No. I don't own IC. Zippit.

I'm really, really sorry for not updating sooner, but I was horribly, emotionally distraught for the past few days and therefore only wrote the entire chapter in one sitting today since I'm finally fine!

Chapter 25: Interlude

The gemstone floor of the dragonhold glimmered dully as Riders convened. The dragons hovered over them watchfully as they huddled together in the rosy light of Isidar Mithrim. Nasuada watched with a smile as Murtagh strode around them, his old, worn-out red cloak trailing behind him. His red-brown eyes surveyed the others. Though he looked similar to his twin, there were still subtle differences such as their eye colors and Murtagh's more angular face.

"So you're staring at him?" Katrina asked with a smile.

"Well, he has something to say!" Nasuada told her quickly. She felt her cheeks warming up as the others' eyes fell upon her.

Murtagh raised an eyebrow, the ghost of a smile playing upon his lips. "As I was saying, we need to look out for those Twins. We can't trust them at all but we can't risk offending them by turning down their offer. What must we do?"

"We will still have to decline the offer, of course," Roran said, frowning. His eyes roamed around worriedly. "If we use the wrong words in declining then it might anger them and cause these people to make things difficult for us."

"I know those Twins," Nasuada offered. "We must do it without harming their pride. Let me do it, I am sure that they will listen to me. If not, then I can always ask Father to intervene on our behalf."

"Your father has already done so much for us," Arya said. "Wouldn't it be too much to ask?"

"I am his daughter. And one of the Riders – the last flame of hope for the Varden. Asking him to keep the Twins away from us, thus letting us work better for the needs of the group, would not be such a big request for him to grant."

If it helps, then we'll eat them if they come close to harming any of you little ones, Saphira said, swooping lazily above them.

On their third day, they met up early with Orik. The dwarf looked uneasy as he met them by the gates of Tronjheim. "Ajihad and Brom have agreed that you must come to the training fields to be tested. Ajihad have heard of your lessons from Brom but he still wishes to have your abilities assessed properly by some members of the Varden."

"Nobody enters the Varden without a display of abilities," Nasuada confirmed. She felt her sword, Gryning, against her hip and it made her confident. "Very well, we'll show my father the extent of our training with Brom."

"Where will we be doing this test?" Katrina asked nervously.

Orik smiled grimly. "We have a training field half a mile behind Tronjheim. There's a big space there, enough for both humans and dwarves to train."

We will come, Solaris said, landing beside Orik. The other dragons followed suit, displaying different signs of unease.

"Do you wish to follow?" the dwarf asked disapprovingly, unable to hear the dragons' thoughts. "It might not be a good idea with all the people training there. You will attract attention."

Askanir lowered his head, giving the dwarf his biggest glare. He began to growl, smoke curling out of his nostrils. We will come, little two-legs. Upon Orik's agreement, the matter was settled and they headed for the training grounds.

The sounds of battle greeted them as they set foot in the training field. The clangs of swords banging against shields, thumps of arrows striking their straw targets and cracking staffs could be heard. It was chaotic and yet some sort of order came out from it. Groups of armed people trained in various weapons, and Nasuada swore that she saw one with pitchforks. She made a note to tell her father about it and ask him if it would be a useful weapon.

A tall, bearded man strode towards them, most of his head and shoulders covered by a thick mail coif. He wore clothing made of oxhide, patches of hair still on it. His very huge sword hung across his back as he gave Orik a smile. "You've been away for too long, Knurla Orik, I have nobody to spar with anymore," he said as a greeting.

"Oei, that's because you try to bruise people all over with that giant sword of yours," replied Orik.

"Except you! Your size is an advantage." The man smiled. He nodded to Nasuada. "You've caused quite a ruckus when you ran away. You even took the Ambassador's sister and her bodyguards with you! Most impressive."

Nasuada smiled. "Ah, thank you. Friends, this is Frederic, master of weapons."

Frederic nodded with another of his big smiles. "I'm here to see what you six can do. How strong are you?"

