A World Without Princes

Agatha is the novel’s dynamic protagonist. She begins the text as a reluctant “princess,” but she gradually comes to terms with the fact that she still cares deeply for her prince, Tedros. Agatha is ambivalent, torn between her platonic love for her best friend, Sophie, and her romantic love for Tedros. She wants to help Sophie to be Good, and to continue their friendship, but she also realizes that it isn’t enough for her and that she wants her true love with Tedros too. Agatha feels very uncomfortable with all the attention she and Sophie get after they return to their home in Gavaldon, and she is likewise uneasy with the attention they’re paid when they return to the school. Agatha is very protective of Sophie at home, determined to keep her safe and Good, especially after the attacks begin. At the same time, she wonders how people in a storybook “know if they’re happy” (13), and she tears up when she throws away one of her own very traditional books, where the prince and princess live happily ever after. Agatha is very independent, unafraid to question expectations and traditions and to make her own decisions based on her heart rather than what others expect of her.