Chapter Text
Chapter 11: Violet’s POV
When Violet first opened her eyes, everything was dark, peaceful and just a little strange. Something felt different. She didn’t think it had to do with the man resting his head on her chest, his breaths even, slow and deep. Something else was different, about her.
She was unable to focus on the feeling, her eyes slid shut again. The comfort of Xaden being there, and the tiredness in her bones, causing her to slip straight back to nothingness.
***
Violet laid with her eyes closed for a while, listening to the world around her. Her head pounded when she tried to focus. She tried to remember where she was, what had happened.
Slowly, memories of Alic and the golden dragon came back to her. She hoped they were okay. She remembered her world going dark, and the strange but comfortable feeling of death. Clearly not death though. It felt like flying, but it couldn’t have been. She had a strange memory of being held by someone, she’d found enough comfort in that to accept the darkness.
And now she could see light beyond her eyelids. She could feel a familiar dull ache through her body that told her she’d been mended. She’d felt it often enough, a discomfort she’d have to cope with for a few days.
She could feel the movement of her hair, someone was playing with it, twirling it in their hands or threading their fingers through it. It made her want to fall back asleep, to ignore the world for a bit longer and focus purely on that feeling.
“Is she awake?” Violet’s eyes shot open. There was something familiar about that voice, though Violet struggled to place it. “Tairn, she’s awake!”
“Violet?”
“Violence?”
“Be patient, Andarna.”
Too much.
Violet slammed her eyes shut, trying to cut out the noise of so many voices. The hand in her hair stopped moving, and Violet wanted to complain, to tell them to keep going, but the effort of speaking felt like too much.
A hand intertwined with hers, comfortable, familiar. Xaden. When he spoke again, his breath was against her cheek. “Violet,” he said softly. Violet took a deep breath, relaxing in the comforting smell of mint and leather. “Can you open your eyes for me?”
Violet squeezed his hand, hoping he understood that she’d try. It took a minute of her attempting it before she finally managed to force her eyelids apart. Xaden leaned over her, looking rumpled and unkempt. His hair was even messier than usual, and his black shirt creased. His leather jacket hung over the chair behind him. Their eyes met, it seemed to be the easiest place for Violet to focus.
“Hi,” she breathed, her voice hoarse. He smiled down at her.
“Hi,” he responded quietly. “I’ve got some water, if you can sit up,” Xaden said. Violet barely hid her disappointment as he moved away, giving her room to shuffle up in the bed.
She handed the cup back to Xaden after taking a few slow sips, saying a quick “thank you,” as he put it on the table. Violet scanned the room, spotting Brennan watching, clearly impatiently, from the desk. She guessed he’d had to mend her and now wanted to check his work.
There was no one else in the room, Violet’s confusion grew, she was certain she hadn’t imagined the voices, unless she was going crazy anyway…
“You are not crazy,” the deeper voice spoke. Violet got the sense he was both relieved and irritated by her thought.
“What?” she asked aloud. Brennan and Xaden’s eyes were immediately on her.
“You need not embarrass us by speaking out loud, silver one,” he said, exasperated.
“Violet?” Brennan asked at the same time, worry written on his face.
“I…” Violet paused, glancing uncertainly at Xaden. A slight knowing smile was on his lips.
“You know, I would’ve found a way for you to stay, Violence. This was rather drastic of you.” He chuckled quietly, clearly understanding something Violet hadn’t, though she could tell he was nervous - his eyes didn’t quite meet hers.
Brennan came closer, his eyes pinned on Violet. “I think we should check your concussion.”
“You do not have a concussion,” a lighter, joyful voice spoke. It was the one she’d heard in the field. “I’m Andarnurram. You can call me Andarna.”
“I don’t…” Violet started, her eyes wide on Xaden. “Is this-”
“And I’m Tairneanach, though I doubt you’ll remember that, so Tairn will do,” Tairn cut off Violet’s words.
“Can we see you? I want to see you again,” Andarna’s voice filled Violet’s mind, a longing following it that had tears prickling at Violet’s eyes.
“Be patient, Andarna,” Tairn said sternly before Violet could try to respond.
“Violet?” Brennan asked again, his brow furrowed as he studied her.
“She’s alright, Sorrengail,” Xaden said finally. “At least, I think she is.” He squeezed Violet’s hand, getting her attention back from the voices. “What’s their name? Just the short version.”
Violet, still uncertain she wasn’t going crazy, gripped Xaden’s hand tighter. “Andarna.” There was a deep humph in Violet’s mind, and she almost laughed at the obviously disgruntled reaction, “and Tairn.”
