Chapter Text
I leave the meeting room, not really surprised, but a little astonished.
My third year at Basgiath war college begins in a week, and leadership has decided to bump me up from a cadet to a Wingleader.
Looks like I’ll be the second Wingleader Riorson. I get why they did it, of course. I’m used to having responsibilities and managing other people. According to Devera, I’m great at speeches, and I’m also incredibly powerful. With my signet and sparring.
I didn’t see it coming, but I’m ready for anything. Walking down the hallway, I blink out of my thoughts and look up to see Rhiannon, sitting on a bench outside the room. I plop down beside her, sighing.
“So, what was that all about?” She asks, a furrow in her brows.
Instead of responding, I just hand her the wingleader patch, the one I have to sew onto my flight leathers. She takes it, glances at it then does a double take, then finally, “Wingleader? You’re our wingleader? How did this happen?” There’s pure and utter shock written on her face, and all I can do is shrug.
She hands the patch back to me, and I tuck it into a pocket on my flight leathers just as Ridoc and Sawyer round the corner.
Sawyer’s gotten much better on his prosthetic now that he’s been able to alter it to his needs, and he’s almost perfected mounting his dragon.
“Well hello ladies, what has got you in such a tizzy? You look like you’ve seen a ghost, Rhi.” Ridoc teases, and I just hand him the patch.
He goes silent.
“Okay, well, this is not what I was expecting.” He whispers after a few moments. Sawyer nods in agreement.
“I mean, it makes sense. Did you hear that speech she gave a few months ago when Aura Beinhaven was starting that fight? That shit was one of the most badass things I’ve seen.” Rhiannon says.
“We know you can handle it, Vi. And you’ve got your husband.” Sawyer comments. I nod.
Ridoc grins. “This makes wingleader Riorson number two! And it calls for a celebration.”
“Oh please. You just want to get drunk.” Rhiannon remarks.
“Sure, but it’ll still be fun!”
“I’ll meet you guys later. I’m going to go talk to Xaden.” I say, standing up and giving them one last wave before walking down the hallway.
I head to Xaden and I’s room, fiddling with the patch in my hand.
When I walk in, he’s tugging a shirt over his head, his hair still wet from a shower he must have taken. His eyes land on me after the shirt is on, and he walks over, the playful grin on his face beautiful as ever.
He wraps his arms around my waist, leaning down to kiss me softly on the lips.
“Are you okay? You look worried.” He asks.
“Fine, just…” I sigh. “I was pulled into a meeting with leadership. They’re bumping me from cadet to wingleader.”
He nods, brushing a piece of hair back from my face with a soft look in his eyes. “You don’t need to worry about anything, Vi. You can handle this. You’ve done unimaginable things and been the best duchess Tyrrendor has had. If anyone can do this, it’s you. And I’ll be there for you every second.”
He strokes my cheek gently. “Okay?”
I nod, smiling softly up at him. “Okay.” I whisper, leaning my head forward to rest it against his chest.
He tightens his arms around me, dropping a gentle kiss to the top of my head. His hand trails up and down my back, over my flight leathers. We stay there for a few minutes in each other's arms, before he whispers, “You should shower.”
“Are you telling me I smell?”
“Possibly.”
I laugh, stepping out of his arms and reaching up to pull the pins from my hair, but he grabs my wrists before I can.
“Let me.” He whispers, so I drop my arms and let him take the pins from my hair and pull the strands apart, before it falls down my back in soft waves.
He kisses my head again, then gives my back a gentle nudge. “Go shower.” He mumbles.
About 10 minutes later, I step out of the shower with a towel around my body, using another one to dry my hair at least a little.
I walk back into the bedroom, glancing to the bed to see Xaden sitting there, watching me with a look of pure admiration.
I let both towels drop and watch Xaden’s eyes glimmer with desire, but I can tell he knows by the way I’m dragging myself along, that won’t be happening tonight.
I quickly pull on pajamas, run a brush through my hair, and then get into bed.
I slide in beside Xaden, and he slings an arm over my waist to tug me into his chest, placing a gentle kiss to my head before burying his face in my hair.
“I love you.” I whisper.
“I love you, too. And no matter what, I’ll be by your side, wingleader Riorson.”