Rhysand

Also known as Rhys, Mystery Savior

Major
First seen · Book 1 · Ch. 19

Rhysand is a major character in A Court of Thorns and Roses (Book 1).

Gender: male
Age: immortal (hundreds of years old)
First appears: Book 1 · Ch. 19
Books: 2

Rhysand, the High Lord of the Night Court, first appears as a dangerous, mocking villain: a beautiful, shadow-wreathed male who serves as Amarantha's consort Under the Mountain and binds Feyre to him with a bargain in exchange for healing her arm. In A Court of Mist and Fury, that mask falls away. He was a captive who defied Amarantha in secret and fought to keep Feyre alive. He was also a loyal leader devoted to Velaris and to his chosen family in the Inner Circle, and he is Feyre's mate. He shifts from apparent antagonist to protector, teacher, and partner, and he leads the Night Court's preparations against the King of Hybern while fighting to escape his dark reputation.

Description

A strikingly beautiful High Fae male with short black hair that gleams like raven feathers, moon-white pale skin that seems to radiate alabaster light, and deep violet eyes flecked with stars. He possesses a powerful, graceful build with broad shoulders, sensual features including an elegant nose and sensuous lips, and moves with feline ease. He is almost always dressed in elegant black attire accented with gold and silver thread, often wreathed in tendrils of shadow or night. A male fae with blue-black hair and violet eyes, wearing a green-and-gold tunic and a crown of burnished laurel leaves. His glamour is loosened, revealing immortal light and beauty.

Connections

Family & partnersFriends & mentorsRivals

Azrielconflicting source relationships
Azriel is a chosen brother from their shared Illyrian youth. He serves as spymaster, and Rhys trusts his independent methods.
Cassianconflicting source relationships
Cassian is a chosen brother and fellow Illyrian who serves as Rhys's general. He helps Rhys vent the volatile instincts stirred by the mating bond.
Feyre Archeronconflicting source relationships
Their relationship begins as a coercive bargain Under the Mountain. It grows into employment, training, and deep friendship, and finally into an accepted mating bond. Rhys swears never to control or imprison her.
Morriganconflicting source relationships
Mor is Rhys's cousin and only surviving family as well as a member of the Inner Circle. She banters with him and frankly challenges his decisions.
Amrenconflicting source relationships
Amren is Rhys's Second, trusted with interpreting the Book. Their bond combines familiarity with sharp disagreements.
T
Tarquinconflicting source relationships
Tarquin is a would-be ally and friend who turns into a blood-feud enemy after the Book is stolen from the Summer Court.
Amaranthaopponent
Rhys was forced into degrading servitude to her, but he defied her in secret through his bargain with Feyre. He also carries hatred for her that dates back to the War.
King of Hyberntarget
He is the looming enemy whose forces ambush and torture Rhys, which drives the Night Court's preparations for war.
Lucien Vanserrapolitical adversary
Lucien defends Tamlin against Rhys's provocations. Rhys later admits he frightened Lucien on purpose to push Tamlin into sending Feyre away.
Tamlinconflicting source relationships
They were boyhood friends whose bond was shattered by the murders of Rhys's mother and sister and the killings that followed in revenge. They are hostile rivals in Book 1. In Book 2 Rhys defines himself in opposition to Tamlin's controlling behavior toward Feyre.
J
Jurianconflicting source relationships
Rhys witnessed Jurian's torture in the War, and both were prisoners of Amarantha's forces. Jurian now aids Hybern in trapping Rhys.
K
Keirpolitical adversary
Keir is a resentful subordinate in the Hewn City, and Rhys punishes him for threatening Feyre.

Story so far

BOOK 1A Court of Thorns and Roses
- Appears as a menacing, provocative presence who antagonizes Tamlin and Lucien at the Spring Court
- Serves as Amarantha's forced consort Under the Mountain after she strips his powers
- Strikes a bargain with Feyre to heal her arm in exchange for one week each month at the Night Court
- Torments and taunts Feyre publicly while secretly working to keep her alive
BOOK 2A Court of Mist and Fury
- Invokes the bargain to remove Feyre from her wedding to Tamlin, then teaches her reading, mental shielding, and how to master her powers
- Reveals Velaris, his Inner Circle, and the truth behind his actions Under the Mountain, including his family's tragic history with Tamlin
- Leads the hunt for the Book of Breathings, which provokes Tarquin's blood feud, and survives a Hybern ambush with power-nullifying chains
- Accepts the mating bond with Feyre and confronts enemies such as Keir, Ianthe, and the Attor
- Faces Hybern's trap alongside Jurian's betrayal as war looms over Prythian