Characters / The Lions of Al-Rassan

The characters from The Lions of Al-Rassan.

Main Characters

Jehane bet Ishak

Jehane is a young Kindath physician, the daughter of the famous Ishak ben Yonannon. She flees Fezana after the Cartadan purge, after keeping one of the men meant to die under her medical care during the event. She becomes a military doctor for Rodrigo Belmonte's company in Ragosa.

• Aloof Dark-Haired Girl: Somewhat of a Spock.
• Amicable Exes: With Bakir, her former lover from Fezana.
• Armor-Piercing Question: Jehane is quite versed in these, and manages to catch Rodrigo off guard more than once.
• Better as Friends: With Alvar. They sleep together once, as Jehane attempts to help Alvar get over his infatuation with her.
• Brainy Brunette: a clever, sharp, brown-haired doctor.
• Broken Bird: Downplayed after Velaz dies. Eventually subverted, as ties call for to get her shit together.
• Brutal Honesty: She knows it's one of her flaws.
• Deadpan Snarker: A trademark which is frequently lampshaded. However, this is somewhat of a World of Snark.
• Death Glare: She uses it many times, with varying degrees of success; it usually puts Alvar and Velaz in their place, but never works on Ammar or Rodrigo.
• Determinator: Nothing will stop her performing her duties as a doctor, or in her way to save a life. Or on her way to be with Ammar.
• Distracted by the Sexy: Invokes this in the ambush in the valley, to Alvar's chagrin
• Good Is Not Soft: Jehane is a good, loyal person, but she is anything but soft.
• Happily Married: To Ammar in the epilogue.
• Hospital Hottie: A beautiful doctor.
• Like Father, Like Son: Calm, collected professional Frontier Doctor, like her father, and a Stepford Snarker like her mother.
• Married to the Job: And that's just fine with her, thank you for asking.
• My God, What Have I Done?: After Ziri kills Parazor in Orvilla.
• Near-Death Experience: After the attempted assassination of Zabira's sons.
• Nerves of Steel: A required trait of any successful field surgeon.
• No Celebrities Were Harmed: Inspired in part by Rebecca of York.
• The Smart Girl: A non-action Badass Bookworm woman, surrounded by male warriors.
• Teacher/Student Romance: With Ser Rezzoni, her teacher in Batiara.
• Stepford Snarker: Lampshaded. She says it's merely her way of coping in an all-male environment. However, it's part Angst? What Angst? too — it's her way to deal with what happened to her father.
• Strong Family Resemblance: She inherited her father's blue eyes.
• Unkempt Beauty: Her usual appearance is very modest and practical, but many men find her very attractive despite that. At one occasion (a dinner at the court of Badir of Ragosa), she wears an elegant gown and expensive jewelry bought for her and it's remarked that She Cleans Up Nicely.

Ammar ibn Khairan

Cartadan military strategist, notorious former assassin and poet. Turns his back on Almalik the First of Cartada after the Fezana purge. He then kills him — and is exiled for his crimes by his son, his own protege and accomplice Almalik the Second. He becomes a general-for-hire for Ragosa.

• Broke Your Arm Punching Out Cthulhu: His climactic duel with Rodrigo ends with his hard-won victory, but not before the latter inflicts a leg wound that leaves Ammar a cripple for the rest of his life.
• The Charmer: Not a Casanova, but ladies fall at his feet. Even the Guys Want Him.
• Cultured Warrior: Versed in poetry and history, on top of being a top duelist and a military strategist.
• The Dandy: Has shades of this.
• Deadpan Snarker: of the Gentleman Snarker variation.
• Happily Married: with Jehane in the epilogue.
• Icy Blue Eyes: built up, as he is an Action Hero version of the Gentleman Snarker. Eventually subverted when it turns out he's a good guy...ish.
• Karma Houdini: Arguably, considering how he served for many years as the Number Two for a ruthless tyrant and, if he'd had his way, would have done the same for said tyrant's equally unscrupulous son. In the end, he gets off relatively scot-free, sailing off to become Happily Married with Jehane.
  • Could be seen as a Downplayed case in that he becomes exiled from his homeland, suffers a permanent leg wound that leaves him crippled for life, and (many years later) learns that the country he loved so much ultimately fell to the Jaddite kingdom, making everything that he did All for Nothing.
• No Celebrities Were Harmed: inspired by the historic Andalusian figure Ibn Ammar. See other wiki.
• Pragmatic Hero: if not downright unscrupulous.
• Proud Beauty: Lampshaded by Jehane.
• The Starscream: Inverted. He is loyal to both of his kings up until they decide to turn on him.
• The Strategist: And a brilliant one at that.
• Warrior Poet: His two main skills.
• Will They or Won't They?: with Jehane. they do. duh.

