Authors Notes: Well, it has been a long couple of weeks( if you had not checked my profile.) I have returned and am feeling really refreshed and ready to get back to work. Dreamwriter89 has agreed to help me edit any chapter from this point on, so a lot of miss spellings and incorrect dialogue will be cut down on tremendously. A lot happens in this chapter, so be prepared for a ride, new revelations and much more. I thank everyone for their support and hope to make you all proud to have read this story, there is still a long road ahead and I hope you all will be excited for what is still to come. Enjoy, R&R thanks.

Chapter 14

A Kiss that Mends All

The night sky had come too soon for the small group that was short one warrior. With only the silver glow of the moon to guide them, and with nights still becoming colder as the winter solstice was quickly approaching. Saphira was going to have to make a decision on where to land and let her passenger's camp for the night. She began searching far below to the ground, the moon's glow was shining just enough for her to see what her passengers needed most. Not too far from where she was currently flying, there lied the edge of the forest of Du Weldenvarden. Its thick brush and thinning leaves that were slightly shining from the full moon's light would give all of them a fair chance of being blocked from the cold, night winds. Saphira began to descend and finally came to a rough landing and let her passengers off of her saddle. Brom got off first with the girl that shared his dragoness' name and sat her down gently on the cool ground. She was still non- responsive, during the whole ride; she had not spoken a word to anyone. Arya was beginning to get worried for the young girl. Brom seemed weary as well, but did not show a hint of emotion for her, at the moment he was more concerned about his dragoness, and how they were going to have to be very careful with words that they said to her.

When Saphira was finally laid on the ground she curled up into a fetal ball. The sapphire eyed girl was broken. She no longer felt the need to survive anymore, no need to continue on their journey. She was content to just lie there and slowly slip away, for what came after that would reunite her with her love. Eragon was no more, she would never see his smile again, never hold his hand, never be comforted by his strong arms as he brought her in close to his chest, never being able touch the lips that she wanted to kiss for so long. Nothing seemed to faze her now; she was completely numb to the world around her. Her vision was dulled, her sense of touch was little to nothing, and Saphira just continued to just stay in her fetal position and just began to let herself slowly go from this world. For what awaited her on the other side was her beloved, and once there he would wrap his arms around her and they would engage in the kiss that she longed for. From there, they would begin anew, with no destiny, no problems, no pain. They would be truly together…forever.

Arya was not happy; in-fact she was angered by Brom's judgments and actions. He had not assessed the situation and now they were stuck who knows where, with both Saphira's who are unstable and with the only hope and chance for the dragon race to be revived, was lying on the ground miles away, completely helpless and most likely now Sabor prey. Arya needed to know why Brom had been so careless, so selfish and so immature for a man his age. She needed to confront him now before anything else occurred. Arya walked over to Brom who was right by his now resting with his dragon.

"Brom, what have you done! Why have you taken us so far away?" She exclaimed.

"Arya, it was there! A unicorn was alive and living in that forest. If we had not left, the unicorn would have smelled Saphira's scent and then who knows what would have happened then. Saphira is in no condition to ward off a powerful beast while she is 'not well'." Brom said.

"You do not know that Brom. Why are you so sure that it was a unicorn and not a wild mustang's hoof prints? Did your training in the arts of observing nature prove to be a waste of time?" Arya crossed her arms over her chest and yelled back.

"Bah, I know what I saw. There were tracks near the lake and prints that were leading into the woods. They were larger than that of a normal horse. That was all of the evidence that I needed to make the choice to get bothSaphira's out of there." Brom brought his voice down to a whisper so only Arya could hear her.

"That still does not excuse the fact that you left Eragon's body to rot and be eaten by Sabors. Brom this is not like you. I know that you would not leave the only chance for the dragons and the riders to return. So Why then would you do such thing!" She told him.

