A/N- Hey guys! Here's a treat! Slightly longer chapter and pretty quick too! All thanks to the talented ReviewMaster52497, who has helped this update come much MUCH sooner than usual :D

Anyway, Hope you like it!

Chapter 11- Gifts

Arya

Arya let Firnen work hard at his gift for the Agaeti Blodhren all throughout the evening, while she stayed in Tialdari hall, overlooking the beautification of the royal palace. She could not bear the insufferable servitude and subjugation that her people treated her with. Every guest that had come from near and far, all had knelt before her and were unable to look her in the eye, no matter how old or wise they were. Rhunon-elda had merely bowed, but even she had not looked her in the eye. They are afraid of me, but he was not. She thought to herself. But he did not know who I was. What does that matter? He is still like nothing I have ever seen before. Neither rider nor elf.

She decided she had to meet him before the celebration, otherwise he would vanish. Of that, she was sure. He did not seem the type to partake in the celebrations. Why is he actually here?

"My queen?"

She was broken from her thoughts by the spellcaster kneeling before her. "Blodhgarm, do not kneel. Speak."

"Iduna and Neya wish to speak to you." The caretakers.

"Let them in."

Serenity. That was what the twin caretakers usually portrayed an image of. Peace and power. When they entered, however, they had panic on their faces. They greeted Arya as custom and quickly began to undress, revealing the iridescent dragon tattooed across their skin. Before she could question the purpose of this, they spoke. "My queen, there is powerful sorcery at work The dragon senses this. The enchantment has awoken even before the celebration...!"

As they spoke, the rainbow dragon within their skin opened its eyes, shaking its whole body as if after a deep slumber. Arya's eyes widened as the spectral form of the arcane dragon broke free from their skin, spreading its wings above the throne upon which she sat. It looked into her eyes, and she felt goosebumps across her arms and a chill went down her spine. The memories of the race of dragons in living form, awoken every hundred years, at the time of the blood oath.

It hummed with power, moving forward towards her, and she nearly flinched. Iduna and Neya were on their knees, heads bowing down in reverence. Reverence to whom?

The dragon lifted its front limb, long claw outstretched and pointing towards her. It brought the claw down slowly near her, touching her forehead. A burst of magic echoed around the hall, and Arya gasped out as images flew through her mind. Its...beautiful. A rose in bloom. The moon as it waxed and waned. The growth of the Menoa tree, from a sapling to a giant. She felt life. Velvet fabric beneath her. Deep brown eyes like pools of molten bronze. The soft touch of lips upon hers.

The smell of rose and petrichor permeated through her nostrils, enhancing the visual poetry with an additional sense. Her hands dug into the throne, leaving dents.

The images turned dark. A bronzed hair elf stood within ruins, his sword alight with black flames, devastation around him. She gasped out as he lifted the sword, about to attack her with it. She could not see his face, but his eyes glowed a sickly orange, and looked broken.

The heat from his sword grew unbearable as he raised it above her menacingly, the moment before he made contact, however, he vanished, leaving her staring at a new scene. She knew this place, though it looked unfamiliar. A massive city, rocks overhanging above it. Suddenly, there was a blinding white light that radiated from the overhang, followed by a concussive blast of sound. When the light cleared, she was sitting upon Firnen's back, circling a lone ship on the waters below them. Firnen uttered a mournful cry, and she felt an overwhelming amount of grief, sorrow, longing, and other emotions she could not, or would not, identify.

When Arya returned to her own body, she realized she had tears flowing down her face, and she quickly wiped them away, sniffing as she forced herself to regain control over her emotions. She knew what she had to present for the Agaeti Blodhren.

The twins panted as the magic returned to their bodies, the dragon still awake, albeit upon their skin. Arya stood up quite suddenly, flustered. "Please leave, Blodhgarm, Iduna, Neya"

Blodhgarm rose an eyebrow, but said nothing, as they bowed and exited the room, letting her contemplate. What did those visions mean? Why was I shown this? She remembered the elf with the flaming sword, ruins around him. It is a warning. Something is going to happen, and the dragon knows this.

What I will present for the celebration was shown to is a gift.

