| “ | Battles may sometimes be won by the brave, but wars are always won by the clever. | ” |
Leonault "Leo" dan Brock, renowned as "The Young Lion", is a bold but reckless warrior, eager to win fame on the battlefield, and prove to his formidable mother that he is no fool.
Appearance and Personality[]
Leo dan Brock is an extremely handsome man, with a square-jaw, a magnificently manly physique, and great strength. He wears his sandy hair long, his sandy beard cropped short.
The Young Lion has some fine qualities; honesty, loyalty, courage, passion. But, despite his mother’s best efforts, he can be strangely childlike too; naïve, vain, idealistic, easily manipulated. Leo is a man confused by romantic assumptions about reality, especially, the reality of war. He displays a reckless attitude in battle and fondness for carnage that wouldn't be out of place in a Northman. Charming as he can be, he is bigoted towards anyone who isn't from The Union or The North, at one point calling Prince Orso as a "half-Styrian mongrel". Add to that the fact he’s very obviously confused about his own sexuality (bisexual or perhaps gay), and suppresses his attraction to men through rampant homophobia.
By the end of the Wisdom of Crowds, however, his worst qualities have grown darker and darker. He becomes self-obsessed, only thinking of himself yet desperate for the praise of the people. His ambition and desire for power leads him to dark policy and putting his own family in danger, but he expects praise and thanks for doing “what needs to be done”. His bigotry grows more rampant, in every facet, and he takes pleasure in senseless violence that makes him forget he is no longer the soldier he once was. His recklessness has become senseless fury and desire for conflict, whilst his ego means he cannot accept any challenge or sharing of power. He no longer has any charm, but is instead humourless, moody and entitled.
History[]
Leo dan Brock was born in Angland, the only son of Finree dan Brock and Harod dan Brock, Lord Governor of Angland. According to his mother, he was conceived at the Battle of Osrung. In his youth, he was foster for a time in Uffrith with The Dogman, where he got to know Rikke, and began to hero-worship men like the Bloody-Nine. Leo has a very close circle of boisterous male companions: Jurand, Antaup, Whitewater Jin, Glaward, Barniva. and Ritter.
His father died three years before the start of the story. He has been Lord Governor-in-waiting ever since, with his mother acting as Lady Governess.
A Little Hatred[]
In The North, a new generation of warriors led by Stour Nightfall seeks once again to expel The Union, not only from The Protectorate, but perhaps from Angland as well. In their way stands Leo and his formidable mother, but they have very different views on warfare. After a brave but ultimately pointless skirmish, Finree points out that his rashness has just gotten a useful man killed. The Lady Governess takes charge of the military strategy, feigning retreat to lure the Northmen into complacency. Itching with frustration at the lack of action, Leo challenges the biggest and strongest of his companions to a good old fistfight. Watching the fight is a young woman who looks eerily familiar. When she swaggers over and hugs him after his victory, he realises it's Rikke.
Leo and Rikke soon become lovers. One morning she has one of her fits. When Isern helps bring Rikke around, she reveals that the Long Eye showed her a lion and a wolf fight in a circle, and, though the wolf had the best of it, the lion won. Leo is intrigued. Meanwhile, Finree and The Dogman eventually find ground suitable to lay a trap for Stour Nightfall, in a narrow valley with a bridge. Leo is overjoyed, until his mother insists that he remain with the reserves; men who obey orders will lead this crucial battle. 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.
Just when The Union line is on the verge of breaking, Leo’s cavalry charge arrives and turns the tide, driving the Northmen from the south-side of the bridge. As the two exhausted sides glower at each other across the river, Leo and Stour recognise one another. Like two heroes in a storybook, they agree to settle the matter like men, with a duel in the circle. Finree and The Dogman try to talk Leo out of the duel, but the arrival of a Knights Herald announcing him as the new Lord Governor means nothing can change his mind. Before the duel, Rikke bolsters his courage, convincing him the Long Eye has shown her the future and the lion wins.
