Inheritance Cycle 1. 100 years later, Memories

Hi, this is my fanfiction story for the aftermath of the Inheritance series. I know that there are many people who were hurt or at least not satisfied with the way the fourth book ended and as a true fan, it broke my heart. However, there is still hope. If you have not heard, Christopher Paolini has decided to write a fifth book not directly in the series but in his words 'The thing to keep in mind is that though the series is over, Eragon and Arya's story will continue. They're going to live for a very long time, and their relationship is far from over.' Until then, I have taken it upon my self to write how it could end with them being together. So without further ado, the Inheritance Aftermath.

Disclaimer: If I were Christopher Paolini, I would not be writing my new scifi book—not writing fanfiction. All of the characters do not belong to me aside from the several minor characters I used to keep true to the plot.

Also, a last word of caution. THIS FANFICTION MUST NOT BE READ BY THOSE WHO HAVE NOT FINISHED THE FOURTH BOOK. IF YOU DO YOU WILL REGRET IT. I ONLY SAY THIS BECAUSE I WANT THE BEST FOR ALL INHERITANCE FANS. THANK YOU.

Gone, Gone you shall be from me

And I will never see you again

Gone, gone you shall be from me

Though I wait for you evermore!

Away, away you shall fly away

O'er the peaks and vales to the lands beyond

Away, away you shall fly away

And ne'er return to me.

-Christopher Paolini

**Prologue**

In the dark of night, Firnen flew back towards Elezmera, wailing. Arya hugged him, patting the warm green scales on his neck, comforting him.

"I'm sorry, Firnen, we both knew this is how it would end." She looked forward without faltering, whipping through the cold night air, determined not to look back at Eragon or Saphira who were no doubt sailing beyond the borders of Alagaesia by now. He continued to wail, and although she tried to ignore it, she could feel a hot tear running down her cheek.

Chapter 1

100 years later…

Lady Arya Drottning sat next to an open window overlooking a scene on the distant plains. Twenty urgal men were fighting a band of Sangali, two with dragons, the rest only armored with spears and axes. They were causing a rucus, their brutal yells could be heard from a mile away. She sighed

"Haven't I told you, your weapons will not affect the Sangani…."

Just then, two elves, a man and a woman came to her from the floor below.

"Arya drottning, we are in need of your advice on an important matter, we request that you come soon to an emergency …." Unaffected, she continued to stare out the window.

"I'll be with you in an hour." The two seemed as though she had announced she had withdrawn from the crown.

"But- but- I know that you're busy but our state is in a crisis!"

"Is not everything a crisis?" She said quietly to herself, with a twinge of venom in her voice. "I can be there in fiveteen minutes."

She shifted her position with unease as they left. There was so much she had to do. Her people, the elves to be specific, were in a state of financial turmoil. They were in a time period when their resources were being pulled from at all fronts, for work with the new riders. But more importantly, they were in an era of racial tension on all four fronts. She spent most of her time traveling with Firnen and supervising the newly trained riders, as well as using her words to soothe the tension between peoples. It was no easy task. The elves listened to her easy enough, but that only resulted in the dwarves distancing themselves from her authority. Humans accepted her in time, but it only served to make the urgals lash out. She had never accustomed to using words to get people to tolerate each other, she was more of a doer, but she found that verbalizing was a skill she had to lean on. When she was not with the Riders she was in Elezmera, tending to the desperate needs of the men and woman of the court. Her mother, she recalled, had been unskilled during these times, so she had no previous experience to go off of. She had always thrown herself at the opportunity for selfless service, but she had to admit, it was slowly wearing her thin. She had to be loyal to her subjects, indeed she wanted to, it was her character, but in this state of mental stress, she sometimes caught her mind in thinking that perhaps, she thoroughly hated it here, having to break her back and shed blood for everyone elves with no time to herself.

Just then she heard a particularly loud crash in the direction of the urgals and turned to see that they had broken a large boulder in half and dropped it on the animals and damaging the rock figures below. She silently cursed, her eyebrows going into a point. That would take a lot of time to repair, time that she didn't have.

Then, for the first time in a while, she forced herself to think about Him. It had been a hundred years since the last time she had seen him. She sometimes heard the news that he had talked to Katrina, Roran, or Nasuada, though, unfortunately, she had never gotten the chance to talk to him herself, his mirror calls were scarce and always set at random dates. Once a year he would give a couple of new Riders back to Alagaesia, all fully trained at at least the most basic levels. She would have an elf messenger send him letters if need be, and her courier, Vanir send new eggs. He had never put a spell on one of the mirrors in Elezmera. She wondered if he had forgotten by accident, or if he had done it on purpose. She felt her heart sink at the thought that perhaps, he had felt ashamed to talk with her after he had left.

He had been such a good friend… and though she managed to keep him out of her mind for many decades, she could not deny herself the fact that on the numerous occasions he had called Katrina and Roran and she had missed it, she had spent days afterward beating herself up over not being there. Was it because she had told him her true name and him his? Or was it simply because they had gotten to become such close friends? Just then a sickening feeling filled her insides, as if with fire. She remembered he had had feelings for her. She remembered how strongly they had colored his true name.

She forced herself then to think about the night she had arrived back at Elezmera. The 'Farewell Night' she used to call it. The night she had said goodbye to her closest friend. She had cried her eyes out in her bedroom that night, outshone by the pouring rain and the crackling thunder. Firnen sat in the corner near her but not even he could console her. She had thought herself so independent. And yet when he had left, she felt as if something had been torn out of the core of her being. She was alone, without a father or a mother, nor with any close friends, for in her lifetime as an ambassador between races, she made herself into an outcast, no one of the outside races cared to relate to her, nor did she relate to many of her people. It was a sacrifice that she was willing to make, but only after she left Eragon did she feel that she had lost something crucial to her being. She hated to admit it, but in the darkest corners of her being, she knew it might have something to do with her future….

That was too much. She broke out of her trance, not wanting to think any further. The two elves had come back for her.

"Lady Arya!"

"I'm coming!" She said and quickly got up to follow them. Her life was one of selflessness and responsibility; she had always accepted that.

That's the end of the first chapter! I'll post the second one very soon. It's almost done!

Preview: Next chapter name: "A Call from Eragon"


	2. A call from Eragon

"Lithuin, go over to Gretta."

"Yes, of course, Arya Drottning!" He looked up at her riding her green dragon and flew down to the city below.

"Ahagart, you must stop antagonizing Havarda, he is more skilled in magic than you and you would do well to listen to his advice."

"Ahhhh, I stronger with sword though, I have long horns and strong teeth. He is little and he should know when to submit to me." She sighed.

"You both have different strengths. Learn from each other without quarreling and you will both improve." She heard a loud bang and then one of the buildings below set fire. In an instant, she turned to face the city and rounded up the Riders flying below. "Alright everyone, half of you go to the left, the others to the right! I will take the center and try to—"

Just then, she got a mental flash, one of the king's magicians had sent her a message, 'come right away to Ilrea,' a messenger had come to announce that 'Eragon would be contacting them within the next day of the new riders.' She whipped around again without thinking and called to Vilund, her second in command, telling him of her message and that he should take her place until she retuned. Then with Firnen's triumphant roar, they sped to Ilrea's Kingdom. This had been the first time he had sent a messenger to announce his meetings. Why? Perhaps… perhaps he had wanted to speak with her directly…

She had just arrived in Ilrea and dismounted her dragon, running as fast as she could toward the room where the mirror had been put when she noticed that in the room there was only the queen. The king was gone and she was staring at a black faced mirror. She panted and asked the queen

"Where is he? Is it… too early?... Has Eragon… not yet called?" The queen shook her head sympathetically. We just finished. I'm very sorry but we ended it right before you arrived. The King just left to go to his chambers but you're welcome to meet with him later if you like."

She walked over to the mirror. In its black surface she could see herself standing there, her face looked more worn, slightly less angular than it had so long ago. The difference was very minor, but the fact that she had an older face now than she had before frightened her somehow. She peered into the glass further, trying to see beyond, into the wilderness beyond Alegaesia to where the training dragons were. She could imagine the fort, and perhaps houses, and dragons flying in circles in the sky and she could recall how each of the elves looked. But she wondered: How much had Saphira grown in the last century? Was she as big as Glaedr? Had the rest of the elves changed appearance just as she had? And then to herself she thought 'How has Eragon changed? Would he have aged much faster than the elves since he was human? Or would he develop slowly due to the Agheti Bloodren? She thought to ask the queen, but quickly decided against it. For another ten or fiveteen minutes she stood there in silence, thinking.

Finally she looked up and declared to the queen

"I have decided to visit them. I am leaving Alegaesia." The queen's eyes opened wide in surprise.

"What? But you are needed by your people!"

"I realize that my obligations to my people are of great importance. The fate of the Riders and the world at large is still greater. The races of this land hang out of balance. Not I, nor any of the other riders can hope to unify ourselves alone. If we were to break out into war, it might mean the end of Riders as we know it. And it would lead to the disaster of all peoples of Alagaesia. I cannot let that happen, not after all we worked to undo a mere century ago. What better solution than to visit the one who started the new way of the riders himself?"

After little persuasion, she got the queen to agree. The king, however, was not so eager to let her leave. He was an egocentric, selfish and harsh man, and she knew more than most that he didn't like the elves one bit. She suspected that perhaps the central reason he did not let her leave was because of this. But in the end, he relented, mostly because the queen was able to sway him. She silently thanked the woman as she left.

