AN: This chapter is dedicated to the accomplished greektsik13 :P
Enjoy! :D
"The aim is simple, retrieve the golden statuette from Saphira, but she will do her best to avoid you. Do you all follow?" Eragon asked the four students nodded and Eragon smiled as Saphira picked up the statuette and flew a distance away then hovered
"Begin." Eragon told them with a smile in the ancient language, the language always spoken now, they were almost fluent he watched as they ran to the cliff and jumped and their dragons caught them. He watched four dragons and parters complete the final part of their training, not that they knew it.
"Do you think they are ready Eragon-elda?" Kasper asked from beside him watching Strancti, his student carefully he winced as Karma narrowly avoided a swipe of Saphira's claws as he nearly got the statuette
"Do you?" he asked in return the urgal thought about it
"Yes. I believe he is as ready as he will ever be." he replied
"Then our beliefs are concordant. Remember I never set this task unless I believe that they are all ready." Eragon stated
"Heidi." Kasper murmured
"Precisely." Eragon stated with a smile "She was your year." at that moment Citrine let out a huge roar and bright orange flame as Obsidian held up the golden statuette Eragon and every teacher applauded and congratulated their students on their attempts. They all departed together barr Stephan, he walked in the opposite direction and Opal watched worried her grey eyes clouded over. She approached her old teacher
"Ebrithil, he thinks he failed as he never got near the statuette." the woman explained
"I will talk to him, if you think it will help." he offered the younger human rider looked grateful
"Thank you Eragon-elda." she murmured Eragon placed a friendly hand on her shoulder and ran after the younger boy
"Sorry Ebrithil, I failed." the younger boy apologised in the ancient language. He was sitting in a small meadow near the sparring field, Eragon sat next to him
"It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well have not lived at all – in which case you fail by default." Eragon stated "If you chose to belive you failed, think on that. On the other hand, you did not fail. Yes, you did not obtain the golden statuette, but you proved you can work together as a team, I saw you and Obsidian working as a team, yes he got the statuette, but he doesn't get to keep it. We need it for the next riders." the young boy laughed
"Thank you. But I would have to disagree with your statement. You have never failed at anything you tried." they young boy stated in the ancient language, he believed what he was saying. Eragon was shocked so took a moment to reply
"Is that really what you believe?" he asked dumbfounded someone thought that of him
"Yes, sorry if it offended you master-"
"No, no, its just I am far from perfect, I have failed many many times." Eragon replied
"Its just, we were looking though the books and scrolls with you in and we couldn't find anything you had failed at." Stephan stated Eragon laughed and the young boy relaxed
"That, my dear boy, is because I did not write the history books, they were written by a biased source."
"And who was that?" he asked curious
"Some by a friend, the rest by the winning side. They believe that the rider who was on the Varden's side, cannot possibly have any faults. But if you want I can list a few if you want." Eragon offered the young boy laughed now
"I am intrigued." Stephan admitted, Erwin came and sat behind his rider and let him lean on him
"Well, to start with, when I was your age, I could not heal properly, so therefore my uncle and father ended up dying."
"Sorry Ebrithil, but in your defence you had only been a rider for a month at my age!" Stephan tried to comfort him
"True, but the fact is still there. I failed at that, and keeping my family safe, I did not fill any of the criteria that was expected for the new rider, and in the eyes of the elves I failed at everything." he added laughing, Stephan laughed as well
"How so?" he seemed unable to stop his questions "Sorry," he blurted
"No, don't be, questions I have no problem with, I never stop asking them myself." Eragon thought about the question "First and foremost I was human, bad in the elves opinion, I was only human not elven, I was young, very young, I did not know about history, or how to read or write, I could not speak the ancient language, had never held any weapon other that the bow before, I was clueless on all customs outside Carvahall, to the humans however, I was still young for them, and much the same as the elves, yet they did not mind about the human part of me. Just a small part." he added wryly
"You couldn't read or write!" Stephan exclaimed
"No. I was a farm boy. I had no need to learn. Then while out hunting this strange stone appears scaring the doe I was hunting for the winter months and burning all around it. So I picked it up thinking I could sell it. Then it hatched. Suddenly I am in this world if politics I have no control over, and utterly no control over my future, I also had to learn a new language and how to read and write both the new and old ones. I have failed at much in my time Stephan-finiarel." Eragon finished he was pleased to see the boy had a smile on his face again "So, do you still think you failed?" Eragon asked
"Yes, but I don't mind. I did my best and I have proved to myself I can work in a team and succeed." he stated Eragon smiled
"Good, now go, we meet at midday in the meeting hall. If you are quick, you will be able to shower before you come." the boy jumped up and twisted his right hand over his chest in a gesture of respect Eragon nodded to him and smiled as the boy jumped onto his dragon and they flew off Eragon lay back against the grass letting the ground support him
"What are you doing?" a musical voice came from his left
"Relaxing, well trying to. The ground doesn't seem to want to hold me up at the moment." Eragon explained
"I used to do that, lie on the ground and with every sigh feel like I am sinking into the ground, it always made me relax, if I combined it with images of Tialdari hall I felt relaxed." she sighed "That however was before you came to Ellesmera." she added wryly
"Sorry." Eragon mumbled causing Arya to laugh
"After that, and when I had faced my... feelings, which took longer than I would care to admit, I just had to think of you, as long as it was not in battle, then I was over taken by fear whenever I thought of you." she admitted quietly so none but Eragon could hear
"I am still sorry." he stated then stood "I need to bath before midday." he announced standing, he offered his hand to Arya
"Why?" she asked
"Today, is the day the graduate." he stated with a smile Arya's eyes went wide
"Then what will you do?" she asked
