And the lessons begin. Enjoy!

Briar looked at her blade and then at her mother. When she had woken the day before in her master's bedroom, she had known what had happened. She had pushed herself too far that she couldn't even finish being examined by her master. There was pity in her mother's eyes now and she couldn't stand it. Nearby, Eragon and Oromis were already sparring, the elf wanting to know their abilities with a blade. Brom and Kylie were in another clearing, her training needing to be different for the time being. Briar needed to guard her blade. She bit her lip for a moment before sitting and placing the hilt between her feet. Using her right hand, she summoned her magic and spoke the words Brom had taught her when they had first used their blades to spar with. She wasn't sure how well the blade would hold against her mother's as her mother still had her Rider's blade and Briar had traded Undbitr for her old sword now that is was known that Saphira was still alive.

Briar got to her feet and looked at her mother. This woman had no right to be looking at her with pity. If she had been around Briar while the girl was growing up, she would know that her daughter was not weak. She refused to be looked at as weak.

Iris made the first move, sprinting towards her daughter, sword raised. Briar was ready. Brom had started many of their sparring sessions this way. Briar blocked the blow and quickly freed her blade and swung at Iris's legs. The older woman jumped back, nearly losing her balance on the slick grass. Briar advanced, blocking and attacking as much as her mother did. Iris put on more speed as the fight went on and Briar forced herself to match it, just like she did with Arya and Brom. Sparring with them had prepared her for this. She hit Iris once on the legs when the woman was more concerned about a kick that came flying at her side rather than the sword.

Out of habit, Briar clasped her left hand onto the hilt of her sword, ignoring the burning. She used her right hand to power and move the blade, the burning getting worse as she moved. She let go of the hilt with her right hand. Her left hand fell and the sword flew from her hand at Iris as Briar let go on instinct and crumpled to the ground. Iris jumped out of the way of the flying blade and looked at her daughter who was now on her knees, cradling her left arm. She pursed her lips in anger, not at her daughter, but at Corinna. The damned woman would pay for this. While her daughter recovered, Iris went into her own hut and returned with a weighted ball that was soft enough to squeeze. Oromis had given it to her when her arm had been broken and she had needed to strengthen it again. She squatted in front of her daughter.

"When you are not here and learning, and even while you are being instructed, squeeze this. When you can squeeze it without the burning, try lifting it. Condition your mind to work through the pain." Briar looked at her and Iris could see anger in the younger woman's eyes. Anger and pain. Iris knew that there was a love for life and the day within her daughter, but there was no seeing it while this war raged on. The scars on Briar's arm would never go away and she would be forever reminded of how close to death she had come within the mountain of the dwarves.

Briar reached out her right hand and accepted the ball and squeezed it experimentally. Edurna had described something similar that he had used when Corinna had first injured him. Was it possible to condition herself enough that she could survive the war? Or would she be doomed to a century of conditioning and studying or certain death? The two women went to the stream to wash up and then Iris led Briar to a clearing and made her sit there in an effort to hear everything at once and return to the main clearing when she could hear no more.

Briar took a deep breath and released it slowly, trying to center herself. Her mind was also a mess after she had forced herself to use her left arm. Thoughts of her life, or death, always filled her head and brought despair with them. How could she possibly fight when she couldn't fight off her own mother. Briar took another breath and pushed those thoughts aside. She needed to focus. She let the walls around her mind down and tried to extend her consciousness in all directions, trying to let herself see everything at once. It was no use. She couldn't even concentrate on things outside herself. Her arm burned the more she tried not to think about it and it occurred to her that she had been thinking about it since the first attack. She couldn't forget what Corinna had done to her nor the fact that there was now way to cure it. Briar opened her eyes and flopped backwards to lay on her back and look at the sky. It betrayed her thoughts and her mood which had darkened within the last hour she had been sitting in the clearing. She closed her eyes again, wishing she could just disappear.

As she calmed her mind with thoughts that there was nothing she would be able to do about her arm, she felt the other consciousnesses around her. She took a deep breath and let the thoughts of the birds fill her mind before they flew off and her mind snatched onto another creature. She stayed like that until she grew engrossed in the home building of two foxes nearby. She smirked, loving to see the life that was beginning even though hers would be ending soon. It gave her the will to fight again. This was what she was fighting for. To give the people a chance to be happy with their mates and to live with their children and watch them grow.

