Destiny

A strange man clutched desperately to his stead as it raced along the planes, his hair and clothes whipped madly as the wind clawed at him. The man's cloak billowed out behind him like wings, his slanted eyes scanned the air above them feverishly; against his breast he clutched a stone as long as his forearm. The sun above reflected the stone's surface, it was a dark red with black veins spider webbing across its surface. A sudden whistling sound filled the man's slightly pointed ears, his eyes widened and he roughly pulled back on the reins of the horse. The horse neighed shrilly as gravel was churned by its hooves as it struggled to stop, something very black and very large crashed in front of them…if the man had not stopped the horse then it would have landed straight on them. "I see that your senses haven't dulled…old man." A voice came from the black mass that the man could now see as a dragon, a man dressed in black clothes sat atop his dragon; his eyes glittered down at the man on the horse with absolute hate.

"And I see you that you come here for one purpose only." The man countered and gripped the stone tightly to his chest.

"I've actually come for two purposes, Master Vrael." The man sneered as he used the man's title, sarcasm drifted dangerously in the air. "I've come to kill you and take the egg." The man said as he swung one leg over the leather saddle that he sat in, he fell heavily to the ground and drew his sword that hung at his side; the blade glittered dangerously in the sun.

Vrael eyed the man and the sword with great sadness but then spoke in the ancient tongue, "Atra blöd hlaupa." Let blood flow. The man rushed forward with his sword raised high to slash, the horse beneath Vrael reared in fright. The blade silenced the horses shrill cry, Vrael leapt backwards from his dead mount and landed on his feet skillfully still gripping the dragon's egg to his chest; his eyes flickered from the egg in his arms to the man that stood before him who was readying another attack.

The man's eyes narrowed when Vrael started whispering something under his breath, he snarled in rage as the egg started glowing with an inner light. He lunged forward to stop the spell but it was too late…the egg was gone in a flash of light. "Die!" Galbatorix snarled as he slashed at the Dragon Rider leader, his blade was parried easily by Vrael's own.

They clashed again and again, over and over; one would give ground only to step forward and reclaim it. The sun over ahead boiled in the sky drenching the two fighters in heat and suffering, Galbatorix felt the tip of Vrael's blade glaze his left arm; the traitor then did the unthinkable. In their next clash Galbatorix's foot snapped forward and struck Vrael in his groin, the man crumpled in a scream of fury and pain. He lay on the ground in a pained heap, "You won't win, Galbatorix." He hissed through clenched teeth, he suddenly felt the cold of the blade against his neck then no more.

Galbatorix glared down in distaste at his leader's headless corpse, his eyes hardened in sudden rage and he plunged his sword in to the lifeless mound of flesh before him. He stood there for a moment then removed his bloodstained sword from it's so called sheath, he flicked his blade which sent blood splattering to the ground; he turned on his heel and walked over to his black dragon who sat there watching him. He crawled in to the saddle and kicked his dragon sharply in the shoulder, "Fly." He commanded, the dragon extended his wings and with several powerful flaps was airborne…

100 Years Later

"Elska…I need you to go to the market." A male voice rang out through the morning air.

"Coming, Papa." Elska replied as she ran a brush through her hair, it reached past her shoulders and was dark as a raven's wing. She wore a leggings and a tunic instead of the dresses that other women wore. She splashed water on her face to wake herself up and pulled her hair in to a low ponytail to cover her ears; she dried off with a soft linen towel and proceeded to go downstairs. The wooden steps creaked as her weight descended on them, alerting her father to her arrival; her dark blue eyes lit up when she smiled at her father.

Demo smiled as he looked at his daughter as she descended in to his line of vision, she was of no blood relation to him but he cherished her like the rarest gem. He had found her sixteen years ago in the middle of the forest when he was coming back from a trip to a distant town, she was crying in a basket which was hidden in the thick brush; he had searched for her parents and had found their remains among a destroyed wagon, Urgal tracks littered the ground around them.

He took the baby home to his wife who could not bare children. Flore named the child after her late grandmother and they raised her as their own; his wife later passed away in the winter of the next year due from a terrible illness. She was as tall as him which was very unusual for a woman; she was thin in stature but was very strong and quick.