In the fight, it’s quickly apparent to everyone else that the Great Wolf is stronger, faster, and a better swordsman. Stour could've killed him a number of times, but decides to toy with him and show off. This gives time for Rikke to force her Long Eye open and give Leo the advice he needed to defeat Stour. To his own shock, Leo finds himself with his enemy at his mercy, but opts to spare his life. After the duel, Leo sees an opportunity to win a lasting peace with The North, and seems to succeed in befriending Stour Nightfall. However Rikke sees things differently, desiring vengeance on Stour, and the pair part ways.
Leo travels to Adua to celebrate a triumph, while Rikke is on the same ship, representing The Protectorate in any post-war deals. At a great party in the palace, Leo is dazzled by all the introductions, and perturbed by the falseness of Aduan society with nobles trying to embroil him in their quarrals in the Open Council. His mood improves when the beautiful Savine dan Glokta introduces herself, and the pair ends up having sex on the desk of a writer’s office. Leo at first resent having to share his triumph with Prince Orso, but soon finds that he quite likes him. And he certainly enjoys the adulation of the crowd.
The Trouble With Peace[]
Several months have passed since the duel with Stour Nightfall, but Leo dan Brock's leg has not recovered and he now walks with a stick. His mother persuades him to journey to Adua to attend the wedding of Lord Isher, and to build some friendships on the Open Council. There, Finree ambushes him with a surprise guest, Ardee dan Glokta. The two women unleesh a series of shocks: that Savine is pregnant with his child; that she would make him a perfect wife; that the wedding is arranged for next week; and that Savine is waiting on the balcony for his proposals. Although blind-sided, within a few minutes, the newly engaged couple are passionately kissing.
Leo meanwhile meets Lord Isher, to discuss the pitiful state of The Union: King Orso is a puppet of his corrupt Closed Council with their endless demands for taxes, not least from Angland. And then there are the trumped-up charges against ill-used Lord Wetterlant; if only some patriot had the courage to do something about it. At the trial, Wetterlant puts on quite a performance, having transformed himself from a pampered fop into a tortured innocent. As the Open Council erupts in tumult, Leo leaps to his feet to denounces the trial as a travesty; to the horror of his fiance. The king is not amused, and orders Leo forcibly removed from chamber. Savine finds him outside and tries to explain what a fool he's been.
At the wedding, Leo plans to apologise to the king at Savine's urging. However, his rehearsing is interrupted by Selest dan Heugen, who can’t resist stirring mischief; revealing that Savine and Orso were lovers. Leo resentfully goes to deliver his rehearsed apology, but finds only lords Isher, Barezin and Heugen, who tell him Orso has left to visit a brothel. These four patriots get to chatting and quickly come to the conclusion that what is needed is righteous rebellion to liberate The Union from its king’s chosen councillors; not at all treasonous. That night, Leo quarrels with Savine over her past relationship with Orso, but this turns into a rather aggressive wedding night romp.
In Angland, Savine quickly proves a godsend, freeing Leo from the tedium of civilian government, and raising fund to maintain his army. Lord Isher visits Ostenhorm to discuss the rebellion, but his wife catches wind of it. Leo secretly hopes that she will dissuade him from this foolishness, but instead Savine commits herself wholeheartedly to the scheme. As Leo build his noble alliance, she covertly works behind his back; persuading Isher to make Leo the king once it is over, and convincing Stour Nightfall to join the alliance by promising him Uffrith.
At Savine's urging, Leo and his close companions make the journey to Sipani to try and bring King Jappo of Styria into the alliance. Meeting in Cardotti's House of Leisure, Leo makes no effort to hide his disgust at Jappo's open homosexuality, and struggles to communicate with the man. He unenthusiastically explains his righteous cause, which Jappo gently mocks. In return for Styrian support, he offers to stop supporting independent Sipani, and to relinquish any claim to Talins. King Jappo makes no commitment either way. That night, Leo returns to their rooms to finds Jurand and Glaward having sex.
