Here we go guys, not that long of a wait for this one. Hope you enjoy!
Also today is Remembrance Day, let us remember those who served our countries in war and died for us. Their bravery is something to look up to, they faced war so that we may have freedom. They gave their lives for our countries, they fought for us. Lest We Forget.
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'Bob old writer'- Yes there is a lot of implication behind those words. I don't think many people have picked up just how serious it is either. Glad you are liking this story :)
? ? ? ? P.O.V (Not the same as the previous one who had 3 question marks, 3 and 4 are a way to tell the characters apart)
Before him was an endless field, stretching as far as the eye could see. People wandered aimlessly about, trying to find a way out. Some fell to the ground and cried and screamed for death to claim them, end their suffering and take them away from this nightmare of a place.
And it truly was a form of torture, the people here felt an endless hunger and thirst that could not be quenched. He eyed the surroundings from under his dark hood. Only his glowing eyes could be seen.
"Come forth and show yourself to me." He called out, his powerful echoed across the landscape.
The ground began to tremble and a skeleton rose from the ground, it climbed out, a dark misty shadow held the skeleton together. Red glowing eyes appeared in the sockets of the skull. It opened its mouth and looked at him.
"Why are you here?" Its raspy voice said.
"Come now, we both know the reason. Don't act dumb with me." He replied.
The red eyes studied him for a moment before it snapped its fingers and two throne like chairs appeared. The skeleton sat in one and gestured from him to sit in the other.
"I thought you might come." It said.
"I have informed the troubled man of the darkness that comes. Is it true, has the Nameless One returned?" He asked slightly worried.
"Yes, it has returned to fulfil the prophecy spoken long ago. To do the only thing it knows how." The skeleton replied.
"I don't understand, how could this happen?"
"There are things we will never understand but know this, our time was not always infinite. Soon the Nameless One will destroy the world and make it his realm for the spirits."
"So what would become of us?"
"The question is what will become of you and the others? I am fine, my essence is death itself. I will always live on, my soul on another plain of existence." The skeleton said to him.
"I suppose I should have suspected as much from you. Always the cunning bastard aren't you brother?" He said.
The skeleton gave him a glare, "Make no mistake, I will be affected in my own way. My hold on everything will collapse gradually until I have no power at all. I am locked in conflict constantly with the Nameless One, for it is he that governs the spirits and their travels but yet so do I. You and the others however are doomed, you'll cease to exist or if you're lucky, be weakened to such an extent that you will be a slave to the Nameless One."
"Weakened?"
"Yes, for he does have living minions. He is not alone, if there is one thing he keeps, it is his word. He has promised the races of the world will bow before his prophets and servants and they shall be granted revenge."
He sat in his chair, deep in thought.
"We can't do anything can we?"
The skeleton shook his head, "No, we can only sit back and wait. None of us can physically enter the realm. Only the Nameless One can enter as he is the gatekeeper between realms but even he must get willing consent for possession."
"He is your son. You must have some power over him." The skeleton sent him a murderous stare.
"He is not my son, he is powerful beyond measure and will destroy us all. I can't control what I have no dominion over. I may control spirits but nowhere near the same extent as him. I also do not have power over the travelling of the spirits because of what he did to me."
"So we must leave everything up to the young ones?"
"Yes, it is their destiny to fall before or rise above him. You know this, so why bother asking?" The skeleton asked.
"Just had to make sure, I must leave brother, farewell." He said standing up and went to walk away.
"Brother." He paused and turned back to the skeleton.
"I doubt we will have another opportunity to talk like this. From the glimpses seen in the future, try to help the young ones make the right decisions, I don't like the idea of my son killing us all. I want them to be able to stand a chance."
"You want your full powers back as well though, don't you brother?" He asked, the skeleton remained silent.
"I'll do my best." He said and left. The skeleton turned to dust as his brother's essence left also.
Evelin P.O.V
It had been two weeks of training the Rider. And he was very quick to pick up on the techniques required to be a master of stealth. The sun shone brightly in the market place. The objective for Lorgon was to not be seen by her and to sneak up and put a blade to her throat.
She took up the persona of a merchant selling precious jewels. Diamonds and sapphires along with every other type of valuable jewel were lined up at her stall. She was going with the hiding in plain sight approach, she guessed that Lorgon would not expect her to draw attention to herself.
It played with the mind, now it was a test of time to see if he would recognize her and she him. A few hours passed, nothing had happened, she just continued about her business and sold jewels to rich people. She was getting slightly nervous from her shop, she had no idea where the Rider was or what was taking him so long. Maybe she underestimated him, patience is a key component of stealth and trying to hunt down your prey.
That's when she saw it, a quick movement in the corner of her while she was helping to serve a nobleman. She slipped her hand down into her clothes and slowly gripped the handle on her knife, ready for any attack that come her way.
She finished selling a diamond for a high price with the noble. She shifted her body to make it look like she was attending to a part of her store when she was really scanning the crowd for something or someone that was out of place. A frowned cross her features when she found nothing unusual.
"Excuse me." A voice said. She turned to find a handsome looking noble dressed in bright red clothes.
