Our story begins ten years after Eragon is born...
On the outskirts of Du Weldenvarden, a family of three is traveling into the forest for safety from the empire, for they stole something from the king himself... something very precious to the king...
RAVENS POV
I could hear the heavy pounds of footsteps behind us as the soldiers raced through the forest to reclaim what my parents took from the king himself. I could hear myself gasping for air. We have
been on the run for 2 days straight and my strength is failing me. I turn my head to the left only to see that my parents are in no better condition than myself.
"Father, I can't keep running like this and mother can't take much more either," I say between each breath.
"Aye, your right Raven, we can't keep this up. We must stop and make shelter for the night," said my father Milton. My mother Elaina simply nodded her head in agreement.
We started to creep silently deeper into the forest until we reached a small clearing near a creek with a boulder in the middle of it. Then my mother and father said a string of words in the
ancient language that I do not yet understand but know that it was to combine their magic. And then they both said "Stenr Reisa!" and I watched in awe as the boulder slowly lifted from the
ground leaving a whole where it once was and my parents made it so the boulder moved about 6 ft from the hole so a cave in would not happen. Then I proceded to collect grass and tree
branches to cover the hole in the ground. When I was finished I was quite proud of myself to see the hole was not noticable to the human eye but me and my parents could still find it.
LATER IN THE NIGHT...
I awoke startled by the sound of a scream that pierced the cold night air and new instantly it was my mother...I slowly looked around our make shift shelter only to find my father was not here
either. Terrified I frantically felt around on the ground until I found my pack which has been carrying a strange stone that my parents took from the king. I quickly opened it up relieved that the stone was still there. It was a beautiful shade of purple with white lines criss-crossing its surface like veins. I tore my eyes away from the stone as i heard the voice of my father begging the men to spare his life and let him heal my mother, but the soldiers were cruel men and did not care for the lives of my parents and killed them both.
"Fan out! Search the surrounding woods! It has to be here somewhere!" yelled a man. I instantly recoiled at the harsh sound of this mans voice. I had a feeling this man was not human
but a shade, a dark sorcerer with immense power. I instantly put up a mental shield to block any wizards that might be with them so they can't force their way into my mind.
THE NEXT MORNING...
I did not sleep last night for fear that my mental shield would drop and they would find me but I also feared the nightmares I would have of my parents deaths. I quickly used my mental link
to see if any humans were near me and breathed a sigh of relief when I found no one was anywhere near a fifty mile radius of me. I slowly crawled out of my hiding place thankful that the trees
blocked most of the sunlight so my eyes would adjust easier. Without looking at my parents corpses, I swung my pack over my shoulders and headed off into the forest alone and unknowing of what life awaited me deep in the ancient forest.
After trekking throughout the forest all day I finally settled down to make camp in a bed of grass. After i finished making my bed and starting a fire i took out the purple stone to try and find out
why it is of so much value to the king. I laid the stone before me and tapped the stone with the flat side of my jeweled dagger that my father gave me, and was surprised to hear a pure note
ring through the air, signaling that the stone was hollow. Entranced by the mysteries of the stone I decided to see what sound it would make if I tapped it with a small mallet. As soon as the
mallet tapped the stone a low bell sound reverberated through the air. Satisfied with my observations of the stone I decided to get some rest and held the stone to my chest as I drifted into a world of peace and quiet.
After getting about three hours of sleep I was jolted awake by a movement coming from my arms. I instantly sat up straight and stared down at the stone to find it rapidly moving back and forth.
Then I could see and hear a crack forming along the surface of the stone and I was sad it was breaking but terrified of what was causing it to move and break. Suddenly the stone cracked
open and shattered. I could not believe my eyes, before me stood a Dragon with scales that had a beautiful shade of purple that sparkled in the moonlight. I had until now been under the impression
that the kings dragon Shruikan was the only one left. I was so caught up in the moment that I didn't see the dragon coming closer until it touched my hand. As soon as the dragon touched me it
felt like jolts of ice and fire were surging through my veins and made me cry out in pain. But just as quickly as it had happened it ended. The dragon moved towards me cautiously as if it new
it hurt me, and I reached out cautiously and touched the top of its head and nothing happened. Relieved that I knew I could touch it now i gently stroked the dragon and as I did i felt another
mind trying to reach into my own but it was not human, so i was not afraid to let it look through my memories. After a while i realised it was the dragon looking through my thoughts and I
started to wonder if it could understand me. I reached out with my own mind and looked at the dragons memories of things it heard when it was in the egg and found that many
cruel people had tried to get the dragon to hatch for them. I also found that the dragon was a female.
"You need a name" I said out loud to the dragon.
The hatchling just cocked its head to the side and stared at me. I tried again to tell the dragon it needed a name but this time I told it with my mind and it seemed to understand. I then started
listing off female dragon names I had heard in stories but the names never seemed to fit the dragon until I made up a name for the dragon myself. I asked the dragon with my mind,
"Is your name Ariana"? and the dragon answered me back with happy images. I smiled in response knowing my dragon had a name.
"I think i will call you Ari for short" i said and the dragon started humming showing it was happy with me.
"Lets go to bed Ari, and we will get you some food in the morning" and with that Ari curled up by my side and we both fell asleep.