As Leo prepares to sails for Midderland, Savine is surprised to learn that Jurand and Glaward won't be coming. His mother is surprised that he is going at all. With Yoru Sulfur at her side, Finree begs him to abandon this treasonous revolt, and goes on to explain their debt to Bayaz. But Leo won't listen, and Savine contemptuously dismisses her as yesterday’s woman.
Alas, King Orso has been tipped off about the rebellion, and they find themselves confronted by a well dug-in (if numerically inferior) enemy at the Battle of Stoffenbeck. Corporal Tunny arrives to invite Leo to a parley with the king. At the meeting, Leo is immediately disarmed by Orso’s breezy charm, as he sets about casually tearing down his supposedly righteous cause. The next morning, it is clear that the king used the parley to buy time, having been reinforced during the night. Infuriated, Leo orders an immediate attack. The battle begins badly for the rebels: the Open Council's forces are mauled by cannons on the right, while the Northmen on the left and Anglanders in the centre are held back in fierce fighting. Then, just when their numbers are turning the tide, Lord Marshal Ruchsted suddenly arrives with a great many royalist reinforcements. Now, the one thing that can save them from disaster is a heroic charge for the king's banner. Leo's cavalry shatter the royalist centre into the heart of Stoffenbeck, but find the position oddly deserted. Then Leo spots another royalist barricade, as Orso orders his cannons to fire.
Leo comes to amists carnage, as Whitewater Jin and Gunnar Broad drag him from under his dead mount. With nothing to be done, he sends Broad back to Savine, to make sure she gets away. As the royalist forces approach with flatbows, Jin is casually shot, and Leo collapses. In prison, the surgeons have to take Leo's left leg - what had been his "good" leg- and his left arm is almost fully paralysed by nerve damage from shrapnel. A few days later, Leo is led onto the gallows with eleven other leaders of the rebellion. He spots Savine in the audience, who has revealed to King Orso that she is his half-sister, and begged for his life. At the last minute, Orso commutes Leo's sentence to life imprisonment.
The Wisdom of Crowds[]
Leo is kept in a wagon with barred windows, transported back to Adua by the victorious King Orso and Lord Marshal Rucksted. His ruinous left leg is buried at Stoffenbeck, and he can produce no movement in his shrapnel-ridden left arm except for the slightest twitching of a single finger. However, when the king’s party reach Adua, they are attacked by a mob, some of whom shout “The Young Lion!”. He -and Savine are quickly transported to the House of Questions.
When the Burners and Breakers break into the Agriont, they release the Brocks from custody, as well as Gunnar Broad, Lord Heugen and Lord Marshal Brint. He is picked up by a crowd, who cheer his name and “The Young Lion!” again.
At the newly formed Assembly of Representatives - Led by Risinau in the former Lord’s Round, now known as the Common Round -, Leo sits in the front row, along with Lord Heugen and Lord Isher, who had managed to return after fleeing Stoffenbeck. Although in agony and furious, he soon adapts to the chaotic politics of the new world: Speaking before the assembly, he removes the dan in his name and renounces the title “Lord”; he becomes “Citizen Leo Brock” , and is met with thunderous applause from most of the assembly. His fellow nobles are unhappy, but his recent losses have given him the perspective that a piece of a name is not such a sacrifice.
Leo is present for the birth of his and Savine’s twins: Harod and Ardee Brock. Afterwards, his and Savine’s marriage fails to resume physically, especially since she is clearly uncomfortable with the metal leg Leo wears that Curnsbick designed for him. Currently bereft of true allies, Savine convinces Leo to call Jurand and Glaward to court, despite the confusing mix of rage and curiosity Leo still feels around them having sex in Sipani. Leo meets with Risinau and convinces the new Chairman of the Assembly to let him bring loyal Anglanders to the Assembly as representatives, to ensure Angland’s co-operation with the new government in Midderland.