Even though Arya was not yelling at the moment, her words stung like salt that was thrown on a fresh wound. Brom knew that he had done wrong by leaving Eragon's body behind, but he had to. Brom cringed and shivered as a chilled gust of wind flew past him. He grew silent for a moment in thought. What was he supposed to do; he was not going to allow a creature such as that of a unicorn to roam the area around them, especially since his…his…Brom was caught off guard once again as a sudden burst of memories went through his conscience.

Flashback…

It was of him holding his son, a boy with little black tufts of hair that were just beginning to cover his soft, bald scalp. Brom was holding him in one arm, while in the other arm he held his second child. A new baby girl, her eyes mesmerized him, they were his wife's eyes. Those beautiful sapphire jewels looked back at his own as he stared down at his new daughter.

"My children...My beautiful children." Brom spoke softly to them.

He pulled both of them close to his chest and hugged them both firmly and placed a kiss on both of their foreheads, though he could not hold in his joy for them, his heart was breaking at the very moment as well. For not a mere few moments ago, Brom had witnessed his daughter's birth, but with this amazing gift, something had gone from glorious miracle. To it changing for the worst and became a curse and a nightmare.

"B…Brom, my love, please…come closer."

"Yes…my wife." His words word being choked as he tried to hold back from completely falling apart in front of his loved one. His heart was breaking more with every second that went by.

With her last words, Brom's exhausted and beloved wife, Salena, had asked for him to name their new and beautiful daughter after his dragoness, Saphira. With a broken heart and wet face, Brom promised to name her, just that… at his wife's request.

Flashback ends…

The memory only lasted for a few more seconds as he was thrown back into reality. Now Brom experienced a heavy pain in his chest, this secret had been lying in his heart for since his daughter's birth. As he stood in front of Arya, his heart screamed for him to explain it. To ease the pain that he felt was covering his chest. As Arya still stood there in front of him, he began to speak.

"I…had…"

"…I had to keep my d…d…d…daughter safe. So yes I did what I deemed necessary to keep her safe from harm." He whispered shakily to the young elf.

Arya took step back in shock. She was caught off guard by the new revelation as she quickly realized at what Brom was trying to say. It was like something that was so obvious, but yet had easily eluded her, had just been admitted. With wide eyes, Arya quickly glanced at the young girl, Saphira was now sleeping only a few feet away. Turning back to Brom, with her mouth agape, she could not form the words in her mouth to speak.

"B…Brom, Saphira is your daughter." Arya whispered.

Brom nodded, the pain seemed to slightly fade for the moment. It felt good for him to finally tell someone, some of the pain that he had hid away for over 17 years seemed to lessen with each new breath he took.

"Aye. She is indeed." Brom whispered.

For a moment there was only silence between the two.

"I have tried for many years to get him to tell her the truth, but he refused ever so sternly." The blue scaled dragoness had added to again break the silence. She was beginning to become annoyed by her rider's judgments. Though she mostly kept her maw to herself, Saphira new very well that Brom was one that would rather avoid the past and rather live in the moment, this had saved them time and time again, but he was not very good at keeping up with this secret. It was mentally breaking him down into pieces. She could quickly see his face lighten a little at her words.

Arya and Brom both jumped at the dragoness' sudden barge into their conversation.

"My apologies Saphira, did we disturb your rest." Arya asked the blue scaled dragoness.

"No need to ask for forgiveness little elf, I was merely listening while I prepared for sleep and saw the silence as an opportunity to intervene and break into this little conversation and add my own thoughts to the matter at hand."

"Enough, let us all sleep for the night. I am tired as both of you are." Brom commanded.

