"The noir hero is a knight in blood caked armor. He's dirty and he does his best to deny the fact that he's a hero the whole time." -Frank Miller

Disclaimer- I don't own anything of value. :/

A stormy gray dragon egg with lightning veins webbing across it laid upon her mahogany nightstand as Nasuada entered her room. Two dragon eggs had been delivered to the humans almost a month ago, and by one week a bright yellow egg hatched to a young brewer's daughter. The young girl's smile brightened Nasuada's heart, as did the roar of the young dragon, Espes. This was what she fought for when she had rebelled against Galbatorix. Freedom. Joy. Innocence. Hope.

Unfortunately, the other Dragon hadn't yet hatched. The pair of eggs, originally a triplet from the Rock of Kuthian, already cycled through the Elves, Urgals, and Dwarves. The first egg, a lavender one, hatched to a dwarf adolescent after a few weeks, and the other two were sent to Nasuada so she could have the human children try their luck. The yellow one, as aforementioned, was lucky enough to find a rider as well.

However, it was almost a month and they still had no success. If, by the end of the week, the last egg still didn't hatch, it would repeat the cycle and get sent to the Elves again, along with three more dragon eggs from Kuthian. Everyone was worried about the dragon's health if it stayed in the egg for much longer, despite their ability to stay in that stage, so they were all trying their best to get it to hatch. Not to mention the political power a Rider would give them if the egg hatched to their people.

Nasuada crossed the room, and with a sigh, picked up the egg. She plopped down on her bed. The egg's shimmering shell was the exact same shade of gray as… as his eyes.

"I need to stop thinking about Murtagh" she decided. Dwelling on her feeling for him would do her no good. Nasuada sighed again. It would be nearly impossible to stop thinking of the poor tormented soul that saved her life. "Looks like we're in the same boat, you and I," she told the egg aloud, "We're both looking for our riders, our missing piece. The only difference is that I know who I'm looking for, while you are just waiting for the right person. Or Elf or Urgal or Dwarf."

"You know, you're exactly the same colour as his eyes." Nasuada continued, plopping herself onto the bed stomach down still clutching the egg with both hands. "Murtagh wasn't a bad person. He just... wasn't left with many choices. Since birth, his whole life was a series of problems. Problems that I would never know how to deal with, like a family that doesn't love you, and yet he somehow dealt with it and stayed sane. Stayed good. Ever since he was born, he was on his own. Unloved yet he still retained the ability to love others." Nasuada rambled on, telling the Dragon egg of the tragic tale of Murtagh Morzanson.

The candle began to splutter out as Nasuada finished her story. "And so, he left us behind. I know it was for our own good that he left, because he was still so angry, but I can't help wish that he stayed. Or at least left me some way to talk to him. I am tormented by nightmares of him meeting a terrible end, despite the fact that he will most likely outlive me, given that he is a Rider" Nasuada sighed. She looked at the egg in her bed, and frowned. Was it her imagination or way it ... shaking? A loud crack rang out in her room, confirming her fears. The egg was hatching!

She panicked, trying in vain to squish the eggshell together, to stuff the dragon back in, but it was too late. As she dropped the egg onto her bed, a snout poked out of the largest crack. Nasuada hid behind the bed, breathing heavily. She watched as it approached her desk, where she had left her uneaten dinner. As the silver dragon inspected the food, Nasuada thought furiously. Her people already suffered through one rider's long rule, so she couldn't continue ruling being what she had become, she decided.

Nasuada ran to her nightstand, attempting to keep out of the dragon's view, and wrote out the same message onto four papers: From your Lady, Queen Nasuada of Alagaesia. I hereby summon you to the council room. There are urgent matters we must discuss immediately. Join us with all possible haste

Slipping the paper under the door, she gave whispered instructions to have a servant deliver the messages to Arya (luckily she was visiting the capitol), Angela, Trianna, and Jormundur. Then she hesitantly sat on the bed and watched the dragon eat food on her nightstand.

Once it was done eating, the dragon cleaned its snout with its … paw (did dragons have paws?) It looked around and crawled closer, looking almost like a small dog approaching a stranger. Nasuada reached out to pet it, but hesitated right before touching its head, looking into its eyes. The thunderous gray sparkled mischievously, and she couldn't help but smile as she pet it.

She gasped, surprised, and withdrew her hand. It felt as though her hand had been struck by lightning, or held under a freezing waterfall, or both. She stared in awe as her palm began to shimmer in a silvery design, the Gedwey Insignia, the mark of a rider. The dragon cuddled close to her, nudging her with its snout.

"It is remarkably like a dog, adorable and playful" Nasuada started playing with the tiny animal, wrestling it on the bed and laughing as it played along. She hadn't realized so much time had passed until a storm of footsteps echoed down her hall.

"Don't you threaten me with that blade, or you will find yourself reconsidering your life choices as you claw your way from under a pile of poisonous mushrooms" Angela threatened over the protests of the guards posted at the end of the hall.

Her four most trusted comrades burst into the room, expressing their concern that she wasn't at the meeting she summoned them to. However, they stopped short upon noticing the silver dragon playfully biting her hand.