"We still have no word, my Queen." An elf stated as he knelt before his ruler, who appeared in a mirror on a wooden post. The elf was male, but didn't appear to be humanoid in feature. Blue fur sprouted from his body in a thick pelt that resembled a forest cat, his teeth sharpened into the fangs of a wolf, his eyes resembling that of an eagle. "Arya Dröttiningu hasn't been sighted since she and the Rider's cousin went to slay the Ra'zac… no one has seen her since."

He was Blödhgarm, the most powerful spell caster Queen Islanzadí had sent to aid Eragon and Saphira Bjartskular in their quest to kill the Mad King. But when he and eleven other elves had arrived to the Varden, Eragon Shadeslayer and his dragoness were nowhere to be found and no soul could tell them why he had disappeared without a trace.

Queen Islanzadí sighed at her subordinate's statement, what had her child done this time? Arya had been missing for several months, and even with all of her spell casters and scryers, she was no closer to the truth than when they had started.

They had found her by scrying, but the surrounding area was stark white, none of the elves had been there before and though elves had been known for their adventurous personalities, most were young in elven terms and most of her people had never been to one piece of Alagaesia.

The Empire.

What had made her daughter remain in the Empire? Ronan Stronghammer had claimed they had been separated during their fight with the Ra'zac and when the deed was done and the creatures of death and fear slain, Arya had been missing.

She didn't believe the warrior in the slightest, even with Arya there was no way the human warrior had slain the most fearsome monsters that lurked on the fringes of myth and legend. Something had happened in Helgrind, the elven queen was certain about it. But what had happened that would make Stronghammer lie? She might have never met him before but Blödhgarm and the other elven mages had stated he was a trustworthy man with good morals for a human being. What would make him lie, or at least tell half a lie of what happened?

"What has Nasuada said of this?" Islanzadí asked sharply. "That Stronghammer might be hiding something?"

The fur on the back of Blödhgarm's neck bristled, "She does not believe our accusations. She believes the Rider's cousin over us… typical humans." Though their help had been well received, Blödhgarm wasn't a fool; even he knew that some of the Varden feared the elves and Blödhgarm's 'monstrous' appearance, calling it 'not normal' and 'inhuman'. They weren't even human, the fools. They were elves and to be compared to one was insulting.

The Queen of the Elven Kingdom sighed again, her beautiful immortal face resigned and weary. Even with her beauty and elfish looks, Blödhgarm could see the tiredness in his Queen's jade eyes, and even saw the faint dark rings that threated to show around her eyes. He had never seen his ruler so tired before, but war did that to all races, no matter whom.

"Tell Nasuada and King Orrin of our successful siege and capture of the city Cuenon. The city was taken during the night, and only a handful of our warriors perished by the swords and spells of Galbatorix's Imperial Army, but in the end they surrendered to us." Islanzadí stated as she righted herself upright in her throne spun of various vines and flowers, "At the rate we have been going, at least for the elves, we might be able to see the fields of Illeria in a year's time."

Blödhgarm nodded his head in agreement to his leader's command. He still knelt as he glanced up into his own mirror, his sharp amber eyes gleaming in the darkness. "What of the Red Rider? The son of Morzan of the Forsworn?"

"He has not appeared to our army, perhaps Galbatorix will send his pets upon us when we advance to the south, or mayhap when the Varden finally moves from the southern city of Aroughs to Feinster… has Nasuada given the command?" The Queen asked curiously, as the Varden army had been sheltering in the city of Aroughs, safe from the Empire's strength, for near half a year whilst the elven army fought and bled in the north for them. It didn't please her in the slightest when Blödhgarm shook his head yet again.

"Lady Nasuada has yet to give us the order and all King Orrin of Surda has been doing is raiding the previous ruler's stores of rum, wine and mead whilst his soldiers raid the alehouses," Blödhgarm's mouth twisted into a feral sneer, his fangs gleaming. "The only interesting thing to note about the human king is that he is trying to convince Nasuada to allow Aroughs and it's rich, fertile lands to be added to Surda's border."

