Dain Aetos

Art by Lindseytoons

## Biography

### Aliases

Squad Leader of Second Squad, Flame Section, Second Wing (originally)Squad Leader of Second Squad, Flame Section, Fourth Wing (formerly)Wingleader of Fourth Wing

### Age

* 21 (Fourth Wing)
* 22 (Iron Flame)

### Location

* Basgiath War College (formerly)
* Riorson House (currently)

## Relationships

### Family

* Colonel Aetos (father)
* Unnamed Mother

### Romantic Interest(s)

* Violet Sorrengail (childhood friend)
* Amber Mavis (implied relationship in his first year)

## Series Information

### Appears in

* *Fourth Wing*
* *Iron Flame*

**Dain Aetos** is the rider of the dragon Cath. Formerly, he was a member of the Riders Quadrant at Basgiath War College and in his third year he even became wingleader of the Fourth Wing. He later sides with the Revolution, after stabbing Burton Varrish to free Violet Sorrengail and seeing in her memories what the real threat for Navarre is and that everybody is lying. He is Violet Sorrengail's childhood friend, and crush prior to the events of Fourth Wing. Today there friendship is complex, due to the things that happened since Violet joined the Quadrant.

## Biography

### Early Life

Dain and Violet Sorrengail grew up together and often travelled together because Dain's father, Colonel Aetos, is Violets' mother's General Sorrengail's aid. Dain and Violet have been best friends since the age of 5. Their various childhood adventures are referenced, when Violet is brought to Nolon for mending, and how they would play hide and seek in the woods, to which Violet credits her stealthy footsteps in the woods during the Threshing.

### Fourth Wing

Prior to the events of Fourth Wing Dain made a name for himself during his first year at Basgiath, leading to his position as a squad leader for flame section in second squad in, second wing.

Mira Sorrrengail tells her younger sister to seek out Dain after crossing the parapet, under the belief that he'll help protect her. He had made a name for himself during his first year at Basgiath, earning him a position as squad leader for second squad in flame section in second wing. He uses this position, and a favor from Amber Mavis, to place Violet in his squad in attempt to smuggle her out of the quadrant and into the Scribe Quadrant. However this plan fails when Xaden intervenes and trades his flame section with Second Wing during formation, placing both Dain and Violet under his chain of command.

Dain continues to attempt to convince Violet to leave the quadrant, though his own morals prevent him from intervening on her behalf. He attempts to treat her like every other cadet, believing that their friendship will jeopordize her reputation and possibly her life. Because of this, and the a secret Violet harbors from him, the two begin to drift apart. However the two continue to try and navigate the new conditions of their friendship by spending time together before their respective duties.

When Violet is attacked by unbonded cadets in her room, Dain refuses to believe that Amber, his friend, and likely former love interest, was at fault, and openly accuses Violet of lying. From then on, their friendship essentially desolves, with both angry at one another. This culminates to a boiling point at the end of Fourth Wing, when Dain signet without Violets knowledge, discovering Xaden's secret and relaying the information to his father. Colonel Aetos uses this information to send Xadens War Game Squad, unknowingly, into combat against a Venin attack that leads to Liam and Soliel's deaths.

### Iron Flame

Dain first appears in Iron Flame after the survivors of Xaden's War Games Squad return on graduation. The group tell an alternative story to the truth that happened at Resson, to avoid revealing the truth about Aretia. This angers Dain's father. When Violet is told to join her squad for the rest of formation Dain breaks formation to speak with her. Violet, however, felt betrayed by the nonconsenual use of his signet during Fourth Wing which directly led to the death of her close friend Liam Mairi. Because of this, Violet makes a spectacle telling him to never touch her again otherwise she'd cut his hands off. Xaden escalates the public falling out by making it seem romantic in nature in an effort to keep people from connecting the disolution of their friendship with the attack at Resson.  Shocked by the outburst, Dain is embarrassed and upset. He talks back to Xaden, who reinforces Violet's rejection, and then leans in and secretly mentions the empty post at Athebyne. Dain seems to still be caught off guard, and he has no response but to fall back into formation.

Dain is named Wingleader for the following year. He and Violet are stationed together for the Parapet crossing for new candidates. He tries to talk to her, and is heartbroken when she ignores him. However, she does connect with him when they both recognize Aaric as a candidate. Dain asks Aaric if his father knows what's going on, and when Aaric says his father doesn't know, Dain is exasperated, thinking that the king will retaliate. Dain also recognizes Sloane Mairi, "as if he's seen a specter." He starts to warn Violet not to help her, but relents, and Violet gives Sloane advice to get across. During the cadets' assignment to their squads, Dain requests Sloane be moved to Fourth Wing, as a peace offering for Violet, and to reproach from Varrish. However while Violet is relieved to have Sloane in her squad, she is not forgiving of Dain.

