The six hour ride to Monteserrat was calming for Vyshena. Violet's eyes widened as she saw the girl push up onto her feet, stretching her body mid-flight before laying on Rio's back and pulling out a book to read. It was impossible. Reading with the wind blowing at the speed it was, no flight goggles. She gave them to Xaden. Standing up to stretch?

Landing wasn't any better, with the princess dropping to Rio's talons as they descended. She sat on the foot, larger than a boulder and jumped once she got to a safe distance. Rio landing in front of her, Vyshena walked through her back legs, under Rio's belly, and out her front before reaching forward and scratching at the dragons scales on her chest.

They were given double-occupancy rooms. With Violet and Rhiannon, Nadine and Vyshena, Liam and Sawyer, Ridoc had a bunk to himself from the odd number of male to female cadets. Rhiannon debated asking Violet if she could switch with Vyshena, but after the princess came in with her bag hung over her shoulder, dragging a mattress in after her, Rhiannon giggled. "I am not sleeping with Nadine. She snores and talks in her sleep."

"So does Violet," Rhiannon chuckled while hearing Violet gasp loudly. "I do not,"

"You do, but not as much as Nadine."

Vyshena pushed the foot of the mattress to the other corner of the room and dropped her bag onto it. Peeling off her flight jacket with a heavy sigh and dropping onto the bed. "Did the flight wear you guys out too?" Violet asked as she rubbed her shoulders. "Yes,", "No."

"You've been flying your entire life, V." Rhiannon said while pulling out a change of clothes. "You coming?" Rhiannon asked while Vyshena rose her brows and tugged her hair out of the braid. "When its clear." And Rhiannon understood with a quick nod to her head.

Vyshena had walked through the outpost, "Lenayon!" Turning her head quickly, she saw a woman who looked familiar to Violet. "Wow, we're hosting royalty!" Mira gasped, and held a hand to her heart. "Anything you need, truly," Vyshena squinted her eyes in response to the woman's tone. "Your sister is an interesting character." Vyshena answered and Mira's face slowly fell.

"She's lucky! Riorson has her on a short leash." Vyshena stuck her hands in her pockets and rocked on the heels of her feet. "I don't know what game you're playing,"

"No game."

"My mother oversaw your parents execution, the execution of your dragons." Vyshena slowly smiled. "If my dragon was dead, I wouldn't have the honor of meeting you, Sorrengail." Vyshena said and gave a quick nod, "I see where Violet get's it from." Before Mira could ask what she meant, the princess had left back to her rooms.

"Come on," Vyshena squeaked once someone grabbed her hand, tugging her into the darkness of outside. "We're sneaking out." Violet spoke under her breath and Vyshena nodded. "Okay, let's go." Rhiannon furrowed her brows, "girl?" She asked, seeing the confusion on her friends face.

"What?" Vyshena asked, "you don't want to know where were going?" Rhiannon asked, a smile on her lips. "I don't really care where were going. Can I ride with you? I don't want to bother Rio." Rhiannon nodded, knowing that Feirge would be more than happy to host the princess.

A short flight later, Vyshena was sat in the kitchen of Rhiannon's family. "We've never had a royal in our home!" Rhiannon's mother smiled wide as she handed a mug of tea to Vyshena. "Oh, I'm far from it." Rhiannon's mom gasped, "I want to know, everything."

An hour later, Vyshena was at the table with Violet, and Rhiannon's mother. "Growing up was difficult, yes." The mom held her hand under her chin, "and your dragon? She was born with you, correct?" Vyshena nodded, "when my mother found out she was pregnant, she picked out an egg and placed it in my crib. The night I was born, Fyda hatched. We learned life together."

"You call your dragons your children, right?" She asked and Vyshena nodded. "Yes, she is my child." Violet was astonished how different Vyshena was when around normal folk. "Incredible. And she is purple?" Vyshena nodded, "how come she wasn't allowed to come to the school with you?" The mother asked and Vyshena rose her brows. There was no answer, no lie she could give. "Forgive me, if I ask too much." The mother placed a hand over her heart.

"We have years of secrets that need to be protected and that is one of them. The military see's her as a threat after the rebellion. They have not found her after what she done." She saw how the mothers eyes widened. "General Melgren's dragon was in charge of marking all the kids of the rebellion. Fyda found out, and before he could mark me she attacked him." The mother slowly shut her eyes and sucked in a slow breath. "She is alright, and she is alive. Although, I'm not sure how Codagh is holding up. Acre's of our land were covered in his blood after I told her to flee. Violet's dragon," Violet rose her brows. "Took his eye that night. And Sgaeyl, almost had him as well." Vyshena didn't bother naming Tairn. Afterall, he chose Violet.

"Astonishing."

