Khalid Ibn al-Rashid

Khalid Ibn al-Rashid, is one of the two main protagonist of The Wrath & The Dawn and The Rose & The Dagger.

Early Life
Khalid was a young man when he was traumatized by the brutal death of his mother at the hands of his father and the lack of love that followed into his childhood following Leila's death. Following the death of his cherished older brother, Hassan, Khalid was named as heir to throne and his father was desperate to retie their strained relationship, but died shortly after.

After ascending to the throne, Khalid went through a rebellious phase and married a woman, Ava, despite the wishes of his father to marry, Yasmine. Due to his naivety of being a king, Khalid had distanced himself away from his wife and everything was horribly awkward for the couple. After his wife found out she was pregnant, Khalid had regained some sense of peace and was happy for his wife, but when she miscarried, Ava became depressed and Khalid ceased to visit her. One night, Ava had asked Khalid if he loved her and asked him to say to her once (this later led to his hatred of lying), which he did. Due to his lying, Ava was found deceased the next morning with a silk tie around her neck (hinting suicide).

He was cursed by Ava's father and Khalid was forced to sacrifice a girl every dawn for one hundred days or the people of Rey would suffer. Ignoring this, Khalid reigned for many months until it was obvious that natural destruction and deaths occurred everyday for his people and then he had to take into action the only cure for the curse. Guilty for numerous deaths, Khalid had written letters to every family of his brides' but has never sent them.

His Death
Khalid finds out that to break the curse he must destroy Jahandar’s book. When doing so Jahandar, Shahrzad’s father, kills Khalid. However he uses his magic to bring him back to life, but he has to go Khalid’s place.

Personality
Khalid, when first appearing, had been known by his people for his apparent murderous tendencies in the form of murdering a new bride every dawn. After meeting him, Shahrzad begins to see him as being much softer, even weaker, than his reputation suggests. However, when pushed enough, Khalid can become violent. When it comes to Shahrzad, Khalid is fiercely protective and absolutely adores his wife with all his heart. Khalid finds himself being softer, much gentler with Shahrzad. After getting to know who he truly is, people find him to be trustworthy and and kind. Khalid hates lying.

Physical Description
Described as tall and trim with a physique of someone who was proficient in warfare, Khalid is undoubtedly an handsome teenage boy of eighteen. With thick black hair, "styled in a way to keep order," and amber eyes which are matched to a tiger under thick eyebrows, Khalid holds an air of indifference with a strong stature and someone with an undoubtedly authoritative figure. It's noted that his angled face has a softer appearance while he sleeps.