Rodrigo Belmonte

Feared brave military captain of the Valledo horsemen. Sent to collect protection fees from Fezana in the name of King Ramiro of Valledo, he confront the Valledan men looting Orvillia after the Fezana purge. His actions during that night cost him his position in Valledo, and he is exiled. He and his company leave to Ragosa, to join King Badir's ranks.

• Animal Motifs: The eagle. His helmet is emblazoned with one, and it's the unofficial symbol of his company.
• Berserk Button: Raimundo's death. Garcia de Rada can tell you all about that.
• The Captain: A practically unbeatable one. Until he isn't.
• Captain Smooth and Sergeant Rough: With Lain.
• Cultured Warrior: Not as fancy as Ammar, but very elegant and knowledgeable in the world outside of the battlefield.
• Determinator: Part of what makes him a good soldier.
• Father to His Men: They adore him, and he cares for them deeply. Lampshaded by Jehane.
• Happily Married: To Miranda.
• Has a Type: Deadpan Snarkers.
• Knight, Knave, and Squire: The Knight to Alvar's squire and Lain's knave.
• My Country, Right or Wrong: Eventually.
• No Celebrities Were Harmed: Inspired by Spanish national hero El Cid. See the other wiki.
• Papa Wolf: Very much so. Though not as much as his wife.
• The Gadfly: He enjoys getting a rise out of people, and often says things just to observe or test the people around him. Also has a touch of The Prankster.
• The Strategist: On par with Ammar and Mazur as a military leader.

Rodrigo's Company

Lain Nunez

• Captain Smooth and Sergeant Rough: The sergeant to Rodrigo's captain. However, is not a Sergeant Rock.
• Knight in Sour Armour: No one is safe from his sharp tongue.
• Knight, Knave, and Squire: The Knave to Alvar's squire and Rodrigo's knight.
• The Lancer: In Rodrigo's company.
• Number Two: To Rodrigo.

Alvar de Pellino

A young soldier in Rodrigo's company.

• Better as Friends: With Jehane.
• Butt-Monkey: In universe, to the commanders of Belmonte's company. He doesn't seem to mind it much.
• Culture Clash: He experiences this in the big Asharite city Ragosa, as a Fish out of Water.
• Deadpan Snarker: Rodrigo and Lain give him hell for it.
• Dogged Nice Guy: To Jehane.
• Happily Married: He's able to move on from his crush on Jehane and settles down with Sir Rezzoni's daughter.
• Has a Type: Alvar is very specific: he fell in love twice, both were Kindath physicians, with dark hair and light eyes, and have a famous physician father. Could this be a Race Fetish?
• I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: Despite being hopelessly in love with Jehane, he recognizes her feelings for Ammar and takes it in stride.
• Knight, Knave, and Squire: The Squire to Lain's knave and Rodrigo's knight.
• Like Father, Like Son: Alvar was surprised to hear his father used to be a hot-headed Deadpan Snarker like himself when he was younger.
• Tall, Dark, and Handsome: Women tend to find him very attractive.

Husari Ibn Musa

An Asharite silk merchant from Fezana, Jehane's patient. Was meant to die in the purge. Fled Fezana to Valledo with Belmonte's company. After Rodrigo's exile, he arrives with the company to Ragosa.

• Blithe Spirit: Jehane lampshades this, saying it's impossible to dislike him.

• Took a Level in Badass: Goes from Non-Action Guy to soldier and horseman.

