Tarquin

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Biography / History

Rise of Tarquin as High Lord of the Summer Court

When Amarantha began asserting control over the Courts after the Treaty with humans, the Summer Court was no exception. Nostrus, the previous High Lord, was stripped of most of his power and forced to live Under the Mountain, trapped under Amarantha’s rule until Tamlin could break her curse.

During this period, the High Lords of the Summer, Day, and Winter Courts attempted to rebel against Amarantha. She executed them for their defiance and installed loyal substitutes in their place. Among them was Tarquin, Nostrus’s cousin, who became the new High Lord of the Summer Court at approximately thirty years old.

A Court of Thorns and Roses

When Feyre completes the third trial, Amarantha lashes out and tries to kill Feyre by snapping and crushing her bones in a final, vicious attempt to end her. But when Tamlin is freed and Amarantha’s curse is broken, the grip on Prythian shatters—meaning the other Courts regain themselves as well. As Feyre lies dying, Tarquin—along with the other High Lords—gives a portion of his power in gratitude, and that combined magic is what remakes Feyre into High Fae.

A Court of Mist and Fury

In A Court of Mist and Fury, Tarquin becomes more directly involved with Rhysand’s circle when Rhys, Feyre, and Amren come to the Summer Court searching for a portion of the Book of Breathings. They are welcomed in Adriata by Tarquin and by the princes of the Summer Court, including Cresseida and Varian. From the beginning, Tarquin seems openly drawn to Feyre—watching her closely, inviting her to dine, offering to show her the city, and spending time with her in a way that reads as genuine interest rather than political performance.Tarquin flirts; Feyre occasionally returns it. He also chooses openness with her in ways many High Lords would not, showing her treasures of the Summer Court and even giving her a valuable family heirloom after she expresses admiration—not only for the court’s beauty, but for Tarquin’s ideals, especially his desire to reduce the divide between High Fae and lesser faeries.

When Tarquin questions Feyre about the Spring Court—specifically whether she truly fled because Tamlin trapped her and whether the Night Court intervened—she confirms it. Tarquin then assures her he won’t report her presence to Tamlin, an act that suggests sympathy and discretion rather than opportunism.

That goodwill collapses after the theft. Feyre steals the half of the Book of Breathings from the Summer Court and escapes back to the Night Court with Rhys and Amren. Tarquin responds by sending three blood rubies—one to each of them—an ancient declaration that they are now enemies of the Summer Court and that their lives have a price. For Rhysand in particular, this stings: he believes Tarquin might have been a rare chance at friendship among High Lords, and he also respects Tarquin’s efforts to reshape the court socially. The betrayal turns what could have been an alliance into resentment.

A Court of Wings and Ruin

As war with Hybern approaches, Rhysand sends letters to every High Lord, including Tarquin, attempting to organize a meeting and build a united front. Tarquin does not immediately commit to attending, and according to Cresseida he is still weighing the decision.

Not long after, Varian sends urgent word to Amren: Hybern has invaded Summer territory, and Adriata is under threat. Rhysand decides they cannot ignore it. He and the Inner Circle winnow to the Summer Court, bringing Illyrian forces to help defend the city. After the battle, the tension between them is immediate—because Tarquin is still furious about the earlier theft and doubts their intentions. He suspects their presence might be connected to his court being targeted, or that they might be exploiting the chaos.

In the aftermath, Feyre and Morrigan meet Tarquin, and the conversation is sharp. Tarquin challenges Feyre directly—if she claims they share the same dream for Prythian, does that excuse stealing from him? Rhys arrives and backs Feyre, openly revealing that he and Feyre are mates—something that shifts the power dynamics of the exchange but does not automatically soften Tarquin’s anger.

Tarquin accuses them of contributing to the Summer Court’s vulnerability: Feyre’s destruction of the Spring Court, he argues, created openings Hybern could use—allowing enemy forces to dock and move against Adriata. Rhys visibly reacts but commits to keeping his forces in Summer until Tarquin believes the city is secure. Feyre tells Tarquin to focus on his wounded; Tarquin snaps back that she does not get to command him. Feyre insists they’re there to help, and she leaves with Mor while Rhys tries to explain why they stole the Book of Breathings in the first place.

Tarquin refuses the explanation in that moment and orders Rhys out—demanding he take the Illyrians with him. Rhys still asks Tarquin to attend the High Lords’ meeting. Tarquin’s answer is the same: leave, and tell Feyre not to speak to High Lords as if she has authority over them. Rhys responds that she is High Lady of the Night Court and can do as she chooses. Tarquin laughs bitterly, commenting that Rhys has always enjoyed defying tradition.

Eventually, the High Lords agree to gather at the Dawn Court, hosted at Thesan’s palace because of its position and relative neutrality. All seven High Lords arrive with their delegations, and the meeting is tense—filled with arguments, old grudges, and political posturing. Still, the courts reach a fragile decision to unite against Hybern (with the Autumn Court’s loyalty remaining contentious).

Tarquin ultimately makes an important choice regarding Feyre and Rhys: because they were the only ones who came to Summer’s aid when Adriata was attacked, he declares that the blood rubies he sent are no longer binding. He agrees to join the war effort and states that he does not care that Feyre now carries a piece of his power from when the High Lords remade her. In addition, Tarquin offers refuge to Spring Court civilians, since Spring has been devastated and overrun.

When Hybern later invades the Summer Court across the shared border, the combined armies of the Summer and Night Courts repel them. After the fighting, Rhys allows Tarquin to decide what should be done with the enemy soldiers captured on Summer land. Tarquin chooses execution—drowning them with his power—reinforcing both the ruthlessness war demands and the scale of his elemental magic. Afterward, Tarquin helps shift forces toward the next expected assault, including support moving toward the Winter Court.

Following the final conflict, Tarquin attends the postwar gathering called by Feyre at the ruined Archeron estate, where discussions begin for a new Treaty between faeries and mortals—an attempt to rebuild something better than the world that allowed Amarantha and Hybern to rise in the first place.