When Jurand arrives in Adua, Leo is nervous to see him again. When the two meet, the conversation quickly descends into argument: about Leo getting many of their friends killed, of Jurand and Glaward in Sipani, of Leo’s entitlement and ego. Things are going badly until Savine enters holding their two children, whom Jurand thinks are beautiful. Feeling a rush of guilt, Leo truly apologises to his old friend and asks for his help, which Jurand finally accepts.
Leo shows Jurand and Glaward the emotive politics of the Common Round: he makes an eloquent speech, invoking unity, the future, and victory, but ultimately says nothing of substance. He receives great applause. He does not stand up to Judge or say anything when she and her Burners take control of the Assembly, condemning Risinau, Brint and several others to death by falling from the Tower of Chains. Due to his immense public popularity, he and most of his associates are able to retain their seats in Judge’s new “court” of The Great Change as her reign of terror begins.
When General Bell of the People’s Army is condemned to death for failing to defend against the remaining Royalist force in the east led by Lord Marshal Forest, Jurand suggests that the war hero Leo Brock be made the new General. Although met with widespread noble support and some support from the elected commoners, he refuses to take up the position, instead biding his time for when he can have the position given to him with full support.
Later, when Savine tells Leo of her true parentage, and that she unknowingly had sex with her half brother, King Orso, Leo is not disgusted by incest but excited by what this means: that their children are the grandchildren of King Jezal, and thus have a claim to the throne. The shocked and slightly disturbed Savine watches as her husband leaves, on his way to plot his next move.
During a later night, Leo and Savine attempt to have odd, slightly uncomfortable sex, but are interrupted by Harod crying. It is revealed that Vick dan Teufel is inside Leo and Savine’s house. She tells them of her involvement in the plot to restore King Orso to his full powers, and promises them 4 seats on the Closed Council if they become involved as well. When they agree, she leaves and the two resume trying to have sex, but then both the babies cry, and they are interrupted again.
Leo, Jurand and Glaward visit Judge in what used to be the royal palace, now torn apart and daubed with Burner Slogans. When they hear a woman crying for help, Leo thinks only of his own pain, and how much worse it must be than hers, so he moves on without care. In their meeting with Judge, Leo agrees to put his own wife on trial (and thus risking her execution) in return for his position as General of the People’s Army. He justifies this when they leave by angrily saying that their plan only works if he becomes General, and that she and the children will be fine. He decides not to tell Savine, so she will trust him.
He leaves shortly after to lead the People’s Army, east of Adua. In a speech to all the officers gathered in a barn, he promises them pay and food, and to lead them only if they agree to it. He leaves them in the barn whilst they decide: when outside, he orders his Angland troops to bar the doors and set the entire barn ablaze, to take control of all positions in the People’s Army and kill those who resist. He watches as the people inside the barn scream and burn and try desperately to get out, saying “They love the fire. They can have the fire.”.
He leads the People’s Army to meet with Lord Marshal Forest, who leads the exhausted royalist regiments who are close to completely dissolving. The two men join together and march on Adua. When they reach the city, Leo leads the charge, trampling two people under his horse and not caring for their innocence, only that they will be enemies he can proudly defeat in the painting that is one day made. He orders Glaward to take the docks and arrest or kill anyone in the wider city who resists whilst the rest of the force storms the Agriont. As Vick Dan Teufel and Bremer dan Gorst had been able to keep the main gate open, Leo and Forest’s forces are able to pour into the inner city, massacring the Burners and Breakers.
In the Agriont, Leo awkwardly kills a single man but is incredibly weakened by the loss of use of his left arm. However, the Burners are still scattered, and the force tries desperately to reach Savine and Orso at the top of the Tower of Chains. After they and Broad come down, having killed Judge and several other Burners, Orso promises a new world of hope, justice and freedom: he extends a hand to Leo, offering full freedom and that despite all their differences, there is hope for everyone. Leo sighs, says “Not everyone”, and stabs Lord Marshal Forest in the chest. He, Jurand and the Angland force take Orso and his supporters hostage, whilst the Young Lion ignores his wifes pleas for them to be let go and instead has her sent to be with their children. He takes full control of Adua.
