Queen Malina Colier: From Betrayal to Redemption in Raven Kennedy’s Gold

Overview

Queen Malina Colier is the former queen of Highbell and a key player in the war against the fae invasion. Once the wife of the corrupt King Midas, she is tricked by the fae twins Friano and Fassa into willingly giving her blood to restore the Bridge of Lemuria—an act that unleashes uncontrollable ice magic within her and traps her in a tower prison. Over the course of Gold, Malina transforms from a cold, entitled queen into a woman willing to sacrifice everything to protect her kingdom, confronting her past failures and forging a tenuous bond with a mysterious assassin named Dommik.

Plot Role

Malina’s arc serves as a counterpoint to Auren’s journey. While Auren learns she is a prophesied unifier, Malina must accept that her desire for power led to catastrophe. She is the “Cold Queen” born of ice mentioned in the “Three Queens” prophecy, and her actions directly affect the fae invasion: her blood restored the bridge, but her later decisions help prepare Highbell for the coming war. She also provides a grounded, political perspective on the conflict, contrasting with the magical battles of Auren and Slade.

Motivations and Traits Shown Through Actions

Throughout the novel, Malina’s primary motivation shifts from a craving for power and validation to a genuine desire to protect her people. The retrieved evidence shows her admitting: “All my life, I’ve only been wanted for the wrong reasons. Never for me. Only for what I could give the crown” (Chapter 22). Her initial selfishness is laid bare when she admits she brought the fae over the bridge because she “wanted to be worth something.” Yet her actions later—cutting down the bodies of slaughtered villagers, refusing to flee Highbell, and trying to win over distrustful soldiers—demonstrate a growing selflessness.

Her defining traits include pride, stubbornness, and a sharp political mind. She initially tries to assert authority over Queen Kaila, but ultimately concedes that Kaila is better liked and agrees to share power if it means saving the city. Her emotional repression, noted by Dommik (“You need to get a handle on your emotions as in use them”), slowly gives way to raw grief and guilt.

Chronological Arc

Before the novel: Malina was queen of Highbell, married to Midas, and felt inadequate due to her lack of magic. She was manipulated by fae spies (Pruinn, Friano, Fassa) into believing restoring the bridge would give her the power to rule.
Chapter 6 (early book): Malina is imprisoned in a tower, watching the fae army march through the Bridge of Lemuria. She realizes the twins tricked her; the ritual gave her uncontrollable frost magic but no real power. An assassin (Dommik) confronts her, accusing her of betraying Orea out of entitlement.
Chapter 22: She and Dommik discover a village where fae have slaughtered and strung up the dead. Malina insists on cutting the bodies down, declaring, “They’re my people. I’m their queen.” She confesses her guilt and begins to accept responsibility.
Chapter 31: They arrive at Highbell to find Queen Kaila has taken over and announced Malina dead. Malina tries to warn everyone of the fae threat and reluctantly works with Kaila.
Chapter 32: In a tense dinner with Kaila, Malina offers to let Kaila remain queen if it will unite the people against the invasion. She admits her own failures and seeks cooperation.
Chapter 33: Malina attempts to rally the Highbell soldiers but is rebuffed; a general tells her they prefer Kaila. Malina refuses to leave, stating Highbell is her home. Dommik offers to kill her enemies, but she declines.
Later: Malina joins the defense of Highbell. Her ice magic, initially uncontrollable, becomes a weapon she must learn to wield. She also discovers Midas was killed by Auren, not by her own hand.

Relationships

Dommik: The assassin initially hires to kill her becomes her ally and moral compass. He repeatedly saves her life and gradually thaws her emotional numbness. His warmth and teasing (“The unshakable cold”) give Malina a reason to keep fighting. The bond is ambiguous but deeply trusting.
Queen Kaila: A rival who has taken over Highbell and is beloved by the people. Malina resents her but eventually respects her ability to unite the city. Their dynamic shifts from hostility to reluctant alliance.
Tyndall: Her former advisor who reported her dead and married Kaila. Malina feels betrayed but focuses on the larger threat.
The fae twins (Friano and Fassa): Manipulators who exploited her ambition. Malina’s hatred for them fuels her desire to stop the invasion.
The people of Highbell: Initially contemptuous of Malina, they eventually witness her willingness to sacrifice for them, though her redemption is incomplete by the end.

