It only took ten minutes of walking through the dense brush lining the outer edges of the Spine's forests while calling out for Eragon before the boy was standing before him.

"Brom? What are you doing out here?" Eragon asked as he walked forward. "Most people I know won't venture half this far into the Spine unless under dire need."

"Ah, but surely after all my stories you know I am not most people. Now, we have a very serious issue right now that we must take care of: Galbatorix is seeking after the egg you found here in the Spine. He has sent two vile creatures and they have been asking around town lately; today was the third time they have been in the village and asking about you. I have already left a note with Horst and Garrow about what is going on. Garrow has given you permission to leave with me, but it needs to be tonight. Even with her following over the Spine, your dragon will be much to visible in the sky through the day so we will have to travel by night for the first few steps of our journey until we have a fair amount of distance between us and a town." Harry stated while watching the area around him.

Eragon spoke up quickly, "I don't have a dragon. The stone I found in the Spine was just that, a stone." Eragon stated bravely, though Harry still knew the boy was lying; the blinking and uneasy shifting was enough of a give away that even if he hadn't known the truth before hand, he would have known Eragon was lying.

Harry walked closer to Eragon quickly and ripped the glove off of one of his hands to show the Gedwëy Ignasia that was being hidden underneath. "Garrow did well by you, if you had grown to be a working man at least. You cannot lie worth a pinch of salt, a good trait if you were going to be working as a normal person. However, when you deal in politics, war, and subtlety; blatant honesty is a hindrance and can often times mean the life of you or those in your company. Now call your dragon or lead me to her, we waste time as it is." Harry said with a small amount of impatience to his voice.

Eragon huffed in response and turned around to lead Harry towards the clearing that housed his dragon. Eragon half-heartedly warned Harry to watch his head as they went through the small entry point that lead through the mass of thorns surrounding the clearing. As the two humans made it out of the tunnel, Harry gave the dragon a deep bow and turned to look at Eragon for an introduction.

Giving a small pout he started, "Saphira, this is Brom. Brom, this is Saphira."

Harry took in a small gasp as the name registered from Brom's memories of the man's personal dragon who was named the same. A mental smirk flashed through Harry's mind, even though Eragon didn't know who his father was, he was making some choices much like his father. Harry remembered that being one of the names he had listed off during Eragon's rapid-fire question session.

Brom smiled easily at the great dragon, "It is an honor to meet you, Saphira." He moved slowly to the side, taking in the fullness of Saphira for the first time and checked what he saw before him against Brom's memories of watching you dragons grow up before The Fall. "Her talons are curved very nicely, muscles aren't disproportionate to the rest of her body and she looks to be the size of a two or three month old?" Harry questioned even though he knew about the time Saphira had hatched.

"Nearly two and a half months now." Eragon replied with a surprised tone.

"Yes, all in all she is a very fine dragon. It will still be a few more months before she is strong enough to carry you for any great length of time, but I think I have a few flying exercises she can practice while we travel so that she can reach that point. Little sooner." Harry stated as he moved closer to one of Saphira's wings. "May I?" He questioned, reaching out to feel Saphira's wing.

Saphira stretches out the wing he had pointed at and Harry ran his fingers across some of the muscles housed there, checking for any issues Brom had seen as young dragons grew and tried to overextend themselves. After checking over the other wing, he nodded and stepped back.

"Now, we must go. Garrow has hopefully started packing his things to make ready to move if he wasn't a fool and ignored my warning. Those Ra'zak will be asking more questions than I'm comfortable with and it won't be good for the town if they think there is a reason to stick around. If they hold to the pattern, the Ra'zak will be back in two weeks from today. Hopefully we can be gone and our trail gone by that time. I've gotten into contact with some friends to make sure Garrow's trail is well covered as well so you need not worry for him.

"You won't need to grab anything from your house, I have clothes for you and anything else we will need on this trip so we must get ready to leave as soon as the sun starts setting. Lay down and get some rest, we won't be stopping until sunrise tomorrow." Harry said and then started to make his way back to where he had tied up the two horses.

Harry felt bad about uprooting the boy and Garrow so suddenly, but he knew that if he waited around, nothing good would come of it. He checked over the packs as his mind drifted. Brom didn't plan to take Eragon straight to the Varden, because he was wary of the politics, but he also wanted to help boost the morale there. The only problem with taking Eragon there sooner rather than later is it would cause rumors to be spread which would reach the king's ears and make Galbatorix way to strike against the Varden sooner. For fear of rumors escalating the time frame, Harry decided it would be best to disappear for a few months into the Spine and then start the long trek to the Beor Mountains to join the Varden. That would allow Eragon to grow in knowledge and strength, alongside giving Saphira time to strengthen up and get ready for the battles that were sure to follow shortly after Eragon and Saphira were seen again.

