Of Raspberries and Dragons: Meeting Sgaeyl
Relationship(s): Xaden Riorson & sister!reader
Summary: Xaden introduces his little sister to Sgaeyl.
Requested by anon as part of my Raspberry Riorson series, but can be read as a standalone. Set when Berry is 16/during Xaden's second year of being a rider.
“Wanna meet Sgaeyl?”
Xaden’s sister stares at him, wide-eyed. “Can I really? She— she won’t mind?”
“Of course she won’t mind.” He never would have suggested it if Sgaeyl hadn’t agreed beforehand. “She’s curious about you, too.”
“If she’s in your head all the time, doesn’t she already know everything about me?”
“Well, some things, sure. But not everything. She can hear what I’m thinking so long as neither of us is shielding, but it’s not like she goes rifling through my mind.”
“As if there is any need to, when you are constantly bragging about the little one, or bemoaning how much you miss her,” Sgaeyl scoffs.
Xaden refrains from answering. It’s true he often mentions his sister to Sgaeyl — who else is he supposed to talk to about her, when Basgiath is filled to the brim with people who would wish her harm if they ever learned of her existence? Garrick and Bodhi are the only ones he can fully trust in this regard, and the three of them rarely talk about her for fear of eavesdroppers. It’s only with his dragon that he doesn’t need to worry about that.
“Basically, she knows what I’ve shared with her,” he continues, “which admittedly is quite a bit, but even so that’s not the same as actually meeting you. You don’t have to, obviously, I just thought you might like—”
“Of course I want to!”
Xaden grins, inwardly shaking his head. Apparently, the idea of meeting a dragon is much less intimidating to his sister than that of a new human acquaintance. Typical. While he doesn’t quite understand the logic of it, if indeed there is any, he is glad to see her embrace his suggestion with such enthusiasm.
“Okay. Ready to go, then?”
She looks down at herself — or rather, at the pajamas she’s still wearing, since Xaden and Garrick had appeared in her room to wake her with breakfast in bed a mere half hour ago. “I guess I should get changed first.”
Fifteen minutes later, Sgaeyl is waiting for them in a mountain meadow not too far from the fortress, having flown down upon Xaden’s request to spare his sister the hike all the way up to the valley where Aretia’s dragons reside. She sits on her haunches with her tail curved around herself, wings spread wide like she’s enjoying the early morning sun, or like she’s showing off her impressive wingspan.
His arm slung protectively around his sister’s shoulders as they walk closer, Xaden leans in to murmur, “Remember: no eye contact, and no talking to her directly unless I say so.”
“I know.”
Xaden knows she knows. Most likely, she understands the dragons’ preference not to directly interact with any humans beside their chosen rider better than most people do — she, too, hates interacting with anyone outside her family. The only difference is that she has yet to bite anyone’s head off for having the audacity to approach her. Maybe if she had sharper teeth and the ability to breathe fire, social interactions wouldn’t be so damn frightening for her.
This once, Xaden has the impression she’s less anxious about the encounter ahead than he is, which is a first.
He just loathes the possibility that she might end up being scared of Sgaeyl. Respectfull fondness would be preferable, mild intimidation acceptable, but fear? No. He never wants to see her wear the terrified expression the new first-years do on Conscription Day, when the wingleaders’ dragons descent upon the courtyard in a show of their might.
This won’t be like that, he reminds himself. It will only be Sgaeyl, and she assured him she would be her kindest self — whatever that means by her standards. His sister will know Sgaeyl won’t mean her any harm, and he’ll be right by her side. It’ll be fine.
The nearer they draw to her, the wider his sister’s eyes get. No wonder, since she’s only seen Sgaeyl and Chradh from her window before. Flying overhead, the dragons are so far away as to barely seem real; up close, Sgaeyl is more than a little imposing, even as she tucks in her wings and curves her neck into the shape of a question mark to gaze down on them in an uncharacteristically benign way. Her jaw is firmly closed, hiding the maw that could swallow Raspberry as easily as if she really were one of the fruits Bodhi named her for.
“She’s even bigger than I thought,” she whispers, staring at the placid dragon in what Xaden decides to optimistically interpret as awe.
“Mhh, blues tend to be on the larger side. Some dragons are even bigger, though, like her mate Tairn… or Codagh.”
Xaden immediately regrets mentioning Melgren’s dragon. While his sister wasn’t present at the execution, she knows enough to recognize the name of their father’s killer. He doesn’t want the thought of him to overshadow what is supposed to be a special — a happy — moment.
“See her tail?” he asks by way of distraction.
She nods. “Dagger. That’s the rarest for blues, right?”
“Right.” He squeezes her shoulder, pleasantly surprised she remembers the information he mentioned in passing the previous time he visited home. Smiling, he adds, “Sgaeyl is many things, but ordinary definitely isn’t one of them.”
They’re close enough now that Xaden pulls her to a halt, the dragon’s looming shadow just barely touching their feet. Better to be safe than sorry. Although he knows in his heart that Sgaeyl would never harm his sister, that doesn’t make it a good idea to provoke her by throwing basic safety-measures out the window. She might stay outwardly calm even if he were to bring the girl too close, but that doesn’t mean there wouldn’t be consequences for Xaden later.
The sharp comment he was half-expecting for the thought doesn’t come. His shields have been getting better, finally enough so to reliantly keep Sgaeyl out of his head unless she really tries to barge into it. He lowers them now.
“Berry-bug, this is Sgaeyl. Sgaeyl, meet my little sister.”
She gives Sgaeyl a small wave, visibly uncertain whether the gesture is appropriate. Xaden has never been prouder of her.
“Mhm... she has courage,” Sgaeyl observes. She’s regarding her much the same way one would an adventurous toddler, her mental voice tinged with amused approval.
Xaden doesn’t bother hiding his relief. “Yeah. She does.”
“And what do you except us to do now?” Her wry tone suggests that if she had eyebrows to raise at him, she would do so now.
“Well… I don’t know,” he admits. “I just wanted you to meet each other.”
His sister is looking at him too, waiting for his guidance. Xaden gives her a reassuring smile. Despite his lack of a plan, this is going very well.
There’s no need to make this into a big deal, he decides. He has introduced them, and now, the three of them can hang out a little, without pressuring either dragon or girl to be more social than she likes to.
He spreads his flight jacket over the dew-damp grass to sit in Sgaeyl’s shadow, his sister upon his lap so he can rest his chin on her shoulder and murmur about the thrill of soaring through the sky. There’s no doubt in his mind she would enjoy it as much as he does. Although there is nothing he would like more, he knows better than to ask Sgaeyl if they could take her for a short flight. After the huge favor she’s doing him by acting as non-threatening as he’s ever seen her, that would be pushing his luck too far.
Not that he really minds. Sitting there with both his girls, Xaden feels more at peace than he’s been in years.
He and Garrick will have to return to Basgiath as soon as the latter returns from the errand Xaden sent him on, so they have ten more minutes, Xaden judges — maybe twenty, if Garrick is slow. He intents to cherish every second.
How I’m picturing Berry