"We were seen as ruthless. The first dragons to turn on our own kind but they don't understand that we are different from others. Our dragons see us as equals, not as riders. They don't see us as a burden, or if they're better than us. We will fight on the side of the war we believe is right, whether that's a battle against humans or beasts." The mothers eyes remained wide, noticing how Vyshena's focus sort of stayed steady before she pushed out of her chair and walked to the front door.

Mira, and Rhiannon both noticed. "V?" Rhiannon asked, seeing her swing open the door and look to the left. Muttering curses under her breath, "you're so insufferable." Violet heard while the hair on the back of her neck stood up once the door for the 6'4 man to walk inside of.

"Seriously?" Rhiannon complained while Vyshena took her seat again. "This is our wingleader, never any place I can hide from him." The mother rose her brows while holding out a hand. "Pleasure to meet you,"

"Xaden." He offered his name while Vyshena rested the palm of her hand under her chin. Her eyes finding Rhiannon, as if telling her she can never be too far.

The flight back was silent, Vyshena was put on the back of Sgaeyl with Xaden. "You couldn't give her some time?" Vyshena asked and noticed how Xaden's back shrugged once they were in the air comfortably. "Why should I? You all broke the rules."

"Because Rhiannon's family is right next door. I couldn't tell her not to go see her family. Her sister just had a baby." Violet was behind them, watching Vyshena keep her arms at her sides as she sat on the dragon without a harness. "I understand but you of all people should know the dangers of whats out here."

"Like a pack of Venin are going to come to the village." Vyshena sighed while shaking her head gently. From Xaden's silence, she grew nervous. "They are?" She asked, leaning forward gently. "They're getting bolder." And her stomach fell. "What do you mean?"

She saw the walls start to take shape the closer they got. "They're getting bolder. Showing up where we don't expect them, actually fighting back." He sighed and Vyshena felt the cold rush of it down her spine.

Rhiannon was the first one to the ground first, then Mira, then Violet who watched Xaden dismount Sgaeyl and hold a hand up for the princess. Rhi saw as Xaden instead pulled at Vyshena's ankle, and she slid down halfway before Xaden caught her waist and he set her on her feet. It was so natural.

"What do you mean, fighting back?" Xaden walked to the girls. "This ever comes out, it's on you three." He spoke softly while Mira made a sour face in his direction. "Come on," he told Vyshena who didn't bother to say her good-bye's to her friends as she was hot on his heels. "They're siphoning the life from the earth. Killing people who still stand." Xaden opened up the door for her, and she walked under his arm to get inside.

Following him, waiting for any answers that she had as he done the same to his bedroom door. She walked right in but easily felt the wards on his bedroom. "The group of Fliers were working with are doing what they can to keep it silent." Xaden sat at his desk, leaving her to stand in the bedroom. "Our parents died for this, to kill them. How are they back?" She noticed the same confusion on his features. "Your guess is better than mine."

She sighed while plopping down on his mattress, her arms falling between her legs and shoulders slouching. "I don't understand." Xaden stood up and pushed his chair in. "None of us do, Hena."

Stopping in front of her, she sighed while looking up at him. "We won't live through another war with them." Xaden slowly nodded, and she studied what he had on. Sweatshirt, sweatpants, and his flying boots. "Why are you in comfy clothes?" She asked, tilting her head to the side. "Sgaeyl said we're coming to you guys so she could see Tairn. Didn't have enough time to change." He told her while undressing.

Vyshena hummed, leaning back with the palms of her hands. "I still don't get it." She said, sitting up quickly once he pulled back the sheets of his mattress back and got inside of them. Vyshena scooted back against the wall, pulling her knees to her chest. "None of us do. And we probably won't. Brennen is working the best he can, Fyda isn't offering any help." Vyshena turned to look at him.

The mage light overhead casting orange onto his already tan skin. The white of his scar seemed to be glowing. He had a tired expression on his face, and a shadow of his beard peeking through. His arm was raised to hold behind his head, and one of his knees was cocked. "She won't, either." Vyshena sighed, as Xaden agreed.

"I just don't understand what brought them back. They all fled, the ones we didn't kill." She tilted her head to the side, mind racing. "It won't do you any good stressing over it. Besides, your in my bed." Vyshena's eyes widened from the stare she had on the wall, finally realizing that yes she is in fact in his bed. "And you came so willingly."

She gave him a look as if saying don't ruin it and his lips tugged into a wide smile before a chuckle fell past his throat. "You're a dick," she answered and he sat up quickly. "I've got one." He said, his head cocking to the side.

Vyshena pushed at his shoulders to stand up, "I'm sorry, baby, I'm sorry." Xaden apologized while grabbing her hips and turning so he could lay her down. "Let me up." Vyshena instructed while Xaden laid over her. His head on her chest and arms wrapped around her. Her head rested on a pillow, and legs straight. "Shh," Xaden chuckled while he felt Vyshena's body relax.

