Armageddon
"Ineffable. Inevitable. Indestructible. In the long run, it doesn't matter all that much, does it?" Please, just give a chance. I don't own the Inheritance Cycle.
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Riders always are bonded to their dragons beyond all sane levels.
So true.
My Rider, whom I have learned is named Eyddr, is the product of a rich nobleman and a poor mistress. Her mother left her with her father, who was an amateur spell caster and hated her. As one might guess, he was the one to name her.
After I learn more of human culture, I learn that Eyddr is treated as much more then simply a noble's daughter. I suppose it is because she is now a fabled Dragon Rider. Her violet eyes are a rarity, as I have understood after being encountered by many others of her kind. Her brownish-copper skin shows her inheritance from her mother's side.
As Galbatorix--the human who has disregarded the ancient rules and renamed me Armageddon--searches our minds for any disloyalty, he forces us to open the bridge between Rider and Dragon rather then discover it on our own. Because of this, it becomes harder for either Eyddr or I to close the connection.
Apparently, while I rested inside my peaceful egg, Thorn and Murtagh (his Rider) have encountered the 'despicable pair', Eragon and Saphira.
Saphira. My old sister.
Alas, Thorn and Murtagh let them go free and unharmed, so they are currently residing in the dungeons, having taken all the punishment Galbatorix has chosen to wreak upon them.
He's chosen not to punish me or my Rider as of yet, and I suspect this is because he thinks I am to young to tolerate the amount of torture he believes it will take for me to fully learn my lesson. The other humans also whisper he is contemplating taking Eyddr as a bride.
These whispers sicken me. Eyddr is beautiful, from a human's point of view, but she is but 18. Much to young to become queen or even a lover to a hundred-year-old king.
At the moment, I lay beside Eyddr, while she eats a banquet prepared specifically for her. She is dressed in a long gold dress, which seems to flow and ripple like water. No doubt sewn with magic. It enhances her copper skin and she seems to enjoy being treated like royalty.
I'm still small, about the size of a large house cat. Galbatorix keeps talking about the 'heart of hearts' which will apparently enhance my growth. He says I must develop my wings a bit first. That's apparently what went wrong with Thorn's growth--he has no stamina for flying.
I haven't met Galbatorix's dragon yet. I'm not quite sure I want to, either.
"Armageddon," Eyddr says cheerfully. She holds out a strange-shaped piece of meat while I raise my head reluctantly.
"It's a turkey leg," she explains at my hesitance. "I think you'll like it."
I hesitantly let her drop in front of me, and I gnaw a bit off with my teeth. I immediately spit it out, hating the taste.
"You don't like it?"
It's a bit overcooked for me, I say.
Eyddr shrugs and returns to her food, working on another turkey leg. For someone so thin and beautiful, she does like to eat.
A passing soldier--around the age of 16--stumbles to a stop by her, and she smiles.
"H-h-h-hi." he stutters.
"Hello," Eyddr says.
He fidgets there, and then mumbles, "I'm Aaron."
"Eyddr." No matter what it really means, Eyddr seems to be quite proud of her name.
"I-I have a message for," he clears his throat. "the Green Dragon and her Rider. From-from the prisoner."
Prisoner? Eyddr asks in my head. My evident confusion shows her I have no inkling of who he's talking about. I give my Rider the go-ahead and she nods jerkily to the boy. "Speak."
He clears his throat, looking around cautiously. "I'm not to say this in the presence of the king." he swallows as he looks around again.
"Speak!" Eyddr orders.
He coughs. "Escape while you can."
"I'm sorry?"
"Escape while y-"
"Soldier!" Seemingly out of nowhere, the king swoops down on us. Eyddr snaps her head up to look at him while he grabs the collar of Aaron's shirt.
He drags him away. Eyddr throws down her food and hurries after, leaving me no choice but to follow.
"Your Majesty, is this really necessary?" She begs as she hurries alongside the king, looking at him with pleading eyes.
"Stand down, Rider!" Galbatorix bellows at her. She halts, surprise on her face. His Majesty is a rather charming human, usually.
What was that all about? Eyddr wonders as we watch Aaron shake and stutter as he's dragged down the hall.
She seems to expect no answer, and I give her none.
We return to our feast, and I contemplate escaping the palace to hunt. I decide against it, as I have no knowledge of how to hunt nor the palace. I've only visited Galbatorix's chambers, where he forced me to learn his language, Eyddr's chambers, and the egg room, where I was kept before being hatched, along with the dining room.
I lay my head down again, propping it against my paws.
You know, if you visit the butcher, I'm sure he'll have some meat for you, Eyddr says in my head.
I shake my head, not-fully-grown ears flopping almost comically against the sides of my snout.
Well, at least get something to eat, Eyddr complains. You're making me still hungry, and I've been eating for twenty minutes.
Oh. I didn't realize that all of her continuous eating was because of my overlapping hunger.
It's not, Eyddr says. I do like to eat, but this is a bit much even for me.
I fold, and get up from my seat beside Eyddr on the bench. I don't know how to get around the palace, but I'm sure some exploring would be good for me.
I'll be back, I send to Eyddr. She waves me away, and concentrates on her cherries.
I walk away. Luckily, it's been a few days since my hatching, and I've learned how to perfect my vision so as to see much better.
Pupil increasing is voluntary for dragons, not reflexive like humans. Night vision is impeccable for us, as soon as we learn to control it.