The nerve and arrogance of that fool, Islanzadí thought to herself in silent fury. "The Varden has barely advanced in their rebellion, they are on the fringes of the Empire which Galbatorix has no concern for, and yet they sit there content while the only human king that isn't insane is drinking his merry way into an early grave and trying to gain more lands for himself while we advance further than they have gone and everyday lose brothers and sisters while they drink and squabble like sparrows over whose land should go to whom?" By the end of that sentence, Islanzadí's tone was cold in fury, her jade eyes as cold as stone.

Like mother like daughter, Blödhgarm noted dryly, having recognized just how much of Islanzadí was in her missing daughter Arya.

"If I may speak, my Queen…"

"You may," Islanzadí said.

"I believe that our stay in the Varden camp has run its course," Blödhgarm said with no hesitation. "The reason for our arrival was to protect Eragon Shadeslayer and Saphira Bjartskular, but seeing as we have yet to see our charges…"

"You wish to return?" Islanzadí finished for the oddly featured elf.

The blue furred elf nodded his head; "It would be in the best interests of our race if we were to return to our brothers and sisters in the north. Here in Aroughs, we are of no use to the tides of war, we are told to sit and stay by the human leaders and not to protect and serve the interests of the free races. The Varden may be content to wait another season in the southern city before facing the might of the Empire and Galbatorix, but my fellow spell casters and myself would rather die in battle with spells on our lips to protect Alagaësia from the clutches of Galbatorix than to twiddle our thumbs in the Varden camp."

Islanzadí didn't say anything, she merely thought it over. If her spell casters were to leave the Varden, they would have to travel through the entire Empire to rejoin their kin and kind, not to mention that the Varden's Council of Elders –she scoffed at the term, they were mere children in her ancient eyes- would take it as a slight. The Varden's Du Vrangr Gata held the only spell casters who could actually help in the heat of battle, though the fact their name was wrong in the Ancient Language and that should have called themselves Du Gata Vrangr just showed their ignorance of magic and it's Language.

She knew how much the Varden would depend on her spell casters when they were in battle, but she needed them too. They were the greatest of the elves, the strongest and the wisest; she had sent them to protect Eragon and her daughter, Arya. But neither of them could be found, which was a coincidence she could not ignore, and that meant their original mission could not be carried out.

"Very well," Islanzadí said to the male elf in the mirror. "You and the others may return to us, but your group shall not be dissolved."

"What do you mean, Queen Islanzadí?"

"You will have to travel throughout the Empire to return to the elven army, and as we know that Arya is somewhere within those harsh and brutal lands, I am tasking you to find my daughter and bring her home to me," Islanzadí looked forlorn, for despite being strained with her only child, Arya was her daughter and she loved her and wished for her safety. "It will most likely solve our other problem."

"The Rider?" Blödhgarm asked curiously. The animalistic elf had never seen the famed Blue Rider as he had missed the Agaetí Blödhren for reasons unknown to all but himself. "You think that the Shadeslayer and Arya Dröttiningu have met within the past season?"

Islanzadí leaned into her living throne, locking eyes of jade with the eyes of an eagle. "Why else would Arya remain in the Empire, the last time she was within it's borders…" Islanzadí remembered, and she knew her daughter did too. She had been a prisoner of the Shade Durza in the prisons of Gil'ead and tortured by the twisted mind of demented spirits. Had Eragon not saved her daughter from that creature's grasp, the Queen had no doubt that she would have survived her entire family. The Empire had already taken her beloved husband and Arya's father, Evandar, during the Battle of Illeria at the hands of one of the cursed Wyrdfell; she would not allow the Empire to take their child as well.

"I understand, Queen Islanzadí. You do not have to bring yourself to say the vile things that were done to your child," the elf within the mirror stated with sorrow. "Galbatorix shall pay for all the horrors he has allowed and committed."

