So this is my first time writing in this book category and I'm really nervous about this story. I was cleaning my hard drive when I found it. I wrote it quite a few years ago and was astonished to find that I actually wrote something this good so many years ago. I hope you guys enjoy it and just so you know, this hasn't bee beta so if you would like to sign up to beta it I would be more than grateful.
On to the story!
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Prologue
The two strangers trotted towards the large encampment that signalled the end of their journey. There was hardly a body in sight and both knew that they were all otherwise occupied by a meeting in the centre of the camp. There must have bee close to 500 men and women gathered in a central clearing. The two riders urged their steeds forward and entered the camp quickly, silently and unseen. The made their way quickly and decisively towards the crowd.
Addressing them was a tall woman with caramel coloured skin who was very beautiful yet her arms were marked with red raw scars. They just caught the end of her sentence.
"... Eragon Shadeslayer, the last free dragon rider." Nasuada declared, pointing towards the rider and his dragon. The Varden erupted into cheers.
"No he's not." a soft musical voice said, drowning out the cheers and catcalls of the assembled men and woman.
The crowd grew deathly quiet and looked around to see where the voice had come from. Their gaze landed on two strangers cover head to foot in long billowing coats, one on a pure white horse, the other on a horse as black as night.
"Who speaks such nonsense?" Nasuada cried, turning her gaze toward the strangers.
"I speak." The one on the white mare said, flipping back her hood as she spoke. The crowd gasped in awe of her beauty.
The woman was young, maybe 15 but she had an angular heart shaped face and hair as fair as the elves, eyes the colour of the sea and pointed ears. Her most remarkable feature, however, was a long curved scar that ran across her throat, as if someone had tried to slit it.
She jumped nimbly from her steed and took off her cape. Her clothing was just as peculiar as the rest of her. She wore a long sleeved purple shirt that was tight fitting and didn't cover her shoulders. Over the top she wore a leather corset with straps. On her legs she wore tight fitted leather pants for running and a long purple skirt that attached to the shirt that had a slit up either side for easy riding and fighting. On her hip was a belt made of plaited leather that had a sword clipped on one side and a jewel encrusted dagger on the other.
"I speak," She said again. "I am Tara, daughter of Natrissa of the fair folk."
"Why do you speak such nonsense?" Nasuada demanded. Her guards gripped the pommels of their weapons more tightly.
"I speak no nonsense. How many riders are there at this current point in time?" Tara said, leading her horse through the crowd to where Nasuada stood on a wagon addressing the crowd. The crowd parted silently, letting the girl who was not elf yet not human pass. Her companion followed behind her, still on his horse
"Three." Nasuada replied. "Galbatorix, Murtaugh and Eragon. What lies are you speaking?"
In the ancient language, the girl said "I speak no lies Nasuada." reverting back to her normal tongue she added "You are incorrect. There are five" A murmur ran through the crowd of onlookers. Eragon stepped forward.
"Who are you?" he asked, "And how do you know the ancient language?"
"My mother was an elf." Tara replied simply. "I and my brother were taught from the age of three many skills, one of them the ability to talk in every language of Alagaësia."
Tara placed two fingers upon her lips and said the first line of the elves greeting. Eragon replied in turn.
"'And may peace live in your heart.'" Tara finished.
"How can there be five riders? There was only one egg left!" Nasuada countered. Tara nodded her head.
'Aye. There was and still IS one egg left, although that egg will hatch soon." Nasuada looked at her in confusion. Tara sighed.
'I have the gift of foresight; I saw what is to be and how this battle will play. I have come to offer our services" At this her companion dropped from his horse and he too took off his cloak. He was a mirror image of Tara, except he stood a little taller and had rolling muscles that were visible under his orange shirt.
"Nasuada, I would like you to meet my twin brother, Adlen son of Evan of Kuasta. Our steeds, Nox and Fiendre and our ... friends" At this a shadow swept across the soldiers present. The soldiers broke into small groups and ran from the space, while a watchman yelled.
"'Tis Murtaugh on his accursed red dragon!" Tara sighed as Eragon ran to his dragon, Saphira and began tying his legs into the straps. A group of twenty archers ran to the middle of the field and let loose a volley of arrows. Many of them missed but 3 of them hit the dragon in the wing while another buried itself in its foreleg. Adlen whistled a loud peircing cry and everyone stopped to stare at him, including Eragon and Saphira, the dragon uttering a low growl.
"Did you not listen to a word my sister has just said? Look with your eyes! There is not one but two! And neither are red nor black! Make way so they can land!" The soldiers stood there for a moment before the broke in half and made a large circle wide enough for both dragons to land. The amethyst and orange dragons alighted on the hard dirt, folding their wings. The one that had been hit left the hurt wing unfurled. A group of 4 and thirty soldiers held spears pointed towards the dragons. Hot rolls of blood flowed from the hurt dragon.
Tara broke through the circle of soldiers that surrounded the dragons and ran to the hurt one. When the soldiers tried to come any closer she hissed at them. She ran her hand across the wing and repaired the ragged holes where the arrows had punched through the thin membrane with a quiet murmur. She then looked at the arrow imbedded in the dragon's foreleg. Slowly, in a sweet melodic voice she started to sing the arrow out of the flesh and healed the torn muscles and skin. Only then did she turn back to the members of the Varden. They stared at her in amazement.
"If you didn't not want our help, all you had to do was say so, you did not have to try and shoot Ameílden out of the sky." Tara said, angrily.
Nasuada stared at her in amazement then lowered her gaze when she met the cold glare of hatred.
"I apologise for my earlier behaviour" She said. "I did not realize you were telling the truth."
Tara glared at her before saying: "Eka fricai un Shur'tugal" Her brother broke through the crowd surrounding the dragons and walked to the orange dragon, pulling himself into the saddle on its back. Tara did the same with the purple dragon. Each was larger than Saphira.
"I would like you to meet Glerion and Ameílden, our dragons." Adlen said, rubbing Glerion's neck as he hummed in approval, his eyes focused completely on Nasuada.
"How is this possible?" Eragon asked, his face filled with disbelief as though this was all just one big joke. Tara looked to her brother for a second and after he nodded infinitesimally, she climbed down and stood in front of Eragon.
"Perhaps we should take this to a more private place?" She said, her voice lowered so none but she and the Shadeslayer could hear her. He looked to her brother and nodded turning and leading the two to the command tent. Nasuada followed behind the two and Adlen behind her. The three dragons remained behind.
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Okay. So there is a faintly veiled Harry Potter joke in here if any one can find it. If you can find it I'll be amazed because it really isn't that obvious unless you are specifically looking for it. So I hoped you guys liked it, it's not really like anything I've written before.
