Chapter 1: Doru Araeba

Arya touched down lightly onto the ashen ground rider, dropping slightly to a knee. She took a quick look around, her hand loosely gripping the handle of her sword at her waist. Firnen smelled at the air, his wings tucked to his sides. They had arrived at Doru Araeba.

The Queen had for most part remained in Du Weldenvarden for the past 150 years or so, attending to the growing number of issues within the eleven kingdom. The elven race had swelled in population since the fall of Galbatorix, and Arya had to arrange to accommodate this. However, an issue had arisen in the human kingdom that required a Rider's attention, which the human king Albar insisted required immediate attention, and that there was no time to wait for a quad from Gedwey Istalri.

Gedwey Istalri, the place that Arya had never visited, only ever heard stories of, from the Riders out on mission in Alagaesia. She was so very curious to learn more about their home every time she got a chance to talk to a Rider, but never had the time to visit herself. The island was full of mystery, and little was known about the what happened there by those in Alagaesia. While Arya had heard plenty of stories about the island, the Riders never spoke of her counterpart on the island, him…

For 400 years, she hadn't heard a word from him; though her pride never bent to send him word anyway. The Riders she had spoken with said they see plenty of him, but he often spends years at a time in isolation in the tower, and every time he does, he comes out a different man than before. That is all she had heard of him. Arya knew she could have used his help several of times to solve issues back in Alagaesia, but it was never anything she couldn't handle on her own, and she didn't want to distract him from his work…

A tree branch snapped beneath her foot, reclaiming her attention to her current surroundings.

Pay attention, commented Firnen. Quit daydreaming.

Sorry. Arya replied. Just being out on a mission after all this time reminds me of what we truly are, and that reminds me of Gedwey Istalri.

I understand, Firnen hummed behind her. Just be alert. We do not know what is here anymore.

The human kingdom had recently sent an exploration party onto the island, full of scholars who wished to study the island. Remembering that Eragon had seen inhabitants the last time he had been here, she had advised King Albar to send an attachment of soldiers in case someone with hostile intentions inhabited the island. She did not believe there was, but just wanted to be cautious.

Albar took her advice seriously, and sent an attachment of 1000 soldiers with them to guard them on the island. The king was an overcautious man, in Arya's opinion, and the size of the security force proved out. However, since the party took their leave to Doru Araeba, Albar had not heard a word from them; and that was three weeks ago. Albar was going to send in a force to do reconnaissance on the island to ensure that the exploration party was unharmed, but Arya told him that she and Firnen would attend to it. Firnen was beginning to get restless back in Ellesmera, and wanted a chance to get out. Arya had begrudgingly agreed.

A week later, and here they were on the ancestral home of the Riders, where Arya had always dreamed of visiting.

I am glad that you convinced me to come, Firnen Arya thought. I forgot how much I had wanted to see this place.

Firnen blew smoke on the back of her head. Let us go on; we have a job to do.

Returning herself to the moment, Arya strode forward through the forested terrain of the mountain, Firnen at her side. They walked for a few hours, occasionally passing an abandoned building here or there, but for the most part seeing nothing. Eventually, they came to the edge of a small cliff, which offered a view over a portion of the island that led up to the mountain that dominated its center.

Look, said Firnen. Over there; do you see those hooded figures?

Directing her attention to where Firnen was looking, Arya saw about twenty hooded figures streaming out of a tunnel in the mountain. They were moving toward an opening in the forest beyond her and Firnen's line of sight, where a streams of smoke were reaching into the sky.

Let's go Arya said even while she jumped onto Firnen's back. He jumped into the sky and rocketed toward the tree line that the mysterious beings had disappeared behind.

As they finally passed over the clearing, Arya had to squint to make out what she was seeing. The hooded beings were moving from one smudge to another, sometimes clustered around the same one. What the...

When Firnen got close enough, she finally could make it out. The smudges on the ground were people. The dark shapes moved from one to another, leaving a pile of bones in their wake.

What kind of two legged creatures have beaks? Firnen asked curiously. He directed Arya's gaze to a beak that flashed out of one of the hoods. I have never seen these creatures before…

That is when it finally hit Arya. Firnen, pull up! Ra'zac! She drew her sword, but it was too late. Something large and leathery pounced down upon Firnen, dragging her to the ground. Arya was thrown off, but quickly rolled to her feet, Tamerlein at the ready. The Ra'zac encircled her, leaf-like blades held in front of their faces. She could hear Firnen growling and snapping a few feet away, but could not see him. The Ra'zac began to advance on her, until a sharp click was heard behind the edge of the circle. The Ra'zac stopped, and an opening appeared in the circle in front of her. Through it a large, cloaked figure walked toward her. It was much larger than the Ra'zac around it, and moved with a grace that few elves even possessed.

