Mab

Mab is a Faerie and the Winter Queen of the Winter Court; she is also called the Queen of Air and Darkness. She is the daughter of Mother Winter, and mother of the Winter Lady and Summer Lady. She first appears in Summer Knight.

Description
Mab is easily among the most powerful beings in the Dresdenverse. Throughout the series, she has shown unusual interest in Harry Dresden.

5'11-6', long white hair (usually described as flowing all the way down her back), green cat-slitted eyes, very pale skin, lips the color of frozen mulberries. (ref?) She is ruthless, and although she is capable of compassion, this is very rare. Mab is, however always good for her word.(ref?)

She is the creator of the Unseelie Accords.(ref?) She was once mortal.

Her main goal in life is to maintain the balance between the two Courts, and the protection of reality against the Outsiders. She will do absolutely anything to achieve this. This is because her court is tasked with defending against Outsiders that are constantly trying to invade.(ref?)

Small Favor
In Small Favor, she does not speak for herself during the book but instead used Grimalkin as her "voice". When she does speak, it is described as razor sharp and shakes the area where Harry is, making his nose and ears bleed. Harry reasons that the cause of this condition is because of her fury over the attack on Arctis Tor (the real reason is later revealed in Cold Days.)

Changes
In Changes, Mab still has need of a translator, using the Leanansidhe to speak for her. She said it's for his sake so he doesn't scream in agony bleeding from his ears. Lea said that her voice is part of her power and her rage is too great to be contained.

Cold Days
In Cold Days, Mab revealed that the real reason she used Grimalkin as her "voice" (Small Favor) was due to being so angry over Maeve being possessed by Nemesis.

Summer Knight
In Summer Knight, Mab was first introduced. She informs Harry that she purchased the debt that he made with his godmother, the Leanansidhe. (vaguely explained later in bits an pieces over several books: Dead Beat, Changes, Ghost Story and Cold Days) She told him that she will make the contract void, if Harry will preform three tasks for her; the first being an investigation of the death of the former Summer Knight, Ronald Reuel. At the end, due to the Winter Knight, Lloyd Slate's betrayal, Mab offers Harry the newly-opened position, in place of his two remaining favors. Harry refuses.

Dead Beat
In Dead Beat, her next appearance, Harry tried to call up his godmother for information about the Erlking, and gets Mab instead, because Lea's "tied up" due to the same disturbance with The Athame, of which she's now in possession of. (“I do not tolerate challenges to my authority,” she said. One pale hand drifted to the hilt of the knife at her belt. “Certain events had convinced your godmother that she was no longer bound by my word and will. She is now learning otherwise.”) Mab reveals that she hasn't yet found a replacement Knight, and that Lloyd Slate's still alive and being tortured. She makes him the offer again. Again, he refuses.

Proven Guilty
In Proven Guilty, both Lily and Maeve express concern that Mab is going insane. Mab's stronghold of Arctis Tor is invaded - presumably by the Black Council - and Harry ends up accidentally dumping Summer fire (given to him by Lily), into Winter's wellspring, to some unknown negative effect. Mab has a small cameo, in which she winks at him, as he leaves.

Small Favor
In Small Favor, Mab again offers him the Winter Knight mantle. She then gives him his second task; rescue Johnny Marcone, which translates into stop the Denarians. One of the Denarians, Thorned Namshiel, was part of the attack at Arctis Tor, and she wants revenge. She steals Harry's memory of fire magic, and his blasting rod, for the duration of the book, so that he won't further attract the attention of Summer, who have been after him.

Changes
In Changes, Harry becomes her Winter Knight, in order to save his daughter from the Red Court vampires, under the conditions that she restores his body to full health, gives him enough time to bring his daughter to safety, the knowledge and strength to succeed, and that she won't ask him to harm those he loves. She makes him promise not to commit suicide.

Ghost Story
In Ghost Story, Lea later admits that she was forced to sell Mab the debt because of the taint that she got from The Athame at Bianca's Ball). ) Mab—with the help of Demonreach—fished Harry's body out of Lake Michigan, and kept it alive for six months, while he was on a spiritual walkabout.

