Overview[]
Tanya Fairchild is the main protagonist in "The 13 Treasures" by Michelle Harrison, and a secondary protagonist along with Fabian and Rowan (Red) in "The 13 Curses" and "The 13 Secrets". She has the second sight and is often punished by her guardian, Gredin, when she gets involved in matters that he thinks she shouldn't be involved in. Her grandmother, Florence, also shares this gift. This is because they have had a Changeling in their family, Elizabeth Elvesden. The name for Tanya's character was taken from Michelle Harrison's niece, Tanya.
Appearance[]
Tanya is described to have dark-colored eyes, brown hair that is normally in a ponytail and ivory skin dotted with freckles. In "The 13 Treasures," when her hair grew immensely long, it was also described to be falling in "thick, shiny chestnut waves."
Personality[]
Tanya is described to be brave, as she willingly puts herself in danger and a loyal friend as she risks her life for 'Red' (Rowan Fox) many times in the third book. Tanya is also shown to hate feeling not in control, which is shown in the first chapter with Gredin. Tanya surprisingly has a hot temper: "Rowan had never seen her in such a temper. She put her hand to Tanya's arm" Tanya is also very accepting and not quick to judge as she befriends Mad Morag, a gypsy woman who lives in the woods; who is believed to be mad.
Prologue[]
Tanya is first introduced in the prologue, where she finds a secret passage. She is shown as quite brave and a very unconvincing liar. She is 13 years old at the beginning of the book. Tanya is easily intimated by the red-haired intruder (who turns out to be Red) but when she realizes they share the second sight, she feels safer and lets down her guard a little.
Chapter 1[]
Here it is shown that Tanya despises fairies. After pretending to be asleep, she magically floated upwards so that the bedclothes are suffocating her. She hates not being in control and doesn't like the feeling of being vulnerable. It is revealed she has a fluffy grey Persian cat, though it is never mentioned again. Tanya has learnt through the years to lie convincingly because of the fairies, though she often finds it hard. She is worried that if she tells anyone about her ability, she'll end up on the couch of a physiatrist. She is visited commonly by Raven, Gredin, Feathercap and the Mizhog. They visit her to punish her whenever she attempts to let the world know about fairies. After receiving a punishment for writing about how much she hates the fairies, they manage to cause a big enough disruption to wake up her mother, who can't cope with her anymore. She says she can't handle Tanya's attention-seeking and sends her to Elvesden Manor for the holidays.
At The Grandmother's House[]
Chapter 2[]
Tanya is reluctant to go and see her grandmother. Her mother tells her she was being lenient by allowing her to take her dog Oberon with her. Tanya thinks that her mother is still being unfair and the two don't speak for the entire journey. After meeting with the caretaker, Warwick, her mother leaves almost immediately. It seems that Tanya and her mother don't have a particularly loving relationship, similar to the relationship Tanya and Florence share. It is evident that Tanya doesn't like Florence, Warwick or Fabian and thinks that her life is going more downhill by the second. In this chapter, it's revealed that Tanya's parents split up when she was little when she pleads with her mother to let her stay with her dad. Unfortunately, her father is busy and Florence's house is the only place she can stay.
Chapter 3
This chapter is told from the view of the old women living in Hangman's Wood. While having a vision in a pool of water, Tanya is seen with figures (fairies) floating around her. The old woman sees that one day soon both their paths will unite.
Relationships[]
Fabian: Good Friend
Rowan: close friend; the one Tanya trusts most