A/N Another update, thanks for all your wonderful reviews!! They give me a real lift. Special thanks to milou8- 100th reviewer, wow that's a real milestone considering we're only on chapter 7- so onward!

Chapter 7- The Long Trek

It was a pleasant journey down the Az Ragni river for the most part. Orik and Gimli sat smoking on one raft with two of the other Dwarves of Ûndin's guard that had been sent with them. Thorv and Ama. Legolas sat quietly cross legged on the other raft away from the plumes of smnoke that came from the Dwarves' busy pipes, idly watching the world go by and enjoying this quiet respite while danger was not near.

Eragon had taken off on Saphira for a ride as dusk fell, awakening new chirping sounds and activity from the river bank. They circled high above, enjoying the freedom flying with a dragon could afford them.

'Wait, what are those?' Eragon asked suddenly, gazing into the distance and squinting to try and make out the creatures that appeared to be flying directly toward he and Saphira.

'They are not dragons, I can not say what they could be, hold on tightly Eragon, I will avoid them!' Saphira replied, banking suddenly to the left. Eragon tightened his grip around her neck and squeezed his knees harder into her sides as the creatures flew at them.

Eragon curiously reached out his mind eager to find out exactly what these creatures were. He recoiled with a sharp pain that shot through his head as a piercing shriek rent the air.

Below, Legolas looked up, startled by the terrible sound, he jumped to his feet, bow in hand strung and poised to let fly as his eyes followed the dragon like creatures whose shape seemed all too familiar to him. As did the sound of their cry.

He squinted one eye as he watched one of the creatures fly into range.

"Stay your bow Legolas," came Arya's sharp voice, her hand rested on his arm, restraining it.

"But those creatures are of a great evil!" Legolas replied, watching as Saphira dodged them letting out a great long jet of fire as she swooped, aiming it at the creatures.

"Eragon and Saphira can manage. Those creatures are very rare. To slay one would be a great crime," Arya said firmly, her fierce eyes boring into his.

"Make them rarer still! Shoot em down lad!" Gimli shouted from his place on the other boat for his attention had also been gained and he too recognised the creatures.

Legolas held her gaze for a moment before ignoring Gimli and dropping his bow with a sigh. His eyes darted back to Eragon up above and it seemed as though the boy and dragon had bestest the creatures as they were flying off from whence they came. Saphira wheeled down through the air before landing back in the river in a great wave of water.

The Dwarves all had their attention fixated on the pair's plight. "Are you alright?" Orik asked, rushing to Eragon and helping him clamber back onto the raft.

"I am unharmed, what on earth were those things?" Eragon asked the Dwarf, wiping the spray that mingled with sweat from his brow with his hand.

Gimli had jumped over to the other raft to stand with Legolas. "Were those what I thought they were, or are my eyes deceiving me, dragging up old unwanted thoughts of long ago?"

Legolas shook his head. "You too thought them like to the Fell Beasts, steeds of the Nazgûl of long ago?"

Gimli nodded. "I would know that sound after even a thousand years of silence," he replied with a shudder referring to the piercing screech of the Nine's steeds.

"What are you two talking about?" asked Arya, listening in on their quiet conversation.

"Those creatures-" Legolas began.

"Fanghur we call them, native to the Beör Mountains," Oriki supplied.

"They are like the evil beasts of my home land, slain long ago we thought. But it seems they live on in this land, having perhaps flown to pastures new," Legolas continued, his face dark with foreboding.

Orik shrugged. "They are formidable foes indded, but not so much evil would I call them. They hunt by immobilizing their prey with their minds and that terrible shriek."

"Yes, I now have quite a headache thanks to that! I tried to touch one of their minds," Eragon said rubbing his temples with a grimance.

Arya shook her head. "A foolish thing…" she muttered.

"Yes, well I more than realise that now!" Eragon replied with a sheepish look.

-:0:-

Their journey down the Az Ragni was uneventful after that. They camped in the banks of the river at night and sailed again by day. Eragon, Legolas and Gimli learnt much on the journey , little tid bits of information from the Dwarves and Arya about all sorts of things. Eragon marvelled that he could live in Alagaësia all his life and not know any of this, oh how simple his life had seemed back on the farm in Carvahall!

One thing that interested Legolas the most was Orik's bow. It was a small weapon with a span of no more than two feet. He had to admit that first he had been very sceptical on how affective it could be, but once Orik permitted him to try it that opinion soon changed. When the Elf took the bow in his careful hands he found it to be heavy and strong. Orik explained that it was not made of wood for that would not allow the arrow to fly very far, and a bow so small would surely snap in two at any great exertion. Instead it was made from Urgal horn specially treated by the Dwarves with an ancient art that could take a decade or more to complete.

Legolas was amazed by this, for a skill so unique to produce a bow so fine was unheard of to him. He was delighted when Orik permitted him to test it with the promise that Legolas would owe him an arrow for the one he would loose once he fired it.

The Elf took aim over the wide flowing river, finding that it took great strength to fire this bow, more than using his own anyway. He loosed the arrow and watched in amazement as it flew high over the river and landed in the middle of it, quite a feet as the river was so very wide it was difficult to make out the other side clearly. Legolas would not have believed it had he not seen it with his own eyes.

"A true marvel the craftsmanship of your people is Orik. The beauty and skill with which your bow was hewn almost rivals that of my own bow of Lórien," Legolas said, presenting the Dwarf with an arrow from his own quiver.

Orik nodded in thanks. "A wonder indeed Orik but I think I shall keep to my axe- a true weapon for hewing flesh from one and comfortable in my hand it is!" Gimli said stroking the head of his axe affectionately.

