I was suspicious.

Granted, feeling suspicious when dealing with politics is not an unusual feeling but I was pretty sure that it had nothing to do with politics. However, I had been wrong before. Considering that my suspicious feeling was centered on the fact that I knew Saphira knew something, coming straight out and asking her was probably the best option. I bided my time and waited until training was over for the day and Saphira was going to hunt.

Can I go with you? I'm heartily sick of not being able to eat meat.

You know how to hunt?

Well no…but I know how to cook meat.

One giant eye swung in my direction.

You want me to hunt for you?

Imagine if you were only able to eat fruit and vegetables along with other non-meat foods, what would you do? I attempted to inject as much pleading into my voice as possible.

I would never be in such a position, I am a dragon.

Now she was just being difficult.

Please!

Fine, Raisa.

There may have been some excited jumping around on my part and what passed for an eye roll on a dragon, before we set off. The hood of my new cloak was pulled low over my eyes and I was practically lying flat on her back to avoid the wind. It was then that I had the brief thought that at least Eragon usually blocked the worst of the wind and radiated body heat.

Saphira was grumbling at the indignity of a dragon catching a rabbit while I patiently waited for the meat to finish cooking. It wasn't quite full dark when I decided to ask her what was going on with Eragon, but coming right out and asking now seemed like a not so good idea. So, I decided to ease her into the conversation I want to have. Me being me I jumped on to the first semi-plausible topic that came to mind.

I've been reading about the belief systems of the indigenous people of the desert, they say that each star is a guardian of a specific person's fate and that their destiny is literally written in the heavens. Do dragons believe something similar? That fate can't be changed?

I was idly drawing the shape of a star in the dirt while I spoke.

We believe for the most part that we make our own destiny, but there are some of other races with a way to…see into the future.

Seers? And are there prophecies always right? In many of the stories I've found the prophecy is more than a little ambiguous.

She shifted and I got the sense that she was uneasy with the direction that this conversation was going.

What do you believe?

That blaming the bad things that happen in your life on the gods or destiny is just a way to make a person feel better, that it was not really their fault because it was decreed from the beginning.

And what about prophecies?

There is always more than one way to interpret them. Most people make them come true because they do everything they can to avoid the outcome. People should take responsibility for their own life, both the good and bad parts.

So you don't believe in seers?

Maybe they can see potential outcomes and pick the one that seems the most likely, maybe they really can see the future. Regardless, I wouldn't want to know mine. I want my actions to be based on my decisions, not governed by a prophecy hanging over me.

Not all feel as you do.

She was pensive and I got the feeling that she was keeping something from me. Tired of trying to ease into a conversation with a dragon, and knowing she preferred straight forwardness, I gathered my courage.

Eragon has been acting strange ever since I mentioned my role in court. I thought we were becoming friends, but now he is acting standoffish. I know you know what is bothering him.

He forgot you are nobility.

Why should that matter to him? He's a Dragon Rider who has even more prestige than me. We are not so separated by rank as he seems to think.

That is not what troubles him.

What does?

I cannot tell you.

Right, secret rider-dragon stuff. I'm going to have to talk to him then, otherwise things will just get more and more awkward.

I wish you luck in that.

Thanks, I have the feeling I am going to need it.

I still don't know what I am going to say to him, but at least dinner was delicious.

In all my plotting to get Eragon alone so I could talk to him, I forgot one very important thing. Tomorrow was a Tuesday. Tuesdays and me do not get along. I was blissfully unaware of this until I woke up the next morning and checked my book and noticed the date. Monday. Yesterday was a Monday which meant that today was a Tuesday. I panicked, just a little.

Thoughts were running through my head at a rapid rate as I got ready for the day.

I managed to get ahold of myself and calm down. After a few deep breaths, I twisted my hair up and wrapped a red ribbon around it. I was ready. It would be a little hypocritical of me to make that speech about my fate not being written in the stars and then be superstitious about a day of the week. That's what I told myself anyway. Besides, Saphira would never let me live it down if she found out.