Brom would have had trouble with this plan of action because of how limited he was in getting information while in the wilds. Harry on the other hand was able to pop around to any of the cities Brom had been to while Eragon was otherwise occupied to pick up the latest news from high ranking officials in the Empire's Army as they drank away the night in the pubs and bars throughout the cities.

With this freedom, they didn't have to risk exposure before they were ready just to keep up-to-date with events happening throughout the empire. Coming back to the present, Harry left the horses once more and moved back to meet up with Eragon. He drew close and heard Eragon ranting to Saphira about the unfairness of everything and saying that they should stay and fight off the Ra'zak rather than running away. Harry shook his head slightly at the bravery but stupidity of the boy and was reminded of himself at that age.

He made his way into the cleared area and stood quietly as Eragon continued muttering softly to himself. Harry watched quietly for a few moments before asking, "Are you ready to go, Eragon?"

Eragon spun quickly to face him. "Why do we have to go Brom? Why can't we just stay here and if they come back, we just fight them off?"

Harry chuckled darkly, "You think you can hold your own in a sword fight, boy?"

Eragon bowed up at him and said back, "Yes, I do. Roran and I, we have fought quite a bit. Don't think I can't."

Harry held up his hands in an effort to 'calm' the boy in front of him down, "My apologies, Master Swordsman. Come, show me your skills with the blade." Harry said humbly as he ducked back into the tunnel and slipped outside the walled off section of the clearing. He moved away from the mouth of the tunnel and quickly conjured two straight sticks that were about the length of a normal sword. He walked a little farther from the tunnel's exit and turned around to wait for Eragon to come out. The second Eragon straightened up after exiting the tunnel; Harry threw one of the sticks in Eragon's direction and shouted a heads up.

Eragon was able to grab the stick, looked at it for a second before looking at Harry with an almost condescending look and saying, "You know, Brom, this isn't quite fair."

"You're absolutely right," Harry said, 'you don't stand a chance' he thought mentally, "But please, humor me."

Eragon swung the stick around in his hand before moving forward with a slash. Harry blocked the attack and landed a decent hit to the stomach, back of the head and calve on Eragon as he moved past on one side. Eragon dropped to the ground with a pained groan, clutching his stomach.

"My, my. I can see the extent of your training. Come on, up you get, lets try this again." Harry said condescendingly tapping Eragon with the end of his makeshift training sword, "Come on, get up. You want to fight these Ra'zak, you first have to be able to hold me off with an actual sword. Which is quite a bit heavier than these twigs. Now get up, first we must start with your stance."

Another round of traded blows found Eragon laying on the ground once again, clutching his side this time, "You know, you really don't have to be that harsh on me."

Channeling his inner Snape, Harry raised an eyebrow and replied, "Oh? Your enemies will not soften their blows, nor will they wait for you to regain your bearings. Should I change how I train just so that you can feel better about your inability to fight? Should I lower my expectations so that your incompetence can match it? I think not, you must learn to deal with pain, take it captive in your mind and push it aside and then complete the task set before you. Now, get up. We go again."

The day continued in a similar manner, Eragon accumulating more than a few bruises over his body, but Harry had some potions stored in his belongings he gave to Eragon to help them heal quicker. That evening, they headed out. Eragon was too battered and weary to put up much protest at leaving after Harry finished his first sword lesson. Harry tied the horse Eragon was riding on to his so that he could lead the animal and Eragon could sleep. Every once in a while, Harry would have to use bursts of magic to keep the boy from falling out of his saddle as they rode deeper into the Spine, but for the most part it was smooth traveling. Harry was able to hear when Saphira passed overhead sometimes as they traveled. Not hear Saphira per-say actually, but the birds were stirred up as she flew overhead and the sounds of animals around them stilled for a few seconds, the greatest predator known to the world pushing the animals into such a deep state of fear.

Overall, the trio made good time and Harry pulled the horses to a stop as the sun began to make its presence known across the sky. Harry went over and woke up Eragon so the boy could slip off his horse and help unload the horses so they could go back to sleep. Harry retrieved the bedrolls first and set them out before turning to tend to the animals while Eragon slipped into his bedroll and was quickly asleep once more. Harry sat down on a nearby rock that was covered in moss and closed his eyes.

Over the years of his life, Harry had learned techniques that allowed him to stay awake for long periods of time without any adverse effects to his health or cognitive ability. One such technique was Occlumency. Because his mind was so organized, his mind was able to shut down quickly and rest the amount of time it needed to without it taking more than a couple hours. Normally, the brain would take time to shut down, take the knowledge that had been gained that day and pack it in before getting the rest it needed to be able to take in more information the next day, Occlumency was able to shorten that process and make it so the brain only needed to be re-energized. This led to Harry being able to stay up for four days straight with no adverse effects on his mind, though the start of the fifth began cause problems that most people would experience after three nights of no rest if he did not sort anything in his mind during those days.

