My Sphere of Freedom

It was an ordinary day at Basgiath. You walked down the corridors to the scribers quadrant to fulfill your duty and return your teachers books. It was a warm day in July the sun flooded the halls with bright light. It seemed to be peaceful, as if there was no war to be scared of and no secrets hiding behind these walls. You loved having library duty. Every morning and afternoon you walked down there into the peaceful silence, smelled the scent of the books, and watched the scribes hustling around between large bookshelves, followed by the soft sound of crunching paper.

But this afternoon it was not meant for you to enjoy your walk down there. Someone approached you from behind you could hear the fast steps echoing from the stone. "Y/N." It was a rider who you barely knew you saw him at sparring sometimes. "Yeah?" you responded, wondering what he might want from you. "There is- You know-" he stuttered, and you noticed two other riders standing a few steps away from you. They whispered and laughed about something, probably his friends. "Screw it." the man in front of you grumbled. He grabbed your chin harshly to pull you closer, and before you could register what happened, he pressed his lips on yours.

You blinked twice before you pushed him away as hard as you could and put out your dagger. Oh, would you have known what chaos these two seconds would cause. "Did you lose your mind?" you shouted angrily, gesturing at his throat with your dagger. You looked at him and registered his arrogant grin, but whatever he was saying, you weren't listening. In the corner of your eye, you saw someone's familiar black hair. The person hurried around the corner, and you were sure that he saw something that wasn't true. You left the rider in front of you, who was talking about a stupid dare, and ran after him.

Bodhi was walking down the corridor with large steps. You could see that he was angry. His shoulders were tense, and his steps were louder than they had to be. "Bodhi?" you said carefully, eager to explain the situation before he could tell your boyfriend something that wasn't truly what happened. "I saw it." he said sharply, his voice trembling. "Bodhi, it was not what it looked like." You could hear your own words and knew how they sounded. The problem was that you and Bodhi could not be considered as close. He doesn't hate you and was never disrespectful towards you, but he doesn't know you. If it had been Imogen who saw you, it would have turned out differently. "So, you didn't kiss that guy?" he hissed, furious.

Bodhi was probably the most loyal one to Xaden. He wouldn't accept any behavior that could hurt him so much was clear. You were sure that Xaden would never just take such rumors for granted and he would talk to you privately to clear up the situation. He probably would try to kill that guy, but he would never call you a liar. Still, you did not want him to be confronted with such things you wanted to tell him yourself. "Yes, he kissed me, but it was a stupid joke." you explained, forcing your voice to stay calm. The man beside you huffed in disbelief. "Yeah, sure." and walked off.

Before the day was coming to an end, you still had battle brief classes. Xaden was not there instead Bodhi was observing you through his unfriendly gaze. Imogen had asked you what happened when she noticed the tension between the two of you, and, as expected, she believed you right away. Your fingers trembled on the wood of your desk. You even asked Tairn if he could ask Sgaeyl if Xaden was mad at you, but he had just huffed in disapproval. "Y/L?" Devera and the others were staring at you obviously you had missed a question. "Two weeks ago." Imogen, who sat next to you, mumbled, and you repeated after her. Devera noticed it for sure but didn't say anything.

Your friend punched you slightly in the ribs. "Get yourself together." she whispered with a strict look on her face. You wished you could, but this was driving you crazy. When you tried to reach him through your shared bond, he just said, "Not now." and shut you out. Eventually, he still got mad, or even worse, was going to get some problems on his head if he was trying to kill that guy. You sighed, observing the watch on the stone wall of your classroom, just waiting for the lecture to be over. As soon as the class ended, you hurried to your boyfriend's room, but he wasn't there. Tairn still refused to say anything, telling you to handle this mess yourself.

You returned to your room frustrated about the events of the day and still wondering where Xaden could be. When you opened the door to your room, your question got answered. He was leaning against your desk, his arms crossed above his chest, the tension in his posture giving away that he was not in a good mood. His flight jacket was hanging over your chair. You noticed the raindrops on it, so he must have been outside during battle brief. No matter what, you were excited to see him, but when you approached him and wanted to lay your arms around his neck, he didn't move. You started to panic. Was he really believing that you kissed someone else on your own desire?

"Xaden, I know Bodhi believes that he saw me kissing someone, but it was just a stupid joke. I didn't want him to do that." you explained in a rush, hoping that the tension in your room would leave already. He still didn't move, but he was calm just observing you. "Xaden?" You lowered your voice, afraid of his nonexistent reaction. You expected him to demand to know who it was or laugh at Bodhi, who thought that you cheated on him, but he was just standing there. Suddenly, he cleared his throat, still not moving an inch. "You would have told me" he started, "if you wanted to end this?"

His voice was slightly trembling. You could read from his look that he was studying you in an attempt to find out if he had missed something. "I mean, if you were too afraid to tell me-" "Stop." you commanded, shaking your head in disbelief.. "I love you, I chose you and I will not change my mind about that ever! How could you think that?" His shoulders sank a bit, but he was still holding his position. "I just thought maybe I pushed you." You could hear it clearly even though it was just a whisper. You closed the distance with two steps and laid your hands on his shoulders. "You are the only one I want." you repeated. "It was just a stupid joke." Xaden finally gave up on his crossed arms and laid them on your waist, gently stroking circles with his thumbs.

