Saphira stared out the window as the sun rose. Eragon was getting ready to spend his day doing whatever (she didn't really care).

Today, you're going to bring me out to explore this place a bit. Don't bother going to work on your farm or whatever, Saphira said, before Eragon could exit the room. She wanted, first of all, to find out who rebuilt the house, resurrected Eragon's uncle, and healed the two of them. Well, actually, she wanted to explore. Sitting in this room was boring.

Eragon nodded, placed her carefully on his shoulder, and went out.


As the sun had just risen, only the industrious were in town at the moment - which was to say nobody. Saphira looked around, her sharp dragon eyes capturing everything. This place looked like the village - what's-its-name...

A thought suddenly struck her. What if... this wasn't because of a mysterious benefactor? It would have been hard to wipe the memories of a Dragon Rider - no, he had lost his connection to her, so he wouldn't have that protection any more. It would also have taken vast amounts of magic to turn her back into a infant...

What if she had simply died, and gone to the afterlife?

Feeling incredibly inspired by this thought, she felt the magic welling up in her. That pesky dragon magic always did that when she felt inspired by anything. She hurriedly looked around for something to do with it - there! The Ra-zac, in the distance!

As the magical tension drained from her mind, a huge explosion enveloped the road leading into town. A miniature mushroom cloud slowly rose into the sky. Eragon, startled, froze and almost dropped her.

I meant to do that, she reassured him. So, the Ra-zac were in the afterlife too? Or could those have been imitations to amuse her? No matter what, they didn't exist any more.

"Can I learn to do that?" Eragon asked eagerly.

Um...

One of the reasons she had hated - no, that should be not-exactly-liked - the original Eragon was that he was arrogant and irresponsible. And he had been like that because he hadn't worked for his power at all - he'd activated his magic without training, he'd been able to defeat a master of swordsmanship, Brom, after a couple of months of practice, and he'd received his greatest source of power (her, of course) by accident. The solution here, she felt, was to make him work lots and lots before giving him a little bit of power.

Eventually, she said, attaching a feeling of reassurement to the thought, when you're ready.


A.N.: Refer to last chapter's A.N.

If there's anything that I can improve on, please tell me. If there isn't, tell me too, since it'll make me happy.