Ruthless: A Fourth Wing Fanfiction

Christmas Special Part 1

(I'm going to pretend that instead of Christmas, they celebrate a holiday called Hummenburgs Day, when the celebrate the First Six. If you haven't read Iron Flame yet, you probably won't understand this, so just skip it. The children of Navarre get a day off from school and chores to dress up as one of the First Six. For the adults, they have re-enactments of the fighting, plays, banquets and barbaric but fun duels.)

Every year, Navarre celebrates Hummensburg Day. The day of the First Six. It's better than my birthday, really, because it's just a lot funner. And I don't like having all the attention on me anyways.

The sun wakes me up, bright and awake. Birds are chirping outside Mt window, which I would usually consider annoying. But, it's Hummensburg Day.
I get up from my bed and get changed. We don't have classes today, but we most likely have to help prepare the courtyard and help with setting up the banquet.
I finish tightly lacing up my corset and exit my dorm.
A rush of blonde hair sweeps past my dorm room in a hurry. I have the feeling he was waiting.
"Liam? Were you waiting for me?" I ask with a twinkle in my eye.
He smirks. "Maybe."
He stops so I can catch up, close by his side. I think that it has been unspoken since Threshing that he cares about me. We weren't the only ones who witnessed Liam shouting and becoming a mess to get me help.
The wound on my chest is healing quite quickly which is surprising. The thin white line of scar that stretches over my chest covers a bit of Nithe's relic, but somehow it makes it more beautiful.
We walk down the halls, spotting Violet and Rhiannon trying to put up some bunting in the corridor.
I shoot Vi a quick smile and she smiles back.
We reach the set up table in the dining hall that says what all of us are set to be doing today.
Weapon polishing: Ruth Melgren, Calisa Hermendez
Dual rosters: Liam Mairi, Jacobi Dermock
I snatch a nearby pen and swap Jacobi Dermock's and my task around.
No one's gonna know, no one's gonna care.
Liam smirks again. "Being sneaky, are we?"
"Whatever do you mean?" I ask innocently, batting my eyelashes.
He laughs and wraps his arm around my shoulder. Bold move.
We walk down to the rosters hung on the wall and take them down.
We have to find at least twelve people willing to duel, or we fail.
"You know what? I might put my name down," Liam muses, scribbling his name down. "What about you?"
"It's not really my type to fight when I don't need to," I shrug.
"But come on, you'd put on a good show," Liam groans.
"No. "
"Fine. You're not fun," Lism grumbles.
We separate and walk around the school for around an hour, asking riders if they want to duel.
By the time the hour is up, I have four people down who want to duel.
I walk back to the dining hall and sit on a table, sorting who would be best fitted to duel who.
"I'm back," Liam sings.
He waves his roster in front of my face, showing off ten names, including his own.
"I got ten. What about you?"
"Four."
He scoffs. "You have no people skills. How did you ask them?"
"Majority of the time, I said, 'Oi you! Wanna fight for fun?'"
"See. That right there. That is why I'm your only friend," Liam says dramatically, holding a hand against his heart in mock sorrow.
"I have Arkea. Violet. Rhiannon. Tara. Erricka. Ridoc. Sawyer. Maybe even Imogen. Plus, Nithe and Lasair."
"They don't count," Liam waves his hand.
"How not?!"
"I don't know. They just don't."
I roll my eyes. "Come up with a better reason."
"No," Liam refuses, writing down the date and setting up the matches.
"Stubborn," I mutter.
"Stubborn? Me? What about that time that I wanted to pick up your pen from the ground because it rolled closer to me, but you refused and said that you could do it yourself but fell onto the floor?"
"We don't talk about that," I hiss, playfully poking him with my quill.
Liam rolls his eyes with a smile.