Brennan froze, both his and Xaden’s eyes were wide, their surprise was palpable.
“A dragon?” Brennan asked breathlessly.
“Not just one,” Xaden said, his eyes conflicted.
Violet swallowed audibly. Dragons. She had somehow bonded dragons.
“What does that mean?”
“I’ve never known someone to bond more than one dragon,” Xaden was almost gaping at her. It would’ve made her laugh, except she felt as confused and surprised as he looked.
She’d bonded dragons.
She wondered what that meant now though. She was a Navarrian scribe with dragons. That didn’t happen.
Xaden must’ve seen the question on her face before she could ask it. “It means,” he looked away again, and Violet squeezed his hand, she hoped it was reassuring. “You need to stay here, to train with the riders.” He paused, his eyes finding hers again, searching. Violet felt like he was trying to read her mind. “Is that okay?”
Violet hesitated. She had wanted to stay. That had been everything she’d wanted in the last few weeks. But she was a scribe. She wanted to be a scribe. This wasn’t her plan, or anything like she expected. Still, the thought of leaving Aretia, of rejecting the dragons, and Xaden, made her heart sink.
“Do I have a choice?” Violet asked. Just the thought of leaving Xaden had made her certain of what her choice would’ve been.
“You always have a choice, Vi,” Brennan said, obvious worry written into his eyes. “You never asked to be a rider.”
Xaden glanced at him, Violet caught the scowl on his face before he hid it. “You do have a choice, Brennan’s right. But…” he let out a breath. “I don’t think Tairn would accept you choosing to leave. He’s Sgaeyl’s mate, so they can’t be separated for long.” Xaden glanced at Brennan again before continuing. “And maybe you didn’t ask to be a rider, Violet, but you’ll make a damn good one.”
“Oh,” Violet frowned, uncertain what to think. She was staying, that was clear. “Andarna asked to see me.” Violet stated instead, letting the thoughts sink in. She had two dragons. Two dragons had chosen her, a Navarrian scribe. Or not Navarrian anymore. She was staying. She and Xaden could keep seeing where this was going. She wasn’t sure if that was a good thing, the Assembly still weren’t completely on her side, but maybe as a rider they’d look at her differently.
“You shouldn’t. You lost a lot of blood yesterday-” Brennan started.
“Pfft, he knows nothing. You should come outside,” Andarna said, distracting Violet. Violet liked her voice, it seemed innocent, but pretty and soft. She wanted to see the dragon too, wanted to know what they both looked like.
“You have seen us, Silver One,” Tairn said. “But you can see us when you are ready. You should rest a bit more first.”
Violet took a deep breath, her stomach rumbled, reminding her that she hadn’t eaten since the previous morning. “Food first, then I’d like to properly meet my dragons.” She looked slightly guiltily towards Brennan, who shook his head.
“You’ve always been too stubborn, Vi,” he chuckled. “Mira’s going to be so mad,” he added as an after thought, a slight smile on his face.
“I can tell her, can’t I?” Violet asked, turning to Xaden, her eyes pleading. She’d never wanted to abandon her sister.
“Of course.” Xaden looked taken aback by the question. “We’d never stop people contacting family.”
Violet let out a breath of relief, starting to swing her legs over the bed. Xaden offered her a hand and she slid off the bed, only for Xaden to grip her waist as she wobbled, her head spinning nauseatingly.
“Violet?” his voice sounded distant. She barely noticed when Xaden lifted her, making her sit back on the bed.
When she could see again, she looked sheepishly towards the men. “Sorry,” she mumbled.
“Maybe food here first, that’ll appease Brennan a bit too,” Xaden smiled at her.
Spare clothes were brought for Violet as well as some paper and a quill. She wrote three letters while they waited for someone to bring them food. One for Jesinia, who hadn’t been allowed into the infirmary, one for Mira, and one for their mother. Violet trusted that Jesinia would make sure it got to the right place for her. She was told that they’d be leaving soon, having delayed their departure so that Violet would be able to join them. She’d miss Jesinia, but she wasn’t disappointed by the news.
After she’d eaten, Violet glanced at Brennan. “Better?”
“I’d prefer it if you stayed a bit longer, waited till tomorrow maybe.” Brennan shrugged, like he knew she wouldn’t.
“I’ll stay with her,” Xaden promised,
“I’m not sure that’s comforting,” Brennan responded, but he smiled at the same time. “See if you can stand without collapsing again.”
Violet grinned at her brother, though she gripped both the bed and Xaden’s hand tighter this time, expecting the lightheadedness and managing to stay stable through it.