"What do you mean they can't help it? I understand that this plays a big part in their culture but saying that they can't help it is ridiculous."

My arms were folded tightly across my chest as I stared down at the soup in front of me.

"Raisa, the Urgals' entire way of life is based on combat. It is how they choose their mates and how they choose their leaders. They cannot fundamentally change who they are no more than you could sprout wings and fly to the sun."

He was looking at me with an almost sad expression. Eragon was quiet.

"Oromis, cultures change throughout the centuries. They have to adapt, or else they die out. Look at the human race, look at what the ability to read and write did for our cultural progression."

"And warfare is still a large part of your history."

"But we do not require that our prospective mate have defeated or killed a certain number of people in combat before we will consider them."

"Then what do you suggest they do?"

"War games. If they don't use weapons that could do any real damage, that would allow them to showcase their skills without going raiding on villages."

"It could work, maybe. Though you are still asking an entire people to change a fundamental part of their culture."

"It has been done before."

"You have a rather positive attitude about the world compared to most who have studied as much history as you have."

"I believe that society is fundamentally good and that it is the choices of an individual member of their race that makes them bad."

I turned to Eragon. "You haven't said anything, what do you believe."

He stirred and a brief look of discomfort flashed across his face.

"I think that you both have valid points, but it is moot anyway, we can't force a race to change."

I snorted. "What do you think including humans in the Dragon Rider bond did? It revolutionized our culture. That may not have been the intention, but that's what happened."

Oromis looked at me with an appraising stare. "You have an intriguing mind young one, I would be quite interested to see what new ideas you have developed in a few decades."

I could feel the weight of Eragon's eyes on me as I finished my soup.

I was distracted for the rest of the day. Saphira was off with Glaedr learning aerial combat techniques and Oromis was instructing Eragon in the Ancient Language. I could understand most of what they said but my notes were erratic and small doodles were scribbled in the margins. I was putting forth a valiant effort to think of a way to bring up Eragon's standoffish behavior and be able to discuss it with him without it feeling like I was ambushing him.

So far I had:

1. Ask him if anything was wrong, refuse to let him use his elf-like vagueness to stop the conversation and redirect it back to me. (Note, where has he learned this surprising politician behavior?)

2. Ramble about the creation of a more stratified society and casually ask if he has a problem with nobility.

3. Ask for his help in translating a scroll that just so happens to describe the crowning of the first human king in Alagaesia, ask for his opinion on this practice, then ask why he has avoided talking to me whenever possible.

4. Use my feminine wiles to make myself cry and ask him why he has been treating me differently.

5. Pretend to be a damsel in distress in need of rescuing, ask why he has been acting odd lately.

6. Wallow in the pit of despair because *gasp* the horror! Someone doesn't seem to like me, oh no!

I was currently at number nine (take his clothes ransom until he answers why he was always looking at me but never saying anything…) when I heard someone clear their throat. I may have been the tiniest bit startled and I may have let out a shriek of surprise, but this is all hearsay of course.

I looked up at Eragon who was watching me with a carefully neutral expression. I patiently waited for him to say something. He didn't, he just kept staring at me. My fingers tightened around my book as I stared right back. I was not going to be the first one to break the silence. Our stare down was broken by Saphira landing close enough next to us that the wind blew the skirt of my dress back. This seemed to shake Eragon out of his silence.

"Saphira told me the two of you talked."

"Yes."

"And that I should explain my behavior to you."

"Yes, that would be great, and they say it's always females that overcomplicate things," I muttered grumpily.

That managed to tug a fleeting smile out of him.

My last thought was, so much for my list.

A/N Look, another update, and it's longer! Just a reminder, events are happening out of order or new ones are being added in so this is I suppose, an AU. A thank you to: Claret Tho, Dead-grace, , Vivi-ntvg, green angel01, Guest, Guest, Phoenix-Magic, and TheBloodyMadQueen for leaving a review. I do read all of them and them and they make my day. To answer Guest's question (the second one who reviewed) no, there will not be smut in this story. A big thank you to all those who have followed/favorited this story.