Disclaimer: Refer to chapter one.

A/N: So here is chapter two. If you think I should continue you should review the story. If you don't review chances are I'll at least put a few more chapters to see if it improves any.

Chapter Two: Ten Years Later

Anika sat in front of her parents. She smiled as she traced the letters' in their names. The graveyard was empty and the spring air was warm. The wind was strong as it blew through her long wavy red hair, her green eyes wet as she stared at the stones, her slender frame still as she retreated into her memories. She smiled as she remembered her mother and father cuddling on the couch when she was supposed to be in bed. She thought how funny it was that she remembered such things. The things that you wouldn't think you'd remember but did. They had died that night. The one with all of the screaming. Anika herself remembered very little. She remembered looking up at the house but then everything had gone black. She woke up days later in the home of a family friend. She was told that her family's house was blown up and that she was extremely lucky to be alive. The blow had thrown her from the window giving her superficial wounds that had healed over time. Her guilt for being the one who survived ate away at her. It wasn't fair that her parents had died and not her. What was she supposed to do? She had only them and now she had no one. She was taken in by Molly Small and her husband, Boric. Molly was a petit woman with long curly brown hair that was slightly unmanageable. She was average in most people's minds but had the kindest heart Anika knew. Boric was a large man, well built, bald, but you could find no finer man then he. He was intimidating when you looked at him but when he spoke you could see the tenderness in him. They had two sons, Egan and Balian. Egan was the younger of the two but still was a year older than Anika. Both were sweet boys. Balian, however, had always held a soft spot in Anika's heart. She was a stable hand for the family. They owned the only stables in the village and had room for at least twenty horses. They all needed their daily care and it was up to Anika to make sure it got done. It wasn't a horrible existence. The family was caring and even though she did a lot of work around the house she was never cold toward them. They had given her a home and a purpose. She would work for them whether they asked her or not. She owed them that much.

"Ani!" She heard her name being called. She turned to see Egan walking toward her. "How long have you been here?" He asked as he stepped next to her.

"A while." She told him. "What is it?" She asked looking up at him.

Egan was just taller than she was. He had short blond hair and a well built body. His eyes were brown and gentle even though he was not always a gentle person. He was a bit of a joker and always found a way to tease her. Ani knew it was his way of showing affection but it made him lower on her list of favorite people. He was being sweet this morning and Anika appreciated it.

"We have a buyer coming for four of the horses. Since you know them all so well I was wondering if you'd help me get them ready." He told her.

She smiled at him. "Of course." She replied and stood up.

"Thank you Ani." He smiled and draped an arm over her shoulders. His hand moved to her waist and he squeezed her side, sending a tickling sensation through her body. She squirmed away from him and he laughed at her.

"I hate you." She said and shoved him.

"But I love you Ani." He laughed.

"No I really hate you." She said but smiled at him anyway, shaking her head.

They walked into the stables and Anika was told the names of the horses that were being sold. She talked to the horses as she gave them a final brushing and made sure their shoes were clean and tight. They were requesting tack as well so she arranged matching sets for all of them and tacked the horses up. Egan was helpful even though it was harder on her to see her animal friends leave. It helped though that the horse she truly was attached to wasn't up for sale. It was a gift for her ten years of service and was a beautiful black stallion with long flowing mane and tail. She walked over to him and stroked his neck as she waited for the buyers to show up.

"Hey boy. How are ya?" She asked the horse as she stroked him. He nudged her with his nose and nickered softly. "I'm doing okay too." She smiled.

"They're here." Egan told her as Boric and the four buyers made their way into the barn.

"Here's the girl I was telling you about." Boric beamed. "When it comes to horses' in this village she's the best. She was raised with them. I'm thinking that helped a little." They all laughed.

"These are the four that we thought would suite you." Egan told them.

They all looked over the horses' and the tack. After a few minutes they all started to nod. "I think that these are very good horses'. We'll take them." One of the men said and grinned as he and Boric shook hands. "And you miss." He said turned to Anika. "You have a talent if you make the horses' look like this. I can assume their temperaments are as smooth as their coats."

"Thank you and they are. They will work hard as long as you treat them right." She told him.

The man mounted the horse and looked down at her. "We will treat them very well. You do not have to worry about them." He said and smiled.

"I would hope for nothing less." Anika smiled. The man smiled and winked before they turned the horses' from the stable.

Anika watched them mount their new horses and move from the stables. They walked through the village and disappeared from site.

"It's hard seeing them go isn't it?" Egan said putting an arm over her shoulders.

Anika laughed and pushed his arm off of her. She was used to his incessant teasing and knew how to brush it off. Talking as if these were my kids. He thinks he's so funny. Anika thought as she exited the stables. She looked at the sun slowly setting and walked the few yards to the house to help Molly with dinner. She cleaned up first and enjoyed conversation before the men came in from the finale chores for the day.

"How do you think the horses' will do?" Molly asked. She always asked that when a horse was sold.

"They will do very well. The men seemed to really care about the horses', not just their purpose so I think they will be well taken care of. It's nice when men like that come through the stables. It makes me think that there is hope for mankind." Anika smiled at her.

She gave her a half hug as they chopped up the vegetables for the salad. "There has always been hope." She told her.

To Anika it was different. Men had run through this village burning it down and yet these people believed that good lied within everyone. Anika knew that it was right to have that way of thinking but after loosing her parents to men with no morals it was hard to think good of any man who was a stranger here.

That night she lay in bed thinking about her family. She thought about them every night. Whispering prayers into the night sky that wherever they were that they were happy and without pain. For years after she had blamed the riders for not coming to their aid. She had thought that once someone went for help that they would come out of hiding to help the weak survive the strong and that they could be saved. She thought the Dragons' would swoop in and take away the evil men and that they could have saved her family. She soon began to realize that the Dragon Riders truly were just legend and that they were never to exist again unless on the side of the evil king, Galbatorix, thus smothering all the dreams about the things that kept her going when things like that mattered.