"I know that they are together somewhere in the Empire, Blödhgarm. Eragon had feelings towards my daughter when he was trained here by Rider Oromis, feelings that most likely have not left the boy. It's rather genius, isn't it? Who would look for Galbatorix's greatest enemy in Galbatorix's own empire? Only a brave fool or a man who had nowhere else to go and no one to turn to… Eragon was the latter, I am sure of it Blödhgarm." Islanzadí stated, her face as emotionless as stone.

Blödhgarm raised a blue brow, instantly realizing what the matriarch was implying. "You believe that something occurred during or after the Battle of the Burning Plains that made Eragon and Saphira flee from their own army?"

"The Varden wasn't their army, Blödhgarm." The Queen stated as as she looked at him pointedly.

Blödhgarm snarled at the implication, "You think that Lady Nasuada or King Orrin or even those damned 'esteemed' Council of Elders had something to do with the Blue Rider's disappearance? I will admit this to you, I have heard talks amongst the soldiers, rumors so to speak. Though they would never talk about such things to my face, we elves have enhanced hearing and I was able to hear a couple of grumbling sentries discussing things that could be considered treason."

"What did you hear, Blödhgarm?"

"The men I overheard were grumbling about a certain king of Surda… They were obviously Lady Nasuada's men by the look of them. They were complaining about how Orrin was ruining their cause by not allowing them to leave Aroughs, how the king was trying to undermine Lady Nasuada's authority to gain complete control of the Varden and the Rebellion altogether. From what I've come to understand, many of the political higher ups are not well loved by the common foot soldiers, who are the brunt of the Varden's strength, and how the disappearance of their Rider was a sign from the gods that they were being punished for the higher ups incompetence…" Blödhgarm said this part dryly, being an elf he saw no reason to believe in a higher entity that had never been seen nor heard yet worshipped. "There is no love and loyalty in them for certain commanders. The only reason the Varden hasn't completely dissolved is because of Nasuada, who has managed to continue to have the loyalty of her followers and, surprisingly enough, Roran Stronghammer."

"Eragon's cousin?" Islanzadí asked surprised.

"Aye, he's a bit of a legend these days. If not for him and his soldiers, they would have lost hundreds of men in storming Aroughs, but thanks to their infiltration the Varden was able to seize the city with barely any blood spilt in doing so. Not to mention his part in helping slay the Ra'zac. He is without a doubt the greatest human warrior in the Varden, he has skill." Blödhgarm admitted, though he did not believe the part about the Ra'zac. "Not to mention he shares the blood of the Varden's hero, Eragon. That has helped his popularity rather well, there is talk of him becoming a Commander, or rather the soldiers are demanding it. Even the Urgals and Kull side with him, they respect him for beating one of them, an Urgal ram by the name of Yarbog, in a test of strength."

"They see him as Eragon's temporary replacement," Islanzadí looked thoughtful at this new information. "You say the man is loyal and has good morals? Than that makes it all the more apparent that something happened in Helgrind, something that must have involved his younger cousin. Why else would the honorable Roran Stronghammer lie to his own comrades and superiors? Only family could hold more loyalty than a ruler."

"You believe that Eragon appeared to him and Arya in that hellish mountain?"

"Eragon is a Shadeslayer, slaying the Ra'zac wouldn't be too great a feat for a Rider like him. He's different from the previous Riders of Old; he has true grit and knows pain and suffering instead of privilege and wealth. When it comes to humans and their politics, Eragon is the black sheep so to speak. He speaks for the common and poorer humans of Alagaësia and they listen to him, because he was and still is one of them… that is one of his greatest strengths. Orrin was born a prince and later became a king and Nasuada's father was the leader of the Varden, they were born above the common people, but Eragon was born a poor farmer in the northern Empire who rose above those born of privilege and riches. That is one of the reasons why people love him so much, because he is the symbol of a better life for those born without a chance to have one."

