Rayla

Lore & Background

Rayla was born on the 31 July to the warriors Lain and Tiadrin. Her parents were later recruited into the Dragonguard, an elite force of eight warriors sworn to protect the egg of the Dragon Prince. As a result, she was taken in by the head assassin Runaan and his husband Ethari, an expert craftsman. For years, Runaan trained Rayla to be an assassin. Four months before the start of the series, Avizandum, the King of the Dragons, was slain by King Harrow and Lord Viren. Frightened, the Dragonguard abandoned their duty, apparently including Rayla's parents. Ashamed of their alleged cowardice, Rayla joined a small group of assassins on a mission to avenge Avizandum by killing King Harrow and his heir, Crown Prince Ezran.

In Their Own Story

Rayla joins Runaan and four other assassins on a mission to assassinate King Harrow and Prince Ezran. Despite being the fastest and strongest of the assassins, Rayla has not taken a life yet and is hesitant. Soon after arriving in Katolis, the assassins are discovered by a soldier. Rayla is sent to kill him but hesitates upon seeing his fear, allowing him to escape. She deceives Runaan by staining her swords with deathberry juice. Her deception is later revealed and Runaan takes her off the mission. Determined to make up for her mistake, Rayla sneaks into the castle but finds Callum instead. She chases the two princes to Viren's secret dungeon, where they discover the egg of the Dragon Prince. Rayla abandons her mission, deciding that since the egg survives, revenge is unnecessary. She engages her mentor in a duel to protect the princes. Rayla, Callum, Ezran, and Bait flee the castle, resolving to take the Dragon Prince egg home together. As they escape, one of Rayla's ribbons falls off, symbolizing Harrow's demise. Later, while traveling, Rayla opens up about her parents but claims they are dead. When their boat is attacked by a giant fish, Rayla admits she is afraid of water but braves through her fear to save Bait. She admits her parents are alive but is ashamed of them for allegedly abandoning their duty. The group travels to find a 'miracle healer' who turns out to be a Moonshadow Elf Moon Mage named Lujanne. Callum manages to hatch the egg of the Dragon Prince, Azymondias, who Ezran nicknames Zym. Zym bites off Rayla's wrist ribbon, saving her hand.

Reader's Guide

Rayla is a Moonshadow Elf assassin who struggles with the morality of taking lives. Her defining moment comes when she chooses to protect the Dragon Prince's egg instead of completing her assassination mission. She suffers from aquaphobia after nearly drowning as a child during an encounter with the Bloodmoon Huntress. Rayla is trained by Runaan and lives with him and his husband Ethari in the Silvergrove. She is fast and strong, but her compassion often overrides her assassin training. Her wrist ribbons bind her to her mission and tighten until her hand would come off, but Zym saves her by biting one off. She educates Callum on the six Primal Sources of nature. Rayla's arc involves reconciling her parents' apparent cowardice with her own choices, ultimately choosing to break the cycle of revenge.

Did You Know?

• Rayla was born on 31 July to warriors Lain and Tiadrin.
• She suffers from severe aquaphobia after nearly drowning as a child.
• Rayla's wrist ribbons tighten until her hand would come off if she fails her mission.
• She is the fastest and strongest of the Moonshadow assassins in her group.
• Rayla's foster fathers are Runaan and his husband Ethari.