Roran let out a heavy sigh as the ship carrying Eragon vanished in the first bend of the river, obscured it in the dark night. Emotion eating at his stomach, he turned away and walked toward Thorn and Murtagh. Roughly he said, "Well, he's gone. Are we leaving?"

Nodding, Murtagh jumped into the saddle, and Roran handed the chest up before settling in behind him. Thorn's claws made large gashes in the ground as he took off, flapping his wings. As they rose above the tree tops, Roran looked back to the river and could see two glimmering shapes in the air and a small dot in the blue river below.

The last few moments with Eragon had almost been too much for Roran to handle. He had tried to tell himself that he would be ready when Eragon went to leave but the truth was, he hadn't been. Closing his eyes, Roran tried to focus on something else.

In a few short days he would be with the rest of the remaining villagers from Carvahall. Together they would return to Palancar Valley and begin rebuilding the town that had been destroyed by the Ra'zac.

The trees below sailed past, and after watching them for a moment or so, Roran realized that he was exhausted. He had enjoyed the parting feast King Orik had thrown for Eragon. It was the first time Roran had eaten the Nagran and he found them delicious. But in all the excitement he hadn't gotten as much sleep as he would have liked.

No matter. I'll have time after we get to Ellesmera, he thought.

Roran jumped as Murtagh's hair brushed against his face when the wind shifted suddenly. Despite Eragon's reassurances, Roran still felt uneasy around Murtagh and riding with him was slightly unnerving. Since they captured Uru'baen, Roran had been keeping a careful eye on both Murtagh and Thorn, although he never saw anything suspicious. But he continued to watch; it was better to be safe.

Flying back to Ellesmera was much faster than taking a ship for half of the journey and they arrived around the time the sun began to shine over the large forest of Du Weldenvarden. Thorn landed in the same clearing Firnen had the first time Roran had set eyes on Ellesmera. After unbuckling his legs, Murtagh jumped to the ground heavily and turned back around to watch as Roran did the same.

When his feet touched the ground, Roran groaned. His body was sore, his hand hurt, and he was feeling very irritable.

Murtagh looked at him with a questioning face. "Are you okay?"

"Yes. Just a little sore, that's all. Nothing sleep and time can't cure," replied Roran.

After nodding, Murtagh began to unstrap the chest that was attached to Thorn's saddle.

Once the chest was free he asked, "Would you like me to carry this for you?" in a friendly tone. Roran looked at the chest and then thought about his hand. It wouldn't be wise to strain the wound so soon after receiving it but, he begrudged accepting help from Murtagh.

"I suppose. I'd rather not open the scab," he replied.

"Aye, that would be foolish," said Murtagh with a nod of his head.

They began walking toward Tialdari hall where Roran knew Katrina was still staying, waiting for his return. He was anxious to get into the large bed that had been given to them during their stay and recover the sleep he lost during the trip.

As he reached the door Roran could hear Ismira's loud cries and Katrina speaking to her in gentle tones. A sense of peace stole over him as opened the door and walked in. He was with his family once again and they were safe.

When Katrina saw him she brightened and then said, "You're back!" When she saw Murtagh come in behind Roran she said, "Murtagh! Would you like a cup of tea?" Katrina held no ill feelings toward either Thorn or Murtagh as she had not seen the destruction they had wreaked during the war. It was only natural, Roran knew, but he worried it might lead her to throw caution to the way side.

Shaking his head, Murtagh said, "No, I have requested a meeting with Kind Dathedr to speak with him concerning the protection of the eggs, and I must leave now if I'm going to be on time." After gently setting the chest down on the floor he turned to Katrina and said, "But thank you."

"Your welcome," said Katrina, before looking down at the chest. "What is that, Roran?"

As the door closed behind Murtagh, Roran said, "Eragon gave us gold and gems. We'll use it to build our castle."

Katrina's eyes glistened. "That was kind of him."

"Aye."

A wave of emotion pasted over Roran as he relived his last moments with Eragon. Then he said, "I'm tired and sore. After a few hours of sleep I'll be able to think clearly again," and began making his way toward the bedroom that lay at the far end of the hall. As he walked past Katrina, he stopped and gave both her and Ismira a kiss on the head.

"See you in a while then," replied Katrina.

