A Future to Come
The sun had set hours ago as they flew on into the night. Eragon's two companions were huddled on Saphira's back behind him. He turned around to look at them.
Did I look this nervous to Brom? Eragon silently wondered to himself. "We are almost there," he told May and Niernen.
Despite being almost thirty years older, Niernen looked as old as May, but that was common with elves.
Saphira banked to her left causing the two children behind Eragon to scream. He felt Saphira rumble underneath him in what he assumed was a laugh before she plunged almost straight down causing the next wave of screams to be lost in the rushing air.
Saphira pulled up, beating her massive wings up and down as they gently settled onto a giant courtyard. It was cobbled with clean stone that had frequent gouges in the rock that looked familiarly like a dragon claw sized hole.
Eragon hopped off the now giant Saphira lithely before motioning for May to jump and be caught by him. He had barely looked at her by the time she was flying off the saddle and in Eragon's arms.
Looks like we've got a daring one, Saphira said to him.
You're telling me, Eragon answered. He put her down gently before looking back up at Niernen but he seemed to think he could jump the fifteen feet off of Saphira's back himself. Eragon stepped back as flew through the air to make space for him to land. He hit the ground smoothly before looking up at Eragon for approval.
"Looks like we've got each other a little rivalry already," Eragon said smiling. May looked at Niernen jealously, and thought to herself that she would jump, too, next time she got off Saphira.
Saphira bellowed into the starry sky and she walked towards the building where the dragon saddles were stored.
This thing makes my scales itch, she told Eragon telepathically. Make me a new one when you show our hatchlings how to make their own.
At that moment, two high pitched roars could be heard above the grand courtyard where they stood. Two young dragons were flying overhead, racing each other to Eragon. It seemed they were just as competitive as their riders.
"Come on, Ignasia!" May shouted out, cheering on her dragon which shown white against the dark sky.
"Stjarna has him beat," Niernen said proudly. His dragon raced alongside Ignasia. They both slammed into the ground after barely slowing down in an effort to beat the other.
The loud crash caused Blödhgarm and a few other spellcasters to appear in their windows looking for what the noise was about. They saw the two new students running to their dragons and making sure they were okay.
Blödhgarm hopped out of his second story window to go over and meet Eragon.
"How was the flight, Eragon-elda?" Blödhgarm asked.
"Long and cold, but worth it," he said, smiling at his new students as they argued about who beat who. "We will start training tomorrow morning."
May and Niernen stopped talking and turned to Eragon at those words. "That means you all need to go with Saphira as she takes off her saddle and cares for scales. Such journeys can have a toll on young and old dragons. He smiled at them as they walked over to Saphira, already half-way out of her too-itchy saddle.
"Can you go with them and make sure they get to their rooms tonight? I have something I need to check on before the night is over," he told Blödhgarm.
"Of course, Eragon-elda," he said with typical confident indifference as turned and followed the new apprentices.
Eragon walked out of the large stone courtyard to the outskirts of Verda, his training ground for new riders. He assured Saphira's questioning thoughts as he walked away from the noise and into his secluded room.
He went inside to find dust on his table and bed after being away for the past month in Alagaësia for the Agaetí Blödhren. It was his first time back to his homeland, and he, for some reason, thought it would be his last time for a long time to come.
He walked over to his nightstand and pulled out a small book Angela had given him as a gift at the celebrations. Inside was scrawled in her slanted handwriting:
"Inside is a collection of warning for threats you will face. Not all will be necessarily bad, and I can't tell you when they will be. In times of unknown, look to this book.
- Angela
He turned to the first page and saw in the same handwriting a sentence which read:
Blue eyes tell lies in the shadow of celebration.
Eragon stared at the page confused before closing the book and changing out of his travel clothes. He was too tired to care about Angela's warnings right now. His body ached, and his eyes begged for sleep as he felt Saphira's giant paws shaking the ground at every step. Are you asleep yet, little one? she asked softly.
Soon. Come lay down and we'll fall asleep together. The idea must not have sounded too bad to Saphira, for she hurried over to Eragon's room and snaked her head into the open side of his room before falling asleep, thankful the long journey was over.