Fable

Saint is Fable’s father. The protagonist describes him as a “big man” with “ice-blue eyes” and “handsome, rugged” features. The differences in appearance between the towering Saint and the petite Fable help them conceal that they’re related. The trader is a deeply cynical man, as evidenced by his insistence that Fable never reveal that he’s her father lest someone use this information against them. Saint instills this skeptical mindset in his daughter by teaching her his rules of life, which include, “Nothing is free” and “Always construct a lie from a truth” (9). As Fable’s characterization develops, she struggles to unlearn her father’s teachings and trust others. Another of Saint’s prominent traits is his calculating intelligence. He “built his fortune and started his trade” by learning how to navigate Tempest Snare and gathering wealth from sunken ships (296). Saint’s shrewd business decisions make him the most affluent trader in the Narrows with 28 ships in his fleet. His ruthlessness also helps him to succeed in the extremely competitive environment of the Narrows, such as when he orders West to burn down a merchant’s warehouse to hurt one of his competitors. Saint’s cynical worldview, intelligent business strategies, and ruthless ambition make him feared throughout the Narrows.

Saint plays a vital role in shaping the plot and the protagonist. He sets the events of the novel into motion and deeply impacts Fable’s characterization by abandoning his 14-year-old daughter on Jeval. Saint claims that leaving her was the “best thing [he] could have done” for her because her experiences on the island forced her to gain strength and survival skills (195). In terms of his own development, Saint is largely static, but there are moments of vulnerability that show a rounder, more human side to the ruthless trader. For example, he is living proof of the perils of attachment because Isolde was his one weakness. He confesses, “I loved her with a love that broke me” (344). Fable eventually realizes that Saint’s grief over her mother has left him shaken and lost. Although she sometimes questions if he loves her, she finds closure in their complex relationship when he sheds tears at their parting at the end of the novel. Saint also makes key contributions to the theme of familial legacy. He gives Fable her scar and the Lark, both of which serve as motifs of the theme. In addition, Saint’s decision to make the sunken fortune Fable’s inheritance leads to the Marigold’s ambitious adventure to Tempest Snare and gives the crew a chance to claim their autonomy. Saint’s complicated relationship with his daughter advances the protagonist’s characterization and the novel’s major themes.

West is Fable’s love interest. The narrator offers the following description of him in Chapter 3: “His waving, sun-bleached hair was pulled behind one ear, his arms crossed over his chest as he looked down at me with pale green eyes” (22). These details help to convey Fable’s attraction toward West. The young helmsman is highly secretive, especially about his feelings for Fable. He waits until Chapter 40 to confess, “I’ve loved you since the first time we anchored in Jeval” (335). West’s struggle to conceal his love for the protagonist contributes to the tension and intrigue of the novel’s slow-burn romance. Just as Fable’s compassion sets her apart, West’s caring and protective nature is at odds with the world of the Narrows. Willa refers to this as his “really bad habit of making other people his problem” (160), and her phrasing points out the dangers of placing others ahead of one’s own survival. West looks after his crew and takes particular care of Fable and his sister. Despite the constant dangers the helmsman navigates, he generally remains calm. Fable observes admiringly, “Nothing ever seemed to shake him” (291). His usual equanimity makes it more impactful when he’s shaken, such as when he holds Fable’s face during the storm and urges her to take shelter with an expression “like thunder after a lightning strike” (149). West’s composed, caring, and secretive personality draws Fable to him.

West plays multiple key roles in the novel as the protagonist’s love interest, the Marigold’s helmsman, and a foil to Saint. He sets much of the plot into motion and saves Fable’s life by granting her passage on the Marigold. Their love story contributes to the theme of The Perils of Attachment Versus the Need for Belonging and to the young adult novel’s overall intrigue. West also advances the theme of The Quest for Autonomy by struggling to free himself from his debt to Saint so that he can follow his conscience and chart his own destiny. In the world of the Narrows, helmsmen act as captains in addition to steering ships. Young’s decision to make West a helmsman like Fable’s father supports his role as a foil character to Saint and allows the author to contrast their leadership styles. Both men come from humble origins and have to fight for survival and success, but West is self-sacrificial whereas Saint is ruthless. The young man takes on the dirty work himself rather than delegating it to his crew, whether that’s the “disgusting, tedious job” of scraping barnacles off the ship’s hull or burning down a warehouse on Saint’s orders (298). The young helmsman unites his crew not just as colleagues but as a found family. West provides a different example of leadership than Saint and so offers a much-needed sense of belonging to Fable and the Marigold’s crew in a brutally competitive world.

Willa is West’s sister. She has “long, bronze” hair, a “tawny” complexion, and a “beautiful face marred with the scar” from where she was branded with a hot blade (223). Willa’s scar indicates that she leads a harsh, painful existence shaped by the dangers and feuds of life as a seafaring trader. The wistful young woman wishes that West never took her to sea when they were children, and she longs to start over in Ceros although she’s unsure what her new life would look like. One of Willa’s positive traits is her hardworking nature. She’s the Marigold’s bosun, “the member of the crew who kept the ship afloat” (50). In addition, Willa is staunchly loyal to her crew, especially her brother. When West goes missing in Ceros, she threatens to “burn this city to the ground until [she] find[s] him” (221). The loyal, diligent, and wistful Willa bears physical and emotional wounds from her difficult life in the Narrows.

Willa is one of the novel’s most important supporting characters because of her roles as West’s sibling and Fable’s ally. At first, she opposes West’s decision to accept the protagonist as a passenger and is cold toward Fable: “You think because I’m the only girl on this ship that I want to be your friend?” (52). Over the course of the story, the frosty bosun warms up to Fable, becomes one of her closest friends, and eventually helps her join the crew. The plot twist that West and Willa are siblings develops the theme of The Perils of Attachment Versus the Need for Belonging: “To tell someone that Willa was his sister was to give them power over him. And her” (297). Willa and West even hide their relationship from Paj, Auster, and Hamish, emphasizing how hazardous connections can be in the Narrows. Despite their attempts at secrecy, Willa’s jeweled dagger serves as a motif of the theme because West’s desperation to retrieve his sister’s prized possession reveals that they share a powerful bond. Willa also develops the theme of The Quest for Autonomy. She wants to use her share of the Lark’s haul to start a new life of her choosing: “[O]nce [West’s] paid Saint and set up his own trade, I’m going back to Ceros” (321). Willa’s inner conflict about leaving her brother and her uncertainty about what she will do next reflect Young’s message that autonomy is a worthy goal that comes with challenges. Willa offers a rare example of loyalty in the adventure novel’s treacherous world.