THE NEXT DAY...
I awoke to Ari lightly nudging one of my hands and i saw that my hand had a shining oval shape on it. I figured it happened when Ari first touched me but I would need to cover it if I ever find
my way out of this forest. I sat up a streched and looked around at my surroundings and saw some rabbits about twenty feet away from me. I grinned at the thought of trying out my magic to catch
them for breakfast. Ari seemed to know exactly what i was thinking even though we weren't using our mental connection and he was bouncing in place excited to see how I hunt.
"Watch this Ari," I laid flat on the ground and stared at the rabbits and then i searched for the magic inside of me and released it with two single words "Reisa Eitha" and a pebble rose from the ground and shot out killing one of the rabbits. I repeated this process two more times and walked over to gather the three dead rabbits and began stripping them of their fur. Then i found a thin but strong enough stick and began widdling away the bark to make a spit to put the rabbits on. When i was done i made a fire and cooked one rabbit and cut the other two into small pieces
for Ari to eat. As my food finished cooking I brought the cut rabbit meat to Ari and offered her some and she happily snatched it from my fingers. After Ari and I were finished eating we wrapped the remaining meat in a giant leaf of some sort and put it in my pack for later, then we started off into the forest.
After a while of me and Ari communicating through our mental link it felt like something else was trying to enter my mind but it was not human, this mind was completely alien to me and it was
scaring me so I told Ari to do as I do and block our minds. Then the other mind that tryed to enter our own came back with a full force attack and I let out a cry of pain and fell to the ground
as Ari did the same as she could feel my pain as well. My mental walls crumbled under the force of this alien mind and it searched through my thoughts and stopped instantly when it reached my most recent
memory of Ari hatching for me the night before and then i heard a voice of kindness sound throughout my mind.
"I mean you no harm child but i had to see if you were an enemy or meant me and my people harm," said the voice
"Now tell me what is your name?"
"My name is Raven... and this is my dragon Ari" I replied to the voice
"Hello Raven, my name is Arya," she then looked at Ari and said "Skulblaka,eka celobra ono un mulabra ono un onr Shur'tugal ne haina. Atra nosu waise fricaya" and I instantly knew this
woman meant us no harm for you cannot lie in the ancient language. Ari started to walk forward and I followed her lead until we came face to face with an elf woman who I assumed was Arya.
The elf spoke to me out loud rather than using our minds.
"Raven I have asked your hatchling if you would like to stay with us in the elven cities but I now see she is not old enough to speak. So if you were to stay with us you could become stronger,
faster and more fluent in the ancient language and we have a teacher for your dragon as well."
I simply said "As long as we are safe from the empire then yes we will stay with you." Arya smiled in response and said "follow me".
We reached the first elven city that Arya told us was called Kirtan and then we soon came across more elves who not only stared at Ari but at me as well. Suddenly the elves burst into cheer
and some even rushed up to me and spoke to me in the ancient laguage but I responded I wasn't as fluent as them and they nodded in understandment and talked to me in english and asked
me many questions such as "What is your name and the name of your dragon" and "May I show you and your dragon around our proud city of Kirtan?" and other questions like that and as i was
about to respond Arya said something in the ancient language that I did not understand but I soon saw an elf run up and he looked to be about my age. Arya smiled in greeting at the young
elf and spoke to him in english and asked him "Would you mind helping me take Raven and Ari to Ellesmera Soren?" The elf who I now know as Soren nodded eagerly and he then walked up
to me and said "It is an honor to meet you dragon rider. My name is Soren and i hope we can be good friends," I smiled and nodded to show him I would love to be friends with him.
"If I may ask, why do you want me to come with you to Ellesmera?" Soren asked Arya
"I figured that if Raven had someone around that was her own age then the travel to Ellesmera would be easier for both her and Ari." said Arya
Soon we were off again on a trek even deeper into Du Weldenvarden in order to reach the elfs capital city of Ellesmera.
Throughout the rest of the day Raven and Soren talked and got to know each other better and Soren also helped her learn new words in the ancient language. Even Ari seemed to be enjoying herself even though she still did not understand english and talked by using pictures through what Raven found was called the mind touch. The news of Raven and Ari's appearance
seemed to have spread all throughout the forest and there didn't seem to be a single elf that was not expecting them. When nightfall came they went to the nearest home and kindly asked the elf that lived there if they may stay in their home for the night. Of course the elf who owned the home was honored to have the new dragon and rider in their home.
As dinner time came around Raven noticed that the elves did not eat meat and asked if she could quickly find a rabbit she could hunt and bring back as food for Ari as she had eaten the rest of the rabbit meat earlier in the day. The elves understood that Ari would only eat meat and allowed Raven to go out and find a rabbit. Raven returned about an hour later with a skinned rabbit that she cut into small pieces for Ari to eat. After about fifteen minutes all the meat was gone except for one piece so I offered it to Ari even though her belly was already bulging from all the food and she lazily snatched it from my hand and decided to go to sleep. A while later I asked Arya where Ari and I were supposed to sleep and she showed me to a spare bedroom in the elven house. I gently laid down on the bed with Ari curled up in my arms like a sleeping cat and drifted off into a world of darkness.