The rider was done talking; he had enough stress for one day. All he wanted to do now was for sleep to welcome him. Saphira lied down next to Brom and covered him with her blue wing to keep warm with her internal body heat that always seeped through her scales. While Arya lied down a few feet away from the young Saphira that was curled up in a ball. She scanned over the girl's form and Arya quickly noticed that Saphira's face was pale, paler than normal. Her face was covered in little shiny specks of salt from all of her tears and sweat, her blond and shiny hair was messy and even was now duller than usual. Something was wrong, Saphira did not look good. Though the young elf and Brom did not yet know it, even with all of their wisdom combined, they could not feel that their last hope was starting to fade away. Arya curled herself up to keep warm for the night.

"Oh please, just let this all be a dream. Please let tomorrow come and I will awake back in the woods near the lake of Isenstar and all of this shall be just another dream." Arya prayed to herself. The call of sleep was upon her and she answered.

Eragon felt something so soft that it felt like a pillow, but yet it was firm and muscular. As he opened his eyes, he could feel the soft movements of a horse's stomach slightly going up and down as it breathed in rhythm while it still was asleep under his head. He wiped the drowsiness from his eyes and took another look. It was true, as the memory came back to him. He had been sleeping close to a perfectly white horse with a long silver mane and a horn on its head. A unicorn as it called itself. He stood up and began to stretch his muscles.

Still seeing that he was in the clearing where he, his companions, and his beloved Saphira had made camp at only a few days earlier. Eragon shivered at just the thought of Saphira. He was alone, she could be anywhere by now. Just as he was about to sit back down, an unexpected and gut wrenching pain hit chest, it felt as if someone had stabbed his heart with a knife and was now working the blade down to his stomach. His muscles cramped and his leg muscles faltered and he fell over with gritted teeth, the pain was excruciating, it was like nothing he had ever felt before. It caused his muscles to constantly pulse and tighten to painful, lingering cramps that would not cease to loosen. His pain lasted for several minutes, continually sending agony to his to brain every time he tried to move. The only thing he could do was lie there on the ground and wait, with firmly shut eyes, for his body to relax so he could finally stand up.

Slowly the pain subsided, starting from his lower abdomen and rose back to his chest, he could feel his muscles relax once again, with every second that went by, Eragon could feel his muscles return to their resting state; He stood and winced as he put his weight on his legs. They were sore and shaky from his cramps. Eragon brought his hands up to his face to where he could see them and winced at them. "What was that? What is happening to me?" Eragon pondered to himself.

"You are experiencing the slow death to someone that is bonded you." A soft female's voice said to him through his thoughts.

Eragon almost yelped and jumped around looking for the being of the voice. He turned and saw that the mustang was awake and stretching herself. Then another wave of memories came back, about the mare that was known as Ashira.

"Huh, what did you say Ashira?" He asked her.

"Are you mentally connected to Saphira?" Ashira questioned him.

"Aye, but why do you ask?"

"I only asked because, I have seen that when dragon and a rider are bonded to each other, if the rider were to die, the dragon would also die. If one felt pain, then both suffer the same fate." She wisely said to him.

"Are you trying to say that Saphira could be in danger or is slowly dying?" Eragon asked.

"Exactly, Saphira must be in trouble. The pains that you are having are a clear sign that something is not as it should be when it comes to your mate and if they continue, you will also die with her." Ashira answered.

"Then I have to get to her…but how, I don't even know where she could be!" Eragon winced and fraught, Saphira could have been anywhere, and only living in Carvahall for a short period of time did not give him an advantage when it came to making decisions about good directions to the paths that would lead him to the one he loved dearly.

"Eragon, you are bonded to Saphira, correct. Then both of you can sense the others being even from far distances away. Close your eyes and try to focus all of your thoughts on Saphira's mind. In doing this you will be able to find her more easily." Ashira said to him.

Eragon understood what Ashira was saying, why was he have so blind and did not see that their bond would allow them to still feel each other's minds and emotions even from far distances. Eragon nodded his head.

"I will try and find her."

The young rider closed his eyes and focused on the task at hand. He spread his mind out all over the place, searching in every direction for that very unique mind that was his Saphira. He concentrated and felt the tugs and pulls of other minds throughout the forest from animals that often seemed to be unintelligent, but never did he feel the one conscience that he was searching for.