His gaze was unfamiliar to you. The usual warmth was replaced with something that could not be described as anything other than fear. He studied your face, looking for signs that could prove your words wrong. When your hands wandered to his neck in an attempt to assure him that you had no intention of leaving him, you could feel the cold skin of his. He must have been outside for an eternity. You slid your hands over his neck to get him warm, and you could feel that the pressure was finally falling off him. "I just had to be sure." he mumbled, resting his forehead against yours while he pulled you closer, still gentle and cautious.

You breathed in his scent and memorized the movement of his muscles under your fingers, the tension leaving your body now that you have him with you. Firstly, you thought that the worst thing that could happen would be that Xaden would believe in Bodhi's words, but this was much worse. You have never seen him like this, and the cautiousness in his gaze gave away that he was still observing. "Xaden stop that." you said when he still watched over every movement you made. You took his hand and placed it on your chest. "It is yours, and it always will be."

He just continues to hold your gaze, never looking away from you. "What do I have to do to make you believe me?" you whispered when he still did not respond properly. "I do believe you." His voice got back its usual tone. "I just cannot afford to lose you. The thought that you might want to be with someone else almost killed me. You are mine, love. I would never let you go unless you want me to." He sighed and ran his hand through his hair. His gaze wandered over your room before it returned to you. You smiled up at him, lovingly pressing yourself against him so you could feel the warmth of his body through your clothes.

"The day that I ask you to leave will never come." you said with determination in your voice, not leaving any space for other suggestions. "Thats what I thought." The boyish grin on his face made your heart lighter he finally got back to his senses. His fingers trailed through your hair, loosening it to make it easier for him to stroke through it. You smiled when he started to place light kisses on your neck, wandering up to your jaw. "I will erase this kiss from your memory." he mumbled. "Is that so?" Your hands wandered from his neck to his shoulders, caressing over his body while you definitely enjoyed yourself.

Xaden didn't bother to answer he let his actions speak for him, and they didn't just speak, they screamed. He kept his promise. He kissed you like his life was depending on it. It was rough and messy, and you could feel how his body was heating up. A moan escaped your lips, getting him to sigh against your lips. He grabbed the collar of your flight jacket and ripped it open in one single move, throwing it carelessly on the ground. You gasped in surprise when he turned you around just to lift you up on your desk and pull you back at him.

When he pressed himself against you you could feel how hard he was between your legs. "Xaden" you gasped when he interrupted the kiss to get rid of your shirt. The unwanted kiss was long forgotten. His hands wandered over your body while he left trails of kisses over your jaw and neck. You tucked your hands under his shirt and stroked over his muscles. His grip on you got tighter in response, his body further pressed against yours. "I need you now." he growled, his voice as dark as his gaze. The golden sprinkles in his eyes seemed to be brighter than before. "Finally." you gasped and got rid of his shirt, throwing it on the ground to accompany your jacket.

But Xaden lost his patience he required only a few movements to free you and himself from your clothes and stumble over to your bed. You could feel the weight of his body and the heat radiating from him over you. He was driving you crazy when he kissed you again, slow and gentle this time, while he played with your nipple between his fingers. Obviously enjoying the moan that he got from you. Gods, I love that sound. You could hear him in your mind, but before you got the chance to respond, he thrusts into you.

Another moan escaped your throat, but way louder this time. You could feel him everywhere. He knew exactly where to position his hands and which angle pleased you best. You held onto him as the tension between your legs grew, because he was the only one who could hold you now. The heat spread over you in waves of pleasure, and you gave up on your efforts to silence your moans. Mainly because Xaden was avid to hear every single one of them and went all out to achieve that goal. Soon the moans turned into whimpers at the time that you got close to your orgasm. He noticed promptly and quickened his pace.

The thunder strike in front of your window caused the glass of it to vibrate and disclosed that you have reached your climax. Almost at the same moment, your room got flushed with shadows strolling away into the corners of the place before they disappeared. Your breath was heavy when Xaden lay down beside you and covered you with the blanket. His chuckle caught you by surprise. "This time you haven't set the forest on fire." he recorded with a mischievous grin on his face. You blushed and cuddled yourself against his chest. "We are getting better." you mumbled. "We should practice more often, then." he added seductively. You giggled in response.

For you, this is the perfect way to end the day. The warmth of his body and his fingers making circles on your shoulder were relaxing. The rain that started a couple of minutes ago was falling softly against your window, contributing to the relaxing atmosphere. But Xaden was not done yet he still had some business to do. He suddenly put himself up and leaned on his elbow, drifting against you. "You would never lie to me, right?" he asked, his voice still a bit raspy. "Of course not." you responded immediately. "Good." His gaze went dark, and the shadows at the wall seemed to flee from their owner, promising something bad to happen. "Then who was it?"

