Review Response: I do believe I hinted at this when I mentioned Elva's skin color, but no, the Jade Rider is not Elva Farseer (Shining Brow). Enjoy!


"How am I going to tell him, Evarínya?"

"Who do you mean? Oromis or Eragon?"

"Both I guess. Uncle Eragon is pretty much going to be our warden. I doubt we could break his spells guarding the valley. Mom may be the only one who can." Evarínya stayed silent. She knew that Eragon had help at his disposal: the dragons freed from Galbatorix's possession at the end of the war. But the Riders didn't know about them, nor the ones in their own dragons, except for her Rider's mother. According to Saphira, the decision to reveal the Eldunarí to the young dragons was up to Kuldra and they would decide when to tell their Riders. The revelation of the Eldunarí was only done out of great need or trust. She hadn't gotten a chance to tell her own Rider because of the disappearance of the Golden Rider as Eragon and Saphira called her. If he knew her real name, he never said it or a spell was preventing it from becoming common knowledge. It was supposed to be effective in regards to Kuldra's name as well, but Kuldra had told Evarínya her name herself. She would have to ask the gold dragon when they got them back on Vroengard, or the valley.

A roar cut through both of their thoughts as they neared the valley. Delinnëa looked up and saw Saphira racing towards them, and she was alone.

"Master, what is wrong?" The Rider asked. She had rarely ever seen the pair apart.

"They goodness I have found you, Delinnëa. There is something wrong with your brother." Nëa's face paled. She had hoped that it wouldn't happen unless something had happened to her mother. Evarínya began to push herself faster, but they were still too far away. "Delinnëa, listen to the spell I have. It'll give us the speed we need to reach the valley before Oromis does something that Eragon will regret."


Eragon locked swords with his nephew again. His newest students looked on in horror while the older ones and their dragons tried to keep Glaedr from breaking through the barrier. They were waiting for Saphira to return with Delinnëa and Evarínya. He hadn't told anyone that the two dragons were siblings. But that wasn't what concerned him at the moment. What did concern him was that he didn't know what was wrong with his nephew and if the same was wrong with his niece and her dragon. He would know when, and if, Saphira returned. It had been two hundred years since the last time they had been separated and they had never wanted to do it again.

The thought crossed his mind to use the Word to stop his nephew as Oromis's blade battered against Brisingr. At that same moment, Delinnëa ran over the hill and tackled her brother, knocking the blade away and nearly being wounded by Eragon.

"Oromis, hear me. Listen to me! This isn't you. This is something that our grandfather did to Mom. Come back to me. You and Glaedr need to come back to us." Eragon straightened and saw that Glaedr was pinned to the ground by Saphira and Evarínya. "Please, Brother, come back to me. Please." Eragon could hear the tears in her voice and was surprised. He had thought that being the child of an elf, who didn't often show their emotions, that she would better hide hers, not be close to tears. "Oromis, please." Slowly, Oromis stopped struggling and the crazy gleam in his eyes faded. Glaedr, Saphira, and Evarínya walked over to them. Eragon noticed the others staring and pointed to one of the older ones.

"Make sure that everyone is taken care of. Heal the injured and all of you get some food and rest. We are done for the day." Nëa helped her brother to his feet and kept a careful hold on him. He didn't seem to mind and looked grateful for the hold. Once the other Riders had left, Eragon took his niece and nephew into the castle and to his private study. Once inside, he set his wards and turned to the sister.

"I came too late." She apologized. "We tried to get here before this happened."

"You know what happened?" She nodded.

"Elva warned Queen Arya of it right before I left to come here. She and Rider Edan had the fear and realization that a throne is passed down through the blood line, typically, and to the oldest living child. Arya wanted to talk to Dad about what was to be done, but I volunteered to come and warn the two of you."

"This damn blood magic." Eragon cursed. "I hadn't thought of that either. Though, it is a good sign."

"How is this a good sign?" Oromis nearly shouted. "I could have killed you today."

"You are connected to your mother through the blood bond by birth since her blood runs in your veins. You are her oldest child and are expected to be the most loyal to her. When it took hold of you, I had to keep you from trying to leave. If you had left, you would have gone to look for your mother and work with Murtagh to bring out the blood magic in her as well so that she would do what is expected of her. The fact that it tried to get you to do that means that your mother is fighting Murtagh's attempts to have her under its control. Do you understand now?"

"Master," Evarínya ventured, "if it is working on one child, what's to keep it from taking over the other in the event that it failed." Eragon looked at his family, the first of a third generation of Riders from Selena's line, and possibly the only unless Murtagh found a woman he loved. The silver dragon had a point. Even though the blood magic would be stronger in his nephew, there was no guarantee that Nëa was safe from its effects either. But he was loath to lock them away. He saw the resignation in their eyes and knew they had come to the same conclusion. They would have to be locked away to keep everyone else, and themselves, safe until they were able to get rid of the blood magic from their mother's blood.

"Where do you want us to stay?" Oromis asked and Eragon's heart fell.


She swung at him to get him to stop talking. The more he talked, the more he sounded like the man who fathered her. He was speaking most of the same words, mentioning how some of the Riders on Vroengard were children of some of her father's nobles and that they would have willingly allowed a blood bond to be formed between the king and them, binding the two families together forever. He grabbed her fist and twisted it back to keep it from hitting him in the face. She hit him with the other fist. He was a normal Rider. He hadn't been with them when the dragons had changed the younger two of the three siblings. He had been in Urû'baen learning how to be a Rider from Galbatorix.

"You can't fight it, Majesty." He said. "Your father left you his throne through blood and magic. You cannot give that up. It is such a gift. Just think of the lengths he went through to ensure that you got what was yours."

"I could care less what he did for me. He's dead and so are his damn schemes and wants and empire! I want nothing to do with it! I just want to live the life I got for myself!" She swung at him again, but missed as her heart hadn't been in the swing. He was her most loyal servant and she was punishing him for trying to return to her what was hers by birth. "NO! I can't think like that! He is not my servant! I don't want what Galbatorix left for me!" She noticed the smirk on his face.

"See, you can't fight it. Soon enough, you'll see how great and loving your father was." He was about to walk out of the door and stopped. "I don't think he blames you, ya know. He knows that you were tricked by the Varden since you were young, what with Caleb being an agent of the Varden since before your birth. You've been lied to your whole life." With that, he closed and locked the door behind him. Florina leaned against the wall and let the tears fall.

She groped under her bed for the rose Oromis had given her from her husband. She had hidden it after she had caught Murtagh trying to destroy it. It was the last thing that kept her sane. She felt alone without being able to talk to Kuldra. She had a feeling that Murtagh had placed somesort of block between the two of them to keep Kuldra from keeping the blood magic away. Without her family and Kuldra, she didn't know how much longer she would last. Suddenly, a horrifying thought crossed her mind and drove home how much she needed to fight. A throne is passed down through the oldest child. Her son is the elder of her two twins. She had never given any thought to how the blood magic would affect her children, especially since they had been born after she and Lifaen had discovered that the blood magic was not gone entirely. She was scared for her children. Once the rest of Alagaësia knew about the blood magic, her children would be hunted and killed because of it. Especially from the older dwarves who had long memories of their own and knew what Galbatorix had done three hundred years ago and for the hundred years until his death at her hands.

"Protect them, Eragon. Don't let them be hurt because of one man."


Hehehehe, yes, I know, I am evil. But it's worth it. Hehehehe. Thanks for reading and please review