"What do you need from the village?" She asked as she sat down at the handmade table and slipped on a pair of worn leather boots, she stood up as her father walked over to her and handed her a small leather pouch with a few coins inside along with a small piece of paper.

"There are two lists. One is for Garo." He said as he slid a coin in her the palm of her hand, "Get something nice for yourself as well…"

"Papa…you know that I won't." She said as she shook her head slightly, "Here…take it back." She said as she pushed the coin back at her father, he shook his head and refused.

"You are my daughter. You deserve nice things." He said as his eyes softened, Elska felt her resolve waver slightly.

"You know I hate it when you do that." She said as she opened the pouch and dropped the coin inside; she tied the purse to her leather belt. Her father laughed and handed his daughter her dark cloak, it was black with a silver clasp and stopped a good two inches before it hit the floor; it had been Flore's at one point and she had made it a point to give it to her daughter.

"I know…that's why I do it." He said as he handed Elska a sword, it was silver in color with an ivory colored hilt with silver engravings; it had been found in the wagon's wreckage. Elska knew of how Demo had found her and raised her, she had been told on her sixteenth birthday when she came in to womanhood; it did not changed her feelings toward the man that she knew as her father. The sword had also been given to her on her sixteenth birthday; she only wore it when she was going to town which was an hour journey on horse back. "Be careful."

"I always am." Elska said as she lashed the sword to her side and allowed her cloak to fall in to place; she kissed her father on the cheek and went outside. The crisp air of early winter snapped at her face was she opened the door; she quickly closed it to prevent the warmth of the house from escaping. She walked over the tiny stable that was on the west side of her home, her horse- Dakar- neighed happily as she walked toward him. He was a proud horse of three years, he was a grey in color with white underline; his mane was a pepper color. He easily looked down at his owner as she approached; he was a good 14 hands high. "Good morning, Dakar." She said as he lowered his head to get scratched, her neighed faintly as he playfully bumped his head against his chest. She ran her hands against his broad forehead and rubbed the white spot in the middle, "Come on…" She said as she walked to the far side of the stable and grabbed Dakar's saddle from its place on a hay bale.

Dakar stood there silently as Elska threw a blanket on his back before placing the heavy saddle on, she crouched down and buckled the strap that went across his belly; she made sure that it was tight enough so that it would not slide but not too tight to restrict the horses breathing. She walked over to the side of the stall where Dakar's reins hung from their hook, she saw the horse eyeing the reins with distaste, and she swore that he almost said that the bit was going to be cold.

"You're such a baby." She said as she took the metal bit in to her hands and stood there for a moment for the metal to warm up in her grasp. The horse snorted in response which caused its owner to smile faintly, "Okay…it should be alright by now." She said as she walked over, she slid the bit in between the horse's teeth and buckled the thin straps of the side of the reins; she treated Dakar to some oats before climbing in to the saddle. The chilly wind blasted the two as they exited the warm stable, Elska flipped up her hood up to block the wind and they were on their way.

Elska and her father lived on the far outskirts of their town of Dewan which sat in the bend of the spine between Therinsford and Fläm; their house was set a day out of the town and rested against the base of the Spine. People were nervous of the mountain range saying that vicious things lived in there and would swoop down at any time and carry you out of your house in the dead of night. Both Demo and Elska thought that it was a bunch of foolishness, they had never had anything unexpected come from the mountains that loomed over their heads.

The heart of winter was only weeks away which meant hard times for the tiny town, it didn't get as cold as in the high parts of the mountains but they still received snow in plus amounts. Almost as if summoned by fate, a single snow flake landed on Elska's nose- she groaned slightly and brushed the melted bead of snow off the tip of her nose. "Come Dakar…Let us hurry." She said as she gently prodded the horse with her heels. Dakar tossed his head back like he was almost laughing before he took off town the road, Elska clung tight to his back.

Tuh tuh tum…tuh tuh tum…

That hypnotic sound and feel of Dakar running beneath her put her mind in to a lull, the horse knew every twist and turn of the road. Loose dirt churned up beneath the horse's hooves as it ran, the ride only lasted for a short while but it was long enough. Elska noticed that the town was fast approaching and so she pulled on the reins, Dakar slowed his pace to a fast walk as they entered the heart of the town.