When she went back to Du Weldenvarden she was greeted happily by the court and nobles. But when she told them of her plan, she was challenged not only with strong words but with harsh yells. They were desperate for her immediate help, and though she tried to tell them that this would help elves in the foreseeable future, they were relentless. But despite their pleas and logical arguments, she stayed her ground. One of the men suggested the riders elect a representative to return to Eragon's settlement, one that did not have as high responsibilities to others as she. It was a good and valid argument, but for some reason it felt wrong to her, as if she was being pulled to leave Alegaesia. In the end, she left of her own free will with her only excuse being that she was the queen and that she had the responsibility to ensure the races of Alegaesia did not fall out of balance. She left on Firnen shortly after, packing only the minimal amount for the trip.

She flew over hills of treetops; rocky cliffs could be seen in the distance. Then she spotted a reddish walled fortress built off one of the biggest cliffs. It was far away, but even from a distance she saw it was gigantic. She flew that way, suspecting they had settled there. Firnen's excitement provided an underlying mood for her thoughts. She smiled, happy for him, and patted him on the neck. Just then an intense burst of happiness awoke in her heart, as if her mind had been hiding it from her and then it grew too big. The barriers in her mind had snapped like a rope, and the happiness gushed in like a waterfall. But her emotions were of a different nature than Firnen's. For while his excitement made him jumpy, her heart was on a level plane. Her happiness, down in the deepest corners of her spirit, gave her a sense of closure as if perhaps, after a hundred years, she had found her place. After a hundred years, she was where she was meant to be.

End of Chapter 2.

Chapter three, the moment we have all been waiting for, is where Arya meets Eragon for the first time in a century! How will he look? Will his feelings of her change? And how will she react? Find out soon.

Negative or positive, comments are appreciated.


	3. Reunion! Part 1

Eragon looked out to the forest. He heard the waterfall to the east which raged and bubbled like a strange kind of music, the mountain beasts walking in large herds to the west. He closed his eyes and sensed all around him, a trillion tiny living organisms, all coexisting in a perfect balance of life. He inhaled, looking up at the sun, light and shining, giver of all life, and thought to himself how wonderful it was to just be. He exhaled with a large 'aaahh', relaxed. When he opened his eyes, he saw Saphira arch her head around the hut, eyes smiling.

"Good morning, Eragon."

"Good morning, Saphira." She was his best and truest friend. Their bond had grown tenfold since he had left Alagaesia, a love that that Eragon would have scarcely believed was possible a hundred years ago. When she was happy, he was happy, and when he grieved, she grieved as well. Every experience was one they shared.

"What would you like to do today," she said.

"I don't know, I suppose I will practice swordsmanship with Virael for a while as promised. Then I must teach Sheila how to go into a proper draomr kopa before she leaves for her home."

"Very well, I will hunt." She was having trouble hunting for the last few months. Her strategies had always been to surprise and corner in an all out attack, but the animals had gotten smarter and started moving. She now had to fly three hours from home base in order to find animals that had not heard of the brilliant, shining blue-scaled monster that lurked the forests deep. Not that he could blame them. She had more than doubled her size since the days they first arrived. "I am glad you are awake. I was worried you had died, or decided to go back to Alagaesia or something. I would have made into a terrible villain, ripping apart the trees and killing innocents until I found out where you were and knew that you were safe. You know that would have been bad," she joked.

"Oh silly Saphira, you know there is no good or bad. If you had gone villain, you would have at least taught some people a lesson, concerning the might of dragons," he joked back. She snorted and smiled, leaving him to his thoughts.

He thought about Alagaesia. For the first time in months, he thought about the land he had come from before he had barely reached adulthood. He had spent so many less years of his life within it than he had in the home he had made for himself that he often forgot about it as it had been like when he had found the eldunai and defeated Galbatorix. Occasionaly, he would have the eldunari remind him of what it was like, what he had done there, as if he was asking his parents to tell him stories of when he was a baby. He would often hear stories from his students, telling him what they had done in their homeland, how the Urgals had started their summer games again, for all other races to compete in, and how they, the student had won. He would tell them he was proud of them and pretended to his admiring students that he remembered what he had done a century ago.

He was sad he had remembered so little. Some things he had taken with him, but most he had forgotten. How was the kingdom of Ilrea? Was Orik still alive and king? Was Angela? He remembered how he had defeated the king by using a spell of pure instinct and emotion and how Galbatorix had blown himself up. He remembered how Murtagh had fled when the battle was over in order to find himself again. It had been such a surprise when Murtagh had visited him from time to time, telling him of his adventures in the forest and how he had found his new true name. Then later he had visited in tears when he lost Nasuada. She had been married to him for seventy-one years. He never visited after that. Eragon hoped he was alright. Saphira shared her memories of the battles fought, her joy in finding her true name, and her weeks spent with Firnen He remembered Arya…. How long it had been since they last spoke. What would Solembum and Angela say if he were to return to his childhood home one last time? He didn't care though, this was his home. This was his place. And he was happy working here.

Just then, a stroke of fate seemed to hit them both squarely on the head. A warm gust of wind blew in from the west. Saphira lifted her head towards the direction and squinted as if looking for something.

"What are you—"

"Look." The single word brimmed with excitement.

Eragon whipped his head around to look at the spot of sky where Saphira was focused. He saw nothing. Then a green sliver showed itself in the light blue sky, like a razorblade of grass, growing into a slightly recognizable form. As the form came closer and closer he started picking out the features and then finally, Eragon saw that it was a dragon. His heart jolted in surprise, as if it wished to escape his chest. He felt Saphira's emotions become like a boiling pot of water as she crouched on her feet preparing to fly. He found himself smiling on the inside has his heartbeat steadily quickened. He gazed at the green spot in wonder. The dragon got closer and closer until he could see the patterns on its scales and he knew that it was an older Firnen. And on his back, he saw the slender form of a woman who's raven black hair whipped in the wind. His nerves filled joyously with an energy he could only describe as genuine light as his spirit settled onto a level plane. It was his friend. It was Arya.

Haha, sorry guys for the cliffhanger, but I decided to write this chapter in two parts. It was a lot of thoughts and descriptions in this half, but I promise you this next chapter will be much more exciting cause we'll be getting into the plot and I'll start establishing some tension soon. And THEN the next chapter after that they're going to sword fight! So stay tuned for both, I should be posting the second half in the next day or so.

Comments and critiques are appreciated as always.


	4. Reunion! Part 2 SUPAH LONG

ARYA POV:

We descended to the redwood cottage below. I couldn't believe I was doing this. Was this right? I saw Eragon's face smiling up at me as well as Saphira who Firnen was now conversing with. Soon I was able to pick out their facial features and Firnen settled on a place to land in a clearing right next to the cottage. Somehow, I felt delirious; as if I was only half inside my body, as if this was an illusion my mind had made up by itself. Maybe my ride with Firnen was actually me traveling through time into the past, and we were really sitting in Elezmera. Firnen landed, and we slowly approached the house.

ERAGON POV:

I watched Arya hop off her dragon as if witnessing it in slow motion. She was wearing a forest green and tirquoise patterned dress with her black leather leggings underneath. When she finally landed she stayed in place, we both just stood there, looking at each other. Her face had changed slightly, it looked more worn and maybe a little less angular though there was virtually no difference. Still, time had not marred her beauty. Her perfect figure had stayed in tact, with her long dark hair and slightly muscular shoulders, her delicate hands and small feet. Even her stoic expression had been preserved, though her eyes appeared more distant and tired than they used to. She seemed calm and relaxed.

ARYA POV:

His face had changed. Even in my dreamy haze I could see that he had grown older. His cheekbones, which had always been larger-than-elf-size were more pronounced and his face more angular. His hair had lightened to a sunny light- brown and his harms were more muscular. As my feet hit the ground, I felt at last as if I was in the present, as if I was here with my mind and body as one. I let myself stare into his intense eyes once more. In them contained depths of wisdom and knowledge from the eldunari as well as an intelligence and experience. But moreover, he seemed more lighthearted than he ever had before and he his air was a combination of peaceful tranquility and fiery valor. His eyes were… dreamy… if not anything else. I searched through them deeper, determined to see how much he had changed in the last hundred years and to my surprise, I saw…. love. His feelings had not changed for me at all in this whole century. His smile was warm and lighthearted, he seemed truly happy with his life and what he was. Then, for the first time in one hundred years, I heard someone speak my true name.

"[Arya's true name]"

"[Eragon's true name]!"

All the sudden, her stoic, distant expression went out the door and it was replaced with an exited, eager and emotionally unstable Arya. Her arms flew outward as she ran to him, landing in his arms in a tight hug.

Arya POV

I embraced him for the first time in a century, growing accustomed to the fact that he was indeed, real and that he was well. I felt two tears dripping down my face; I didn't care.

"How I've missed you, Eragon." He used his thumb to brush one of my tears aside, grinning.

"I've missed you too…." He seemed to still not fully comprehend what was going on. I smiled.

"As have I," said Saphira. I looked up at the large dragon I had whached over and smiled. I decided it wouldn't hurt if I allowed myself to hold him in the hug for a while longer, letting everything sink in. For at least the time being, I was happy.

END POV

Then she looked up.

"How are you Saphira?"

"I have been well."

"You have both gotten older."

"And you seem to not have changed at all," said Eragon. She chuckled softly, holding in his secret meaning to himself.

"You are too kind… I am just happy to be here!" She threw her arms up in the air.

"I am excited as well." Said Firnen in his low dark mental voice. He looked at Saphira who returned his gaze. Then he walked over to her and they began a silent conversation.

"And how have you been, Arya?"

"I have been… well… and you?"

"Never better." His heart sank slightly, for he knew now that what he said was not a complete truth.

"That is good…" She looked away for a second, collecting her thoughts, then she looked up. "And now Saphira has become the mother of her race." He smiled at her proudly then, holding in mirth.

"Yes, she has." He looked back at her and said "Saphira, should we show them the fifth?

"Yes, it is time. Show them." She said, concealing her bubbling in her happiness.

"Saphira, what is this that you speak of?" thought Firnen.

"Yes, tell us." Arya looked at Eragon sternly. Eragon continued to grin.

