A/N: Twin1: And we have another chapter! Yay for computers!

Twin2: Except when they throw temper tantrums and move everything to obscure folders, so that we then have to fish all of our documents out of them. What a waste of time…

----

Chapter Four: Guests

It was the verge of dawn, that greyish hour where nightmares appear reality. Tria and Kiera stumbled outside silently, arms full of sleepy dragon, wood, nails and cloths. "We'll take them to the oak tree," Kiera said. "And build a shelter in the branches. The leaves are so thick in summer that they'll never be seen."

Tria nodded. "Good plan. I just hope they don't stray."

They came to the oak tree, and then, with apologies, tethered their dragons with leather strips. The two creatures wandered and dug around in the dirt. As the girls worked to make a wooden shelter in the tree, Tria whispered, "Kiera, when we touched the dragons last night, did you…"

"Feel different afterwards?" Kiera finished. "Yeah. It's like my mind was caged in all my life, and now someone's unlocked the door. I can feel my dragon's thoughts. Well, not so much thoughts, but…"

"Pictures?" said Tria. "Me too. But, I wonder… Can we see into each other's minds? Because I can't read your dragon."

Kiera chewed her lip as she fixed a part of the roof that was about to come off. "It wouldn't be right," she muttered, "invading your privacy like that."

"I give you permission. Besides, how else will we be able to test it out?"

Kiera nodded uncertainly, closed her eyes and concentrated. Her mind spread out carefully, and the girl discovered she could still feel where everything was. There was her dragon's mind, idly wondering if the strap that held it was edible. Kiera quickly impressed upon it that it was not, and moved on.

Tria's little dragon was like a green statue: she couldn't reach its mind. Kiera shrugged and moved on, feeling her sister's mind just a few feet away. She entered shyly and began to look around. After a moment she hit a wall. As solid as a tree trunk, she shoved at it, but it wouldn't give. Chastised, she drew back and opened her eyes. "Why couldn't I get any further?" she asked. "Could you feel me in there? Was it an automatic reaction to block it out, and if it wasn't, how'd you do it?"

Tria giggled excitedly and double-checked a fastening. "I felt you in there all right. I knew what it was, but I decided to do a test to see if I could stop you. I thought about the oak tree, the hard, impenetrable bark, to see if that would hold you up. Once you were in though, I couldn't get you out."

"Awesome!" said Kiera enthusiastically. "Can you try it on me? I'll try to block you out."

The pair spent an hour fighting each other's boundaries, and discovered that they could speak to each other through the connection, and that any external distractions, like the dragons demanding breakfast, could shatter their defences. They lifted the dragons into the shelter, with more meat cut into bite-sized chunks. "Stay here," ordered Tria. "You won't be safe anywhere else. We'll come back for you, I swear it."

Dim acknowledgement came through their bonds. The twins nodded and walked away.

When they reached the house they found their mother still asleep and Coram only half-awake at the table. As they came through the door his head slipped off the hand supporting it and hit the table. He jerked upright, muttering, "I'm awake, I'm awake." He yawned and noticed the twins. "Oh. You're awake."

Tria rolled her eyes. "Brothers and mornings do not mix."

Kiera giggled and the pair escaped to their room to quickly change into day clothing.

Sisarra kept the girls very busy for the first two hours of the morning, until she went into Carvahall to fetch something. Then the girls collapsed on the kitchen table.

"Hey girls, getting tired?" asked Coram playfully. "Did all those noisy birds wake you in the night?"

Tria sat up so suddenly she fell off her chair. Kiera grabbed her arm and stopped her from falling, then said, "What birds? There aren't very many birds around here. We did get woken in the night, but I didn't think there were many birds around." Tria kicked her under the table. The message was clear: Don't confuse him! If he gets confused, he'll get suspicious!

Coram raised an eyebrow. "Exactly how long did you sleep last night, Kiera?"

"Not long enough." Tria answered for her, kicking her sister gently under the table with every syllable. Kiera glared: Okay, okay, I get the message! Tria nodded cheerfully, as if to herself, and set about getting breakfast ready.

Sisarra bustled in, smiling in a most annoying fashion. "We'll be having guests for dinner," she informed the three siblings as they sat at the table. Tria made a face. Kiera gulped.

"Guests, Mother?" asked Coram casually.

"Yes, guests. Two handsome nobles from Galbatorix's court."

Kiera gulped. Tria was fighting her every instinct to run. "Oh, really, Mother?"

"Yes really." Sisarra glared at them. "You two are at marrying age and these men are very eligible. I want you two on your best behaviour. Coram, come and help me with the turnips." Sisarra and Coram left, leaving the open-mouthed twins in the kitchen.

---

Twin2: Again, sorry this took so long. Drat the computer.

Twin1: Dad dropped it on the floor so she's been on her new laptop instead and it's… temperamental.

Twin2: Temperamental doesn't cover it!