The sun was just setting as Roran awoke. The room was quiet as he left the warm blankets, but he could hear Katrina humming a lullaby to Ismira through the closed door.

Once he left the room he went straight for the bowl of fruits that sat on the small wooden table. Roran wasn't sure he liked eating fruits for every meal but they still tasted refreshing to his dry throat. He turned to Katrina as she continued to hum.

"I'm glad we visited Ellesmera," he said before popping a large blackberry into his mouth.

"It's so beautiful," replied Katrina with excitement. "We'll have to include some of the designs to our castle."

"Do you need any help packing up before we leave tomorrow morning?" Murtagh would be coming at sunrise to take them to meet the remaining villagers of Carvahall where they traveled toward Palancar Valley. From there, Roran and Katrina would continue with the villagers for the rest of the trip.

"No, I have everything already taken care of."

"What did you do while I was gone?"

"An elf named, Adare, showed me many new places. I even saw two elf children and a werecat named Maud," said Katrina with evident pleasure.

"Only two elf children?"

"Adare said that elves don't have children very often and so they are very special."

"Hmm."

They continued to talk as the light outside faded into the deep dark of night. After the sun went down completely, they went to bed, excited about what the next day would bring.

Loud flapping sounds came from outside Tialdari hall, and Roran got up from where he was sitting at the table, finished with his breakfast.

"Are you ready?" he asked Katrina.

She nodded. "Our bags are in that corner," she said, and gestured with her finger in the direction of the corner closest to the door.

Roran saw a pile of three bags placed neatly in a row. Walking over, he picked them up one by one and strode for the door. Katrina gathered the still sleeping Ismira into her arms and followed him.

Once outside, Roran saw Murtagh adjusting the saddle while Thorn watched intently. Looking over his shoulder, Murtagh said, "I hope we aren't to late. I had to give the two eggs to the care of the elves. Dathedr chose to protect them and it took longer than I anticipated."

"No, you're timing was perfect," said Roran as he handed Murtagh the three bags.

Coming up behind them, Katrina said, "It's a beautiful morning for traveling." And it was. The sky was clear and the temperature was pleasant.

And the wind will be at our back, said Thorn with enthusiasm saturating his mental voice. Roran had become accustomed to hearing the thoughts of dragons during his time in Ellesmera. When he, Eragon, Arya, Katrina, and Murtagh had gone sightseeing around the city, the dragons would accompany them as well, and would often add their own thoughts during a conversation. It had startled Roran the first few times, but it slowly became a normal event.

Murtagh turned to Katrina and offered to hold Ismira while she mounted Thorn. Katrina agreed and Roran helped her climb onto Thorn.

As Murtagh handed Ismira up to Katrina he said, "She's very beautiful."

"Thank you," replied Katrina with pride.

After Roran had settled behind Katrina, Murtagh mounded Thorn and buckled himself into the saddle. With a light pounce Thorn flapped his wings and they rose off the ground. And so they began their journey, flying in the general direction of Palancar Valley, where they would soon come across the traveling villagers.

After almost three days of flying, Roran saw a long line of people, animals, and wagons in the distance. The sunlight caught the weapons the men carried and created a twinkling sight. Roran saw Thorn reposition his wings and felt the change that came in the wind. At just a few hundred feet above the ground, Thorn's scales sent jittering splashes of color over the earth. The red dots made Roran feel dizzy, so he looked back at the group of people ahead.

When they heard the dragon approaching everyone in the procession paused and looked back at them. Thorn landed several thousand feet away so as not to scare the already frightened animals more than necessary.

Roran dismounted and then turned to take Ismira from Katrina while she got out of the saddle. Once she was safely on the ground, Roran turned to Murtagh and said, "Thank you for the ride."

"You are welcome," he replied. "Thorn and I are glad to be of service."

Thorn brought his snout down to Roran and touched him on the brow. It was something Roran had seen Saphira do to others but, he never had been on the receiving end. Having Thorn so close to his head made him nervous, and he tensed, but didn't move.

Goodbye, Eragon-Murtagh's-cousin, he said before turning to Katrina and doing the same.

"Goodbye," said Katrina as she patted Thorn's scaly cheek with her one free hand.

Thorn hummed deeply and Murtagh raised his hand in farewell. Roran raised his own hand in return and Thorn turned around and began making his way in the opposite direction of the village. With three strong flaps of his wings, the red dragon became airborne and flew northward, where Roran had heard the Urgals lived in the Spine.

