DRAGON
They were talking about him. How he'd be growing , what he needed to eat, when Eragon started riding Saphira, when Lillyan should start riding him. He yawned. That is for ME to decide, he told Lillyan grumpily. She patted his head. He growled. Then he snorted and a tiny wisp of smoke rose from within his nostrils. Right this is nonsense! Give me a name Lillyan. Lillyan blinked at him in surprise.
PLEASE NAME ME! He pleaded to the whole room.
"You haven't named him?"
Lillyan shook her head sadly.
"Well, that must be changed IMMEDIATELY!" Eragon cried in mock-outrage.
The dragon snorted in agreement.
He felt that Lillyan was a little annoyed with the him for embarrassing her. She hadn't had time to name him,
that was not so bad was it? Christenings could wait, it was a little unorthodox, admittedly, but tradition often came due to a lack of imagination or knowledge AND she was hardly in a good position was she? Her only carers had abandoned her, she had upset the king and she still had the feeling in the bottom of her stomach as though a knife was about to drop from the sky and kill somebody close to her.
The dragon crawled towards her and nudged her hand with his snout.
I'm sorry, he told her, but the conversation you just had consisted almost entirely out of 'the dragon'
Gwendiryn? Eragon suggested, oblivious to the silent exchange. He had obviously been thinking hard about what to call the dragon.
The dragon but his head to the side, as much as I appreciate being named after royalty, Lillyan, The dragon told her, I am not a queen, and I will never be.
Lillyan frowned, hmm…king yes, well, that…hmm. How about….Oro Vindr?
The dragon contemplated 'arrow wind' for a long concentrated moment before shaking his head. He even considered changing it to 'wind arrow' VindrOro before deciding he wanted something more…unique.
Edoc'sil Skölir? Eragon suggested- unconquerable shield.
Does that even make sense? The dragon asked. Eragon shrugged.
"If you want to be fastidious…"
The dragon leapt at him and withdrew in the same fluent movement.
Eragon looked down at his finger "Ow…fastidious and an over-reactor…"
"Datia Orum?" Syrai suggested suddenly "Datia llian, Datia, Deloi Orum…Deloi?" He returned to silence when he realised everyone was staring at him.
Deloi Orum, the dragon announced even more suddenly, My name is 'Earth Serpent' Deloi Orum
LILLYAN
The next day Lillyan travelled to the outskirts of the town with Eragon and Syrai and together they hunted down rabbits and mice for Deloi-Orum to eat.
With Deloi-Orum named, he seemed to speak with Lillyan a lot more. Whenever Eragon brushed against his mind to ask him something or tell him something, Deloi-Orum brushed him aside and continued conversing with her.
You feel proud, honoured and happy, Lillyan, I don't think I understand why…?
Lillyan looked at her feet. It's foolish really…but I feel as though…
Your mine…he finished. He looked up at her. She nodded, taking a step back…What would he do? Flapping his little wings while he jumped, which made him look like a bizarre rabbit-humming bird mixture, he hopped over to her side and sat down beside her, still gazing up at her.
Your names too long, Lillyan remarked.
Then give me a better one, Deloi-Orum replied.
No, no. A names a name, but I could shorten it a little…
How?
Lillyan closed her eyes. She imagined a large hexagon shaped room, each tall wall lined with a giant row of shelves, and furnished with thick heavy books. A miniature version of herself crossed the room in her mind and stepped onto a ladder that went all the way to the ceiling. There she pulled out a much smaller book, pulled a pen out of her pocket and opened it, sitting down on the step of the ladder as she did so.
Other than the word, or name 'Deloi-Orum' the pages of the book were entirely blank and Lillyan began to fill them with hundreds of possible nicknames.
All that happened in less than a few seconds in reality, but after what seemed ages in Lillyan's knowledge and memory library, she returned with the perfect nick name.
I have three good ones, she declared. Deloi-Orum shook himself as he rid himself of the mesmerizing sight of the library.
Loiru, Dorum and Eloi as in 'deLOI-oRUm', 'Deloi-ORUM' and 'dELOI-orum'
Noticing how far ahead the other two elves were, rider and dragon hurried to catch up.
Sounds good!
All three?
Aye!
"We've found one!" Syrai called cupping something in his hand. It was a fat mouse with golden brown fur and puffed out cheeks.
Lillyan felt its mind pressing against hers. It was scared. Something had frightened it and it had not been Eragon or Syrai.
Something is wrong! Lillyan shrieked, but by then they had all heard the cracking of twigs underneath two feet. Feet that were getting louder-nearer.
Lillyan lifted Dorum in her arms and threw the struggling dragon youngling in the trees.
"Shade!" Syrai whispered, sniffing the air.
Eragon threw his cape aside and pulled out an elegant blue sword which he held out before him. He muttered something and a basic sword appeared in Syrai' hand.
Lillyan coughed. Eragon didn't react. Lillyan became angry and concentrated on letting a sword materialize for herself, which after a lot of effort, became a success as the shining metal shone in the sun.
Eragon turned to her. "You're not meant to fight!" he hissed.
Then the Shade launched itself out of the undergrowth, crimson eyes gleaming like burning coals, knocking Syrai over and landing on top of him. Lillyan slashed at him with her sword, with surprising skill, considering she was having difficulty even keeping the heavy sword up. However the sword just went straight through, throwing Lillyan off balance. She toppled onto Syrai, landing with her cheek on the edge of his sword. Only then did she realise the shade had disappeared.
"Aim for the heart!" Eragon commanded. The two children struggled to their feet. All three stood back to back with each other searching the stretch of land in front of them. After a couple of minutes Eragon's jaw unclamped itself and Syrai's shoulders relaxed
"He's gone," he sighed. Both men let their swords hang limply by their sides. Lillyan stayed put. In the distance next to a tree was a shadow and on that shadow were two red gleaming eyes. When Lillyan blinked they were gone.
"What now?" Syrai murmured.
Dorum tumbled out of a bush and was welcomed back by three ready swords pointing at his upturned belly. It rumbled in defence.
"Where is the mouse?" Eragon looked at Syrai. He searched the ground and eventually spotted it crouching behind a stone panting. Syrai lifted it up once more.
"and…?"
Loiru-Dorum licked his lips and scrambled up the nearest tree.
"Well…we have to kill it," Eragon replied.
The three elves looked at the mouse miserably. Then the mouse was gone and with a snap Deloi-Orum fell out of the tree with the creature in his mouth.
The group turned their heads in disgust.
What? Eloi complained, munching on the mouse's insides, who are you to deny me my natural instincts?
And, that be it! well…for this chapter at least, what'd you think? Good, bad? Anyways, no one be insulted. I liked all the names and couldn't decide so I did a remix of them and mentioned some of the others…the dragon denying it, for whatever reason is NOT to be taken as a personal insult!
