The late tidings of summer drifted leisurely into the beginnings of fall, and what was once a small and comparatively harmless dragon was now a large and powerful beast. According to Cannel, a month and a half had passed since Evelyn's arrival, and after that period of time, the top of the dragon's shoulder reached Evelyn's collarbone. Thick, sharp claws and fangs came into being, sparkling white against the brilliant viridian of his scales, his eyes as large as dinner plates and filled with all possible shades of green.
The days of carrying him on Evelyn's shoulder were past; in fact, it became rather commonplace for Evelyn herself to be carried – seated on the smooth juncture between his back and the thick, corded length that was his neck. Many a sunrise was spent sitting in that very spot, watching the forest slowly rise from the night and embrace the day.
Evelyn was so caught up in the fluidness of being mentally linked to the dragon that the changes taking place blurred past almost as quickly as the days themselves. In fact, it took a few days of holding complex conversations with her dragon for Evelyn to realize that he had practically mastered coherent speech, and could manage simple phrases in the Ancient Language. It – along with the realization that Evelyn had reflexively identified the dragon as male – came as a great shock, a reaction that amused the dragon to no end.
Even with our bond, you still managed to be taken by surprise…silly little bird, he said, his tenor voice surprisingly gentle for such a dangerous looking creature. In fact his entire mind was gentle, so contrastingly compassionate and soft in comparison to Evelyn's hardened consciousness.
The dragon's mind was a never-ending vortex of information, and yet it was clear that he himself was only able to actively tap into a minuscule portion of that knowledge. Most of what he knew was purely instinctual, a concept that confused Evelyn to no end.
How do you know how to fly…without even being taught? Evelyn asked one day as she watching him fly, and her dragon banked sharply to the left, grazing the branches in his lazy dive to the forest floor. The thin membranes of his powerful wings glowed in the sunlight, and his scales were so similarly colored to the dew-covered leaves that he almost disappeared from sight several times in his descent.
The dragon landed, shuffling his wings as he blew a bit of grass out of his nostrils. Evelyn cracked a smile at his disgruntled snorts, and the dragon slunk over to her side, curling his neck around her and butting her jaw with his snout. This was a favorite position of his, and Evelyn was too accustomed to hiding her desires to admit that it was hers as well. But luckily, her dragon didn't need words to understand her feelings, and so there was no confusion. The heat of the day radiated off of his scales, and Evelyn squinted as the jewel-like scales reflected hundreds of slivers of light up into her face, listening to his reply.
How does your heart know to constantly beat?
Evelyn rolled her eyes, but she understood the statement behind her dragon's words: some things are better left unexplored, for knowing the reasons and the inner workings of things more often lead to confusion than to satisfaction. Her dragon hummed in contentment at her grudging acceptance, and happily nuzzled her shoulder before disengaging himself so that Evelyn could greet Cannel, who had just exited the house and was currently walking toward the pair.
The complexity of the dragon's thought-process was so distinctly clearthat it often took his Rider by surprise. For instance, the dragon never once hesitated, whether it was speaking his opinion or lunging at an unsuspecting deer. It was such a jarring juxtaposition to Evelyn's own mind – her unconscious desire for secrecy and limitless caution in making decisions – and it made her wonder if it was normal for a dragon to so blatantly contrast its Rider. Perhaps it was to create a more balanced duo, so that extreme impulsiveness or timidity didn't cloud their judgment.
Cannel was the most well-read out of all three of the humans residing in his abode, and so Evelyn automatically looked to him whenever she needed advice concerning the perplexities of her scaled companion. Cannel tried to be helpful, but always fell short, somehow. Evelyn had a sneaking suspicion – one of the many suspicions concerning the older magician – that the man was withholding some of his expertise, but didn't want to waste time arguing and demanding answers. Evelyn had learned that it was much better to lay low and react to situations, rather than rushing in and creating something out of nothing. Being the instigator of such actions often led to pain; Evelyn knew that from personal experience.
Evelyn was only able to sit and hold conversations for so long before the need to separate herself rose inside of her chest, and so her questions often fell short of being as thorough as they should have been. Even Murtagh, someone that Evelyn found surprising bits of pleasure in interacting with, grew to be too much after an hour or so, and so she would abruptly detach herself, retreating into the solace of solitude. Well, not complete solitude. Her dragon was always there, in that corner of her consciousness that was reserved for him alone. The brightness and solidness of his presence served as a balm to Evelyn's conflicting emotions, and for it she was constantly grateful.
