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Simon Torquill is the twin brother of Sylvester and father of August. As he was married to Amandine while she played faerie bride, he is also the legal father of October Daye.


Biography[]

Simon Torquill is Sylvester Torquill's twin brother and an unlanded Baron in the Kingdom of the Mists. His abilities include Daoine Sidhe illusions as well as powerful transformation magic when given power from Evening. While corrupted by Evening's influence, Simon is arrogant, cruel, and slimy, though also quite intelligent. His true personality is loving and caring, even feeling kinship with October even though she is only his daughter by law.

Simon and Sylvester were born changelings; however, they became purebloods through a hope chest. They only discovered this when Amandine revealed it to them by mistake. He recalls his parents visiting the deeper realms of faerie; Simon and his siblings were too young to make the journey before Oberon closed the gates.[5]

He grew up in Europe with his siblings, Sylvester and September, and their foster-sister Amandine. Amandine discovered her abilities through Simon, who learned of the watermarks of his blood balance being changed. The children were adventurous and close to one another, and he helped Amandine blend in among the Daoine Sidhe.[5]

At some point before the 1840s, Simon emigrated from Londinium to the Kingdom in the Mists and married Amandine.[6]

During the War of Silences Simon acted as a diplomat, attempting to smooth over conflicts through negotiation. If he failed Sylvester would come in ready for battle.[7]

When Evening interfered with Patrick's courting of Dianda, Simon offered himself up to Evening in order to get her to leave Patrick and Dianda alone.[8]

Simon and Amandine had a child, August, in 1824. Simon knew Amandine to be Firstborn and knew that Amandine shifted August's magic to be pureblooded Dochas Sidhe. Simon believes it was Sylvester's heroic influence that encouraged August to quest for the missing creators of Faerie, causing August to disappear for nearly a century, an act that started the rift between the twins.

Simon sought the help of Evening Winterrose, who placed him under a geas that prevented him from sharing her identity and also caused his magic and personality to become corrupted. He agreed to do unspeakable favors in her service if she gave him the power needed to find his daughter. Evening, in turn, instructed him to act against Toby in order to prevent the Dóchas Sidhe prophecy from coming true, as she couldn't act against any of Oberon's descendants directly due to the geas her own father had lain on her.[5] However Simon, out of love for Amandine and Toby - whom he grew to regard as his daughter - transformed Toby into an enchanted koi to save her life.

In the Series[]

Lorden Shorts - Historical[]

Simon encourages Patrick to get out more, and takes him to several balls held in honor of the merrow princess Dianda Lorden. He puts himself in the service of Evening Winterrose in order to prevent her meddling with Patrick and Dianda's happiness, and mourns when he believes Patrick dead.

Rosemary and Rue[]

As vengeance upon Sylvester, and also to chip away at Toby's allies, Simon kidnaps Luna and Rayseline Torquill. Under the influence of his lover Oleander de Merelands (and secretly to save her from being killed through Evening's schemes[9]), Simon transforms October Daye into a fish for fourteen years, not realizing how significant the time would be to the life she had built in the mortal world as he was a pureblood.

The Winter Long[]

October, thinking Simon is Sylvester, invites him in to her home. He honestly thinks she recognizes him and is offended when, after smelling his magical signature, she becomes hostile. Simon tries to explain to her that he tried to save her by turning her into a fish, but they are interrupted when Jazz tries to attack him and he attempts his go-to transformation magic on her and escapes. He reappears in the Library of the Stars studying geasa and bindings in an attempt to free himself from Evening's geas. He later turns up on Toby's doorstep when she returns to her house. They talk briefly and Simon gives Toby a bouquet of blue ice roses ringed with rosebay in an attempt to warn her that Evening is still alive and influencing him - unaware that rosebay also was alluding to Oleander de Merelands. He apologizes for hurting Toby by turning her into a fish and then leaves.

When Toby checks in at Shadowed Hills, Simon answers the phone and hints through the phone that he is in danger; from his clues Toby realizes that Evening controls the knowe, allowing her to create a plan of counter-attack. Later, Simon visits Toby at home and allows her to ride his blood in order to learn the truth of his past. His blood includes a trick, however; he leaves Toby unconscious in her own living room and escapes.

When Toby and her allies try to retake Shadowed Hills, Evening's orders force Simon to attack them. He flees as soon as possible, but not before harming Tybalt. Then, when the Luidaeg pulls Evening onto the Thorn Roads, Simon attempts to shoot her with elf-shot but is hit with his own arrow instead. His last words remind Toby that he really wanted to be a part of her life. Toby uses the same arrow to poison Evening, then brings Simon's body back to Shadowed Hills to wait out his century of sleep.

