Maelorum brought me back into the city, and landed in the courtyard. The sun was still rising, but a courier was surprisingly easy to locate. I rushed my request, not paying much attention to the young person. Kialandí needed to be notified before he gave the stone to Taylyn, now that I would be returning in time to give it to her myself.
The courier ran off to fetch him, and I jogged to Taylyn's room, hoping Kialandí was not already there. Maelorum rumbled happily as I departed from him. The morning felt unnaturally crisp, but our flight back to the city could very well be the main contributor for my chilled skin. I heard my pace echo quietly through the empty halls on my way to her chambers. As I knocked, Taylyn called loudly from behind the door for me to enter. I opened it with haste and entered with enthusiasm.
Her hair draped around her face delicately, hiding it as she pushed off from her pillow. I had woken her. Upon my intrusion, I looked down apologetically, "My apologies, I thought you were awake."
"Hmm, not everyone wakes up before the morning sun like you do." She sang. I smiled and nodded in agreement. My early rise gave me the opportunity to show my affection in a stone and breakfast. Now that it was clear to me she had not received any other visitors, I was free to offer her breakfast.
"Are you hungry?" I asked, knowing I had the rest of the day in freedom before Maelorum and I would be leaving the city for Ília Fëon. If I was lucky, perhaps I could convince her to join us. I'm sure she would love to see her mother again.
"Yes, but I can get my own food." She brought her hand up to remove the hair from her face and tuck it behind her ear.
I shook my head, already opening the door again just enough for me to slip through, "I will bring you food. Stay here." The door closed behind me before she could argue, and I hurried to the dining hall with hopes that there would be no line.
I felt more energetic since leaving Galbatorix in the forest. Something about the impromptu meeting seemed to wake me up from something, but my memory failed to recall why. He refused my offer to bring him any comfort, but when he ordered me to leave for Ília Fëon by nightfall, Maelorum and I left him to his own devices.
In my mind, Maelorum mirrored my excitement. His thoughts shook from glee at no longer having to keep his secret, and the closer I ran in his direction, the wider my smile widened. I felt a sense of gratitude to Galbatorix for lifting a weight off my mind. It was too bad the rest of his race was so irredeemable.
I gathered our breakfast without issue, much to my relief. Just as I left, human bodies began to congregate in the halls as the city stirred. Elves would follow shortly after, for those who took their time getting ready for the day.
Is there any sign of the courier or Kialandí? I asked Maelorum. I caught sight of his head peeking over the gardens as he looked through them curiously.
Not that I have seen. Do you want me to fly around the city?
If you want to. I just need to retrieve the stone from Kialandí before he decides to take it to Taylyn.
Why not make another? He sounded confused at my reasoning, but removed his head from the tall bushes and trees to look at me over the crowds forming. Someone bumped into my arm, nearly knocking the plate from my hands in their clumsiness. I shot them a disapproving glare once I realized it was a human.
Maelorum's wings opened, signalling for any people below him to remove themselves from his area or suffer from the gust of wind he was about to kick up. Dust billowed up slightly, but met with a wall of magic when the fierce pressure hit the plant life. With dragons around, unprotected feats of nature were much too delicate to be ignored when landing and leaving caused such devastating results.
There would be witnesses if I stole another stone from the garden. I lifted the plate to almost above my head to avoid an oncoming courier. Also human. Was I invisible, or were they trying to run into me? The hallway was no longer empty, but there was no reason to have this much contact. Even dragons could comfortably walk through. Perhaps not Maelorum anymore, but he was larger than most of the dragons currently in Ilirea.
I found Kialandí. He is preparing his dragon for travel in his chambers. She is quite beautiful. I looked up to see Maelorum circling over the city in one specific area, his head looking downward. My laughter broke through our bond, earning myself an unabashed rumble from him in response. He had favored few dragons in his lifetime, it always struck me odd when he chose to court one.