After Orso is imprisoned and Leo takes control, Adua is forced into submission: curfews, mass executions of Burners and those accused of Burner sympathies, interrogations and immediate arrests by Angland troops are commonplace. Leo and Savine’s relationship is cold and bitter, and Leo resents anyone his wife is close to, including his own mother. When Savine begs for the killings to stop, Leo silently acknowledges with Jurand that Orso must be executed, to stop the realm falling into conflict again. At a meeting in the Hall of Mirrors, Leo uses the presence of his Angland troops to scare the nobles and elected officials into signing the New Union Constitution, having his infant son Harod crowned the New King of Union, and have himself made Lord Regent until his son reaches his majority. He makes a note of the few holdouts and decides to secretly remove them later.
When Savine releases Orso from prison, Leo is furious, and goes to the docks after seeing she had a charter of passage on a ship named the Duke Rogont. When he, Jurand and Angland troops arrive at the boat, they find no Orso: it is instead a ruse, and Bremer dan Gorst emerges, killing many of Leo’s men. Before Leo can pull out his sword, Gorst rushes him, stopped just before he reaches Brock by Jurand firing a crossbow bolt into his face. As Gorst dies, Leo reflects on how much he used to admire the man, before kicking his short steel into the water. He orders a company to guard every gate out of the city, which Jurand has already had done- Leo reflects on how stupid it was of him to ever send Jurand away.
At a royal party, Leo broods and grows angry as he watches his wife effortlessly talk with everyone, thinking about how he had earned everything, not her. When approached by Rikke, newly ruler of the North, he is sad, and nostalgic for the past, but Rikke reminds him that he is not sad for what they sad, but sad for what he was, for what he has lost. Angry, Leo confronts Rikke about her betrayal before Stoffenbeck, at which point Rikke reveals that Savine had promised Uffrith to Stour Nightfall in return for his support. Leo is shocked, but this does not dismay his anger: to pay back the loss of his arm and leg, he threatens to march on Carleon. When Rikke says the North will stand against him, Leo only smiles, and says how much he loves a fight.
When the fugitive Orso meets with Rikke and stays with her overnight, she informs on him to Leo, who arrives early in the morning with Jurand and Glaward. He re-imprisons Orso and begrudgingly accepts that he and Rikke are now even, but says they will be ready for war just in case. He leaves with his men, and prepares for Orso’s execution. On the day of the former king’s hanging, he watches with the rest of the Closed Council: he has gone prematurely grey and aged, looking remarkably self satisfied. Nettled by Orso’s continued good humour and remarkable positivity, he asks for Orsos last words, which turn out to be a confession of forgiveness for all and a confession of continued love for Savine. He watches as the trap door drops beneath Orso and he falls through.
Thinking he has finally won, a proud Leo calls the first meeting of the Closed Council. He remarks that Selest dan Heugen's appointment is unorthodox, but acceptable so long as she remains silent and something to look at. However, he is opposed at every turn by his wife: When he proposes removing the engraved names of the Old Regimes victims, she instead suggests expanding it.
He is bored by their discussion of proper taxation and economics, and angrily demands a war with Styria over Sipani: what claim the Union has to Sipani is unclear. However, he is outvoted, not just by Savine and her allies, but by Lord Isher, who cannot meet Leos eye. He demands they all leave, and the husband and wife argue until Savine explains she will never stop opposing him, despite being the person who made him the cunning, cruel man he has become. Dejected, Leo wonders if this is all life is: what you thought was a victory becoming a defeat. Savine tells him to think of their marriage as a business arrangement, that might do some professional good, and invites the rest of the Closed Council back in.
