Biography

Dain grew up with Violet Sorrengail as his father, aid to Violet Sorrengail’s mother, Lilith Sorrengail, were often stationed together. Dain entered the Riders Quadrant a year before Violet.

Dain is often described as Violet’s best friend since childhood.

Traits

Throughout the first book, Fourth Wing, Dain always seems to care about every rule. To him, the rules and the Codex are sacred and suggests that he would do everything to uphold them, no matter the cost.

On occasions, Violet perceives Dain’s evident affection for her. However, given the frowned-upon nature of relationships with first-year cadets, he refrains from pursuing his feelings. This is the first instance when Violet begins to consider that if Dain truly desired more, he would take action rather than strictly adhering to the rules. Yet, this doesn’t seem to be the case.

From his childhood, Dain has always been more inclined to follow rules than his peers. He has a preference for order and takes a strong dislike to anything that disrupts his carefully laid plans.

Dain has his first real fight with Violet, right after the Threshing, when he tells her she needs to pick between her dragons and insists that she picks Andarna. According to him, this is just to protect Violet, as Tairn and Sgaeyl are mates and cannot be separated for long.

In a fiery confrontation with Xaden Riorson, which takes place in Violet’s presence after the Threshing, Dain confesses that despite his feelings for Violet, he would never compromise the rules to save her.

When Amber Mavis is accused of violating the Codex, Dain Aetos hypocritically asserts that he would never question the integrity of a wingleader. This is despite the fact that he is subtly implying that Xaden Riorson, who is a wingleader, is being dishonest in the process.

Dain exploits his connection with Violet to read her mind, extracting information about Xaden which he then reports to the leadership. He becomes aware that Xaden is being sent on a mission to test his loyalty. When Xaden chooses to include Violet and Liam in his formation, Dain objects, accusing Xaden of being motivated by revenge against Lilith Sorrengail. Upon realizing that Violet is determined to accompany Xaden, Dain expresses his feelings of loss, telling her that he will miss her, but he does not break the rules to tell her anything more.

Physical Description

Dain has soft brown eyes and sandy-brown hair. He has a scar peeking through his beard along his chin. Dain has full lips.

He has a boy next door who can still kick your ass vibe according to Rhiannon Matthias.

Abilities

Dain can read a person’s recent memories upon touching a person’s face. His talents bear a resemblance to those of an Inntinnsic, a group known for their mind-reading abilities. However, due to the requirement of physical touch to activate his powers, he is deemed a lesser threat and is easier to control.

Relationship

Violet Sorrengail

Dain kisses Violet right after Threshing. When Dain confesses that the kiss was a mistake, he emphasizes that it’s due to the rules that discourage relationships with those higher up in the chain of command. Despite this, he expresses hope that they might pursue something together in the future, perhaps after her graduation.

His relationship with Violet continues to worsen, particularly after he accuses her of lying when Amber Mavis, a wingleader, is summoned to answer for violating the Codex. Dain doesn’t trust Violet and attempts to read her mind without her permission. In response, Violet confronts him, stating that his infatuation with rules blinds him to when they should be bent for the sake of someone he cares about. Violet tells him that they will never be anything more than friends.

Despite his previous error of not believing her, Dain continues to doubt Violet when she cries out about Jack Barlowe running into the forest during the Threshing. Dain dismisses her claims as exaggerations and doesn’t believe her until Xaden Riorson confirms that he was present and affirms the truth of her words.

Xaden Riorson

The tension between Dain and Xaden is evident, and Dain made it clear on multiple occasions that Xaden is not to be trusted. Dain often finds himself on the receiving end of Xaden’s quick, snide remarks, a clear indication of Xaden’s condescending attitude towards him. Xaden accuses Dain of coddling Violet, rather than aiding her development.

Dain further exacerbates the situation by using his ability to read Violet’s mind, unearthing information that he can leverage against Xaden. He then relays this information to Colonel Aetos, resulting in Xaden’s deployment to Athebyne.