Sir Rodrick Solberg

> *"Lord Richard, please. We mean you know harm. We've been instructed by the King to escort you to the Black Tower unharmed."* -The Feeble King (II)
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**Sir Rodrick Solberg** is a maternal half-brother of King John Koopa VI, to whom he is very loyal to. He is a character in *Wars of Frozen Flames* that debuted in the first part of The Feeble King alongside his younger brother Theodrick. He is portrayed as noble and kind, begging for the King to be helped when he passed out and refusing to marry his late elder brother Edrick's widow Lady Jane Phoenix when suggested by Lord Thornton. He serves as a legal guardian for his nephew James Solberg after his father died while drunk riding and paired his sister-in-law with Korrin Sylver. He is also shown to have some sort of support for Lord Richard Koopa contrasting to other nobles, stating that he should be a member of the regency council and agreeing with him when he states that the nobles have to turn over some lands to the Kingdom. He however, clashes with Lord Richard in a fight per Cynder and John's order. He is based on Jasper Tudor.

## History

### Backstory

Rodrick was born as the second child of Lord Arwin Solberg and Queen Klaudia Von Speckbohne, being younger than King John Koopa VI and Edrick Solberg, the former of which is his half-brother. However, aside from this not much is known about Rodrick's past. At some point, Rodrick started to develop a crush on Edrick's wife, Lady Jane Phoenix.

### The Feeble King

#### Part I

Edrick died on a riding accident during the time Jane and him were expecting their first child, leaving Rodrick as the oldest of the Solberg house. After this, he went to check on Jane and her son James, who had just hatched from the egg. Rodrick is impressed by the baby, going as far as to claim he has the eyes of a king. The moment is interrupted by the Bishop informing Rodrick and Jane that the egg James was in damaged Jane's reproductive system upon being laid, and has rendered her sterile as a result. Rodrick tells Jane not to worry and that he will make sure both her and James are safe.

Some days later, Rodrick goes to Jane's home and finds her crying. Jane tells him that when she went to visit the castle so King John could meet James, she was informed by Queen Cynder and her uncle Sigmund that in accordance to the law, she has to give away James to someone at the service of the Crown upon remarriage because of her status as a widow. Jane is desperate about this not only because it will mean being separated from James, but because she doesn't want to give him away to either Sigmund or Blayne, as she's afraid that they might try to hurt him. Rodrick tells Jane not to worry and informs her that not only will he find her a suitable husband, but also offers to raise James.

During the Loveday feast, Sir Rodrick is looking for a suitable husband for Jane and comes across Korrin Sylver, King John VI's squire. He talks to him about Jane, and proposes a marriage between the two, noting that the Sylver House is wealthy and the Phoenix House is powerful, and thus an union between them would be beneficial for both Houses. Korrin says that he will try to convince his father about it, to which Rodrick thanks him for, and also tells him to take care of Jane.

King John VI then collapses in the middle of the dinner, and Rodrick starts calling for help.

#### Part II

Rodrick, alongside his younger brother Theodrick, Queen Cynder, Lord Sylver and Lady Jane, are informed by an archbishop that King John has suffered a mental breakdown and has fallen into a vegetative state, and that someone will have to act as regent until he recovers. Rodrick offers Lord Richard as the regent, but Cynder and everyone except Jane immediately refuses, and thus Sigmund is appointed as regent. After everyone leaves the room, Rodrick explains to Jane that the reason for John's condition is a mental illness called "Bohnenkraut Madness", which has been affecting members of the Von Speckbohne family for years and causes them to be deranged, and in John's case, the illness causes him to behave like an immature child.

During the regency council in which Lord Sigmund proclaims himself as regent, Sir Rodrick questions the decision, saying that King John didn't approve of it, only for Sigmund to remind him that the King cannot talk or move at the moment, and that Queen Cynder approves his idea. In that moment, Lord Richard enters the cabinet meeting with an army and has Sigmund arrested for all his corruption and deserting his troops. Rodrick, alongside Lord Berwick and Sir Torrence Python, is one of the people who are the most glad about Richard being regent, and agrees with his proposal of turning in the Lord's lands to house refugees from the Bohnenkraut Kingdom.

Later on during the wedding between Jane and Korrin, Rodrick is seen visibly upset about them developing a bond with one another after Korrin shows genuine concern for Jane. In that moment, Lord Gaston Thornton asks Rodrick that if he has a crush on Jane, why didn't he marry her himself when he had the chance, to which Rodrick answers by saying that it would have been disrespectful to marry his brother's widow and he didn't want to dishonor his memory. Lord Thornton is able to tell that he is jealous of Korrin.