"Fairly strong," Arya said confidently. "I'm too young to be as strong as typical elf warriors but it's sufficient for battle and magic."

"Magic has no place for Frederic," Orik said with a chuckle.

"He's right." Frederic's eyes roamed around the six Riders. "I'm sure none of you served in an army before, meaning that your fights never lasted for more than a few minutes. We have to know if you can hold up in battles lasting for hours – or weeks if we're facing a siege. You seem proficient enough with swords and bows. What else can you use?"

"Well, we can fight with our hands, right? Fistfights, hair-pulling, that kind of fighting," Eragon said quickly.

"Good one! Let's see your skills with the bow and then we can clear up some space for good, old-fashioned swordplay."

That was when the Twins arrived with fast and deliberate steps. They wore matching black robes that day. Compared to bulky Frederic and the well-armored warriors training around them, they looked frail. As usual, they looked around with a look of arrogance.

Orik gripped the war ax from his belt. "Barzul."

"What are the two of you doing here?" Frederic snarled. "I thought I already told you to stay away from this area."

"Ajihad requested us to test them in their proficiency in magic before you exhaust them with that useless banging of thise bits of metal," one Twin said dryly.

Nasuada felt her hand fly to her sword hilt, and was thankful that she wasn't the only one. Even gentle Katrina had a cold, angry look in her eyes. "Can't someone else test us?"

The other Twin sniffed. "No one else is powerful enough," he snapped. "Now come with us."

Saphira was growling as they followed the Twins to an empty corner of the field. Eragon put an arm around her neck to silence her. His look said it all. He was uneasy and he didn't trust the Twins at all.

It was what everyone felt. Even Nasuada didn't like the Twins, and she grew up with them always lurking around her father. She could still remember them watching her and Himeria when they were little, and they always scared her. Himeria was brave enough to always pester them with questions which they always entertained for some reason. Maybe, just maybe, she could understand Himeria's fascination with magic and power.

"We have to stop them from going too far," Frederic muttered behind them.

"I know," replied Orik, "but I can't interfere again. King Hrothgar made it clear that he won't be able to help me if I step out of the line again."

Are you worrying? Solaris asked with amusement.

The Twins might know more words and techniques, Nasuada said. And they have a lot of experience. We haven't finished our training yet.

Solaris snorted. There are two of them and twelve of us. What can they do that we can't do in a better way? We're all together here – Riders and dragons.

The Twins turned to face them. "Young Riders, have you thought of our offer?" they asked. "How do you answer us?"

Nasuada braced herself as her fellow Riders' eyes fell upon her. "No. Forgive us, but we cannot accept such an honor for now."

The Twins eyes darkened. "Very well." They bent down and began to draw a pentagram on the ground. They stepped in the middle and gave the Riders a cold look. "What we ask is fairly simple. You must complete every task we ask of you."

Murtagh shifted uneasily, edging closer to Thorn. He could feel the tense thoughts of the others at the very edge of his mind. He reached out to his dragon. I shouldn't be afraid.

It is normal for little two-legs to be afraid, but you shouldn't. Not really. Thorn lowered his head in anticipation for the events unfurling before them. You have me and the others. We're stronger than anything that the blasted Twins could ever hope for.

One of the Twins reached into his robe and produced six smooth pebbles. He set them on the ground, one in front of each Rider. "Lift these," he said quietly. "Lift them to eye level."

Murtagh remembered his frustrations at the beginning of their magic lessons. It felt like a lifetiem ago. Struggling to lift simple pebbles was a thing of the past. He could do much more now – so much more. He could feel the others' determination when they spoke as one. "Stenr reisa."

Before the pebble lifted halfway up, a force began to resist their efforts. If nothing was done then their strength would wane before they get to the more challenging tasks. Thorn joined minds with Murtagh automatically. They'll have none of that. The pebble jerked upwards, stopping a few inches above the Twins' eyes.

They're deliberately trying to make us fail. Murtagh was furious. How dare they? Were they trying to make the Riders look weak, Brom look incompetent? How powerful are they to intercept efforts from six Riders – one who is even an elf?