~°♤°~

We're in formation. Commander Panchek and the wingleaders are all giving boring speeches about how they aspire to be like the First Six and about how proud they are of their achievements of both themselves and their wing, blah blah blah.
"I could literally stab myself right now," Ridoc groans quietly, running a hand through his brown hair.
But before he can, Commander Panchek finishes his final address.
"And with that, be ready in an hour riders. We have a banquet and games prepared as well as duels. Have an amazing Hummensburg Day."
Formation disperses in a beeline to get to the dorms.
I jog up the stairs. There is this dress that my father flew in on one of his meeting briefs here, that looks like it was designed for me.
Tight corset, strapless, black silk that pools at my feet with a slit going up the leg so it helps to be more practical.
It's got a tie up at the top, that I can tie into a neat little bow.
The entire colour of the dress matches my hair. I apply some smoky eyeshadow on my eyelid and a thin line of it beneath my waterline. Lastly, I dab the tiniest bit of lip paint on my dry, pale lips, chapped from wind in flight.
I leave my hair flowing and out.
At least my father's money is finally good for something.
The moment I exit my room, Rhiannon, Violet, Sawyer and Ridoc swarm me.
"You look stunning!" Rhi squeals, giving me a tight hug.
"You look as if death was a woman," Ridoc states bluntly.
"Is that a good thing?" I ask.
He nods.
Violet and Sawyer both give me huge grins. Rhiannon is wearing a short dark green dress with thin straps and fabric that hugs her curves.
Ridoc and Sawyer are wearing black shirts and leather pants.
Then Liam appears, with a white button up shirt and black tie, hair scruffy and messed, black, loose pants with small creases. He clearly didn't plan his outfit.
"Is my tie right?" Liam asks.
I grab the tie and yank it down. It's practically choking him.
"Now it is."
He gives me a wane smile before running off, hopefully to brush his hair.
"He ran all the way down the hallway to ask you?" Ridoc says slowly.
"Awww that's adorable!" Rhiannon says with a wide smile.
"It's just his tie," I mumble, but they don't listen.

~°♧°~

When we are all finally allowed into the party, everyone dives for the wine. The duels don't start for another hour, so all the participants are still here.
I take a sip of my wine, while Ridoc chugs is jug of gin.
"Drunkie," I mutter, taking another sip. The strong but sweet liquid scalds down my throat. This is one of the few times a year I drink.
"What's that? Sorry I'm too drunk from one pint to hear you," Ridoc says sarcastically.
I roll my eyes. He's going to be drunk in ten minutes.
Even Violet is already on her second glass, while I haven't even finished my first. I guess I'm going to be the sober friend who pats their back as they vomit.
Someone brushes by me, grabbing a pint of ale.
Liam smiles at me before taking a drink, wiping his mouth from the foam.
"Your going to feel sick by your duel if you keep drinking at that rate," I narrow my eyes, lifting my glass again.
"Good thing I'm only having one," Liam winks.
"Did you brush your hair, Liam?" I say, my eyes focusing on his still scruffy hair.
"Aghhh, shit," he sighs.
"Whatever," I say. I walk up to him and reach up, smoothing down his hair. "It's fine now."
"How do I know you haven't just made it worse to make a fool out of me?" Liam chuckles.
"Why would I do that?" I bat my eyes innocently. "But seriously, it looks good. You look good."
"I know," he smirks.
I gasp. "No one likes a guy with an ego bigger than his dick, Liam Mairi!"
"I was joking. Thank you," he says with another smile. How are his teeth so white? What the hell? What does this man use on his teeth?
"You look beautiful," he says.
"Thank you Liam."
We both pause, not sure what to say. Another sip of our drinks.
"Who are you against in your duel?"
"Some guy from Second Wing. Everyone says he's huge."
"Name?"
He shrugs. "Dunno."
"Wasn't bothered to know it?"
"Nope."
Trumpets sound as the highest authority figures walk in.
General Sorrengail, General Aisira, and my father.
He nods towards me with a blank look.
I think he spots Liam, because his nose scrunches. I remember from early childhood, when he would spend time with me, if I got muddy, he would scrunch his nose in disgust and annoyance.
He's doing the same thing now.
Liam takes that as his cue to leave, and I head back to Violet and Rhiannon. I spot Ridoc attempting to get Sawyer to put his arm around another woman.
"She didn't even look at me," Violrt grumbles.
"But I know who is," Rhiannon teases, her eyes flicking to Xaden Riorson, who is watching us. More importantly, watching Violet.

I finish my wine and place the glass back onto the table.
"All riders, please head towards the field where the Annual Duels will begin!" Professor Devera's voice booms.
People swish past me in fancy dresses and suits, rushing to get a good view.
I manage to get a decent spot, squashed between a mammoth of a man and another woman who is definitely a third-year.
Commander Panchek reads out the names of the first two contestants, who step onto the field, drawing their weapons. The fight begins, swords clashing, metal scraping.
That soon ends, the contestant on the right wins.
Then another duel. And another. Until Liam's name is called out.