Elska slowed Dakar to a stop in front of the tavern; it went by the name of Green Spire. She tethered her hoofed friend to the post out front before going inside, the rich smells of burning wood and roasting meat wrapped around her as she entered. "Hey. It's Elska!" Rogan, the tavern owner, greeted as she lowered her hood. He was echoed by several more people when they turned to see who had entered.

"Evening everyone." She smiled as she walked across the tavern over to the hearth where a fire burned merrily; she rubbed her hands and placed them in the warmth of the fire. She was there barely for a moment before Garo, the iron smith, walked over to her and placed a callused hand on her shoulder. "Hello Garo." She said as she turned her head to look at the tall muscular man whose hair had just started to gray. He had known Demo and his wife ever since they had moved in to the town two decades ago; he had been a good family friend since.

"Well hello…Haven't seen you in a while." He said as he lead her over to his table and sat down, beside him sat his oldest son named Godfrie; the boy took after his father a great deal including his love for metal working. Godfrie greeted Elska before returning to his plate in front of him, "So…Your father is sending you on errands?" He asked as Elska took a seat in front of him.

"Yeah…" Elska said as she pulled the purse from her belt, she slid the lists out from the confines of the purse and handed one to Garo. "It's mostly parts for the wagon since it broke earlier this week…" She said as Garo studied the list carefully, "So…when could we expect the parts?" She asked after a moment of silence.

Garo sighed and leaned back in his seat; Godfrie leaned over and took the list to look over it. "Well…most of the parts would take less then a day or two to make but you've got some serious list. I don't think we'll be able to finish it until mid next week." He said as he rubbed his stubble covered chin, his son nodded in agreement; Godfrie wasn't a very big talker.

"I figured as much." Elska said as she put away the purse, in truth she thought that it would take much longer. "Alright…I'll tell Father to expect the parts by mid of next week." Elska said as she stood, "I have some supplies to get so I will see you later." She said before departing the tavern. It took her several hours to gather all of the supplies on the list that her father had made for her, she was strapping the last little bit to Dakar's saddle when something stirred in her peripheral vision.

Elska turned her head to see what it was; she frowned slightly and turned back to her work. "Well…well…well. If it isn't the orphaned outcast." A harsh female voice cut through the crisp hair, Elska's frown deepened and she pulled a bundle's drawstring tight before sliding the belt through the buckle.

"Leave me alone, Whyla." Elska said out loud before crouching down next to Dakar's saddle strap and made sure it was tight.

"Why should I?" Whyla sneered as she put her hands on her hips; her blonde hair flowed down past her waist. Her blue eyes were hard as she bore holes in to Elska's back, "You have no right to tell me what to do." She said as her two friends trotted beside her.

"Just as you have no right to call me an outcast." Elska countered as she walked around to Dakar's other side to check ever thing there.

"I can do what ever I want, bitch." Whyla said, Elska saw her bend down to pick something up from the ground. She didn't know what it was until pain spider webbed from one side of her skull, she clutched the side of her head with one hand as pain blinded her and stumbled over to the tether post as she felt her legs give out. She heard Whyla and her friends start laughing, more stones connected with her body shoving her deeper in to a pain filled fog.

"What's going on out here?!" A voice bellowed, Elska heard Whyla and her friends scatter. The sound of heavy footfalls grew louder as Garo walked over to Elska who sat slumped against the tether post, "Oh darling…" He moaned as he saw the blood that was ran down the side of her face from a cut above her left eye, she looked up at him only to look away in what seemed like shame. He picked her up gently, she was lighter then she looked. "Godfrie…get Dakar and bring him to the house." Garo ordered as his oldest rushed out to see what the commotion was.

"Right, Dad." Godfrie said as he walked over to Elska's mount, Garo carried Elska to his house where she could get treated.

Elska sat in the chair motionless as Garo's wife, Morla, cleaned the cut on her forehead. "Will you be alright?" Morla asked as she rung out the rag in a pan of water, there was a slight pink tinge to it.

"Yes." Elska replied before Morla pressed the rag against the cut once more, the woman looked skeptical as she looked at the girl. She had a far away look in her eyes and appeared to be deep in thought. 'I don't understand it…why won't they leave me alone?' She thought, the door opened and in stepped Garo and Godfrie; both of the men looked angry.