She held her hand up to her face. touching her lips softly, electricity still flowing through them at being touched by someone else's. She felt blood rush to her cheeks. It had been centuries since she had touched anyone but Firnen. It was as if magic itself had flown through her at that instant, and had set her body aflame. Suppressing her thoughts, she swallowed, her mouth dry and parched.

Firnen landed near the entrance of the room, looking through the doorway with a glowing eye. What happened, Arya?

She took a deep breath, walking towards the doorway, and mounted up on the dragon's back. Let us go home, I will explain as we fly.

Eragon

Eragon! Saphira shouted into his subconscious, rousing him from his waking rest. Someone approaches.

Eragon muttered a mild oath, throwing the blankets off of him and quickly murmuring the spells of illusion to transform himself once more into Arucane. He straightened his tunic, and adjusted his belt when Saphira spoke again, As fine as you look, if you wait another ten seconds, our guest will not only see your great beauty, but also an enormous dragon sitting behind you. Her words were teasing, but urgent.

Eragon swore again, and a voice called out from just beneath the ledge of the cliff, "Who defiles this sacred place with such foul language?" Reprimanding himself mentally for being heard, Eragon wordlessly cloaked Saphira. Mere moments later, an elf rose up into his view, standing on nothing but air. The elf moved forward, llanding gracefully on the edge of the cliffs.

The elf, like so many others, rang a faint, hollow bell of recognition within Eragon's mind. A dim reminder that at one point, somewhere, Eragon his met this person before. His lustrous brown hair was short, tufty. He looked rather young for an elf, but his eyes bespoke an insight that many youth didn't possess. A black sword sheath was belted to his waist, his hand resting upon the pommel of the hilt. His other hand pointed at Eragon, and he asked, "Who are you, to presume entrance to the Crags of Tel'naeír? Do you seek to dishonor the memory of the great master who lived here? Or are you simply arrogant enough to believe that you may lay your head in any house you come across? This place is not for you to pollute, stranger."

Eragon smiled as Saphira's memories flowed into him. A brash young elf, determined to finish his training as quickly as any had ever done. His problem with patience had been the very reason that it took him a rather unusually long time to learn some of the more basic precepts of being a Rider. Often accusatory, though carefully polite. Eragon knew this elf. Mairon by name, hot-headed by nature.

He could feel Mairon's mind pressing against his own, simply establishing it was there and making sure Eragon knew he was being watched. "Is this not a beautiful view?" Eragon asked, gesturing off the edge towards the rising sun. "There's so much pulchritude you can see if you open all your eyes beyond accusing strangers seeking refuge. I for one, have opened many."

Mairon scoffed, "I don't know how many eyes you think you have, but I only see two, and they won't be gazing at such a majestic sight again. You're coming with me."

Eragon clasped his hands together behind himself, bouncing on the balls of his feet. "Excellent!" He smiled, trying to make the elf uneasy. "Where shall we be going?"

Mairon's eyebrows narrowed, clearly frustrated by the lack of opposition. He meant to fight me! Eragon had to suppress a laugh at this notion, and the elf brusquely turned and hovered in the air once more. "We're going to see the queen. Try to keep up." And with that, he disappeared over the edge.

Eragon grinned. This is going to be fun.

He ran forward and threw himself off the ledge, free-falling past the slowly descending elf. He pulled his arms together, streamlining himself to reach an astonishing speed. Just as he was about to crash into the tops of the trees, he cast a spell to slow his descent, landing effortlessly on a branch. He navigated past the canopy, settling on a large, gnarled root near the foot of the tree.

Mairon was not far behind him, but he was clearly becoming more displeased with how frivolously Eragon was treating this escort. The elf landed beside him, irked. He clearly thought there would be severe consequences in store, and wanted Eragon to feel the fear he thought was appropriate.

"You ought to be more careful. It would be a shame for you to die before the queen can get answers for why you were trespassing here." The elf spoke over his shoulder, beginning the long walk back to the city, expecting Eragon to follow.