"It's no use, I can't find her." Eragon sighed.

"Try more diligently; we cannot waist precious moments just standing around, your mate is in grave danger!" Ashira commanded.

All of this seemed pointless, Saphira was out there somewhere, being hurt and all Eragon could do was try and find the link that connected him to her. He clenched his hands into fists. They were wasting time, but he trusted the mare with her wisdom. She had seen many things that he could only dream of seeing, things that where brutal and sickening, there were probably many miracles that she had probably also laid witness to.

Eragon shut his eyes once again, though this time he threw his mind out farther than he ever knew he could, the further he went his head began to ache and sweat began to drop from forehead as he pushed his mentality to its complete limits. Even after that, Eragon continued to force his conscience further at, his breaths became strained and his head began to fog with dizziness, his legs became weak and his feet became wobbly, but he fought his urges to fall. The young rider's efforts seemed to be rewarded, for just as the force of his mind reached its breaking point, Eragon felt… something. It sent a chill down his spine and hurt his heart, the mind was cold and depressed, it was hurting and mourning over the loss of something…or someone. He could feel all of the emotions that were clung to a name that it continued to repeat over and over.

Then Eragon strained his mental thoughts to catch what the other mind was saying.

"…Eragon...Eragon…"

He could not take the pressure of having his mind wrenched so far out. As soon as Eragon began to pull away, back into his own mind, he was suddenly whiplashed back to his self with a great force, causing him to momentarily lose his balance and his knees buckled and he fell to the ground.

Ashira had been watching everything, from the moment Eragon seemed to really focus with all of his strength. She really paid attention to his thought process when he furrowed his brow, obviously in a look of intense concentration. She could quickly tell that he must have found something, because his eyes were shut tight with an ardent expression, small droplets of sweat trickled down his forehead. It was definitely a surprise too her, for not after a few minutes of this; Eragon was abruptly knocked to the ground by some sort of intense force. It did not take her mere seconds to sprint over to him and began to try and look over his form, checking for any signs of bruising, bleeding, or maybe even a broken bone.

As soon as he began to stir, Ashira immediately backed away to give him some breathing space. Eragon sat up slowly and took in deep breaths and tried gathering his being. Continuing to take in deep breaths, Eragon began to try and stand only to feel weak again. But as he was about to fall, Ashira came close to him and he cast his arm around her back for support. They remained this way, with Eragon leaning on Ashira for a brace in silence. After a few more moments of just being his person to lean on, Ashira needed to know what Eragon had felt, it was still important that they find his mate and bring her back into her mate's safe grasp before it was too late for their other companions to realize that they had lost them both to a horrible death.

This was one of costs of being bonded to a dragon, or in Eragon's case, Saphira. They were connected through one of the most powerful bonds that were rare enough for only a rider and their dragon to experience. This was a bond that could lead to a lot of different of paths, but with those choices, there were also debts that would have to be paid. And in this situation, the end result would destroy and bring down the only two that were chosen to release the land from the terrible clutches of the evil king. To be constantly put at a risk of causing death to one or both beings. Many would say that this was a curse, but only the faithful would grasp their bonds and take it to the absolute limits of its power, growing closer to each other, gaining new insights into their partner's thoughts, reactions, and emotions. Maybe even, in Eragon's and Saphira's case, find a love that was blind and blocked away from no one else but the own individual or openly express their love for each other and become even stronger than the riders that did not have the kind of love that Eragon and Saphira had for each other. It was love that made them both stronger, stronger than any of the riders or dragons before their time.

"Eragon, what did you see or feel?" Ashira asked him.

