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Rebecca Yarros is notorious for her heart - stop patch crook , andIron Flame ’s ending delivered a massive reveal . By the end of the book , Yarros makes it known that Xaden has a second signet — something that should not be possible based on the Torah of Draco bonds . harmonize to the law , no firedrake is to bond with a descendent of a previous rider , as this could potentially award a rider a unsafe second signet . Initially , Iron Flame ’s twistcomes as quite a shock , but in re - read the serial , it ’s clean this is a secret plan dynamic Yarros has been teasing the intact time .
It ’s coarse noesis that Xaden ’s dark - wielding wee-wee him one of the strongestFourth Wingcharacters , but Violet afterwards detect that he has another one of the most dangerous signets — an Inntinnsic ability to read people ’s intentions . devote this is an ability that could have had him killed , it ’s apprehensible thatXaden ’s 2nd signetis hold back under wraps . The solemnity of this reveal phone call into dubiousness every interaction Xaden has previously had throughout the series thus far , and by closer analyzing bothFourth WingandIron Flame , it ’s easy to see where Yarros planted cue .
11Fourth Wing, Chapter One
Violet Meet’s Xaden At The Parapet
Violet ’s first fundamental interaction with Xaden comes very early on in the serial , setting up their enemies - to - lover kinship from the get - go . In chapter one , Violet first mark Xaden when she is about to cross the parapet , and his eyes quickly narrow towards her once he recognise who she is . In this instance , Violet feel like he can hear her thoughts , even as the wind at the top of the pillar chew up around them .
In initially reading this scenery , it seems Xaden has first-class skills at reading people and canvas situations — which would account for his quick , perceptive nature . However , knowing he has the ability to say her intentions in this scene sheds a whole new light on the scenario . From the very beginning of their relationship , Xaden has had access to Violet ’s idea and her intention . This could be a reason he finds it so toilsome to detest her throughout the first book , as he knows Violet is literal and of a pure thinker .
10Fourth Wing, Chapter Seven
Xaden Catches Violet Spying
Xaden has the signet ability to manage shadows , and in this scene , he help to conceal Violet in the tree diagram with shadow so the others do n’t spot her . Violet after mount down once she feels everyone has left , only to be surprised to see Xaden waiting for her . During this scene , Xaden is wary of trusting Violet to keep Xaden and his friends ' meeting a mystery , as rider with a revolt relic are not supposed to forgather in grouping big than three .
" He see at me like he ’s trying to see through me , and ice prickles my scalp "
However , Violet finds herself surprised once again when Xaden get her walk away . During the sequence , she describes Xaden staring at her as though he ’s trying to see through her — a clear indication that he was reading her intentions . This marks one of the first moments inFourth WingwhereViolet and Xaden ’s relationshipdynamic begins to build a bit of corporate trust .
9Fourth Wing, Chapter Eight
Violet Throws Her Knives At Jack Barlowe
Several fourth dimension throughout the series , Violet describes a tingling or prickle feeling in her mind when Xaden is either near or star straight at her . This scene quick follows Violet ’s encounter with Xaden after she was caught spying , and she takes Xaden ’s advice to get Jack Barlowe off her back . After a chip of twit , Violet spins around and throws two sticker fantastically close to Barlowe , turn up her strength and fearlessness .
Violet ’s licking of Jack Barlowe in Fourth Wing is one of her safe moments , but Onyx Storm will sky the narrative as she will now have to protect him .
After she bemuse the daggers , she feels that same tingling sensation and shifts her gaze to contact with Xaden ’s . At this point , readers are able-bodied to pick up on a strange connection between Violet and Xaden , but it ’s not yet revealed as to why . With the cognition that Xaden is in fact Inntinnsic , these earlier panorama make much more sense — asViolet ’s scalp prickling is really a reaction to Xaden show her intentions .
8Fourth Wing, Chapter Ten
Violet Catches Xaden Returning From A Mysterious Flight Mission
This scene is another example of Xaden ’s now obvious , but discerning , use of his second signet . When returning from a mysterious flight mission with Bohdi and Garrick , Xaden stops mid - step , sensing Violet is skinny . During this , Violet even mentions that her scalp prickles , andshe occur to understand that Xaden somehow sense her presence hiding in the shadows .
… It would only make horse sense for Xaden to have sensed her bearing so sapiently if he was openly using his second signet .
While Xaden is arguably very perceptive , it would only make sense for Xaden to have sensed her presence so shrewdly if he was openly using his second signet . When he ’s not suppress his power to read other multitude ’s intention , Xaden can likely find another ’s presence before visibly determine them — get wind their mentation or intentions or else . apart from this one moment with Violet , his persona has done this on a multitude of occasions — seemingly becoming aware of a character ’s arriver before any of the others beside him .
7Fourth Wing, Chapter Nineteen
Xaden Saves Violet In Her Dorm Room
This is the first of severalnecessary moment inFourth Wingin which Yarros make it clear to the proofreader that Xaden is somehow read Violet ’s thought . However , upon the first read , she does a great job of tricking the reviewer into believing Violet is merely speak out loud without meaning to . After being attack in her dorm by five other plebe , Xaden flare-up into the elbow room and quickly take them all out . In her shock from the aftermath , Violet ingeminate a mantra stating she ’s animated in her point , and Xaden like a shot answers her verbally .
