Towerpedia:Aileen Ritter

Aileen Ritter is a fictional character in author Stephen King’s The Dark Tower series. Niece to Cortland Andrus, Aileen is secretly trained by him in the art of self-defense.

Born to Gunslinger Jayson Ritter and his wife Stefanae Andrus Ritter, Aileen is taken in by her Uncle Cort when her parents are killed by Troitan raiders while vacationing in the Barony of Cressia.

Concerned with the girl’s safety, Cort taught her self-defense and marksmanship so that she may be able to defend herself if she ever encountered danger. He also taught her some of the things he taught his apprentice gunslingers, although he knew because of her gender she would never be able to become one.

Aileen, however, had other ideas. Daughter of a Gunslinger, Aileen became obsessed with the idea of becoming one herself. She began dressing in boy’s clothes, and often swiped her uncle’s key to the armory so she could secretly practice with the weapons of the apprentice Gunslingers.

In the original version of The Gunslinger, Aileen is the first lover Roland takes after his ill-fated relationship with Susan Delgado. In the revised version, Aileen’s role is minimized to that of a girl he danced with, and whom his parents would like him to marry.

Original Artwork by Darkthoughts

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References

Flamini, Anthony. The Dark Tower: Gunslinger's Guidebook. Marvel Publishing, Inc., 2007.

Furth, Robin. Stephen King’s The Dark Tower: The Complete Concordance. Scribner, 2006. ISBN 0743297342

King, Stephen. The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower, Book I). Donald M. Grant, 1988. ISBN 093798650X

King, Stephen. The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower, Book I, Revised). Viking Adult, 2003. ISBN 0670032549

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