A.N. - I've never read the fourth book of the Inheritance Cycle, so I'm just going to follow fanfic writers' tradition by completely ignoring everything that happens in it. Don't worry! I own and have read all the other three books, so everything should be at least 75% fine.

Saphira fell out of the air like a bag of fertiliser, her wings torn to shreds. Eragon clung feebly to one of them with one hand and to his sword with his other hand. It was exceedingly painful, but Saphira, being mindlessly loyal like an average dragon, tried her best not to mind. Not to criticize her Rider for his utterly stupid tactics that were getting them killed - had already gotten them killed, because they wouldn't possibly survive hitting the ground. Not to -

Forget this.

Eragon, I want to tell you something before we die, said Saphira with her mind. She could feel his surprise - she had never shown any sign of being a real person rather than a mindless pet before, she thought bitterly - and without waiting for a response to her sudden display of individuality, she continued, You are an incredibly stupid and thoughtless person. I...

Even though she'd broken free of the blind dragon loyalty, she still couldn't condemn him completely. He was, after all, her Rider.

I... don't really hate you, but I don't really like you either, she forced out with an effort. The air whistled past, sounding like the chirping of crickets.

Eragon looked up at her over the torn remains of her beautiful blue wings, his eyes full of tears. He probably would have said something suitably dramatic, but then they hit the ground.

Saphira suddenly woke up, dizzy and nauseous. All she could see was blue, as though she was looking through closed eyes at a bright light - but her eyes were open. She struggled uselessly, then realized - her bond with Eragon was gone. The bond that transcended nature, yadda yadda, was gone!

She struggled harder. Suddenly, she felt something give way and a sensation of vertigo, followed by a painful impact. Soon after, she managed to crack her prison open with her snout, somehow, and stick her head out to see -

Eragon.

He was incredibly huge - no, she was small. She remembered being this size once, vaguely - but she didn't want to think about that now, because she could think about Eragon instead - she thought she'd never see him again, and seeing his cute confused expression made her feel hugely relieved. That face looked just like a baby dragon's face - well, it looked like what she would imagine to be a baby dragon's face, once she had seen it. He looked surprisingly young, his muscles were less developed and his beard was missing, but he was definitely Eragon. She sent her mind out in a questing tendril, and luxuriated in the feeling of his mind.

Eragon reached out tentatively and touched her, and she could suddenly feel their bond reforming. Eragon looked even more surprised, his expression freezing for a long moment.

Being part of an incredibly clever and beautiful species, she had an idea of what had happened already. Obviously, someone had carried out an emergency magical procedure that revitalized them, at the cost of cutting a dozen years off their ages, and then brought them back to - she looked around - back to Eragon's old room in his uncle's house to rest!

Hey, wait... hadn't the Ra'zac burned this place down?