I looked up to see him take a steep dive toward the forests, and I decided to give him privacy. My version of gift-giving was very different from his.
First, I would visit Kialandí, retrieve Taylyn's stone, and rush over to her chambers before she wondered where I ran off to. My lack of exploration of the city rebounded against me today, however. I was unsure of where Kialandí's chambers were. Dozens upon dozens of rooms designed to house dragons and their riders was no small feat, which made looking for a specific room an all-day task without direction.
I approached the first group of elves I could find with a smile. It took some searching, but thankfully, they stood above the shorter population. Introductions were mild, as they realized I was a rider. It was a common myth that all Shur'tugal were very busy. Unless I was one of the riders who used that as an excuse for short conversations. They gave me the instruction I needed, happy to satisfy me.
As I bowed to leave, one of the younger elves requested a more personal audience with me. The others left her to give us privacy. I obliged, not wanting to seem disrespectful in my hurry.
"Master Radi, this is my first time in Ilirea, do you have any advice to spare?" When she spoke, I realized she hadn't introduced herself to me yet. She waited for a more intimate time to make herself known. An action, I realized, intended to make herself more memorable than the others.
I thought for a moment, and chose to answer honestly.
"Maintain vigilance around the humans. Never let your guard down around them, else you find a knife in your back when you are not looking." I said. She watched me carefully, and nodded. That advice helped me survive this long, and worked particularly well on a few occasions when I served as a member of the Council. The same government now living in decadent ignorance at the expense of freedom.
"Thank you for your wise words, I will keep them in mind." She bowed low, lower than the others had, and turned away to join the rest. Then, I remembered it was the same small group of elves as yesterday. Was she a rider? By her behavior, she was young but old enough to have bonded with a dragon in the last century. She wore embroidered gloves in the same style I had seen worn on the younger elves a handful of times in my 7 years here. She could easily not be one as well. Her eyes reminded me of Taylyn's before we were exposed to the harsh reality of the world. Perhaps that was why I warned her about the humans. It was the same advice I would give Taylyn if I could. I needed to know her name.
"If you will honor me with your name?" I asked before she could escape out of conversational volume.
"My name is Formora, Master." She replied kindly. She hesitated, making sure she would not leave without my permission, and I nodded my leave.
When I reached Kialandí's chambers, his door opened before I could knock. Was he expecting me?
"I was not expecting to see you until this afternoon. Is everything alright?" He said, purposefully blocking my view of the inside of his room. I made no attempt to see past him. I was not interested in what could be behind him.
"Everything is fine, I am here to retrieve my stone from you. The one I gave you a couple of hours ago for safe-keeping."
"I will be right back, then." He quickly shut the door and returned a few seconds later with it in his hand. I took it with my free hand, balancing the plate on my right hand and forearm easily.
"How did you know I was coming?"
"I placed wards around here to make sure someone would not catch me by surprise. It has saved me from some very annoying conversations with Vandar. He follows me around like a baby bird. Your courier also stopped by to expect your presence." He joked. I smiled, making note to brush up on my wards as well. Kialandí's apparent paranoia could be useful. He continued, "Speaking of birds, I heard you are leaving for Ília Fëon tonight. I am to accompany you."
"He ordered you to join me?"
"More or less. I have an associate to speak with there, and I need an excuse to leave. I miss Du Weldenvarden."
"We will speak again this evening." I parted. He nodded and shut his door again. I stood there for a moment, looking at the closed door. I lacked curiosity before, but his secretiveness did give me pause. I shook the feeling off, being reminded of how Senick's inquiries annoyed me.
"Come in!" Taylyn shouted on the other side. When I entered, the room was bright from the sun's morning light. Her windows faced East, casting long lines of rays across her marble floor. The bed was neat, and she sat patiently on the floor, enjoying the warmth.
I walked over and sat with my back facing the morning sun, still needing to squint at the reflection of the light from the stones below. Our breakfast separated us, and we began eating once I settled.