In Ragosa

Mazur ben Avren

The loyal and brilliant Kindath advisor of King Badir of Ragosa.

• The Casanova: Lampshaded by Jehane.
• Deadpan Snarker: Most pronounced in his interactions with Jehane.
• In-Universe Nickname: "Prince of the Kindath".
• The Lancer: To King Badir.
• No Celebrities Were Harmed: Inspired by [[Samuel_ibn_Naghrillah Shmuel Hanagid]], a Jewish leader, military general, scholar and poet during the Jewish Golden Age.
• Silver Fox: Explicitly described as attractive and virile despite his age.

• The Strategist: Seems to be the best among the best. However, he isn't a warrior.
• Warrior Poet: Commands wars and writes poems, though he isn't as philosophical about it as Ammar.
• Worthy Opponent: He considers the bandit Hassan ibn Tarif to be one. It's mutual.

King Badir of Ragosa

The beloved, clever king of Ragosa. Wishes to usurp Almalik as the most powerful king in Al-Rassan.

• The Hedonist: the most hedonistic king in a book filled with hedonistic monarchs.
• The Good King: though he has some vices.
• No Celebrities Were Harmed: Based on the Berber ruler of Granada, Habbus al-Muzaffar.
• Silver Fox

In Cartada

King Almalik the First, the Lion of Cartada

The most powerful king in Al Rassan. Husband of Zabira, father of Almalik the Second, Hazem and Zabira's two sons.

• The Charmer: Even the Guys Want Him. Even though he is a Jerk with a Heart of Jerk.
• Cruel Mercy: invoked on Ishak ben Yonannon.
• Decadent Court: rules one.
• Disc-One Final Boss: The early chapters of the book seem to be building him up as the principal antagonist. However, he is assassinated by Ammar and his own son, Almalik the Second, less than a third of the way through the story.
• Jerkass: To his sons, his friends and his subjects (note the Fezana Purge). It seems the only one spared is Zabira.

• The Magnificent: The Lion.

Almalik the Second

Almalik's eldest son, co-conspirator of his father's murder, and his successor on the throne. Aspires to become a greater king than his father, and increase Cartada's reign by all means necessary.

• Always Someone Better: With his father. Lampshaded by Ammar - he states that Almalik still measures himself in comparison to his father, even after said father was dead (see Patricide below).
• Ambiguously Bi: the book hints he used to sexually involved with Ammar, and he certainly seems rather infatuated with him.

• Big Bad: The closest thing the book has to one. His schemes pose the most immediate threat to the three lead characters and are what drive the plot for the most part.
• Big Bad Wannabe: What he ultimately is. His brief reign as king is marked by one mishap after another, with each of his plots either failing or blowing up in his face. His fate is sealed when the Muwardi desert tribesmen finally come in full force to Al-Rassan, unceremoniously execute him, and install his younger brother as their Puppet King.
• Character Tics: He develops a twitch in his eyebrow after the Fezana purge, and shows it whenever under stress for the rest of his life.
• The Evil Prince: While not as ruthless as his father, he stoops pretty low — supporting Ammar's assassination of his father, then betraying him, as well as the attempted assassinations of his brothers, Queen Ines and Rodrigo.
• In-Series Nickname: Ammar and Zabira refer to him as 'Malik. Could be a childhood nickname.
• Patricide: invoked on his father via Ammar.
• Prince Charmless: Especially in comparison to his father, who was notoriously charming.
• Royal Brat: It's implied by Zabira and his father that he used to be one, though Ammar doesn't seem to think so.
• The Usurper: Climbs to the throne of Cartada over his father's body. Literally.

Zabira of Cartada

King Almalik the First's third wife. Flees Cartada with Ammar to Ragosa, where she becomes Mazur's consort.

