basgiathcollegestories

[basgiathcollegestories]

I've not been writing, and I have a perfectly good excuse... I've recently become obsessed with the Legacy of Gods series lmao.

[basgiathcollegestories]

A Memory fo Year 2 - Chapter 5

Previous parts:

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Bodhi and I planned to meet in his dorm room after classes. It was only a few doors down from Dain’s.

After Battle Brief, we had Sparring class, and it was what I looked forward to the most. While analyzing battles is fun and all, fighting is what I trained for all my life. Initially, I was going to try out for the Infantry Quadrant, but eventually I realized I could do much more as a rider.

The gym was packed with sparring mats. There was a designated area for each wing, section, and squad, so I joined the rest of my squad near the eastern corner of the gym. Across the room, I noticed Bodhi. His squad had already initiated their fights, and it seems he had volunteered to take on the squad leader on the mat. He was holding up quite well. I’m guessing he’s been trained for battle since a young age. Dain and Cianna were chatting, commenting on the fight that ensued in front of them - two older students fighting it out, showing them key techniques. They were obviously as far away from Imogen and Quinn as they could, wanting to avoid any sort of altercation before they even got on the mat.

Professor Emetterio walked past each squad, analyzing the riders and brand-new cadets.

“Second Squad, Flame Section, Fourth Wing,” Emetterio said, looking us up and down. “Today, we will have two riders fight first. They will demonstrate some techniques and moves that were taught last year. One of you will volunteer (hopefully) to take on the squad leader after this short demonstration. We need to know what you are made of.” I looked to my left and noticed that Imogen was currently fighting her squad leader.

Upon hearing this, Xaden immediately stepped forward onto the mat and stretched his index finger at Garrick, one of the guys in our squad, in a ‘come here’ manner. We stepped aside, and he walked onto the mat, face-to-face with Xaden.

Xaden began to explain certain crucial moves and played them out with Garrick on the mat. Even though I was familiar with a lot of them, there were some interesting moves that I’d definitely be adding to the index inside my head. It was going to be fun, having new training partners. It got boring training with the same kids over and over again back at home; they didn’t really take it seriously - only a couple of them wanted to walk the Parapet, and I wasn’t even sure if they had come at all.

“Another thing,” Xaden explained, “use your peripheral vision and always make sure to pay attention to your opponent’s eyes. This will let you know when they’re distracted, and when,” he paused and kicked his leg underneath Garrick’s body, sweeping him off his feet and onto the mat, “it’s the perfect time to strike.”

He looked at his friend on the ground and chuckled, a smug smile on his lips, and this was the first time that I realized just how handsome he was. Xaden held out a hand to help him up, and Garrick took it in good spirits.

“Alright, so who’s ready to go first?” he asked.

“I am,” I said, stepping forward.

Xaden looked up as Garrick got onto his feet again; his gaze moved in my direction. I could swear I saw the corner of his mouth twitch upwards when he saw it was me who had spoken.

“Very well,” he said. “Up on the mat, then.”

I stepped onto the mat and spread my knees, hunching my back slightly, in a fighting position. I was confident I could hold my ground, but I could tell that Xaden would be a sneaky bastard when it came to fighting.

As I lunged forward to try and grab his arms, he jumped to the left. He centered himself again, and when I tried to lunge again, he moved right. He returned to his original position, and as I was about to move to the side to evade him, he grabbed my wrist in a swift motion, pulled it forward, spun me around, and before I was able to realize it, I had my arm immobilized against my back. As I wiggled, trying to set myself free, his leg slid under my foot, and I fell to the mat.

His hand remained tight around my wrist, and I could feel something else slide around my other wrist, bringing the two of them together. I looked back and noticed he had pinned them behind my back with shadows.

I replayed the scene at Conscription day in my head, and I was sure he had done the same to keep me in place when the dragons approached the courtyard.

His voice suddenly pulled me away from my thoughts, “Nice try, jazz hands. You have a lot to learn from me.”

I want a rematch.