Cold Days
In Cold Days, Mab puts Harry through seventy-seven days of tortuous "physical therapy" in which she tries to kill Harry in increasingly inventive ways every day in preparation of his tasks ahead. He is given Sarissa as a physical therapist. Mab holds a birthday party for Harry in Which there is an altercation with Redcap. Mab orders Harry to kill Maeve.

Later, Harry deduces that Mab is unable to do so herself, due to her feelings as a mother and filled with regret. In the end, she lost both her daughters in some manner. Mab told Harry that she was once mortal.

Mab does as needed to protect reality—protect the Outer Gates—which fall under the domain of Winter. Maeve is killed by Murphy.

Mab cries as Maeve is killed.

Quotes

 * I swallowed a mouthful of fear, my eyes on the poisonously lovely faerie standing on the other side of my desk.
 * It made Mab smile.
 * "Yes," she murmured. "Wise enough to be afraid. To understand, at least in part. How does it feel, to know what you know, child?"
 * My voice came out unsteady, and more quiet than I would have liked. "Sort of like Tokyo when Godzilla comes up on the beach."
 * Mab tilted her head, watching me with that same smile. Maybe she didn't get the reference. Or maybe she didn't like being compared to a thirty-story lizard. Or maybe she did like it. I mean, how should I know? I have enough trouble figuring out human women.

"Impudent," she said. "It's sweet on you."
 * "You may serve, wizard, or you may be served. As a meal."
 * "I adore freedom. Anyone who doesn't have it wants it."
 * Spenser never mentions that the Faerie Queen has a great ass.
 * Mab narrowed her eyes, and a little smile graced her lips.
 * "Think of every fairy-tale villainess you’ve ever heard of. Think of the wicked witches, the evil queens, the mad enchantresses. Think of the alluring sirens, the hungry ogresses, the savage she-beasts. Think of them and remember that somewhere, sometime, they’ve all been real.


 * Mab gave them lessons.


 * Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if she’d set up some sort of certification process, just to make sure they were all up to snuff.


 * “Mortal brute. Whatever your past, whatever your future, know this: I am Mab, and I keep my bargains. Question my given word again, ape, and I will finish freezing the water in your eyes.”
 * “So many scars... Your scars are beautiful things. Within and without.”
 * “So many terrible things are done for love,” Mab’s voice said. “For love will men mutilate themselves and murder rivals. For love will even a peaceful man go to war. For love, man will destroy himself, and that right willingly.”
 * "The White Christ never suffered so long or so terribly as did this traitor. Three days on a tree. Hardly enough time for a prelude. When it came to visiting agony, the Romans were hobbyists."
 * "I am Mab. The stars will rain from the sky before Mab fulfills not her word."
 * What we did wasn't sex, regardless of what it appeared to be. You can’t have sex with a thunderstorm, an earthquake, a furious winter gale. You can’t make love to a mountain, a lake of ice, a freezing wind.
 * For a few moments, I saw the breadth and depth of Mab’s power—and for a fleeting instant, the barest, tiniest glimpse of her purpose, as well, as our entwined bodies thrashed toward completion. I was screaming. I had been for a while.


 * Sanya stood looking steadily at me.
 * I coughed. I waited.
 * "So," he said. "Mab."
 * I grunted vaguely in reply.
 * "You hit that,” Sanya said.
 * I did not look at him. My face felt red.
 * "You"—he scrunched up his nose, digging in his memory—"tapped that ass. Presumably, it was phat."
 * "Sanya!"
 * He let out a low, rolling laugh and shook his head. “I saw her once. Mab. Beautiful beyond words.”
 * "Yeah," I said.
 * "And dangerous."
 * "Yes, I said, with emphasis.
 * "And you are now her champion," he said.
 * "Everybody's gotta be something, right?"
 * He nodded. "Joking about it. Good. You will need that sense of humor."


 * "Death is a spectrum, not a line."
 * "There's much work to be done."
 * "I was once mortal, you know."