Ronan

*You are right here in your story. Don't skip ahead.*
Massie Burnson, *The Wreck and Rise of Whitson Mariner*, p. 32
**WARNING: SPOILERS FOR *THE ARCHER'S CUP* ARE AHEAD; CAUTION IS ADVISED.**

**R****onan** was the Citadel lord of Blackstone Citadel. Of all the lords he appears to have been the most suspicious of the Longtreader family due to Garten Longtreader's betrayal of King Jupiter. He also seems to have been the slowest to accept Smalls and later Emma as the heirs of King Jupiter.

## History

### Early life

Ronan was once Lead Captain to Lokken, the first lord of Blackstone; the two were also close friends. He was also acquainted with Lord Rake of Cloud Mountain, whom he greatly respected despite their later differences of opinion. Though not native to the area of Black Lake, Ronan settled in the area, having fallen in love with Elisabeth. The two married and had several children, though sadly their oldest son later died at Harbone Citadel.

When Lokken fell ill, Ronan accepted the community's pleas to assume leadership, and was later elevated to lord of Blackstone after Lokken died. This earned Ronan the enmity of Lokson, who was too young to succeed his father and was thus sent away to Harbone to be educated. A friendship also developed between Ronan and Lord Hewson of Harbone, and Ronan sent several of his own children to serve there. He also welcomed three of Hewson's children, including Amber Hewson, to service at Blackstone.

### *The Green Ember*

Ronan is mentioned by Lord Ramnor of Halfwind Citadel, who notes that he struggled to convince Ronan to attend the Cloud Mountain Citadel Congress. By this point, Ronan's distrust of the Longtreader family is such that even being in the near vicinity of Wilfred Longtreader is an appalling prospect to him.

### *Ember Falls*

Despite Picket Longtreader's rescue of Prince Smalden Joveson, Ronan remained unwilling to trust the Longtreaders or acknowledge Smalls as heir to King Jupiter. As such, Smalls and his court left Halfwind to meet with Ronan and various other holdouts at Kingston Citadel. Unfortunately, the group never reached Kingston, and a disastrous mission to a camp in the Shade Hills resulted in the apparent death of Smalls.

### *Ember Rising*/*The Archer's Cup*

Picket and Helmer discussed Ronan on their way to Harbone, with Helmer expressing the belief that Ronan would eventually abandon his antagonism. As part of her tour of the secret citadels, Emma Joveson, heir and sister to Smalls, set course for Blackstone after visiting Vandalia Citadel. Knowing of Ronan's continued opposition, she decided to follow the counsel of Heyna Blackstar and accelerate her travels to Blackstone so as to arrive earlier than expected. By this means, Emma hoped to unsettle Ronan and thus gain an advantage in their negotiations. She also split her traveling party, sending most of her escort on to Harbone.

When Emma, Heyna and Coleden Blackstar, and Jo Shanks arrived at Blackstone, Ronan was unable to meet with them, having been ill for some time. In a later meeting with the Lord's Council, Ronan was initially curt, but after hearing of an attempt upon their lives became more civil. It soon became evident that Blackstone's inhabitants were divided, with Lokson having gained the support of many upon his return to the citadel. Aside from Lokson bidding to regain the lordship once held by his father, Ronan also contended with Breelia Wilder, Matron of Blackstone Hospital. Breelia had exploited Ronan's stress-related illness for her own advancement.

On top of these woes, a mysterious enemy calling himself Bane Graveheart had been leaving Ronan threatening letters. He had left them in places that should have been inaccessible to any but a Keymaster of Blackstone, all three of whom-including Ronan himself-sat on the council. When Emma asked how they can help, Ronan answered that they could identify Bane Graveheart. As discussion turned to an event to boost citadel morale, Emma revealed to Ronan-though not Matron Wilder-that Lord Rake had been killed. Greatly saddened, Ronan audibly questioned his fitness for the role of lord.

The meeting was then interrupted by Lady Elisabeth with Bane Graveheart's latest letter. Ronan collapsed into a chair at its words, leaving his right hand Truff, Jo, and Lokson to address the threat in the message. When the three returned to the meeting, Ronan had been taken to bed, his illness having resurged. In discussing the matter, the councilors and Emma's party deduced that Graveheart wanted to drive Ronan out, but not kill him.