© littleskyguy 2026 - do not plagiarize, steal, or republish my works without my consent.

It is tradition that if the son or daughter takes over the house and status of his or her parents, the nobility is going to be invited to their seat of power. It is a rite meant to introduce young rulers into nobility and strengthen their relationship to meaningful supporters. The newcomer is expected to invite everyone from count to king, who usually excuses himself. Xaden didn't take over his father's throne after his death, for obvious reasons, but now that he inherits the status of duke of Tyrrendor, he is expected to follow the nobility's traditions anyway. He didn't care about the expectations of a bunch of people who called his father a traitor and left him in times of need. But Lewellen insisted that it wouldn't be in his favor to annoy royalty and that he could use this as an opportunity to get support, at least to a certain degree.

Here he was trying on his festive uniform for the ball he would rather call off than be forced to attend. You were watching him while he closed the silver buttons on the cuffs of his sleeves. You couldn't see it from the bed that you were sitting on, but you knew that there were daffodils imprinted on them—the symbol of Riorson House. He sighed deeply, looking at himself in the mirror with a look of disgust on his face. You took this as a sign to get up and walked over to him. His collar was crumpled, and the last two buttons were still open. So, you straightened the collar and closed the buttons to finish up his look. Now you could see the daffodils that were imprinted on every single button clearly. Even if you thought this uniform looked illegally good on him, you could tell that he felt uncomfortable.

"It is only one evening." you said while you stroked over his shoulders before you took a step back to look at him. "I think you can leave it like this." you confirmed. He was trying it on for the third time now after Lewellen had something to suspend the first two times. He was trying to help Xaden and was eager to make the ball perfect, commanding Brennan around to get some stuff he declared was indispensable or to take care of something that should be prepared for a guest with specific preferences. "I would rather fight alone than let a bunch of strangers in my house." he growled and rested his forehead against yours, stroking with his fingers through your hair to calm himself down. You closed your eyes for a moment, enjoying the touch of his hands before he let go of you and watched himself in the mirror.

"I don't even look like myself." he mumbled and stared at the patch on the left side of his chest, giving him away as the owner of the house. He refused to wear any more badges because he considered them boastful and was not interested in walking around as a proud rooster. You giggled at the memory of those words. "You think that's funny?" He raised an eyebrow and watched you skeptically. "No, I just cannot imagine how you will walk through the crowd of proud roosters with a straight face." you giggled again. "I am glad that at least one of us finds that funny." he growled again, but he couldn't prevent the smile creeping up his face. "Yeah, me too." you said with a teasing smile, and he rolled his eyes in response.

"It will be fine." The softness in your voice was meant to be reassuring, but you doubt that it really helped. Xaden only hummed in response, watching himself in the mirror once more before he started to take the uniform jacket off. "I have to attend a meeting I might be back late." he said before he pressed a gentle kiss on your forehead. His thumb caressing your cheek. "Dont fool around while I am gone, understood?" You grinned at him, causing him to squeeze his eyes on you. "We will see." you teased with a mischievous smile. The resigned sigh that escaped his lips would have unsettled you if there hadn't been the smile on his lips. "You will be my death at some point."

As soon as he was gone, you made your way on your own mission. The cadets that were currently staying at Riorson House were also expected to participate at the ball, including you. But when you made your way to get measured for your festive uniform two weeks ago, Lewellen had taken you aside for a talk. He had explained that even though your relationship with Xaden might not be official to nobility, it would be unusual for a duke to show up without accompaniment to any kind of festive event. Also, getting in touch with wives, husbands, and countesses of the noble people could offer a great source of information. Therefore, he insisted that you should get a dress appropriate for the accompaniment of a duke.

You felt a bit awkward about the idea of wearing something other than riders black, as your friends and fellow cadets would do. But when Lewellen guided you to a sewer, who was entrusted with the task of designing and creating your dress, and he explained his idea to you, you forgot about any doubt. The symbol of Riorson House was a golden daffodil on a Bordeaux red ground, and this was exactly what your dress was going to look like. You haven't told Xaden about it because you knew he wouldn't want you to get yourself involved in any way close with people he didn't want to have in his house in the first place. But also because you are dying to see his surprised face when he sees you the first time.

Luckily, you grew up in a military family close to royalty. You never could have imagined that knowing the manners and etiquette of nobles could be of any use to you. As excited as you were about the dress that you would try on for the last time today before the actual ball in two days, you knew that you would have a task to fulfill. While Xaden was expected to make contact with nobles that could be useful supporters during this war, your task as his accompaniment was to make contact with their accompaniments and talk about gossip and rumors in an attempt to gather some useful information. Meanwhile, you reached the room where your dress was going to be prepared excitement made its way through your body.

The last time you tried it on, it was nearly perfect, and you were eager to see it in its finished form. When you opened the door, the dress was hanging in the middle of the room as if it was waiting for you. The color itself already looked majestic, as if the bordeaux red was claiming to be something better than any other color that the fabrics that were lying around had. You touched the skirt made of several layers of tulle and gently stroked over the daffodils that were stitched with filigree golden threads onto the first layer. The light of the setting sun behind the window reflected from the threads and made it look as if the dress itself was glowing in a soft golden light. "What do you think?" The sewer asked, entering the room with a load of black fabric on his arms.