It was nice to eat something. I ate more than she did, and we finished the plate between us relatively quickly. When there was no more, I had half a mind to bring another plate back to her room. I brought what was left in my hand to my mouth, but Taylyn reached over to stop me from eating it. She grinned, and I looked down to see the stone in my hand.
I sighed at myself and held it out to her. I forgot about it in my hunger. She took it happily and stared at it for a few moments in appreciation. Something about it made her hide a frown. It was too late for her to hide it from me, however, and I voiced my concern.
"What is wrong with it?" I asked, self-conscious. She tried to amend her unintentional display.
"It is perfect, but… It does not look like something you made. I prefer your fairths over any other, but something is off." Those words were her way of saying I had not made the fairth. I blanched, holding my hand out to see it with my own eyes.
When I glanced at it, I knew she was right, but this was the same stone I made her fairth with. It was my work, but it was also not mine. I took great care in making it, why did it look distorted? I cursed myself for the horrible gift. Without giving her a warning, I shattered the stone in my hands with magic.
Her exclamation followed, "Radi!"
"You deserve better than this." I explained, scowling at where the disgraceful gift had once been.
"I did not want you to destroy it, I only said something looked different. Please don't be upset." Her voice softened as her eyes focused on the powder in my hands. My gedwëy ignasia slowly returned to its normal shine.
"I am not upset with you, I am upset with myself. If I cannot manage to replicate what I saw, then I am not worthy of presenting you a fairth."
"You are worthy, Radi. Maybe you were tired when you made it?" She was right, I was tired when I made it, but that was no excuse to trick myself into thinking it was good enough. What I held in my hands a minute ago was no different from a child's fairth; blurry and unfocused from emotion.
"That is no excuse to bring you a child's creation." I grumbled back. She huffed stubbornly.
"It could have been a blank sheet of parchment and I would love it unconditionally. The fairth was unexpected. That does not make me love it any less… Stop that." She growled.
"Stop what?"
"Berating yourself about it."
"I will anyways, what is the point in telling me not to?" I scoffed. We shared a small smile. I sighed again, beginning to feel full from the large breakfast. I was glad I stayed to not eat more. Now was the best time to tell her my plans for today.
"Taylyn, I am leaving." I announced quietly, keeping my eyes on hers. She turned into a sudden storm of confusion and hurt.
"Of course you are."
"What do you mean by that?" I asked, concerned. She sighed and did her best to hide her emotions.
"I mean that I am unsurprised you are leaving." She explained heavily. I did my best to backtrack and avoid where the conversation would be going.
"I want you to come with me to Ília Fëon." I amended softly. Taylyn's head turned as she stood; purposefully keeping my eyes off her face. It infuriated me to no end when she did that. I followed after her, stopping her from leaving me alone in the warm morning sun, "Taylyn, come with me?" My gentle plea sounded stressed in my own ears.
"Radi…" She closed her eyes, but I could still see the frustration in them, "I have responsibilities here, you have responsibilities here. I can not uproot myself at every whim."
"I am only going to be visiting. My sword is there, and I will have need of it." I explained.
"You swore to me you would never use it again." Trepidation crossed her eyes as she opened them to look up at me. I lowered my arms and nodded. I had, but I was no longer bound to that oath. As of this morning, I had been freed from it by Galbatorix.
"My name has changed, I have changed. Now, I can do as I please and leave for Ília Fëon to bring back my sword." I said, smiling from how much freedom that now gave me. For so many centuries I was bound to a duty I no longer believed in. The implications of my words caused her to tense even more.
"You need to reaffirm your allegiances to the council. Promise me you will?" I sneered at her, earning myself even more distance between us as she stepped back out of my reach.
"I will not swear to them."
"You do not want to, or you cannot?" She argued dangerously. Her eyes studied me with a level of suspicion I could not decipher.
"What do you mean by that?" I asked in annoyed confusion.