"How much for this diamond you have here?" He asked her and gestured to a big bright diamond, perfectly cut from every angle. Worth a fortune.
"That is two thousand gold pieces." She said, she watched him reach into his pocket but something was off. She stared at him and saw that his eyes were a familiar chocolate brown, those eyes belonged to him! She was too late, the man pulled out a knife and held it to her throat. Slowly his appearance changed and his facial features morphed back into his original features. Lorgon stood before her with a smirk on his face.
"I think I did pretty well, don't you agree?" He said and took off all of the fancy clothing to reveal tight black pants along with a black shirt with a hood attached. He wore those clothes a lot and they suited him, dark and assassin like.
"Very well. I was not expecting you to try a direct confrontation."
"I was not expecting you to be in the rich section of the market selling jewels." She smiled a little, so she did throw him off with her persona. She let her features morph back to their originality. Her blue eyes changed back to her lovely violet.
"What now?" He asked.
"You'll be leaving fairly soon, I believe you have the skills to survive an attack from a superior foe. So I suggest you do what you like. You earned a break from training constantly. Besides, I have to report back to her majesty the Queen and inform her of your progress. Farewell Lorgon." She felt a spike in his emotions, sadness, why was that? She ignored it and made her way to the castle.
Everything went well, Nasuada was happy that Lorgon wasn't helpless. Given his current training regime, she failed to see what all the fuss was about.
The Rider was an formidable swordsman, adept at magic and his knowledge of the world around him was expansive thanks to Angela and her teachings. And finally, she had him hone his craft of stealth and deception. He was a good weapon, but now he was refined and sharpened to become the envy of all those who stared.
A strange metaphor but true none the less. And after his final training with Eragon and learning the secrets of the Riders, he would be unstoppable by normal means. It made her scared that such a person who was already powerful would only continue to grow. She guessed that he would become one of the most powerful Riders to have ever lived but only with time would that happen.
Yet she felt uneasy around him, he was attractive and pleasant company, no doubt but his mind seemed… wrong. His emotions were raging a battle and his willpower crumbled sometimes, leaving a blank Lorgon staring off into the distance.
Her fears might just be irrational but still the feeling lingered. She had seen broken men before, and he seemed to have that look, broken. A broken man was a dangerous man.
She had seen it before. People with nothing to live for, they fought and gave their all, they didn't let pain bother them, the only thing that mattered was the deaths of those around them, to fight on. And why wouldn't they? They considered their lives unimportant enough to throw into any danger and face it to their last breath.
While a man that fights for something wouldn't give it his absolute all, he would make sure that he survived, for what was the point of dying if the cause you gave your life for dies with you? What was the point in fighting so hard to have your life taken from you and your fighting rendered useless, pointless?
Pain slows them down, they take notice and avoid anything that could slow them down. They survive because dying for what they believe in wouldn't help. There are times when people sacrifice themselves for the good of everyone and their cause but most men would avoid death if they could. Yes, broken men were the most dangerous kind of men.
Her train of thought was broken when she accidently bumped into Arya in the corridor.
"Forgive me Queen Arya, I did not see you there." She said and bowed. Arya motioned for her to rise and she looked at the elven Queen to find her holding a large bag. Strange, what was in it? And she felt strangely drawn to it. Arya stared with impassive eyes but her sixth sense sensed her emotions deep down, curiosity.
"It is fine, nothing to forgive, accidents happen. You are Evelin are you not? Nasuada's personal guard?" She questioned. She simply nodded.
"You remind me of someone."
"Elva?"
"Yes, how did you know?" Arya asked still with an impassive face yet her emotions showed surprise.
"Elva looks a bit like me. I have ran into her on numerous occasions and we get along."
Emerald eyes showed a spark of interest, "Is it because of an ability you have?"
"Yes milady. My powers are similar to Elva's in a way. I am not sure how I got them but I am able to see people's emotions, feelings and basic thoughts. Elva can see if people mean to hurt you and get glimpse of the future, similar but not quite the same." Arya's face was impassive yet an emotion stirred within her, same one as before yet it felt more challenging, curiousity.
"You are interested in more abilities and wish to know if they actually work even on a guarded mind. The answer is yes milady but to an extent." She said. The Queen of the Elves nodded and studied her.
"Quite impressive, I am surprised to find the rumours were true. An ability like that is a curse and yet a blessing. A powerful tool, I have no doubt that you know to use it wisely."
"I use it mostly when I have to. If you don't mind me asking milady, what is in the bag?" Arya had a very guarded expression.
"What do you feel towards the Empire and what are your thoughts on this bag before me?" Strange question. Though she could see it was a test, Arya didn't fully trust an assassin. Not that she could blame her, that was her job, build up false trust and use it against targets.
"I have given an oath to protect the Empire from tyranny, whether it comes from the royal family itself or an outside source. And the bag stirs interesting feelings and urges. I feel drawn to the bad or whatever is inside." She said in the Ancient Language.
Arya smiled a little and gave a small nod for her to walk with her.
"That is good to hear, sorry for me misplacing my trust but as an assassin, I have to be on guard for this is a very precious object. For inside contains a dragon egg." Her eyes widened a bit.
