Flightless Wings Chap. 1: of eggs and homes
Eragon walked over to where Saphira had stopped for the night. She was tired, but they had only stopped to eat. Eragon Bromsson and Saphira Vervadasdaughter where searching for the perfect place to raise the eggs they had in their possession. For they weren't in Alagaesia anymore, they had gone east, past the Hadarac desert, The Beor mountains, and Du Weldenvarden, the elves' realm. Eragon wanted to find a good place to build the new home of the riders. As of now, only three riders and their dragons existed in their living bodies. The sets were, Murtagh and Thorn, Eragon and Saphira, and Arya and Firnen. Eragon smiled sadly as he thought of Arya. Saphira saw his thoughts, for they were bonded, and thought sadly of Arya's dragon, Firnen, with whom Saphira had mated. Little one, we shouldn't dwell on things we cannot fix. She thought. I know, but I cannot resist when things are still so recent. He responded. He felt Saphira acknowledge this and settle down into a crouch, for by now Eragon had reached her and climbed into her saddle. They took off again, flying over woods and plains to the river where their ship was waiting.
"Shadeslayer." Blodhgarm greeted him "no success?"
"Unfortunately not friend. We must sail farther on. How much longer can we go up the river?"
The reply was not a very favorable one, "We should have turned back for supplies yesterday. We elves need little to survive, but we will run out of food soon. Unless you found some edible plants on your survey?"
"I am afraid not. You can sail for supplies tomorrow. I will stay with Saphira till you return and we can continue."
The elf protested, "Shadeslayer, we cannot leave you here with out any help. We do not know of this land, and you need the meager supplies we have. We will not abandon you."
Eragon knew that he couldn't change their minds, so he let it go for a night.
Later, in his quarters, Eragon was contacted by Arya, Queen of the elves, and also his very close friend.
"Has the other ship we sent reached you yet?" She asked after exchanging pleasantries.
"The only thing we have seen so far is the water behind us and no good place for an academy so far." He replied.
"That is indeed sad, but not long after you left, one of the eggs hatched. We sent a ship to you, and it will catch up with you soon, it holds supplies, as well as the new dragon and her rider. The ship will return to us with the next egg if you see fit to give it to us."
Eragon was shocked. The new eggs weren't supposed to hatch till he had found a place to raise the dragons and train the riders. Now he was unprepared and had no place for them. "I am not ready for them, but I will try to help them. If I may ask, of what race is the new rider? And what are the rider and dragons names?"
"The rider….. well, I am not sure of what race she belongs to, for she is…. different. Her name is Aviella, and her dragon is Naille."
"How is she different?"
"She has, well, birds's wings. It isn't natural, and she hasn't done it to herself. She also has no memory. Of anything. Not where she came from, how she got her wings, anything except her name. That she was sure of. Somehow, she attained two riders swords, not ones forged by Rhunon, but still just like ones forged by her. It is strange, and so I sent her ahead to you, in hopes that you will be able to help her."
Eragon was silent for a moment, then "I know not whether or not I can help her, but I will try. Also, what of the other egg? And how did the Naille hatch for Aviella?"
"We where bringing the egg to the Urgals, and she stumbled out of the woods in front of us. She was scruffy, and dirty, as if she had been in the woods for a month with no supplies. As soon as she saw us, she started to run, but we stopped her to enquire her as to whom she was. Aviella didn't want to stop for us willingly, however, so we were about to use magic on her to keep her in place, when she herself attacked. The only explanation I have is that she sensed us about to cast a spell and did the only thing she could to keep herself from being taken. She fights well, and defeated a few of the elves I had with me, before she finally stopped. As for why, she saw the dragon egg. Before I could stop her, she had touched it, and right there and then the egg hatched. It marked Aviella with the Gedway Ignisia and now she is the rider of a two month old green dragon who goes by the name of Naille."
When Arya finished her tale, both where silent, then Arya said that the ship she had sent contained a letter from her, and Eragon knew the only things she would send by letter were things she wanted no one else to read, which was why they were in code. They had three codes, and each one told what type of letter it was and how urgent. It was a useful system, and they used it as often as they were allowed to.
"How is Firnen?"
Arya smiled, "Doing well, though he misses Saphira."
"Saphira misses him too, though she has told me that she is going to lay eggs as soon as we have a place for her to lay them at."
This was momentous news, as Saphira would be the first dragon to lay eggs in over a century.
Arya's eyes widened and she gasped. She had realized that Firnen was the father of her eggs, and that too, was good news.
"This is excellent news; will Saphira allow me to tell the elves? It would be very exciting to them as well."
After asking Saphira if it would be alright, Eragon replied, "She says you can, but she says that you should tell Firnen first, as he is the sire of the eggs."
Arya nodded and closed her eyes for a minute, and then Eragon could hear Firnen bugle with joy in the background. They both smiled.
"For Saphira's sake, I hope you find a place soon. Else the elves will all want to sail down to you and insist you come back, if only so that they can see the eggs just after they are laid, and sing more songs about Saphira."
They shared a laugh and talked of other things for a while, then bid each other good night.
