I don't know what's wrong with me. Used to update every week. Well, here's the next chapter. Hopefully I can get back on schedule with the end of school coming up. Enjoy!

She hit the stone hard, cutting her arm up to her elbow. It was only a graze, thankfully. She knew it could have been worse. She looked up at the shadow before her. It had knocked her down with such ease. It shouldn't have been able to do that. As she tried to focus, things became clearer. She was in a throne room. She had been knocked to the ground because two guards had been holding her. Before her stood,

"No, you're dead. I ran my sword through your black heart!" He laughed at her as he pulled her to her feet and threw her towards the throne. She couldn't believe it. She was back in Ilirea. She shouldn't be there. He shouldn't be there. She reached for Naegling, but it wasn't at her hip. Murtagh had taken it from her the first day, when she had nearly killed him. "I should have killed him. Then I could have gone home. I could have gone back to my husband." She swung wildly as Galbatorix picked her up and sat her on the throne and then smirked.

"You were made to rule, my dear child. Why fight it?" She threw herself at him, swinging her fists. He caught her easily and threw her to the ground at the foot of the throne.

"Murtagh may have been able to bring you back. But I will send you back to hell where you belong." She hissed and got to her feet, drawing a dagger from her boot. They looked at each other and she ran at him again, letting her head clear and she blocked her mind. He wasn't able to avoid her or catch her and twisted so the dagger caught his cape instead of skin. She turned on her heel and looked at him. The two guards converged on her again. She hissed at them and tried to keep an eye on all three of them. She didn't hear Murtagh come up behind her and pin her arms to her side. She fought back wildly, but it only tired her out. That last thing she saw before she lost consciousness was Galbatorix's gloating face. He had won. He hadn't died. He had won and she was still his prisoner.

She walked quickly down the hall. She needed to find Kuldra. They needed to find the Varden and rally them. She wasn't sure what had happened to Eragon and Saphira but hoped that they were safe. Her greatest hope was that they were in Du Weldenvarden, gathering strength and keeping themselves from worrying about her. That was her plan. Once she found Kuldra, the two of them would get their bearings and make their way to Du Weldenvarden and Arya. Though, the last time she had seen Arya, she had been picking up four new Riders. Her mind turned to the blood bond between her and Murtagh and her children. There was so much that could go wrong. Her biggest fear was that the nobles who had willingly served Galbatorix had allowed such a bond to be formed between them as well. If that was the case, then when he called upon them, they would tell him everything they knew of the elves and their cities. Also, where Eragon and the eggs were.

"Wait, Eragon and Saphira said that they only remembered the eggs because Galbatorix was dead. He's not real. He's dead. This is just a shade Murtagh made to try to get me to be queen. He can't do anything to me." But she doubted that as the bruises on her arms hurt when she touched them. She couldn't think about that now. She had to find Kuldra and get them out of wherever they were. "Kuldra," she called out softly.

"Brave One, there is a cave below you. I am there with Thorn. But he won't be able to do anything to me. Hurry, before Murtagh realizes that you are gone again."

"I'm coming." Florina quickened her pace and found stairs and ran down them. Glances out the windows told her that she was on a mountain of some sort and not in Ilirea. That made her breathe a sigh of relief. Nothing had changed in the past. Maybe it was Murtagh that had hurt her in whatever sick mind game he had played on her. Soon, she was at a door and she could feel Kuldra behind it. She broke the door open and found Kuldra there. Kuldra picked up her Rider and flew out of the cave. Florina climbed into the area where the saddle should have been and crouched there to protect her legs.

"Where to, Brave One?"

"The closest place is going to be Arya and Du Weldenvarden. We'll go there. We'll be safe there for the time being." Florina tried not to worry about the threat the shade had made regarding Kuldra's life. He had threatened to kill her. But now that she was sure that he was a shade, he couldn't do anything to her. Kuldra was safe, even if they were caught again. Which she doubted. She saw a flash of gold from the corner of her eye. Then it was red. Then green. Her stomach lurched, her fear realized. Someone had called on the blood bond and called Riders to them. She couldn't believe it. She began kicking herself, knowing that she should have known about them. She should have been able to sense them with her mind. "Kuldra,"

"I see them. It's not your fault, Brave One. Someone hid them from us. I have been hiding us from them by staying in the clouds."

"I can block us from them. Hopefully that will get us to safety." Florina took a breath and cast the spell that would hide them. Kuldra flew higher, hoping the larger clouds would be better cover. Something flashed above them. "Kuldra! Look out!"

She groaned and opened her eyes a crack and saw that she was back in her room in the castle. She grumbled into her pillow and sat up, thinking to get off the bed and test the door. She stopped with her feet touching the cold stone when she heard the chains. She sighed in frustration and fell back onto her pillows. They had flown straight into a storm without realizing it. Glaedr and Oromis would scold them and probably have them run through scenarios through magic until they had learned their lesson. The thought made her smile briefly, until she remembered that Galbatorix had killed them above Gil'ead. She turned her mind to searching for Kuldra, wondering what had become of her partner-of-heart-and-mind. When she couldn't find her, she didn't know what to think and began to worry. So much wasn't right. She didn't know what was real anymore. There was no telling what was going to happen now. She didn't know if the shade was real or if they had never really won. If they had never really won, that meant Lifaen had never asked to be her mate. Her children didn't exist. The other Riders were given eggs from Kuldra and Thorn. What did that mean for Arya? Did Fírnen actually hatch for her? She wasn't sure about anything anymore. She couldn't even,

She looked up, interrupting her own thoughts, as the door opened and Murtagh walked in. She scowled. "What are you doing to me?" She demanded.

"I am doing nothing to you. You have done this to yourself. You and Kuldra are lucky that storm didn't kill the two of you."

"Is Galbatorix dead?" Murtagh looked at her, but didn't answer. "Answer me, Murtagh! Is he dead?" Still Murtagh said nothing, but unchained her from the wall and led her out of the room and down the hall. She thought about fighting back, but thought against it. She needed to behave if she wanted to find Kuldra and try to get out again. She wasn't going to make the mistake she had made during the war. She wasn't going to let herself be ruled by threats. Murtagh pulled her into the throne room and unchained her. Sitting on the throne was Galbatorix. Doubt crossed her mind again as he brandished Naegling and threw it at her feet.

"You are unworthy of this blade." He said. "You can't even follow a simple order. I told you, you were allowed to wander the castle all you want as long as you didn't try to leave. But what do you do? You try to leave. Do you forget what I told you? I warned you that the next time you disobeyed, there would be consequences. Even the littlest command." He yelled a word, the same word he had used to reveal her and Nasuada before he died, and she saw Kuldra chained to the wall. Florina moved toward her, but Murtagh kept a strong hand on her arm. Galbatorix moved towards Kuldra. "I warned you, Daughter." He drew the blade he had taken from Vrael and raised it. Kuldra breathed fire, but it passed him. Florina broke free of her brother's hold. Kuldra tried to fight back. Florina grabbed Naegling from the floor. Kuldra tried to avoid the blade, but the short chain made that impossible. Florina crumbled to the floor as the white blade passed the scales on the gold dragon's chest.

"Kuldra!" Florina screamed while the dragon roared in pain, the roar dying into nothingness. "Kuldra!" Florina broke into sobs, unable to get up from the floor. Unable to find the will to keep living.

Hehehehe. Thanks for reading and please review!