[basgiathcollegestories]

anxiously waiting for the Fourth Wing show so we can fill our feed with Xaden gifs

[basgiathcollegestories]

A Memory of Year 2 - Chapter 4

Previous parts:

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

I walked into the Gathering Hall with Dain. He got some dirty looks from Imogen and the marked ones that now sat beside her. He tried his best to ignore it, but I could tell it affected him. I felt sorry for the guy. He was getting punished unfairly because of the role his father played in the execution of their parents.

“Come on. Let’s get some breakfast,” I told him as I nodded towards the queue, wanting to distract him. “We have a big day ahead of us.”

We got in line to get our food. Cianna was sitting on one of the tables across the room and called out for us as soon as she spotted us. Dain immediately lit up, reminded that at least there were a couple of people who wanted his company. With a tray in hand, we joined her. She was sitting with Sawyer and Aura, the three of them nearly done with their breakfast. They were chatting happily, excited for their first day.

“I can’t believe today we get to hear everything that’s going on in Battle Brief!” Aura exclaimed.

Sawyer beamed with excitement, “I’ve been reading about all sorts of scenarios, but it’s gotta be different getting a first-hand report!”

Anything that we’d hear would surely be completely different than the scenarios that they talk about in books. Real life is much more unpredictable.

We sat around, chatting, for a bit longer after finishing breakfast and then headed to class. The more experienced students sat in the back, and we first-year students sat in the front. Even though we were part of the same squad, Sawyer, Aura, and I sat close to Dain and Cianna, as they were the only ones that we’d spoken to properly. However, over the next year, we’d surely get to know the other cadets in the room.

Even though we had fewer cadets this year, the classroom was still filled to the brim with year two and year three riders. A guy came in later than he should have and had to take up the space next to me, as it was the only Year 1 bench that he could squeeze into. I hadn’t seen him before, but he resembled the squad leader I had come face-to-face with the previous night.

“Good morning, class,” said Professor Devera as she walked into the room. “Cadets, I hope you’re looking forward to your first class at Basgiath. Riders, congratulations on making it another year!” Professor Markham, a scribe, entered behind her. “I’m Professor Devera, and this is Professor Markham.” He nodded, greeting the class. “Throughout the year, our goal will be to improve your capability to analyze real-world combat situations and teach you useful tactics that will increase your chances of making it out alive. Combat isn’t all there is in battle. Thinking right at the right time is just as important. Without further ado, let’s begin.”

First, Devera went over the various regions that were in active combat in Navarre so we could understand the dimensions of the situation. Then, she explained the most common combat scenarios, asking the older students basic questions so we could understand the dynamic of Battle Brief.

“The fliers set fire to a village, but there were no deaths or injured civilians. What does that tell us?” Devera asked.

The class tried to connect the dots.

“How close was the village to the nearest outpost?” the astute cadet sitting next to me asked, trying to get more information.

“About 10 minutes on a dragon; 15 on a gryphon; 50 minutes on foot.”

No deaths or injuries. “Was the village deserted?” I asked, surprising myself.

“Very good. The occupants had already abandoned the buildings in the village. So, what was the point of setting fire to it?”

Dain and Cianna were whispering back and forth, trying to come up with their own theory, it seemed.

“They were creating a distraction,” the squad leader, Xaden, said suddenly from way behind us. “It would take too long to get there and assess the situation on foot, so infantry naturally stayed behind. They knew the riders would come out and check it out. They wanted to get the riders out of the outpost so they could raid it without having to worry about fighting as many of us.”

“Precisely,” said Devera. “Good work, Riorson.” Markham remained silent and attentive. “While I see that some of you cadets have some analytical skills, it will take some time for you to fully develop them.”

“I think it would be beneficial if cadets paired up with riders from another year to work on an assignment. And that is precisely what you will do throughout this week,” Markham spoke at last. “You will work in groups of three - two cadets and one rider - and you will write a paper explaining why a certain scenario went down a certain way. It should give us answers on why the fliers chose a certain location, why they chose their method of attack, and what their objective was.