"Stay, train you, maybe visit Alagaesia, Murtagh, I haven't seen him since he came here, and Ismira, and, if I can find her, Angela, then maybe I will travel, I may return when new riders appear, but until then..." he sighed "I don't know." he admitted "This has been my life for so long." he sighed then stood straight, "I will see you at midday in the hall." he stated she nodded and he ran off Saphira found him and flew him to his house where he showered quickly and dressed in his smartest outfit. It was black leggings then a tunic top the colour of Saphira with a black jacket over the top
"Very nice." Arya commented from behind him he turned and grinned
"You too, I have been out shone." she was dressed likewise, but in a green top and a fitted black jacket, her hair was free and glossy, he wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her gently
"Diadem?" he asked when they broke off not seeing it on her anywhere her eyes flew open and she cursed
"Thank you, come I had forgotten!" she grabbed his hand and pulled him to the balcony where the dragons were sat
"Wait, we have time." Eragon stated with a grin then pulled her to him and kissed her again
"If you kiss like that, we will not have time," she stated breathless eyes bright when they broke off
"Sorry," Eragon stated amused, not sorry in the slightest, she grinned and leant forward to kiss him again
"Don't be sorry." they climbed on their dragons and flew to the guest housing where Arya dashed in and found her diadem, when she emerged it was on her head glistening in the midday sun
"I had completely forgotten, thank you so much." she told him he laughed
"I would not have thought it an easy thing to forget, but you have not being wearing it." he added
"I don't like it." she mouthed to him
Its beautiful. He told her she blushed as she heard the unsaid thought 'so are you' he did not dare to say it as the last time it had not gone well
You can say it. But not in public yet. She told him he grinned as they sat in two of the six seats at the head of the room
Thank you. They waited and in a matter of minutes the other four chairs were filled by the teachers then then four students filed in and sat in the chairs in a row in front of the six older riders Eragon smiled and stood amused to see the four riders worried
"You are probably wondering why you are here and lunch is not." he started, he still hated making speeches still and this one he always liked saying, but hated at the same time, he relaxed when the students laughed slightly
"Lunch is going to be ready in a second but first, I have something to say; today is a special day. Today is the day you become riders in full." he loved watching their faces as he said this line, the shock, happiness and excitement never failed to make him smile "So, in no particular order; Blodhgarm." Eragon gestured to the elf and he stood
"Adanna,Grecian would you care to come forward," the two approached and the elf knelt on the cushion that had appeared
"Adanna daughter of None, do you swear to abide by the laws of the Riders?" Blodhgarm asked
"I do." Adanna replied
"Do you swear to help all those in need, be it with teaching, healing or council?"
"I do."
"Do you swear to be unbiased and fair in all that should be?"
"I do."
"Do you swear to commit no act of harm to any member of the order of the riders?"
"I do."
"Then rise Adanna Shur'tugal, as a fully fledged member of the third order of the Riders, Lead by Eragon Shur'tugal." Adanna rose and and accepted a gift from Blodhgarm and then Eragon stepped forward and gave her her plaque wrapped in some of the elves best material, the colour of her dragon
"Congratulations Adanna Shur'tugal." he told her with a smile the young elf had a grin from ear to ear and Blodhgarm was looking on proud Aryan repeated the process with Grecian and Saphira said much the same as what Eragon had done. This was repeated with the other three then everyone applauded and Blodhgarm embraced Adanna, each teacher congratulated their student in the familiar ways of heir race, elves embraced, as did the humans and elves the urgals pounded their chests, then the students congratulated each other and then they sat at the tables, next to their teachers and they unwrapped their plaques, there was much hilarity and talk, everyone talking over the other
"What did your plaque say?" Stephan asked Opal and the human woman grinned, stood walked over to Amber and retrieved a parcel from her saddle bag then sat at the table and handed it to her student who laughed
"'Creativity is intelligence having fun' and 'Pardon?' I don't get it." the young boy admitted and Opal smiled fondly
"I was the princes daughter, I was taught to be polite, and well.." she trailed off and looked at an amused, but shocked Eragon
"You still have it!" he stated
"Of course, it goes everywhere with me." she replied with a grin
"Well, your teacher here Stephan, was confused at many things, despite being very smart, quick and intelligent, she always understood but thought she didn't. Every time we told her to do something and she was not a hundred percent sure what we wanted her to do she would say 'pardon', if something shocked her 'pardon', if she misheard something 'pardon'. Every time." Eragon smiled at his old student "Much to the hilarity of the other riders." he added with a grin and Opal shrugged amused
"I have stopped now though, and tonight, we leave for Du Weldenvarden." she added trying to get the subject off her
"Really!" Adanna perked up at the thought of going home to her city Blodhgarm smiled
"Aye, tonight we leave, in around a week we arrive, then you get your swords forged and then you have two and a half months to see your family again, then you travel to Illeria and are met by the queen and her husband and three children, and then you are assigned to a certain area of land, where you care for them, heal them, teach them, become part of the community. Then when new riders come you can ask to teach them or stay where you are, your life is free. If you ever wish to travel, you can after ten years, you are allowed to travel wherever you want," he explained laughing as every single newly fledged riders eyes widened at the possibilities
"It sounds amazing!" Obsidian exclaimed
"There is one down side..." Chrissie stated
"What?" the four new students chorused and the three other teachers groaned
"The council meetings." they all sighed causing Eragon and Arya to hide laughs as looks of horror settled on the young riders faces
They don't know the meaning of council meetings. The shortest I have been in, in my current position, was four and a half hours. Arya commented to Eragon who grinned
"I need to pack." Chrissie stated and they all stood and left the room with nods to Eragon, Arya, Firnen and Saphira.