THE NEXT DAY...
I was rudely awakened by Soren the next morning by him pushing me off the bed I was in. As I picked myself off of the floor I saw Ari giving a very viscious glare to Soren and the look on Soren's
face was of pure terror. I couldn't help myself but to start laughing. Soren just stared at me like I was nuts and said "You do know Ari is dangerous, right! She might be a infant still but she has razor sharp teeth!" I just laughed at him and told Ari I was ok. Then I told Ari through the mind touch that i would get back at Soren at one time or another during our stay in Du Weldenvarden.
About an hour later i was wide awake and ready for the rest of the journey to Ellesmera. On the way there Arya taught me how to properly greet other elves and Soren helped me to learn some new words in the ancient language. In little over half an hour we reached the city of Ellesmera and came to a stop in front of a large tree with what appeared to be two 30 feet high doors in it. Then as if alerted to their presence the doors slowly swung inward of their own accord. When the doors were completely open Arya started to walk forward and motioned for Soren to stay outside & for Ariana & myself to follow. As we walked through the doors we found ourselves in a long and wide hall that had vines with beautiful and exotic flowers growing on the walls and at the end of the hall atop a elagantly carved throne sat the elf queen Islanzadi. As we neared the end of tthe hall we came to a stop 6 feet in front of Islanzadi who had her eyes fixated on me and the sleeping Ariana in my arms. I began speak but then i remembered what Arya taught me about greeting an elf & handed Ari to Arya, then put two of my fingers to my lips & bowed to Islanzadi while she returned the gesture.
"Greeetings Islanzadi svit-kona, Eka fricai un Shur'tugal" I said. Islanzadi's eyes widened slightly at what i said but softened when she took in my appearance.
"Welcome to Ellesmera Argetlam, I had heard a Rider was in my forest but I did not expect you to be so young. Tell me, what is the name of you and your dragon?"
"My name is Raven and my dragons is Ariana, but you can call her Ari for short." As I said Ari's name she woke with a yawn and stared up at me with bleary eyes and sent me a picture of jumbled images showing that she was confused as to why Arya was holding her.
We are in the elf queens throne room Ari. When I mentioned this, Ari's head swiveled around & her eyes locked with the queens for a moment before she lost interest & jumped out of Arya's arms & crawled over to me and sat by my side.
"Arya, where did you find these two?" Islanzadi asked.
"I found them wandering around in the forest alone mother" Arya said. For a moment I was stunned when I heard Arya say "mother" & wondered why she did not tell me this before. But I soon shrugged it off since it was not any of my buisness.
"Why was a child your age wandering around Du Weldenvarden alone Raven?" Islanzadi asked. I hesitated for a minute before i began.
"For your information I'm 13, so im not a child. & My parents & myself were agents of the Varden and were sent on a mission to retrieve a dragon egg from Galbatorix's castle in Uru'baen. They brought me along to help keep watch so we wouldn't get caught & as you can see we succeeded with our mission but we were almost captured during out return to the Beor Mountains and had to turn around and head north to Du Weldenvarden. It took us nearly a week and a half before we reached the forest and were exhausted. We soon discovered we had soldiers following us and went deeper into the forest and didn't stop to sleep for two days until I told my father that I couldn't run anymore..." I started crying and fell to my knees when I came to this part so Arya told Islanzadi the rest of what happened since I could not form a coherent sentence. When Arya was done talking I looked at Islanzadi to see that she was horror stricken at the events that led to my being here.
"Raven, do you have any family left?" Islanzadi questioned. I shook my head & said "No, my father died when I was young & my mother & her husband were killed tonight. As far as I know, I have no other living relatives…"
"Then I will take you in as my adoptive daughter along with Ariana as well" I stared at the queen with pure shock in my eyes but quickly stood from my spot on the ground and hugged Islanzadi and whispered "Thank you." to her. She was shocked at first but hugged back and told Arya to show me to a guest room where me and Ari could rest until tomorrow when Ariana & I would meet out teachers.
On the way to my room Arya had a slight smile on her face & when i questioned her about it she simply said "I am happy to have you & Ari as my sisters Raven". I smiled when she said this and a low humming sound came from Ari as well and my smile grew bigger when I realized she was purring. Once Ari and I were situated in our room Arya showed us where a shower was and brought me a nightgown & a set of clean clothes for the next day, then left to go to her own room for the night. As I crawled into bed with Ari I started to think about how much my life has changed in the past few days and slowly drifted off to a deep sleep filled with dreams of happiness.
The Next Day...
Raven....Raven...Raven! I jerked awake to the sound of someone yelling my name, but when I looked around my room, no one was there except for Ari. Puzzled, I got up and put on the clothes Arya brought me last night when I heard it again...Raven. Now that I was fully awake I realized that my name was not said aloud but through the mind-touch. With this knowledge I turned around to face Ari & said out loud, "Ari, are you the one saying my name?" Yes. Why did you wake me up? Because I'm hungry. Smacking myself in the forehead I said aloud "Duh!" About 15 minutes later I picked up Ari and perched her on my shoulder after writing a quick note saying that I went to get more food for Ari, incase someone noticed I was gone.