As such, Harry was back up and had already made breakfast before Eragon began to start waking up, the smell of food likely helping he boy have a clearer mind quicker. Eragon made his way over to where Harry had started the fire and took a plate of the proffered food.

"Eat up, we will do some more practice and other exercises so you need plenty of carbs and protein for the day. Give a shout for me when you are done and I will come let you know what we will be doing next." With those words, Harry stood and walked away from where Eragon was eating. He stopped by the horses and grabbed a wrapped bundle before he moved off into the trees and disappeared from sight. Eragon ate slowly, half of him still mostly asleep, but the other half was dreading what it was Brom was going to have him do today. Yesterday had been brutal and Eragon was amazed that the old storyteller was able to move as well as he did. No sound was coming from the direction Brom had walked off in, but Harry paid it no mind, there probably few things the old man couldn't handle and he seemed to want his privacy so, surprisingly, Eragon left him to it.

Finishing the last bits of his breakfast, Eragon sighed and reluctantly placed is plate next to the fire ring and stood up. Looking at Saphira with an unsure expression he shrugged as she snorted humorously at him and he yelled to Brom that he was finished.

A few moments later, Brom came back with the same bundle and slipped it back into a place on his saddle before turning to look at the young Dragon Rider. Clapping his hands together he smiled almost evily and stated, "Well, lets see how light you are on your feet. Try to keep up please." And with little else in the way of a warning, he turned and jogged off into the trees. Eragon watched him go for a few seconds before Saphira mentally nudged him and suggested he not get too far behind. With a surprised yelp, he took off at a run to catch back up to Brom.

Eragon quickly came to understand what it was Brom meant in relation to being 'light on his toes' as he was forced to jump over downed trees and large boulders while also having to keep his balance as he ran over smaller rocks and felled branches. Eragon looked ahead and saw Brom moving easily through the forest and over or under any obstacles that stood in the way; not only was Brom making it look easy, he was also pulling farther ahead of Eragon as the pair ran. Any time that Eragon started to slow down or seem to be ready to stop, Brom would yell back to him and tell him to keep up, almost taunting the boy for not being able to keep up with an old man and so Eragon would push himself longer.

Thirty minutes later, Eragon collapsed to the ground, his legs no longer responding to his mental urging to continue forward. Gasping to get breath into his lungs, he allowed himself to rest on the forest floor and wait for whenever Brom decided to turn back around and find him. Within a couple minutes, the older man had slowly walked up to the boy who was now just breathing heavily; sweat soaking into the ground around him.

Brom chuckled lightly at him, "You know, I am actually quite surprised you made it this far, though I know how stubborn you are so I guess I shouldn't be too surprised. You did well for your first time out, but you better believe that we will be doing this again. Now, stand up and stretch or you will not be able to move tomorrow, we are not too far from a river also so go get washed off and then come back to camp so that we can talk."

As Brom turned to head back to the camp, Eragon noticed, to his complete disbelief, that the older man had no sweat on him at all from the exertion and didn't seem winded in the slightest. He laid on the ground for a few more moments but felt his legs starting to tighten and decided he should get up and stretch to cool down like Brom suggested. After stretching his muscles, he moved off to get cleaned up so that he could head back to meet with Brom.

Harry made his way back to their campsite genuinely impressed. He knew that Brom was planning to teach the boy how to fight, but while being able to swing a sword and block attacks was a good start for fighting, it didn't encompass every aspect. Harry decided to put Eragon through the physical side of training for beginning Aurors that Moody had created as the Official trainer. Believe it or not, the battered Auror was still very mobile and could dodge better than most of the wizards who had two feet during the war, and it is what kept him alive longer than most. This running would help Eragon build up his stamina and help him be surer of his footing and movements. The loose rocks and slippery moss were perfect to help the boy instinctually readjust his footing if it should fail in a fight. Battles were not on solid, flat ground; as such you needed to be prepared for being on any and all kinds of terrain.

Harry could hear Eragon crashing through the underbrush and decided to do a little more training. Most would consider this constant battering through lessons harsh, but Brom had known before he died and Harry knew from past experiences, Eragon was going to have a very tough road ahead of him and needed to be ready for anything thrown his way. Out of the pure desire to help the boy achieve the task Fate had laid at his feet, Harry stood up and disappeared behind one of the trees near their campsite. He conjured another stick into his hand and waited as the noises of Eragon's passing drew closer to the camping area.

