Fourth Wing

Xaden Riorson is Fourth Wing’s wingleader, giving him authority over the squads assigned to it. Garrick is Flame Section leader and stands above Dain in Violet’s direct chain of command.

The wing is organized into sections and squads, with Flame, Claw, and Tail moving in that order on Presentation Day. Tail Section’s Third Squad and Second Squad are shown as distinct units within the wing.

After Threshing, Fourth Wing’s bonded first-years are reorganized for flight training. Dain keeps his squad because he preserved the highest number of first-years, while weaker squads are stripped and condensed so each section has two squads; the consolidation brings in former third-squad members and creates friction around cadets with rebellion relics.

Fourth Wing’s leadership has its own working space around Xaden, whose room is sometimes used for section leadership meetings and displays the wing emblem on its curtains. Garrick’s late-night warning during an emergency formation also places him inside the wing’s rapid leadership network.

During the final War Games exercise, Fourth Wing is assigned the southeast region and Xaden is ordered to establish wing headquarters at Athebyne. The assignment allows him to choose a headquarters squad from within the wing, but the Athebyne situation pulls that command structure away from ordinary section deployment.

After Xaden commissions, Fourth Wing faces a leadership transition. The survivors’ return restores the wing’s public War Games standing, but Liam, Soleil, Deigh, and Fuil are dead under Xaden’s official cover story.

At the next post-Parapet roll call, Fourth Wing receives new first-years including Aaric Graycastle, Visia Hawelynn, and Sloane Mairi. Solas’s attack kills much of Third Squad, forcing Fourth Wing leadership to restructure the next morning while regular Battle Brief and assessment routines continue.

At Aretia, Cat’s drift is folded into Fourth Wing’s Second Squad. The addition preserves the wing’s structure while enlarging one squad with gryphon fliers.

Fourth Wing’s later leadership network includes Dain’s wingleader duties and Garrick’s role as professor. Its squads still appear in formal sparring rotation with Second Wing under Carr.

Xaden Riorson, Garrick, Imogen, Liam, and marked cadets from Second Squad, Tail Section are part of Fourth Wing. Violet, Rhiannon, and Dain enter the wing when Dain’s squad is transferred there.

Aaric Graycastle, Visia Hawelynn, and Sloane Mairi join Fourth Wing as new first-years after the next Parapet intake.

First Wing is Fourth Wing’s direct opponent in the War Games exchange built around Fourth Wing’s flag and First Wing’s crystal egg. Fourth Wing succeeds at both sides of the exercise, keeping its flag while returning with the captured egg.

Fourth Wing has a strong practical link to the Aretian breakaway because so many of the defecting cadets come from it. Xaden considers whether to form equal wings after the departure, but the cadets’ preference for staying intact keeps Fourth Wing identity politically useful.

The wing’s internal loyalties are contested after the split between Navarre and Aretia. Aura denies that Dain speaks for Fourth Wing, Ewan Faber calls on Fourth Wing to defend its senior wingleader, and Ridoc answers that his side takes orders from Aetos.

Fourth Wing’s first-year progression includes the Gauntlet, Presentation, Threshing, and flight-field instruction. The wings rotate access to the flight field, so Fourth Wing’s post-Threshing training occurs within the broader wing schedule.

Fourth Wing cadets attend Battle Brief, sparring assessments, and wielding instruction as part of Riders Quadrant training. Its first-years sit together at Battle Brief, train on the mats against squadmates and senior cadets, and share Carr’s wielding class with Third Wing.

War Games are a signature Fourth Wing activity in the cadet year. The wing handles offensive and defensive objectives in the flag-and-egg exchange, and later receives a regional assignment requiring its squads to choose which southeast outpost to reinforce.

Fourth Wing participates in rider-flier trust exercises after the Aretian breakaway. On the Medaro Pass climb, the wing moves below Claw Section and Violet’s squad is paired with Cat’s drift.

Fourth Wing squads deploy as part of Basgiath’s defensive grid, standing in formation along the mountains with Third Wing while First and Second Wings are sent toward the Vale edge.

Fourth Wing’s Second Squad is singled out for having stayed intact since Parapet, which Emetterio calls incredible and a point of pride for its squad leader. The wing’s survival record is not untouched, since Fourth Wing still loses cadets during the Gauntlet.

Fourth Wing’s War Games victory draws open celebration from its riders. When Garrick raises the captured egg and Dain returns with the flag, the wing surges toward them in triumph.

At Aretia, Fourth Wing is known for having the year’s Iron Squad and for bringing the most cadets out of Basgiath. Its Flame Section is also noted for having no missing cadets.