Whoot whoot! First Fourth Wing fanfiction on this website! Please go easy on me in regards to this one shot. It has been years since I wrote a fanfiction story. I hope you enjoy this one shot that was written in Xaden's POV when he first meets Violet on the Parapet itself. Naturally, I have to credit the author and her beautiful work that has served as inspiration for this one shot. If you like it, I may add two more chapters to it. One where Xaden is watching the potential altercation between Violet and Jack on the parapet and one for when Liam crosses as well. For now, this is all I will post. I cannot wait to see what others write for fourth wing here on .
Enjoy!
-Little_dhamphir_
Xaden woke up this morning in his new living quarters. He had spent the last two days packing up his meager belongings he had kept in the second year quadrant dorm rooms. Having recently been named wingleader, it made sense that he would oversee the parapet crossing with this year's new rider's quadrant candidates. Some he knew well, others…. He could care less about. His only concern was making sure the majority of the marked rebellion children survived the three years they were stuck at this forsaken hell hole of a school.
Still, he had to admit, being named wingleader was a sight to see when General Melgren discovered he had been nominated for the position. The general even tried to stop it from coming to fruition, but the decision was finalized. Xaden was a wingleader, and he had a nice dormitory room to go with the new title.
"You earned it, you know. Despite your history…" a smooth voice had resounded within my mind.
"Depends on how you define "earned it"." I responded. Even when I was little, I had dreamt of flying, to make my father proud. However, with the rebellion outcome, I was sent to the rider's quadrant under different circumstances. No respect, no honor. No name that was to be respected among my peers. I had fought tooth and nail to get to where I was today. Killing only when absolutely necessary, defending those of the one hundred seven who were in the college with me too.
"If you say so.." Came the sardonic reply. Next thing I felt with my bond with Sgaeyl was that she was growing hungry. Images of her taking flight to find goats or sheep for her early morning meal. She wasn't one to sit and linger to chat in a nonchalant manner.
"Don't forget, I need you in the courtyard this afternoon to meet the new recruits!" I mentally called out to her through the bond. Visions of a nearby cow flashed through my mind as she swooped down for her kill. A brief evisceration scene showed her tail slashing the side of the stomach. I quickly shut her out using my mental barriers in order to go about in my own morning routine once I was finished putting on my outfit.
After making my way to the cafeteria, I quickly gathered a plate from nearby. Sausage, eggs, toast, and potatoes was placed on it by a second year student. The kitchen duties would soon be delegated to this year's cadets who managed to survive the parapet crossing within the next few hours.
I took my seat at the wingleader's table, listening to the other wingleaders talk as they ate their food. They were awarded their position as well for this year. If all four of us survived, we would start off as lieutenant's upon graduation with the hopes of rising further in the ranks. While my peers were using their position for honorable reasons, I was not able to fully say the same since the rebellion was slowly stirring again and I would be there to support it by going rogue in the hopes of ensuring the right side would emerge victorious.
Still, I listened and added a few comments here and there to make it look like they thought I was also engaged as well with the conversation. Looking around the room, I noticed a few rebellion kids with their rebellion tattoos emblazoned on various limbs. In the time I had been here, 5 children from the rebellion had died. One passed away each year on the parapet, one was burned by fire, and the two died at the hands of other cadets - one while sparring on the mats, the other at threshing year before last when a dragon almost chose a rebellion child, but Cadet Santos was not going to allow that, engaging the female with the rebellion tattoo on her wrist and slashing her neck with his dagger. The red dragon bonded with Santos and he rose to squad leader status the next year within the third wing.
Eating the last few bites of my eggs, I stood up and quietly excused myself to make my way towards the parapet. I no longer feared crossing it, knowing my shadows would catch me should I fall.
With a form of balance and a resilient mind, I made my way across the parapet along with another cadet who's signet was wind wielding. He too did not fear falling, in fact, his dragon was resting towards the bottom of the gorge to fly up and catch him should he risk falling and couldnt slow his speed down through the means of wind manipulation. The other individual was supposed to be a scribe, but she herself had come down with food poisoning, another cadet from the second wing filled her role instead to take note of the names as they attempted to cross the parapet.
Sgayel didnt want to do the same thing herself, I didn't mind either, it meant that she trusted me to not do anything stupid before this afternoon. It had been years since she had an opportunity to frighten the new cadets and she missed sensing an entire courtyard of pure unadulterated fear. I wasn't going to deny her this opportunity again this particular year.
Looking off in the distance, clouds began to rapidly form. Odd, I thought to myself, being bonded to dragons also helped one sense the type of weather one would experience through the day. I couldn't sense a storm brewing when I first woke it. It was almost like it had manifested by "other means".
Sure enough, the winds began to pick up as cadets began to file up the steps. One by one they called out their names before crossing the parapet. So far, all but two had made it across the parapet. The winds were really picking up now, making this a challenge for even those who had good balance themselves. I ignored their screams as they fell. Nothing I could do to save them. Not that I really care in the end.
"See you two on the other side!" A blond haired boy called out as he made his way across the bridge. He extended his arms out for better balance as the winds further picked up.
"Great." I thought to myself sarcastically it's going to be a long morning tomorrow morning as the death roll was read aloud. Several children would die today on this parapet no doubt and it looked like the storm clouds were going to dump a torrent of rain any moment now. Lightning flashed in the distance as it arced between the seething dark clouds. They were ominous to say the least.
