The first of my Faeries of Darken Wood Collection, "Queen's Knight" shows the Faery Queen in her role as La Belle Damme Sans Merci which in English means Beautiful Woman Without Mercy. She holds a knight's sword and cloak, and her goblin servant is wearing his helm, but where is the knight? Is that his shield or is that a rock on the ground? It is a dangerous thing for a knight to enter the Faery Queen's realm uninvited, he is likely to disappear only to become transformed into her servant, old and gnarled and needing a walking stick. Surrounding the Queen of Faery and her knight in this leaf covered forest are her creatures, looking on to see what will happen next. A goblin peers over a log while a dryad is emerging from a tree. A ring of magic mushrooms is at the roots of the tree. This original oil painting on linen took me about three years to complete, I worked on it on and off along with other less complicated pieces. The scene is lit with warm tones of the late afternoon, just as the sun is beginning to set. The Faery Queen is dressed in a black corset detailed with silver filligree work, and a black and blue goth skirt. Her dark brown wavy hair flows down her back lifted by a gentle breeze. Her wings are in shades of purple and autumn leaves.