" Edmund liked his way of life before, Warings was the castle, and he was king, now there are intruders which he just can"t accept. .
Edmund appears to be a natural born leader; one of his hobbies is drawing up battle plans. When he's on his home ground, "Everything is mine, and nothing is yours," he believes, in a rather spoilt "Kingly" manner. Edmund knows his castle "back-to-front," he sees all and knows all, making Kingshaw desperate. How could he compete with that? .
Kingshaw is a very determined person. He is very proud, he refuses to just be the "dirty rascal", he wants to be king. When his father died he lost the crown, in his view he has to reclaim his rightful place on the throne. He will be king or at least die trying. He knows that he can"t surrender to Hooper, at any costs. In the worst of times he tries to hide his despair and disbelief, not letting Edmund see his weakness, but Edmund can see through him. He knows how to manipulate a situation to his advantage, in his castle he has no weakness, here he is a natural born bully. Edmund uses his knowledge of Warings as a means of torture. For example the eerie "red room" shows how he has grown used to everything that an outsider may be scared of. .
Mrs. Helena Kingshaw does not help her son's case. She is staying in a castle and wants this to remain a long-term job; she wants to be queen, and she wants a better life for herself. She has to side with her future king, Joseph Hooper. Everyone is allied with Edmund against Charles.
Within the castle Edmund's power faces no serious opposition, but once removed he quickly loses self-control and therefore control over everything around him. He is not used to being away from his castle, his fort, and does not know how to react. His kingdom slips away as he becomes hysterical in the unfamiliar territory of Hang Wood, and later Leydell Castle. "They"ll never find us," he says when lost, "even if they send a hundred people, they might not ever find us.