It was so much fabric that you barely could see his face only his eyes and his light curly grey hair were visible to you. "Its perfect." you sighed, admiring the dress that was going to be yours. He slammed the fabric on his desk. Surprisingly, he looked not at all exhausted from carrying the weight of it. "Well, let's dress you up then." When you tried it on, you noticed that the sewer had implemented the changes that you talked about. The skirt made of tulle was now a separate part of the dress that could be removed to reveal another skirt underneath that was made of bordeaux silk with two high slits on the left and right leg, offering freedom for movement. In between the layers were hidden sheaths for four daggers in total.

It was beautiful and practical at once. You turn in a circle before the mirror to look at yourself from every angle. "You are going to be the center of the ball." the sewer said, nodding and admiring his work. You felt uneasy at the thought of drawing too much attention to yourself, but according to Lewellen, this was the best way for you to help Xaden through this, so you would put everything together and handle the situation no matter what might come. You made your way to take the dress off, but the sewer stopped you. "Wait." The elderly, slim man searched for something in one of the several chests across the room and took a long piece of bordeaux tulle out. When he brought it over to you, you noticed that there were golden daffodils stitched on it as well.

The top of your dress was more subtle than its skirt, it was made of bordeaux silk that sat like a second skin, which was a contrast to the wide, fanned skirt. The carriers of the top were also made of tulle, covering your shoulders a bit but leaving them almost naked. Now the sewer laid the tulle over your shoulders to cover them up a little, mainly because it was midwinter and he didn't want you to freeze that much. "I think you are ready now." he said, satisfied with his work, and you could feel the impatience spreading into you. Mainly because you wanted to finally show Xaden what you had come up with. You couldn't have imagined how you would feel on the evening of the actual ball.

The announcement reached you yesterday. The king announced his presence at Tyrrendor's ball together with his eldest son, Prince Halden, and all of a sudden every noble that had denied the invitation at first claimed that they would be attending now. The people had been arriving since morning. One coach after another was arriving, and the lounge for the coachmen waiting for the higher-ups had to be moved to another room due to too little space. Lewellen was excited like a little kid seeing a dragon for the first time, but your gut was twisting. The only thing that you could think about was that you still would stick out amongst so many people as the only one not wearing rider black. What did you get yourself into, you thought.

Xaden was walking through his house, greeting people and guiding them to the servants meant to guide them to their rooms to rest till the ball would start in the evening. Every time he met your gaze, the tip of his lips went up to reassure you that everything was alright, as if he could feel that you were nervous even though he didn't know why. You searched for Lewellen and found him in the great hall talking to Brennan about the new seating order. Was this how they ignored the war in the king's palace? Throwing parties and discussing sitting orders? You knew that for you and everyone else living in Riorson House, this was only a formal obligation-something you had to do. But was it the same for them? Or was it just one more party they had to attend?

Suddenly, you got furious. While you and your friends were fighting to death to protect the continent, they were sitting in their palaces thinking about the newest clothing trends and whose ball to attend. When you reached Lewellen, the anger was boiling through you, filling you up with the urge to beat something up. "I cannot do it." you said sharper than you intended to. "I will not talk to them and pretend as if the war out there is nothing more than a fairy tale." you shouted, surprised at yourself. Originally you wanted to talk about how nervous you are, but the anger replaced those feelings. Brennan and Lewellen turned around synchronically, watching you in surprise. "Brennan, please take care of the changes we discussed." the elder man demanded and stretched his arm in the direction of a corridor near the great hall where fewer people could overhear your conversation.

"I can understand that you are getting nervous-" "Its not about that." you hiss through gritted teeth. "Its these people." you say, gesturing around with your arms to make clear that you mean every single one of them. "I see." Lewellen said calmly, "This is a new situation for you." He continued, "This is no fight where you can take out your enemy. You have to befriend them, pretend to have the same opinion, and take part in useless conversations hoping to get something useful out of it." he said. "I don't think that I can hide my opinion about them." you grumble. "Then you will learn it." he said, his voice sharp. This was a command, undoubtedly. "Xaden will stay the duke of Tyrrendor until he dies, and by the gods, he will make you his duchess at some point." You could feel the heat in your cheeks as he said those words.

"Y/N, you will be confronted with this kind of occasion for the rest of your life. You can leave it to Xaden and let him do the job, or you can support him." He said with a firm voice. You raised your chin up, not backing up. "I will be there" you said. "There are just so many of them." you added with a lower voice. Lewellen put a hand on your shoulder. "You will get through this. I believe it, and Xaden does too." A part of the pressure fell off you, somehow his words reassured you in your plan, but when you saw the next coaches driving into the courtyard in front of Riorson House, your gut made another unpleasant twist.