"Ladies and gentledragons, I am pleased to present to you, Hiransaios!" Saphira then roared loud, and the sound floated across the forest. They waited a moment. Then they heard a quiet commotion which then grew louder into the sounds of giant footsteps. Finally, out of the near horizon, came running a ferocious but young light blue dragon. The dragon's scales blared out as vivid as the afternoon sky but on its underbelly they were a pale snow white. Its eyes were happy and fierce, and her mouth was turned up in a wacky grin. On the back of the dragon rode a young, blonde haired girl. Her long hair whipped in the wind behind her much as Arya's had; her eyes shown with the same happiness and her smile was like a sliver of the shining sun.

"Is this—"

"This is my—"

"This is Firnen's and Saphira's first offspring. Firnen, meet your son." The dragon continued walking until he was past the two parents and near to Eragon and a now shy and distant Arya. The girl quickly dismounted her dragon and stood to face him.

"Hello, Eragon Kingkiller."

She was wearing a long white cape, white shirt with moonstones and white pants. Her frame was slender and she appeared to be only seventeen. She had high cheekbones and her eyes were a pale blue that matched her dragon.

"Hello Maiasei. How are you this fine afternoon?"

"Very well. We just came back from hunting. Saphira is right, there are no good animals in this part of the forest. We had to fly an hour to the north." She acknowledged Arya, who had been standing meekly beside Eragon with a graceful wave of her hand.

"Arya Drottning, it is a pleasure to finally meet you. The other elves have told me much about you."

"It is my pleasure…" She waved her hand back, as if warding off the image of the girl. Eragon took note, but did not say anything.

"I have to go, Eragon. Ninduen needs me in the training grounds."

"I'll talk with you later, Maiasei." With that the girl walked off quickly into the trees from where she came. The sky blue dragon walked over to his happy parents and soon all three dragons flew away.

"What was that, Arya?"

"That girl. Who was she..?"

"We found her in the woods when we first settled here. She had been following us down the river. She has no memory of where she came from before, but she figures it was beyond here, deeper into the wilderness. We decided to take her along with us, just until we could find her family. When Saphira gave birth to the egg, we showed it to her and it hatched for her. She has been here with us ever since.

"So she is an elf then?"

"Perhaps. Why were you so put off with her?"

"Pay it no mind, it was nothing." Then an awkward silence. She changed the topic.

"How are the other elves faring?"

"The elves? Oh they are doing just fine. They helped us in building the city and they provide fun and loyal companions." Just then they heard footsteps and turned to see the elf Bloodgharm coming from within the trees.

"Bloodgharm!" Arya shouted. His eyes went wide in surprise as he saw the long lost elf queen smiling and waving at him.

"Greetings… Arya Drottning!"

"You always come in the nick of time, don't you?" Said Eragon. Arya ran over to him as well and for a moment they caught up. Then he announced

"You must see what work we have done here!"

And so they both gave her a tour of the fort, which was made out of redwood trees and stone. On the inside, they had built several buildings; a dining hall, a room for Eragon to work, and even a small library which contained Domia abr Wyrda and some other books- three of the elves had gone back to collect literature from all four races. They went up to the tallest of the buildings- a watchtower- where Eragon would go to see when a new student had arrived. The only thing in the watching room was a long telescope, which made Arya very happy, as she told him that star watching had become a new hobby of hers. He took her to visit the gardens, which made her happier still, and the training field where new riders could practice their fighting skills. They took her to the living quarters where the riders slept, and to the caves where the larger dragons could rest. They even showed her the stone courtyards where one could see the most beautiful view of the forest and rivers. Then the two of them walked back to the hut where Eragon stayed. It was early evening; the sky turned a light shade of lilac and the warm wind slowly grew cooler. The two dragons had not yet come back, so Eragon brought Arya into the hut and prepared a meal of bread, cheese and fruit for them.

They sat on the ground outside, backs leaning against the walls of the hut. Arya was nibbling on her cheese sandwich; she gazed out into the distance for a minute. Eragon was content just to watch her- she was beautiful even when she ate. Then finally she said

"And how are you doing, Eragon?

He twittled his thumbs and bit into a strawberry. "The dragons are growing strong, their Riders are developing fast, and I am here with Saphira. We have all we need."

"You appear to be doing quite well." More silence. Finally after some thought, Eragon gathered his courage.

"Arya, why are you here?" She turned to face him, revealing hidden pain and sadness in her eyes. Her face looked tired again.

"Eragon… The world of riders and dragons is in danger- the balance between all four races is unstable. As queen of the elves and as a dragon rider, my obligations are split, and because of my rank, I cannot possibly keep everyone from fighting each other alone. You know as well as I do that no one can. I had hoped that perhaps, since you were the one who forged the pact between riders and dragons in the first place, you would consent to returning to Alegaesia to help us. If you will not, I fear that the riders and dragons will go into a bloody war in the next few months. Furthermore, because the races hold us so highly in their politics, we would drag the world down with them."

Eragon thought for a long while, picking apart every word the elf woman had said. He did not want to give his position right away, nor did he want to offend her. He decided to begin by stating the obvious.

"You believe my oaths to the dwarves and to Nasuada, as well as my decision to include the urgals in the pact would help me win favor with all four races."

"Well… yes… the elves would not have a hard time accepting you as a leader, even if you did not swear any oaths of fealty. You fought alongside them and because the king died at your hand, you would still be hailed as a hero." He laughed politely.

"You speak as if you were not one of them." Her eyebrows made the V shape as if she was considering this hard.

"I suppose… since I have been made chief of the riders… and have been in such close contact with the four races… I have forgotten I must identify with one over the others. I no longer feel like I have a race." She smiled at him. He smiled back. They stared off into the trees in silence. "You will not return with us to Alagaesia." He sighed and turned to her. His eyes shown with care and agitation.

"You know I cannot return to Alagaesia. Angela prophesized it. Besides, it still feels right that I should stay here. You wouldn't expect me to leave my duties and my home anymore than I would expect you to resign from the crown, would you? Is there no one else in all of Alagaesia that could help?"

"No there is not." She said stubbornly.

"Forgive me Arya, but you have asked of me the one thing I could not do for you."

"Fine." She snapped, and got up and walked away to sit on a bench on the other side of the cottage. She folded her arms in front of her chest and refused to look at him.

"Arya…." Eragon pleaded.

Soon the two dragons flew back and landed in the clearing.

"Firnen, how did your day go?"

"Well. We discussed many things all afternoon."

"And yours, Saphira?" asked Eragon.

"Mhm. " She rested her head against Firnen's neck, smiling with her eyes for her old friend. He chucked.

They spent a few minutes telepathically talking to their respective dragons. Eragon could feel Saphira's satisfaction that she had once again been reunited with her friend, and described their days' events. Soon he noticed the sky was growing slowly darker blue and his heart grew heavy. They had only just met each other for the first time in a hundred years and yet, by the looks of how their discussion went, they might not get to see each other for long. He looked over at Arya who was still sitting on the bench. He walked over to her. She seemed more relaxed than before. He figured that Firnen had talked with her and calmed her down.

"It is getting dark. Will you leave for Elezmera with Firnen?"

"No. We will stay for a few nights." Hope and happiness flooded into Eragon. He still had more time with her.

"Where would you like to sleep?" She looked around for a minute, considering.

"Here," she said, meaning the bench.

"Here? But it will be too cold! And it is certainly not suited for a queen. We can take you to one of the rooms in the fort if you would like." She shook her head. "Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Very well then…." He wondered why she would act so strange, but dismissed it in fear that if he were to bring it up again it would offend her further.

Saphira told them that she would take Firnen to the caves, where Hiransaios also slept. She would return shortly. Eragon went into the house quickly and pulled out a quilt and a feather pillow. He set them beside her. She looked at them and at him but made no move to use them right away.

"Goodnight, Eragon Shadeslayer."

"Goodnight, Arya Drottning."

And with that, he left her alone and went into the house.

Arya spread out the quilt and tossed the pillow to the end of the bench where she could rest on the arm. She sat up and curled her legs up, looking into the distance. Her heart was filled with many emotions. Happiness, sadness, relief, pain, anger, hope, love. She thought over the day's events. Her thoughts had been correct. _He had grown. _Even in his appearance she could tell he had gotten much more experienced and even stronger. It pleased her that their friendship dynamics remained unchanged throughout time, as if nothing had happened in the middle. She thought of what he had shown through his eyes. His feelings had not changed for her like she thought they would. He had not forsaken her. She wasn't sure she wanted to but she faced the truth that him still holding on had touched her. It made her feel… happy. She would have dismissed that as vanity but she had never been the type to be vain. So she let it be. But still, she had not accomplished what she had come here for.

What had she been thinking to come all the way here in hopes that he could help. He was right, she could not expect him to give up his duties anymore than she could be expected to give up the throne. Yet, still she could find no other alternative than to ask him to return. Or perhaps, dare she think it, she did not want to find any other alternative. Maybe she wanted to take him with her, simply because she missed him. _Such selfish thoughts should not be allowed in my mind._ _I am the queen. My duty is to my people and my people alone. I should not think about me. _She felt a presence in her mind.

"_There is no harm in longing for a friend." _Firnen landed in the clearing near her and moved close to her. She smiled. He had always been there to protect and comfort her.

He was right. There was no harm in taking a short break to be with her friend. Hadn't every ruler needed some time to themselves? It would certainly do good for her mental health, which had been wearing thin. She would stay here for a few more days and then return to her people. And perhaps she would get him to change his mind. She felt Firnen give out a puff of warm air from his nose.