I looked to my left; Dain and Cianna had been in cahoots since the start of class, plus they were the farthest away from me, and Sawyer and Aura seemed to be discussing if and where they could meet up after training.

I sat quietly, turning my eyes to my right slightly, and saw that the guy next to me was also looking at his friends, probably noticing they already had partners. Suddenly, he tapped me on the shoulder and spoke.

“Hey, I’m Bodhi. I don’t really have anyone to team up with,” he said nervously, scratching the back of his head. “Do you want to work together?”

“Yeah, sure,” I said. He looked relieved. It was not like I had many options, and I wasn’t about to go around wandering through the classroom for a partner.

“Great! My cousin can be the third member of our group,” he said… pointing his thumb back at Xaden.

[basgiathcollegestories]

A Memory of Year 2 - Chapter 3

Previous parts:

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Even though everyone was able to keep themselves under control and there were no dragon-induced deaths after formation, the death roll was still brutal for Conscription day. As a consequence of having so few cadets compared to most years, many of us weren’t sharing rooms at all. Imogen wasn’t paired up with anyone, but since she wanted to bunk with Quinn, she asked me if I wanted to trade. Always looking for some time alone, I wasn’t going to refuse the offer to spend the entire year in a room by myself, free to do whatever I felt like and whenever I felt like it.

I didn’t have much to unpack. It’s not like you can bring much to Basgiath, and there is not much I want to remember from back home. All I had to put away was underwear, pajamas, a change of clothes, a book on riding techniques, and another one on edible plants.

I could hear loud voices outside. It was clear that everyone had started to get to know each other. Not a smart choice. It’s impossible to figure out who’s worth investing in in terms of friendship. No matter how good or smart you are, one mistake is enough to be the death of you.

A knock at my door pulled me from these thoughts.

I opened the door and was not surprised to see Dain standing there. “Hey! Nice PJs. A couple of cadets and I are hanging out in my room. Why don’t you join?” Dain said, mentioning my bright and colorful, out-of-character pajamas with tiny dragons and dragon eggs embroidered on them.

“Your room is on the opposite side of the barracks…” I say, not really interested in ‘making friends’. “Besides, I’m already dressed for bed,” I pointed at my embarrassing garments.

“I know. It means I had to walk all the way across the barracks to come here and invite you, and it’d be a real shame to come back empty-handed.”

I rolled my eyes, grabbed an oversized black jacket that would hopefully cover up my clothes - I have a reputation I’d like to keep for more than 24 hours - and walked out the door with Dain.

In his room, a girl from his squad, called Cianna, was sitting on the floor, and Sawyer, the boy from my squad, was sitting on the edge of his desk. I waved at them from the doorframe before walking in and sitting crisscross on the bed.

“(Y/n), I invited Sawyer. I found him wandering the corridor by himself. Now you can befriend someone in your squad!” He said, sounding way too excited.

Right… I didn’t need anyone to do any mingling for me, especially since I wasn’t looking to get tight with anyone. Whatever, not worth arguing with Dain over this; his intentions were in the right place, I guess.

“Yeah, that’s nice,” I said, trying my best to force a smile.

“So, how are you guys feeling about today?” Dain asked.

Sawyer shrugged, “not all that confident after seeing those big ass dragons. I mean, we’re just one fiery breath away from death at all times!” Not exactly a positive reaction, but it’s no lie.

“That’s the spirit,” Cianna said sarcastically.

I chimed in at last, “I wasn’t expecting that many dragons to show up just to look at us.” Everyone nodded in agreement.

Even though it was a slow start, everyone eventually started talking and sharing a bit about themselves. When Dain told them who his father was, they were mostly impressed by his rank. It would be a plus to know someone who was raised by a military Colonel. He would have second-hand experience of dragon battles and the history of Basgiath. On the other hand, he was a target on sight for anyone with a relic, as his father played a big role in the killing of their parents.

Everyone was pretty bummed that they weren’t able to write home for the first year but having a group of acquaintences to team up with on the first day reassured us that it was possible to make it through the year.