TBA

## Physical Description

Dain is tall, having grown even more since the summer prior to the events of Fourth Wing. According to Violet he's become broader and more muscular, with strong calloused hands, and sports a new trimmed beard that cuts across his jaw and brackets his full lips. When he turns his head there's a scar that peaks out from his beard along his chin. With tan skin, striking soft sandy-brown eyes that are hard set, and close-cropped light-brown curls, Violet notes that Dain went from cute to gorgeous. When he laughs every part of his body joins in.  As a Squad Leader Dain often has a stern facial expression, though Violet notes that prior to becoming a rider he was funny and always grinning.

In his first appearance in Fourth Wing, Dain wears a pristine black uniform. There are sheaths for daggers on the inside of his leathers too, but unlike Violet who does not have enough daggers yet, Dain has daggers for each slot. Later he's seen wearing a short-sleeved black tunic.

His relic is a red dragon on his shoulder otherwise usually covered by short sleeves.  According to Violet he smells like leather and soap.

## Personality

As a child, Dain was less rule-abiding than he is at Basgiath. Since becoming a rider, he has become incredibly familiar with and interested in the Codex. According to Violet, he cares about every rule. Although Dain is caring and often extremely overprotective of Violet, he can let the codex get in the way of doing what's right.

Dain has an authoritative personality, highlighted by his strict leadership dynamic. He's polite and respectful when it comes to affording Violet privacy to wrap her joints. He's adaptive as a result of his training in the Quadrant and uses it to come up with alternative ideas and plans, especially in the case of trying to get Violet to join the Scribes.

## Power and Abilities

### Powers

#### Lesser Magic

* Every rider is capable of using Lesser magic once their dragon begins channeling through them after Threshing. With this channeling, riders are able to; open doors without touching them, preternatural speed, manipulating mage lights, and powering ink pens. Lesser magic also allows riders to place runes.

#### Signet

* **Retrocognition**
	+ The ability to read someone's memories using touch, due to the fact that it's limited to touch he's not considered a security risk, unlike inntinnsics. Due to the classified nature of his signet Dain expects the military to use him for intelligence. Though only a few leadership know about his ability, Dain confides in Violet when she asks about it. Vice Commandant Varrish mentors Dain to help him develop his ability. According to Dain he can channel a pretty significant about of magic through his dragon Cath, though at the beginning of Fourth Wing he admits he's not adept at it yet.

### Abilities

#### Linguist

* according to Violet, Dain has always had a gift for languages
* knows signing, Tyrrish, and others
* can do bird-calls, has used specific ones to communicate with Violet while their parents were stationed on the Krovlan border.

## Relationships

### Violet Sorrengail

Violet and Dain have known each other for roughly 15 years at the start of Fourth Wing. According to Violet, aside from Mira, Dain is the one person who knows Violet the best on the entire continent. The two met during childhood around the time that Violet was 5, and Dain 6, when his father Colonel Aetos became her mother General Lilith Sorrengail's aide. The two often traveled to the same outposts due to the nature of their parent's careers. No matter where they were stationed they always managed to find places to swim and climb trees, and once their parents moved to Basgiath War College they frequently went swimming in the Iakobos River. According to Violet, Dain would always bring Violet to see the healers when she inevitably hurt herself.  She teases him that after spending so much time together he's seen her in all types of clothing including swimwear, tunics, ballgowns but wonders if it's riding leathers that turns him on. Dain tries to scoff but blushes at the insinuation, and later, when Violet jokes about what she can do with her tongue Dain's gaze heats with the insinuation implying that her unrequited feelings may not be so one-sided.

Leading up to the events of Fourth Wing, Violet hadn't seen Dain in the year since he joined the Riders Quadrant. She thinks about how she's missed him and their friendship, as well as all the moments she thought it might turn into something more under the right circumstances. Growing up he looked at her like she was someone worth noticing. Once they see each other again, Dain remarks that she's still a smart-ass as he takes her back to his dorm room to afford her some privacy while she wraps her knee as a result of Parapet. While in the room, Violet notes that Dain still has a tome on the Krovlan Language she gave him prior to his Conscription Day-- something he had to have carried across the parapet in his rucksack, as Riders are only allowed to keep what they can carry.  As she wraps her knee, the two of them admit to missing one another in the year that they've been apart.

