In the current time, replicating a scene from Books of Magic, Titania admits to Auberon, in front of Tim, that Tim is her child with Tamlin. Auberon accepts Tamlin as the father, but says that Tim doesn't have any faerie blood, and thus Titania can't be his mother. This series explains how this can be true.

The story takes place in England, many hundreds of years ago. A young girl named Maryrose lives in a hut with her Gran, where they eat rats and wear rags. Gran warns Maryrose not to follow the fairy lights in the woods, as they will lead her to Faerie--knowing that this is exactly what she will do. Maryrose follows the lights, which then turn into variously-colored fairies. Queen Dymphna soon joins them, and while Maryrose was always warned that the fairies would try to trick kids to stay in Faerie, that's exactly what happens. Maryrose stays there for years, playing with the Queen and her maidens, without a worry.

The Amadan brings news that the King is returning from war, and the Queen has her maidens, including Maryrose (now called Rosebud), go with her to welcome him. King Obrey comes back and there is a feast. The Amadan, taking note of Rosebud, starts to set a plan in motion for her to become Queen, since Dymphna and Obrey have no children.

The King, under Amadan's manipulations, takes notice of Rosebud and they start spending time together, with rumors being that he has a romantic interest.

Rosebud hears Dymphna and Obrey arguing over why they cannot have a child. It turns out that the wars he has been in are about Obrey's nephew, Auberon, who Dymphna calls the rightful king. Obrey gets angry and turns Dymphna into a tree, then blames his enemies on it.

One month later, Rosebud and Obrey are to be married. She now willingly works with Amadan to manipulate her accession to the throne. Amadan manipulates the few who know her human origin into forgetting that fact. When she becomes queen, she takes the name Titania, and wears the previous queen's magical neck-piece.

Auberon speaks to the still-enchanted-tree Dymphna, saying that he knows she was using magic to keep herself from having a child. Titania will not do the same.