Sorry about the wait readers, I know it has been some time since my last update. So without further a do, here is your chapter!

~NitexXxMare

Duties and Nightmares

Eragon sat at the table in the Main Hall, all of his students ,minus Narga and Vis, were seated around him. Arya sat to his left, he brow furrowed as she thought, her lips pursed in slight annoyance. His students, Cel included, had a look of worry in their eyes.

It was Lein who spoke first, "What are we to do Master?" He asked timidly, as if afraid that Eragon might strike him down. He had every right to fear like that, for his students saw a side of him that only Arya had seen, a brutal monster that destroyed anyone who caused harm to those he cared for.

Eragon looked up at his question, having been staring down at the table, and sighed, "For now I want everyone to adjourn to their rooms for today, possibly tomorrow. I need time to think." At that Eragon stood fro the table, and walked out of the Hall, heading or his chambers. He heard someone else get up and follow, but he paid it no mind, for he was deep within his thoughts.

He pushed open the heavy stone door with ease, then went over to his desk that was set against the far left wall. Piled over it were books, scrolls, random notes taken, and Eragon's copy of the Liduen Kvaedhi, the flowing glyphs of the ancient language seeking to only annoy him as he tried to clear some space.

After grunting in frustration as a pile of papers he just set up fell across the table, Eragon slammed his fist down on the desk, cracking the wood. He set his palms down on the table, fingers splayed out as he took deep shuddering breaths. He felt a slight push against his mind, familiar with it, he opened his mind to Arya as she swept his previous anger and sadness away, even as she turned him around and embraced him.

"What troubles you Eragon? Is it them men?" she asked, even as she rubbed her hands on his back to soothe him.

He sighed and returned the embrace, burying his face in the crook of her neck. "Yes..." was his reply.

She sighed and kissed his shoulder, seeking to comfort him. "This isn't the first time you killed, Eragon. Why does it bother you so to the point of near tears?"

"Its been so long Arya...So long since I used my blade to kill another, whether they were of evil intentions or not. Its not that I regret killing those men, it is just I..." He faltered as he could not finding the words, but she understood, for she was in his mind.

He could feel her slowly pushing away those feelings of sadness, anger, and worry, even as she replaced them with love and affection. He smiled then and sat up a little straighter, looking down into her emerald eyes. Caressing her cheek, he leaned down and kissed her softly.

Arya returned the kiss, wrapping her arms about his neck and holding him close. Much to her disagreement, he pulled away.

Smiling at her, Eragon whispered, "We should check on Narga."

Nodding, she took his hand and followed him back out into the Main Hall and towards the infirmary.

Some moments later, he and Arya arrived, waiting just inside the entrance as they saw Vis crouched next to him, holding his hand as Blodhgarm healed his chest.

Slowly walking forward, Vis quickly rose to greet him, but he waved her away. "You should rest Vis, even as he is."

Quickly shaking her head, she firmly stated that she was going to stay by his side until he was able to rise on his own. Not one wanting to argue, Eragon simply inclined his head. She stepped aside so that he could walk over to stand next to Narga's cot.

Eragon glanced at the elf, "How is he?" He asked softly, afraid of possibly waking him.

"He will be fine Shadeslayer, the arrow was simply enchanted, not poisoned. It may take a while for him to breath normally, but he will live." Blodhgarm reassured him, causing a bit of Eragon's worry to drift away.

After politely taking their leave, he and Arya went to the Den to check on Fenrist. Not soon after entering, Eragon felt a presence filled with worry and concern press against his mind. Noticing it as Fenrist, he opened his mind.

How is he Master...? He asked. For such a calm and collected dragon, he was acting like a worried mother.

Narga will be fine Fenrist-finiarel, Vis and Blodhgarm are watching over him as we speak.

Feeling some relief flow through the dragon, Eragon released the contact. After having another similar conversation with Celia, Vis's dragon, he and Arya retired to his quarters a half hour later.

Collapsing on the mattress, Eragon simply kicked his boots of and was about to remove his tunic when he saw Arya was still standing a few feet away. She was biting her lip in what seemed like anxiety, and was looking everywhere but at him.

