Hi everyone,
Another update for the weekend. That makes four updates this week. I have to say, I'm proud of myself! Thanks for the support and I hope you enjoy this chapter again!
"I'm sure that you have many questions Díanel-Finiarel. You are from Carvahall after all." Arya said with a faint smile and a sudden distant look in her eyes. She regained herself and continued: "I will answer as much of these questions as I can. Some of the answers are not mine to give, some I simply do not know myself. But now is not the time. Today we will start with the Rimgar. The dance of the snake and crane, as it would be called in the common tongue. Do you know what this is, apprentice?" The last word was added in a firm tone. Díanel realized that Arya would be very strict about their hierarchy, him being no more than a student.
"I have seen the elves in Carvahall perform it during the summer fair a couple of years ago. But I have never performed it myself and neither do I remember the poses." Díanel replied.
"The Rimgar consists of four stages. Only the most flexible elves can successfully complete the fourth stage, and only after years of training. It is a dance to warm up the muscles, we perform it before we go into battle, but many elves perform it daily to remain flexible. In order to become truly one with your body, we'll start with performing the first stage every morning after breakfast. Now, if you take off your shirt and try to mirror my movements we will start." Arya said as she stood up.
Díanel took off his shirt and went to stand next to her and took a step back, so that he could see her as she brought her hands from her sides to above her head. He mirrored this movement with ease, silently thinking that this was not that hard. He watched his dragon crawl up next to Fírnen, who watched them with his big pine-colored eyes.
Arya bend down and touched the ground with her palms. Díanel tried to do the same but could barely reach his ankles with his hands. He could feel his hamstrings burn as he tried to bent any further. Suddenly Arya jumped back, almost five feet, without any prior movements. Díanel was amazed with the strength of the elves. He jumped back a mere two feet, and walked the rest to take place behind Arya again.
This continued for half an hour. The movements Arya performed looked easy, though Díanel could only properly perform a few of them. He simply lacked the flexibility and strength in his muscles. He was grasping for air as they finished. Arya didn't even break a sweat.
Arya and Díanel walked towards their dragons and sat down. I think I could do that better than you did, wooden stick. Fírnen said inside Díanel's head. He sounded amused. Díanel's silver hatchling crawled against him, as if to support him. And Díanel petted his head.
"I'm sorry if I disappointed you, masters. I have never performed movements like this before." Díanel admitted embarrassed. "You were not as good as I hoped. Though it makes senses. Judging by the form of your muscles you have started developing them from a very young age, am I right?" Arya asked her student.
"Yes, Arya-Elda, from the age of ten I started helping in the smithy. As I grew older I started doing heavy work as well. Lifting things, hammering molten steel and everything else that needed to be done." Díanel replied. "As you know, human boy's grow a lot between the ages of thirteen and eighteen. But because you have forced your muscles to grow in thickness, to provide the strength needed for the work in the smithy, they did not grow in length, as the rest of your body did. This caused them to lose flexibility. It will take a while to stretch them in the right shape. Prepare yourself for aching muscles.
We will now continue with the control of your mind. As you have noticed, Fírnen could enter your mind whenever he wanted to. So can I, and every other elf or magician. We think it as rude to do so, but those who wish you harm will not hesitate. Therefore you need to learn how to defend your mind at first and how to sense if someone tries to enter your mind, and eventually you would learn how to reach out to the mind of others. You may never enter the minds of others, unless there is a dire need too. The mind of all thinking creatures is the most private property we possess and therefore must be handled with caution. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Arya-Ebrithil. But if I may ask, if it is so rude, why does Fírnen-Elda enter my mind all the time?" He replied, anxious that he crossed a line for questioning the ways of their masters.
Fírnen made an amused growl. I do so because I cannot form words with my mouth. I am not fully in your mind, although I could. I am merely projecting the part of my thoughts that I want to share with you at the outskirts of your mind. If I wanted to I could dig into your memories and get control over your mind. All dragons use this way to communicate, as you will experience in a few days with your own dragon. The bond Arya and I share is much deeper than this. We can feel the very thoughts and emotions of one another. We always have our mind opened to each other, although our minds are closed to others. You will need to master this as well, so that you and the partner-of-your-heart can become one as well, Díanel-Finiarel.
"That is one condition Díanel. Whenever you feel Fírnen's or my mind, you must open up to us. We will not attempt to enter your mind unless it is important, so never shut us out. We will now both enter your mind, so that you will get comfortable with our minds and recognize them if the need arises. Fírnen goes first." Arya said.
Díanel suddenly felt an overwhelming presence in his mind. He was completely powerless and could not move his body. He realized that this must be Fírnen in his mind. He could not see Fírnen's mind however, it was shielded by a wall of green scales, but Díanel could feel a wild presence behind it.
