Rashard

*He had lost the pride, but even at that moment those loyal to him flew to gather the lost Vanir. His mother lived. His father’s spirit was at rest. Shard knew who he was, if not which way to go. As the songs promised, by seeing Sverin and Aesir clearly, he had come to know his own heart.*
— The narrator in Song of the Summer King, page

## Rashard

* Official Art
* Ref

## Biography

### Age

16 (*By the Silver Wind*)26 (*Rise of the Dragon Star*)

## Information

### Titles

The Summer/Star King, the Stormwing, the Star-sent, son-of-Baldr, son-of-the-Nightwing, Shard of Sun, nest son-of-Caj

## Appearances

### Alive

*Song of the Summer King • Skyfire • A Shard of Sun • By the Silver Wind • The Starward Light • Beneath the Windward Sun • The Salmon Run*

## Education

### Mentor(s)

Caj, Stigr

**Rashard**, commonly known as **Shard**, is the main protagonist of The Summer King Chronicles arc. He's currently the king of the Silver Isles pride, and is also known as **The Stormwing**, **The Summer King** or **Star King**, **Shard of Sun**, and **The Star-sent**.

Son of Ragna and Baldr, he is the Summer King, destined to end the war and hatred between the Vanir and Aesir prides.

## Information

### Description

Rashard is a gray gryfon  with moss green eyes. He is described to have Ragna's eyes and is built more like her[*page # needed*].

## Biography

After Sverin became king, his mate Elena died trying to catch fish. Shard was then put into Kjorn's nest, and they later took the Wingbrother Pledge.

### In ***The Summer King Chronicles Arc***

After the hunt, Rashard is accepted into the pride, but is curious about the earthwords he spoke to Lapu. Because of this, he returns to the Star Isle in order to find Catori and ask her, but instead meets her brothers Ahote and Ahanu. Angry at Shard for what the gryfons did, they run him off a cliff where he nearly drowns. He is rescued by his (unknown at the time) uncle Stigr, who guides him back towards Sun Isle. He tells Shard that if he wishes to learn Vanir skills to better serve his king, to return to Black Rock under the full moon. Shard then goes to Sverin in order to tell him about this experience, and the Red King appoints him as the leader of Windwater, a proposed gryfon colony so that the gryfons can rule all the isles, and not just the Sun Isle. Unbeknownst to Shard, however, Windwater is a disguised exile for the gryfons the king doesn't like.
During the first day of leadership, Shard almost immediately gets into a fight with Hallr. Deciding that he needs to learn skills in order to prove himself, Shard goes to Black Rock, where Stigr teaches him. Later, Shard defeats Halvden in a mock spar, and seems to earn the respect of Kenna. The violet gryfess flirts with him, hoping that she could be the mate of the future king's wingbrother, but Shard turns her down. He goes to Stigr again and tells him that he can't come anymore because Kenna knows about his flying at night. Stigr seems betrayed, and leaves Shard.
After Hallr is killed and Sverin declares on the wolves during the Daynight, Ragna sings the Song of the Summer King hoping to call out Rashard, but Sverin names his son as the Summer King instead hoping to quell unrest, but the Vanir know this isn't true, along with Kjorn himself.
Shard goes to warn the wolves, and Stigr unintentionally reveals to Shard that he is the Vanir prince and the true Summer King. After returning to Sun Isle, he is attacked by Kjorn who thinks he is a traitor. Shard tells Kjorn about his forbidden Vanir activities, and Kjorn tells Shard that Maja, Halvden's mother, left the pride after leaving a fish outside Sverin's den.
The wolves, thinking that Shard is leading them into a trap, attack the Sun Isle where Sverin kills Helaku. Shard, wanting to end the war, challenges Sverin. He drags the Aesir out into the sea, and dives in letting the pride think that he's dead. Rashard knew that he had the opportunity to kill Sverin but chooses not to do to the Red King being the father of his wingbrother. During his time in the sea, he meets his father who tells him to follow his vision of a white mountain in a distant land. He flies out of the sea, and later meets with Catori, Maja and the exile Dagr who tell him that they will find the lost Vanir for him. The book ends with Shard and Stigr flying to Star Isle.