"_I love you, Firnen."_

"_And I love you too, little one." _

In the cottage, Eragon lay in his bed, staring up at the ceiling. He marveled at his good fortune. _Who would have guessed at the beginning of today that by tonight I would have none other than Arya Drottning sleeping at the side of my house, on my bench? _He looked over to the window. Through the closed shutters he could make out her silhouette, sitting upright, still gazing out into the distance. He marveled at her beauty, her complexity, her strength and selflessness once more. _Maybe this is my chance to finally convince her we can be together. _Saphira pressed into his consciousness. He could see and hear her landing by the side of the house opposite Arya. _Let things be the way they are, little one. Do not try to push what might come on its own. It could end in tears and heartbreak. _He listened to her advice. Arya was one who acted on her own free will. She would not show feelings for him if he simply begged and pleaded. He wrapped himself in his blanket and started drifting off to sleep. The last things he thought of before drifting off into a Draumr Kopa was that when he had drawn the fairth of her all that time ago she had told him her true name, and that even if he must be subtle and stand up for himself he would try. He couldn't not try.

3,560 words later…

I'm done! Woohoo! I was just writing for eight hours straight! I'm really self conscious about this one, I know it's not perfect and I'm probably going to edit it more later, but right now I just wanted to post it so everyone could read it. I hope people aren't so harsh about this one, I'm going to make it better. Now that we got the whole first part of the plot out of the way, I can make a lot more chemistry between them start to develop and things will start getting a lot more fun, starting with the swordfight. And then the garden scene. Im going to have a lot of fun with that one!

**NOTES!**

***WHEN ARYA SAYS SHE FEELS LOVE IN HER HEART, SHE MEANS TOWARDS FIRNEN, NOT ERAGON! WE'RE NOT THAT FAR YET, HAHA!**

***I KNOW. I CREATED AN O.C. FOR SHAME. BUT YOU WILL SEE SHE WON'T TAKE UP A LOT OF THE STORY, SHE'S JUST A SMALL SIDE CHARACTER. I WANTED TO SHOW THE DRAGON FIRNEN HAD WITH SAPHIRA, BUT IT NEEDED TO HATCH FOR SOMEONE, SO I MADE HER. **

***Maiasei (MAYA-say) IS HER NAME. YES. I KNOW IT'S NOT ELVISH SOUNDING. I DID THIS FOR A VERY STRICT REASON. IT ALSO HAS A LOT OF SIGNIFICANCE TO ME. **

***Hiransaios? Ehhh… I picked that one for a reason too, but it makes me as uncomfortable as it does to you. If anyone can find another name for a dragon that sounds unique, mighty, beautiful, and starts with the letter H, I would really appreciate if you messaged it to me. Thank you! **

**Comments and critiques are appreciated as always. **


	5. Sword Fight, Visit to the Gardens

First off, I would like to thank everyone for the 3,246 hits on this story so far. The fact that I got that many likes in under two weeks really means a lot to me and it encourages me to keep doing this work. I've been really busy but now I have a lot of the plot in my head so I should be able to come up with some more fun chapters this weekend and later on. So I guess, love you guys and I hope you continue to like the story. Anyways, on with the show!

Arya arose the next morning to a blank clearing under a clear perrywinkle sky. Two birds flew in the far off sky, chirping and chasing each other, while Firnen still snored quietly, warm smoke coming out of his nose. But aside from this, the world seemed peaceful and quiet. She sat up smoothly and looked out at the surrounding clearing, just thinking to herself. She watched as the birds circled around each other, teasing each other with their squaks. For some reason, the signt made her smile.

Soon, the green dragon realized she was awake and slowly lifted his head towards her.

"Good morning," he said.

"Good morning, Firnen." She got up out of her quilt and walked over to him. He lifted his wing so she could open the pocket of his saddle and grab her clothes. She went behind the house and after checking the surrounding area, began to change out of yesterdays dress into her leather leggings and shirt. She was halfway into her top when she noticed the pressure of someone's mind on her own. It was Saphira, her head had curved over the roof of the house. She blinked once, smiling at Arya with happy eyes. Arya panicked for a second, pulling the rest of her shirt on quickly and then stood there and stared back, like a deer cornered by a predator.

"Good morning, little one."

"And good morning to you, Barzjakular... is Eragon awake?"

"Nay, he is still having a Draumr Kopa. He was very happy that you are here last night, I think." Arya looked away, not knowing how to react or how to feel about Eragon's continued feelings toward her. "What must I do, Saphira?" her face revealed the desperation she suddenly felt.

"If it were me, I would do whatever my heart instructed for me to do." With that, she turned her back to the perplexed elf. "I was only joking, little one." She turned away and then, when out of contact with the woman thought to herself "At least, I think so…" walking off.

Arya stood there until the dragon was out of view. Then her shoulders lowered in a sigh of relief. She returned to the side of the house where she put her old clothes in the saddle pocket, then went back to the bench, wrapping herself in the quilt. She decided to ignore the dragon's hint for the time being and distract her thoughts by immersing herself in her book.

…..

Eragon woke two hours after sunrise. He rose and stretched his arms, smiling happily at the realization that he had not been imagining things- Arya was still there, outside his window. He felt like the luckiest half- elf outside of Alagaesia. Saphira greeted him and he quickly got out of bed and got ready for the day.

He stepped outside and saw Arya was reading her novel: A History of Urgal War and Peace. She looked up at him.

"Good morning, Arya. How was your rest?"

"I rested well. And you?" he nodded in affirmation.

"Well. There was an awkward pause as she looked down again to finish her page. He walked out into the middle of the clearing and spread his arms out to the sky. "It's a beautiful day!"

"Indeed. What do you plan to accomplish today?"

"Nothing in particular. My last pair of students left yesterday morning. I suppose I am free until the next pair arrives. Do you have any ideas?"

"I do."

With that, she put her book down and uncovered herself from the quilt. He saw her sword and sheath attached to her waist by a leather belt. She rose from the bench and marched swiftly and confidently towards him, sword drawn and pointing at him. His heart jolted for a brief moment in fear and surprise from the spontaneity of the act. He silently chided himself. He should have noticed she was wearing her fighting shirt with her hair strapped in a leather band. He was ready though.

She said with a hard expression and official tone

"I challenge you to a trial by arms. Prepare yourself."

Arya POV:

Though she could still see the initial alarm in his eyes, the rest of his face turned stoic. He reached out his arm toward the house and said the ancient name for sword. It flew out the door and into his hand. He quickly said the protective spells over the edges of his sword, then settled into a fighting stance. For a minute, there was silence as each tried to discern hints from their surroundings and from what they had previously learned about each other to determine what rout to take. Finally,

"YA!" Arya attacked, quickly crossing the distance that separated them and crashing her blade against his own. He was strong. Stronger than before by perhaps double, and she feared, stronger than her.

Eragon POV:

Her confidence kept him on his toes, but he did his best to remain in control of himself. She was strong still, the fierceness of her attack put him on the defensive. He hoped that at least, after all the time that had passed between them his practices would make them evenly matched. He smiled inwardly though, remembering the time when long ago, he beat her, when he learned to see what he was looking at. He hope that now, though she had changed from being queen, he still knew her.

Arya POV:

He easily parried the blow with an almost graceful flick of his wrist. It was his turn to attack. He lunged at her right flank and she quickly dodged it, spinning around to tag him on his right side. Her blade was stopped, almost caressing his skin, their bodies locked in place, a quarter of an inch from each other with only the cross of swords acting as a barrier, so close they could feel the others heat emenating out of each other. He stared into her with happy, confidant, knowing eyes; she returned a fierce growl.

Eragon:

Her eyebrows went into a V. She pushed herself away, leaving room between them. He slashed at her then, but she turned and bent like a reed and danced around him like a beautiful crane, displaying her superior grace and flexibility to dodge his attacks. She continued like this for some time, pinning him a few times on the back giving him sharp pains, but it was harmless.

Arya POV:

_He might have grown stronger, but I wager, I am faster. _He started using new combinations of attacks that she had not seen before, but she returned with some new ones of her own. In swordsmanship, it seemed, they were perfectly matched. She swung at his chest and he caught it with the side of his blade, making her slide into him, bumping her hip into his leg and their arms touched. She noticed, his skin was smooth. He looked down at her boldly, for a minute she faltered, letting the distance come between them once again. She noticed a few elves had come from their hiding places to watch the battle, distracting her. She didn't care who saw. She was determined to win.

Eragon POV:

His proficiency with the sword surprised Eragon. He did not think he would get this far. _Maybe, just maybe I can win this fight… _Using a loud yell to throw her off guard, he lunged at her again. She had just barely enough time to deflect it. They met in a fast flurry of blows, the clanking ringing in their ears, each giving all their reserves of strength to overpower the other. He looked his opponent in the eye, they spoke without words.

Arya POV:

She challenged him to his best and noted that his timing and rhythm was perfect. Soon she realized her energy was quickly waning. She turned to her speed again, trying to outs-peed him as fast as she could. The intensity of it was almost unbearable. Slowly, she saw an almost evilly triumphant smile spread across the male rider's face. He could match her pace.

Eragon POV:

He went faster and faster and faster, dancing in an endless cascade of sparks and she kept returning them. As he went faster and faster he got happier and happier, he thought to himself that maybe, he had finally managed to surpass her speed. He could read the thoughts she passed through her eyes. Behind what was once an impenetrable gate of hardened warrior ferocity was a growing feeling of doubt. She was questioning herself, and him. He fought harder and harder, knowing he was reaching the end.

Arya POV:

She instantly regretted her decision to take speed to her advantage. She pushed herself away one last time but Eragon seemed to have known what she was going to do. He pointed his sword to her neck before she got the chance to lift her arm.

"Dead." He said. And the match was over. She huffed. He stepped away from her and lifted his sword up to the sky, yelling 'Brisingr!' triumphantly, and his sword burst into victorious blue flames. She sighed, hunching her shoulders and lowering her weapon.

