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- “We're so close! Don't give up now!”
- ―Lady Aspen to Captain Husk
Lady Aspen was Husk's cunning and cruel wife and Queen Spindle's best friend. She was regarded as the most beautiful squirrel on Mistmantle Island. After her death, she was buried in the Tangletwigs.
History
Urchin of the Riding Stars
Lady Aspen was first mentioned as having been at Prince Tumble's Naming Ceremony. After Tumble's death, Lady Aspen was supposedly taking care of the heartbroken Queen while in reality she was using her "special medicine" to slowly poison the hedgehog monarch. Aspen also takes Gleaner as her personal maid and informs Husk about Scufflen, which causes the baby hedgehog to be picked for culling.
During the wedding of Aspen and Husk, Aspen asked Gleaner to take care of the queen and give her the medicine if she became worse and call for Aspen, thus using her unwitting maid to poison the queen. The queen became worse after getting the medicine and died in the presence of Aspen, Husk, King Brushen, Fir, Padra and Urchin.
After Queen Spindle's funeral, Aspen took Apple to her chambers to ask her about her foundling, Urchin, and when Apple left she sent Gloss the mole to watch Urchin. She later tried to have Urchin slain when she became more suspicious of him, but Urchin caught wind of the plan and fled the island.
During the battle at the Spring Festival between Husk's mercenaries and animals of Mistmantle, Husk took King Brushen hostage in the tower. However, Brushen managed to free himself and tried to attack Husk, but Aspen intervened, trying to stab him with her knife. They scuffled, causing them both to fall out a tower window. Lady Aspen and King Brushen were both injured greatly, and Gleaner attempted to save her mistress by using the same medicine with which Aspen had murdered the Queen, unaware that it was actually poison. Lady Aspen tried to refuse it but in the end she gave in and drank it, succumbing to its effects soon after.
Urchin and the Heartstone
Gleaner built Aspen a cairn in the Tangletwigs, which she visited almost every day. She didn't like that her lady was buried away from the tower as she felt that she should have been placed beside the queen, not knowing that Aspen was responsible for her death. Gleaner's belief was strengthened by her regarding Aspen as the true Queen of Mistmantle due to her witnessing Aspen holding what she thought was the Heartstone, not aware that Aspen was actually holding a fake. When Gleaner tells this to Needle and Sepia, it allows them to conclude that Aspen was the one who had made the fake Heartstone, without any of the magical properties the original possessed.
Urchin and the Raven War
Gleaner kept visiting Aspen's grave despite the threat of the ravens invading, and she was injured defending it from the Silver Prince.
Relationships
Captain Husk
- “What should I do without you?”
- ―Husk
Husk and Aspen likely met each other in the Tower, and later fell in love. They married after Husk slew his first spouse, Spindrift, and plotted to take the throne of Mistmantle.
It's mentioned that Aspen and Husk never talked about Prince Tumble's death or Queen Spindle's death because they knew each other too well to ask questions. When Brushen was attacking Husk, she ran to the King with a knife to save Husk's life, emphasizing their love for each other. Similarly, during Husk's duel with Crispin, he declared that he was coming for "Queen Aspen".
Gleaner
- “Yes, my lady.”
- ―Gleaner
Gleaner always loved Aspen, because she was so kind and beautiful. When she was given the job as a maid, she respected her mistress and did everything Aspen requested. Gleaner also believed that Aspen was the true Queen after seeing the fake Heartstone in her paws. After Lady Aspen fell from the tower, Gleaner ran to her with the Queen's "medicine". Aspen knew that it was dangerous, but Gleaner forced her to drink it, unintentionally killing her mistress.
After Aspen's death, Gleaner visited the cairn she had built every day with flowers to show that she was still loyal to "the Queen".
Appearance
Lady Aspen was an extremely beautiful squirrel who was always dressed in silk clothes and often wearing jewels and diamonds. She was the most well kept animal on the island. Everyone respected her, and many animals strived to be like her. It's noted that as she walked past Urchin, he "took a step back to let her go".
Personality
Lady Aspen had a very kind and loving exterior, appearing to care very much about the weakened Queen Spindle and the other animals of the island. Underneath the friendly outward personality, however, she proved herself to be evil and ambitious, directly responsible for much of the grievances in book 1 in her and Husk's attempt to take the Mistmantle throne. She helped Husk rise to power by handling the slighter, more delicate matters of control in the Tower.
She was very devoted to her husband, Captain Husk, and was his main confidant in his plot to seize control of Mistmantle. She was very clever, tricking even her closest assistant, Gleaner, into poisoning the queen.