• Aloof Dark-Haired Girl: A brunette Femme Fatale.
• The Chessmaster: Sensing the threat in the air after the Fezana Purge, she sends her sons to Ragosa. After the assassination, she seduces Ammar — her husband's killer — and persuades him to escort her to Ragosa, to help her put her son on Cartada's throne. She then enlists Badir and Mazur to her cause.
• The Fashionista: lampshaded sarcastically by Jehane. She is well dressed to impractical levels.
• Femme Fatale: A talented seductress. Ammar suggested to her that she employ this tactic on Almalik the Second. Complete with a contralto. Also implied to be a case of Brains and Bondage.
• Hot Consort: To Mazur.
• Mama Bear: Will do anything to protect her sons. She also aims to make the older one king of Cartada.
• Proud Beauty: Implied. She definitely knows she's beautiful.
• Shipper on Deck: After the king's fest, she tells Mazur that Ammar seems to be bothered with emotional matters. It's left unclear if she refers to his feeling towards Jehane or towards Rodrigo.
• World's Most Beautiful Woman: Shares the reputation with Miranda Belmonte.

In Fezana

Ishak ben Yonannon

Famous Kindath doctor. Jehane's father and Eliana's husband. Almalik the First had him blinded and had his tongue removed after seeing Zabira naked while delivering her baby, in what is described in the novel as the first C-section ever in universe.

• Disability Superpower: Accomplishes an even more amazing feat of medicine after losing his eyesight (something that should have been a Career-Ending Injury): He saves Diego Belmonte's life after a skull-breaking battle injury by performing, for the first time in history, a trepanning operation.
• The Silent Bob: Though not willingly.
• Throwing Off the Disability: His muteness. Jehane's declaration that she will set out in an attempt to bring vengeance on Almalik somehow makes him try to speak, for the first time in many years.

Eliana bet Danel

Ishak's wife and Jehane's mother.

• Aloof Dark-Haired Girl: a stoic, very unapproachable brunette
• Brainy Brunette: While not academically trained like Ishak and Jehane, she's knowledgeable and clever.
• Defrosting Ice Queen: After what happened to her husband, she crossed the line from The Spock to seemingly Emotionless Girl. When he regains his some ability to speak she starts defrosting. only the attack of the Kindath of Fezana really shakes it out of her.
• Nerves of Steel: She hides fugitives in her house with same calm demeanor of someone who is throwing a dinner party.
• Stepford Snarker: Though it's hinted that's a new-ish development, caused by what was done to her husband.

Velaz ben Ishak

A servant for Ishak's family, a freed slave and converted Kindath. Leaves Fezana with Jehane after The Purge.

• Heroic Sacrifice: Dies saving Rodrigo.
• Nice Guy: A steady, loyal presence in Jehane's life.
• Non-Action Guy: According to Jehane, he has never done a violent thing in his life until killing a Muwardi soldier attempting to kill Rodrigo.
• The Quiet One: He rarely speaks. When he does, he is describes as modest and soft spoken.

In Arbastro

Tarif ibn Hassan

A notorious bandit who raids convoys in the areas around Cartada and Ragosa.

• Bandit Clan: The head of one.
• Papa Wolf: He'll risk his life to save his sons.
• Worthy Opponent: He considers Mazur ben Avren to be one. It's mutual.

Idar ibn Tarif

Tarif's son, second in command in the Bandit Clan.

• Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: Downplayed — the Responsible one to Abir's Foolish one.
• "Well Done, Son" Guy: Dreams of becoming like his father, but knows that he could never compare. Therefore, he seeks his father's approval constantly.

Abir Ibn Tarif

Tarif's younger son.

• An Arm and a Leg: Jehane has to cut off his leg to save his life.
• Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: Downplayed — the Foolish one to Idar's Responsible one. While not outright stupid, he is less mature, patient and reasonable.

In Valledo

Miranda Belmonte

• Action Girl: Very capable with a bow and arrow.
• Deadpan Snarker: She out-snarks Rodrigo, which is quite the achievement.
• Fiery Redhead: You don't want to cross that redhead.
• Guys Smash, Girls Shoot: She is the only character depicted using a bow and arrow, and seems to wield them as capably as her husband wields a sword.
• Happily Married: To Rodrigo, even though she gives him hell sometimes.
• Mama Bear: Nothing comes before her sons — not the king, not her husband and not her friends.
• World's Most Beautiful Woman: She is said to be the most beautiful woman in Valledo, if not in all of Esperania.

