Councillor Bronte

Spoiler warning! This article contains plot details from the latest book.

Councillor Bronte
Aliases	Councillor Grumpypants, The-Dude-Who's-Tried-To-Have-You-Exiled-Almost-As-Many-Times-Dame-Alina-Has-Tried-To-Have-Me-Expelled, Councillor Pointy Ears
Occupation	Councillor
Foxfire Level	Graduated
Biographical Information
Gender	Male
Age	Unknown Age but he is about five thousand years old
Special Ability	Inflictor
Residence	One of the Councillors' Castles
Physical Description
Eye Color	Gray/Blue
Hair Color	Brown
Other Information
Important Information	Is one of the Ancients, Senior Councillor, currently supports Sophie Foster.

Appearance

Councillor Bronte has cropped brown hair. He also has sharp features. He has grayish-blue eyes and pointy ears because he is over 5,000 years old, and an Ancient.

Job

Bronte is one of the twelve Councillors. He also has the job of mentoring Sophie in Inflicting because he is the only Inflictor besides her. He believes that the Council needs to work and understand the general public because they are currently too detached—a view Councillor Kenric and Councillor Oralie also shared. Bronte often walks among the people in the working-class cities of the Ancients, meaning he believes everyone is equal and to work and understand the Elvin world. His crown has an Onyx Jewel centered on it.

Personality

Bronte is very grumpy. (This is later on revealed to be in part because of his ability.) It may also have to do with being an Ancient. Earlier on in the series, Bronte very much dislikes Sophie. He ignored the evidence that she existed, so when she was found to exist after Alden had searched, Bronte was furious and voted against her admission to Foxfire. However, as the series progresses, it seems like Bronte is not so anti-Sophie after all, and becomes one of her very few supporters on the Council. In Nightfall, the book, this becomes so much that Sophie thinks that someone kidnapped Councillor Bronte and replaced him with someone else because of this. Also, he said that he wanted to meet Amy Foster and he said that he was an old man longing for the past. He is also very kind and patient when he meets Amy. His mind is described as icy in comparison to Fitz's, as it feels like an icy gust. This reflects his personality.

Sophie also tried to inflict positive emotions on Bronte, and Bronte actually needed dark emotions to stop having positive emotions. The positive inflicting nearly gave Bronte- in Sophie's words- a "weird mental shutdown". This is weird.

He advises Fallon in Flashback to keep himself fully in the present to help with the struggle Ancients have of separating the past from the present. Bronte struggles with this as well.

In Book 8: Legacy, Bronte becomes one of Sophie's Councillor contacts for Team Valiant, along with Councillor Oralie. It is revealed that he is not Sophie's biological father, despite them both being Inflictors. When they were alone, Bronte said that he would be proud if they were related.

Like Grady, Bronte had problems controlling his ability after he manifested, and his temper flared up when anyone angered him in the slightest bit and he would inflict on them. However, he learned to control his Inflicting better.

Involvement

Book 1: Keeper of the Lost Cities

Bronte is initially portrayed as a speculative character and is shown to be very critical of Sophie. When Sophie was first trying for a seat in Foxfire via an unconventional Foxfire Entrance Exam, Bronte was one of her judges, along with Councillor Oralie and the now deceased Councillor Kenric. When she used her telekinesis to lift cups, and Bronte scoffed, saying "That's it?" Therefore, Sophie lifted the Councillors' chairs, and Bronte fell out of his. He voted against her attending Foxfire but was overuled.

Book 2: Exile

When Sophie had to take care of Silveny, the Councillors came to check on her progress and Bronte said, "...this is who we trust..." because Sophie was covered in Alicorn poop. At the end of the book after Sophie came back from the Black Swan's High Seas Facility to get her abilities healed, Bronte suggests that Sophie should be exiled. But Sophie says she could make a spectacle and Bronte says, "And why do we need your spectacle... We're perfectly capable of making one on our own."

Book 3: Everblaze

Sophie had to inflict positive emotions on Bronte, but he had some sort of mental shutdown and Sophie helped him by inflicting negative emotions. Bronte was there when Fintan called Everblaze, and he was not the Councillor that teleported with Sophie. He was also there when they put the ability restrictor on Sophie.

Book 4: Neverseen

Bronte wasn't mentioned very often in Neverseen, he was there when Sophie and the Black Swan attempted to break Prentice out of Exile.

Book 5: Lodestar

Bronte was there when they came back riding Greyfell and Silveny.

Book 6: Nightfall

Councillor Bronte became one of her supporters. After saving Atlantis, the Council offered Linh and Tam seats in the prestigious Foxfire Academy.

Book 7: Flashback

Bronte was at Alvar's tribunal and reminded Fallon Vacker to stay in the present.

Book 8: Legacy

Bronte was there when the council showed Team Valiant the Point of Purity. He and Councillor Oralie were revealed to be Sophie's Councillor contacts for the team of Regents. Sophie thought Bronte was her biological father, but this theory was later debunked. However, Bronte told her he would have been proud if they were related, showing his growth of character and change in attitude towards Sophie through the series.

Quotes

“It's a couple of glasses. I thought she was supposed to be able to lift ten times her body weight.”

—Councillor Bronte, in Book 1: Keeper of the Lost Cities, page(s) 63, Google Books

Trivia

• Bronte was a newly appointed Emissary when Serenvale was being overthrown and Fallon Vacker was a Councillor.