"Ready for the next one, Riorson?" the cadet next to me with the ripped sleeves. A young woman steps up in front of me as I motion for her to make the parapet crossing.
"You ready for this, Sorrengail?" the dark haired female says.
Sorrengail?! It couldn't be! I snap my gaze to the female behind the woman who's announcing her name to the rider taking notes. Sure enough, it is her! Her hair gave her away plainly. But why? She, wasnt supposed to be enrolling in the rider's quadrant this year! Only Mira and Brennan were fated to be dragon riders - taking up after their mother; General Sorrengail in an effort to carry on the family legacy. The only other Sorrengail child was Violet, and she was supposed to be entering the scribe quadrant this year.
Brennan relied on her to uncover vital information about the venin that he was sure was kept somewhere deep within the archives itself. Brennan suspected his father had hid vital information and he knew that his youngest sister would be the best candidate to find it. This was about to complicate his plans for the resistance movement. I wasn't looking forward to telling him that his youngest sister was at risk of being killed this year from the rebellion kids.
"Fuck!" Why did my job have to become increasingly complicated?!" I didn't need to look after the youngest Sorrengail either.
"Oh shit" she whispers, barely audible over the wind that is picking up with speed and intensity. Another crack of lightning erupts now. Thunder rumbling in the distance. The rain clouds were almost black now. Rain ready to fall at any second.
"Sorrengail?" I inadvertently step towards her… and look down upon her tiny physique. She swallows so faintly before nodding once towards me, looking tiny and frail as a result. I instantly get mad, this wasn't supposed to happen! This is not the plan that Brennan had spent months planning. Why would she be so stupid to join the riders quadrant! It made no sense!
"Violet?" Rhiannon asks as she continues to step forward onto the parapet.
"You're General Sorrengail's youngest." I tell her in a cold and calculator manner.
"You're Fen Riorson's son." she counters with an air of defiance that is a stark contrast from her otherwise frail physique.
I suck in a deep breath as I feel the muscle in my jaw flex once. "Your mother captured my father and oversaw his execution." A brief flash of rage flashes in her eyes. Hmm… maybe she's got some fire in her like her older brother and sister do.
"Your father killed my older brother. Seems like we're even." She retorts with the same level of icy cold disdain that I have myself.
"Hardly" I reply as a brief image of Brennan leading a rebellion meeting at my recently rebuilt home flashes in my mind. I stare up and down her body, taking in the rider clothes she's wearing and a corset that is made to look like body armor. If I wasn't so pissed off at the situation, I would be turned on by this sight of verbal rebellion coming from her. It suits her well.
"Your sister is a rider. Guess that explains the leathers." I remark, not sure what else to say to someone who is supposed to be my sworn enemy if I wasn't aligned with Brennan and the Rebellion itself.
"Guess so." Comes her reply as she continues to hold her glare towards me. The way she continues to glare at me, its like she's having a staring contest. Well, she's in for a rude awakening if she thinks there's more than one way to cross the parapet itself. My hands begin to clench into fists over the absurdity of this situation.
"You alright?" Comes the concerned response of the woman who's taken a single step on the parapet so far ahead of Violet. It's almost as if she will fight to defend little Violet's honor. I would be laughing if I wasn't so upset at how she has complicated the rebellion's plans with her presence here.
I glance quickly at the woman who's now paused at the edge of the parapet itself. "You friends?" I ask calmly, but with a hint of venom lacing my tone.
"We met on the steps" is her reply as she bristles by my remark and is squaring her shoulders in anticipation for an incident here on the parapet. It's at that moment, I see she has mismatched boots. A quick glance to Violet shows the same types of boots on her as well. They swapped boots. Smart move to whoever thought of it as one looks brand new and the other is clearly worn and eroded around the edges of the soles itself. "Interesting" is all I can reply with.
Violet is clearly having enough of this conversation because what she says next almost takes me by surprise. "Are you going to kill me?" My gaze shoots back up to her face, keeping my emotions schooled into place. She has use for the rebellion, she doesn't know it yet. She has to stay alive as such, but there is nothing I can do as she makes her way across the parapet.
As if fate was aware of my predicament, the clouds decide at this moment to open up and let down the rain in a flash of deluge. Instantly, everyone is soaked and the water is ice cold. A bit abnormal when it comes to storms this time of the year. Suddenly a scream sounds out. The blond haired boy (ahead of the girl who's just ahead of me as she takes another step on the parapet) slips and falls onto the parapet itself. His legs give out as they fall off the side. Quickly, he grabs a hold of the side of the parapet with his arms, thus preventing his immediate fall to his death.
"Pull yourself up Dylan" the dark haired girl behind him calls out. He's scrambling to regain a good grip of the parapet so he can try to hoist himself up. A quick glance in our direction shows he was pure unadulterated fear in his eyes. He's too weak to raise himself up against the howling winds two hundred feet in the air. His arms and hands cannot maintain their hold on the parapet itself as he slips a second time and falls into the ravine. His body would be landing with a splat on the ground no doubt. No one is able to hear his scream as he falls to his death, the wind and the rain have robbed him of that ability.
"My gods!" Violet cries out. She's looking around for a brief moment like we have all gone mad in this place. My eyes snap back to her and maintain my hold on hers. Suddenly, the words come out before I have a chance to fully stop them. "Why would I waste my energy killing you when the parapet will do it for me." Knowing that I am going to have to back these words up further, I then smile a cruel smile and add: "Your turn."