Being grateful was not an emotion Evelyn was familiar with. In her painful life inside of the castle, she had had little – practically nothing – to be grateful for. Being captured and forced into slavery, tortured and mocked on a daily basis, emotionally and physically scarred as the years drifted by...there was not much room for gratitude. It wasn't until her dragon hatched that she had even the slightest inclination to be grateful for anything. It wasn't until she met other human beings – ones that were somewhat separate from the horrible essence of Galbatorix's castle – that she began to understand what it was to be thankful for the actions of another.
All in all, it was very strange.
The breeze blew rather icily around Evelyn's form, and she ignored the shudders that threatened to rack her frame, her face not shifting in the slightest to show her discomfort. The dungeons had been even colder most nights, and so the wind was an oddly welcome change from the stifling atmosphere.
The young woman was currently seated under the roof that made up the stable, listening to the sounds of her mare and the other two horses – the gray warhorse was Murtagh's and the dark, good-natured gelding was Cannel's – as they munched on their grain.
Cannel was in the house, preparing some of his herbs for storing. It was a tedious process, and so he had suggested that she go and practice her magic, and she had let without much resistance. The smell of herbs wasn't a scent she found particularly pleasing, and so she was glad to escape into the clean air of the outdoors.
Murtagh was off hunting, and most likely wouldn't be back until sundown. Evelyn glanced back toward the house, and shook her head slightly in confusion. It turned out that while Cannel willingly cooked the meat Murtagh brought back, he didn't partake in any himself. The idea of refusing food – any kind of food – was such a strange concept that Evelyn didn't even have words to describe her distaste at Cannel choosing to ignore meat when it was right in front of him.
In her right hand was a smooth stone, and her eyes flickered down to its position – it rested mildly on her gedwëy ignasia. With bland interest, she noted how calloused her fingers were, pale against the rich duskiness of the autumn mulch. They looked so unnatural that Evelyn felt the need to hide them, and so she moved her hands out of her line of vision, whispering a familiar command in the Ancient Language. The mark on her palm glowed brightly, and the stone rose unsteadily into the air. Her eyes scanned its process without emotion, and it was a few moments later that she felt the control slip away from her. The stone lost all animation, thumping back into her hand. Evelyn felt a great wave of frustration sweep through her, and with a harsh huff she threw the stone into the undergrowth, turning away so she would not see where it fell.
Curse magic; curse it to the deepest pits of fire that await the wicked when they die!
Evelyn was breathing rapidly; her eyes stinging furiously as she struggled to calm her ravaged nerves. She was glad that Cannel was inside the house, safe from the image of her most recent failure in keeping the stone aloft. The old magician had been as patient as ever in their lessons, but now, Evelyn despised him for his kindness. Did he find it natural that such a source of power be beyond Evelyn's reach? Did he view her as weak? And if he did…why would he think any different? Was she so far gone that the threat of pain was the only thing that would prompt her to change her approach?
The thought was a frightening one.
All Riders mastered magic; if Galbatorix's confidence was anything to go by, it was magic that had won him his throne and his terrible influence. It was magic that had decimated the hundreds of Riders and dragons, it was magic that had destroyed Evelyn's village, and it was magic that had inflicted such unspeakable torture on Evelyn and–
Come, little bird, her dragon murmured, sending her a flash of his location – a few minutes east, toward the edge of the trees that separated the forest from the outside world – and her teeth ground together at the softness in his tone. But, unable to resist the gentle tenderness to his presence, Evelyn reluctantly walked to where he was. He had, like Murtagh, been hunting up until an hour or so ago, and Evelyn hoped that he had disposed of the remains of his meal. Seeing a freshly killed deer – with entrails strewn about and bones splintered by sharp fangs – always brought back images of the Ra'zac and their sharp beaks that clicked and snapped at the flesh of an old slave who had been dead only a day…
The dry nettles popped and shifted underneath her bare feet – even though Cannel had provided her with shoes, she preferred to walk without them – and her eyes scanned the trees, slightly disconcerted at the fact that they remained the same lush green even though autumn was underway. It was strange…no matter how cold it got, no matter what the weather brought, the forest remained untouched by the elements. It was an eerily timeless place; with the breeze drifted the smell of ancient things.
Finally, she reached her dragon. The creature was curled up on the earth, large eyes similarly scanning the trees. A deep humming resonated in the air, and Evelyn felt it shiver through her frame, courtesy of the dragon before her. Green jewel-eyes snapped to her form, and the humming increased in volume. Evelyn quickened her pace until she was beside his shoulder. He was large and sturdy – Cannel had explained that male dragons were thicker and more bulky than their female counterparts – and the scales of his muscular neck shifted as he moved to encircle her torso.