Approximatly two hours later I returned to my room from my little hunting trip with a very full & talkative Ari, to see my new sister Arya waiting for me.
"About time you got here Raven. What took you so long?" Arya asked.
"I'm sorry for being out so long, but Ari started talking with actual words this morning and while we were hunting I got distracted with helping her learn to talk."
Understanding flashed in Arya's eyes and she quickly said "Well I know you just got back here but we have to leave to go meet your teachers. But first I need you to swear an oath to keep your teachers identities a secret." I simply nodded and followed her out of my room and to a different part of the forest while repeating words in the ancient language after Arya says them. After I was done reciting my oath I found that we were on a small cliff & what I saw next shocked both me and Ari. Flying towards us was an elf atop a gold dragon.
As they landed on the ground in front of us the elf jumped off the dragons back and said "Greetings young Rider. I am Oromis & this is my dragon Glaedr." I simply stared at him in wonder & said "Greetings Ebrithil. My name is Raven and this is my dragon Ariana, we are ready to undergo your training."
6 YEAR TIME-LINE SKIP: FILLER
After Raven & Ariana meet Oromis & Glaedr they go through the same training as Eragon & Saphira do in the 2nd book only since they live in Ellesmera for 6 years they learn more than Eragon and speak fluently in the Ancient Language. My other character Soren will harldy ever be mentioned in here just so you know.
Raven: age 19, shoulder length black hair & ice blue eyes, sword=Thringa=rain-color purple
Ariana: age 6, scales are purple
Murtagh:age 19, chin length black hair, brown eyes, sword=Zar'roc=misery-color red
Thorn:age unknown but most likely a hatchling, scales are red
words like this are Ariana talking
words like this are Raven talking through the mind-touch
Present Day: 2 months after Arya goes missing...
It has been 2 months since anyone has seen my sister, the dragon egg courier, Arya. Today Ariana & myself are leaving Du Weldenvarden for the first time in six years to explore the land, meet new people, expand my scrying knowledge & announce my presence to all of Alagaesia. So far Ari & I have established that we will start our journey from the elven city of Osilon, from there we will travel along the outskirts of the Spine to Teirm where I will gather as much information as I can.
1 hour later...
I now have everything I will need for my travels & am waiting for my mother Islanzadi, Oromis & Glaedr to show up to say goodbye & wish me goodluck. As I looked off into the forest I didn't notice when my mother came to stand beside me until she spoke.
"Are you sure you wish to leave?"
"Yes. I am sure that I am ready to leave home mother" I said
"In that case, I have some parting gifts for you" She said while turning around to grab a bag. Curious, both Ari and I turned to see what she brought, to see her holding a belt with jewels embedded in it, along with two bottles of faelnirv.
"If you use the knowledge that Oromis taught you about storing energy in gems then this belt should serve you well. As for the faelnirv, one is for you & the other is for Ariana but do not use them unless you need the energy boost". As she finished saying this Oromis had just arrived with Glaedr. "Raven, Glaedr and I have a very special gift for you that was made years ago by Rhunon, but it unfortunately never got to be named or used" As he said this he walked over to Glaedr and took what appeared to be a sword from his saddle. As Oromis came closer I realized that the sword was the same color as Ariana's scales, a deep purple.
"We hope that you take great care of this blade as it is one of few that still exist. Now, choose a name for your sword and I will inscribe the name on the blade with magic".
This is one of the greatest gifts that Oromis elda can give us. So choose wisely in the name of your sword. I know and I am deeply grateful for this and I think I have the perfect name for my sword. "I wish to name my sword Thringa, Oromis elda" Oromis smiled in praise at the name I have chosen for my sword. "Thringa, it is then" he then muttered a string of words in the ancient language that i could not hear & suddenly the name of my sword slowly started to appear along its length. Oromis then proffered the sword to me & I grabbed it by it's jewels pomel & took it through a few simple maunuevers. After seeing that the sword fit my fighting type perfectly I sheathed it and gave Oromis a hug goodbye as well as giving Glaedr a kiss to show my thanks for this gift.
While I did all of this, Ariana was saying her own goodbyes to Maud the werecat, who had become one of her closest friends while living here. Since she had already said her goodbyes to everyone earlier in the morning she was trying to prolong her time with Maud. I frowned knowing that Ari is sad to leave but im hoping she will be her normal happy & energetic self again when she sees Alagaesia for the first time.
"It is best that Ari & I leave now before it gets to late in the day" I said & gave my mother one last hug before getting into my saddle on Ari's back. With three powerful strokes of her wings and a running start we were flying low above the forest floor heading east toward the spine.
At the speed Ari was flying we were outside of Du Weldenvarden within three hours & in another two hours we started to pass over a small town known as Carvahall. We decided to make a camp in a small secluded clearing due west of the small town seeing as night was rapidly approaching. That night as I slept I had very odd & vivid dreams about a boy...
*Dream*
I was in a dark room...there was a table with a lit candle on it to my right & a door to my left but I paid no attention to these insignificant things...no...I could only focus on the form of what appeared to be a 19 year old boy in front of me. He had chin length black hair and was staring blankly at a wall and seemed to unconsciously rub a scar that ran along the length of his back...Suddenly, his head whipped around to stare at me...