Skulking down the corridor, I keep to the side, where my dark green scales are less apparent. The few creatures who spot me immediately hurry away. The corridor is bare and plain, with gray walls and floor along with the occasional portrait or painting.
I turn to the right, where I feel a cold breeze. I see a tight-fit staircase which spirals down into the earth, with a narrow opening I'm not sure even dainty Eyddr could fit inside, much less any other human. I consider going down, but decide against it--I'm not so good with stairs yet.
I prowl around the opening, wondering what it was for. The opening has partly-filled hinges on the right--as if a door was once there, but removed. It's strangely tall, with the top reaching all the way to the corridor's ceiling. An oddity in a usually perfect palace.
I examine the floor, my nose sniffing for any clues as to what this is. I inhale some of the dust and sneeze, a small plume of smoke escaping my nostrils.
I didn't know I could do that. I sniff the smoke--it reeks with a Green force. It also smells strange, a strong sense with an indescribable scent of a newborn.
Is that my scent?
As I step a bit closer, my foot slips on the rough-looking stone. I soon discover it's actually smooth, as I crash down the steps, hitting against the wall and bending my legs unpleasantly. Falling down the stairs, rather painfully.
Ow! I moan, using an expression Eyddr taught me.
As my head knocks against the wall--the force causes me to bounce in a slightly different direction so as to prolong the staircase experience--I instinctively open my wings, and end up soaring through the air like an overgrown bird. I bank to the right almost naturally, to avoid hitting the wall.
I wing my way left and right, for a full two minutes until I consider trying to fly up. It's too late by then, when the staircase ends and I'm flying through pitch black darkness.
"Who's there?" a gruff human voice calls out. It has a repeated mimic, each one smaller then the last.
I swing to the left, following the voice. Knowing humans, this creature would probably have a lantern--an artificial source of light.
I see glow far ahead, and I follow it to the best of my ability. As I manage to adjust my night vision, I see two walls on either side of me, rather large-spaced and high. I assume I'm underground, if the darkness and earthy smell is any hint.
I land in front of a large male human, bigger then normal around the abdomen, and a small coat of fur on his chin. He looks pasty and unhealthy, but has many bowls and plates cluttered around him, each squeaky clean and sour-smelling.
His eyes grow wide. "Dragon!" he hisses.
I fold my wings carefully. They sparkle pleasantly in the darkness, and I feel some of Eyddr's arrogance wash through me. I attempt to take a quick peek in her mind but find that I can't. I feel rather panicked.
Where am I? I demand, but soon realize that I should try to enter the human's mind to talk to him. I reach out with the natural psychic dragon talent, and find a wall blocking me.
"Don't bother," a dull human voice comes from behind me. I whip around and glare into the darkness.
I see long wooden bars reaching up and down the tunnel, with a male human sitting next to them. He's laying on the ground, seemingly bored.
"Galbatorix has this place blocked from mind connections anyway," he continues, fingering the wooden bar with his index finger.
Blocked from mind connections? I wonder.
The other human--the bigger one--sits down with a loud thump. He takes a bowl of soup and slurps it up noisily. This reminds me how hungry I am.
"Here," the smaller human says, flinging me some squares of raw meat. "Have this."
I eye him warily, making no move to reach forward and eat his food.
He rolls his eyes--an expression of human contempt or exasperation. "Eat it. I can't, I'm not allowed to use magic to cook it. That's why he gives me raw meat--to tempt me to try."
I reach forward with my neck and snap up a piece, not taking my eyes off the human.
He rolls his eyes again. "I'm Murtagh," he says.
Thorn's Rider.
"I'm a Rider. My dragon's Thorn. I assume you're Armageddon."
I lift my head arrogantly. He says my name in a disgusted way, which I do not like. Dragons have an excessive amount of pride.
"I doubt Galbatorix let you tell him your name. What's your real name?"
I tilt my head at him.
"Mind blocks. Right."
The other human, who we've been ignoring so far, suddenly jumps up.
"Finished your soup, I see," Murtagh says mockingly.
"Be quiet," he growls. "Orders. You gotta do what I tell you to do."
"You're crazy," Murtagh says contemptuously. He adds sideways to me, "A lifetime of no sun will do that to a person."
I simply snap up another piece of meat.
"King's coming," the larger human says. "Gotta get ready."
"For what? Another hour of torture?"
"Gotta get ready," he insists.
Murtagh's eyes land on me, as if he's forgotten I'm there.
"You better get going," he advises. "Now that you've developed your wings and learned how to fly, the king won't be afraid of punishing you."
I tilt my head at him again, wishing Eyddr was here to charm him.
"Go!" he commands. I feel indignant, but a rush of power sparks the air. It startles me into flight, and I choose to leap up and fly away.
…
OK. My muse died around the end, so sorry about that. And here, I'll explain Murtagh's situation to you:
He's behind wooden bars, yes. He could knock them over with a simple flick of him finger, yes. He knock them down with a single punch, yes. But he's not allowed to. Galbatorix placed him there and then told not to do anything. If he did, he'll be punished. With torture. He also gave him raw meat to see if he'll break his rules and cook to quench his hunger. Got it?
Paolini didn't give much to work with on the way of a baby dragon. Or Thorn. Or anything, really, concerning dragons and the complex way of how they operate, so I'm making it up as I go. Keep that in mind, please.
Ok. Reviews, please.
~CRYSTAL