"I…I found her, Saphira. She was in pain…over my death. It strained my heart to feel all of her sadness, if it was not far already straining my mind to its brink, I would have wrapped her in my love and tried to reconcile with her, but I couldn't, I could only feel, what she was feeling. And now it hurts even worse to know that she thinks that I am no longer alive and feel her slip away, it gave me chills." Eragon's shoulders drooped and he lowered his head as he felt like breaking down and weeping for all eternity, for knowing that he had put the one that he loved most through this pain that he had felt through their connection.

No! Eragon brought his head back up, a stern and determined look on his face. He tightened his hands into fists, no; he would not let her feel this way, not now and not ever again. He would find her and wrap her in his arms and bring her close to him, no longer would he allow her to feel sadness or pain. This would be stopped and as long as he lived, he would strive to make sure that every last second of being with her was spent making her happier than anyone could ever hope to do. If there were ever tears, they would tears of joy, no more pain, no more sorrow, it ended now!

"Ashira, we have to go! Saphira needs me, she needs to feel that I love her and know that this will never happen again as long as I am alive and breathing, she will never feel this again!" Eragon pronounced and promised out loud.

As if this was what she had wanted to hear, Ashira lifted up on her hind legs and neighed majestically, this seemed to add to the fuel both of their determination. Ashira lowered her-self back down to ground and then bowed her head to Eragon.

"It would honor me if you allowed me to bring you to your beloved. I am faster than any mere horse and can promise that you will be at her side very soon."

"I am honored." Eragon bowed to her as well.

Wasting no more time than they already had, Eragon quickly made his way over to Ashira, she lowered her-self just for Eragon to completely slide his leg over her back, when he was positioned correctly, Ashira stood up. Again, Eragon made the necessary corrections that she had told him to do. There was one question that remained after they were fully prepared to leave this area behind them.

"In which direction did you feel her presence?" Ashira asked.

From atop of her back, Eragon pointed north-west.

"I felt her mind towards the north-west." He told her.

"That leads to Du Weldenvarden." Ashira thought to herself, it was the forest home to the Elves, and by the law that she had placed, it was forbidden for any unicorn to venture into that territory. She could only take him as far as the edge of the forest. Even she could not enter that domain, Ashira would consider herself a betrayer and a hypocrite for entering herself.

"Then let us not waste a moment more, your mate needs you." She said to him.

Ashira again jumped on to her hind legs and once again let out a neigh. Eragon had had a death grip on her reigns and he clutched his legs to her sides preventing him from falling off. As soon as her hooves touched the soils, Ashira gave Eragon the instruction to hold on to her reigns tightly as she began to trot at a slow pace, slowly building into a jog, and then finally into her full speed gallop. Eragon's vision began to blur, from just looking straight ahead. Everything, from the tall trees, to the ground below Ashira's hooves, began to mesh together; the forest just seemed to fade away into nothing, but hazy colors of brown, green, and yellow.

Not only was his vision blurred, but his sense touch began to increase, the wind was rushing all around him, it rushed through his blondish-brown hair. His eardrums were constantly filled with whirl of the wind that bounced off him as he passed on; making it seem that at any moment they could break and render him deaf, Eragon ignored this. It was exhilarating to be traveling at these speeds; Eragon could feel his own heart pound in his chest. Adrenaline was being pumped through his being, this moment. For this one moment, he was free, Eragon could not contain himself anymore and let out an excited yip and holler.

Things just seemed to stand still or go by in slow motion, through Ashira's eyes; galloping at these speeds was normal for her. She had done this many times in the past, though it never surprised her that she could travel so quickly. She was a natural galloper, her father and mother had both trained and guided her in the ways to break through the limitations of sound barrier, at these speeds, traveling had never been more simpler. With her enhanced speed, she could evade any enemy, jump over the largest canyons, and climb over hills with extreme ease. But for the fear of hurting her companion, Ashira maintained an acceleration that would not shatter the barrier and take her to the next level. Though every unicorn was taught of the ways, exceeding their limits of swiftness was never done with a rider, dragon or horse; there were too many possibilities of what could happen if she tapped into her true pace of acceleration.

