislinn Foy as a means of preventing the Summer Court from returning to full power. She knows well that this order would result in her own death, but does so any way as she would rather risk this than allow anyone to gain more power.
In the presence of her son, Keenan, Beira wears the facade of a concerned mother. She offers him refreshments and sweets when he visits her home, she doting on him and pretending she is scared for his little games with the mortals. This clearly angers Keenan as he finds her antics irritating, but it only encourages her to put on a bigger show.
Abilities
Beira possesses the strengths and weaknesses that are seen in the species of the fae. She has increases agility, endurance, healing, senses, speed, and strength which makes her a threat to mortals. In addition to this, Beira is invisible to mortals unless he dons a glamor, an image which makes her appear "normal" to humans. Due to her position as a regent, Donia is far more powerful than the average faerie and is immune to many of their weaknesses including iron and steel. She is practically immortal and only able to be harmed by another regent.
Cryokinesis
Due to her status as the Winter Queen, Beira is able to manipulate ice as she pleases. She is able to change winter so that it surround her not only a shield in combat, but in general situations as well as. There are multiple instances of her summoning ice to form both a shield such as when she placed one around Seth Morgan to prevent anyone from coming to his aid in Wicked Lovely. It is interesting to note that winter seems to resinate from within her rather than from outside forces, thus she can call upon the cold even in the blistering heat of the summer. She can, naturally, both absorb and excuse this chill to create the desired effect on those that are in her immediate vicinity.
Relationships
Miach
The relationship between Miach and Beira remains largely unknown, but it is remarked by several faeries that she truly loved him. Beira would have done anything to keep him happy and regularly braved the scorch of summer for a moment of bliss with Miach. As she was under the influence of Bananach at the time of his murder, Beira was not in full control of her actions and deeply regrets the role she played. She has since justified it as being an "influence from the pregnancy", she remaining blissfully unaware of Bananach's role in the events until her last breath.
Keenan
Beira and Keenan share a tense relationship that often results in her emotionally, mentally, and physically tormenting him for her pleasure. This is due, in part, to his striking resemblance to his father and the guilt she feels over her part in his death. Keenan has remarked on more than one occasion that he never wanted a relationship with his mother due to the way she treated him as a child.
Etymology
The name Beira is a version of the character Cailleach from Gaelic mythology. The Caiilleach is a divine hag, a creator deity, and a weather deity. In modern Scottish folklore studies, she is known as Beira, Queen of Winter. The Cailleach translates as "old woman," "hag," or "veiled one."