Concerned, Eragon stood up and walked over to her. "Arya, what is it?" He gently took her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze as he stared into her eyes.

"You remember how you asked about my circlet Eragon?" she asked, almost whispering.

Nodding, he continued to stare at her. "Yes, what about it?"

"Well...some years after you had left, the duties as both a Rider and Queen was becoming quite a lot. Some days I woke up at dawn needing to train the students, only to be summoned some time later for a meeting amongst the houses of our race." She paused, as if afraid, but then continued. "Well one day, while I was preparing to leave for Ilirea, Dathedr approached me. He asked where I was off to and I told him. He then proceeded to badger me with questions of why I was going."

She suddenly got an angry look in her eyes, but Eragon stared at her, waiting for her to finish.

"He continued to ask me questions. I finally told him I was paying a visit to Nasuada, I had not seen her for some time. Dathedr, a person I had never known as any other than a friend, then started to berate me like a child! He told me I should not be going about traipsing about Alagaesia, for I had duties to the people. Well I also had duties to others, I was a teacher to the Riders, a peacekeeper amongst our race, the humans, urgals, and so on." Taking a deep breath, the anger in her eyes faded away.

"That day I made a decision. It took many more months for me to put that decision into action, but I did." She paused, staring into his eyes.

"Well, Arya, what was your decision?" He asked, impatience and apprehension gnawing at his bones.

Smiling slightly, she continued. "I decided to put my duties as a Rider of Alagaesia at the forefront of my responsibilities. I stepped down from the throne."

Disbelief flowed through Eragon's mind, then shock and dumbfoundedness. He stared at Arya, not knowing if he had simply imagined what she said.

After a moment of standing there, gaping at her, he spoke. "You...you stepped down from the throne?"

She simply nodded, watching him.

"Arya...How did you do it? Knowing the elves, the announcement wasn't taken lightly." He didn't ask this, but merely stated it as a fact.

Arya laughed softly, "You cannot begin to imagine the chaos. Such a thing has only happened a rare number of times in our history, and it never went well. That was the reason I didn't write you for those two years."

Nodding slightly, Eragon understood. "But thats such a short amount of time by the elves reckoning, how did you make it so short?"

Arya seemed to be a tad thrown off by his question, but answered anyways. "I simply sped it along. Slow as we may be at times, we can also be quick. I still had duties to the Riders and the other races, while they needed a new monarch." She stared into his eyes, confused. "You are not upset?"

Eragon looked at her with the same expression. "Why would I be? I am..shocked to say the least but, if you're at peace with your choice, I have no reason to hold it against you. If you weren't at peace, if you regretted it, I would be upset that you did something that wasn't going to make you happy." He inclined his head slightly. "But never angry at you, Arya."

Arya smiled then, and gently laid her hand on Eragon's cheek, before leaning up and softly kissing him. He smiled against her lips and wrapped his arms about her waist, pulling her close to him.

"So who took up the throne?" He asked her, his hands rubbing the small of her back in small circles.

Wrapping her arms around his neck in a form of embrace, she laid her head against his chest. Eragon smiled and waited for her answer, knowing she just wanted to be close for a moment.

"Lord Dathedr was voted amongst the houses as one of the more capable of our race. He is now King to the Elves." She had a tinge of resentment in her voice as she said these words.

Eragon pulled away slightly and looked down at her, "Are you angry about that?"

Letting a sigh escape her lip, she shook her head. "Dathedr will make a good leader, I just remember him as I grew up. He was a friend, and now...Things will be different." She looked down at her feet, not knowing where her surge of emotion came from.

Eragon gently tilted her head up and kissed her. "I am sure Dathedr still thinks you a friend Arya, things will only change if you let them." She nodded slightly and Eragon kisses her again, a quick peck on the lips. "Now can we please go to bed? I am exhausted." Arya laughed softly and Eragon smiled at her even as he walked to his bed. She followed, much to his surprise.

"You aren't going back to your chambers?" He asked her, hoping not to upset her further.

She looked at him and smiled, "I see no reason to. Is it fine if I stay here?"

Nodding quickly, Eragon was quick to agree. He went to remove his tunic, turning away from Arya as to give her privacy, but was again surprised when she came up behind him and removed his tunic. Turning to her, he smiled when he saw her wearing it. She mumbled something about not having sleep wear, but he waved it off, not caring if she wore his clothes.

