Xaden has an awful habit of believing that he is always welcome in Vyshena's room. Opening the door he second he was in reach, coming inside, seeing Rhiannon laid on the twin sized mattress next to Vyshena as they completed homework, or Vyshena handing the girl her already completed homework to copy.

But Vyshena likes to embarass Xaden, any chance she gets. So when he slams the door, no one looked at him. "There's this thing called knocking, wingleader." Rhiannon said as she snacked on popcorn Vyshena smuggled back to her room. "I need a word with you." His voice was low, angry, that much Rhiannon knew.

"I don't want to hear it?" Vyshena said in a questioning tone, "you were out of line." He didn't care that Rhiannon was in the room at this point. "What was the deal you made with Violet's mom? That you'll be her protector? Make sure no harm comes to her?" Vyshena asked, sitting up on the bed while Xaden went quiet. Rhiannon rose her eyes, glancing between the two.

"Right, that's why Tairn choose her then? So you guys will always be stationed together, never separated. You have that bond." Vyshena spoke in a tone that made Xaden's blood boil and Rhiannon wanted to laugh. She was speaking like a girl in need. "I can't tell you anything." Xaden says, his eyes falling to Rhiannon while Vyshena turned and looked at her.

"My dragon, Fyda. She's at Alithia. Xaden told me the day I was supposed to come to the Riders Quadrant last year she wasn't able to come with me, and he kidnapped her. Turns out, Rio's more than happy to go get her and bring her here." Rhiannon wanted to gasp, ask all the questions she had but instead remained quiet. "I can trust you'll keep that information to yourself, right?" Vyshena asked and saw Rhiannon's small smile. "With my life, princess."

"I can't believe,"

"Believe that I have people I trust other than you? 'Cause you took that away when you took her." Rhiannon kept copying down the homework she already knew how to do, resting on her elbow. "The General made me promise, a part of the deal we made to keep the kids safe. I was to protect Violet, and keep her alive." Xaden's words purred, not growled, in Vyshena's direction.

"Protect." Vyshena said, shooting a smile his way while Xaden slowly shut his eyes. "Everything you think I need." Rhiannon's eyes widened as she continued jotting down the assignment. "I don't think you need anything. Liam, Bodhi, everyone who knows has kept you sane and you don't realize it." He snapped, angering Vyshena. "Pulling you out of the gym after you almost lit it on fire? Keeping you sane. Liam pulling you away from Aetos, keeping you sane. Grabbing you during formation after you tortured Amber, sane." Vyshena opened her mouth in protest, "thought you could trust her?" Xaden asked, quirking his lip upward in response as Rhiannon slowly looked at him.

"She can." Rhiannon's tone was short and harsh and directed straight at the wingleader. "Then you, can be in charge of making sure your friend doesn't turn into a dragon during sparring, right Scáthach?" With that, Xaden left the bedroom. Slamming the door on the way out.

Rhiannon slowly looked at Vyshena whose lips were parted, staring at the spot where Xaden stood. "What does he mean?" Rhiannon asked quietly, and in turn Vyshena slowly shook her head.

"He broke the oath."

The next morning with flight maneuvers for War Games. Rhiannon left Vyshena's bedroom after she politely asked, with a tone that was short of anger but not directed towards the cadet. "Let's go, Lenayon!" Liam shouts from behind Violet and she smiled. Despite the mild threat she received from the girl, Violet was still proud of her.

Rio shot into the air like an arrow, her dark blue masking in with the clouds overhead and disappearing into them. The squad went silent, waiting to see if Vyshena would return on Rio.

"What is that?" Sawyer asked, seeing a speck fall from the clouds. "No, fucking, way." Liam gasped once Vyshena was in a free fall after leaping off the back of Rio. With another swift movement, and the loud flapping sounds, another dark blue dragon had flown in from the west and Violet took a step back. "That's not Rio," Rhiannon spoke almost silently as she watched Vyshena land on the back of Sgaeyl in a squat. She slowly stood up, getting her footing before Sgaeyl had shifted and flown the other direction.

Ridoc's mouth was dropped open. "She's jumping again!" Another cadet screamed as Rio had came from the clouds in a dive. Straight toward Sgaeyl, with her claws extended out, Vyshena took off in a sprint down Sgaeyl's back and at the last minute, jumped. Her left hand wrapped around Rio's talon, swinging her legs up and she climbed onto the beast as she straightened out her posture.

"Well, that's it for flight maneuvers!" Kaori shouted as the other squads couldn't complain, and soon flocked excitedly around Vyshena as she jumped from Rio's back and slid down her side, landing feet first on the grass as she pulled the flight goggles off of her head. She pushed through the crowd, giving a glance at Kaori who was clapping with the clipboard in his hands.

"I don't appreciate you using my dragon for entertainment." Xaden said from behind Rhiannon. The girl jumped, not knowing when he shown up behind her and Violet. "She sure appreciated it." Slapping the flight goggles to Xaden's chest, bumping into his side as she walked past and to the riders quadrant.

Rhiannon had let herself into Vyshena's dorm that night. "Question," she said while sitting on Vyshena's bed in her night attire. "I might have an answer." There was a knock on Vyshena's door, and Rhiannon furrowed her brows as she stood up and walked to it.

"Vi! Hey!" Vyshena finished brushing her hair while setting the brush down and saw Violet's smile. "Come in," Rhiannon said as she opened the door for her friend. "You guys are spending a lot of time together. I feel like I haven't seen either of you." Violet chuckled under her breath. "She has all the homework answers." Rhiannon ignored her previous statement of having a question. "You can sit," Vyshena told Violet who stood awkwardly by the bed.

"What did you mean when you told Xaden that no harm can come my way?" Violet got straight to the point, and Vyshena rose her brows. "Your life is tied to his, and I could care less about what happens to him. Sgaeyl is who I worry about." Violet slowly nodded, "so, does that mean you're protecting me now too?" The girl tried to joke, and Rhiannon stared straight at the princess. "You can take care of yourself. He needs to realize that."

"Why do you worry about Sgaeyl?" Rhiannon asked and the princess was stumped again. "She will choose Xaden over anyone, and I couldn't say the same for him. He is selfish when it comes to people he loves," Violet quirked her eyebrow. "How did you hurt him?"

"Hurt who? I've hurt a lot of people."

"Xaden." Violet answered, "he hurt me, so I hurt him back. Seems like a fair trade with how we grew up. He took something that belonged to me, so I took something of his and immobilized it's capacity. Sgaeyl trusts me, because of it." Violet only had more questions at her vague responses. "You will be stationed with him for the rest of your life, Violet. I want you to learn about him with what he's willing to share with you. I don't air out your business to other people."

"And I wouldn't do the same to you." Oh, but you would. "I'm looking to finish this schooling I was forced into, then running. Somewhere no one will be able to find me. Far enough to where Xaden's shadows do not follow. So far, that my name is written in history books about the lost princess. So, please, for the sake of yourself, protect him." Rhiannon didn't blame her. Vyshena never asked of this, never asked to be taken from her dragon, never asked to be forced here.

"I don't understand." Violet said, gently shaking her head.

"When I run, he will try and follow. It's what's always happened and he always finds me. I ran the day before coronation last year and he found me a month before coronation this year. I learned my lesson when he dragged me back and told me my life was on the line if I did not go. I handed him a dagger and told him to take it." Violet wasn't sure why she had tears in her eyes but she did, "so I marked him. Down the side of his face." Vyshena said and Rhiannon gasped, "you made that scar?" She asked, sitting up in bed.

"I made most of his scars. Don't let them sink into the relationship you have with him, Violet. He can't be trusted."