"You win…." She said quietly to herself. The croud of elves joyously applauded and dispersed. She didn't know why, but the fight had left her faint and out of breath not just from physical exhaustion. His success at swordplay had struck her hard in the chest… and she felt happy. Quietly, in the back of her mind, she said to herself: ….._He still sees into me. _

He hunched over and panted, recovering from his victory. He knew that she was still stronger than he was, and while he was faster, he knew it had only been luck that he was able to beat her the way that he had.

"That was a great run, Arya, should we go again?"

"No, there is no need. I have already seen what I wanted from you. You have surpassed my expectations." He nodded.

"You've improved too, from what I remember." They took a moment to catch their breath. She quickly recovered.

"How have you improved so much?" She confesed her thoughts. Eragon shrugged.

"I practiced. I had to improve my teaching skills, so I practiced against every elf here until I beat them. You are still the finest opponent I have ever met." She smiled at the compliment.

"Now what shall we do?"

"Well I was thinking I might show you the gardens. Would you like that?"

"I would."

They walked through the tall pines until they saw bright colors in the distance. They neared the site and Eragon lifted up a bristly branch over their heads so that she could see what lied beyond it. Arya let out a soft gasp. Her eyes widened in awe.

The garden was layed out in large wooden square boxes with soil on the inside, evenly spaced out like a checker board. Each mound had different flower arrangements. If one widened their gaze to see to the edges of the gardens, they might have to squint, for there were thousands of bright dots of every hue and every shade. There were hundreds of types of flowers, nothing had been left out. There were even some she had never seen before. Some flowers had been sung with magic, giving them other features. They could hum, sing, squirt water, change color, a few could even talk. She slowly walked through the garden in a daze, glancing at all the flowers. As she went in, it seemed as if a weight was slowly being lifted off her shoulders. She felt her lips go into a grin, and her eyes grew bright. She let out a small laugh.

Eragon POV.

He watched as she went from mound to mound, examining each flower arrangement that caught her eye. Her eyes were bright from happiness and a smile shone on her face.

"This is the most amazing garden I have ever seen!"

"I am glad you like it." Saphira came down and landed by Eragon. He liked minds with her and she sent him her happiness. He smiled at her in agreement.

He watched her silently from over her shoulder, examining a pink and yellow flower. It was slightly larger than average; is petals spread outwards like a sun. Its center had been enchanted by one of the female elves to sing all on its own. The melody was soft and delicate, like a child's lullaby. It also had a complicated spell that let the viewer look into it and be transported into a kaleidoscope vision. He wondered why she had taken interest in this flower, for it seemed quite unlike her personality. Still, she looked into the flower, hypnotized by it. The look of her being so immersed with this flower made his heart swell at being near such an amazing person. He gazed at her in admiration. Her high cheekbones and nose were the only things that emerged out of the side of her hair, which was let down and obscured the rest of her face. Her narrow shoulders gently rose and fell with her breath and he noticed she still gave off the aroma of pine needles. His eyes drifte leading his eyes down her arms, elbows wrists and her delicate hands were placed on the wooden edges of the mound, fingers twinging slightly. She seemed to finally be at peace with herself.

"These are wonderful, Eragon. Every one of them is the most beautiful flower."

"They are." He agreed, objecting to himself silently. Looking around, then at her, he knew better. He knew she was the most beautiful flower in the garden. His heart ached to tell her. He opened his mouth to say it but then

"Stop yourself, little one. You don't want to loose the chance you most hold dear." He had forgotten. Saphira had been listening in on his thoughts the whole time.

"I know—it's just… I don't know how much time we have left." Saphira chided him.

"Rest your heart, child. You still have time." He smiled at her. She rested her head near him. They stood in silence.

ARYA'S POV

She heard the music coming from a nearby arrangement and saw a girlish blossom in the middle of it. She looked into the lighthearted flower curiously. She was at once transported into a vision of endless shapes and colors and lines, developing infinitely. It was an interesting sight, but the reason why she was so captivated by it was because it reminded her of two things. One: this song that was playing in the center of the flower was the same lullaby that her mother used to sing to put her to sleep as a small child. She had not thought of her mother, nor her childhood for quite a some time, but now that she was brought back she thought of one other thing. She thought of the young, blonde haired man that had been her friend oh so long ago, even before she accepted the yawe. She thought of Faolin.

"_Oh Arya, I have a gift for you."_

"_A gift? What kind? Let me see it!" She put down her book and rushed to him, grabbing the little package out of the smiling elf's hands. She unwrapped it and discovered a longish, ivory, cylindrical telescope with a glass window on the end. It was the most curious thing she had ever seen. "What is it, Faolin?"_

"_I found it in a market in _. It's called a kaleidoscope." She turned at looked at him curiously. _

"_But what is it for?"_

"_You look through it. Close one eye and open the other and look into that end." She looked at him teasingly. _

"_This is a trick! You're always jesting with me."_

"_I'm not jesting with you, Arya, I mean it! Look, you have to open that eye, and then close the other one, and put it up to your face…." She awkwardly did as he instructed, putting her slanted green eye against the end of the pipe and looking in. Inside she saw a number of shapes and colors floating around in space. When she turned her hand around the other end, the design moved and transformed. She did this for a number of minutes or so as he looked at her, satisfied. _

"_This is… quite entertaining." She said, still looking through the glass. _

"_I am glad you enjoy my gift."_

_She had kept it in her room for months after that. It was her favorite toy. She would hold it up to the morning sky when she was bored and see how the patterns changed when she pointed it at the trees. But then, one night she then remembered, they had both gotten into a horrible fight. And as they were arguing, she had thrown the kaleidoscope into the wide river. It was too far away for him to go and get it, and he had quickly stopped the arguing after. She had very much regretted loosing her treasure, but over the years it had slipped out of her memory. He had fallen to Durza and she had been left with a new Rider and his dragon they had both fought so hard to protect. _

She noticed that Eragon had come to stand by her side, watching her. She didn't care. She continued to reflect. Eragon had grown so much in those few years, and even now he continued to grow at a steady rate. He had fought back at her during their duel, and now he had shown her this—the gardens. She decided then, though not for the first time, that he was her truest friend. Aside from Firnen, that was. Eragon, not Faolin, had seen her for all that she truly was. Faolin had been close to her too, they may have even held a secret romance at some point, but Eragon was in a different, higher place entirely. He was different. She noticed he was now gazing at her arm with his intense eyes. It made her slightly uncomfortable and her fingers trembled slightly. She smoothly broke the awkward silence with a comment.

"These are wonderful, Eragon. Every one of them is the most beautiful flower." He agreed, and looked somewhere else in the gardens. But out of the corner of her eye she saw that he was looking at her, his lips slightly parted as if he wanted to say something important. "_Please don't say something foolish…"_ Something stopped him though, probably Saphira, because he faltered and looked downward. She continued to look at the flower for a few more minutes, listening to her mother's old song until Eragon said

"Do you want to go meet the others?"

"That sounds like a good idea."

They exited the garden together, towards the other elves.

To be Continued

Alright! I know that Arya might have been a little too lighthearted and happy in this one, but I really enjoyed writing it all the same. I needed her to loosen some weight off her shoulders after how much stress she had been under in Alagaesia. I really hope you like this one, I know that I liked writing it!

Anyways, stay tuned for the next one, it will probably be called Secrets Under Starlight!

Reviews are always appreciated.


	6. Stargazing

Sorry it's been such a long while since I last posted, I've been going through a family crisis. But it's break now so hopefully I'll have time to come up with a few more!

* * *

><p>Eragon and Arya approached the clearing where five cottages stood. One by one, they both saw the heads of the elves pop out from within and behind their houses. One tall, blonde elf, Lady Ismira, came at them proudly, with outstretched arms. She held her arms out in a grand welcoming gesture.<p>

"Lady Arya Drottning, we have long awaited your visit!"

"Illsmira, it is good to finally have come." Several other elves, Nindr, Lithuin Harvala and Carvundr came and stood behind her with smiling faces. Illsmira's eyes were eager and filled with hope.

"If you would, could you tell us of what has transpired over the last hundred years in our homeland? A hundred years is no small span, even for ones who live like us, and though I know as well as any that the winds of change do not blow often into our realm, I fear we have become ignorant of the condition of our own people."

And so Arya talked to the elves, telling them of the hardships of their people and of the neighboring races. Eragon stood back and listened, he could tell by the ease of her voice that she was trying to be as diplomatic as possible, and that she was relieved they had not been offended that she had not come sooner, but by the angle of her shoulders he could tell it was hard for her to talk about how much difficulty they were having. He knew though that as the queen it was her responsibility and that she could more than handle it. The elves listened respectfully, occasionally throwing in a question or comment. When she finished, Lady Illsmira bore a thoughtful, downcast expression. The rest of the elves stood in silence. Finally she said,

"We will certainly fix this problem before it gets to be too late. However, I am sure you have a plan, and we will surely help where needed."

"I appreciate your concern, and I am sure we will figure out a solution soon enough." Arya said this with formality, but then gave Eragon a wide-eyed look, telling him silently to come with him. Eragon subtly shook his head in response for he knew that since Angela prophesized he would never return, he could not go back. She turned back in frustration. "Come, I have grown weary of this dark talk, we will speak of this no more until I am to return."

"Of course, Drottning." They said and departed, leaving them alone, once again. Her shoulders stayed up. She turned to meet his gaze and Eragon saw her eyes were solemn and serious.

"You still will not come."

"I cannot, you know that as well as I." She looked away then, and stared off into the distance, they were silent. Arya was still upset with him; he could tell though she might not show it. Normally, Eragon knew the proper thing to do was to smooth things over but in this case there was nothing he could do. So he took the opportunity to excuse himself politely.

"Erm… I have to go attend to a few things. If you want, you're welcome to go explore the settlement. I'm sure there are plenty of things that you might find interesting." She sighed and her muscles relaxed.