Díanel could feel Fírnen retreating. As he relaxed his body and took a few grasps of air, he again got overwhelmed by a presence in his mind. This time it was Arya. She comforted him by saying something in the ancient language. Díanel did not know the meaning of the words, but he felt that Arya meant him no harm. Her mind was closed as well, though it was not a wall that shielded her. It was a never ending pine-tree forest. As he ventured through it he felt like he was lost. There was a repetitive song booming through the forest. He got hypnotized and forget who he was.
I'm sorry. Awake now. You are Díanel Baldorson, born in Surda and raised in Carvahall. You are a dragon rider. Awake. Awake Díanel-Finiarel. Díanel opened his eyes to find himself laying on the floor. Arya looking worriedly down upon him and Fírnen held his dragon who seemed uncontrollable.
"What happened?" Díanel murmured confused. "You were trying to enter my mind and I noticed it too late. You ventured too far into the defenses I've set up. No human could enter my mind. Not even many elves can. I'm sorry. This is my fault. But learn from it. You must always keep the connection to your own mind, never get lost inside someone else's. There are people out there who freely open their mind, just so that you get lost inside theirs. Always be careful." Arya explained him, guilt pouring over her voice.
"I don't know what to say. It was so overwhelming and frightening. The forest pulled me and it seemed like a way out of your dominance. Please Arya-Elda and Fírnen-Elda, never do that to me again." Díanel almost begged them. He was frightened till his bones, still feeling dislocated.
"We hope that you now see the need to be able to protect your mind. As long as you are incapable of protecting yourself, we won't enter your mind again, unless we absolutely need to. Let us go inside for now. We will discuss the current state of the dragon riders. You might also ask your questions." Arya helped Díanel get up and they went into her study.
Arya took a seat behind her desk, with Díanel sitting on the other side. Fírnen was sitting outside, but peaked through the window every now and then. The silver dragon was playing with Fírnen's tail, who didn't seem to mind.
"I know the dragon riders have been most mysterious. And I will do my best to explain as many things as I can. But I must tell you that I disagree with some of ways of Eragon and his order. Therefore I cannot explain everything. I do not want to cloud your judgement, I merely want you to consider both sides of the story, so you will learn to not follow blindly, not even me or Eragon." Arya said with a serious look in her eyes.
Díanel replied: "Of course I have often heard of the dragon riders in the east. Though you have been the only one who has been frequently seen in Alagaësia. Among my people no one understands why the riders are not coming here to help the people, as they promised to do so. We do not even know with how many they are. Not even Roran, nephew of Eragon and father of a rider, knows anything about them, nothing more than the few details Ismira told him before she left."
"To be honest, I have escorted Ismira the first part of her journey to Gjarzla Hjarta, and I have not had contact with any other rider ever since. I know Nasuada and Roran don't have any contact with the island either. In time I would explain you the reasons why we don't have contact anymore. But for now, I will tell you what I know about the eight known riders in existence. I am sure you know the tale of Eragon and Saphira. This must have been told in Carvahall many times. So you must have also heard about Brom, Oromis and Glaedr, Galbatorix and Shruikan, Murtagh and Thorn, Fírnen and I, Nasuada and maybe even about Morzan and the other Forsworn. Am I right?" Arya asked her pupil.
"Yes, Jeod Longshanks took residence in Brom's old hut, as he grew very fond of the villagers of Carvahall. It was filled with stories of the Fall. He completed this with stories of the Rider's war and often shared his stories with us. All the names you have mentioned do ring a bell, some more than others though. Jeod spoke highly of Brom and his accomplishments. So did he of Eragon and Saphira, and how you aided them as their friend." Díanel said that last word with a slight hesitation. Díanel noticed a slight flicker in her eyes, though he did not know what this flicker meant, Arya was still very good at hiding her emotions.
He continued: "Roran always made sure that Murtagh's story was explained. That he was forced by Galbotorix to join him and do the evil things he did. How his love for Nasuada changed him and he eventually helped Eragon and you defeat the Mad King and his black dragon, Arya-Dragonslayer."
This time a flicker of anger was clearly recognizable in Arya's eyes: "Do not ever call me that again. I forgive you this once because you do not know of what you speak. You think it as a honorific title as do the people who tell the tales. But as you will find out during your training, it is not. Shruikan was a dragon forced to listen to Galbatorix' will. He turned mad because of this and that is why he needed to be killed, though he did not deserve it. I did what needed to be done, though I deeply regret that there was no way to save him."