I don't know. But we have to be more wary of them.

The Twins required them to do various exercises, attempting to thwart the Riders who always prevailed. Slowly, the challenges became more and more difficult. They realized earlier that the Twins were trying to learn more words of the Ancient Language and so limited their vocabulary to the basics. This infuriated the Twins, who showed no signs of stopping even after an hour has passed. Nobody asked for a bit of rest, afraid that this would give them some satisfaction.

Finally, the Twins straightened up together, their dark eyes cold and hard. "We want you to do something simple enough for a competent spellcaster," they said together. One of them procured a silver ring. "It would be enough for one of you to do it – summon the essence of silver."

What are we supposed to do? Murtagh asked the other Riders in surprise. That might be one of the more advanced magic that we're going to learn in Ellesmera, not from Brom.

Invoking the essence of an object involves simply speaking its name but I'm not sure we're strong enough for magic that pure… Arya looked tense as her green eyes glared at the Twins. What are they trying to do?

Before they could come any further, a clear voice yelled, "Stop it!" Brom stalked towards them, his eyes flashing in anger. "How dare you? Asking them to do something which only masters can do? They have proven themselves competent in the level of their studies. Frederic and Orik has seen it with their own eyes. Is that not enough for you?"

Faolin and a dark-skinned young man who looked like Nasuada ran after him. The training field fell quiet at the turn of events. The elven ambassador looked irritated at the Twins. "Truly, it is a shame that the best spellcasters in the Varden do many things that stain the name of our organization," he said in a soft voice. He pointed a hand to the silver ring. "Arget."

A ghostly image of the ring shimmered beside him, glowing white hot and pure. The Twins let out a cry and ran. Brom nodded to Faolin and the boy. Frederic strode towards them. "I wasn't sure how to drive them off," the big warrior said with a smile. "Good to see you, Brom, Ambassador Faolin, Lord Melikir."

The boy called Melikir nodded timidly. "I wanted to wish my sister and her fellow Riders a good luck for their assessment. I had no idea that the Twins would be up to no good once more."

"They are always up to no good," countered Faolin. Distaste was written all over the fair elven lord's face. "Frederic, my good man, Ajihad asked me to duel with the young Riders here while you assess their skills and report them to him – if that would be fine with you."

"Oh, very! It would be easier to see their skills and styles," agreed Frederic. He seemed curious of the elf's skills too.

Brom caught Murtagh's eye. There was something strange about their mentor – like something bothered him. Did he know about Selena, and who the twins' father was? Before Murtagh could ask him though, Eragon elbowed him.

"Weren't you listening?" the younger twin asked, arms crossed. "Faolin is asking if you would wish to go first."

Murtagh was caught of guard. Why would he want to start with me? Roran and Arya are the best swordfighters – can't they duel first?

Apparently not, Thorn snorted. Now go, brave one. Face the elf.

Frowning, Murtagh pulled out Eldsvard, the red blade glinting dully. He uttered a quiet spell to dull the blade, as Faolin watchedh im approach. "You asked to duel one of the least talented swordsmen among our new Order," the red Rider said gently. "I hope you won't be disappointed."

Faolin smiled pleasantly. "You shouldn't be too harsh on yourself. After all, your teacher is Brom! Now, be ready." He brandished his slender elven sword with the hand of an expert swordsman.

None of the combatants moved though many people circled them, stopping most activities in the field. Murtagh recalled the way that the sparring sessions with Brom started all the time – with both combatants watching the other one warily for a few seconds. He knew that a fully matured elf was strong, and that the Riders were lucky that Arya was young enough for her strength to be equal to a human teen.

Faolin suddenly slashed towards his ribs, and Murtagh could barely raise his red blade to block the attack. Their sparking swords met and Murtagh felt Eldsvard batted away like a fly being swatted. Faolin didn't take advantage of it though, and spun to the other side, trying to hit it. The elf's strength and speed was surprising, and the young Rider could think of no technique to use against him.