With not breaking through, Ashira could still slightly hear Eragon yips and hollers. This prompted her to try and pass through. Quickly reasoning that nothing would come to harm him, she began to increase her already quickly moving hooves and took them to their limits, angling her head and body forward, she could feel it, as the invisible glass around her broke and she was thrust forward, completely making everything around her seem to completely move in slow motion. Eragon felt it to, just as he expressed his glee of the mustang's speeds, she had surprised him even more when he felt this thin barrier like object break around him. Suddenly everything was clear, Eragon could see all that was passing by, everything was as if it were standing still or moving at a completely slow pace. Feeling this was like nothing that he had ever experienced before. He looked down at the amazing mare that was showing him this exhilarating feeling, Ashira moved her head so her right eye could see Eragon. He had a big smile on face; she could only smile back and nodded her head. Eragon nodded his head in agreement, this was truly amazing.

He brought his head up to face head, Ashira did the same. His face changed from one of amazement and back to one that was determined to reclaim what he had lost. There ahead of them stood the edge of a new forest, the forest Du Weldenvarden. Even though he was not focusing all of mind, Eragon could feel Saphira's own conscience becoming stronger, yet weaker as he and the mare continued to grow closer.

"Hang on Saphira…I am on way." Eragon mouthed the words.

As the forest began to grow closer, Ashira slowed eased out of her accelerations and soon came into a brisk trot. Just at the edge of the enormous tree lines, was where Ashira came to a complete stop and Eragon dismounted off of her. With a new energy restored, he took brisk paces forward, endeavor as he fuel, he continued on. But right as he got first few gigantic trees, Eragon suddenly did not feel Ashira presence near him. He looked over his shoulder to see that she had not moved. He looked back in-front of him and sighed. Eragon turned and jogged back to unicorn.

"Hey Ashira, are you not coming." Eragon asked as he came up to her.

"Um… No, I have brought you as far as I can go, I will wait here your return. You can bring Saphira out here to me when she is ready."

Eragon could feel the fear and tenseness in her voice. Ashira was frightened of the forest…or maybe of what was inside. Eragon softened his endeavored look and showed one of understanding her fear. He slowly brought his hand up to snout to pet and ease her weariness. She accepted his advance and allowed him to comfort her.

"Ashira, it's ok to be scared. I am scared to. The one that I love more the life is in there, she is in there alone, hurt and lost, and I must scour every last area to find her. I am not sure of what will happen, but I do know this, you have me to protect you from anything that could bring you harm. You're my friend, no matter who lashes out whether it is Brom, Arya, or the other Saphira. I will guard you from harm. You have my word as a friend and ally."

Ashira neigh softly at his words.

"You are too kind Eragon, thank you. Let's go…together and conquer both of our fears. No matter what happens, I will not be fear anymore."

With this said, Eragon could feel the mare's fears slip down to almost nothing and with that he set back on the trees in front them and together they ventured inside.

When completely inside, Eragon began to cast his mind out, making it easier to find the one that he was seeking, it only took a brief moment before he could feel Saphira's lingering heart nearby. He cut into a dead sprint, not wasting any more time; Eragon was now following his heart. No longer did he need to use his mind. His heart was feeling everything that Saphira was feeling. Though it hurt even worse than the pain that he had experienced earlier, this fueled his fire even more to continue on. Becoming his only sense, Eragon succumbed to his heart and put everything he had into his sprint. It seemed that his efforts were rewarded, for not far from where he was, there she lied, curled up on cold forest floor, hurting. This ended now.

He focused on her form and again summoning the will to sprint to her, Eragon ran past his other traveling companions that where still sleeping soundly. Seemingly floating in the air, Eragon reached Saphira's motionless form. He reached down slowly, ever so slowly, and simply tapped her arm. There was no response. Next, Eragon sat her up, bringing her into his arms, with his left arm supporting her upper back and his right hand gently supporting her head. He looked at her face, it was pale, with little droplets of salt from where her tears had condensed and evaporated. Her cheeks were flushed, whiter than the finest silks, her eyes where just barely open, emotionless and hazy. Her hair was dull; no longer did it shine like it always had.