Eragon marvelled at this. However, he found his mind troubled that night when a vision came to him. A man lay covered in blood on an indistinct battlefield, his face was obscured. A gloved hand suddenly loomed into view pointing at the man as though it were the hand of fate itself.

In the morning Eragon's first port of call was Arya. "I have given this much thought," she replied, looking at his through thoughtful eyes. "It seems to me like a similar thing happened when you saw me in Gil'ead. You did not scry me of that I am sure. Neither have you scryed this new scene. I think it was a premonition. These are associated with magic users. Do not dwell on it for now, there are many questions that may be asked and hopefully answered when we reach my homeland."

-:0:-

"No," Arya replied flatly.

"Do not be so stubborn lady! How do you expect to get to your land without a steed?" Orik said infuriated by the She-Elf's stubbornness.

"If I were to arrive home on such a- a cumbersome looking, stumpy creature I should be the laughing stock!" Arya protested vehemently.

"It's a donkey! A sturdy steed, hardy through any terrain, terrific beasts of burden. What do you propose to do otherwise, run alongside us?" Orik spat shaking his head as his face reddened in annoyance.

Arya raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Actually, yes," she replied seriously.

"Ack! Curse you Elves, a race to proud and big for their boots you all are!" Orik stormed off yanking the unwanted donkey after him.

Legolas was helping Throv load supplies onto the saddle of one of the donkeys. Arya walked over to him. "Please do not tell me you intend to travel upon such an embarrassing steed, a Dwarf steed!" she mocked wrinkling her nose.

Legolas narrowed his eyes. "There is nothing wrong with these creatures, on the whole I find them quite willing and pleasant. But they are steeds made for those of Dwarf stature. I also will run, it would be good to stretch my legs after so long sailing."

"Dwarf steeds you say lad? And mighty fine creatures they are also! Why if my people had known of them I dare say we may have tried our hand at riding, for calmer and gentler than blasted horses!" Gimli chimed in. Snowfire grunted at this, as if understanding the accusation was directed toward his kind.

Arya shook her head. "Very well Legolas, then I propose a race!" she announced. "Something to liven up this journey, for I also wish to 'stretch my legs!'"

Legolas smiled. "If it is a race you want, then it is a race you shall get!" he replied, dusting off his hands and moving his shoulders as if easing tension.

-:0:-

"Alright, on your marks, get se- GO!" Eragon roared as Saphira spurted a tongue of flame, the Elves' signal to be off.

They both flew off the starting line, feet pounding the grassy ground yet barely leaving an imprint. They were both akin to deer leaping through meadows, every footfall propelling them forwards over the terrain.

Legolas and Arya were both evenly matched as had been proven before. Sometimes Legolas overtook, sometimes Arya did, other times they were both neck and neck. But both delighted in the freedom of it all, able to truly show off the abilities of their race to the full extent.

The race would end at the landmarks they both seemed to silently agree on, or when they both began to tire. Legolas won the first race, Arya the second and third, Legolas the fourth and the fifth race on their third day of travel would be the decider.

They would stop at these landmarks and take rest waiting for the others to catch up. By the time this happened both Elves seemed to be fully reinvigorated and raring to go again.

Legolas and Arya did not talk much as they ran, both too determined on their goal of the finish line. But the silences between them, though competitive, were amicable. They spoke however at rest stops, drifting into easy conversation mainly about their two different peoples. Both were curious about each other's ways and customs, language and beliefs. Legolas was surprised to find Arya's storied of creation, how the world and all the different peoples and creatures in it first came to be, were strikingly similar to that of his own people. The only real differences were the changes in names through language. His Sindarin tongue and her tongue- the Ancient Language seemed to different he wondered how they could ever have been linked. Legolas had began to think about things such as this deeply, his people in Middle Earth and her people of this land in Alagaësia must have once been one and the same, so how had they drifted so very far apart? Was it as the old tales told? Were they of the Elves that first went over the sea to find a new land, or to return to their beginnings in Valinor? He was not sure, but hoped to find out more when he reached Du Weldenvarden and the Elven capital of Ellesméra.

-:0:-

The fifth race was won by Legolas. But even had could see that he took his victory so easily because Arya had become distracted and with it seemed her feet had become leaded as a heaviness descended upon her. Her homeland was in site. They could see the vast expanse of forest that stretched before them from the hill they had ended their race at. The mass of emerald green that stretched north, east and west before them unendingly it seemed.

"Du Weldenvarden," Arya muttered. "My home…"

"A magnificent forest," Legolas breathed in awe. He was itching to get beneath its canopy if only to escape the strong call of the sea that had been growing within him more forcefully since their voyage up the Az Ragni, knowing that if he kept following that gentle course he would eventually end up at the mouth leading into the sea and he would have to pull himself back forcefully. He had made a promise. He and Gimli would see this through to the end with Eragon, fighting by his side until the battle was done.

"It is," Arya replied. "Full of magic and strange things that mortals can never know. No outsiders have entered our domain since the fall of the Riders."

Eragon and the company of Dwarves plus dragon eventually arrived.

"Amazing!" Eragon exclaimed as he joined the two Elves at the top of the hill. His eyes were wide with wonder and anticipation. Somewhere down there through that mass of green and strange and powerful creatures, was his teacher. In the Elven capital of Ellesméra hidden deep in the forest, inaccessible to any other mortal at that moment, he would finally complete his training as a Dragon Rider.

A/N There you go, it is 12:45am and I am posting this… I need to sleep… Anyways, enjoy, and I shall be back with more one day, when I don't have so much damn coursework for uni that has to be in at the same time! *shakes fist at uni*. Enjoy!

Laters

Lolly