Rook Barkwater - History

History

Rook is the great-grandson of Cloud Wolf, grandson of Arborinus Verginix (Twig) and the great nephew of Tem Barkwater. He has a special connection with banderbears, and in The Last of the Sky Pirates befriends a female banderbear named Wumeru, which is translated "She with chipped tusk walks alone in the moonlight." When abandoned in the Deepwoods, when his parents were unfortunately killed by slavers, Rook is protected by a banderbear until Varis Lodd discovers him on a treatise voyage. He later befriends Varis' younger brother, Felix. Felix eventually runs off to join the rebels called The Ghosts of Screetown, and saves Rook when he crash-lands in Screetown. Felix and the other "Ghosts" help to guide the librarians (with the Sky Pirates). Rook appears in The Last of the Sky Pirates, Vox, and Freeglader. In The Last of the Sky Pirates he is a brave, orphaned, young under-librarian in the sewers of Old Undertown, when he is selected to make the perilous journey to the Free Glades to become a Librarian Knight. He is helpful, kind and thoughtful, and even when he loses his skycraft he doesn't give up, he becomes a Freeglade Lancer. He also appears in 'The Blooding of Rufus Filatine' and reveals to Xanth's son, Rufus, that he is old friends with his father, he has become an adult and is the commander of the Freeglade Lancers. Magda Burlix appears to be his love interest, although she has feelings for his best friend, Xanth Filatine as well, although this may be because he saved her life. It is later revealed in The Immortals that Rook had married her.

Rook Barkwater, who is featured in The Last of the Sky Pirates as a disobedient thirteen-year-old boy, has black hair and 'startlingly blue eyes'. By Freeglader he has matured and leads the exodus from Undertown. He also appears in The Lost Barkscrolls as the commander of the third roost, a post of great importance, and leads the entire Freeglader force into battle.

In 'The Immortals' we learn what happened to Rook after Freeglader: He married Magda and they had five children, and also became Commander of the Freeglade Lancers. When he got old Magda died, and Xanth died a year later. He agreed to lead his old waif friend, Cancaresse, to Riverrise on his own, but when they arrived in Riverrise, Cancaresse died of old age. He found his grandfather, Twig, in Riverrise, being kept alive by the healing water. Twig is trapped in Riverrise by Golderyce One-Eye, who lives on the magic water as well. Years later Nate Quarter, Rook's grandson, arrives and kills Golderyce, and Rook and Twig happily die. Rook's spirit along with Twig's and Quint's arrive and destroy the Gloamglozer before returning to open sky to be reborn.