"Looking back, after all that has happened in my long life, my time spent in Ellesméra were some of the best months of my life. Life was easy and made sense." excerpt from the journal of Lord Decklan Valdis
Just as the sun began to set Fírnen landed in a clearing by a cliff. Decklan set the purple dragon on his shoulder and stretched his legs. Arya handed Decklan his pack and said, "Welcome to the Crags of Tel'naeír. This is my home. You will take the spare room for now. In a few weeks your dragon will be large enough to ride for short distances. When she is you will be moved into your own quarters." She led Decklan into a squat wooden house as Fírnen took off to hunt. Decklan was surprised at how little the house had in the way of furnishing. A table squatted with four chairs in the center of the main room. A counter and cabinets dominated the far wall for preparing meals. On the wall nearest the door was a desk with several parchments and quills for writing. The walls were largely bare short of several strange slate paintings.
Arya led him through one of the three doors in the house. Inside the small room was a desk and a small bed. She indicated that this would be his room for the next few weeks. Then she showed him to the wash room which consisted of a depression in the stone floor with two knobs, a wash basin and a toilet that transferred waste to a creek that flowed off the cliff. She showed him that the knobs would fill the depression with water and would control the temperature of the water.
Arya turned to Decklan and said, "Riders are expected to comport themselves with honor and dignity at all times. This extends to your cleanliness as well. You will bathe daily and you are permitted to have a beard or be clean shaven but you will not look scruffy like a half plucked bird."
Decklan ran his hand over the hair on his face. It had been several days since he shaved. Arya continued, "You will find food waiting for you on the table outside your door every morning and evening. I will also have some clothes brought for you so that you can have several changes to wear. In the morning we will enter Ellesméra proper. I will give you the next two days to rest and recover. Fírnen has agreed to carry you to Ellesméra when needed until your dragon can carry you. Rest now and we will speak more in the morning." Decklan twisted his hand in the elves gesture of respect and said, "elrun ono Arya-dröttning" (thank you queen Arya)
Decklan woke before dawn from a nightmare. He was used to waking from the bad dreams that had plagued him for nearly fifteen years. He reached out with his mind to find the purple dragon sitting on the desk looking outside at the rising sun.
He stretched and walked to the door. As Arya had said there was a tray of food waiting for him with several fine, soft shirts and a pair of black pants. He bathed quickly and decided to trim his facial hair. He was a no longer a guard so he would let his beard fill out instead of shaving. Once his beard was trimmed to a respectable neatness, he dressed in a green longsleeve shirt from the elves and the black pants gifted to him. He pulled on his boots and belted on his sword. Strapping on the black bracers he wore at all times, he left summoning the purple dragon with a thought.
Decklan, his dragon padding along at his feet, walked outside. Arya was standing in the clearing doing the strangest series of stretches he had ever seen. The dragon carefully approached Fírnen where he hunched over the corpse of a deer. Fírnen regarded the hatchling for a moment then allowed it to tear at his catch with gusto. Decklan bowed slightly to Fírnen and said, "I apologise Fírnen-elda. I should have given her some meat earlier." Fírnen dismissed Decklan's worries saying the dragon hatchling would soon be able to hunt on its own but that he would allow her to eat some of his own prey until then.
Arya finished her stretches and said, "You will are a rider trainee. As such you will refer to Fírnen as ebrithil or master. As I am the queen of the elves you may continue to call me dröttning. You will, however, call Eragon and Saphiria ebrithil when you meet them." Decklan felt a twinge of his pride as he said, "Understood Arya-dröttning. What would you have of me today?"
Arya walked to a creek that flowed along the clearing before dropping off the cliffs. She splashed water across her arms and face before turning and answering, "I will show you to Tialdarí Hall. It is our version of a capital building and houses the center of our government and our version of nobles."
Decklan, his dragon following nearby, spent the day being shown around the elfin capital. He met many elf lords and ladies as well as many of the inhabitants of Ellesméra.The elves spoke to him with respect and called him argetlam. They were delighted at the sight of the purple dragon hatchling that wandered behind him.
Arya showed him the great library of the elves and the many beautiful gardens in the city. He noted with amazement that the buildings were made of seamless wood. Arya told him that the elves sung the buildings out of the trees with magic. The elves were all beautiful, noble and graceful. They exuded power even in how the walked. Decklan had never seen such a graceful city or people. He did remember watching the elves fight at Uru'baen and knew that they were also quite deadly.
That evening the group returned to the Crags of Tel'naeír. Arya told him that Fírnen would take them back to Ellesméra in the morning. She would be busy dealing with matters of state for the day and he was free to wander the city. She reminded him to greet the elves he met with the proper greetings.