After a while, we began to get sleepy. It was a long day, and it was starting to get late. I said goodbye to everyone and left Dain’s room. The corridor of the dormitory was completely silent and darker than I expected, and it seemed everyone had returned to their rooms.

I looked to my left and then to my right before making my way back to the girls’ dorms.

Up ahead, there was a candle where you turn the corner, and I noticed how strange the shadow below it looked. I moved closer to inspect it, but I let out a yelp, spooked by a familiar voice behind me. The freaking squad leader.

“Up late, are we?”

“Gods, you can’t just sneak up on someone like that!”

He chuckled, “Better keep your voice down or you’ll wake up the poor, tired cadets.”

I rolled my eyes. “What do you want?” I said, bored.

“Nothing. Just curious about who’s sneaking around the corridor after hours.”

“Uhh, guy- I don’t even know your name,” I gestured with my hands, waiting for him to give me an answer.

“Xaden.”

“Uhh, Xaden. Mind your own business,” I told him. “I’ve had the pleasure of coming face-to-face with you more times than I would’ve liked, and it’s only the first day.”

“Well, (Y/n) (Y/l/n),” he began, underlining the fact that he had memorized my name from before Parapet and during formation, even though he had actually never said it out loud before, “I’m your squad leader, so you’ll be coming face-to-face with me plenty of times this year,” he winked, turned left, and walked back into his room. I groaned and continued down the corridor into mine.

[basgiathcollegestories]

A Memory of Year 2 - Chapter 2

Previous parts:

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

My legs felt wobbly as I set my foot down on the stone bridge. While it was sturdy, it sure didn’t feel like it. The wind picked up again as soon as Dain reached the other side. Some of us are luckier than others, I guess.

I had trained for this moment hundreds of times and was fully aware that if I allowed myself to stop and stay still for more than a couple of seconds, it would be much easier for me to lose my balance and fall off.

I spread out my arms and looked down, attempting to blur the deadly depths down below and focusing only on my feet. I moved swiftly but carefully and made it halfway through without any problems. The wind suddenly changed direction, and the shock nearly knocked me off my feet, but I was able to regain balance and make it the whole way across.

“Oof!” I sighed with relief.

Dain had stayed behind, waiting to see if he still had a buddy or not. He was talking to two other cadets, but had kept an eye locked in my direction the whole time I was on the Parapet. He stopped in his tracks when he noticed I had made it safely onto safe ground. He congratulated me, and I patted him roughly on the shoulder, returning the favor.

We were officially cadets in the Riders Quadrant at Basgiath War College. Survival was not guaranteed by any means, but the Parapet has taken hundreds of lives throughout the years, so it’s definitely a relief to have made it across - even if it’s just the first step of many.

“Let’s head to the courtyard,” he suggested to the entire group. Dain had seemed to have befriended a pink-haired girl called Imogen and a blonde named Quinn.

We went into the courtyard and waited until everyone’s attempted to move across the Parapet. There was still a massive queue behind me before I crossed, so naturally, we had some time to kill in the courtyard.

I had to deliberately keep my lips together as I took in my surroundings; I was mesmerized by the massive dimensions of this place. It is one thing to hear stories about Basgiath, but it was completely different to be here at last, particularly in the Riders Quadrant. 

The group chit-chatted to pass the time, and I learned a bit more about Dain, Imogen, and Quinn. The name Aetos sounded too familiar, and I couldn’t help but question if he was somehow related to Colonel Aetos, a known military figure in Navarre. As it turns out, he’s his son, and his father expected nothing less of him than to easily make it across the Parapet, and that is exactly what he did - even if he seemed to be incredibly insecure about his abilities when he was on the other side.

Unfortunately, as soon as pasts came up, it became clear that it would be very hard for a friendship between Imogen and Dain to ever happen. As a marked one, Imogen quickly turned bitter after discovering Dain’s family connections. Colonel Aetos, as General Sorrengail’s aide, played a major role in gathering the rebels, executing them, and leveling a relic on their children.