Brennan dipped his head in silent acknowledgement. “Vi,” he said slowly. When Violet’s attention was on him, he continued. “Promise me you’ll come see me if you get injured.”
“Is that what other riders do?” Violet asked genuinely, though she was sure she knew the answer.
“Not always,” Brennan conceded.
Violet shook her head, taking a short breath. “I love you, Bren. I’m glad you’re here, and alive, and I’m grateful to you for mending me.” She gave a slightly unstable glance towards the bed. “But I’m not the twelve year old you knew. I have to rely on myself, and you have to trust me to do so, please.” Hesitantly, she released Xaden’s hand and stepped towards Brennan. He eyed her uncertainly. Violet wrapped her arms around him, pressing herself into the big brother she thought she’d lost half a lifetime ago.
Brennan returned the hug, slowly at first. Then, he pressed Violet against his chest, the same way they’d hugged before he’d left for the riders quadrant. Violet thought she could probably understand him better now, though it would be a long time before she’d fully forgive his silence.
“If I actually need mending, I’ll come and see you,” she promised as she pulled away from him. Brennan let her go, his eyes glistening.
“Be careful, and have fun with your dragons,” he said, kissing her cheek. The familial affection was so foreign to her that Violet didn’t react to it, she just stepped towards Xaden. “I’ll see you soon, Vi.”
“Yeah, soon,” Violet agreed, taking Xaden’s hand.
They walked together through Riorson house. It felt different, knowing she was staying now, that this was her home. The corridors were quiet, Violet had missed the rush of activity that happened after threshing. There was no one left from Navarre, cadets were in class, there even seemed to be a lack of the usual civilians around.
Xaden offered for them to get some more food, but she declined. They walked towards the flight field, the cloudy sky a relief for Violet - She was sure bright sunshine would’ve been painful.
“I’m going to have you put in Liam’s squad,” Xaden said as they made their way to the flight field.
“You don’t have to pull strings for me, Xaden,” Violet responded with a frown.
“Violence,” Xaden laughed. “These riders have known each other for two months already. They’ve tested each other, and know their strengths and weaknesses. You need at least one person you know in your squad.”
“They’ll all say you’re playing favourites,” Violet argued.
“It’s too late to argue, Violence. You’ll just have to accept it,” Xaden said, rolling his eyes.
Violet didn’t have a retort. Her dragons had just come into view, a hulking black thing, whose golden eyes seemed to track her every movement. Beside him, the small golden dragon seemed to practically vibrate on the spot, her scales shimmering again, though the lack of sunlight made her less of a beacon for trouble.
Behind them both, a slightly more familiar blue dragon waited. Xaden walked over to her, raising a hand to her snout briefly in greeting.
“Um, hi,” Violet said uncertainly, coming to a stop in front of her own dragons. There was a rush of warm air as Tairn let out a sigh.
“You do not have to look crazy, Silver one.”
Violet frowned, glancing towards Xaden, who was watching calmly as he leaned against Sgaeyl’s leg. She knew he’d spoken to Sgaeyl around her, but he’d never done so out loud. She narrowed her eyes, focusing intently on her dragons. “Like this?” she asked, feeling more insane trying to communicate like that.
“That’s it! I knew you were smart. My first rider would never be anything but!” Tairn huffed again, this time towards Andarna, who fell silent.
“I don’t know what I’m doing,” Violet thought to them, feeling humour from her dragons at the admission.
“Most riders start out with a flight. You were too busy dying to have a real one.” Tairn said.
Violet’s jaw dropped as she stared up into Tairn’s face. “You want to fly… with me?” She felt stupid, but she reminded herself that this was a dragon who could tear her apart, or more likely set her on fire if she did something wrong, so clarifying was probably a good idea.
“Is that not what it means to be a rider?” Tairn asked, exasperated. Violet guessed that might be a normal state for him.
She turned to Xaden, her shaking voice giving away her nerves. “He wants to go for a flight.”
“I know,” Xaden responded with a shrug, pushing off of Sgaeyl and stepping towards Violet. “But he’s missing a step.” She followed his movement, so her back was to her dragons, and Xaden reached out for her, his hands sliding down her arms until he caught her hands, pulling her a few paces towards him. “Stay still, this might burn for a minute, but I promise it doesn’t last long.”
Violet stared at him, brows furrowed, as he lifted her knuckles to his lips, and then dropped them far too quickly, stepping away.
Heat rushed over her back, a hiss of pain escaping as Violet forced herself to remain upright despite the feeling of fire burning her.
“You’ll like it,” Tairn promised, his voice breaking through the discomfort. “It’s unique.”