You sat on the bed that you shared with Xaden and watched him getting ready for the evening. The orchestra that Lewellen organized somehow started playing a while ago. The music found its way into your room through the open window. It calmed you down a bit. If most of them would be busy dancing, drinking, and celebrating that Xaden got back his well-deserved title that they took from him unrightfully, they might not notice you at all. You stood up to help him with his buttons as you did two days ago. "You could have changed already. I am fine." he assured you. You knew that, but even so, you didn't want him to be alone before facing all these people that wanted to look at him like he was some kind of attraction.

"I know, but I wanted to be here." you said, closed the buttons, and kissed him lovingly. When you wanted to step back, he pulled you back to deepen the kiss. He turned around and pressed you against the mirror. You could feel the cool glass in your back, which was a drastic contrast to the heat radiating from Xaden. You could feel the weight of his body pressed against yours and his hands exploring the landscape of your body that he already knew better than anyone else. Your lips parted when his tongue touched them gently but determinedly. Xaden immediately deepened the kiss, demanding more than you were offering.

He tightened the grip on your waist, pulling you closer against him while he let his fingers slide through your hair. You couldn't help yourself when a moan escaped your lips you could feel that he smiled against your lips. It knocked. First it was silent, but it got louder on every knock that followed. "Y/N, we are going to be late!" It was Quinn. You have asked her to help you get dressed and do something to your hair. Xaden grumbled, "Shit." You giggled in response. "I have to go. We will have enough time for this later." You tried to escape his grip, but he kept you in place.

"We could leave them to themselves and just stay here." he said, placing light kisses on your neck, eager to convince you to stay. "Y/N?" Quinn's voice echoed through the room, and you could hear that she was getting impatient. "Later." you repeated, placed a quick kiss on his lips and hurried outside as long as your self-control was letting you. Your friend watched you through squeezed eyes. "Sorry." you said and started moving before she could notice that, thanks to Xaden, your hair was a mess now, even though you thought that it was impossible to overlook it.

"I can't do this." "Yes you can." "They will stare at me." You walked up and down in front of the doors that lead to the great hall. Quinn, who tried to convince you that everyone was overdressed today and you wouldn't get as much attention as you thought, tried to calm you down. Ridoc, who was on his way to the great hall himself, had met you in front of the corridor and was waiting for you to go with him. "What if they ask me who I belong to because I am not wearing black?" you almost screamed. It felt like you were going to throw up. You couldn't remember the last time you were this nervous.

"Then you will tell them that you are the woman of the house." Ridoc said with a grin, obviously enjoying your struggles. You haven't thought this through. You knew how to talk to nobility in theorie you never had to talk to someone who could demand to kill you, especially not the king. Would they order your death if you failed to dance properly? Let them try. Your dragon growled. His presence calmed you down immediately. It was hilarious not only that you struggled to move yourself into this hall but also that you are afraid of a bunch of ordinary people, you are a rider, after all. You can do this.

You took a deep breath, ensuring yourself that you can and will do whatever is needed to help Xaden. Talk to them, be friends with them, and get useful information. You repeated to yourself before you took your first steps in the direction of the hall. "Lets go." "Finally." Quinn sighed, and Ridoc watched you with amusement as if he was waiting for you to trip or something, but you wouldn't let that happen. You had a mission. When you entered the hall, you were surprised that your friend was right. Not only was everyone wearing colorful clothes from the most expensive fabrics, but the hall was also so crowded that almost no one noticed that you entered the hall. Just some people watched you walk through the threshold with curiosity, but that was it.

Ridoc spotted Sawyer with some of your squadmates standing midway across the hall. "Shall we?" He offered you his arm, and you took it gratefully, making sure that Quinn was nearby when you started walking towards your friends. You saw a lot of strangers talking amongst each other, some of them already dancing, and no one looked at you longer than for a few seconds. What a relief. Now that you finally started to relax, you finally noticed that the efforts that Lewellen and Brennan made to organize this ball paid off. The mage lights were shining bright over your heads. You also noticed that there were more of them than usual. The walls were decorated with Bordeaux red banners with golden daffodils on them matching your dress.

The orchestra played songs that even you knew, and suddenly you wished that you had someone you could dance with. Your mother had taught you at least some dances you should be able to remember them. Ridoc lets you go. When you approached your friends, they all looked great in their festive uniforms. They also seemed to have fun you could hear from their voices and see from their rosy cheeks that some of them had already drunk. "We are on duty." Rhiannon scolded when Sawyer offered Ridoc something that smelled sweet and high percented. "What do you expect to happen? Do you think the Venin will just manifest in the middle of the hall?" Sawyer joked, but Rhi stared him down until he put away the cup that he was offering.

"Finally you are here, I am tired of watching over these idiots." Rhiannon complained and punched Sawyer playfully against his arm. Sawyer's protest leads Quinn to laugh, "I am not here to babysit." You giggled at the sight of your friends. It is rare that you got the chance to relax like this. "But Sawyer is right, we should enjoy this evening." you said. "Maybe someone is leading me to a dance?" "I would love to." An unfamiliar voice announced behind you. You knew that it must have been the prince before you turned around because your group of friends started to bow down. You did the same as soon as you faced him.