Seeing her like this pained him, to see the one you love most all, lying in the dirt and just waiting for the life to slip away from their grasp. It hurt, but maybe there was still hope. Maybe she was not gone…not yet. Eragon felt for right arm, the one contained her mark as a rider and chosen one to become the mighty dragon race. He felt her wrist for a pulse, when he felt a slight beating, some of the stress was relieved. She was alive, but barely. His heart ached, it was literally tearing his insides apart just sitting here, seeing his beloved slowly slip from his grasp. Eragon knew that he was the cause of this, for being selfish and trying to reclaim his past memories, he had put Saphira hell. At this point Eragon could not hold back his cries anymore. He let his tears flow freely, and as they dropped Eragon brought Saphira head to his own. She was cold, deathly cold.

Eragon could not forgive himself for what he had done; he had done something that was unforgivable, to him at least. An idea came to Eragon, this lifted his spirits a little, and this gave him hope. The idea that came to him was his last shot at bringing her back. Still keeping his forehead in touch with her's, Eragon closed his eyes and began to cross through the mental link that connected him to his beloved. As he came into contact with her mind, another round of excruciating pains hit his chest with full force. Eragon's muscles tightened and knotted up, the gut wrenching feeling of having something torn from his stomach returned. Eragon gritted his teeth at the pain; he had to be strong, strong for both him and Saphira. Eragon continued to connect their minds and continued with his plan. Not saying any words, for there were none that came to mind, Eragon engulfed Saphira's cold and almost lifeless mind with all the love that he had for her. Showing and giving her everything that he had, not holding back, giving her his plethora of thoughts and feelings, that he had ever thought or felt that involved her.

At first, her mind just seemed to linger, ever becoming weaker. This only made Eragon break to his limits, and right at the edge of what could have said as the point of no return, something changed. Eragon could feel it from within her mind; this change was growing, and as it become more defined with each passing second. He finally recognized what it was. It was love. Full of warmth and tenderness, like a wildfire in a dry grass plain, it grew and grew and soon it enveloped Eragon's own mental state with a matching or even more emotions of her love for him. And just like that, Eragon was over-filled with Saphira's heart, every time they had looked at each other and blushed, every time they drew close, and every time that were about to full fill her greatest desire, of this point, all was shown to him. Both of their hearts melded together forming one for this one moment. It was almost overbearing for both of them to handle.

A voice entered Eragon's mind, so soft it was.

"Eragon…my love, please return to world, there is something that I have wanted to give you for a while now. My heart…completely."

It was her voice, Saphira. She was alive and had returned. Returned to him. The connection faded, only leaving a small amount of his conscience, still connected with Saphira's own mind. Eragon returned to his body and opened his eyes. When he opened them and they were completely caught off guard. For those beautiful, amazing sapphire jewels were right in front of his own brown eyes. Eragon could feel the happiness and joy radiate off her being, and she the same with him. So close they were, both could feel the others heat. Their hearts quickened, in an anticipation for what was about to happen. Saphira was the first to speak, for this one moment before she completed her goal.

"Hi…" She whispered to him, soft and tenderly.

"Hi…"Eragon whispered back, his heart completely racing.

"Eragon!" Saphira yelped with joy and tackled him to ground in an embrace!

As his head suddenly made contact with the ground, the sensation of pain never came, instead a sense of joy and passion took its place as his lips met hers, for the very first time. They were just as he had imagined them, soft and tender, just like her voice. He let everything go, wanting to experience this tender filled moment to the fullest. His lips were warm and strong, just as she had hoped they would be. Never letting up, Saphira smirked inwardly as she began to open her mouth to allow her tongue to swipe across his lips, asking for access inside his own mouth. Getting the message loud and clear, Eragon eagerly opened his mouth and gave the entrance that Saphira so desired. The kiss became intense and passionate as they explored each other's mouths, tasting each other, firmly burning that taste into their consciences. Never wanting to stop, but the need for air was becoming a necessity.