Even the weakest mature elf can easily outmatch a human, Thorn warned as Murtagh ducked and evaded a blow to his head. You've got no chance of beating him – and Durza. I believe that he's trying to see your skill with the blade.

Right. Murtagh tried his best to gain the upper hand by trying a random combination of his fighting techniques but Faolin could thwart every one of them. His arms began to hurt as the elf continued to counter and parry every move, until his exhaustion gave way and an especially strong sweep of Faolin's blade made him fall to his back with a groan.

The elf's blade was pressed close to his neck. "Dead! You pass," chirped Faolin. He raised his blade and helped Murtagh stand up. He pointed his weapon to Katrina. "Now I wish to see your abilities, Katrina."

Katrina exchanged a terrified look with Murtagh as the boy moved towards the other Riders and the girl stood before the elf. The silver blade of Skymning seemed to ripple as she unsheathed it. "Ambassador Faolin, don't be too hard on me, I'm not as good as the others."

"Preposterous! Brom accepts nothing but excellence from his students."

"True enough," grunted Brom. He put a hand on Murtagh's shoulder. "Are you sore?"

"A little," Murtagh admitted. He rubbed his arms tiredly. "You were right. A mature elf is extremely strong."

"But you will reach that level of strength someday, lad. Now, something seems to be bothering you today."

At that moment, Murtagh remembered meeting his mother the previous day and his sudden suspicion that Brom knew something about the twins' father. For a few seconds, he watched Katrina duck and try to slash Faolin's abdomen. "We met our mother," he finally said.

Brom raised an eyebrow. "Selena? I know that she was here briefly and…"

"You could have told us."

"I didn't even know that she was here – I only saw her leaving," Brom said quickly. "I'm sorry. I could have at least told you that she's a member of the Varden but she asked me not to."

Eragon joined the conversation, a cold look in his eyess. "Everyone likes keeping secrets from us," he said. "But do you know who our father is?"

Brom sighed. He looked old – old and tired and worn out. A century's burden suddenly lined his otherwise younger face. "Forgive me. She asked me to swear an oath in the Ancient Language. I cannot tell you. She wanted to do it herself when the time came. But let me tell you this. Your father loves you a lot more than you will ever give him credit for."

"C-can't you tell us more?" Eragon looked at the sparring field, where Katrina lost balance and met the same defeat as Murtagh. "You don't have to name him. I just want to know what he's like."

"Not only that." Murtagh caught Thorn's ruby eye, and the dragon nodded. "We want to know if the bastard is alive."

Brom flinched slightly. "Watch your words," he said in amusement. "Let's see… he doesn't have enough money to raise the family that he wished for. He couldn't even raise a family since he was always on the run for crimes to the Empire. He used to live here – in Tronjheim itself. He had to leave for a mission and was never back ever since. But I believe that he's alive."

Eragon unsheathed Kylskada as Faolin motioned to him. "Enough of this talk for now." He took a deep breath and stepped forward.

"Do your best, little brother," Murtagh said with a smile.

Eragon nodded and smiled back. "Of course."

Hello, lovely readers and sorry for a short chappie. For the anon reviewer who asked, I'm from the slightly northern part of the Philippines. :)

Oh, and someone asked about Eragon and Murtagh having blue and red-brown eyes. Uhm, I must have deleted that part from the introductory chapters but I did mean for them to be fraternal same-gender twins, like a few kids from my old schoo. :) And I think they're both adorable.

About the 3 sets of twins (Eragon and Murtagh, Nasuada and Himeria, and the villainous Twins), I was kind of doing a bit of yin and yang motif with them, like E and M being similar yet different, N and H being waaaay different and the Twins just being too creepy and single-minded. :) That's also how I came up with Murtagh and Eragon's fire and ice swords for the future parts. Murtagh is generally more level-headed, yet there is a fiery personality hidden up inside it, while Eragon is more passionate and impulsive yet also has a rational part buried inside it. Did that make any sense? XD I do have explanations for the future motifs of their future swords ;)

Who do you think are the twin boys' father?

Saphira is demanding reviews because she had a bet with Thorn and Firnen!