Hey guys, so I realize I'm being ridiculous but I just recently decided to go back and start writing fanfics again so I wanted to continue this one even after so long. I've kind of forgotten where I was originally going with it so atm I'm slightly making it up as I go but please take a look, hopefully enjoy, and tell me what you think. Also telling me I'm an awful person for never finishing any of these is not unwarranted.
"Eragon"
The thought echoed unanswered in the empty chasm between them, the dark sphere they filled with pain and blood and fed nothing but time to grow. They had not spoken even to one another since meeting Arya. The silence was oppressive, permeating even the nearby minds of their young companions.
"Do you see?" Eragon asked sharply. Saphira sensed what he wanted and hoped the students would react quickly enough. But when a moment passed before their answer she knew what to do. Her wings banked drastically as she rapidly reversed her bulk and grabbed the young dragons in her powerful claws. The landscape darkened beneath them as she dove for the ground, holding all four of their students captive in her grip.
"I asked you a question." Eragon's voice thundered through their minds, sweeping away their attempts at defense. " You must always be alert. Attentive. Even on long journeys you must be ready to react to anything. You must be prepared for attack, ready to close your minds in an instant. I could this very moment crush your minds and bodies in any number of ways. You are Dragon and Rider. This bond is your strength. But that bond makes you vulnerable to more pain than can possibly be imagined." Saphira threw her wings out as the ground rushed up to meet them, flapping lazily to regain altitude. Spahira nudged him, and he finally receded from their minds as she loosened her claws without warning. The young dragons flailed wildly at first, struggling to determine up from down before they hit the ground. Eventually Veoddyn's grey-black scales righted themselves and lurched towards the sky. Saphira watched sadly as Voran managed to slow down enough to land rather than crash. As the four students approached Eragon sat in silence in his saddle, waiting.
Finally, Amalia straightened in her saddle and responded. "The answer to your question is that we must always sense danger before it strikes Eragon-elda." She didn't quite make eye contact with him, but she didn't cower away either. Eragon considered her answer as he looked at his student. Her shoulder length maroon hair was tied in a simple braid, and along with her steady, ice blue eyes and black riding leathers all spoke to her serious attitude.
"And you Veoddyn?" Saphira asked her dragon. "Do you see?"
"We are vulnerable because of the love between us. I would betray you in an instant if Amalia was threatened." The dragon replied, honestly.
The three dragons stayed nearly still, barely flapping their wings as they hovered in place waiting for what would happen next. Eragon looked to the other pair, a proud Kull ram named Beshnak. He and his deep purple dragon Voran answered as one "Your lesson is preparation Eragon-elda. We must always be prepared to kill, and Dragon and Rider together can meet any foe." Beshnak wore the
Eragon allowed no emotion to show on his face, but Saphira felt a single phrase echo through his mind. "It is far better to be taught to think critically and then be allowed to make your own decisions than to have someone else's notions thrust upon you." The darkness of his mind cleared for the first time since Nasuada asked for their presence. "You are all wrong. And you are all right. Beshnak, Voron. We must be ready to kill at a moment's notice to protect the peace. Orrin knew well the consequences of his actions, and all of Alagaesia had to know we would not be forgiving to those who broke the peace. But that was not the lesson." "Amalia, Veoddyn. You were each correct, and together you were wrong." Saphira added seamlessly. "Dragon and Rider must think and act as one. Veoddyn. You fear losing your rider above all else. You are partnered for life, each incomplete without the other. Live like it. Treasure each moment together. Learn well what we have to teach, and you will have many more moments to share."
"Yes Saphira-elda." The two responded in unison.
Eragon felt a twinge of regret as Saphira turned and resumed their flight home. He felt Saphira's concern in the back of his mind but did not answer her. A flash of his old teacher asserted itself again in his mind, and soon the gloom returned. So many people had died to teach him that lesson. "You want to know why?"
"I know. I just wonder if you do Eragon."
"All we have left is our duty. To our teachers. To our students. I will not see them come to harm, if we have to shower the world in fire and blood to do it. I have seen too much death to allow it to break all that is left to us. Others will do their share of the dying from now on."
"I know Eragon. I just wonder if you will not bring conflict upon us. We could start a war if we are not careful."
"Let it come."