"You seem to have thought this through rather well, my Queen."

Islanzadí looked at her subordinate with those ancient jade eyes, "I know many things, my comrade. This is just one of many… please, Blödhgarm… find my daughter… bring her home." When Blödhgarm looked at her though his scrying mirror, he did not see the cold matriarch that had isolated herself and their kind from the affairs of Alagaësia and even from her own daughter, all he saw was a mother who wished to protect their child, even if they themselves couldn't do it.

He bowed his head in acknowledgment, "I will find Princess Arya, Queen Islanzadí." Blödhgarm swore solemnly in the Ancient Language, where lies were impossible and oaths unbreakable. "We will find her and bring her back to you… and we will find Eragon Shadeslayer and Saphira Bjartskular and bring them to you as well."

To win this bloody rebellion they needed Eragon and Saphira, but they had hidden themselves too well to be found by simple scrying –damn that stone-headed dwarf priest Gannel for giving the Rider that enchanted necklace which made scrying for him impossible- and thus needed to be found manually. It was a good thing that Wyrden was one of the best elven trackers. If they found Eragon they would most likely find Arya, and it was the same the other way around. All they had to do was find one and they would find the other as well. Though Blödhgarm did not know why Eragon had fled to the Empire, he knew that the time for hiding was over. The war had continued in the Riders' absence, and would only continue to worsen for the rebellion should Eragon not appear to help. To win the war they needed the might of the Riders and the dragons.

Islanzadí's hardened features seemed to soften ever so slightly, like that of iron transforming itself into stone. "Thank you, my old friend. Finding Arya and Eragon are the greatest of priorities. If you fail and they do not rejoin the war… it may as well be lost."

Nodding in agreement, Blödhgarm rose from his kneeling position and canceled the scrying spell that allowed him to talk to his leader from across the known world. "I will not fail, Queen Islanzadí." Blödhgarm whispered to himself in the privacy of his tent.

"Wryden!" he called out to his fellow magician that had been holding vigil outside of his tent, having already canceled out the spells that prevented eavesdroppers from listening to conversations within the tent.

The elf appeared in the entrance of his tent, his black eyes looking at his leader with interest. "What did you and the Queen discuss, Blödhgarm?" He asked with his normal curiosity.

"Tell the others to pack their belongings… we're leaving tonight." Blödhgarm commanded as he began to pack the bare essentials and needs that would be required for such a travel.

Wryden's dark brow rose daintily, "That's a rather sudden change of plans. Did she say where?"

"We're heading into the Empire to find any traces of Arya Dröttiningu as well as Eragon Shadeslayer and Saphira Bjartskular. The Queen seemed keen on the idea of them hiding in plain sight." Blödhgarm said curtly as he continued to pack.

Wryden nodded and swiftly left the tent to go tell their fellow elves about the sudden change of plans. Blödhgarm closed his eyes wearily, knowing that they would have to sneak out of Aroughs or else have to deal with the 'esteemed' Council of Elders or worse, King Orrin. As he rushed out of the tent with but a knapsack in his hands and a sword on his belt, the oddly featured elf could only think of one thing.

The world needs Eragon Shadeslayer and Saphira Bjartskular more than ever… time has run out for them wherever they are… The war has not waited for them, but instead continued to worsen in their absence. They must do their duties as Rider and dragon. They must rejoin the rebellion or there will no longer be a war left to fight.

Ancient Language

Dröttiningu - Princess

Blödhgarm – Blood Wolf.

Agaetí Blödhren – Blood Oath Celebration: A celebration formed by the elven kingdom to celebrate the pact formed during the Dragon War and the creation of the Order of the Riders. It is celebrated every century in the heart of the elven capitol, Ellesméra. The ceremony happens underneath the shade of the Menoa Tree.

Wrydfell – The Forsworn.