*End Dream*
I had been so shocked by the fast movement that it woke me up & startled Ari as well. Seeing as we were both awake now I told Ari to stay at our camp while I went into town to buy a few provisions & a set of gloves to conceal my Gedway Ignasia. Before I left, I put my sword in Ari's saddle and grabbed my bow and arrows so that i wouldn't raise to much suspicion.
30 minutes later...
I have just entered Carvahall & even though I tried to be as inconspicuos as possible the people of Carvahall still stared at me as if I had two heads & soon after I realised why. Before I left camp I forgot to change out of my elf clothes but its to late to turn around now. As I came further into the town I noticed that a clearing on the other side of the houses was covered in tents & stalls. As I got closer I could see people running back & forth to different stalls & figured that it was trade season. After I reached the end of town I doubled back & entered the local tavern & ordered a bottle of cider, payed for it & left to get gloves and some tanned hides for making another saddle incase I need one. On my way out of Carvahall I glimpsed a boy with blonde hair around my age with something blue in his arms but brushed it off as nothing & hurried back to Ariana.
As soon as I got back I put my items in Ari's saddle & we left, going south along the Spine.
After a while of content silence Ari decided to question me about my dream.
Who was the boy you dreamed of last night Raven?
I dont know Ari...I've never seen him before but I feel like he is important to me somehow...
Perhaps he has something to do with your future?
Maybe...but for now let us put this behind us & focus on the journey ahead
Very well then. Since you didn't get much sleep last night, I suggest that you rest for a little while and I will wake you if anything goes wrong. As Ari finished talking I was already drifting to sleep where I hoped to learn more about the mysterious boy from my dreams...
A Few Hours Later...
I was awakened suddenly by a searing pain in my left arm & cried out "Ari whats happening?"
I was spotted by a group of Urgals about an hour ago & I thought I lost them but they caught up with us so quickly...I think they are not Urgal but Kull, their most elite fighters & one loosed an arrow which impailed your arm. I am sorry I did not wake you sooner...
It's ok Ari. I will be fine if I can remove the Arrow from my arm...Where are we at the moment?
We're close to Lake Flam, its about 2 leagues from here. I will stop there to let you heal & collect food, but then we need to leave again or else the Kull will overtake us. As she was telling me this my arm started to have a stinging sensation go through it.
Alright, but please hurry...I think there was poison on the arrow that pierced my arm...
As I said this I felt Ari shift under me & suddenly she was even faster than before, knowing that if she did not hurry there was a chance we both could die. We were about 5 minutes from the lake, when my vision started to blur from the poisons effects. Ari...Please hurry...I grow weaker every minute...
Dont fret, Raven. I am about to land & then you can prepare your antidote from the Fricai Andlat that Arya gave you before she went missing.
With a sigh of relief, I turned around to untie my backpack from Ari's saddle, but gasped as I saw the Kull were almost directly below us.
We have to fight them when we land, if we wish to outrun them Ari...Since the poison has weakened me I will need you to lend me your strength.
If you think fighting them will help save us then I will do my best to fight the Kull & protect you.
In less than a minute we had landed on the southern edge of the lake & quickly prepared for the coming battle. I prepared by hanging my sword at my side & readying my bow & arrows. The way Ari prepared was by sharpening her claws on a nearby tree & loosing small jets of flame from her jaws. We sat for only a few minutes before we spotted the first of the Kull. I waited until the Kull were about 50 feet away from me before I loosed an arrow directly into the head of the lead Kull, sending it plowing into the ground. I repeated this 5 more times before I finally ran out of arrows & sat back to watch as Ari let loose a blazing inferno from her jaws that killed at least 7 & forced the other Kull to take cover.
As I was watching the fight in front of me I failed to notice a Kull approaching from behind until it was too late, one of the Kull had swung an axe at my left arm & I went to dodge it but it skimmed across my upper arm leaving a small gash. As the Kull went to take another swing I grabbed Thringa to block the blow only to see another sword protrude through the urgals chest. As the Kull fell to the ground I stared in disbelief as the boy who I dreamed about stood before me. I quickly snapped out of my stupor as another Kull approached & continued to fight with the mysterious boy at my side. It was probably a half hour later that we had finally disposed of all the Kull & I slumped to the ground panting.
After I had my breathing back to normal I said "Who are you?" The boy hesitated for a moment before he spoke "My name is Murtagh. What are your names?" As he asked this Ari came over & sat by my side & said
He is the son of Morzan. Oromis told us of him once during our studies & seemed to despise him...I dont like him much either...
. I do not care if he is the son of Morzan & besides it is not his fault who his father is & before you forget, my father was of the forsworn as well & Murtagh just saved my life. Before I answered his question, I grabbed my backpack off Ari's saddle & rummaged through it until I found my Fricai Andlat, my dagger & faelnirv. "My name is Raven & this is my dragon Ariana." As Murtagh saw my dagger he tensed up, so I quickly said "Relax. I wont kill you. I only need the dagger to help me with making my antidote" When I said the word "antidote" his eyes immediately scanned my body & stopped when they reached the arrow protruding from my left arm."Would you like help removing that arrow?" he asked. I nodded & smiled at him.
