Elf King

The Elf King is the mysterious, masked overlord and leader of the elves, who threatens the kingdom of Alledia in order to obtain the stonekeepers. He appears as a main antagonist in the graphic novel, Amulet by Kazu Kabuishi.

He guides his footsoldiers in pursuit of Emily Hayes, one of the few remaining stonekeepers, and his main goal is to use the power of the stones to obliterate the kingdom of Alledia. He will destroy and eradicate anything in his path to achieve this goal.

The Elf King is merely a heir to the throne, the mask being a symbol representing the kings before him. As a result, many of said kings often wore the mask as a representative of their authority.



History
Little is known regarding the Elf King's past, but that he was a quiet one who grew up in a small elf village.

30 years prior to the events of Amulet, four young stonekeepers lost control of their given powers, as the stones possessed their minds and bodies, transforming them into colossal beasts that set the surface of Alledia aflame. Among them was the young elf that would eventually become the Elf King.

The other stonekeepers that hadn't been possessed, managed to fight against the monsters and the resistance was eventually able to stop them, except for the Elf King himself, who was severely altered by his transformation.

The elders were able to separate him from his stone, and despite his requests to be executed, they locked him up in an attempt to cure him of his evil curse. But when he talked, he spoke only of his desire for power, and warned of dark days to come. He told them that they would regret having kept him alive, and that he would show them why.

Leon Redbeard's father, one of the guards assigned to watch over his prison cell, was there the night the stone returned to help the boy escape. A massive explosion followed and Leon's father, along with the rest of the guards, were killed.

The Elf King's youngest son, Prince Trellis, recalled that he hardly seen his father's face as a child, but relayed that he had once snuck up to his chambers and witnessed him relieve his mask. According to him, the Elf King's true face appeared lifeless and deformed, leading Trellis to conclude that the entity within the Elf King's stone had somehow managed to resurrect his corpse.

Amulet
Throughout book one, "The Stonekeeper", the Elf King is hardly mentioned, nor seen. Only his son, Prince Trellis, makes a signifigant appearance, but he wishes only to destroy his father.

Later in book two, "The Stonekeeper's Curse", the Elf King makes a somewhat brief appearance in the beginning of the book, where his son has failed him. Due to his son's countless failing and rebellion, he distrusts him and by assigning Luger to accompany Trellis, he hopes to aid the prince on his quest and make sure he does not fail; otherwise, he will allow Luger to kill Trellis if he shows any disobedience.

When Luger is beat by the heroes, including Trellis, he hides in a cave, where Trellis finds him and the two decide to join Emily and her friends to stop the Elf King. At this point, the Elf King is distraught and replaces Luger with a skilled assassin named Gabilan to hunt the two traitors down.