| “ | I am venomously ambitious. | ” |
— Finree to Bayaz
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Finree dan Brock is the daughter of Lord Marshal Kroy, commander of the Union forces in the North. She has made the risky decision to marry Harod dan Brock, an honest and loyal officer, but also the son of notorious traitor Lord Brock. But Finree's ambition won't let that hold her back.
Appearance and Personality[]
Finree is a brown-haired and attractive young woman. She’s highly intelligent and quite charming, but can't stop herself from talking back to people when it's not appropriate. She’s also cynical, cunning, and venomously ambitious; she sees in war the opportunity to restore her husband’s fortunes, and greatly to advance her own.
History[]
Her mother died when she was very young. Her father raised her, and she grew up around army personnel. She married Harod dan Brock after his father's disgrace.
Heroes[]
Finree joins her father and husband in the North, despite how dangerous it might be for her to be with the army. She can't help herself showing contempt some of her father’s less capable generals, especially Lord Governor Meed. Though, she befriends those people in the camp in order to advance the position of her husband, such as Aliz dan Brint, whose husband is an old friend of King Jezal.
The danger of being with the army turns out to be true, when on the second day of the battle, with Finree in Lord Governor Meed’s headquarters, there is a raid by the Northmen. Stranger-Come-Knocking and his men slaughter most of the men, including the Lord Governor himself, and take Finree and Aliz captive.
In captivity, Black Dow demands Finree be released to him, which Stranger-Come-Knocking takes as an insult; he wants the women to give him children, and Finree has shown more bones than Aliz. She bravely negotiates her own release and that of a number of other prisoners, in return for carrying a peace offer to her father, Lord Marshal Kroy. She also demands Aliz be released, but Dow refuses, knowing Stranger-Come-Knocking would not allow it.
| “ | Sharp is good, but you don’t want to get so sharp you cut your own throat. | ” |
— Black Dow to Finree
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She delivers Dow’s peace proposal to her father, but Bayaz insists on continuing fighting when he learns that the Gurkish agent Ishri is helping Dow. Unable to sleep before the next day’s fighting, she finds Bayaz, and tries to persuade him to give the now vacant Lord Governor of Angland role to her husband. He doesn’t give her an answer, but he seems quite impressed with Finree.
After the slaughter of the third day of the battle, Kroy decides that he cannot countenance another attack, and sues for peace; despite Bayaz’ anger. However, peace does not arrive in time to prevent a huge explosion happening in Osrung; Ishri’s “surprise”. Her husband Harod is injured in the explosion but not badly.
After her father “resigns” as Lord Marshall, Finree angrily confronts Bayaz. But Bayaz, tells her that her husband is to be named the new Lord Governor of Angland. Discovering the price of her ambition knocks some of the wind out of her sails, but whilst she pauses to reflect, she can’t escape her ambitious impulses.
Bremer dan Gorst has been secretly in love with Finree for years. In the end, when he finally tells her, it goes disastrously, and she tells him why he was disgraced:
| “ | I heard when they came for the king you were passed out drunk with a whore. I heard it was not the first time you had disgraced yourself, and that the king had forgiven you before, and that the Closed Council would not let him do it again. | ” |
— Finree to Bremer dan Gorst
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A Little Hatred[]
Harod died three years before the novel begins, and since then Finree has been acting Lady Governor of Angland. Despite her best efforts, her son Leo has turned out to be hardheaded, with a fondness for battle that wouldn't be out of place in a Northman.
As war returns to The North, Finree despairs of her son, whose rashness gets a useful man killed in a pointless cavalry charge. With a wealth of army experience from her father, Finree takes charge of the military strategy. Feigning retreat to lure Stour Nightfall into complacency, Finree and The Dogman lay a trap in a narrow valley between two hills. Alas the battle does not go to plan. Black Calder has a trick of his own, with Northmen hidden in the forest to tie down The Dogman. Finree has no choice but to order Leo into the fray with the reserve cavalry. He succeeds in driving the Northmen from the south-side of the bridge, and in the end, agrees to settle the matter with a duel in the circle. Finree tries to persuade her son against the duel, but the arrival of a Knights Herald announcing Leo as the new Lord Governor, means nothing can change his mind. Leo is a fine swordsman, but the Great Wolf makes him look ordinary. Yet Stour’s showing off and Rikke’s Long Eye, allows Leo to win the duel. Leo thus garners all the glory from the victory, while Finree is left merely the mother of a Lord Governor.
The Trouble With Peace[]
Finree remains a member of the governing council of Angland, where she tries to look after her son's interests. She encourages him to make the journey to Adua to make alliances on the Open Council. There, Finree and Lady Ardee ambush Leo into marrying Savine dan Glokta; joining his title, fame, and naivety, with her own wealth, connections, and ruthlessness. At the wedding reception, Finree and Ardee make the perfect pair, organising everyone and everything; the one imposing military precision, the other setting the guests at ease.
Back in Angland, Savine quickly settles into the province, virtually taking over the governing council. However, unbeknownst to Finree, Leo and Savine have begun planning an armed rebellion against the crown with members of the Open Council, Savine gives Leo's mother "busy work" to keep her in the dark. Finding out too late, Finree rushes to the docks, with Yoru Sulfur at her side. She begs Leo to forget this foolish and treasonous revolt, and goes on to warn him of the debt they owe to Bayaz. But Leo refuses to listen. Finree tries to reason with Savine, but Savine contemptuously dismisses her as yesterday’s woman. The revolt ends in disaster at the Battle of Stoffenbeck. leaving Leo and Savine's lives in ruins, and the governorship of Angland vacant.
The Wisdom of Crowds[]
To be added