Character from Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
Violet's childhood friend turned squad leader, Dain's protective instincts mask a controlling nature — and his memory-reading signet unknowingly made him a tool of his father's conspiracy against the Marked Ones.
Dain grew up alongside Violet as the son of Colonel Aetos, and his feelings for her blur the line between protectiveness and possession. As squad leader, he repeatedly tries to get Violet reassigned out of the Riders Quadrant, framing control as care. His signet — the ability to read memories through physical touch — becomes a devastating liability when his father uses the information Dain unknowingly transfers. Dain believes in the system, trusts authority, and cannot fathom that Basgiath's leadership would lie. This institutional loyalty puts him directly at odds with Xaden and the Marked Ones, and ultimately forces Violet to choose between the friend she grew up with and the truth she has uncovered.
Brown hair, warm brown eyes, athletic build. Clean-cut and conventionally handsome in a dependable, boy-next-door way. Wears his squad leader insignia with pride.
Also known as: Dain, Aetos