Simon's actions have a profound effect on Toby. While she is still angry at him, she accepts that he transformed her in order to save her life and she acknowledges him as her stepfather publicly during the elf-shot conclave.

The Brightest Fell[]

When Amandine finally snaps and coerces Toby to finding August, Toby convinces Sylvester to wake Simon from his elf-shot slumber. Sylvester is reluctant, wishing Simon to suffer for the pain he caused Sylvester's family. He places a geas on Simon that prevents him from harming Toby in any way, although Toby does not allow him to include in the geas a compulsion for Simon to help her; she believes Simon will be a better help if he does so willingly.

They begin by visiting Amandine's tower, and Simon's wife is utterly dismissive of him. Simon helps Toby pick up August's scent in a bedroom Toby hadn't known existed, trying to ignore Amandine's casual insults. They follow the trail through the Summerlands while Simon tells them more about the August he raised.

While they are in pixie territory, Toby triggers a trap that knocks them all out. When they awaken, Simon is revealed to have a bond with a pixie colony; he and Patrick Lorden helped the colony immigrate to the Summerlands some time ago. He has garnered such loyalty among the pixies that, when the elf-shot cure reacts poorly with the pixie's magic, Poppy willingly gives up her magic in order to make it easier to transport Simon to the Luidaeg for help. Poppy then gives up her pixie magic permanently in order to awaken Simon properly, becoming Aes Sidhe in the process.

Toby bargains with the Luidaeg for a Babylon candle, and the Luidaeg uses Simon's blood to make it, taking much less care than she had for Toby's original candle.[10] They all agree to the price that, should they not find and return August within fourteen days, they will serve the Luidaeg for a full year.

The quest leads them to Annwn where Simon demonstrates an odd "friendship" with Duchess Riordan. He protects Toby against Riordan even though he could have used a loophole in the geas to betray her. He warns Toby to be suspicious of Riordan's hospitality and helps her give Riordan the slip.

When they find August at Borderlands, Simon stops August from fully removing the fae from Toby's blood. Alan the bookstore owner comes to see what all the noise is and Simon throws a don't-look-here over all three of them, so suddenly that the geas reads it as an attack against Toby and retaliates against him. August doesn't trust Toby's and escapes while Toby is trying to save Simon. Toby makes a marshwater charm with Madden's help to release Simon from the geas. Simon is distraught after he realises what the Luidaeg took from August - her way home and her ability to recognise him or Amandine. After restraining her and bringing her to the Luidaeg, Simon assumes August's debts and declares his confidence that Toby can save him. Even though the damage Evening did to him has been almost reverted, the Luidaeg takes his way home and he becomes his worst self. This time, he is completely remorseless now that he can't recognise his own daughter. He escapes.

The Unkindest Tide[]

Toby is tasked by the Luidaeg with bringing Simon home.

A Killing Frost[]

Thanks to a message from Karen Brown, and Patrick Lorden pointing out that a corrupted Simon could take offence from October not inviting him to her wedding, both October and Tybalt realise that he could use it as an excuse to awaken Evening from her elf-shot. October sets off to find Simon, taking a Rose Road to where Evening had been slumbering. Upon finding Simon, Toby realises that when he lost his way home (and possibly even before that), he was convinced that Patrick had died in the 1905 earthquake. As a result of finding out that Patrick was alive, he shoots May with an elf-shot that was mixed with Evening's blood, increasing its potency, then takes Quentin hostage, resolving to find a Selkie to use their skin to go to the Undersea via Goldengreen, once again unaware that a majority of the Selkies were shifted into the Roane.

Simon however goes berserk upon entering Goldengreen, turning most of the subjects into enchanted trees similarly to how he transformed October into a fish. In the ensuing chaos, he shoots October with elf-shot before the Luidaeg manages to restrain him. Once October awakens, she trades her way home for Simon's, now aware of where Oberon has been - masquerading as Officer Thornton. When they realise this, both October and Simon's ways home are restored, and Simon shares a reunion with Patrick, the latter whom convinces Simon to finally divorce Amandine and convinces him to marry Patrick and Dianda.

Simon spends a week in Saltmist recuperating from his experience. During the divorce proceedings, Toby chooses Simon as her legal parent, however Simon begs August to stay with Amandine both to learn how to be Dochas Sidhe and to ensure Amandine doesn't cause trouble for either of them. Because of Amandine's negligence, August chooses Simon as the parent she inherits from. The Luidaeg marries Simon to Patrick and Dianda after Amandine leaves.