"Please don't," he said, annoyed and polite at the same time, pretending to dislike this overwhelmed greeting. "Now that you obviously know who I am, would you mind telling me who you are? I am curious what lady has relationships with cadets of the riders quadrant." Prince Halden was an impressive man for sure. His posture was perfect, the uniform of the infantry stretching at the right places to emphasize his muscles. You opened your mouth to answer, but before the first word escaped your lips someone else intervened in the conversation.

"She is mine." His voice was deep and threatening in nature, and his hand on your lower back sent an unambiguous message. "Riorson." To your surprise, the prince stayed calm. "I was wondering when we would meet." "Now that we have met, you have to excuse us." he said without even waiting for any reaction and left, leading you with his hand on your back. "Are you crazy? He is the prince." you whispered while he led you through the crowd to a quieter place in one of the adjacent corridors.

"And you are not his to touch." he replied, not even lowering his voice. "Xaden" you started as soon as you reached the corridor he was aiming for. "You cannot behave like that." "This is my house." he growled. He wanted to say more but got lost in his thoughts somewhere. "You look amazing." He changed the topic, not believing that he had to share your looks with everyone in these halls. "You also do." you replied, slightly blushing at his compliment. A teasing smile occurred on your face. "You know, at first I thought it could be a bit too much." you said, circling around to show him the back of your dress that he already saw while he led you here. He grumbled. "You don't like it?" you asked, knowing that the back of the dress must have driven him crazy because it was naked almost till your coccyx, only the carrier holding the top in place.

"I would tear it down if there weren't that many people here." His eyes went dark. If you would push him a little more, he would carry you to your bedroom on his own hands, but this was not what you came here for. "It was Lewellen's idea. He said I should try to blend in to get some useful information out of the accompaniment of the nobles." you explained while he stroked over the bare skin of your back. You could feel the warm traces where his fingers touched your skin. "You don't have to do this." "But I want to." you insisted. The look in his eyes gave away that he was still thinking about something else, but he took a step back and offered you his arm. "Fine, but none of them is going to touch you."

His voice was low and revealed unambiguously that he was already thinking about how to punish anyone who dared to touch you. You shook your head at his words and couldn't stop the giggles from your chest. You have seen him possessive before, but you would have expected him to act professional in front of this particular audience. He proved you wrong. As soon as you got back into the hall, a bunch of young women approached you asking about what the prince wanted and if he was going to dance this evening at all and other irrelevant questions. Xaden excuses himself to get back to making his own efforts to draw connections, and you are left to the attention that you actually needed to fulfill your own mission.

You have talked and laughed so much that your cheeks started to hurt. The shoes started to get uncomfortable, and you watched, longing after the guests leaving the ball, wondering when you might get the chance to leave. It was pretty late already, and more than half of the guests had already left. Xaden was still caught up in a conversation about who knows what, and your friends were lingering around somewhere. You had seen them fooling around earlier and wished that you could have joined them instead of having pointless conversations. At least the evening was a success. The alcohol had loosened the tongue of your company and revealed some information about one or two counts that could be interested in the support of military operations, depending on who will ask first.

You decided to tell Lewellen upfront, but he was busy with some other guests, so he scheduled a meeting for the next morning. You got more and more tired. So you used the next opportunity to excuse yourself and left into the corridor next to you. As soon as you arrived there, you kicked your shoes off and leaned against the windowsill while you looked into the courtyard. There were a couple of men who invited you to a dance, and against Xaden's warnings, you refused to reject them. Naturally, only for the sake of potential information. Xaden's glare was noticeable across the great hall. You could feel that the men dancing with you felt more and more uncomfortable the longer the dance went on.

A smile appeared on your face when you thought about it. "Tired already?" He was standing right behind you. When you turned around, he rested his hands on the windowsill on each side of your waist. You crossed your arms behind his neck, placing a light kiss on his lips. "I would love to end this evening already." you sighed. "Really?" he grinned at you, which caused you to raise an eyebrow. "It is time for the last dance." he explained. "And I think you owe me something after forcing me to watch how you danced with them." His grin grew. "Is that so?" you grinned up at him. He knew that you wouldn't reject him if there was someone you wanted to dance with than it was him.

"Shall we?" It was the second time this evening that someone offered you his arm. Xaden led you to the middle of the great hall, you followed him barefoot. You positioned yourselves for the dance. "You did great today." he said to you the second the waltz began. "It was not difficult at all." you responded, fulfilling the steps of the dance. The cold floor under your feet felt refreshing, and you moved more dynamically than during the last dances. "Maybe these events are not that bad at all." He inspected you intensively. The golden threads caught his attention, and he stroked over them while he held your wrist.

"I have no words for how amazing you look." he said and pulled you closer to whisper in your ear. "But I cannot wait to get you out of that dress." His dark voice sends a shiver down your spine. "Then what are you waiting for?" you whispered back with a smile. Only a couple of guests were left in the hall, and they did not really pay attention to you. As soon as the last note faded away, Xaden scooped you up without paying attention to anyone and carried you to your bedroom.