He first broke off the tip of the arrow & said "This will hurt a lot" as he said this I summoned my magic & said the words "Geuloth Du Knifr" & directed it at my dagger. I then placed my dagger between my teeth & nodded to show I was ready. With a quick jerk of his hand he pulled out the arrow & I bit down on my dagger & wimpered from the pain. He mumbled a quick "Sorry" & proceded to clean my cut. I then took my dagger from my nouth & released the magic & quickly cut off a piece of my Fricai Andlat & ate it. "Murtagh, Ari, were you hurt while fighting?" I asked
My front left left leg has a small gash in it but other than that I am fine.
"I only have a cut on my left cheek & a cut on my upper right arm" As Murtagh finished talking I walked to the other side of Ari & summoned my magic while saying "Waise Heill" & watched with a satisfied grin as Ari's leg healed. I then made my way over to Murtagh & healed his leg first then moved closer to heal his cheek. As my hand touched his cheek I started to feel strange, my heart was pounding & I felt like butterflies were in my stomach. I quickly healed his cheek & went to sit by Ari & proceded to heal my own wounds. Once I was finished I grabbed my bottle of faelnirv & took a small swig of it to renew my energy.
"Im going to go get some wood to make a fire" I said while standing up & quickly walked over to the trees closest to us.
Ari, what were those strange feeling I had when I was close to Murtagh earlier?
What you felt earlier is called "attraction" it is the same feeling that your friend Soren has for you on a daily basis.
I blushed as I figured out what she was talking about. My friend Soren always sought after me to be his wife but I always declined, telling him I liked him as nothing more than a friend.
How do I show that I like him Ari?
This is one thing I can not help you with Raven, but I suggest you get to know him better & follow your instincts.
Thank you for the advice Ari...I think I have enough wood now so I'm coming back & please try to be nice to Murtagh.
When I walked back into our small camp I could see that Murtagh had not moved at all, this was most likely because Ari was watching his every movement with her eyes. As I walked forward I stepped on a twig causing it to snap, which made Murtaghs head whip around to stare right at me, just like he had in my dream. When he saw it was only me & not an enemy he smiled & beckoned me to come sit by him, causing me to blush. I speed-walked back into camp & quickly set up a fire within minutes, as I finished I sat next to Murtagh.
"Murtagh...Why are you, the son of Morzan, out here in the middle of nowhere?" I said this only out of curiosity but Murtagh took it the wrong way.
"How do you know who my father is? Did Galbatorix send you?" He shouted, alarmed at my knowledge.
I shrank back from the ferocity of his voice & whispered "I did not mean to alarm you Murtagh & no, Galbatorix did not send me. I would die before I listened to that wretched man...& I only know who your father is because of my studies to become a better Dragon Rider.." By the time I finished talking, I was silently crying & Ari started to growl at Murtagh for upsetting me.
It's ok, Ari, im alright...he just frightened me for a moment...thats all...
Murtagh quickly calmed down as he saw the tears glistening on my face in the fire-light. "I-Im sorry for yelling at you Raven...I did not mean to frighten you...It's just...You caught me off guard & I dont trust people easily..especially ones with your knowledge." I simply nodded my head to show that I understood, but could not will myself to stop the tears from falling down my face. Murtagh, not knowing how to best comfort me, slowly reached his arm around me in a one-armed hug & slowly rubbed up & down on my arm with his hand to soothe me. At first I tensed up from the sudden closeness, but relaxed when I found that I liked him holding me & leaned into him while he comforted me. After a few minutes I had finally stopped crying & reluctantly moved out of Murtaghs grasp & said "I'm going to bed now Murtagh...& thank you...for comforting me." I then walked over to Ari & she lifted her wing making a makeshift tent for me to sleep in.
The Next Day...
Raven, wake up. It is morning now & you have to collect food for yourself while I hunt. With an unintelligable mumble that sounded like gibberish, I slowly sat up & rubbed the sleep from my eyes. When I opened my eyes to take in my surroundings all I could see was Ari's wing that she still had wrapped aroun me like a tent, so I banged on her stomach to show her I was awake. As she removed her wing from over me, I saw Murtagh asleep about 10 feet away from me with a horse tethered to a tree behind him. Instead of waking him I left him a note that said
Murtagh,
Ari is out hunting & I am in the forest next to us collecting food. If you wish to join me, just give a shout or a whistle & I'll let you know where I am.
Your Friend,
Raven
I pinned the note on the blanket next to him so that he would see it when he awoke & left to search the forest for food. After wandering around for a little over a half hour I found a small orchard & decided to sit in an apple tree when I heard Murtagh whistle in the distance & instantly reached out with my mind until I found him. His mind was well protected & almost impenatrable but I managed to send him images that would lead him to where I was. It took him only 5 minutes to reach the clearing I was in since he rode his horse to save time. As he looked around the clearing confused as to where I was I let a small giggle escape my lips & he immediately looked up & saw me sitting in the crook of the tree eating an apple. "Took you long enough to find me" I said while giving him an impish grin. As I said this he laughed & tied his horse to the tree I was in. "Why are you in a tree Raven?" he asked me. "Because I felt like getting a better view of the orchard. Here, come sit with me." I said as I patted the spot beside me. He quickly obliged & soon sat next to me making a small thud.