Imogen spotted familiar marked ones and headed off with Quinn, leaving me and Dain alone once again.

“Well, let’s hope we’re not part of the same squad once they announce where each cadet goes,” he remarked.

A while later, cadets stopped coming into the courtyard. Conscription day was nearly over. Squads were about to be announced, as was evident by the handful of riders who walked in, getting ready to meet the Year 1 students.

I noticed immediately that the squad leader from earlier stood among the riders who stepped onto the dais. Soon after the riders got into their designated positions, a man walked to the front and cleared his throat, as he prepared to speak: “Good afternoon, riders and cadets. Today marks the start of a new year at Basgiath War College. Riders, please welcome the 290 noble citizens who will join us and begin an extraordinary phase of their lives. The Parapet was particularly harsh this year, and we have lost 80 young souls; they have sacrificed their lives in hopes of becoming cadets and fighting to protect their people. There is a long way to go until Threshing. While you are cadets now, only then will you be considered riders. If you want to make it to the next year at Basgiath War College, a dragon must choose you, and to make this happen, you must show them that you are worthy of their attention. Without further ado, it is time to meet your instructors and leaders. Wing leaders, section leaders, and squad leaders will now step forward and help the cadets find their squads.”

Wingleaders began to call out the names of cadets onto their designated squads. Dain’s lucky streak seemed to be over; he was put in the same squad as Imogen and Quinn: Second Squad, Flame Section, Second Wing. I looked at Imogen’s lips and could almost hear the words coming out of her mouth as she whispered to Quinn, “You have to be joking.”

I was not called to join their squad and still had to wait some time before I heard my name.

Finally, I was called to Second Squad, Flame Section, Fourth Wing, alongside cadets Aura and Sawyer.

Our wing leader, a third-year rider named Devin Korr, looked us up and down. The whole thing was extremely intimidating. Even though he had a boyish face that almost made you think he could be a friendly guy, his eyes were dark and serious. He didn’t seem to be the kind of guy that you could joke around with if you ever stepped into his path in the barracks.

We got into formation and listened to Korr give us a briefing on what we could expect in the upcoming months - that is, if we made it that far.

He wasn’t able to get more than two minutes into his prepped speech, as he was interrupted by the loud sound of wings flapping up and down. Within seconds, dozens of dragons appeared and surrounded the courtyard like gargoyles. Many of the dragons were alone, as they did not have a mate and seemed to be window shopping for what would be available to them at Threshing. Holy crap, these beasts were fucking scary.

Once again, my palms began to sweat, and my first instinct was to shake them, but before I was able to move a muscle, a voice from behind me said suddenly, startling me, “Stay very still, jazz hands.” It almost made me jump, but I was able to remain in place with my hands behind my back. “Or one of them will turn you to ashes,” it whispered as I felt a strange sensation at the back of my neck; it went all the way down to my fingertips. It was impossible to truly describe; it felt like the mixture of a warm breeze and a deadly, cold winter. Whatever it was, it made my entire body immobile for whatever reason. I tried my best to ignore it. I was able to recognize the douchey voice as belonging to the squad leader from earlier. He’s in my squad? Ugh, great.

I swallowed the lump in my throat slowly and kept looking straight ahead, trying to appear as unfazed as I possibly could.

While some dragons simply stared down at us from their spots up on the wall of Basgiath, others flew over us, showing off their greatness. It is hard to believe that within a few weeks, we cadets could be riding one of these megalithic creatures. That is, if we’re able to show our worth. Otherwise, we’ll have to stay behind and repeat Year 1. Either way, that is a worry for later. Now, it’s all about training hard, practicing every day, and preparing for what is to come.

[basgiathcollegestories]

violet: he’s probably thinking about other girls

xaden: I need to figure out a way to attach the tiny dragon to the big dragon

[basgiathcollegestories]

A Memory of Year 2 - Chapter 1

632 AU, one year before the events in Fourth Wing

Chapter 1

Y/N’s POV

The wind blew harshly from the south, and I knew that things would be much harder than I thought.