© littleskyguy 2026 - do not plagiarize, steal, or republish my works without my consent.

The clouds were hanging deep, darkening the surface of the sky like a shadow stretching its fingers towards the empty fields in front of Basgiath that would convert into fields drained of blood as soon as the Venin will arrive. The heavy air was promising the rain to fall soon. Another bad omen promises this fight to be anything but easy. You watched the sky with a clammy feeling in your chest, memorizing the faces of the friends surrounding you and preparing for what is going to come. But one particular person was missing.

The shoelaces slipped through your fingers again, and a curse escaped your lips. This was not the time to be nervous, you thought to yourself, and knotted them together—not pretty but secure. "Y/N! There you are!" Ridoc approaches you quickly. His usual smile was gone, as you noticed, which caused the unwell feeling that had been torturing you since you woke up to spread even further through your body. Your hands were slightly shaking, the air had to be forced into your lungs even though it felt like there was no space for it left, and your gut felt as if it wanted to return your breakfast to the outside.

Ridoc finally reached you and pulled you into a hug, not in the usual way. He holds you tight between his strong arms, not letting you go for a couple of moments, way longer than usual but not long enough considering the possibility that anyone could die today. He smiled at you after letting you go, not as bright as he used to, but it was the first time since you woke up today that you could at least force the tips of your lips to go up a bit. "We will make it." he promised, even if he knew as well as you did that no one could tell that for sure.

"Do you know if anyone has seen Xaden?" Every time you say his name, your heart was fluttering, reminding you of the feelings that you were too afraid to share. You searched the crowd again, but he was nowhere to be found. The place started to get empty; most of the cadets had already said their goodbyes and good lucks and were heading to their dragons. But you wanted to see him. If you had to die, then you did not want to take any regrets with you to the other side. As if Malek would care how much ballast you bring over.

Ridoc, who was looking around too and whose gaze stopped on the cadets going up to the airfield, shook his head, causing his hair to fall onto his forehead. "Imogen and Bodhi were looking for you. I came over as soon as I saw you." He turned his head in your direction, and you could determine a mixture of pity and understanding in his. The look on your face must have given you away. Screw him for being your best friend. "You wanted to tell him now?" he said with surprise. "Did you lose all your fear all of a sudden?" A laugh escaped his lips, and you punched him playfully against his shoulder. "I thought it's now or never." you said and shrugged your shoulders.

The tension fell off a bit, but Ridoc got serious again, which was not a good sign. He nodded in the direction of the path leading to the airfield. It was still crowded up there; cadets were going up one after another, and the infirmary was positioning itself on the ground. "I think we have to go. Maybe he is up there too." he said and started moving immediately. Dain would not appreciate it if they were to show up late. You will get your chance; you are not going to die. The familiar dark and calming voice of your dragon flooded your mind, reminding you that you will not be alone for a second up there.

You quickened your steps to catch up with Ridoc but had to get slower as you reached the end of the line of cadets walking up the path in front of you. Even though it seemed as if everyone was taking forever to get ready for this fight, it is now your turn to start now. The leadership provided clear instructions of the positions and starting times for each wing, and Xaden told you that your squad was going last. Your thoughts kept coming back to the previous night. Everyone was celebrating just because it could have been the last time. Everyone except Xaden, of course; he was watching from the distance as if he was expecting the fight to start right away, even though Melgren was sure that it was going to start in the morning.

You left your friends to get some fresh air, which was a lame excuse because in reality you started getting nervous yesterday already. Luckily, no one noticed, except for Xaden. He approached you, casually leaning on the wall next to you and studying you from his onyx eyes, the golden sprinkles reflecting in the dim light of the magic lights. "Getting nervous, huh?" You just shrugged your shoulders. Even though you were bonded to Tairn and therefore used to always feel Xaden's presence, you always get sweaty hands when he is right in front of you. Not because you are scared of him but because you are scared of him finding out about your real feelings, leading to ruining your friendship that you put so much work into. He made clear in the very beginning that you were not more than an obstacle for him, but you have learned really fast that he was saying that because he thought he could protect you this way.

After you made it clear that you did not need him to protect you, he still insisted that it was necessary, but he became kinder, gentle even. Always checking if you are alright, especially after you had a long day and did not "annoy him" as he insists, through your shared bond in the evenings. He also brought you chocolate cake to cheer you up when it was necessary. Now, he was standing beside the wall looking at you with something in his eyes that seemed to be the response to your feelings and your heart aching to tell him that you want to be more than his friend, but you didn't even hope that this could be true. You never saw him paying attention to anyone in this way, especially to you. You were just friends, and that was it.

"I will not promise you that everything is going to be fine." He said, getting away from the wall. His black hair was hanging on his forehead, and you noticed the muscles of his biceps moving even with so little light. He stopped right in front of you, looking you straight in the eye. Just because you are getting nervous in his presence doesn't mean you would back up, and he knows that. The heat of his body was radiating from him; you could feel how close he was to you and swallowed before you answered, because your throat got dry all of a sudden. "I know. I did not expect you to." It was true; it was pointless telling lies to each other. But Xaden wasn't finished.