"Is it alright if I ask you something Raven?" Murtagh asked sounding unsure. I nodded to show it was ok. "Why do you trust me when you know I am the son of Morzan?" I took a deep breath before I responded. "Why should I not trust you Murtagh? You have done nothing wrong & you are not your father." He still looked unsure when I said this so I added "To prove my point, you saved my life last night & if you had been like your father you would have let the urgals kill me or done it yourself." As I said this I grabbed his hand in mine gave it a gentle squeeze before letting go & jumping out of the tree. As soon as I touched the ground, I walked to the middle of the clearing I was in & laid down in the grass letting the sun warm my face.
I opened my eyes & sat up as I heard Murtagh approach me. As he sat next to me he gave me a quick hug & said "Thank you Raven"
Dumbstruck I asked him "For what?"
"For understanding & giving me a chance".
As he said this I smiled & stood up while saying "We should head back, but first I could use your help to carry back a few of these apples."
"Why are we only bringing back apples? Why not some rabbits or a deer?" Murtagh asked me curiously.
"I only eat fruit & vegatables, but I do eat meat on rare occasions. This is because of part of my training as a Rider." We took our time to pick a few apples then got on Murtaghs horse who I learned is named Tornac & headed back to camp to find Ari waiting for us.
I am glad you had a good time with Murtagh, Raven but we must leave for Teirm now.
As soon as she said this my smile dropped from my face because their was a possibility that Murtagh wont come with us.
I suggest you ask Murtagh where he is going & if he is going to Teirm, like us, then he may travel with us, if it will make you happy.
Thank you Ari. I know you still dont trust him but I will prove to you that he is a good person.
Quickly hopping off of Tornac, I turned to face Murtagh & said "Murtagh, Ari & I want to know where you are traveling to because we are heading to Teirm & would like you to travel with us, but only if you want to."
A small grin came across Murtaghs face as he said "I am traveling to Teirm as well & I would be honored to travel with you Raven."
"Ok now all I need is a horse which I can get from the town Daret."
"But Daret is 3 leagues from here! It will take you at least half the day to get there!" Murtagh said exasperated.
"You forget that Ari can fly me there which is faster then traveling on land. I will be gone for an hour & a half at most 2 hours." As I said this I climbed up Ari's front left leg & perched myself in her saddle.
"Wait for me here or in the Orchard we were at earlier, I will return as soon I can" Ari then ran forward & with three strokes of her wings took to the air & headed Northeast to the river town of Daret.
Raven...I know I said that Murtagh can travel with us, but I don't think its wise to grow feelings for him...You barely know him & you know that you will have to part ways with him eventually weather you want to or not...
I think you are wrong Ari...I may barely know him now, but while we travel together I will try to get to know him better. And I know that I cannot bring him to our home of Ellesmera, but maybe if we stayed with the varden he can stay with us there...
But what if he doesn't share the same feelings for you, that you feel for him? What if he wont come with us to live among the Varden? What will you do then? I remained silent for a moment before saying,
"I know he feels some kind of affection toward me right now so I wont dwell on that...But if he wont come to the varden with us then I will let him leave, no matter how much it may hurt me inside...
I agree with your decision, but let us continue this talk at a later time because we are about a mile away from Daret.
When I land, head east until you find a dirt road & go south to make it look like you are just passing through.
As I got off Ari, I walked in the direction she told me to & soon entered the town of Daret . After you buy a horse continue south out of Daret & I will be waiting for you a mile down the road. As I walked through the town, I noticed that it was eerily quiet & the streets were empty.
Something isn't right Ari. I should have seen someone by no-
I lost my train of thought, when suddenly wagons rolled from in between houses & blocked both my exits from the village.
Raven! Don't worry I'm coming!
No! Don't come Ari, I will tell you if I need your help
Atop each of the wagons, were archers all directing their bows at me & out of the corner of my eye I saw a man jump down & approach me. "What is your buisness here stranger?" the man asked me. "I mean you & your fellow villagers no harm sir. I merely seek a horse & some food for my journey ahead of me." As I said this he relaxed & motioned for his men to move the wagons & said "My name is Draumund & I'll show you to the stables where you can choose the horse of your liking miss." It took us only a few minutes to arrive at the stables & as I looked over the horses only one caught my eye, my sister Arya's horse Finna.
As I walked towards the horse I turned to the man & said "Where did you get this horse?"
He quickly saw the alarm in my eyes & said "We got this one here about a month ago from some soldiers that were passing through . Why do you ask?"
In a pained voice I said "Because this horse belonged to my older sister...she's been missing for 2 months now"
The man only frowned & said "I am sorry to hear that, but if you expect me to believe that, then I will need some proof that the horse belongs to you."
I simply nodded & said "Let her out of her stall for a moment & I will prove she is mine."
He complied to my demand & let her out & said "What are you going to do to prove she is yours?"
"Have you been unable to make her listen or obey you?" I asked & the man nodded.
"This is because she only responds to special commands like this. Ganga Fram Finna" When I said this she walked towards me. Then I said "Ganga Aptr Finna" & she walked backwards to where she was before. "Do you believe me now sir?" I asked the man.