When Sorrows Come[]

Simon and Patrick arrive in the High Court with the third wave of attendees, after Toby has seemingly solved the repeated assassination attempts on King Aethlin. During the wedding, Simon walks Toby down the aisle and fights valiantly when the wedding is ambushed by the assassin's supporters.

And With Reveling[]

During Toby's wedding reception, Simon shares that he and August have taken the Lorden surname to match their newfound family. Toby insists that she considers him her father alongside her biological dad, and Simon is so overcome with emotion that he is unable to give the newlyweds his assigned blessing; Patrick offers it on his behalf. Patrick then hurries Simon away as a means of avoiding an encounter with Sylvester.

Be the Serpent[]

Simon attends Rayseline's trial, which Luna had deliberately set up on the anniversary of their disappearance to emotionally hurt him. It is here Luna forces him to admit his role, despite him saying that he made decisions that would keep Luna and Raysel alive instead of killing them outright. Toby comforts him by reminding him that he made choices that left zero casualties.

After the trial and Toby claims offense against Raysel as promised, Simon admits that he'll avoid Toby's home to ensure Raysel's transition into waking up is easier, to which Toby remarks they'll go into the city for burritos.

When Jessica is murdered, Simon assists Toby as much as he can. He valiantly defends Muir Woods when Titania stages an assault against the remaining members of the Brown family, and is fatally wounded. Toby saves him by feeding him her blood, and he accidentally discovers Toby's pregnancy while healing.

Simon and Sylvester speak properly after the ordeal, and Sylvester admits that he's willing to forgive Simon if given enough time.

Lorden Shorts - Present Time[]

These shorts begin at the end of A Killing Frost and continue from there.

August and Simon both adjust to life in the Undersea. At the same time, Simon finally has space to breathe and deal with his own trauma, including but not limited to attending therapy sessions with the changeling Dr. Isobel Voss.

Relationships[]

Amandine[]

Simon's ex-wife. While together, Simon loved Amandine to distraction and delighted in raising their daughter August but recognized that Amandine did not view him as an equal. Amandine suffered frequent mood swings and bouts of depression that led to her locking her husband and daughter out of their home. During these bouts, Simon took August and stayed at Shadowed Hills. August's disappearance led Amandine to turn on Simon, blaming him for failing to bring August home.[9] They divorced in 2014.[11]

August Torquill[]

Simon's daughter. He is willing to do almost anything for her, sacrificing his morals and his very soul in order to gain power to bring her home. He is heartbroken when he finally finds her and she does not recognize him; he is also rueful that her perception of him, when she threatens her "captors" with her father's wrath, is all the worst traits that Oleander and Evening brought out in him. Still, even while they are separated they adore and love one another, and Simon undoes all the progress he's made in restoring his morality in order to take on her debts and allow her to go home to Amandine.[9] They finally reunite after Oberon is found and August chooses Simon as her parent over her mother.[11]

October Daye[]

Simon's relationship with October was hostile at the start. Although Toby hadn't been aware of it at the time, Simon had transformed her into a fish to save her from Evening's attempt to kill her, aware that Amandine would be furious at him for killing her changeling daughter. However, he is revealed to have cared for her of his own accord, even stating that she should've been his to raise alongside August before he succumbed to elf-shot.[12][9] Even though Toby had difficulties forgiving him for taking away the chance to raise Gillian from her, she acknowledges that he was the only one out of the Torquill brothers who had outright refused to lie to her (Sylvester lied to her regarding her parentage, and Luna had lied about her being a daughter of two Firstborn and sent her on a suicide mission to kill Blind Michael), and although she was thinking of her human father, Toby chooses Simon as her legal parent during the divorce proceedings. Toby also remarked to Tybalt that if Simon was one of the few family members she would invite to the wedding, he'd have to start acting like one.[11]

Evening Winterrose[]

Simon seeks Evening as a source of power while searching for August. Evening employs him to do heinous tasks and partners him with Oleander on Oleander's wishes. In exchange, she claims she can give him the power to find his daughter, but it is an empty promise. Simon is under a geas that prevents him from revealing Evening's identity as his employer.[9] While still under her geas, Simon is free of her influence as Toby restored his way home and Patrick and Dianda are keeping him away from her as much as they can.