Crossing the last thousand feet, Roran called out when he saw Horst. "How have you fared?"

Horst clapped Roran in the shoulder and said, "We've had a few setbacks but, nothing that could stop us."

Using the ideas he had thought of while visiting Ellesmera, Roran began to sketch out some plans on a scrap piece of paper. When he was finished he held the paper at arms length and began to examine his handiwork. It looked exactly as he wanted it to and a sense of pride crept over him. On the opposite side of the paper he wrote out a rough estimate of all the number of supplies he would need and what he thought they would cost.

He heard Katrina and Elain in the other room as they prepared the evening meal. Hope and Ismira squealed with pleasure as Baldor shook a gourd filled with beans, laughing at his antics.

In the few months after arriving in Palancar Valley the villagers had managed to build several houses and remain in high spirits as well. The work made Roran feel useful and it was good to see progress in rebuilding his childhood home. As soon as the town was complete, Roran would begin building his castle on the hill.

After scratching out the last line of numbers Roran stood from the bed he was sitting on and set the paper on the night stand beside him. Then he made his way toward the kitchen.

Once he ate dinner he planned to go back out with Baldor and Albriech to help set the floor in the house that would be Gertrude's. Early on in their trip back to Palancar Valley, Roran had decided he would help build Carvahall along with what where now his subjects. Just because he was an earl didn't mean he was above hard labor and he wanted the villagers to understand this through his example.

Only twenty more houses needed to be built and Roran was confidant they would have them finished by the end of the summer. Especially, if everyone kept going the way there were.

As Roran entered the hot kitchen, smells of warm bread and hot soup hit his nostrils and he took a deep breath.

"Mmm. Smells good," he said. Elain and Katrina looked in his direction and smiled.

"Did you finish you design?" asked Baldor from where he sat on the floor with Hope and Ismira who were playing on a large knitted blanket.

"Yes. And we'll have more than enough money to cover the cost. Eragon's gift was beyond what we could have asked for," replied Roran as he sat down at the table that was in the middle of the room. Fisk had immediately been put to work when they arrived in Palancar Valley with the instructions to build as many tables, chairs, beds, and end tables as he could. It had saved them much inconvenience and Roran was glad they had a capable carpenter with them.

"As soon as everyone in Palancar Valley has a house we'll begin building the castle," continued Roran. "The stores can be built next year."

"Can you go find your father and Albriech, Baldor?" asked Elain as she poured the steaming soup into a wooden bowl. "Dinner will be ready soon. I think they are on the south end of Carvahall."

"Yes mother," he replied, setting the gourd down beside Ismira as he rose. Roran went over to the blanket where the two infants lay and knelt beside them as he heard the door close behind Baldor.

Hope's face looked perfect, and despite the fact that Roran knew she had been born with a cleft lip, he could hardly believe it. If anyone without the knowledge saw her, they could have never guessed it.

Looking into his eyes with excitement, Ismira squealed again. Roran laughed and picked the gourd up and shook it, making the beans inside dance. The action generated another round of noise from the infants.

"It never seems to grow old for them," said Katrina as she set two steaming bowls of soup onto the table.

"No, it doesn't," laughed Roran. He continued to play with Hope and Ismira until Baldor came back to the house with Horst and Albriech in tow. Once they were inside, Elain came and scooped Hope into her arms, as did Katrina with Ismira. Gathering around the table, everyone began to eat the bread and soup with vigor.

In between bites, Horst said, "After we lay the floors in Gertrude's house we'll only have to hang the doors and it will be finished. Who's house will we start next?"

Roran thought for a minute before saying, "Felda has been staying with Birgit. I think it's time we start her house."

Horst nodded and bit another chunk of bread off of the piece that was in his hand.

They continued to talk abut various villagers who still needed a home and decided upon who needed a house the most, while finishing their food.

Once the meal was over, Roran, Horst, Albriech, and Baldor went out into the heat of the hot setting sun. For the rest of the evening they labored with other men in the village to lay the floor down in Gertrude's house. By the time the sun set they had finished a large majority of the floor and had about a ten by ten foot area left to lay.

"Good work men," said Roran as everyone began to put away the tools required for the job. "Tomorrow we'll finish the floor and hang the doors. Be here by dawn."

