Xaden Riorson is a third-year rider and wingleader of the Fourth Wing. He is bonded to the dragon Sgaeyl. Xaden is muscular and tall with windblown black hair and dark brows. He has warm-toned tawny-brown skin with dark stubble along his jawline and his eyes resemble the shade of gold-flecked onyx. When Violet first meets him she describes him as, "more than four inches over six foot tall" His features are harsh and utterly perfect, as if an artist spent their lifetime carving and sculpting it.