"I suppose I shall. I will see you later, Eragon."

Arya POV:

With that, the half elf left, walking past her into the distance. She peered out, between the redwood trunks of the gate and into the small city in the fort. _What shall I do with myself? _She had already seen most of the buildings, so she decided to take another look at the library. Perhaps she would find a book that would spike her interest. And then, perhaps, she would find and explore Domia abr Wyrda.

When she entered the library, she was pleased to see it had many shelves of books, all from various time periods and from all of the races. She browsed through them until she found one, Dwarvish Politics of Class which she picked up and began to read. She read for two hours, pacing back and forth, until she got bored, and then found Domia abr Wyrda, whose red cover was laying face out in a bookshelf. When she reached for it, to her surprise, it gave off a cloud of blue smoke. She chided herself for not thinking beforehand that it might be protected with magic.

"Are you pure of intention and loyal to the preservation of wisdom and knowledge?" said the book.

"Of course." The book seemed to be searching her consciousness for security purposes. It made her uneasy, but she let it continue.

"Then we welcome you to read the history, to learn, and to become better." The book became a book once more. She carefully picked up the first page and looked to see it had been dedicated to Eragon Kingkiller and Saphira Bjartskular, for their service to Alegaesia. She flipped through and read over when the elves had come from far off lands to settle in the woods, the war with the dragons, and the rise of the riders. She even checked to see if her father, King Evandar's rulership was recorded. Bubbles of pride floated in her stomach when she found that he had been briefly mentioned. Then, after she had finished reading anything she could possibly use to help end the conflict, (which ended it disappointment) she flipped to the end of the book to see where they had left off. To her utter astonishment, she saw that not only was Eragon, Saphira and their journey to defeat Galbatorix recorded, but her beginning with Firnen as well. She couldn't help but smile warmly in an odd satisfaction. It was not like her to be prideful, but she would never have expected to make the book of all recorded history.

After she was done in the library, she wandered around, looking at each building in the city until she came upon the tall green tower. She decided to go up and see the view. She ascended the spiral staircase, looking out of the windows to see that it was already early evening. When she entered the lone tower, she remembered the telescope. She went to the window, what she saw beyond was wonderful. She saw hills and valleys topped with lush, green trees, snow topped mountains in the distance, and the bright colorful glow of the gardens down below. The sky was a mixture of light blue, purple, and orange, black birds circled overhead. In the air, a light trill of a reed flute played an elvish melody. The beauty of it made her heart lift, and she was filled with hope that her endeavor would succeed when she returned home. It was the first ray of hope she had.

"Hmhm."

Arya spun around quickly. Eragon had quietly come from the stairs behind her.

"Eragon!"

"I'm sorry if I startled you."

"No, everything is fine. How went your errands?"

"Well, and you spent your time well?"

"I did. I was in the library and I saw we were added to Domia abr Wyrda."

"Yes, some of the elves went and got that from Jeod after we settled. It was an honor to even be mentioned in such a book."

"It was," she agreed. He looked around the room.

"You told me you've taken up a new hobby."

"Yes," she smiled. "I've spent many nights looking into the stars, I've even charted the paths the stars travel by through time."

"It's very interesting." He admitted. "You know Saphira and I flew up past the clouds long ago. We were able to see the curve of the planet."

"I remember you saying that. Firnen and I saw the same curve! We ventured up there twenty years after you left. The moon was big and full that night; he wanted to get as close to it as he could." Eragon grinned, thoroughly amused at Firnen's distinct personality.

"Did you reach it?"

"No, we had to stop. As we rose the chill of the air was too much to bear and it was almost impossible to breathe."

"Ah." They looked into the distance in silence. "Do you want me to show you how to use this one? It is not an ordinary telescope, Carvundr and Lithuin put it together over many years."

"Why not?" Eragon moved her to the lens of the telescope. She found that instead of an eye piece for her to look into, the opening was much wider, she had only to put her face up to the small, circular window. Eragon fiddled with the mechanisms on the side. What at first was just the hills she had been observing out the window, became

a map of curves and lines, meridians marking various points. The horizon line was marked, as well as a line indicating the horizon's distance from the sun. She gasped, amazed at the wonderful work. It was such a useful invention. The evening sky darkens and turns to a beautiful night and Eragon switched the view upwards. She saw that through one lens, she could view the movement of the stars through the heavens over time. Through one she saw the names and groupings of all the constellations, through another celestial sphere, equator, and poles. There were thirteen lenses total, and through each one she could see deeper into the patterns of the stars. Her hunger for the new information set her on a journey through each of the lenses, she examined each view for quite some time. Eragon hadn't seen her so fascinated by anything in his life. He smiled to himself at the discovery of this new discovery, although he recalled learning about this in her true name. She eventually broke her focus and looked back to him.

"Eragon, do you believe in a god? I remember asking you before, but so much time has gone by, I wondered if maybe you had changed your mind."

"It's as I told you before. I have gone through many decades, switching from belief to belief, but in the end it all comes down to the same thing: I don't know. I have not seen much evidence to prove a god exists, but nor can I guarantee that one does not exist. I've seen strange things, but with magic all around us who can tell what is caused by the ancient language or by a higher beings design?" Arya thought silently for a while.

"I suppose, with your experience, it makes sense.. these past years have caused me to reexamine by beliefs about the origin of things."

"What do you believe, Arya? Have you forsaken your views?"

"No," she grinned. "I still don't believe in a god. I believe just like every alfykn I believe we came from a previous civilization."

"Oh. I see."

"But… what if… perhaps… I had been thinking about that previous civilization and I wondered where they went, what caused them to leave, we have no evidence of anything. I was only thinking… what if we came from a civilization far beyond these stars? What if we journeyed all across the world and we could not find the ones who created us?"

Eragon chucked lightly.

"I certainly have never thought about it that way before. It's an interesting idea. I cannot say I know to agree or disagree, but it would be fascinating to find out."

Arya looked down meekly.  
>"It was only a thought, of course." Then there was silence as they looked out into the stars. Then "Eragon?"<p>

"What?"

"I am glad for your friendship." He smiled widely.

"And I yours."

They continued to look out into the mysterious heavens.

* * *

><p>The end of this one, it's short because I didn't know where to break off this one and the next chapter. The next one is Arya's last day at the settlement. She goes to the gardens for the last time and briefly breaks out of her stoic shell for the last time in a while to Eragon. It will be good. Will post next one soon.<p> 


	7. Flowers, Secrets Under Starlight

Announcement: Two family crisises, one operation and a heartbreak later…

I'm back! I just graduated high school yesterday (woot!) so now I will have a lot more time to continue to write this story. I am deeply sorry that I have not gotten to it sooner; more has gone on in the past few months than I care to explain. Also my account was suspended for some weird reason, I don't know why I didn't even do anything wrong. Like for instance me talking to you right here before and after every chapter is allowed, right? And I use spell check before posting everything. Anyhow, I hope you all didn't think that I had given up on this or that I am one of those writers who when they get bored of a story just stop writing it because I am not. When I set out to write this story I set out determined to write it to the end. I hope I have not lost so many and that they will continue to read. I'm happy I can start back up again and am excited because it's going to start moving a lot faster! You'll enjoy where it goes. So, without further ado, my next chapter!

After bonding and gazing at the stars an hour or so, they decided it was best of they head back so they descended the spiral staircase once again.

"Would you like me to lead you to the guest chambers?"

"Yes please. The hour is late and I would not like to spend tonight sleeping on a bench again."

"Very well." He led her to the large hall. They ate a small dinner and then he took her to the hallway of guest rooms where he let her chose one. She bade him goodnight and when he departed she went about exploring the room. She called Firnen with her mind. He responded with a full heart. _I will be there shortly. _She opened the window to the night sky and paced back and forth, waiting.

Soon, Arya heard wings flapping up above her and then wind blew her hair as Firnen landed below, on the stone courtyard outside her window. She excitedly ran to the side of the room, poking her head out of the window.

"Firnen, I missed you." He blew a warm burst of fire out of his nostrils.

"_I missed you too, child." _They quickly shared thoughts and memories about their day until Firnen told her to get some sleep. Eventually she lay down on the bed and let her thoughts settle her. _I do not want to return to Ellesmera tomorrow, but I suppose I have no other reason to be here if Eragon does not want to come. I will try again tomorrow, but if he does not change his position, I must go. _ After that, she settled in for a deep, peaceful night's sleep.

She awoke the next morning when the sunlight shone too harshly on her through the window. She rose with a jolt. This was the last day she would be in the settlement! Firnen's face peered at her through the windowpanes with a glimmer in his eyes.

"_What is the matter, my child?"_

"_I wish to return to the gardens one last time before I am to leave."_

"_Can I come with you?" _She smiled.

"_Of course you can, Firnen."_

"_Come outside, I will fly you there."_

She unlocked the window and opened it, hopping out onto the thin stone ledge keeping her from falling to her destruction. Firnen stretched his neck towards her so she could grab on to his head. She jumped off from the ledge so she was flying in midair for a moment. Then she grabbed on to one of his head spikes for a quick second and swung herself up around his neck.

"_Nice job." _She half ran half slid down his neck the rest of the way onto his back.

_"It is not as if we have not done that before!" _ He took off, the flaps of his wings sent gusts of wind flying in every direction. He ascended above the fort, they looked over the walls, past the towers, to the green forest far below. The sky stretched out cloudless, an expanse of pure blue. The birds chattered and flew along with them. They soon spotted the bright square of garden amongst the trees and descended, landing amongst the flowers.

"_What would you like to see" _Asked Firnen.

"There is so much. I just wanted to visit one last time so that I wouldn't forget anything." She then proceeded to wander amongst the various displays of flowers for a time as Firnen watched. She stumbled upon even more oddities; flowers that seemed to be made out of non flower like materials, flowers with odd patterns of shapes and runes on the petals, and even a patch of flowers that had a color that she hadn't ever seen before and couldn't name.

