#agent silverbow

Galathynius, Havilliard & Moonbeam

Even before CC HOSAB and it's intense ending was published, people were discussing the possibility of Rhys' family being connected to fae/people in Erilea, both due to his similar appearance to Dorian Havilliard - not to mention the invisible magical hands - and the fact that Fenrys and Connall Moonbeam can perform a sort of short-range winnowing trick, which wasn't found in any of the other TOG fae (from memory).

In my opinion, Havilliard isn't really ridiculous, though I can see the magical and physical resemblance that Dorian has with Rhys being important down the line (especially because Dorian is descended from an ancient fae line).

Moonbeam would be an amazing surname for a Night Court High Lord who is often described as having stars in his violet eyes, and yes, it's more than a wee bit extravagant. It would also complete his association with the night sky (and yes, I can hear you screaming from here, @merymoonbeam 😅).

@ladynightcourt3 reminded me that another option existed: Galathynius. I hadn't thought of it, because I was assuming any link between Rhys and Aelin would be through Mala Fire Binger and/or her sister Deanna, but Brannon Galathynius was a bastard fae from Wendlyn, so we don't know where his family came from. It's a little silly, but not on the scale of Moonbeam.

Darling

The other prominent option is (and was) "Darling."

Equally ridiculous as Moonbeam in its own way - and by ridiculous I mean cute/silly - Darling has the added bonus of being a massive fuck you to Tamlin whenever Rhys called Feyre "Feyre, Darling." It would be such a fun callback.

Danaan, Donnall & Silverbow

After CC 1 and 2, though, there were new options.

CC 1 introduced us to Ruhn Danaan, Bryce's older half brother, who is the son of the Autumn King, and descended from Avallen royalty through his mother. In addition to sharing shadow-like powers with Rhys and Azriel (though not identical to either Rhys or Az, Ruhn's shadows definitely have a lot of similarities with both of them). When Bryce met Rhys at the end of CC 2, she even noted how similar Rhys and Ruhn were in appearance - almost identical, barring Rhys' darker skin.

Danaan is possibly a play on the word Danann, as in the Tuatha de Danann, and Danann itself seems to derive from the goddess Danu, who is a Mother goddess figure, which could fit with where the plot is going, especially if Theia - or the Starborn fae in general - were associated with the Mother. It also refers to an ancient Greek person.

The reason why I don't think Danaan is the most likely candidate for Rhys' surname is that, despite it not being silly at all, Ruhn inherited it from his father; his links to Avallen - in both appearance and powers - are through his mother.

I do think Danaan (if it is a play on Danann, which has historically been spelt Donann) could still be linked to the surname Donnall, especially given the intermarriage between the ancient fae lines that came to Midgard. However, that transition likely occurred after the Dusk Court arrived, in which case it wouldn't affect Rhys.

Cormac Donnall was the crown prince of the Avallen fae, related to Ruhn through his mother, and to Bryce and Ruhn distantly through their father (the Autumn King). The Avallen people in general seem like they have a pretty strong link to Prythian's current Night Court (possibly through the lost Dusk Court), which includes fashions that Bryce noted were similar between Velaris and Avallen, as well as shadow powers. Cormac could also winnow, and manipulate fire.

A fun fact is that Donnall means "world rule," "world mighty," or "brown-haired fighter." World rule/mighty both sound very appropriate for where the plot is going for both ACOTAR and CC, but it's not a ridiculous name... unless Feyre thinks it's too normal for a High Lord. Or unless Rhys' family name is actually Mighty.

Cormac opened up one other option for us: in his work with the Ophion rebellion his codename was Agent Silverbow, which I think could be promising. There are parallels between Rhys and Cormac that go beyond the winnowing and shadow powers that they share. Both have had to don masks of cold brutality at times, in order to survive in certain situations, yet are capable of true feeling and love, not to mention fighting for a better world and future.

Could Silverbow possibly create a link between the ruling families of Avallen and the Night/Dusk Court? I think so! And maybe with Erilea, too.

The Priestesses of the Mother in Prythian are associated with both silver and the moon.

Crescent moons look like simplified (silver) bows, and moonbeams could be considered arrows from the moon (also known as a bow)... perhaps as an "off-shoot" of the royal line???!!! 🌙🏹

Rhys' family has quite a bit of crescent moon paraphernalia, such as a crown and a diadem. His bargain tattoo with the Weaver in ACOWAR was a crescent moon, just as Feyre's bargain tattoos with the Bone Carver and Bryaxis were of the four phases of the moon with a star in the middle inked down her spine.

Could Cormac's codename have come from the Dusk Court/Theia's line back when it was matrilineal?

Did Donnall come from Pelias, or another male who married in and overhauled the royal line to be patrilineal?

Moonbeam and Silverbow are the two most likely (in my opinion), and if I had to narrow it down further, then I really wouldn't be surprised if Rhys' surname is Silverbow, and the Moonbeams are a cadet branch, of sorts, from way back up Rhys' line. We know there has been mingling of the fae through various rifts, so it's hard to say exactly how the Moonbeams fit in - as @ladynightcourt3 reminded me, Fenrys and Connall descend from Doranelle nobles, could this somehow associate them with the Donnalls as well? - but I think it could be something like this.

Maybe Silverbow and Moonbeam are actually the same name, translated and then evolved in different languages? I don't know, though I hope we learn.