Key Decisions and Consequences

Giving her blood to restore the bridge – Decision: Willingly offered her blood believing it would grant her magic to rule. Consequence: Unleashed the fae invasion, gave herself uncontrollable ice magic, and became a prisoner. This is the central tragic error of her arc.
Refusing to flee Highbell – Decision: After failing to convince the soldiers, she chooses to stay and fight. Consequence: She remains with Dommik to defend the city, cementing her commitment to her people over personal safety.
Agreeing to let Kaila remain queen – Decision: She puts aside pride and defers to Kaila’s popularity for the sake of unity. Consequence: Earns a temporary truce and military coordination, though her own authority is diminished.
Cutting down the village dead – Decision: Against Dommik’s initial suggestion, she insists on giving the slaughtered villagers a respectful burial. Consequence: This act marks her shift from selfishness to genuine care, and Dommik begins to see her heart.
Listening to Dommik’s advice to use emotions – Decision: She stops repressing her feelings and allows grief and guilt to surface. Consequence: Her ice magic becomes more controllable, and she forges a deeper connection with her newfound ally.

Theme and Symbol Connections

Resilience and Self-Empowerment: Malina’s journey embodies the epigraph’s message: “When you feel swallowed by the dark, may you become your own light.” She emerges from the prison of her own bitterness and learns to stand on her own, using her magic and her will.
Identity and Heritage: As a Colier, Malina’s identity is tied to her bloodline and her crown. Losing both forces her to ask “What are you?”—a question that drives her to redefine herself beyond royal titles.
Redemption and Duty: Malina must atone for her betrayal by actively defending the realm she endangered. Her duty becomes personal, not political.
Grief and Loss: She mourns her former life, her lost reputation, and the deaths caused by her actions. The frozen village scene is a visceral symbol of her guilt.
Love Versus Duty: Her growing feelings for Dommik conflict with her duty to her kingdom. She chooses duty, but the bond remains a source of strength.

Five Book-Specific Questions and Answers

1. Why does Malina agree to restoration of the Bridge of Lemuria?
Malina is tricked by the fae twins Friano and Fassa, who use enchantment to make her believe the bridge’s restoration will grant her magic and the ability to rule. She gives her blood willingly out of desperation to prove her worth.

2. How does Malina’s ice magic work initially?
The magic is involuntary and emotion-driven. When she feels strong emotions—anger, guilt, sadness—frost and ice erupt from the cuts on her palms. She cannot control it until Dommik teaches her to “get a handle on your emotions” by using them instead of repressing.

3. What is Malina’s relationship with Dommik?
Dommik is an assassin sent to kill her but instead becomes her protector and confidant. He saves her life multiple times, offers to kill her enemies, and provides the warmth that thaws her emotional coldness. Their bond is physical (through his shadow-leaping) and emotional, hinting at a deeper connection.

4. Does Malina ever forgive herself for her betrayal?
By the end of the novel, Malina begins the process of atonement but does not reach full self-forgiveness. She still feels the weight of her actions, as seen when she says, “Far more deaths than I can atone for.” Her arc suggests redemption is ongoing.

5. How does Malina react to learning Auren killed Midas?
In Chapter 32, Kaila tells Malina that Auren—“the gilded whore”—killed Midas. Malina is shocked and initially refuses to believe it. This revelation forces her to reassess her view of Auren, whom she had previously dismissed. It underscores Malina’s narrow understanding of the people around her.

Conclusion

Queen Malina Colier is one of the most complex characters in Gold, embodying themes of guilt, transformation, and the cost of ambition. Her arc from a self-serving queen to a reluctant defender of her people is driven by hard truths and sacrificial choices. While she never fully sheds her cold exterior, she learns to use her ice magic and her pain as tools for survival. Her story is a testament to the possibility of change, even when the bridge—and the trust—is already broken.