At dawn Decklan woke, ate, went through his daily ablutions, and left with Arya for the city. She left Decklan at the entrance to Tialdarí Hall and told him to meet her there at dusk to return to the Crags of Tel'naeír. Decklan wandered the city for hours with his dragon, speaking to her with his mind often. They spent several hours in the library, Decklan pouring over books and scrolls with interest. He read slowly as most were written in the Ancient Language and his poor vocabulary limited his understanding of the texts.
The purple dragon grew hungry and wandered into the forest in search of food. Decklan followed at a distance admiring how the sunlight reflected off her scales. Eventually, the dragon managed to catch a large rabbit and ate with fervour while Decklan ate a lunch of cheese and bread he saved from his platter at breakfast. He washed it down with water from a nearby spring. The sun began to sink toward the western horizon and it was a long walk back to the center of the city. He managed to communicate to the dragon that they should head back. The purple dragon was beginning to understand more of his language though it still did not speak any.
The group landed on in the clearing by Arya's hut. After dismounting Arya turned to Decklan and said, "Starting tomorrow I will have an elf meet you an hour after dawn to spar with you. You will still rise at dawn every morning and I will instruct you in the Rimgar, an exercise to stretch the body. After that, you will begin reading scrolls and books that will expand your knowledge of the Ancient Language. You will also read about history, economics, politics, biology, metallurgy, and many other subjects. You are to share all this knowledge with your dragon. She is young enough to not speak yet but as she grows your knowledge will become hers. In a couple weeks she will be old enough that she will be able to learn from Fírnen.
And so began Decklan's training. He learned quickly but struggled in the Rimgar, also known as the Dance of Snake and Crane. His knowledge of the Ancient Language grew quickly and his view of the world broadened through the other subjects he studied. He practiced his swordplay every morning with an elf woman named Lesos. She beat him soundly every day but after every fight Lesos coached him through new forms and ways to fight. She told him to use an economy of moves so he would move just enough but not over extend as he was prone to often.
At the end of the second week among the elves, Decklan's dragon spoke in his mind for the first time.She had nearly tripled in size and was now sleeping outside in a shelter build at the base of a tree. In a clear, musical mental voice, that was surprisingly quiet, she said his name. He was so startled he nearly jumped. She repeated his name and struggled to say that she was hungry. The dragon began speaking to Arya and Fírnen as well. After another week she could speak with relative ease and asked the meaning of words rarely.
One evening after he finished with his daily tasks, Decklan was sitting on a rock overlooking the cliff and forest below. His dragon had begun flying with Fírnen several days before and even killed her first deer. Sadly, she was still young to fly with him. As he sat and pondered the day's reading on the governmental structure of the dwarves, the dragon landed next to him and padded to his side. She was larger than a horse now and her dark purple scales caught the light in a stunning display.
He smiled and said, "There is truly nothing more beautiful than watching you fly. You are stunning." He felt her pride at his compliment across their mental link. "Have you thought over the list of dragon names Arya gave us? You need a proper name"
She still had not chosen a name for herself and Decklan thought it was well past time he stop referring to her as "his dragon". She vibrated as she hummed and said, "I have decided on Lenora. She was my grandsire's mother and bonded to the human rider Kalbon before the fall. Fírnen told me what he could of my lineage and I think it is a fitting name." Decklan smiled, "Lenora it is. I never thought to become a rider. I don't know why you chose me but I am glad you did."
They sat in silence watching the forest before Leora said, "It will not be much longer before you are able to ride me, another two weeks at most. Then we will train here for a few more months before joining the rest of our kind."
Decklan felt her excitement at meeting the rest of her race. Arya had told them that while there were only seven bonded dragons hatched, all male, dozens of wild dragon had hatched. Several hatched within days of Eragon's return to Vroengard. Decklan said, "It amazing to think there could be a number of dragons as big as Fírnen already. Even now you have grown rapidly. I can only imagine how fearsome you will be in a decade.
At the beginning of their third month in Ellesméra Arya and Fírnen started teaching Lenora and Decklan how to fly together. The first experience terrified Decklan. He still was getting used to flying and Fírnen wasted no time having Lenora put to use the maneuvers she had been practicing before he could fly with her. Decklan soon adapted to the quick dives and inversions of simulated dragon combat.
A new routine formed between the group. In the morning Decklan would do the Rimgar with Arya and sword practice with Lesos, while Fírnen would teach Lenora. Then the afternoon would be spent practicing magic and strategy with Arya and Fírnen. In the evening Decklan would read and share his studies with Lenora while she would share what she learned from Fírnen. The pair also received their own rooms in a tree at the heart of Ellesméra. It was similarly furnished to Decklan's room in Arya's house except it had a second room with a membranous flap that could be retracted to allow Lenora to land inside. Decklan's nightmares persisted but he found that if he slept on the padded floor with Lenora, they were not so terrible.