Laying on his back, he stared at the ceiling, thinking of the events of today, even as Arya settled in next to him. He wrapped an arm around her and drew her close, smiling when she laid her head on his chest. He continued to think, even long after Arya fell asleep. He was careful not to move, fearing she was a light sleeper.

Eragon finally decided to close his eyes, not bearing to keep them open as he tried his best to relax. His rest, though, was plagued by nightmares of all sorts. Battles won, battles lost, people who he held dear dying before his very eyes. Finally, what felt like hours later, Arya brushed away his demons, wrapping him in a blanket of love and warmth. Eragon thought things were fine, seeing as how he could sleep peacefully. But merely moments before he fell into his waking dreams, he heard a voice. The voice was familiar, sounding of thunder rumbling in the distance.

"I am glad you could join me, it has been some time since we last spoke."

Eragon recognized the voice as Vorean, the faceless foe who tormented his mind those few days ago. He looked around and saw there was nothing but darkness. He could feel a floor under him but that was all.

"Show yourself!" Eragon shouted, wanting answers.

He felt a presence behind him and turned to face what he thought was Vorean. What he saw made him sick. Vorean looked like a man, but his color was akin to snow, his skin stretched taught over what looked to be just bone, no muscle. His eyes were what made it worse, consisting of nothing but inky black. He had a head of silver hair, looking more like wire than hair. Looking similar to the Raz'ac, Eragon stood there, wondering if somehow, so twisted being managed to combine a man and Raz'ac by means of magic.

Eragon gulped, not wanting to risk movement or thought. But his curiosity got the better of him, "What are you?"

Vorean narrowed his eyes. "My race does not have a name, for we were long gone before anyone could think of one for us." He flicked his tongue over his teeth, looking similar to a snakes tongue was what came forth. "I am the last of us, a once proud race, thriving across this world. We were here, before your Grey Folk."

Upon closer inspection, Eragon saw his skin was made of scales, similar to fish. His nails were replaced with talons, with his feet had webbing between the toes.

"The Grey Folk came, seeing us as nothing more than beasts they began to slaughter us like so. But they were wrong, we were intelligent. We fought back. We killed, we fought, we fed." Vorean drew out the last word, making Eragon's scalp prickle. "You see, before the men came and the elves, we were alone. We preferred it that way, seeing as how we need not worry of someone putting a sword to our throat. We lived alone for millennium, feeding on what we please, living how we desired. The Grey Folk changed that, making us into prey rather than hunters."

Eragon continued to listen, despite wanting nothing more than to kill this...thing.

"They drove us from out home, causing more of us to die out on open sea. But I made it to the lands of the west, and there I hid. Centuries passed in the blink of an eye, until word came from the east of men atop great beast of fire and scale. Thinking it the Grey Folk, I again went into hiding. I slumbered the centuries away, until again word came of a tyrant king being killed." Vorean grinned, obviously enjoying Eragon's tormented expression.

"I took this as my chance, to return to my home. And I did, only to see men, elves, and beasts more horn than anything. I returned to the west, and decided I needed help to rid my home of these pests. Men were easy to deceive, though afraid of my appearance they were. I wage war on these lands now, preparing." Vorean looked directly in Eragon's eyes, but Eragon found it hard to maintain his composure.

"You are running out of time, boy!" Vorean spat out the last word, sounding similar to a hiss. "Long have I waited for my chance to come home and I will wait no longer."

At that, Vorean lunged at him, sinking his teeth into his neck, even as Eragon sat up in bed shouting nonsense. Arya was quick to her senses, reaching for a weapon at her hip that wasn't there.

"What?! What is it?!" She shouted, looking around frantically. She looked to Eragon, seeing him shaking and pale, she pulled him close. "Calm Eragon...whatever it was it is gone now."

Eragon shook his head, not being able to find the words to tell her how wrong she was.

So what did you guys think? I personally had a bit of trouble writing Eragon's interaction with Vorean, i don't know why but I just kept getting writer's block. Well, see you in the next chapter! Reviews are encouraged!

~NitexXxMare