"Stop avoiding the answer, Radi!," She barked, "If your name has changed, you need to inform the council. It is for your safety." Her voice lowered to a whisper, but she kept the scalding words sharp.
"My safety? I was a toy for them to dance when they wished, where they wished. You are not subject to those strings because you are not a rider, but if your dragon lived, you would understand the life of a glorified slave." My thoughts rushed out faster than I could reel them in, fueling the fire in her eyes. I grimaced, remembering I had once sworn to never speak of him to her. Just as I was no longer tied down by the council's influence, now I was free to say things I never wanted to say.
Her eyes turned upward in empty understanding, her anger evaporating with sadness in its place. I refused to look up at the reminder painted on her ceiling. Though she could not remember what happened, it was easy to see that I had now told her why she dreamt of two eggs instead of Maelorum's. And why I rarely looked up from the marble flooring of her room. She only knew something horrible happened, and that I had witnessed it and helped save her. After that, I was a shur'tugal and she only had the physical scars to explain what I took from her.
"How has your name changed?" She whispered, still looking up to it. I could see tears well up in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall.
"I am…" It pained me as I spoke, "no longer able to tell you." Before she could look down at me with hurt-filled eyes again, I continued, "I want to, Taylyn, I do. I want you to know me completely, for all of my shortcomings and strengths, but I cannot give you my name. I have sworn to never share it with another."
She replied shakily, "It changed sometime this morning?"
"Yes, how did you know?" I asked, surprised.
"Your fairth. It was made by the Radi I know, and not the one I see before me."
"I am still the same Radi. My memory of you has not been tampered with, nor have my feelings for you changed if that is why you worry."
As she looked down, I watched with the blood leaving my face. Her eyes spoke of fear and despair; locking onto mine and unwillingly imprinting themselves into my memory.
"The Radi I loved would set aside his emotions and swear cooperation anyways out of duty and not revenge. You return with excitement and ask me to travel to Ília Fëon to retrieve the weapon you tainted with human blood, and expect me to overlook your refusal to protect Alagaesia." She paused, and looked for something in my eyes before continuing. Her tone shifted to scolding, "They are simple oaths, Radi-not-Radi." Her naming me sent an uncomfortable shiver up my spine. I hid it behind my mask of restrained agitation.
She continued without breaking, "They do not force you into apathy, they insure that you will not commit horrible acts of violence against the beings of Alagaesia. Those strings are what keep you from doing what you would have done centuries ago. Without them, there is nothing to stop you from doing so now. My reasons for staying in Ilirea were out of necessity. Now, I will stay because I fear for Ilirea's wellbeing against your 'shortcomings'."
"Your love is conditional, then." I growled, standing perfectly still despite my heart breaking.
"Not for Radi," she started, "Not for the one whose heart made me cry in worry for twenty years." Her own anger seeped through, even as other emotions veyed for expression, "For him, I loved unconditionally and without hesitation would give my life to save. You, however, have not earned that loyalty yet."
"I would burn the world for you if you asked. My affection for you has not changed in my name." I argued desperately, unable to decide if I was furious at myself or in anguish. Both were proving to be a horrible sensation.
"The Radi still sleeping in my bed knew I would never ask to destroy it in the first place." Her eyes stared into mine; challenging me to argue against her.
Neither of us spoke. I don't think I could if I wanted to. I should not have spoken. By asking her to join me, I pushed her away. My gift to her took her from me. From one second to the next, I hated the Council's influence over her, and loved her even more. How could she deny me? I thought in disbelief.
If I needed to earn her once again, I would do so by working against the government she was entangled in. Her eyes were blinded by their tendrils. I could see the council's hold on her, just as Kialandí and Galbatorix did. Taylyn would not join us in our rebellion, so I would do everything in my power to free her from our enemy. Then, and only then would she understand true freedom.
My faced hardened in determination, giving my legs enough feeling to walk away from her with a vow, "I will earn it again." I heard her whisper something, but I was too far away to understand the words.