The Alagaësian Mosaic
By Rey
Rating: G
Warnings: none
Genres: Character Study
Timeline: Book 2 of The Inheritance Cycle (Eldest)
Location: Ellesmëra
Characters: Eragon II, Saphira II, Vanir
Point of View: First-Person Limited: Vanir
Prompt: Sky-blue
Author's Notes: No offence meant to those who love Vanir. I must admit that I do not like him much. Despite that, nonetheless, I tried my best to portray him as neutrally as I could, here. What is shown here is what is present in his mind, truly, as I got it, no more and no less. Interpretations can differ, still, and I respect diversity, so you may think and say as you wish.
4. Deserving
I have a dragon, a gorgeous being whom I name Nainen for her brightness, to which she agrees heartily. Her scales are as light and bright and soft as the sky in summer. When she flies, she can execute both a graceful glide and a fierce streak, blending almost perfectly with the majestic, vast, eternal expanse of the sky in any way, save that she glitters like dew hanging in mid-air, has claws, and can breathe fire – which the sky thankfully cannot. And when I am riding atop her, it is as if I am flying without any support in thin air.
The elves praise her for her rarefied beauty. The dragons admire and envy her camouflaging advantage.
The humans and dwarves, superstitious bunches that they are, have an irrational fear of her: the queen of the sky. But who cares about those stupid, silly creatures' opinion, anyway?
She is a legend in the vaunted Order of Dragon Riders; and I, having the virtue of being her partner-for-life, is exalted in turn.
But like the blue, blue sky, she is untouchable. And as eternal as the sky is, she remains eternally in my dreams.
I wish I were of age when the last batches of dragon eggs were circulated throughout Alagaësia and Du Weldenvarden. But what hope would I have, if even the reality has gone against me: the deep-blue egg of autumn sky that Brom saved from Galbatorix's clutches refused to hatch for me, when Arya Dröttningu circulated the egg round Ellesmëra years ago.
And now I found out that she has hatched for a puny human.
Pathetic.
And I envy that cur of a Rider too, I cannot deny it.
It is as if they are taunting me now with their mere presences. And she was terribly angry with me when I questioned justly about her Rider's fitness of being the spearhead of our oncoming attacks against Galbatorix's forces.
And the sky that watches us – watches me – silently from overhead is cold, the ice-blue of winter, not the sky-blue of my beloved ….
I cannot even take consolation from my dream.