I ’m alert . I ’m alive . I ’m alive . I take over the mantra in my head as Xaden pass over the origin from my dagger on the back of Oren ’s tunic .
" Yes . You ’re alive . " Xaden steps over Oren ’s organic structure and two others , retrieving my dagger from the fallen woman ’s articulatio humeri before pass on my armoire . I do n’t even recognize her , and yet she endeavor to defeat me .
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Garrick and Bodhi haul out the first bodies .
" I did n’t realize I tell that out loud . "
6Fourth Wing, Chapter Twenty-Two
Violet and Xaden’s First Kiss
Yarros ' cunning word play throughout much ofFourth WingandIron Flamehelped to keep Xaden ’s 2d signet give away a huge surprisal for readers . And in the scene where Violet and Xaden first osculation , Yarros well camouflages Xaden ’s index , instead making it seem that the two of them simply have great chemistry . During their kiss , Violet feels as though he can take heed her thoughts gift that their passionate embrace absolutely aligns with the desires run through her judgment .
It is later revealed inIron Flame , that while Xaden knew Violet want to osculate him at this time , it in no mode took aside from his desire to kiss her back . He later on explains thatit ’s at this item during their relationship that he actively try not to read Violet ’s mind , but it ’s not something he can always command if Violet ’s shields are down .
5Fourth Wing, Chapter Thirty-Two
Violet Joins Xaden In His Dorm Room
Yarros is known for her extra aroused scenes inFourth Wing , but she make out to continue to dribble the game even through the romance - heavy dialogue . During one of the book ’s more versed moment , Violet states in her own mind that she could die decent on the point from pure bliss , in which Xaden again answers out loud that he would die along with her . At this point in the serial , Violet and Xaden can already talk judgment - to - mind , which can cause some confusion about how to render this scene .
However , Violet , just a few sentences later remembers she has the ability to talk with Xaden telepathically , and they begin to do so throughout the course of the aspect . The eminence Yarros makes between his apparent power to say Violet ’s persuasion from their dragon bond is necessary , as it helps to later on explainXaden’sIron Flamereveal .
4Fourth Wing, Chapter Thirty-Five
Xaden Asks If Dain Read Violet’s Memories
This is probablythe fully grown cue Yarros miss inFourth Wingabout Xaden ’s 2d signet . After arrive at the outstation in Athebyne for war game , it becomes clear to the mathematical group that they ’ve been typeset up and left to fend for themselves . As Xaden is attempt to make sense of the situation , he expect Violet if Dain has impact her face at all in the last few workweek , to which Violet admits that he always does .
Dain ’s signet gives him the power to see recent retention if he touch someone ’s face .
The reason this is significant is that Dain did so after Xaden had told Violet about his secret trajectory to Athebyne with Bodhi and Garrick — something Dain could have image in her memories . While Violet is adamant she would be intimate if Dain read her memories , Xaden is extremely surefooted that she would not . This is a subtle nod by Yarros to the creation of Xaden ’s 2nd signet , and set up the narrative surrounding Dain’smassive betrayal inIron Flame .
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3Iron Flame, Chapter Eighteen
Xaden Wants To Meet Jessinia
To prepare for one of Iron Flame ’s biggest reveals , Yarros commence to tote up more depth to the soupcon she drops in the account book ’s early chapters . For instance , when Xaden obtain out Violet told Jessinia about the Fable of the Barrens , he straightaway requests to satisfy her to see if she ’s trustworthy . In a joking personal manner , Violet teases that even Xaden is n’t sinewy enough to gauge this just by looking at her — butXaden reiterates that he ’s an unbelievably good judge of fictitious character .
Two largely underused characters from the Fourth Wing books could be further flesh thanks to their inevitable romantic arc in Onyx Storm .
Given the book is only ever in Violet ’s POV ( aside from Xaden’sFourth WingandIron Flamebonus chapters ) , readers can really only gather so much from Violet ’s perspective . However , Yarros was clever to gradually increase the entropy she tease through Xaden ’s grapheme , harbor both Violet and the audience from discovering the plot of land wind too before long .
2Iron Flame, Chapter Twenty-Two
Xaden And Violet Run Into Varrish
Yarros had to get intentional with her plot turn prognosticate inIron Flame , especially because much of the first half sees Xaden place at the Samara outpost . Because his character is in a limited number of scenes betimes in the book , Yarros made certain to tote up multiple scenarios in which readers could pick up on his second signet . One representative being his and Violet ’s run - in with Varrish before one of her team trials .
During this scene , Xaden is worried that Varrish will torture Violet to the point of decease as a consequence of her failure to produce Andarna for flight lesson . Violet argues with him that he ca n’t perhaps know those are Varrish ’s plans , to which Xaden responds " His intentions are pretty fucking readable . Trust me . " This is the first metre Yarros specifically singles out the use of the Son " intentions " , and it helps readers make the connection to Xaden ’s second signet later in the book .
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