Decklan and Lenora made a strange pair for rider and dragon. Most dragons were fierce and bold. Lenora was as fierce as any other dragon but it was Decklan who had to struggle with his dark side. The war had left him with a quick temper, an unyielding determination and destroyed his inhibitions toward violence. Lenora was a salve for his hate and her constant presence in the back of his mind gave Decklan the strength to overcome the demons of his past.
On the day that marked the start of fourth month of their stay in Ellesméra, Arya tested Decklan similar to the test she gave him outside of Du Weldenvarden. Decklan improved much. He was able to fend off nearly all of Arya's attacks, with the use of the Shadestone of course, and his use of magic was far better. His own strength had increased and, with Lenora's strength aiding him, they completed all of the magical tests without resorting to the Shadestone. Arya quizzed Decklan on his studies as Fírnen tested Lenora.
Their testing completed Decklan sat leaning against Lenora, who was now nearly a big as a wagon and much longer. They awaited an evaluation from Arya and Fírnen. After conferring for a time Arya and Fírnen turned to the pair. Fírnen said, "Decklan you have improved much. You have but started down the path to become a rider in full but you now show great potential." Decklan felt pride in all that he had learned and accomplished as he said, "Thank you Ebrithil."
Arya looked at Lenora as she said, "Lenora you have also mastered your lessons with speed and skill. I think we would be hard pressed to find a dragon with such a desire to learn. I am impressed with both of you. I have taught all seven of the other riders that were chosen before they were sent to Vroengard and you show great potential even among your peers." Lenora bowed her head and said, "Thank you Arya-dröttning. I am grateful for your instruction and look forward to all I have yet to learn."
Arya and Fírnen both gave the pair a couple of areas to improve in before Arya said, "Decklan as I have said before you are far older than most of the other riders. The oldest two are the dwarf rider, Hvánra and her brown dragon Sule and the urgal rider, Galvaz and his orange dragon Onduri. Hvánra is seventeen years old, having been just seven when chosen. She was the first chosen after Eragon returned to Vroengard. She is the first dwarf rider. Galvaz is sixteen years old and he is the first Urgal rider.
The others are as follows: Faldn dwarf rider, twelve years old with his black dragon Tebec, Zezh urgal rider, thirteen years old with her green dragon Balin, Markus human rider, fifteen years old with his red dragon Janus, Ismira human rider and daughter of Roran Stronghamer, ten years old with her sky blue dragon Arsadic, and the youngest is an elf rider Silara, nine years old with her white dragon Taldis.
The all of the dragons are less than five years old with the exception of Hvánra's dragon Sule who is nearly ten and Galvaz's dragon Onduri who is seven.
Fírnen and I have pushed your training far beyond what it would have been normally and Eragon will push it further. When I contacted Eragon about you, Decklan, he had hoped that we can progress your training fast enough to grant you the rank of rider in full within a year of your arrival, much as his own training. You still have much to learn but if your teachers on Vroengard can accelerate your training, you will assist in the training of the younger riders."
Decklan was stunned by the information. He was being groomed to be a senior rider. It was out of necessity but an honor regardless. He exchanged thoughts with Lenora for a moment before he asked, "Who are these teachers on Vroengard if Eragon is the lone full rider on the island?"
Arya again conferred with Fírnen before saying, "There are several types of teachers. There is a small group of elves, dwarves, urgls and humans on the island who are all part of the rebuilding crews and will teach the riders on the intricacies and language of each race. Furthermore, Murtagh and Thorn are teaching, and finally there are the ancient dragons."
Arya received oaths in the Ancient Language from both Decklan and Lenora before explaining the Eldunari and telling the pair about the many Eldunari who taught on the island. Decklan and Lenora were both reeling from the knowledge. "There are living dragons from the first riders! That is incredible!" Lenora bellowed in her mind. Decklan smiled at her jubilance.
Arya sent both Decklan and Lenora to Tialdarí Hall saying, "It is time to say goodbye to my people. We are going to travel to Doru Araeba on Vroengard so you can continue your training with Eragon."
Decklan and Lenora were subjected to a line of well wishers as the elfin nation said goodbye to Alagaësia's newest rider and dragon. Decklan received gifts of clothing, elvish wine, a book about spells to manipulate plants, a sword maintenance kit, a saddle for Lenora and many other small but useful items. Lenora was offered many gifts but she declined saying, "A dragon requires little possessions. I am content with what you have gifted my rider."
After the procession was done, Arya had Decklan gather his things and meet her just outside of Ellesméra. Decklan and Lenora, wearing her new hardened leather saddle, landed in a glade two miles outside Ellesméra. Arya and Fírnen joined the pair fifteen minutes later. Arya said, "Decklan I would dress warmly. Though it is summer and warm on the ground we will be flying high where the air is quite cold." Decklan strapped his pack and sword to Lenora before donning a coat and scarf. He strapped his legs into the saddle on Lenora's back and grabbed he neck spike in preparation for her take off.
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