The Queen of Diamonds has a history that starts a long way from being a ruler. Her name is Adina, and before that title she was another person trying to make it through Wonderla…

The Queen of Diamonds has a history that starts a long way from being a ruler. Her name is Adina, and before that title she was another person trying to make it through Wonderland alive. Her story connects directly to Johnny Liddle. After being sacrificed to Wonderland, she survives long enough to cross paths with him, and the two try to find their way out together. That gives her a place in the Liddle family's history before she becomes part of the struggle between the Queens. The awful part is where that attempt to escape takes them. Under the Jabberwocky's influence, Johnny kills Adina. Keres subsequently brings her back as the Queen of Diamonds. The person caught in the nightmare becomes one of its royal figures. There is a lot wrapped up in that change. When you first hear a title like Queen of Diamonds, it can sound as if she has always been there, sitting on a throne with an army. Knowing Adina's earlier story makes the title feel different. You can follow how she arrived at that position rather than treating her as another creature who simply belongs to the place. Diamonds is one of the four courts competing for power, alongside Hearts, Spades and Clubs. The struggle over the Ebony Blade brings those rulers into conflict, with their own forces behind them. Adina's personal history and the political situation are connected, but they aren't interchangeable. What happened to her explains how she became this Queen; it doesn't mean every decision around her can be reduced to that one event. Her relationship with the Queen of Clubs is another part of that. They are lovers, which gives the royal conflicts a personal connection beyond the competing titles. You can talk about Diamonds and Clubs separately while still recognizing that what happens to one matters to the other. That's the part of Adina's story worth keeping in view when talking about her court. She had a name and a life before she had a royal title. The history with Johnny and Keres is still there when she enters the larger struggle for Wonderland.