Rodrick is present when Cynder's child, whom she names Godwin, is born, and comments being glad on how John now has an heir. After John recovers, Rodrick and Theodrick are tasked with arresting Richard under Cynder and John's orders. Richard tries to reason with Rodrick and tell him that he should do what's best for the realm, but Rodrick decides to follow his half-brother's command instead. After a fight that ends up with Rodrick and Theodrick knocked out, Lord Richard and Sir Edrick flee the scene.

#### Part III

Rodrick, alongside Theodrick, interrupt a cabinet meeting following John VI's return, failing to do their task of arresting Richard. They are later seen with Jane and Korrin and Rodrick recalls that Richard has certainly put up a fight, mentioning that he took out seven of their men and disarmed Theodrick as he hardly had a choice. Rodrick tells Korrin that the King is fine when he asked about him. A parakarry arrives and announces that King John announced a great council meeting, spelling 'Bright' as 'Brigt' which gives Rodrick a cue that the King wrote the letter himself, meaning things must be getting serious. Rodrick believes it isn't the Bohnenkraut Kingdom they have to worry about in response to Korrin hoping they aren't going back to war with the Bohnenkraut Kingdom.

Rodrick appears in the great council meeting and says that he can't imagine it's good news. When John VI states that his cousin Richard turned against them, Rodrick says he was afraid it would lead to this. Rodrick interacts with Sir Alain Blackfoot, assuming that everything is sorted with the lord of Mount Rugged only for Alain to say he is the lord of Mount Rugged now. When Sigmund states that they sent Rodrick and Theodrick with men to arrest Richard only for Richard to flee, Rodrick claims that they fought their hardest but Lord Richard was too strong for them. Rodrick agrees with Lord Tyebolt when he suggests that they could've offered him a position on the council and release the children they locked up, adding that they want to avoid going to war. Cynder however, says they would have succeeded in avoiding the war if he and his brother did their jobs.

Rodrick is present when John is being prepared to be in battle, asking if he is alright, to which John says the sword is a little heavy. He is also confused by Blayne and Theodrick's implications in their talks. He, along with his brother Theodrick, is shocked to witness Garnet taking Lady Anna captive.

##### Battle of Whomp City

In the Battle of Whomp City, Rodrick says he doesn't see a single soldier sporting Ironside's color. He also informs that Lord Blackfoot and Lord Bane are commanding the left and right flanks of the army with Lord Garnet's support. When Blayne says that Lord Garnet did the right thing turning Lady Anna over to them, Rodrick shouts that children shouldn't have to pay for their father's actions. When Blayne states that Lord Garnet will be rewarded generously for his loyalty, Rodrick mentions that Garnet is one of the most savagely unpredictable lords of the realm. When Theodrick offers to command an army, claiming he kicks more asses, Rodrick reminds him that it's a battlefield. A parakarry sends a message from Richard's army to them and Rodrick reads letter, offering them to settle with words instead of blades. However, Blayne burned the letter, believing he doesn't have the rights to decide who should and shouldn't be punished.

The battle starts and Rodrick orders Lord Sylver and Lord Tyebolt to take the king safety but Sylver reminds him that he is the commander so Rodrick asks if he has a better idea, making Sylver comply and command Blayne, Rodrick and Theodrick to take care of the rebels. Rodrick starts slashing some Knight Bros. and later fights Sir Robert Koopa, promising him that he meant no harm to come to his father only for Robert to mention Rodrick drawing his sword. He is then assisted by Korrin but the two fail to defeat Robert as he, along with Halbert, escapes.

When Thornton summoned his archers to shoot at John VI's army, Rodrick and his brother Theodrick flee the scene with Korrin attempting to escape with them only to get shot. Rodrick is told by Theodrick to leave him as there's too many arrows.

## Appearance

Sir Rodrick is a yellow-skinned Koopa with a blue head, grey eyes and messy red hair. He wears a blue shell with yellow spikes, all of them surrounded by red rings. He wears a blue and yellow bracelet on each arm and a headband of the same colors on his forehead.

## Personality

Rodrick's main trait is that he is very loyal to his family, mainly his half-brother John and his sister in-law Jane, yet he also shows admiration towards Lord Richard, causing his interest to be conflicted whenever any of these factions go against each other. He is shown to be a caring person, as demonstrated by him looking a suitable husband for Jane and offering to raise her son so she doesn't have to give him away to Sigmund or Blayne, yet he also seems to get jealous very easily, as shown by him pairing up Jane and Korrin but then showing hints of jealousy towards Korrin for developing a strong bond with Jane, not marrying Jane after Edrick died because he thought he would be disrespecting his deceased brother but then slightly regretting it when he sees Jane and Korrin happy together, or siding with Lord Richard and overall respecting him but immediately following John and Cynder's orders of having him arrested because of his loyalty to his half-brother.

## Trivia

* In the teaser of the Wars of the Frozen Flames (Named the Wars of the Flowers), Rodrick was originally named **Rodbert**
* Rodrick's character design is based off Roy, the protagonist of *Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade*.