Oleander de Merelands[]

Oleander showed interest in Simon as a lover and plaything, so Evening "gifted" him to her against Simon's will. Simon was forced to work with Oleander on numerous assignments, likely being involved in her assassination jobs.[9] Oleander would have killed Toby outright, but Simon defies her by transforming Toby into a fish. Simon tells Toby that he is sad to hear of Oleander's death not because he was fond of her but because he'd intended to kill her himself.[12]

Patrick Lorden[]

Patrick is Simon's lover and husband. They have been friends for centuries. In their early years, Simon tends to be the more outgoing of the two and coaxes Patrick to leave his workshop for social engagements.[6] When the pair finds out Dianda is engaged to another man, Simon attempts to give Patrick a push to mend his relationship with Dianda by setting him up with Treasa Riordan and by telling Dianda where to find Patrick.[13][14] Simon continues to support Patrick by advocating for his and Dianda's relationship to the Countess Evening Winterrose after finding out that she has interfered, sacrificing his freedom in a bargain for Patrick's happiness.[15]

Sixty years later, Patrick disappears into the ocean and Simon assumes him dead.[16] He does not learn of Patrick's survival until 2014 when October Daye mentions it in passing. Once he confirms she is telling the truth, he agrees to ally with her again.[17] He eventually reunites with the Lordens, who recognize his longstanding love for Patrick and ask Simon to join them in marriage. He agrees and does so after divorcing Amandine.[18]

Dianda Lorden[]

Dianda is Simon's wife along with Patrick. Simon originally encourages Dianda and Patrick's courtship,[13] and Dianda recognizes early on that Simon and Patrick are a package deal. She welcomes Simon into her marriage with Patrick.[19]

Poppy[]

Poppy the pixie hero-worships both Simon and Patrick. Although the pixies are originally Patrick's project, Simon takes over their care after Patrick disappears. He helps the colony move to the Summerlands when the human world becomes too dangerous for them. Simon and Poppy are delighted to be reunited while he and Toby are questing to find August Torquill. As a result, Poppy willingly gives up her powers in order to wake him when he is poisoned.[9]

Luna Torquill[]

Luna is Simon's sister-in-law. Simon and Luna used to have a good relationship, and she gave him permission to pick roses from her gardens. Now, Luna is antagonistic toward Simon after her and Rayseline's long captivity. She is furious that Sylvester and Toby woke Simon up and even more so that he was allowed to escape.[9] Despite Simon admitting that he did what he could to spare Luna and Raysel their lives as opposed to killing them, Luna revels in him reliving the guilt he carries in their suffering.

Sylvester Torquill[]

Sylvester is Simon's twin brother. They were close as children, exploring and playing with their sister September Torquill and foster-sister Amandine. Their relationship became uneasy in their adulthood, with Simon blaming Sylvester for inspiring August into becoming a hero and disappearing,[9] and also for forcing Simon to claim their fae mother Glynis as their biological mother, even though Celaeno was their biological mother.[citation needed] Sylvester used to send Simon out to act as diplomat for Shadowed Hills, but they lost all civility after Simon's role in Luna and Rayseline's long captivity.[20]

When Simon is elf-shot, Sylvester keeps him in an abandoned part of Shadowed Hills that Simon had originally helped him build. Sylvester objects to waking Simon for Toby's quest, and places a geas on Simon to prevent Toby from being harmed. Sylvester is furious when Simon escapes Toby's supervision.[9]

Although both Simon and Sylvester attend Toby's wedding, Simon judiciously avoids his brother in order to avoid conflict.[21]

After discovering that Simon ensured that his attack on Luna and Raysel was to spare their lives against Evening's orders, Sylvester admits he's willing to forgive Simon, albeit given a little more time.

Tybalt[]

Tybalt and Simon have known each other since they were youths in Londinium. Although Tybalt primarily hung around Simon's sister September, the two were still in a friendly relationship. According to their mutual friend Morane, Simon once tripped and accidentally stabbed Tybalt with his gathering knife. Instead of being upset, Tybalt simply looked at the clumsy boy in deep disappointment. Simon spent a summer trying to apologize him, while Tybalt thinks "a little light stabbing between friends" is nothing to worry about.[22]

When they meet in the Library of the Stars, Simon jovially brings up their past together and refers to Tybalt as 'Rand', his former name. Although Toby interprets this as Simon trying to cause strife between them by bringing up September, later events make it unlikely that this was his intention.[23]

After restoring Simon's memories and home, Toby asks him if he has any objections to Toby and Tybalt getting married. Simon states that there is nothing to object to, since it is clear how much the two of them love each other. He also mentions that he considers Tybalt a better man than himself.[24]

Trivia[]

  • Simon was originally slated to die somewhere around The Brightest Fell, in 19-year-old Seanan's original outlines.[25]

References[]

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