Silence reigned for a few seconds after Eragon reached the camp before he called out for Brom. Smirking slightly, Harry thought better of the fake sword for the time being and had a conjured arrow fly into the camp, nowhere near the young dragon rider, but enough to catch his attention. Eragon looked around quickly and crouched down, worried about Brom now since he was seemingly being attacked. He moved to get behind a stump and thought about his options. Harry had moved to another position during this time and was ready to send in another arrow. He took a quick peek around the tree and at first didn't see Eragon anywhere, a small shift in motion and a soft noise drew his attention to a fallen tree and he saw a corner of the boy's clothes and knew where to focus his attention.

Harry sent a mental conversation to Saphira quickly to let her know that he and Eragon were training again even though Eragon didn't know it, just in case the dragon rider sent her a plea for help. Turning his focus back to the fallen tree, Harry saw Eragon looking around the tree line, trying to see his attacker. Harry smiled easily and gripped the conjured stick again and spun from behind the tree and rushed into the clearing. Harry had covered his face and transfigured his clothes when he decided on this training session so that Eragon wouldn't immediately recognize him. He rushed the boy who was now standing up from behind the dead tree and was scooting backwards from the unexpected attacker. Harry swung without worry at Eragon and his stick passed easily through the space the boy had been occupying seconds before.

Eragon had rolled under the strike and spun around as he stood up again. While it was a great moved to get him away from the attack, he had inadvertently rolled further away from his mock sword that Brom had told him to hold on to for future sparring sessions. Looking at the unknown person before him, Eragon figured it was someone Brom knew or Brom himself since the attacker was wielding a wooden pole rather than an actual sword, but he knew that no matter who it was, they wouldn't hold back. Eragon eased himself to one side, hoping the person standing before him would allow him to work them to the side so he could get his weapon and mostly even the odds again, fighting unarmed was not his idea of a good time.

The person before him shifted their stance to look straight at Eragon again, but made no other move to one side or the other. Eragon's mind raced, he hadn't ever truly fought without something in his hands, though he and Roran would wrestle sometimes, he had never had to try fighting someone who was armed while he was not. From the way Brom fought, he knew if he got close, he would have welts on his body from the stick, but the stick was also slightly cumbersome in close range movements, unlike a shorter weapon would be like a dagger or knife. Because of this Eragon sprinted forward quickly, mostly dodging two attacks that were to ward him off, catching a third to the shoulder before he had moved close enough that the sword was mostly useless in actually attacking him and tackled the figure to the ground.

The wooden pole came loose from the man's grasp and Eragon did his best to keep his forward motion like Brom had taught him the day before and rolled forward and off the man he had taken down. Quickly standing up, he rushed over to his horse and pulled out the practice sword Brom had given him before spinning around. He barely had time to raise his weapon to block the attack that was already in motion. The attacker had the advantage since Eragon was mostly caught off-guard at how quickly his opponent recovered and he was also forced to stand at a weird angle as the man with his face covered was pressing down on Eragon's blade with his own.

Eragon shifted to the side to let the man's force slide forward without resistance and spun away from the confrontation, trying to get a little more room between the two of them. His opponent chuckled lightly and Eragon knew it was Brom from the sound of his voice. Brom pulled the covering off of his face and revealed a smile that had been hidden there.

"Smart thinking with the tackle, though had this been a real sword, you would have needed to be mindful of the sharp, point end that could have slipped into your stomach. We will work on how to fight an armed opponent while unarmed later, as for now, lets see what else you can remember from yesterday's teachings."

Eragon groaned in response but quickly cut off when Brom rushed at him and started the sparring match off once more.

The spar lasted for nearly thirty minutes and Eragon accumulated even more bruises and welts than last time. His arms now felt like his legs had after the chase and he slumped to the ground gladly and Brom called the session to an end. Brom slid easily to the ground next to Eragon and handed over a wineskin of water. Eragon drank eagerly of the cool, refreshing liquid before handing it back to the older man and sighed wearily.

Brom chuckled, "We aren't quite yet done for the day, but I promise it is nothing that requires physical exertion. I am guessing you have been taught to read yes?"

Eragon shook his head slightly, still a little too worn out to talk.

Brom frowned slightly in response, "Garrow never taught you how to read?"

Eragon shot him a confused look, "Garrow knew how to read?"

Brom chuckled as he replied, "Yes, though he was never a scholar, he was able to read anything he really needed to. Blast him and his pride. I guess there is nothing to be done for it now though; I will just have to teach you. There are many happenings in our world right now and you must be able to keep up with things. Since you are a Dragon Rider, you will likely have contact with elves at some point so I will go ahead and begin teaching you their language as well. Dwarves have a language of their own also, but for now we will stick with ours and the Ancient Language. Now, sit up and pay attention, here is how you write the letter 'A' in our alphabet."