She felt the same feeling inside of her, the need to touch the egg. She pushed it down and continued to follow Arya until they reached her quarters.
The queen placed the bag on the table. She removed the material to reveal a deep orange egg, she felt drawn to it, as an animal would to food. She didn't even notice Arya watching her instinctive actions as she reached forward and let her fingers glide along the surface of the smooth dragon egg.
"It's beautiful." She whispered.
"Yes, a thing of beauty and a symbol of hope." Arya said. She removed her hand and went to stand. The queen watching her every move with trained eyes.
"It was an honour to talk to you milady but I must leave now."
"Wait." She called, Evelin stopped and raised a brow, "Don't go just yet, please stay a few hours, I wish to see something."
She found the request strange but did as she was asked. Silence crept in, an awkward yet relaxing silence. She didn't dare break it, Arya was a queen of one of the most powerful races and their customs were not all known to her, she didn't want to risk offending the queen.
She sat there not moving, not saying a word for a few hours while Arya just stared between her and the egg, also not saying a word. The moon was beginning to rise and yet no one had spoken a single syllable.
She was about to bid the queen goodnight and leave as her patience was thinning. Just then a cracking sound echoed around the room. She turned her head to the orange egg and found the dragon breaking free, sending shards of the shell across the room.
The little orange creature scanned its surroundings before its eyes settled on her. She was shocked and her breath taken away, a dragon had chosen her! In the corner of her eye, she found Arya smiling.
"I thought so, I must say, a strange match. Violet and orange." She said more to herself.
Evelin stepped forward and reached out with her left hand, the snout of the dragon touched her palm and a refreshing pain shot through her.
"I'm one of them. I'm a Rider!" She thought to herself as she stared at the oval shaped scar that sat in the middle of her hand.
"The Riders of old are returning to their former glory once more." Arya said with a smile.
Lorgon P.O.V
The wind rushed past him and he felt at peace while listening to the beat of Aver's mighty wings. His partner flew up to the top of the overhanging cliff that loomed above the city, it was quite a long way up. Aver landed and he did a flip off of his back.
"Show off." Aver snorted. He smiled and gave a bow.
"Just trying to maintain shape."
Aver blew a ring of smoke into his face and caused him to start coughing and gagging. Aver make a rumbling noise, laughter. He sent a glare at the massive dragon.
But he was happy, he had felt so angry and dark recently, it was nice to get away from it all. He felt uneasy, it was like transforming into a monster, he knew that his will and power would be tested to the breaking point and he was determined not to give in, not to let his dark side take him over.
Aver sat down beside him and they both watched the full moon and the stars. The twinkling lights in the sky shone brightly this night and the moon seemed closer than ever.
"Ever wondered what is beyond the sky?" He asked. Aver snaked his around to look at him.
"Times come and go where I think about the mysteries of our world."
"I'll take that as a yes." He said with a light chuckle.
"But what do you think is beyond the sky?"
"Perhaps another realm? Another plain of existence where the gods reside. Or maybe another world like ours? It is hard to say. But I think the real question is, will we ever find out?" Aver said. He lifted his head to the sky and let out a roar, "That was a promise, we will find out one day what is beyond the skies. Whether it be what we can see or not, we shall find out one day, together."
He smiled and had a lied down on the ground. He stared at the moon, it was a thing of wonder. True beauty that no one could hope to compare with.
"I would like that, to finally know for sure what is really out there, to the stars and beyond." He said.
They sat there, enjoying each other's company. Training had kept them sharp and on their toes but left them no room to just build their relationship. The times were few and far in between when they could just be with each other like a Dragon and Rider should.
"Lorgon." Aver said, he looked at the brown dragon beside him, "Are you afraid?"
Confusion crossed his features, "Afraid? What do you mean?"
Aver shifted a little, a sign that he was uncomfortable and the feeling was also carried across their link, "About your future, about who you are will become? I have seen your thoughts as you are my partner and darkness is stirring within you."
"I am afraid, I'm terrified on the inside. Only a few months ago I was but a normal boy, learning his father's trade to make a living. I was kind and caring to those I came across but now? I feel the need for blood, the need to smash Yuvöst's head into a wall and pound his skull into the dirt until it cracks under my onslaught. My thoughts turn dark and I find myself wearing an impassive face so that my emotions cannot be seen. I grow angry quickly and my thoughts and emotions go all over the place. I'm scared that I will one day blow up and someone will get hurt. I may not show it or feel it but I am scared, more scared than I have been in my entire life, I am no longer who I used to be and who I will be has yet to be decided." He said and rested himself against Aver's warm belly.
"I understand. Our lives change in the blink of an eye, I felt happier or had happier thoughts before our home was destroyed and our family killed. I want to skin Yuvöst alive and make him pay for what he had done to us, change the very being of who we are. I'm proud that you can admit your fears. Know that I am here for you, as long we are together, there is no need to be afraid."
"You always know exactly what to say don't you?" He said and continued to star at the moon and flickering stars.
"I always know how to comfort my partner of heart and soul." Aver said.
They continued to gaze at the stars until they both slowly started to fall asleep, both at peace with each other's presence, as it was always meant to be, Rider and Dragon, together.