"_Saphira told me that Maiasei created that color by looking deep into her core. Perhaps I will try that one day."_

"I see…." The thought of Maiasei creating such a color filled her with unease. She continued to examine the flowers.

It was into the second hour when she heard a small voice calling to her from behind somewhere. She looked all around her but found that no elf or human occupied the garden but her. Then she remembered that some of the flowers could sing. Perhaps it was a flower that was calling to her.  
>"<em>Listen… Listen… Listen… Listen.<em>"

She followed the soft, high voice, a sound that seemed almost to be breathing the words, to a beautiful grapefruit colored flower. The plant stood eight feet off the ground with a green thorny stem. It looked like a hundred petaled daisy and smelled like a hyacinth. It's entire being seemed to thrum with life, consciousness, and intelligence.

"_Listen my Queen and you shall hear_

_A riddle about what you most fear. _

_Your mind is sharp but your heart is mute_

_It longs to say truth that you can't refute. _

_Listen to your heart when all is said and done_

_After the war that will surely come _

_You will see, my child what's in front of you_

_And you will know beyond all doubt that it is true. _

_You will learn to know my child. _

_You will learn to know…... _

What did it mean? She looked at the flower with a raised eyebrow for a few more moments, trying to decipher some of what it said. What was it she feared that she was hiding from her own heart? _I would like to think that after two hundred years I know the inside of my heart. I know that there will be a war to come so it comes as no surprise to me. But what of what lies right in front of my eyes? _She looked at Firnen, who had been examining a wine colored flower. He looked at her innocently.

"_What does the flower mean by 'you will learn to know?"_

"_I think that when you are ready, it will come to you."_

"_I suppose you are right. I will put this message off for now and think about it later."_

She thanked the flower and was about to leave when a figure dressed in white came into her vision.

"I thought I might find you here." It was Eragon. Surprised, she smiled in greeting, glancing at the flower.

"Yes… this is quite the intriguing flower.

"Indeed, Lady Illsmira made that twenty some years ago. It gives advice to those it wishes in the form of a riddle. I saw you were speaking with it. Did it give you a fortune?

"Yes, I believe so."

"Would you care to repeat it?"

"It wasn't much of anything, really, it is no matter." He shrugged.

"Very well then." And so they walked off.

It was mid afternoon when Eragon realized how little time they had left together.

"What would you like to do now?"

"I suppose we can go visit the others again." He led her out of the fort and back to the cottages. The elves came out once again, and Arya spoke with each of them for a time, but the subjects became too grave Bloodgharm suggested they celebrate her arrival.

So the elves ran back into their cottages, returning with tables of food, music and festive cheers. Nindr began playing a fast, light-hearted tune and Harvala sang along, while Bloodgharm lit a fire in the center. For a time, Eragon ate and talked, until Nindr began on his second song. Eragon sat and happily watched with a slowly relaxing Arya. Nindr's harmonies were complex and carefully planned with his flute playing. Soon, others began to dance as the tempo increased. Arya sprung up with her arms above her head and began to dance with a smile on her face. Eragon was more than content just to watch and marvel at her beauty and skill. She later told him she had not been able to dance for a long time, due to her position at home. The elves applauded as she finished. Eventually, the night seemed to hit the lot and the elves fell into a somber silence. Everyone looked up at the bright, full moon glistening in the dark blue sky. They insisted the queen sing one of her songs and after some persuasion, she consented.

The tune was slow and eerie. It spoke of the turn of the seasons and times gone by, of darkness of the night. It hit Eragon with a pang of loneliness that felt like a physical blow. When she was finished, the last few notes left everyone in a contemplative silence. Eventually, the elves exchanged their last few pleasantries and left the clearing back into their huts, leaving Arya and Eragon alone in the darkness, sitting in on a log by the fire.

For a while, there was silence. Then, finally Eragon got the courage to speak.

"You hinted to them that things were getting better in Du Weldenvarden. Are they?"

"I did what I had to. Our dilemma will improve when I return."

"So, why did you decide to go back to the gardens?" She sighed, letting him in.

"I wished to return one last time so that I might remember. When I am on the battlefield in the upcoming war, I want to look back on this garden so that when I feel overwhelmed I might have some form of peace."

"You can only fight for so long." She nodded.

"I was born a fighter, Eragon. But you are right. If I only fought, I would never have the time to acknowledge what I am fighting for."

"Mhm." Another thoughtful silence. He gathered his courage and his words. "Do you still plan on leaving soon?" Without meaning to, a hint of boyish hopefulness crept into his voice. He quickly tried to hide it though he failed.

"I will leave tomorrow morning." Her voice was quiet and filled with certainty. His heart sank deep into his stomach, though he put all his effort into hiding it. Aching, he turned away to compose himself.

"You surely miss your people."

"I suppose I should." He turned back to her again, incredulous.

"You do not?" Her face was turned down, gaze directed towards her feet.

"I do not. I…." He waited respectfully for her to gather her words. "I hate it there. When I am not working to the death with the council I am struggling to maintain order in the nations. When I am not flying with my riders I must fight with the leaders who want everything from us. Most times, differences cannot be overcome and everyone remains unsatisfied. Other times, one race gets what it wants, becomes too powerful and knocks down the balance so we have to start all over again." Eragon looked through Arya's dark tresses, which concealed most of her face and noticed she was crying. His face automatically switched from thoughtfulness to concern. "I never wanted any of this for myself. I chose this life on account of my yawe, and the need to serve my people. I will continue to fight for them but I do not know how much longer I can continue to be pulled in so many directions. Most of all, I am afraid that not only will my people fall but that all of Alegaesia will be split apart, never to repair itself again." At this comment, Arya turned to face him. The glimmer of her tears illuminated by the fire lit up her face in a way that made Eragon swoon. It was one of the most beautiful ways he had ever seen her. He was filled just then with the pure desire just to help her, to find a way to make her happy again. He thought and then a knot entered his stomach.

"Have you not told anyone about this?"

"In order to maintain my good standing and inspire faith in my people, I cannot confide in anyone but Firnen."

"There isn't anyone else you have spoken to about this?"

"No, you are the first one I have told."

She looked into his eyes for a long minute, as he looked into hers. Finally she turned back to the fire and sighed.

"Still, you will not return with me." This was the trigger Eragon had tried to avoid. He raised his arms in exasperation with himself.

"How can I join you when the prophecy clearly said I cannot? I have duties here!"

"What duty is more important than your service to Alegaesia? If we are to fail and all the riders are killed who will come to you for training? If the people war against each other and order is destroyed who will restore it?"

"The Riders!" Arya's eyebrows turned into Vs. Perhaps he had not grown up after all.

"You put too much faith in your bond between races. The ancient language can create bonds between people but it is the people that must choose to make the bond work. I would advise you to reflect on your priorities and maybe you will see where your loyalties truly lie." The accusation left him stunned. She sat rigidly, looking into the fire. He looked at her, unsure of what to say. Finally she broke the silence. "I will leave tomorrow morning. I still urge you to accompany me. If not, then we will part ways."

They sat watching the fire, lost in thought, under the glistening starlight.

That's it! Hopefully the short break in stoic-ness from Arya was engaging enough. I'll post more soon! Bye!


	8. Return

Alright guys so funny story while I was not posting online, I took a creative writing class and decided to kill two birds with one stone. In a vocab project we had to write our own story so I decided to write a chapter of this- except Arya's name was Maria, Saphira was Azura, Firnen was Virg, Angela's was Inmorger, and Eragon's name was Kevin! (I know, really huge Paolini fans; I'm evil. Please don't tell him I did that!) Worst of all, the dragons were horses with wings. Not pegasuses, because they were a mythical creature I made up that use crystals in their hearts as power sources. But anyways yeah that was my writing assignment. Continue on.

Dawn shone through the windows as Arya rose for the last time on the settlement. Her heartbeat quickened. _I'm going home. _ Yet she could not ignore the ache in the pit of her stomach, knowing that she might not see Eragon again. She turned to her emerald dragon, who comforted her.

"I love you Firnen."

They rose above their chambers, to a colorful sky. They flew above the cottage where they found Kevin sitting next to his sapphire steed. She noticed the tempestuous look in his eyes. He looked at her with a mixture of nervousness, pain, anguish, loss and of course, genuine love. If only there were some cataclysmic event happening in his mind so he would accompany them.

Firnen landed and she ran to him.

"You are leaving." His epigramwas hopeless and resigned.

"Not yet," She said with austerity. "I must do an errand before I leave. Where is the dragon egg stronghold?"

"We'll show you the way," said Saphira.

In short time they arrived at the stronghold. Arya collected a turquoise egg with brown streaks ebbing in and out on the shell- belonging to Saphira.

"I want you to have it," the blue dragon said, nuzzling Firnen's neck. She hoisted it into Firnen's saddle so he could carry it home, hardly a cumbersometask for one so large. They mounted their dragons and Eragon led them to the border.

For a long time, neither of them attempted to say anything, both lost deep in their thoughts. Arya gazed at him from behind, his light brown hair was blowing in the wind. No doubt he was just as troubled as she was.

_If only there were some way I could make him understand that he must return to the land he came from. Is it not his responsibility to take care of his home? I have tried everything I can think of but he will not budge. I don't want this to be goodbye, yet now I see no other alternative. _

Eragon looked ahead at the grassy hills, trying to stay focused. And though he flew in one direction, it felt as if there was a magnet in his gut pulling him to go in the opposite direction. He could feel Arya was staring at him from behind, wishing for him to change his course of action. He grimaced, heart filled with silent torment. _I can't go. I just can't. Angela prophecy stated clearly that I was never to return. But still... letting her go without me is going to tear me apart. I have to be strong. It is my duty as a Rider to live here and take care of things from afar. As a Rider I took a vow to serve my people and, that being said, I must stay and protect the eggs. They are the key to our planet's survival, for they are they are the power sources for all dragon kind, containers of sacred knowledge, memories and wisdom. We cannot let them fall into the wrong hands. I must accept that there are some things I cannot change, as much as I might want to. _

After about half of an hour, they arrived at the furthest boundaries between his land and hers. They dismounted again, setting foot on the tall green grass to face one another.

