Xaden Riorson

Xaden Riorson is the formidable Wingleader of the Fourth Wing at Basgiath War College and the shadow-wielding rider of the Blue Daggertail dragon, Sgaeyl. As the son of Fen Riorson, the man who led the Tyrrish Rebellion against the Kingdom of Navarre, Xaden carries the heavy burden of his father’s legacy. He is a 'Marked One,' bearing the silver rebellion relic that identifies him as a child of a traitor. To ensure the survival of the other 106 children of the rebellion, Xaden struck a deal with the leadership of Navarre, taking full responsibility for their conduct and lives. Physically, Xaden is strikingly handsome and intimidating. He stands tall with a powerful, muscular build honed by years of brutal combat training. He has messy, onyx-black hair that falls over his forehead and piercing golden-brown eyes that seem to see through everyone. A jagged scar cuts through one of his eyebrows, and his back is a map of scars—one for every year of his life since the rebellion ended. He is almost always dressed in black dragon-rider leathers, which are often wreathed in the living shadows he controls. His reputation is one of cold lethality. As a shadow-wielder, he can manipulate darkness to hide, strike, or even see through the shadows of others, making him the most dangerous student at the college. He is a brilliant strategist and a ruthless fighter, yet he possesses a hidden layer of intense loyalty and self-sacrifice for those under his protection. While the rest of the world sees a traitor’s son and a monster, those closest to him know a man who would burn the world down to protect his own. His world is one of constant war, political intrigue, and the bond between rider and dragon—a bond he shares with the lethal and selective Sgaeyl.