"I am sorry Arya-Elda. I only have heard of Shruikan as the dragon of Galbatorix, not knowing that he was forced against his will. Please forgive me for my ignorance." Díanel humble said, touched by her words and ashamed of his own.
"I forgive you this once, Díanel-Finiarel. Let us move back to the subject. I am glad that you know your history. Though I am sure that you only know the entertaining stories, not the true depths and motives behind many choices that were made and influenced the outcome of the war. You will be given scrolls to read and we will discuss those together. I'm impressed by Roran's sense of just and that he protected his nephew, Murtagh.
As I said, there are eight dragon riders at the moment. There is Eragon and Saphira, who need no introduction. There is Murtagh and Thorn. Fírnen and I. That are probably the ones you know about. As you might also know, Murtagh and Thorn have not been seen for many years. They once visited Nasuada, but nobody has heard from them for over ten years. Murtagh and I are the only riders who are not currently residing on the island. You might also know Ismira and her dragon Likoni." Arya waited for a reply from Díanel.
"Yes, I've known Ismira for years and I've had the pleasure of meeting Likoni, though it was short and he was just a hatchling back then." Díanel replied.
"Good. It will be nice for you to have someone familiar on the island. Besides Eragon and Ismira, there is Herna, she is the first dwarven rider and she was the first post-war rider after me. Her dragon Harnon hatched one and a half year after Eragon had settled on the island. I have only met them when I escorted new riders and they came to take over. I have not trained them because the distance between the Beor's and Ellesméra was too big and at that time my people needed me to rebuild, so I could not go there for their training. Besides that, many of the dwarf clans were against having a rider at all, let alone be trained by the elven queen. They wanted to influence Herna to their own benefit. Though I don't think it worked. She is as stubborn as a rock, but I believe she makes a fine rider." Arya said and let fall a silent.
"So she went to Gjarzla Hjarta without being given a proper education? How did she manage to get there?" Díanel asked.
"Not entirely without an education, as soon as Harnon had hatched, king Orik contacted Eragon. He send some of the elves who accompanied him to get her from the Beors to Gjarzla Hjarta. In the meanwhile the dwarven priest clan educated Herna in protecting and controlling her mind. When the elves arrived Herna, Harnon and some other dwarves traveled to Gjarzla Hjarta.
The next dragon to hatch was quickly after, not even six months. It was Tian, she hatched for Kundog, an urgal. They lived north of the spine and I did train them before I escorted them on the first part towards the island, before the elves of Gjarzla Hjarta took over. It was interesting to have an urgal here in Du Weldenvarden, as he was the first. He was accompanied by some ambassadors from his kin and we learned a lot about the urgal way of life in that time. It was important to have them here, since it was so close after the war and not all wounds were healed yet, having them helped in understanding the differences and similarities between the races and get away some prejudices.
It took another six years before the next rider was revealed. This time it was an elf, Núrin from Ceris. His dragoness is a bright gold, being the daughter of Glaedr, and she carries the name of Hismal. She hatched here in Ellesméra, as we already kept the eggs on the pedestals. Again I trained them for a while, though they were at a high basic level, due to their elven origins. I escorted them as well before Herna and Harnon came to pick them up. That was around the last time Murtagh has been seen.
After Núrin and Hismal, it took a ten years before a new dragon hatched for a rider. Eragon informed us that wild dragons also remained inside their eggs during that time, and I don't know if they're hatching now. All the leaders were already starting to worry, both about Murtagh and about the fate of the dragons. We thought about that there might be a connection, though we do not fear for that anymore. We do not know what Murtagh is doing. But he is strong, maybe even stronger than Eragon and I are. So we are sure that he manages himself, wherever he might be.
And as you know, three years ago Likoni hatched for Ismira. We still do not know why it took so long for dragons to hatch again. Eragon tried to find out by talking to the dragons and listening to the thoughts of the unhatched dragons, but without any result. We might never find out.
You are the last and eight rider." Arya concluded with the unnecessary addition.
"I did not know all this. I knew Murtagh left Alagaësia with Thorn, but I never thought about him being out of contact with everyone. Neither did I know about how many riders there were. It is curious that at first the dragons were born in a cycle, human, elf, dwarf, urgal and then another elf. Which makes sense because there were already two human riders. Why did they stop following the ritual?" Díanel asked.
"Because dragons do not care about race. They look at your heart and determine if you are worthy of riding them, bonding with them. They look at how you view others and life itself, they'll see the best that you could become. If they find someone good enough, they'll hatch. Think of it as choosing a mate for life, as humans, dwarves and urgals do. You do not look at the color of their skin, do you? You look at what they value in life and so do the dragons. You'll become more than a rider, you will become a partner-of-their-mind-and-heart, as the dragons call their riders. Eragon and Nasuada like to think that all races should be equally represented in the order of riders, and for that reason the first set of eggs were send to the dwarves and urgals. But I disagree. I trust upon the judgement of the dragons. I think of it being a good thing that currently all the races have their 'own' set of eggs, which we switch frequently if they don't hatch." Arya answered his question.