He lifted up, smiling at her as she blinked tiredly. "Just stay here, you don't need to bunk with the girls. Too crowded." He said softly, "you just wanna get in my pants." Vyshena said and Xaden furrowed his brows.

"I'll put a pillow between us if that makes you feel better?" Vyshena furrowed her brows, "baby steps." She rolled her eyes while unlacing her boots and pulling them off. His neighbors below all groaning when hearing her boots make heavy contact with the floor.

Xaden smacked a pillow between them, knocking Vyshena in her face while she huffed and rolled onto her side to face the wall.

"You remember when Liam broke his ankle?"

"Yeah?"

"I think about that often." Xaden laid on his back, rubbing his fingers across his chest. "Why? It was terrifying." Vyshena had a slight chuckle fall pass her lips. "You mended for the first time. You were seven." Xaden turned his head, looking at the back of hers. Her hair glowed in the dark. "Haven't done it since. And Liam still has a limp if you pay real close attention." Xaden rolled his eyes.

"You have within you everything you need to deal with whatever the world will throw at you." The native tongue of her mother left Xaden's mouth and Vyshena slowly shut her eyes at the saying. "Not a whole lot." Continuing the sentence in the foreign tongue. "You're making me mad," Xaden sighed, turning to lay on his side. Their backs pressed together gently.

"How am I making you mad?" She scoffed, "because you don't believe in yourself. You never have." Xaden's accent was different when he spoke Alithian. "I believe in myself." She argued, rolling onto her back to look at his. "No, you don't."

"So why am I here then? At this school? I believed that I could do it. That I could make friends, have a family, be someone completely different."

"You are." Xaden's accent agreed, a slight groan coming from his throat while he shifted onto his back. "You didn't need to be someone completely different, Vyshena."

"The professors are looking for the daughter that lit the entire field on fire that night. They're looking for the lost princess, who could kill a man by just looking at him. They're looking for a girl who has the ability to kill a dragon." Xaden's eyes slowly shut. "Because of reports my parents had made. Wanting the upbringing of their house, as well as yours. Our parents were selfish. Selfish enough to bind us together, selfish enough to deem me as a dragon, and selish enough to trust that their secrets would never be revealed, and guess what?" She asked, looking straight at him.

"They robbed us of a childhood, of feelings for anyone else because that's not possible with how we were raised. They're created a monster within myself, so I don't know who I truly am. And their secrets have been made public to the people they hid it from." She told Xaden everything he already knew and he slowly shut his eyes. "I don't want to fight, Hena." He breathed out and sat up, resting his legs over the mattress with his back to her again.

"What part of my tone tells you I want to fight? I'm good, Xaden. I don't want to fight, I'm tired." She said, keeping her laid position while he shifted his hips to be able to look at her. "I, personally, loved our childhood." Xaden said while shrugging his shoulders. "Living in a castle. Family with the most powerful people in the world. Trained by only the best fighters, got my own dragon before everyone else." His lips tugged into a small smile, knowing he was joking.

"Your lucky Eon turned out the way she did, and we don't have two Fyda's." Xaden caught it. We. We are lucky that we don't have two Fyda's. He refused to make a comment on it, knowing there were no shields up, she was tired, maybe even exhausted. It slipped, but she said it.

"I also loved the path our parents made for us." Vyshena rolled her eyes. "You know I was born for you?" She asked, finally admitting it. She saw his face fall, "what?" He asked quietly. "Our parents had this thought of creating more power. With a Riorson boy, and a Lenayon girl. Surely, they'd rule." Xaden's face went three shades of pale, and Vyshena smiled. "I have never been solely myself, always yours. My purpose in this life, is to be someone's. Maybe in the next I'll be my own." Xaden kept his glassy eyes on her.

"Vyshena, we made the decision to accept it." Xaden scooted closer to her. "We were the ones to sign our names. Sure, the thought came up then you were born but they wouldn't of made us do anything."

"I was ten, you were twelve. We signed our names, the ritual happened," Xaden glanced down to his mattress. "We were children forced into a bond. We didn't understand and they knew we didn't understand that's why they allowed us." Listening to them speak was musical. The dead language being spoken by the last two survivors, making sure the world was still aware that they'd be forever haunted for their decisions. "But we loved each other. The feeling we had was not chemical, not engraved in us." He said, brows tight together.

"It came natural. We had that bond before it was sealed. It was nothing new to us. That feeling, is what we understood." Vyshena couldn't deny that he was right, so she just stared at him with a look of comprehension. "I know, Xaden." She answered, sighing silently while pulling the blankets higher up her chest.

He laid down, tucking himself under while they fell into a comfortable silence. "Will you let me in?" Vyshena shut her eyes, shifting onto her stomach while getting comfortable. "This is the only place I am my own. I will not allow you to possess here as well."