I let out an annoyed groan and rolled my eyes, balling up my hands into fists, digging the nails into my skin. I took a deep breath to keep my nerves in check and tried to relax - or at least look relaxed. I wouldn’t want anyone to even notice a hint of doubt if they noticed me.

“Everything OK?” A shy sound came from behind me.

“What?” I responded, my voice coming out a bit too harsh, more of a reflex rather than intentional.

“You were so quiet ever since everyone started lining up, but now…” The guy said, pointing at my palms, which had now turned a deep red; it seems my nails had gone deep enough to cut, and I hadn’t even noticed.

“We have to cross a slim-ass bridge located over 200 feet in the air, and the wind is picking up. Do you want me to smile?” I squinted my eyes and shook my head slightly to make my point across, and the brown-eyed boy looked down at his feet, feeling embarrassed for even speaking up.

“Right, sorry. I guess I knew that…” He shrugged, “I was just making conversation. Lots of people have already more or less grouped up and attempted to make friends.”

“Not worth making friends if the chances of getting across are slim, no?” The boy was clearly demotivated by my words. I guess I didn’t need to be such a bitch to him, especially considering that our bodies could be smacking the water and rocks down below in a matter of minutes. He turned away, and I sighed before speaking up again. “What’s your name?”

“I’m Dain. What about you?” He said, pulling out his hand for me to shake.

I squinted at him again with a snort, my eyebrows raised, puzzled at the gesture, “Right, very polite… I’m (Y/n).”

“It’s nice to meet you, (Y/n).”

The line was moving incredibly slow. The wind just made everyone more nervous than they would’ve been under normal circumstances. I found myself wincing whenever I heard gasps from up ahead; it was almost certainly a reaction to seeing a body hit the water down below.

“Nervous?” I asked Dain.

“Yeah…” He paused, unsure whether it was alright to say more or not. “I’ve been preparing for this moment my whole life, but now that it’s finally here… It doesn’t feel real.”

Not sure of what to say next - small talk isn’t my strong suit - I did my best attempt to reassure the kid and shot him a quick smile. “You’ll be fine.” That seemed to make him feel slightly better, as he immediately straightened his back and seemed a bit more confident. When his posture changed, it became clear that he was much taller than I initially had realized, standing a few inches above me.

We had to wait another 50 minutes before we could reach the top of the stairs. This view was horrifying, not only because of how long the Parapet appeared to be from here, but also because you could see the terror in a person’s face before they took their first step, and it only worsened when their foot hit the stone pavement of the bridge.

“Dain Aetos!” An even taller guy with black hair and a squad leader patch said, looking at a scroll held up by a scribe. Dain stood forward, his hands incredibly fidgety. “You’re up!” I was immediately unsure if he’d “be fine” as I had told him before, but I shot him a thumbs up and wished him good luck.

The wind seemed to come to a near halt as soon as Dain stepped onto the stone bridge, and I heard the squad leader huff.

“What?” I inquired.

“Nothing. Just not surprised he gets off easy, that’s all.”

Not understanding the vague statement, I shrugged and went back to looking at the bridge. I have to focus on the bridge in front of me with every cell in my body. I can do this.

“You’re gonna be fine.” The squad leader said, catching my attention again.

“Trying to concentrate here.”

I looked straight forward and shook my hands to try to dry some of the sweat that had built up on my palms. This is what I’m supposed to do. I have been training at home every day for months; I’ve made it across weaker and smaller wood pallets, so this is cake… Right?

Even though I was trying to stay still, my subconscious kept my hands shaking off the sweat and my feet moving from side to side. I cracked my neck and stretched in an attempt to ignore the anxiety that was building up in my stomach. I couldn’t afford to look fragile. The Riders Quadrant is ruthless, and I can’t show any weaknesses. I can’t even give off the idea that I’m a tiny bit unsure of myself. Unfortunately, I’m not handling this as well as I trained myself to.

“Hey, jazz hands.” I looked to my left and stared at the squad leader’s eyes. “You’re up,” he said.

My body went numb.