"So this dragon," he pointed through the window to the hatchling, who was just falling off Fírnen's tail, "chose me because he could look into my heart?" He asked, suddenly feeling even more honored. He was amazed by the capabilities of this young, playful dragon.
Yes, Díanel-Finiarel. Be proud of it, but never stop being the best you can be, in your own eyes and in the eyes of the little twinkle-star. Fírnen spoke to Díanel in his mind.
"Twinkle-star, of course. How could I have forgotten!?" Díanel shouted out. Arya gave him a surprised look. "Pardon me, Arya-Elda. But yesterday when I asked you about Blagden, it was not without intent. When you and Fírnen left after we had flown together, I went to touch the eggs, as you now. I touched the white and the orange one without result. Almost hopeless I touched the silver one, and I thought I could feel it move, just once. I waited for over half an hour, but it did not move again. Then Blagden suddenly came with a riddle about how I was disappointing. I left the eggs and when you were summoned away from the feast, I asked Blagden about why I was worthy for him to receive a riddle, but still I disappointed. As you told me that only worthy ones received riddles from him. He replied saying that he never told me that I was disappointing and that I got it in over my head. I still do not get his riddle." Díanel ended with a sigh.
"What was the exact riddle Blagden told you?" Arya asked intrigued.
"Twinkle, Twinkle, little star
Do you not see that you disappoint?
You do not have to look far,
To see what goes beyond.
Eyes are not needed
To feel what true is,
Hear as he pleaded
And fulfill his wish." Díanel recalled.
"And Blagden told you this as you were touching the silver egg that hatched for you?" Arya said while the corners of her mouth curled up in a knowing smile. Through the window came a deep ruffle, as Fírnen seemed to share Arya's amusement.
"Yes, Arya-Elda. Blagden came flying over at that moment and gave me this riddle." Díanel said, still not having a clue.
"Díanel-Finiarel, is it not obvious? Blagden didn't give his riddle to you. It was meant for your dragon, the one who twinkles like a star. He disappointed because he did not hatch for someone worthy, you! He did not need to look any further, because you were right there. What goes beyond is, I guess, pointing towards your appearance and race, since Eragon, the leader of the riders, wants the next rider to be an urgal or a dwarf again. But beyond race is your heart. A dragon doesn't need eyes to see that you are true of heart. And the last lines refer to you pleading the dragon to hatch, and thus fulfilling your wish. Oh smart Blagden who always mingles with other people's business. Though you should be thankful for he convinced your dragon to follow its feels, instead of the will of its leaders." Arya leaned back in her chair, still a smile on her face.
The silver hatchling came walking over Fírnen's face through the window, to nestle himself against Díanel's legs, as if it wanted to say that he wanted to choose him all along.
"I, I, how could I not have thought about that. It is so obvious now that you point it out. Thank you, Arya-Ebrithil." Díanel replied.
"I take it that you have never read a poem in your life? We will come to that soon enough. Riddles and puzzles are a great way to enhance your mental abilities. And the creativity with words, which you'll know the purpose of later in your studies. Let us now have lunch so that we might spend the whole afternoon with teaching you the first basics of the Ancient Language." Arya said, face emotionless again.
It is curious that the dragon was unwilling to hatch when even when it had found its rider. Even though Eragon did not want it too, it could not be the reason. This could be connected to why so few eggs hatched the last decade. I guess the dragons know more than we do. Arya mentally communicated to Fírnen. Who replied: Little pointy-ears, you know that I have felt something a decade ago, some kind of warning rushing through my core. And ever since I do not feel the desire to mate with a dragoness, not even Saphira Bjartskular if I had the chance. The unborn dragons must feel the same. Even the Eldunarí that are left with us feel it, though they don't know they answer either. There might be something threatening our race. We should fly to Gjarzla Hjarta and discuss this with Eragon and the Eldunarí, partner-of-my-mind-and-heart, you know we should.
I know my mighty dragon, I know. Though I don't want to.
Díanel noticed Arya let out a heavy sigh. She had been sitting with a frown on her face for a minute before she got up and they left to the dining halls together.
Woowwww, something stops the dragons from hatching!? :O
What is going on in Alagaësia?! There is a timeskip coming up soon, since I don't want to focus on the initial training for much longer. Hope you enjoyed this chapter, let me know!
Have a good weekend! I'm celebrating my birthday this weekend, so no updates.