"What's a matter, dear?" Morla asked as she took away the rag as she looked at her husband and son. Garo sat down heavily at the kitchen table and took off his boots, there was a moment before Garo was calm enough to speak.

"Whyla and her friends have been going around the town saying that Elska had attacked them." Garo said before growing angry again, Elska looked over at Garo who sat there staring angrily at the fire; the wrinkles around his mouth looking deeper than usual.

"I think that it's best that I leave." Elska said as she stood up, Morla and Garo looked shocked.

"But honey…are you sure that you'll be alright? That was quite a blow to the head." Morla said as she stood and took a step closer to the girl in a protective type gesture.

"I'll be alright." Elska said as she smiled. "I've been thrown by Dakar before so this is no more than a bump. And besides…it has been threatening to snow all day. I think it would be best if I hurry home."

Garo looked thoughtful for a moment but then nodded, "She'll be fine." He said with a nod but he turned his head to look at the young woman. "But you better be careful on your way home." He said in such away that it left no room for argument.

"I will!" Elska said as she crossed her arms playfully, "You're just as bad as Papa." Garo burst out laughing, Elska smiled and left the house but not without giving everyone her goodbyes. Dakar was tethered outside by the side of the house; there was a slight overhang that provided shelter from the cold wind that blew through the town. "Hey buddy." She said as Dakar nickered when he noticed her; she stroked his long neck softly for a moment before undoing the knot on the tether and climbing in to the saddle. She clicked her tongue softly and nudged him gently as a sign to head home, the horse needed no encouragement.

Sadly, once they were away from the town the wind began to blow hard around them. It forced Elska get off of the saddle for fear of being blown off; she took Dakar's reins and walked beside him. They were about halfway home when Elska heard something on the wind, it sounded like a woman's voice; she was calling for help. Elska looked from the road to the woods and back again, the voice came once more on the wind only this time it seemed fainter.

"Hold on! I'm coming." Elska shouted over the wind as she led Dakar off the trail and in to the woods, the wind came through the trees and seemed to howl like a wolf. Dakar's ears flipped backwards against his head and he suddenly stopped walking, Elska turned to the horse that stood there stubbornly; his eyes were wide and his flanks trembled. "Dakar? Dakar…what's wrong?" She asked as she tried to soothe the horse, yet nothing seemed to get past the animal. He suddenly neighed shrilly and reared up, Elska shrank back in fear as he pawed at the air with his hooves; he suddenly spun around and fled the way that they had come. "Dakar!" Elska screamed as she lost sight of her horse through the trees.

The voice came again on the air, Elska shivered as she stared down the path that her horse had fled; she stood there for a moment before deciding to follow the voice. The going was slow, tree roots and branches often blocked her path which caused her to take several detours; she finally came upon a small field from where the voice seemed to originate from. Elska slowly looked around seeing no one yet something caught her eye, on the other side of the field were two stones sitting on one end; they were about three feet apart from each other and Elska immediately knew what they were…they were grave markers.

There was a sudden flutter of motion behind Elska that made her turn around, her eyes widened when she saw a woman standing behind her. The woman was the older mirror image of her; the woman smiled gently and placed two fingers to her lips in a soft gesture. "Wh-who are you?" Elska whispered, the woman didn't reply but walked over to a large tree on the side of the clearing. The tree was massive with knobby roots at the base, the woman walked over to the tree and stood beside it as if waiting for Elska to follow; the young girl inched forward cautiously. Once she got close, the woman smiled again and knelt down beside two massive roots; as Elska bent down next to the woman, she noticed that the space between the two roots were covered in years of leaves. "What do you want me to do?" She turned to ask the woman…only to find the area completely void of life; as if no one had ever been there…

Elska stood up quickly and looked around, her heart racing slightly in her chest. The wind still howled around her like an animal, she hugged the cloak around her and looked down at the space between the two roots. She stood there for a moment while she debated whether or not the woman was the aftermath of being stuck on the head; what would it hurt if she went digging in to a bunch of leaves? Nothing…right? She bent down and began to brush through the first inch of leaves.