Eragon and Saphira broke away from each other, their hearts still beating quickly and their breathing, long and heavy. As his sense of his own self came back to him, Eragon realized that Saphira was laying on top him, still starring down at him, she was breathing heavily just as he was. Her sapphire eyes never left connection from his eyes. A new blush came to his face and he needed to remove her from his person before something else happened.

"Um…Saphira…can you please get off of me." Eragon said sheepishly, still out of breath from their intense moment.

Suddenly Saphira's face also darkened with a new reddish blush as she realized what he was saying. She was lying on his frame, now just as embarrassed as he was she slowly got of him, but still remained close.

"I'm sorry Eragon. I did not mean to put you into an uncomfortable position." Saphira said just as sheepishly.

Eragon got up as well and brushed himself off; he accepted her words with a nod of his. For a moment they just stood there, looking at each other, taking in each other's forms. Eragon studied Saphira keenly, she was getting all of the color back in her cheeks and her hair was returning to its normal shiny blond color that he liked. She was different now, fully in love, with him. He was just as head over heels for her as well. As another few minutes passed with silence, Eragon remembered his father's words, and smiled. This moment seemed to the right moment to ask her the question that he hoped she would accept. He turned and fully faced her, taking her hands in his own, grasping lightly on her little fingers, their 'gedwey ignasia's 'glowed that light blue that always seemed to follow when they drew close to each.

"Saphira…there is something that I have been meaning to ask you." He spoke softly.

"What is it Eragon?" Saphira asked in question, she had already given him all that she could give, what else was there to give.

"We have known each other for only a few months…but yet within these few months, they have seemed to be an eternity all their own. Now as I stand here…with you. I am falling…falling for you more and more. With each passing day, my love for you grows tenfold. But yet, there is still something that is missing."

Saphira took up a really confused look, he was saying that he loved her, and yet it was not enough. This hurt her, what else could she do or give that would fill that gap that he felt.

"Whatever it is Eragon, I will do my best to fill this hole that you have." Saphira promised to him.

Eragon smiled at her words, it strengthened him, to know that she was willing to go the distance to fill his heart with her love. It was time. Never leaving her hands, his smiling growing bigger every second, Eragon slowly dropped his left leg down to ground and kept his right knee up to help support his weight. Saphira suddenly knew what he was doing and brought her left up to her mouth, trying hold back a gasp.

"E…Era…Eragon…"

"Saphira, I can't spend another moment without you by my side. I promise you that I will never let what happened today go. I will never stop panning for your happiness. Through the most horrible of battle that we will face, through the coldest of rains that we go through, through thick and thin, I will protect you. I will love you…"

With his marked right hand that was grasping Saphira marked hand, slowly Eragon unclenched from her and pushed hand to hers opening them, lining their fingers up with their palms touching. Both of their marks where shining brightly, the colors intermingling.

"I cannot give you a ring, but with marks of rider that have been bestowed upon us, I believe that a ring would not be as meaningful as our marks are to us. They connect us to a bond that travels far beyond any individual. So in saying all this, I, Eragon, ask you, Saphira, will you marry me."

Saphira was now in tears, tears of joy. She eagerly nodded her head.

"Yes! Of course I will marry you, Eragon."

Eragon stood and brought Saphira close to him once again. Their lips were connected, sealing their decisions with another passion filled kiss. As they once again broke away for air, Eragon pulled Saphira close, she laid her head on his strong chest. Saphira savored every moment that she was with him.

What now awaited them, they would face…together…as husband and wife. And soon to be…Mates.