Fernan Belmonte

• Cynicsm Catalyst: Diego's injury.
• Like Father, Like Son: He's said to have his father's talent in dueling and horseback riding.
• Red Oni, Blue Oni: Red to Diego's Blue.
• Sibling Yin-Yang: He is short-tempered, argumentative and bold — the complete opposite of his twin.
• Twin Banter: Most of his lines before he and Diego join the military are this.
• "Well Done, Son" Guy: Dreams of becoming a capable soldier, to please his father.

Diego Belmonte

• Combat Clairvoyance: He has visions of his father's actions, especially when he is in danger or in battle. This skill later becomes an asset to Ramiro's army.
• Like Father, Like Son: He's calm and assured, like his father. He also has his smile, according to Miranda.
• Red Oni, Blue Oni: Blue to Fernan's Red.
• Twin Banter: He usually outwits Fernan in these.
• "Well Done, Son" Guy: He's not as intense about it as Fernan, but he clearly thinks the world of his father, and takes his opinion of him very seriously.

King Ramiro of Valledo

• Adipose Rex: In the Distant Epilogue he is reported to have become this, as his own father was.
• Always Someone Better: He continues to resent the way his brother Raimundo effortlessly won people over, before he was killed.
• The Charmer: Ines always tries to put him in his place, and fails miserably because of his charming ways. However, it's implied he is not as charming as Raimundo used to be.
• Happily Married: To his Queen, Ines.
• The Hedonist: To a degree that Ines thinks almost heretical... and finds very distracting.
• The Good King: Valledo flourishes under his rule, and it's clear he is the most powerful and beloved Esperanian king.
• Now Its Personal: He was already considering going to war against Cartada, but was hesitant. That is until the poisoned arrow that almost killed Ines was discovered to be of Cartadan origin.
• Prayer Is a Last Resort: Ramiro is introduced as, if not an outright atheist, extremely cynical and pragmatic about his religion — but things change when religious war seems to be brewing at the horizon. Repeated after Ines is poisoned, and hangs between life and death.
• Silver Fox: Ines seems to like it.
• The Usurper: Originally the king of smaller Jalona, he invaded Valledo after his brother's untimely death. Given the tension between the brothers, Rodrigo always assumed that Ramiro had something to do with Raimundo's death. He wasn't right. but he wasn't exactly wrong.

Queen Ines of Valledo

• Fiery Redhead: She is one stubborn redhead.
• Happily Married: To Ramiro.
• Not So Above It All: Despite having invited the High Clerics of Ferrieres to come to the Valledan court, she doesn't hesitate to put the arrogant clergymen in their place when they start acting like this gives them the right to command Ramiro's cooperation.
• Proud Beauty: Consciously self-subverted; while she admits to herself that she's proud of her own beauty, her devout faith leads her to consider this vanity and a sin, so she usually tries to play her appearance down by binding and covering her hair.
• Rebellious Princess: Subverted. She wished to become a nun, and was originally reluctant to marry Ramiro. However, she eventually complies.
• Spirited Young Woman: used to be one as a princess.
• When She Smiles: She is mostly stern, but when she lets loose, she is very beautiful.

Count Gonzalez de Rada

• Always Someone Better: With Rodrigo. He knows he would never have reached his current position of power if it weren't for the bad blood between Ramiro and Rodrigo over Raimundo's death. He is consequently very competitive with Rodrigo, to the point that their families are on the edge of blood feud, and makes sure to put Rodrigo in his place whenever he can.
• The Dandy: His description is bordering on prissy.
• Heroic Sacrifice: He dies protecting Diego and Fernan Belmonte, having vowed to give his life to do so if need be.

• Worthy Opponent: Despite the bad blood between him and Rodrigo, Rodrigo nonetheless respects his honour enough to ask only that he swear to protect Rodrigo's family during his exile, and asks the king to lift the sanction that Gonzalez be executed should he fail.

  Rodrigo: I need not like you, de Rada, to trust your word.