_I guess this is goodbye..._

"Why must you leave so soon?" Eragon's eyes shot at her, with a mixture of longing, hurt, pain and anguish, desperation.

"I must return to my people, for I am their queen!" She lifted her hand, gesturing to her diadem. "You understand that as much as I!"

"I do but still. I feel as if you have only just arrived. Can't you stay for just a week more?"

Arya sternly shook her head, eyes filled with dutiful regret.

"And you will not change your mind?"

He looked down in deep thought, turning over the facts he had turned over a hundred times before. He was trapped between hammer and anvil. He couldn't possibly leave his duties as she could not forsake hers. He looked up at her with doubt.

"I cannot leave and disregard the prophecy. I have no choice," she sighed in harsh exasperation.

"Is there wool over your eyes? Do you not see? You do have a choice! Eragon, How can you be so sure this prophecy is real if you have not tried to get past it?" He jolted back in surprise, reflecting on what he had just heard.

Was she right? Was Angela so tricky as to test his will? Maybe he did have a choice. Maybe he could choose the path of his life beyond what had been set for him. _I suppose if I were to try to fly beyond the border and the prophecy was correct, I would be blocked by an invisible barrier of fate. But if I am to cross it back into my homeland, then the prophecy was just a test and I am the master of my own destiny. I could give it a try. Besides, _he looked at her _I cannot bear to see her leave me again, not to return for a hundred years. We might be immortal, but I don't have the strength in me to be away for that long again. _He thought, once again, of all the things he could not change. But perhaps, this time he could.

And so it was that Eragon the Kingkiller came out of hiding to return once more

to the land of Alagaesia.

Next Chapter : Dwarf Meeting!


	9. Dwarf Meeting

Hello loves, It's been a long time since I've written a chapter of this story, but it is has been my wish for a long time to finish it, and I intend to make that wish come true. I have not abandoned it. I have the story pretty much plotlined now and it hasn't faded from my memory. It feels very good to be writing this again. I will be in college in a few weeks again, but in my free time I hope to write more of these chapters. Enjoy and much love to all of my readers.

Arya led Eragon through wide expanses of forest for miles until the trees cleared out into a wide expanse of plains cut by a jagged blue river; a river that cut through Eragon's early memories like a knife. He smiled at the distant familiarity of the land however. It was midday when he heard a distant horn and spotted a sight that made his heart leap out of his chest. It was the dwarf clan Dûrgrimst Ingeitum. They were gathered on the edge of the water. The clan's leader stood at the head of the mass, axe in hand giving instructions to his men. With his elven vision, Eragon could tell who it was: Orik.

Saphira noticed as well and released a jet of bright blue flame in excitement and greeting. After a moment of discombobulation from the dwarves, they saw the emerald Thorn swoop high above and returned to a state of ease. Realizing then who the second dragon must be, excitement immediately shook through the ranks of short bearded men. An uproar ensued, silenced by Orik. Eragon and Arya neared the clan. When they arrived at the river, both riders faces were distinguishable.

"Eragon!" Eragon grinned broadly and waved while Saphira let out another joyous jet of flame.

"Let's go down for a while," he sent the telepathic message to Arya. She looked back and nodded and then they swooped downwards. Landing next to her, Eragon tried to look as professional as he could next to the elf queen. The clan rushed towards the two riders yelling and whooping and blowing their horns. Orik stretched his arms out as Eragon walked towards him. He wrapped the dwarf man in a tight hug.

"Over a century you hid in your trees and here you are standing before me again, my blood brother." Orik grinned with tears in his eyes, which landed on his beard.

"It has been a long time indeed, and I have missed you through all of it!"

"Why? Why have you returned? I recall the prophecy that the witch Angela gave you all those years ago. Was it all for naught?"

"It was or it must have been, or perhaps the weight of the responsibility of mine to this land overpowered it. Whatever the case, I am back and plan to stay back for the foreseeable future or for as long as I am needed." Orik spit out in tears.

"You are very much needed here my dear brother," and they hugged again for the third time. Arya cut in now.

"Eragon has come to help us here when times have grown dark. We must bring peace and restore the balance amongst the four races as I have told you before. These are grave times. We must act with caution and act swiftly. There is little time to waste."

"That I understand, my lady. Times have been harder than rock, yet Eragon has arrived and my hope is restored. I feel destiny is on your side, Eragon. Therefore, what do you say to a little celebration?" Arya's gaze grew stern and she turned her head away in objection. "Oh, come here! One would certainly befit the occasion! Let us shine our lanterns into this bleak darkness and rejoice in the coming of a hero and an old friend. I'm sure your dragons could use a rest." Arya's expression grew thoughtful. Then she looked from the eager dwarves to the eager Eragon.

"Very well." They cheered and clanked their axes.

"Then bring on the mead! Let us prepare a little feast for our honored guests!"

They talked and drank and danced to music for the rest of the evening until the sun set and the sky grew dark. They caught Eragon up on the events that had transpored within their clan over the last century, the rest of the world, and much of the news not told to him by Arya.

There was news of a new people who had come into the land. Though they had close to no information on the newcomers, Eragon's interest peaked when he heard the only information came from Carvahal, his birth town. The new guests were not welcome. In fact, they were highly feared, for whatever these people were, they were not human nor elf nor dwarf nor Urgal. They were ghostlike, whispy beings that hanted the city, having been seen in a few other towns as well, traveling east. No one had enough evidence to confirm these stories however and Eragon decided to dismiss them for now as nothing more than a popular ghost story. He would maintain an open mindset, however, and if stories persisted he would even look into things closer. He would love to visit his birthplace and meet his relatives. In the maintime, he learned he would be leaving with Arya to return to Ellesméra, then to the newly developed establishment in the Hadarac desert where the Council of Riders and Dragons would congregate to make decisions on their next course of action.

When the night grew so dark that only the fire illuminated the faces of the lot, and then the fire turned to embers, Eragon took leave with a last embrace from his clan brother.

"We will meet again soon, I should think," Orik told him with a pat on the shoulder. He nodded his head in agreement. Then he looked to Arya, who walked to Firnen. Eragon waved and hopped onto Saphira's gently swaying back. She had made her night with an entire barrel of mead. Happily and with half lidded eyes, her foggy consciousness leaned into his.

_Let's go, little one. They did not have enough food for Firnen and I, and we're hungry._

_ We'll have time for you to hunt when we get to_ _Ellesméra__. _They took off into the night until they grew tired. They camped in the desert, making fire out of minerals in the sand and magic.

When Arya set up her spread, Eragon watched her with concealed longing. He thought once more of how they had exchanged true names and wondered how hers had changed if at all. He would never try to use it. _Will we ever be together? What will I have to do in order to earn her affections and how long must I wait? _He ignored the listening mind of Saphira. Arya turned to him, noticing his gaze had lingered on her for a moment more than normal and gave him a questioning look.

"What is wrong?" His heart jolted in surprise. It was time to improvise.

"Things have certainly changed here. It feels as if this world has turned into something completely different while in my life the world has been standing still." She smiled.

"Indeed, the land has grown in many ways, more than I ever would have imagined. Times might be grave, however I have seen men, dwarves and urgals learn more, and rise to great heights. Men have risen most of all in my opinion and next the urgals. You should be very proud. I think now though, you might understand more of what it is to live a timeless life." Eragon smiled politely. Intending to bridge the gap between them, he took a bold approach.

"I forget sometimes that I'm half human. I have lived with elves for more than six times my life in this land. I think of myself mostly as an elf with a few lingering human tendencies." Noticing her mistake, Arya apologized for her previous comment.

"I forgot momentarily the lifestyle you have adopted. I see you have grown very much, Eragon. Then she smiled at him. His heart leapt once more. His victory was met with peaceful quiet as they stared out into the night in thought. "I think though," she added "that your appearance hasn't changed much. You look more elven, leaner, but never older." He grinned at that.

"Little has changed with you in my eyes either." Her smile widened meekly. Then with a pause, he let the words he had been hiding slip out. "Not even your beauty." That had gone too far, he forgot his eyes had lingered on her too long before. Now he had given the true subject of his gaze away. Unsettled, she gave one last wonderful smile.

"I have gotten older, Eragon." With that, she turned to untie her bedthings and long silence ensued.

_Eragon! _Saphira's urgent thoughts echoed off the walls in his mind. She had been licking Firnen's head. No wonder his emotions had been on the rise.

_I wanted to tell her how I felt._

_ It was not your place!_

_ Why can't I tell the one I love my feelings for her? What cruel world is this?_ He let his exasperation show.

_ It is not the time. We have a mission and a duty to the world. If we make relations with Arya tense now, it will only cause hardship. _

_That's not fair. Firnen and you are fine._

_That is not the way with Arya. I'm talking with Firnen now. She feels unsettled and uneasy. _

_Ugh. _His insides bunched up. This was the opposite of what he wished for, and her disapproval hurt.

_It might seem cruel now, but that doesn't mean it will be like this forever. What good would have come from letting her know the fact she already knows?_

_I understand that. It slipped out. I just wish it would work. _

_I know, little one. _

Thinking now that Eragon jeopardized his friendship with the elf queen, he decided to go to sleep with his heart longing for closure. They said a quick goodnight and Eragon let darkness gently surround him.

Next Chapter: Ellesméra


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Inheritance Cycle, Fantasy, Romance