A/N:The story takes place after the burning plains,Eragon is now back in Ellesmera to continue his training. This story will contain a shade and maybe a bit of slash. Oh, and it would be lovely if you could review!

bla bla-mind talking

SMELL THE SUNSHINE

Chapter 1: Unatamed

Arya shivered. Cold was slowly sweeping into the city. But it was no natural cold. It spoke of shadows and ice, of pain and regret, of doom. She looked behind her. The trees of Ellesmera seemed wild, too untamed for the forest of the 'fair people'. She quickened her step. " I have to find Eragon!"

The irony of having such a thought did not reach her. While she did not consider him appropriate for marriage or for more than friendship, she readily thought of him when in distress. But, she was always right…after all she had lived for more than a hundred years while he was a mere boy.

Her mind was now elsewhere. She was frightened and needed Eragon.

" Eragon!!" she shouted in her mind, desperately reaching his.

After a moment she faltered in her step. What was she doing? Where was her independence and power? She was not harmless and yet she cried for Eragon like some damsel in distress. Taking a deep breath she looked around her.

" Arya? " came the rider's worried voice through the mind channel. " Is there something wrong? "

Now upset that he showed so much concern, after all she could handle herself, she responded harshly and guarded.

" I had trouble finding you. "

"Well, I am flying with Saphira… "

"You shouldn't be. Come here."

"Where are you?"

The truth was, she had no idea. The forest was changed and she was scared. Eragon, on the other hand, did not need to know this.

"How can you ask such a question? You are a rider, are you not? I am not going to make it easier for you. It is part of your training to find someone through the mind channel."

"Right. Sorry…I'll be right there"

She smiled. Easy.

Luckily, she didn't have time to ponder the current situation again, as Saphira landed in a clearing to her right in a matter of seconds.

"…What?! What clearing?!" Bewildered she tried to remember if she had seen the clearing there before. She hadn't!

"From where did you see the clearing, Saphira?" Arya asked out loud.

"We were just flying overhead" answered the rider for her " We saw it a couple of times but didn't think you were here. "

"Why does she worry about the clearing?!"

" This may sound strange" here the dragon paused as if to roll her eyes and continued "but…I don't think she saw it before…"

Rising an eyebrow, Eragon asked:

"Did you not see it?"

"No."

"It must have been the darkness…"

"I'm an elf!"

"Yeah. Right."

He felt a touch of annoyance at her superior tone. She is an elf, he repeated mockingly. Well… he had to admit that being an elf had its perks, he now knew them quite well, so… perhaps she was right, he convinced himself.

Arya continued her train of thought with a serious air about her, as to convince the two newcomers that the situation was mystical and dangerous. After all…she was an elf….

"The forest is changed. Darkness is lurking."

If Saphira had had an eyebrow, she would have raised it. As she didn't and because her rider was completely smitten after the elf, she wisely said nothing.

" Oh, really?" answered Eragon, amazing Saphira with the touch of irony in his words. It appeared that the touch was too subtle for Arya who missed it by a mile. She smiled motherly to the Shadeslayer and explained, her voice forcefully steady:

"The trees are out of control. They are wild. Somebody is controlling them!"

"Hm, she means they are untamed! And, of course they are! They should be! They represent the wildness itself!" echoed in the dragon's mind. It was not Eragon's voice; it was not even a voice she knew. But it was pleasant nonetheless, a slightly rough female voice with which she found herself agreeing.

"Somebody is controlling them, oh puh-leease, this is how they are when they are not controlled. How dares she?! Elves…" Again Saphira found herself agreeing and liking the woman. At the same time her instincts screamed that she did not know the owner of the voice and that she might be a danger to her hatchling and his dear friend. She also remembered that it was extremely impolite to enter a dragon's mind. Saphira did not particularly care about this rule as she could very well take care of her mind and in these dangerous times enemies did not ask for permission so it was pretty much useless. And although the fact that she broke the rule remained, there were things more important, beginning with: 'how did the stranger pass her mental barriers? 'and ending in: 'where was she ?'

" You will find out that I have no respect for rules or ranks, that I am quite strong and I am close by. I can actually see you…you obviously can't, but I'm not far. I would like to speak with …"

The voice trailed off as the woman seemed to ponder something. Saphira had a bit of a deja vu … somehow the woman's way of speaking was familiar…

"…with your rider" the voice continued cutting off the dragon's thoughts. "But I'd like to speak to him alone"

"NO. You will not. "

"I understand, but I think I wasn't too clear in what I said. Actually, I am sure I wasn't. I only meant without the elf… I am sorry, it's just that…" again she trailed off leaving Saphira with the same odd thoughts as before. Where had she heard that? And, again she was interrupted before she could remember. She felt a bit frustrated, but listened carefully.

"Well, you actually think, so I have nothing against you, I do however have a problem with 'miss gorgeous' over there. If you could only find a way to get her the hell outta here I'd be delighted. " Saphira was worried for her rider.

"He'll be just fine!"

"How can I trust you?"

A moment of silence:

"You can't. You shouldn't."

"Then…"

"Listen , " she started then passed to the old language "I promise I will do everything in my power to stop him from suffering, this night when you leave me alone with him, while you keep Arya away."

"That's good."

"Yeah, well, would you hurry up, I'm exactly comfortable here…nor allowed" then still sensing Saphira's worry she added "dammit! I promised in the old language didn't I?! Just go…"

Eragon was getting more and more annoyed as Arya continued to treat him like a child. Her superior attitude bothered him, but he kept convincing himself that he was wrong, that he had nothing to be bothered about, that maybe he was envious. It wasn't exactly working…

"Arya, do you not think the forest is dangerous?" a falsely worried Saphira asked. "I think I better return you to the castle, Eragon won't forgive me if something happened to you on your way back and I can't even let you both fly on my back as it would be too close for him…"

"I understand. You are wise Saphira! Let us hurry then!"

Only the first part of the excuse was fed to Eragon and the two were off. In the cold darkness of the forest the rider remembered his days in the Spine. How he had changed…

He saw movement around him. The shadows more moving , creating something. From the shadowy vortex a rough female voice said:

"Hello, Eragon!"

A/N: I am aware that it's not brilliant .I don't want it to be. I just wrote something that I would have liked to read. Please review and say your honest and detailed opinion. Thank you!