No words were said between them, but Evelyn was beyond words. The excruciating happiness – or was it pain? – of witnessing first-hand the dragon's love for her welled up over the boundaries of her mind, and passed to her dragon, the emotions swirling in between both of them. Evelyn let out a dry sob, and clung to her companion. The struggle of coming to terms with her own weaknesses seemed to wash away with the tide of the dragon's affection, and warm breath heated the skin of her legs as her dragon leaned his head against her back.
It was a very long time before her dragon deemed it time to speak.
The magic will come, little bird. I believe in you.
Evelyn nestled into the comforting strength of the dragon's neck, and he tightened his grip in response, humming in delight. Her eyes opened, and she stared at the glittering scales of her dragon, lips turning downward slightly.
What if I don't want the magic? she dared to ask, and the dragon stiffened slightly, uncurling himself from around her frame. Evelyn reached out to keep her fingers resting on the scales, eyes widening slightly; had she offended him in some way?
Her dragon lowered its head to eye her, face just inches from her own. Her throat tightened as his eye stared unblinkingly at her, not angry or sad, just watching and waiting for some unspoken signal. He finally spoke, his voice firm.
Look at your palm, Evelyn.
Evelyn obeyed, and somehow she had known which hand her dragon was referring to – the one with the silvery oval adorning the palm. It glittered in the sunlight, and the dragon leaned down to touch the spot with the tip of his snout. A jolt of magic rushed through both Rider and dragon, and the oval burst into life, glowing so vibrantly that Evelyn had to avert it away from her face so that it didn't blind her. The dragon snorted in pride, and Evelyn felt the magic of her dragon clinging to her skin, coddling her with its uncontainable energy.
Magic, the dragon declared, glanced at the magic that was still lighting up Evelyn's mark like a lantern, is what brought us together. If a bond such as this is able to prevail in spite of Galbatorix's evil, then I am confident that there is still hope for this world.
Evelyn let out a shaky breath, and her dragon snorted in surprise when she snapped her face up, face alight with a fiery glow. Her palm flared with new life, life that purely Evelyn in essence. Evelyn could feel her power growing, and there was a sudden question in her dragon's eyes. The young woman eyed the dip in between the creature's neck and back, and then nodded shortly, hiking up her skirts and settling down there.
Hold on, her dragon ordered, and Evelyn nodded, gripping with her knees – moving her skirt so that it was a layer between her and his scales – and throwing herself against his neck as he propelled himself upward.
Evelyn didn't know what prompted her to ride her dragon – she really should have considered if he could even bear her weight – but all thoughts were pushed aside as the wind rushed past her face and made her hair stream behind her. Her dragon's wings pushed against the strain of gravity, strong and powerful, and Evelyn forced herself to open her eyes once they were comfortably in the air.
The forest was so large that there was ample room for the dragon to fly, and he did just that, weaving in and out of the trees, letting out little growls of glee as the exhilaration overpowered everything else. Evelyn was laughing, lifting her head in order to absorb the surroundings better. The colors were whipping past in a vivid blur, and the smell of sunlight and greenery filled her nostrils. The dull pain of the scales rubbing through the thin fabric of her skirt was secondhand to the feeling of peace rising up in her chest.
Her dragon was right; magic was what made their bond possible, and magic was what was needed to keep that bond alive. Thinking of life without the emotional link made Evelyn physically ill, and so she avoided the thought all together.
A few minutes later, her dragon became too tired to continue, and touched back down in the same clearing they had taken off in. Evelyn almost lost her seat, not used to the awkward landing. Her dragon was panting heavily, and Evelyn leaned into his neck – avoiding his sharp spines – in order to take some of the pressure off of her inner thighs; the skin felt raw and smooth to the touch. Evelyn grimaced in pain, but the sharp sting was disregarded for the moment, because her dragon turned to grin at her, tongue lolling out as he did so.
How do you like the name Vídarr, little one? I think it rather suits me…
Evelyn blinked, realizing what he was suggesting, and then smiled widely, so that her cheeks began to ache almost immediately from the strain. She let out a sigh, rubbing the itchy places in between her dragon's neck spines. He crooned in contentment, and she leaned to press her cheek against his corded neck.
It's a good name, Evelyn assured him, and Vídarr began to hum in a tone that was nothing less than completely satisfied, slowly making his way – with Evelyn still draped over him – back to Cannel's house.
Sorry for the long wait! Please review, and let me know what you think!