"I will be there. I will be at your side and protect you." He said, his voice firm and his gaze filled with determination. He was so close to you that you could feel his breath on your cheeks. "This is what I can promise." "We will have to watch out for each other. We are fighting together, all of us. It is not your burden alone to take." You said while you concentrated to sound as determined as he does, but then he surprised you. He moved his hand forward to tuck a strand of your hair that got loose gently behind your ear. The touch was light, barely noticeable, but the heat that exploded from the place where his hand touched your skin flooded your body. He was standing so close that you feared he could hear your pounding heart. Was that it? Was this the moment when you should have told him?

Before you could do anything, it seemed as if he wanted to say something. His mouth just opened; you were ready to listen, but you got interrupted. Rhiannon and Tara stumbled outside playfully fighting with each other, asking us if we wouldn't come inside. When they noticed how close we were standing together, Tara grabbed Rhiannon by her wrist, whispering something about interrupting the two of you, and waved before they got back inside. Xaden, in the meantime, took a step back, taking the warmth of his body with him and causing you to shiver. He nodded in the direction where the girls just disappeared and raised an eyebrow, as if asking you if you want to go inside. After you did not respond immediately, he just started to move. Let's go. You will get cold. You agreed silently and followed him inside.

The whole night you kept asking yourself what he could have possibly wanted to tell you, but you had no answer to that. You even started complaining to yourself about why you had fallen in love with a man that cannot just tell you what he wants right away but hides behind his shadows and secrets instead. But then Tairn threatened you that he will tell Xaden about your feelings if you do not get to sleep. So, you went to sleep without answers. Meanwhile, Ridoc and you had reached the airfield; the earth got all muddy from the rain the past few days. Normally, Tairn would complain about getting footprints all over him, but you noticed him being distracted by a specific blue dragon. He was visible from all over the field, and you noticed Sgaeyl lingering next to him as if they did not want to be separated.

Suddenly, you got really excited. If Sgaeyl was here, then Xaden was too. You quickened your steps, desperate to talk to him, and if your feelings will remain unanswered, then you at least could die without any regrets. "Cadet Y/L." There he is! "We need to talk" You turned your head in the direction where the voice came from. He was standing there, arms crossed above his chest, his hair fell down onto his forehead again, and the wind was soothing through his hair as if someone was ruffling through it. His voice was demanding, not leaving any space for disagreement, but his eyes were soft. He looked down on you when you approached him, his shadows following your steps, forming small tendrils wherever your foot touched the ground.

"Wingleader" you stayed professional, pretending that you are not more than a wingleader and his subordinate. "I cannot do this." he sighed as if he had carried the weight of those words with him for a decade. "What?" You blinked, and the thought that you didn't catch up to something crossed your mind. "Y/N, I cannot pretend that you are just one more cadet following me into this fight, because you are not." He stepped closer and lowered his voice. "I can live with any of them not making it, but not you, do you understand? You have to make it back. You have to come back to me." You could feel the heat in your cheeks and looked at him, not knowing what to say. This was everything you wanted; this was everything that you wanted to tell him, and now you were standing there not knowing how to react to the words that you were craving so badly to hear.

The wind had loosened a strand of your hair. Xaden reached out for it and tucked it behind your ear and laid the palm of his hand against your cheek. He was watching you attentively, waiting for your reaction, when someone from the leadership shouted, giving the command to mount your dragons. Did you freeze or something? Tairn's voice was loaded with boredom he was waiting for you, lined up between the other dragons. Finally, your mind registered the meaning of his words, the soft look in his eyes, and his hand caressing your cheek, refusing to let you go as long as you don't want him to. It struck you like the lightning you wield that this man that you admired loved so much just confessed his feelings to you. You had no words to offer your body was operating on instinct. When there was again the command of the leadership, you grabbed Xaden at the collar of his flight jacket and pulled him down.

You brushed your lips against his soft and careful while he froze. It is a rare occasion that someone surprises Xaden Riorson, but you did it. When your lips touched his the second time, he responded immediately. His hand wandered from your cheek to your hair with the other, he grabbed your waist and pulled you closer, deepening the kiss. What had started sweet and innocent became demanding and passionate. When he let go of you, it was only so you could catch your breath before he occupied you again. It was not only to show you his affection for you but also to claim you as his, everyone should know that you belong to him now. You lost track of time the moment was perfect, and you refused to let it go, but command was shouting for the third time now, and the cadets surrounding you got hectic, reminding you that there is not much time left.

You pressed him away from you softly. He leaned his forehead against yours and closed his eyes while you caught your breath. "You have to come back." The urgency in his voice pushed something inside of you that filled you up with energy. The thought that this could be over before it even started made your will to fight stronger. You could already feel the urge to see him even when he was still standing right in front of you. "Be careful." you said, looking him straight in the eyes, memorizing the golden sprenkels that seemed to shine even without the sun on the surface to reflect the light in them. He huffed, "I will" Great you said through your shared bond. We will not die today.

© littleskyguy 2026 - do not plagiarize, steal, or republish my works without my consent.