The wet leaves quickly muddied her hands as she brushed them aside in an attempt to look past them, she thought that she must be crazy…looking through a bunch of leaves for something a phantom woman had lead her to. The leaves grew more and more decomposed as she went deeper until it became something along the lines of dirt. "This is so stupid." She said as pushed away the last of the decomposing leaves from the ground to reveal…nothing. 'A complete waste of time and energy.' Elska though sourly as she went to stand up, she paused however when she thought she saw a tattered piece of fabric in the very corner of the two roots.

Entranced she crept forward slowly and took the piece of fabric between her fingers, it was old and... The girl pulled at the fabric gently; indeed…it did disappear in to the ground. What ever it was…was buried under the earth. The damp soil gave under Elska's nails as she tore at it, chunks of it fell away and were tossed aside. Elska finally uncovered what ever was buried in the earth, it was a bundle the size of her forearm; it was wrapped in a dark colored blanket which was stained by the ground it had spent several years entombed in. She suddenly heard far off shouting; she realized with a start that it was her father. She hid the bundle within her cloak and ran in the direction of the road. "Elska!" Her father shouted for her.

"I'm here, Papa." Elska said as she emerged from the bushes, her father sat at top Dakar who was minus the heavy tack that he had been carrying from before.

"Where were you?!" Demo demanded, "You could have been dead on the side of the path and I would have never known." He said angrily, Elska noticed that he looked older and more worn.

"I'm sorry, Papa." Elska said softly, "I thought I heard something and went to investigate. I took Dakar but he got spooked by something…"

"I thought that you were smarter than to stray from the path, Elska. Obviously I was wrong." Her father frowned; she flinched ever so slightly at her father's voice which was covered in disappointment. "Just get on the horse." He ordered as he turned Dakar around, Elska mounted herself behind her father without a sound; she clutched the bundle to her chest as they rode. As soon as they reached the house, a fine powder had begun to fall; Demo immediately went in to the house and left Elska to tend to Dakar in the stable.

Elska heaved the heavy saddle from its place on Dakar's back, the horse shook its flanks in response to the weight being lifted off; she set the saddle in its rightful place. She removed the reins and put them on their hook; she turned her head and looked at the bale of hay beside her where the bundle lay. She then turned to look outside where the light had begun to fade, snow started coming down harder and it was time to go inside. She made sure that Dakar was alright before grabbing the bundle and going in to the house.

Her father didn't look up from the fire as she entered the house and shut the door before placing the board in its slots to insure that it would stay closed, Elska stared at her father's back for a moment before going up to her room. It was small just like the rest of the house, it only measured ten feet in both directions; it was just big enough to hold a bed, a bookshelf, a small desk, a chest which held her clothes, and low table which sat in the middle of the room.

She slowly walked over to the table and set the bundle down before sitting on a cushion on the floor, she stared at it for a moment before bringing it closer to her. The fabric was stiff from its time in the ground, it finally gave in her hands and fell away; the first thing that caught her eye was the gleam. The faint light in the room seemed to be dim in comparison of the red stone that she held in her hands, she marveled over how beautiful the color was-blood red with black veins racing across its surface. It was completely smooth like glass; Elska took the stone out of its broken prison and placed it on the table. She went to throw away the old fabric but something fell from its confines and struck the wooden floor with a slight rustle, Elska noticed and bent down to pick the something up.

Silver glitter caught her eye as it caught the dying light from outside of her window; a silver chain dangled from her fingers, a simple but intricate silver pendent hung from the chain. It looked spotless even though it had been in the dirt for who knows how long, "How strange…" Elska mumbled as she twirled the pendent in the air, she saw the clasp on the chain and undid it; the chain slid easily along her skin as she placed it around her neck and put the clasp back in its place, it rested gently against her breast bone. The sound of her father's footsteps could be heard as he came up the stairs, Elska panicked and hid the necklace under her shirt; she grabbed the stone and shoved it under the low table just as the door swung open.

"Elska? Is its time for dinner." Demo said before he closed the door again, Elska sighed and pulled out the stone from its place beneath the table; she placed it on top of it and looked at it for a moment.

"What am I going to do with this?" Elska whispered as she ran a hand along the smooth glass like surface, she remembered that supper was waiting and picked up the stone; she didn't want to leave it out in the open for fear that her father would find it so she decided to place it in her clothes chest. She placed it in between two shirts and hid it the best that she could, she then put away her cloak and went down stairs.