After returning to Star Isle, he feasts with the wolves and tells his uncle, Catori and Ahanu about his experience on the mountain. The skyfire then flies over them, and Shard knows that this is a sign for him to fly over the sea. During his experience, he meets an albatross who he names Windwalker, and manages to fall Nameless. He arrives in the Winderost and saves a young huntress named Lisbet from a painted dog. He also meets two ruddy gryfesses named Brynja and Valdis, who take him to a cave where his uncle is waiting for them.
The next day, the huntresses take them to the Dawn Spire, where they meet  the current king, Orn and Esla, Elena's sister and thus Kjorn's aunt. He challenges Asvander after he insults Shard and his uncle. Shard loses to Asvander, who tries to break his wing, but Stigr defeats the young Lakelander without issue.
*More flying in soon.*

### In ***The Dragon Star Saga (Arc)***

#### *Rise of the Dragon Star*

Rashard and Brynja plan to leave in the upcoming fall since they have to travel to the Sunland soon after the Greatmeet. Their return home is said to be delayed near the end of *Rise of the Dragon Star*. According to Suijen, his emperor had forbidden Rashard to return home due to his safety, and Brynja is unwilling to leave her mate behind.
*Flying in soon!*

## Relationships

For more detail about Rashard's relationships, please see here.

## Family Tree

### List of all Family Members

**Brynja**; Living, the Silver Isles (as of *Rise of the Dragon Star*)
**Sons**
**Njord**; Living, the Silver Isles (as of *Rise of the Dragon Star*)
**Tyrilar**; Living, the Silver Isles (as of *Rise of the Dragon Star*)
**Daughter**
**Embra**; Living, the Silver Isles (as of *Rise of the Dragon Star*)
**Adoptive Son**
**Hikaru**; Living, the Sunland (as of *By the Silver Wind*)
**Father**
**Baldr**; Deceased, killed by Per
**Mother**
**Ragna**; Living, the Silver Isles (as of *Rise of the Dragon Star*)
**Foster Father**
**Caj**; Living, the Silver Isles (as of *Rise of the Dragon Star*)
**Foster Mother**
**Sigrun**; Living, the Silver Isles (as of *Rise of the Dragon Star*)
**Foster Sister**
**Thyra**; Living, the Winderost (as of *Rise of the Dragon Star*)
**Father-in-Law**
**Mar**; Living, the Winderost (as of *Beneath the Windward Sun*)
**Mother-in-Law**
**Byrja**; Living, the Winderost (as of *By the Silver Wind*)
**Uncle**
**Stigr**; Living, the Winderost (as of *Beneath the Windward Sun*)
**Grandfathers**
**Asbjorn**; Deceased, died of old age
**Ragr**; Deceased, killed in The Conquering
**Grandmothers**
**Unnr**; Deceased, cause of death unknown
**Ancestors**
**Freja**; Deceased, drowned
**Jaarl**; Deceased, died of old age

## Trivia

* Rashard is the only full-blooded Vanir kit who stayed in the Silver Isles after The Conquering.[*citation needed*]
* The name Rashard means "Brave Ruler". It is also Old Norse for 'son of a dead king'.
	+ Both of these fit him, as Rashard had to be brave to save his pride, and his father, Baldr, is dead.
* He is noted to look almost exactly like his father.
* He is the first character to have a nickname (Shard). Other characters with a nickname are Rowan, possibly Mist, Halla (Hal) and Embra (Firewing).
* He once defeated Asvander in a spar.[*citation needed*]
* He is one of six gryfons know to have more than one wingsibling.
	+ The others are Stigr (Baldr and Rok), Sverin (Caj and Halvden), Halvden (Sverin and Vald), Astri (Kenna and Torva), and Kenna (Astri and Siva).

## Citations

### References

1. ↑  Stated by Jess
2. ↑  Stated by Jess
3. ↑  *Song of the Summer King*, page 5
4. ↑  *A Shard of Sun*, page 89
5. ↑  *Song of the Summer King*, page 1
6. ↑  *Song of the Summer King*, page 3
7. ↑  *By the Silver Wind*, page ?, Chapter 36
8. ↑  *By the Silver Wind*, page ?, Chapter 1
9. ↑  *A Shard of Sun*, page 1
10. ↑ 10.0 10.1  *Song of the Summer King*, page 196
11. ↑ 11.0 11.1  *Song of the Summer King*, page 13
12. ↑  *Song of the Summer King*, page 6
13. ↑  *Song of the Summer King*, page 70
14. ↑  *Song of the Summer King*, page 44

### Notes

1. ↑ He and Brynja are currently being held by the Sunland emperor
2. ↑ He and Kjorn could also be considered nest-brothers due to this.