"Yes, Stronghammer," replied various men from where they were.

Satisfied, Roran turned and made his way back to the house. His hammer had come in handy, and he was glad to be using it for a less violent end. Building, and not killing, was more his cup of tea, he decided.

"Hand me up the last plank, Baldor," said Roran as he balanced his weight on the semi-steep roof of the main portion that would be his home. Since the last house had been erected a month ago, Roran had focused solely on building the castle he and Katrina, along with Ismira would live in. The men of the village helped extensively in the building of the stone wall that surrounded the top of the hill, as well as the stone building that lay in the center.

Today, as the sun stood high in the late fall sky, Roran had enlisted the help of Baldor and Albriech as they roofed the building. Two days ago the men of the village had helped Roran built the tresses across the top of the completed four stone walls.

As Baldor lifted the plank above his head, he said, "Father said the tower on the right hand corner of the surrounding wall is going up without much trouble. They should have it finished by the end of the week."

"Good," Roran grunted as he grasped the plank and set it in place. In addition to building a tall wall around the top of the hill, Roran also wished to have four towers on the corners to ensure they could better defend themselves should a threat arise.

With a skin of water, Albriech strode over to stand by Baldor. He looked up at where Roran was and said in a loud voice, "Two people have been spotted riding toward Carvahall. Father is gathering a group of men to meet them and wants to know if you'll accompany them."

Roran tensed. No one had bothered them since they got to Palancar Valley earlier in the year. Who could it be? he wondered.

Shoving his hammer into his belt and starting down the ladder that leaned against the side of the stone wall he said, "I'll come."

Magic would be handy in a situation like this, he thought. It frustrated him that he didn't have that ability no matter how hard he tried. Just use your brains like you always have.

"Are they armed?" he asked Albriech when his feet touch the ground.

"Not from what we can tell, but I'm sure they have a dagger hidden somewhere at least. They would be foolish if they didn't." replied Albriech.

Roran thought as much. If people didn't look dangerous they most likely had something up their sleeves. Hopefully, they can't use magic and don't mean us harm, thought Roran. But that was best case scenario. Better not get his hopes up just yet.

"Well, lets go see what they intend," he said, looking toward Baldor and Albriech.

It took them only a few minutes to reach the center of Carvahall where Horst, along with twenty other men, stood with weapons in hand.

Roran went up to Horst and said, "I think it would be best if you took ten of the men to the right hand of the road, while Albriech takes the other ten to the left. I'll walk until I come face to face with the men and ask what their business is here. If they attack me, we'll have the element of surprise and you can close in around them."

Nodding, Horst began to shout orders to the men. Roran ran to the house he and Katrina were still sharing with Elain and Horst to retrieve his mail hauberk. He had a few minutes before going to meet the men so that Horst and Albriech would have time to get their men into position.

When he reached the house he opened the door and was met by Katrina who had a worried expression on her face.

"What's going on?" she asked with concern.

He walked past her and into the room where his hauberk lay in a box under their bed. As he stepped through the door he said, "Two men are on their way to Carvahall. We are going to intercept them as a precaution."

He took his belt off and set it on the floor, the hammer making a dull noise as it touched the wood. Reaching under the bed, he pulled the box out and lifted the hauberk into the air shaking it to let the rings fall into place. Once he slipped it over his head and retied the belt around his waist, he turned to Katrina.

She looked tense but only nodded and said, "Be careful."

"I will be," he replied and kissed her on the cheek. "Don't worry about me."

With that, he walked out of the house and made his way to the road that led out of Carvahall. As he left the gate he heard the large wooden door begin to creak as they shut behind him. Good. Horst had taken extra precautions.

The walk gave Roran the time he needed to think of a plan and bring his beating heart to a slower pace. After about a mile, Roran saw two figures atop horses, distant but coming closer at an even speed.

When he was a few hundred feet away from the men, he raised his hand and said, "Ho there! What brings you to Carvahall?"

The shorter man on the right, lifted his hand as well and replied, "Business of Queen Nasuada!"

As they got closer, Roran could see that each man carried a bag on his shoulder and that they were clean shaven though dusty from the dirt on the road.

Their lack of beards reminded Roran of Eragon and how he used magic to shave himself. The realization sent a pang of worry though his body. They can probably use magic.

