Spoiler Warning! Dive in Iron Flame fans, but if you haven’t turned the last page yet, be prepared for some major plot revelations!
The Initial Theory:
Let’s talk about Dain and his touchy-feely moments with Violet in Fourth Wing. There’s a burning question among fans: Every time Dain cups Violet’s face, is he sneaking a peek into her thoughts? The moments are scattered throughout the book, like breadcrumbs leading us to a potential mind-reading feast.
The Touchy Evidence:
- Chapter 4, Page 50: Dain’s first face cupping moment. It’s tender, but is there more to it?
- Chapter 8, Page 92 & Chapter 9, Page 114: More face cradling! It’s like Dain can’t keep his hands off her – or out of her mind?
- Chapter 16, Page 190: Twice in one chapter – Dain’s hands go from her corset to her face. But is it just affection, or something more?
- Chapter 17, Page 203: Post-kiss confusion. Is Dain reading her mind to gauge her feelings about their forbidden smooch?
- Chapter 20, Page 244: Violet clocks the potential mind-reading. Smart girl!
- Chapter 27, Page 339 & Chapter 31, Page 405: Violet’s suspicions grow, and a pivotal touch reveals critical battle plans.
The Mind-Bending Verdict:
Hold onto your hats, because it turns out Dain wasn’t always delving into Violet’s thoughts with every touch. The big reveal? It all started accidentally. Dain, so used to being close to Violet, unintentionally tapped into her mind. Ok, so Dain is not such a little b*tch then, right?
Well, sort of…
Here’s where it gets intense: Dain sees that Xaden Riorson is getting too close to Violet and Dain imagines this looming threat. His father, Colonel Aetos, boasts about Lilith Sorrengail (Violet’s mum) meddling with Xaden, sparking fears that Violet could be a target. I mean, can we blame him? He kept trying to tell Violet this but she kept shutting him down. In fact, when you re-read Fourth Wing, you can see that Dain keeps telling her, Violet, you don’t understand, he has a reason to hurt you because of what you mum did.
To protect Violet (so cliche, Dain, so cliche) he does mind-read her memories which leads him to leaking crucial information about Athebyne to his dad…which in turn leads to the Battle of Resson.
The twist? Dain never meant to set off these events (but the road to hell is paved with good intetions, Dain…). He wasn’t aiming to betray Violet or send them into danger. It was a mishap, a tragic twist of fate fuelled by his worry for Violet’s safety and his untamed abilities. Ufff, if only men would learn how to actually COMMUNICATE!
The Verdict
So, Dain’s touch wasn’t always a gateway to Violet’s thoughts. It began as an unintended consequence of their closeness, spiralling into a cascade of events that changed their lives forever. Dain is not a bad guy. Just a bit, well, annoying. He did betray them, though he didn’t do it to kill or hurt anyone, but to protect. Dain needs to learn how to be a critical thinker.
But to Yarros’s credit. They are all 20-23 years old and Dain is basically just a 21 year old that sees his best friend in a lot of danger. He does his best, even though he needs to do a hell of a lot BETTER. And the beauty of the Empyrean Series is that everyone is maturing, growing and learning.
Do we forget Dain? Errr…yes and no. We don’t hate him, but we don’t love him either. He still needs to prove himself a bit more. For now, we just feel a bit sorry for the man, and still want to exclude him from friendly dinners…
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