His composure falters during Violet's sparring assessment against Imogen and he carries her to the healers, which Violet sees as him revealing their friendship to all. He says he doesn't regret carrying her off because she means something to him. However, once with the healers, he asks for her to *not* be mended so the injury will seem severe enough to get her admitted into the scribe quadrant. Violet does not like this ideal and tells him she will not go to the scribe quadrant. They argue about it, with Dain insisting she needs to leave, and Violet refusing. Dain askes Violet to switch quadrants if he cannot protect her. He says he should have stopped Imogen from injuring Violet so severely. Violet knows he is feeling guilty and shouldering the blame for her injury "like he always does."

During the first few weeks of term Dain escorts Violet to her morning duty everyday, though he swears he does it because it's the only time he gets to see her when he's not considered her squad leader.  It's during this time that he asks her about her sex life and if she's been with anyone since entering the quadrant, alluding to the fact by his reaction that he has feelings for her.  Despite the classified status of his signet, he excitedly tells Violet what it is.

After Threshing, Dain kissed Violet for the first time and later on, he told her that they could not pursue a relationship because it was frowned upon for a first-year to sleep with older riders, but that they can still be best friends. Before Amber's execution, Dain attempts, and fails, to violate Violet's privacy by reading her memories without asking. After Amber's execution, Dain alternates being cold and then warm to Violet.

Over the course of *Fourth Wing*, he becomes more and more over-protective about Violet, and refuses to believe that she is just as (if not more) capable as everyone else, and continually tries to convince her to switch to the Scribe Quadrant. There are a few moments where is lack of confidence in her, causes her trust in him and their friendship to waiver. This results in his friendship with Violet falling apart because he is so overprotective that he is unable to see or accept who she really is, and continues to see her as broken and fragile, in need of help and protection even though she is able to hold her own.

### Aaric Graycastle

Dain, Aaric (Cam), and Violet grew up together due to the nature of their parents work. They were often stuffed into rooms together while their parents were in meetings together.

### Amber Mavis

As a first-year, Dain said he was close friends with the then second-year, Amber Mavis, however it is heavily implied that their relationship was more than a friendship. When it is found out that Amber led the group of unbonded cadets into Violet's room to try and kill her, Dain refuses to believe that and continually pressures Violet to renounce her statement.

### Xaden Riorson

Xaden quickly catches on that Dain and Violet are close, and announces it to all. Dain fears the call out is a lead-up to Xaden killing Violet, and he tells her to run. She does.

Dain hates Xaden due to his relationship to Violet. At first the hatred is because Dain, like everyone else, thinks Xaden is going to kill Violet in retribution for her mother's involvement in the execution of the rebels. Later, his hatred is due to his jealousy that Violet chose Xaden over him, and he still finds Xaden untrustworthy. However, after Dain makes the first move to kill Varrish, Xaden allows him to live, later telling Violet that he could see (using his signet power) that Dain's intentions changed and Dain had a "true epiphany."

### Colonel Aetos

Col. Aetos is Dain's father. Their relationship seems unremarkable in Fourth Wing. In Iron Flame, Dain realizes what his father did with the War Games was not right, but doesn't understand the full extent of it. After Violet shows him the memory of Resson, he realizes his father's lies and kills Varrish. This marks his turn to the revolution, which is clearly in opposition to his father.

### Burton Varrish

The new vice commandant in Iron Flame seems to be a mentor to Dain, though his methods more resemble torture. He uses Dain to interrogate people in the name of training Dain's signet power. Dain ultimately sees Varrish for what he is, and kills him.

## Quotes

"[The Riders Quadrant] cuts away the bullshit and the niceties, revealing whoever you are at your core." -to Violet.

"If you want to wear rider black, then you earn it! You earn it every single day!" - In his first speech to new cadets as Wingleader

## Trivia

* He's used a specific signal with Violet since they were kids living near the Krovlan border while their parents were stationed with the Southern Wing.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Iron Flame, Ch 4
2. ↑ Iron Flame, Ch 6
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Iron Flame, Ch 8
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Fourth Wing, Chapter 8
5. ↑ Fourth Wing, Chapter 11
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 Fourth Wing, Chapter 3
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 7.7 7.8 Fourth Wing, Chapter 4
8. ↑ Fourth Wing, Chapter 4
9. ↑ Fourth Wing, Chap 1
10. ↑ Fourth Wing, Ch 6
11. ↑ Iron Flame, Ch 56