He simply nodded his head & said " Aye. I suppose she does belong to you", & headed off to another part of the stables to grab a halter, reins & a saddle.
When Draumund returned I had retrieved my coin pouch from my backpack to pay him."The halter, reins & saddle should only cost you three crowns miss" I merely nodded & handed him the money & proceded to put everything on Finna when the Draumund said "Miss? You have given me 10 crowns more than I asked for." I merely smiled & said "The extra 10 crowns is for taking such good care of Finna. Now, would you be so kind, as to show me to the local butcher shop so I can buy my food & leave?" Draumund simply nodded at a loss for words at my generosity. It only took me 10 minutes to be in & out of the butchers shop & on my way out of Darets southern exit.
As soon as I was out of Daret I contacted Ari & told her all I had learned about where Arya might be & while listening to Ari, I quickly hurried back to our camp at Lake Flam.
Little one...If what that man said is true, then Arya is in Galbatorix's grasp & we have no hope of rescuing her.
As Ari said this, tears silently made their way down my face & I quickly urged Finna to go faster.
True to my word, I returned to camp in a little under an hour & a half, to find Murtagh pacing under the shade off a tree. When he saw me he started to jog over to me.
It was only as he came closer that I realised he was shirtless, so I quickly turned around. As he realised why I looked away, he quickly put a shirt back on & said "You can turn around now Raven."
"Are you decent?" I asked as a small blush rose to my cheeks.
He laughed a bit before he said "Yes, I'm decent now"
As I turned around to face him again I said "Are you ready to leave now Murtagh?"
"Yes, just let me get Tornac & we can leave" About 15 minutes later we made our way to the road & headed south to Teirm.
After a while of Murtagh & I sitting in silence atop our horses, I saw Murtagh give Finna a curious look."Beautiful, isn't she?"I asked him.
He nodded his head & said "What is her name?"
"Her name is Finna, it means Peace"
"Did you name her that or was that her name already?"
"Both."
As I said this he gave me curious stare & said "What do you mean both?"
I lowered my gaze as he asked me this & fought back the tears that were threatening to spill. Murtagh saw this & quickly said "You do not have to tell me if you do not wish to.."
When he said this I straightened up & whispered "No...You were only curious & I think its only fair I tell you what I meant..." I took a deep breath before continuing. "This horse belonged to my older sister Arya & we named this horse together about a week after her mother adopted me...Shes been missing for 2 & a half months now & is the sole reason Ari & I are out here in the middle of nowhere"
Murtagh sat silent for a few moments before he said "I am sorry to hear that Raven...Tell me, what...what happened to your real parents?"
"My mother Elaina died 6 years ago in Du Weldenvarden, along with my step-father Milton at the hands of the Empires soldiers & a Shade..."
"What about your real father though?"
Raven are you sure you want to tell him who your real father is? I hesitated for a moment, then said
"My real father is Drago of the Forsworn"
Murtagh stared at me, then cast his eyes down & murmured "...no wonder you trust me...we are alike in more ways than one..."
"I was only 3 years old, last time I saw my father...I remember that he always treated me like royalty but only because I had great power.."
"What do you mean you have great power?"
"The night I was conceived, my father & his dragons mind were 1 or connected if you rather...but somehow I have the same characteristics of a dragon. The same thing happened with Ari for her father was my fathers dragon, only she can transform into a human if she wishes to".
Murtagh simply snorted & said "Your lying"
I glared at him & said "I'll prove that I'm not lying"
I quickly led Finna off the road, to a clearing that I saw through Ari's mind, with Murtagh close behind me.
Ari it is time we show Murtagh how "Special" we are. Meet us in the clearing below you.
As you wish Raven, but I do not think this is a wise decision.
About a minute passed before Ari careened out of the sky & came to a graceful stop next to us. "Now watch & learn Murtagh for Ari & I are the only creatures capable of becoming the opposite species completely." As I said this I motioned for Ari to go 1st.
Ari slowly closed her eyes & focused on the human form she desired, which is normally a slightly different version of me, & slowly she stood up on her back legs & started to slowly shrink down to my height. She then started to morph her body into the same shape as mine. I quickly held a blanket in front of Ari, so only her head could be seen. After she did that, she made her scales slowly retreat to the middle of her back & disappear into her skin. Ari now stood before us in a human body almost identical to mine, except her eyes were purple like her scales. Throughout the whole process Murtagh could only stare, mouth agape.
"Ok, I believe you now, about Ari, but what about you?" He asked as I gave Ari a set of clothes to put on.
"I'm only going to do a partial transformation since I haven't mastered it like Ari has." As I said this I closed my eyes, took a deep breath & concentrated on becoming a dragon. Slowly, my teeth sharpened into fangs & white tail sprouted from my backside & flicked back & forth showing my amusement at the look on Murtagh's face, which was even more shocked than before.
"Ok I believe you now but you both might wanna change back so we can leave." Murtagh said.
I want to stay in this form for a while so that I can stay with you when we reach Teirm.
"Ari is going to stay in this form & pose as my twin sister. By doing this, she can stay close to me & not be left behind during the day" I said as I quickly changed back to my human form.
"Alright, its fine by me.