When the men stood ten feet in front of him, they dismounted and led their horse to stand before him. Roran folded his arms across his chest and said, "What kind of business?"

"Are you Roran Stronghammer, earl of Palancar Valley?" asked the plump man to the left in a kind tone.

In a commanding voice Roran answered, "I am. What of it?" In the corner of his eye Roran could see Albriech to the right of the shorter man, hidden in the cluster of trees which stood to the right of the road.

"Stronghammer, we are the two magicians Queen Nasuada chose to govern this area. With your permission, we would like to enter Carvahall and take up our position." The shorter man seemed genuine, but Roran wasn't about to let two spellcasters into Carvahall without more information, if he could help it. Nasuada had told him of her plans to govern magicians and he knew she would be sending someone to fulfill her plan soon but, he had no idea of knowing if these two men really were commissioned by her.

"How do I know you aren't lying to me?" demanded Roran in the most powerful voice he could muster.

"We have papers from Queen Nasuada, and if that isn't enough, we'll swear to you in the ancient language of our duties."

Roran waved his hand dismissively and said, "I can't understand the ancient language, nor can anyone else here. For all we know, you could be lying to us. But, let us see these papers."

Immediately both men pulled out a scroll from each of their chests, hidden among their clothes. The action relaxed Roran slightly as it seemed they weren't afraid to show him the information.

But then a thought hit Roran- he couldn't read the papers regardless of how fast they handed them over. For all he knew they could very well be a lie as well. He mentally cursed his stupidity. It had always been his intention to learn how to read after his discussion with Nasuada but he had never gotten around to it, and now he wished he had. What with the trip back to Palancar Valley and the work required, he had forgotten about his resolve almost completely. And now it was too late.

His mind raced as he took the papers from the men and looked at them. The scribbles, he knew were letters, meant nothing to him.

Instinct was the only thing left to him. Looking at the paper, he could see that it was of high quality. Roran tried to think back to when he was in Nasuada's tent. The paper there had looked similar to what he now held. He noticed that the paper he held was slightly battered. A good sign considering how far the spellcasters would have rode from Ilirea.

Then an idea struck him, but it made him nervous as he had never done anything like it before. But there was no time to worry about it. And it was the only way he could think of to know for sure if the magicians were really from Nasuada.

"Show me your memories of Nasuada's orders and your trip here. I don't trust the papers enough to allow you into Carvahall," Roran said, hoping with all his heart that his voice didn't betray the nervousness he felt.

"As you wish, Stronghammer. Please open your mind to ours and we will show you," replied the plump man on the left.

Panic weld up inside Roran. What if he couldn't fend them off should they chose to attack?

What if-

No. He must not think of anything right now. If he was going to allow them into his mind, he had to stay calm or they would sense his fear. Taking a deep breath, Roran nodded at the spellcasters and then said, "I am ready."

Roran slowly let the barriers down in his mind and he felt a tendril of thought and knew it was coming from the man on the left, the shorter one. A torrent of thoughts races through Roran's mind as he relived the man's memories, Nasuada's orders and all that he had felt or thought during the long ride. Once the spellcaster retreated back to his own mind, another mental voice touched Roran. The plump man's memories were similar to the short man's but, with a slightly different outlook.

After they were finished, Roran had no doubt that they really had come from Ilirea with the intention of fulfilling their duty to Nasuada. And he felt much better about letting them into Carvahall.

"Thank you," he said. "You can't be too careful, even if Galbatorix is dead."

"We agree, Stronghammer," the short man replied. "Are you convinced?"

"Yes. You may enter Carvahall."

The men mounted their horses again and the shorter man said, "My name is Tranerg."

"And mine is Fornr," said the plump man. "Is there a good inn you could recommend?"

Roran couldn't help himself from laughing out loud. "We don't have an inn yet. We only just built homes for everyone."

The two magicians looked at him curiously.

"You haven't heard what happened to Carvahall have you?" Roran asked with a smile on his face.

"No, Stronghammer."

"Well, let me tell you then," he answered and began to tell the two spellcasters about all that had happened in Carvahall and to it's people as they made their way toward the city gates. Horst, Albriech, Baldor, and the twenty men with them, fell in behind the horses and listened as Roran recounted the story of their flight and return.