Arya knew Eragon had been able to handle Ra'zac easily enough back in his youth, so she was unafraid by this single one, despite its size. She moved gracefully toward it, flowing like water, raising her sword as she had done thousands of times before.

The Ra'zac deflected her first blow with ease. Then her second. And her third. Arya came at him with a series of strikes, increasing in complexity with each moment that passed. Much to her frustration and concern, the Ra'zac consistently and effortlessly blocked her blows. What kind of creature is this?!

Finally, when her aggravation reached her limit, she leapt at the creature and ripped off its hood, revealing Ra'zac feathers, as she had expected, but what surprised her were their color: blood red…

The Ra'zac's red eyes seemed to gleam with a malicious joy. "Thryssssta."

Arya was hurled off her feet and thrown right back into the middle of the circle, landing flat on her back. As she gasped for air, reeling from the unexpected turn of events in the passed few minutes. First, there were still Ra'zac in existence, but one that could use magic? That was impossible!

Just as she was trying to come to grips with the current reality (though it felt more like a dream), she felt a powerful presence obliterate her mental defenses and fill her mind. Arya was even more surprised when the red Ra'zac, or at least she assumed it was the red Ra'zac, didn't even try to take control of her mind. He simply began to flit through her memories, almost casually.

His flippant attitude enraged her even further, and she was even further enraged when she finally saw Firnen out of the corner of her vision, weighed down by multiple large and leathery Letherblaka, unable to move. But overriding even her extreme anger was her fear. No one had ever handled her so easily in her entire life. The only other person she could think of with a mind so large and so powerful was Galbatorix's and she felt that this mind inside of her own was even more powerful.

"Interesssssssting," said the red Ra'zac. "Not only is sssshe a Rider, but alssssso the Queen of the Elvessss!"

Excited clicking and hissing happened throughout the entire circle. Arya could only stare helplessly as the red Ra'zac continued to rifle farther back through her memories. When he got to the war with Galbatorix, he suddenly stopped. His eyes widened, and as he progressed more slowly through those memories, his blood red eyes continued to fill with rage.

Suddenly, Arya was slammed down to the ground by an invisible force, as red Ra'zac screamed something to his fellow Ra'zac that Arya could not decipher. In his anger, the red Ra'zac had left her mind, allowing her to throw back up her defenses and bring about her sword and she dashed at one of the closest Ra'zac, straining with all of her might to best it. Try though she might, Arya could not best the single Ra'zac in the short time before the other Ra'zac pulled her away.

The other Ra'zac were already going towards their mounts. "We will bring her to the forward encampment at…!" He then said a word she could not decipher, and then another – "… will pay dearly for thisss one! Thisss will bring…!" again he said the word she could not make out. As Arya was being dragged toward a Letherblaka, a concussion of thunder rocked the sky above them. Then something struck the ground with such force that it knocked everyone, save the red Ra'zac, off their feet. Then a roar, no roars, shattered the silence that followed. Bright scaly beings, moving too fast for Arya to be able to make out, began to flit all around her, attacking the Letherblaka in earnest, as soldiers in armors of the same color began to assault the Letherblaka.

As Arya rolled to avoid one of the bright scaly beings, she miraculously stood up next to Firnen. As she briefly surveyed the battle scene, she saw a cloaked figure engaged with the red Ra'zac, driving him back at a ferocious pace.

When the red Ra'zac noticed Arya, he screeched at the five Ra'zac nearest him, who pounced on the cloaked assailant, freeing him from the mysterious attacker's onslaught.

Arya hadn't wasted time. She had grabbed her bow off of Firnen's saddle while he was grappling with a Letherblaka, and had knocked an arrow and drawn her bow by the time the red Ra'zac had won free of the attack.

Arya breathed in, and out calmly, as Evandar had taught her to do thousands of times as a child. She drew the string to her cheek and aimed.

Breathe in.

The cloaked attacker struck at the fifth and final Ra'zac, struggling to reach the red Ra'zac, who had just turned to face Arya again. Arya felt a magical presence tug at her bow, but she had wards in place that prevented that.

Breathe out.

"Arya, wait!" a familiar voice came out of the blue cloaked man, as the voice sounded male. But it was too late.

Arya had released the arrow, and it flew fast and true. The arrow struck the red Ra'zac right above his beak, striking him right between his bloody colored eyes. It screeched, high and terrible, then vanished.

What…? Arya thought, trying to understand what had just happened. Then a pair of hands whipped her around, and she stared into a pair of eyes with the color and intensity of lightning. They were not the eyes she knew, but everything else about the face she knew, and hadn't seen in 400 years.

Eragon.