Ronan later gave his approval for the organization of the Ultimate Archer's Cup, in light of the presence of many talented archers at the citadel. When Matron Wilder-arrested on suspicion of being Bane Graveheart-escaped, Ronan asked Lady Elisabeth to address those called upon to pursue her in his place. Emma, using her medical training, joined Lady Elisabeth in tending to Ronan while the search was ongoing. Despite this, Jo noted his absence during the Cup, which was apparently explained by the discovery of another letter from Bane Graveheart.

Jo eventually realized the truth: that Bane Graveheart was Grare, a former suitor of Lady Elisabeth who had been consumed with hatred by her choosing Ronan. Intimately familiar with secret tunnels beneath Blackstone, he has been able to penetrate otherwise secure locations in his scheming. Determined to claim Elisabeth, Grare sedated her, Ronan, Emma, and several others before preparing to kill Ronan. Fortunately, Jo was able to stop him, and Ronan and the others soon recovered.

Later, on the Blackstone common, Ronan publicly apologized for failing to unite with the rest of the Cause before. He then led the reunited citadel in pledging their loyalty to Emma with Blackstar's oath. Ronan looked on happily during the ensuing celebrations; later, he received a letter of apology from the remorseful Grare. Ronan subsequently joined in the Battle for First Warren, in which the city was retaken.

### *Ember's End*

Some time after the battle, Ronan was in attendance at a meeting of Emma's council. Picket Longtreader saw him speaking with Lord Felson of Chelmsford Citadel, but the room fell silent upon recognizing Picket's arrival. During the meeting, Ronan stressed the need to evacuate vulnerable rabbits to Harbone. Heyward noted that Ronan's elite guard assisted in emptying the Harbone battle burrows of weaponry, anticipating the coming Siege of First Warren.

Ronan later commented on the Cause's lack of time and soldiers, neither of which could seemingly be increased. He then joined Prester Kell in seeing to the fortification of West Gate. On the day of the siege, Ronan joined his fellow lords in pledging their forces to Emma, standing behind Lord Captain Helmer. He was present when the Terralain army approached the city, standing ready to command his citadel forces in the battle. When the troops were rallied to action by Emma, Ronan was concerned, but Captain Frye and Helmer were pleased by their response.

After the Terralains joined the Royal Warrenguard in battling the army of Farlock, Ronan led his bucks out to reinforce them. Having witnessed Picket slaying the wolf king, he gave him a look of awe before departing. Joining Naylen, he tasked Jo with escorting Kylen to the old palace. Though the Blackstone and Terralain forces fought bravely, the wolves eventually broke through. Lord Ronan was absent when Emma addressed the remnants of her council.

## Physical appearance

Ronan was a dark brown-furred rabbit. By the time of the War for All Natalia he was middle-aged and showed signs of the stress of his difficult position. These included a bald patch on his neck, resulting from a nervous habit of rubbing his fur. He also wore a lord's medallion in token of his office.

## Personality and traits

Ronan was a faithful soldier of the Cause, and dedicated to bringing the Mending about. He was a reluctant leader, and at times even doubted his worthiness for the position he filled. Between the division in his citadel and the threats to himself and his family, he was afflicted with anxiety to the point of physical illness. In spite of this, he refused to give in to threats and abandon his political or family duties.

Ronan was among the majority of rabbits who held all Longtreaders to be at least potential accomplices of the traitor Garten. The idea of even being near one of them was distasteful to him at one point, and his mistrust extended to those associated with them. As such, he was reluctant to acknowledge either Smalls or Emma as heirs to King Jupiter. Curiously, he was an admirer of Lord Rake, apparently considering him one of the best rabbits in the Cause.

Though his worries left him irritable and quick to raise his voice in order to restore order, Ronan endeavored to remain courteous and maintain an atmosphere of decorum. He was also a loving husband and father, having made his home in the Black Lake region for love of his wife. After witnessing for himself that Emma was fit to serve as queen, Ronan pledged his loyalty to her, and publicly and humbly expressed contrition for failing to do so sooner. He continued to serve faithfully in spite of the overwhelming obstacles faced by the Cause.

## Trivia

* The name "Ronan" is of Irish origin and means "little seal."