He did so, walking right up next to Mairon, taking extra care to nudge his elbow. "How about I tell you, that way, if something were to happen to me that you couldn't prevent, you'd be able to relate my transgression to the queen without a blemish in your account." Mairon stiffened at the not-so-subtle jab at his ability to defend himself and his charge from whatever might be lurking in the forest. The elf grew increasingly more irritated at the twinkle in Eragon's eyes.

"I don't foresee that being necessary, but do as you wish."

"Well, you see...I was searching for inspiration as to what I should bring to the Agaeti Blodhren. I saw the wall of rock as an opportunity to see over the tops of the trees. Imagine my surprise that this place would have been here at the top! Whoever it was that constructed and dwelt in this hut must've been quite appreciative of beauty in all its forms."

Mairon suddenly turned to face Eragon, "You blasted fool!" he snarled. "This was the home of one of the greatest Riders to ever live! Oromis wasthe last great rider after the fall! without him, we could not have rebuilt our order. The fact that he was slain, leaving us with the great 'Eragon' who chose to abandon Alagaesia is one of the greatest tragedies to ever befall us. Now, to train the new riders, we must rely upon the information from the few dragons who aren't mad with the grief that the black king's terrible reign poured out upon them. You would do well to remember that there are powers in this world you cannot even comprehend. The golden age of the riders had such powers, but neither you nor I will ever witness them."

With that, Mairon turned and continued into the forest, leaving a rather stunned Eragon rooted in place. They gave up on me. I made them give up on me. Sadness swelled in him, but he had little room for more of it. He shook his head, then jogged to catch up to Mairon. "So you're a Rider then, like the queen?"

Mairon's demeanor seemed to soften at this. "Why, yes. My dragon, Melkor, was hatched to me over a century ago. One of the most magnificent beings to ever live."

Eragon smiled at the tenderness of Mairon's personality when it came to his dragon. It mirrored exactly how he felt about the great opportunity Saphira had bestowed upon him with her choice to bond with him. "Where is he, then?"

"Hunting."

There was no more conversation on the way back into town. A simple muttered word here, or a comment there. As they walked through the streets, Eragon noticed people that they got close to looked at them, then backed away into shadows or houses. He was confused, until he opened his mind to try and see if there was something going on that they had to attend to. That's when he noticed Mairon casting out a thought for all to hear; Do not approach. This one is to be taken directly to the queen. Interference will not be tolerated.

Eragon smiled again, amused at the young elf's desire to be seen as one with authority.

They wound through streets, every elf, human, and dwarf avoiding them like the plague. The Urgals, on the other hand, couldn't have cared less. It seems even after they're bound, they will still seek a battle over even the simplest of affronts.

As they neared Tialdari Hall, Eragon froze. He felt her. Her mind was pulsating with frantic turmoil, trying to calm itself down. Does she know I'm here?! Panic coursed through him, and he reinforced his mental guards, shielding them from perception. No. No. No. He couldnt see her. Not yet. He wasn't ready. His body nearly convulsed with anxiety, his eyelids twitching at even being near her mind. I have to get out of here.

When Mairon entered the outermost door, Eragon cast several spells. A few to conceal him, one to allow him to float, so he wouldn't make footprints, and another to soothe his stormy thoughts. Then, he disappeared. In the time it took Mairon to walk through the doorway and turn to make sure his charge was still with him, Eragon saw the bewilderment grow upon his face at the sudden disappearance of his prisoner, and had to stifle a laugh as the poor elf ran about, searching high and low for him.

As Eragon left, flying back towards the Crags of Tel'naeír, he debated upon what he should bring with him as a gift for the Agaeti Blodhren. When he would be ready to see her. It had to be something special. Something she wouldn't expect from a stranger from the north. Eragon cannot face her, but Arucane can. That is the gift I will proffer...something that will make her remember.

Through his mind flashed several pictures from Saphira, ending on a massive slate wall. Eragon grinned. That should do just fine...

A/N- Thanks for all the reviews and feedback, it is much appreciated! The flattering reviews really overstate how good this story is, and I cannot believe people actually like it as much as they do. Thank you all so much!

(Oh and I may have found a potential co-author, so hopefully that means quicker updates ;) )