The pain faded to a dull ache quickly, as Xaden said it would, and he took a step forward.
“May I?” he asked, his eyes skimming over her.
“What?”
“Your back, can I see it?” He stood in front of her again, waiting.
Violet winced as she started to raise her shirt, the front rising with it to show off her stomach, and she flushed as Xaden’s eyes flicked downwards before he stepped around her, helping to place the shirt around her shoulders.
The rough pads of his fingers met her skin. Violet shivered at the touch, He seemed to be tracing something, Violet tried to follow what it was, but couldn’t make out words or an image.
“This is beautiful.” Xaden said, breathless. “Did you want to see it?”
“See what?”
“Step aside, Shadow Wielder."
Xaden moved in front of Violet again. She caught a brief glimpse of shining golden specks in his eyes before her vision changed.
She was suddenly looking at her own back, at least, she thought it was hers. She knew of no one else who had the same silver tipped hair as her, and in the background, Xaden was there, as he had been before the change to her vision. What she didn’t recognise was the tattoo of two dragons in the middle of it. A glistening black dragon mid flight stretched from shoulder to shoulder, and in its centre, the silhouette of a shimmering golden one.
Not a tattoo, she realised slowly. This was her relic, like Xaden had on his back. It was their claiming of her.
“It’s beautiful,” she whispered.
“We know,” Andarna’s voice was calmer, but her joy was still palpable.
When her vision became her own again, Xaden’s eyes were still on her, soft and sparkling and beautiful.
“You like it?” he asked, a small smile on his lips.
“I do,” Violet agreed, unsure if she was meaning the relic, him, Aretia or something else. Everything, she decided. She absently raised a hand to trace his lips, watching the smile grow as her finger moved, until he caught her wrist, holding her hand still as he pressed a kiss to each fingertip.
Violet would’ve let him continue, but a rush of hot air from the dragons stopped Xaden.
“Sgaeyl’s here for a flight.” he stated. The grip on her wrist slid to her hand, once joined, they fell between them.
Violet tipped her head to the side. “You’ll come with us?” Relief flooded through her when he agreed. If he had any control, she was certain Xaden wouldn’t let her fall.
“If Sgaeyl and Tairn can avoid being parted, they will. I’m afraid you’re stuck with me, Sorrengail.”
Violet grinned, she couldn’t stop herself. “I can think of worse things.” She stood on her toes, and Xaden met her half way, their lips meeting for several heated kisses before Xaden pulled back.
“Sgaeyl’s impatient,” he grumbled, though his eyes lit up at Violet’s laugh. He placed one more chaste kiss to her lips before walking towards Sgaeyl. Violet turned to her own dragons.
“Okay,” she said, letting out a heavy breath as she started towards Andarna, the size of the smaller dragon far less daunting than Tairn.
“Not her,” Tairn said. Violet could feel Andarna’s immediate disappointment.
“But she seems like a better size for me,” Violet said, glancing up at Tairn again. “Besides, I might actually get onto Andarna, there’s no way I can get on you like that.” Violet gestured towards Xaden, who chose that moment to mount Sgaeyl.
“Andarna is too small to carry you.” Tairn responded, dropping one leg into something that looked like a ramp. Violet’s eyes widened.
“One day I’ll be allowed to carry you, Violet,” Andarna said with a hint of sadness that was quickly brushed away. “We’ll have so much fun together!”
“We will,” Violet agreed easily, turning back to Tairn. “Thank you?” she said hesitantly, glancing towards Xaden who was already sitting comfortably on Sgaeyl, waiting patiently for her.
Violet walked up the leg, feeling the smoothness of the scales beneath her fingers. She wobbled several times - this was something she’d have to get used to - but a hand on Tairn’s body gave her enough balance. She managed to stand on Tairn’s back, looking around uncertainly before glancing at Xaden. He was sitting just in front of the shoulder-wing joint, so she made her way to that position, sitting down when she felt like she was in the right spot.
“Hold on,” Tairn said once Violet was seated. She was certain he laughed at his own words.
“To what?” Violet asked out loud, fear making its way through her body.
Tairn didn’t respond, though Violet thought she felt something seal her in place on him. She tried not to screech as his wings beat, lifting her off the ground.
When they were finally in the sky, Sgaeyl flew close beside them, and Xaden grinned at Violet from her back. Violet took a moment to breathe, and threw her arms in the air, her mind filling with a freedom she’d never known before.
As they soared through the air, Violet’s eyes stinging from the wind, Violet realised she couldn’t wait - to learn more, to become a rider, to be with Xaden. She wanted all of it, and somehow, she had it.