Hero

Spoiler Alert! This article contains information about the recently released book, Hero. Read this page with caution if you wish to avoid spoilers.

Hero is the fifth installment of the Winglets series. It follows the story of how Jasper and Ruby fell in love and how Cliff is their son. It released as an e-book and audiobook on February 3rd, 2026.

Description

Wings of Fire returns with this brand new short story featuring a fan favorite character, plus a sneak-peek at Wings of Fire #16: The Hybrid Prince!

Travel back to the Sky Kingdom and follow the tale of young Prince Cliff in this brand new Wings of Fire short story!

Plot

The book started with a note from Cliff, explaining how Scarlet was a cruel queen who forbade Ruby from having dragonets. Cliff explained that luckily, he was a prince, so Scarlet was not threatened by any granddaughters who may be able to challenge for the throne.

A Great and Inevitable Destiny Begins

This segment of the book followed Jasper, a caretaker in the SkyWing palace wingery. Due to the high winds, the dragonets were not able to practice flying and were painting rocks instead. Jasper checked in on Garnet, who was frustrated while painting her rock due to Carnelian making fun of it. After sending Carnelian to take paint away from the one-year-olds, Jasper helped cheer Garnet up by motivating her to continue painting.

After parents came to pick up their dragonets, Jasper stayed late, sending Russet and the other caretaker away. Jasper reflected on how he wanted dragonets of his own, but his request for a partner kept getting rejected by Scarlet. Jasper believed that it could be because of his breathing problems and his grandmother used her wealth and power to put him on the exemption list for becoming a soldier. Alternatively, Jasper wondered if he had somehow offended Scarlet, which was a common fear in the SkyWing palace.

While returning paint to the supply closet, Jasper encountered a hiding dragon. After convincing them that it was better to reveal themself than stay hidden, Ruby came out from under the cloth, surprising Jasper. Ruby explained that she was hiding from her mother because she had made her angry. Jasper offered for her to stay in his palace rooms when Scarlet was mad at Ruby.

Jasper guided Ruby back to his rooms where he made her food and let her sleep on his couch.

A Hero is Hatched

This section of the book followed Ruby several years later. Ruby went to visit the hatchery to see how her egg was doing. She thought that Scarlet did not know why she was visiting, until Scarlet confronted her. Scarlet revealed that the hatchery worker had told her that Ruby was visiting and paid attention to a specific egg.

Ruby tried to convince Scarlet that her dragonet was a son to keep Scarlet from killing him. She told Scarlet that if she had a daughter, Scarlet could kill her and raise the dragonet. Liking the wager, Scarlet allowed Ruby to watch the dragonet hatch, and if it were a girl, she would kill Ruby, but if it was a son, she would let him live.

When the egg hatched, Scarlet was disappointed that the dragonet was a boy, having been excited to kill Ruby. She left, leaving Ruby to greet Cliff. After telling her dragonet that they chose the name Cliff, she took him to the kitchens to get him a snack, as Jasper was there so they could meet in secret.

And Now Back to ME, the Original Actual Teller of This Story!

This section went back to Cliff's perspective. Cliff snuck out of the wingery to go searching for Ruby in their rooms to tell her that there were strange dragons in the palace. He described how there was a RainWing, NightWing, and SandWing, causing Ruby to figure out he must be talking about the dragonets of destiny.

While Ruby walked with Cliff to go back to the wingery, Cliff guessed who his father was, despite Ruby not being able to tell him. Cliff expressed that he wished his father was Jasper and mentioned that he believed he was right.

The day after Burn arrived at the palace for Scarlet's hatching day, Cliff was in Ruby's rooms playing with his toys when Glory attacked Scarlet with her venom. Curious by the commotion, Cliff ran out into the hall and found his friend Sunset. The two decided to figure out what happened and wondered if Scarlet could have been killed by a scavenger like Queen Oasis had been, although Cliff thought that she had been killed by a hedgehog. Cliff decided to go to the kitchens after deciding he wanted to find Jasper. He hid under one of the kitchen tables and listened to the cooks who were talking about what happened.

While listening to the cooks, Cliff noticed a scavenger in the kitchen. After the cooks returned to their kitchen duties, Cliff tried to talk to the scavenger and sang to him, trying to figure out what the scavenger wanted. Jasper walked into the kitchen and asked why Cliff was singing, saying that they should find Ruby. Cliff convinced Jasper to give him the key and gave it to the scavenger before leaving.

When Jasper and Cliff arrived at Ruby's rooms, they talked about the possibility of Scarlet being dead. Ruby could not believe that Scarlet could be dead or that she could be queen, but Jasper and Cliff explained that the tribe needed a queen to keep the tribe from falling under Burn's control. Ruby had Jasper and Cliff stay in her rooms while she went to claim the throne. Jasper revealed to Cliff that he is his father, but told him to keep it a secret.