She was sitting with her feet out in front of her in a clearing; once again she was straining her ears to hear the voices that had called her in the first place. Arya ran her delicate fingertips through the sparkling stream that ran over her bare toes connecting the pool to a distant river. She sighed a little to herself. Her little green dragon had gone hunting. The truth was that he really wasn't a little dragon anymore. She was sitting next to the little pool where his egg had slept for so long, and they loved to spend their time here. Mostly, she spent her days teaching Ludicrous the history of the races of Alagaesia. Ludi's favorite stories were about the dwarves. The first time Ludicrous heard one he was ecstatic.
The emerald dragon wrapped his scaly tail around his slight body and leaned his muzzle closer to Arya's downturned face.
"Tell me another, Arya! Another!" The green dragon's eyes shone as he begged for another "tale". To him, they were stories. To the rest of the world, they were the truth of the latest battles against Galbatorix.
She told him about Farthen Dur and the Beor Mountains. Mostly though, she talked about Eragon and Saphira's many triumphs.
Arya was tired of waiting here, and hiding until Eragon returned from the war victorious. Her mother had released her from the ambassador vows due to the urgent need to keep the riders alive. So now, Queen Islanzadi had forbidden her to leave. But Ludi could always just abduct her anyway. She shook out her motionless feet and they tickled like pins and needles. Arya began to pace. Back and forth. Back and Forth. She wiped off the pine needles that were stuck to her with the sticky pine sap.
"Ludi?" She knew she wasn't patient. As did he.
He felt her urgency through their link and her inexplicable need to fly.
"I'm full enough anyway," He choked a little in laughter.
She sighed, "If you're sure…"
"I'll be there in a couple of minutes," He promised.
Arya knew she needed to teach Ludicrous what the war really was. He needed to become one with her memories to help Eragon kill Galbatorix. It was their destiny after all.
The dragon pushed his wings up and down and created a swirling gust of wind that pulled Arya's hair back and flicked pieces of dirt into her eyes. The emerald dragon broke through the canopy, dispelling the dark illusions that had kept them there for so long. They weren't going to be kept here; not on here watch.
"Kidnap me, Ludi. It is time." Arya showed him Eragon, fighting a war alone as he believed he was the last free dragon rider. "We must live on."
The two memorized each other for the days above, and knew, then, nothing would ever be the same. Arya showed him all of the memories she had hidden from her young dragon in her quest to protect him from the outside world. Truly, no one can protect a dragon. A dragon protects itself.
She was dressed in a forest green shirt that was tight against her skin, but tough enough to withstand anything. Arya had been lying; she had known that this day was coming for a long time. From behind an ancient oak tree, she pulled a leather saddle elegantly molded to the precise shape of Ludicrous' back.
"Arya…" She felt him letting go of his childish desires for the first time. He was never one to beat around the bush. "I'm ready."
The raven-haired rider leapt with an agile grace upon the soft saddle and strapped in the large leather bags containing dried fruits and vegetables along with canteens of fresh water.
The dragon pawed the ground anxiously and pulled up some dirt and grass.
"GO!" Through their mind link their voices echoed and exploded outwards as he lifted his emerald wings above and down with a swift downbeat that shook the trees.
"We're coming Eragon…"