Alimorel Silentread just finished making five uniformed swords for Queen Islanzadi's new bodyguards. Alimorel hoped that the new ones would work out better. After her last five turned out to be assassins from an underground society trying to bring down "dictators" and bring democracy into the elves world. Alimorel herself wouldn't mind seeing how this new form of government would work, but she would not help in the downfall of a kind and just Queen, let alone her friend. Alimorel walked into the Queen's throne room. "Ah, miss Silentread." Said the queen, "I see you've made the swords. Thank you." Turning to her new bodyguards she said "Each of you, take one. They are all the same. Now I would like to speak to Miss Silentread alone." Taking Alimorel to a corner of the room she said "Thank you Ali. And I trust you put that shielding charm on them, correct?" "Yes, Islanzadi. If they ever try to harm you with those swords they will not be able to come within three inches of your body, though they can harm you with other weapons like arrows." "Good. I'm still a bit shocked. Have you found the society yet?" asked the Queen, barely disguising her excitement. "Yes, Islanzadi, I believe I have." replied Alimorel. "They are made up of mostly mediocre assassins and soldiers, though their leader concerns me. He knows secrets about you that few know. You and he may have met sometime?" it was a question. Islanzadi was troubled. She said "Ali, I want you to go and find out about him. Come back, report, then I will order you to leave him, take him, or kill him." "I can't wait." Alimorel thought savagely. "Then go!" said Islanzadi, "Make sure you know everything." Alimorel slipped on her mask and grabbed her weapons as she ran out of the throneroom.
Alimorel listened to their conversations through the drainpipe. Boy, are they stupid she though, if they don't even have the sense to block their stupid pipes. She quickly sent her spider that she had enchanted earlier up the pipe. Then Alimorel tuned into its senses. She saw the man with the misshapen nose and then she saw the leader. She quickly started sketching him using the charcoal from her bag and the blank scroll Islanzadi had given her. She first drew his large, almost round gray eyes. Then his plump but scrunched-up mouth. The edition of his small, flat nose made him look like a pouting child. Then she drew his pale skin. Not normal for one who lives in the forest. His blonde bowl-cut hair showed his small, round human ears. He was a squat little man, though he walked with a purpose. Then she sketched the other man. A tall black man like Nasuada. He was bald, but had a fu-man-chu mustache which made Alimorel almost laugh. Then a boy walked into the room, carrying a tray with tea for both men on it. She started to sketch him when a detail made her stop. His ears, which were unusually large for a human's, seemed to be a slightly different color than the rest of his face. It was a detail only an elves eyes could catch. As she studied his ears even more closely, she saw the seam where moldable flesh-clay met skin. Alimorel was beginning to form a hypothesis. All of the pieces were starting to fit together. This "boy" had dark, dusty-brown hair that curved around in front and behind his ears. It was slightly fluffy and soft-looking, and it almost curled at some points. It almost came down over his eyes when it was flattened with his cap and it was slightly shaggy and curly in the back. His face was oval-shaped, like some humans, and that puzzled her, because he did bear some resemblance to an elf. The boys' movements were fluid and he was almost streamlined but for the obvious bulge of human muscle. He could have passed for an elf, even with the oval-shaped face. She could take a pretty good guess at what was behind those clay ears. The only other puzzlement for her was his eyes. Not slanting and catlike, as elves were, but almond-shaped, framed with dark lashes, and grayish-blue irises. Alimorel sketched him quickly and summoned the spider back, not seeing the boy glance at it as it went. She studied him. He was a very peculiar thing. She was sure she had never seen him before. She drew in the pointed ears that she was sure were behind the clay and even then he looked too human to have lived in her elven world. He was kind of handsome if you looked at him enough, but. . .Stop it! Alimorel internally slapped herself. You STUPID girl, you can't get distracted from this job! Islanzadi's life is at stake here. Maybe you are too young for this, like they said. No! She would not let others opinions be her own. Now she needed to get back. She stood up just as she heard the whisper of a knife being thrown. She ducked back down again but too late. It landed with a Thud! Right in the small of her back. The force of the throw threw her over and she landed face-first on the ground. "Damn it! I didn't wanna kill it! It just HAD to freakin' sit down. I WAS aiming for the leg. . ." it was clear that he was mumbling to himself. Alimorel flexed her back and winced. The point of the knife had driven all the way through her thick leather vest and just managed to puncture her back. Well, she wasn't dead, right? Now she at least knew part of what she was up against. An expert knife-thrower, and a forceful one. She let the man drag her out of the shadows. "Oh crap, it's an elf. Islanzadi's gonna track me down and kill me!" How did he know the elf Queen's name? Can't think about that now though. Alimorel was divulging a plan to dislodge the knife and run for it. He took her by her feet again and started dragging her across the ground. She had to make her move. . .NOW! Alimorel quickly twisted onto her side. The knife was now facing sideways along her back so it didn't hurt to move. The speaker lost his grip on her feet and she jumped up and around to face him. She reached behind her and quickly pulled the knife out of her vest. She was poised to throw the knife again when she saw that the thrower was the elf/boy from the room. She suddenly had a better idea. She threw the knife so that it grazed his ear and he was forced to dodge. While he was off-balance Alimorel jumped onto him and flattened him. "You." She hissed in his ear. "Jeez lady, an enchanted spider is just about the oldest trick in the book. You can't let it sit so still smart one." He retorted "You think no one's gonna notice a stationary spider?" Anger was boiling up inside Alimorel. She ought to slit his smart-alec human throat right now, but, of course, she was a reckless idiot and wanted answers she thought. Alimorel took a hold of one clay ear and wrenched it off to the cries of "Hey, hey there! No! WAIT! DON'T!" but she had already seen. There was a small point at the end. Big enough not to be human, but too small to be elf. "What kind of freak are you?" gasped Alimorel "Well," said the boy "You're the one who goes ripping peoples ears off."
"Who are you?" asked Alimorel, intrigued.
"Why should you care?"
"Well, you're neither all elf, nor all human from what I can tell. Never seen anything like it."
"I don't see why that's so important. I'm not a threat, just let me go."
"You put a knife in my back."
"Fine, I'm sorry. OK?"
"No. Not OK." said Alimorel. Her voice deadly quiet. Tell me who you are, and I'll bring you to Islanzadi. You will have a fair trial for attempted murder. Or I could easily kill you right here." She waved her knife lazily. "How old are you?"
"19"
"Hmm. . .I'm guessing you're counting in elf years because you've been alive a lot longer than that." said Alimorel, reading the signs that his body was giving off. He was really 107 years old, which was roughly 19 years old in human years. Alimorel herself was 19 ½ in human years. Great. More things in common.
"You're part elf" she said absently
"No, duh."
"Shut up with the wise mouth. What's your name?"
"Fine, I'm Drogomir Moorsson." he admitted easily. Alimorel didn't miss this and looked into his eyes. "As if. Now, who are you really?" "I told you I'm Drog-"
"And I told you I don't believe you." Then Alimorel plunged into his thoughts.
"No. It's not possible." Alimorel gasped. She had securely tied up "Drogomir" and was sitting in a corner of the cave she had found, head in her hands. She had seen what could not exist. He had given his word as a dragon rider. This could be his downfall. Everyone knew he had given up on Arya long ago. This could destroy Eragon. Alimorel had found out the boys true name. She knew his parents. There was no escaping the truth. Yet Arya swore she had no children. The boy was Alezando Eragonsson.