Briar brushed her hair carefully and thought as she did so. It had grown longer since she had cut it. It was now part way down her back, just a little past her shoulders. Soon, she would have to be tying it up again which would prove difficult with her somewhat useless arm. Since her attack, she was able to use her fingers which would only become stronger since she had started playing with the ball her mother had given her. Soon, she would have to start lifting her arm. She tried it and was almost overwhelmed with the burning. She lifted her wrist only. There was still the burning, but not much. She knew the worst of it would be when she started using her left arm to fight again. First, she needed to regain its use.

With a sigh, she put the brush down and grabbed the ball and placed it in her pocket. She needed to meet the elf Oromis and her mother had sent to spar with her. She was loath to reveal her disability to another, but it was inevitable. And they had to know in the chance that their lives were in her hands. She and Dwervevindr weren't waiting long when a familiar face approached her temporary home. She greeted him and smiled.

"Are you to be my partner?" She asked in the ancient language, something Oromis and her mother agreed should happen while they lived here.

"I am. It seems that your masters believe that because we are afflicted by the same curse, that I can help you more than another."

"That doesn't bode well for Eragon." Briar laughed. It was good to have a friend, aside from her dragon. She hardly saw Kylie since she and Brom had secreted themselves away for Kylie's training which, Brom had deemed, would be interfered with by their upper level training.

"Come, this way." Edurna said and let Briar walk to his side and guided her to the training field which was already filled with elves doing various exercises and training. Now that she was able to grip with her fingers, something she was grateful for after her attack, she was able to hold her blade. She placed her blade in her left hand and guarded it before transferring it back to her right hand. "When did you gain the use of your fingers?"

"Yesterday." Briar admitted. "My master and I were sparring and out of habit, I tried using my left arm. I was able to grip without thinking, but when I moved," she left the sentence hanging and Edurna understood. He blocked his blade and nodded. She nodded her readiness. She knew what was expected of her. She needed to keep in practice and also work her arm. The only way she would be able to use it again would be through working it.

Edurna jumped at her with surprising speed and Briar barely blocked in time, bending her back to account for the pressure. This was the first time that she and Edurna has used their weapons and she could tell that he would not go easy on her. She pushed back and used her right shoulder to unbalance him, favoring her left arm for the moment. He attacked again, adding even more of his weight to the attack to the point that Briar struggled to push him off. He was forcing her to use her left arm for support. But she couldn't. She knew what would happen and she refused to appear weak in front of these elves. She kicked Edurna's legs out from under him and rolled out of the way as the elf fell. He recovered his feet quickly and this time Briar attacked first. She put all her weight behind her swing. He swatted her away like she was nothing and she might as well be. She may have the speed of an elf through training with Arya and her father, but she was still much weaker than a young elf.

Edurna pushed against her blade again and she bent almost fully backwards. She had no choice now. She felt the burning before she could even move her arm, but fought through it. She had done it before. She could do it again. Her left hand clasped onto the hilt below her right hand and she pushed against Edurna's blade, pulling on her reserves of strength.

He suddenly let off and she shot upwards, her sword going for his neck as the word coward hung in the air. She twisted sharply and turned to look where Edurna was looking. Eragon had arrived and had his back to a young elf with dark hair, his face looking towards the sky.

"Coward, I say." The elf spat. "Your blood is as thin as the rest of your race's. I think that Saphira was confused by Galbatorix's wiles and made the wrong choice of Rider." Edurna stiffened next to her as a gasp went through the assembled elves. Briar moved to stop Eragon at the same time Saphira did. Edurna's hand on her shoulder stopped her as Eragon's pent up anger was released. Suddenly, Eragon arched his back and then collapsed on the ground. Briar broke free of Edurna's grip and rushed over to Eragon, grabbing her water bottle from Dwervevindr's saddle.

The seizure passed and Eragon sat up, feeling more than seeing Briar next to him with a water skin. He wiped the blood from his mouth and showed it to Vanir.

"Thin enough?" He asked, ignoring Briar and the water she was offering. He had seen her sparring with Edurna. She had gotten someone she knew. She had gotten someone who would take it easy on her because of her disability. But the glimpses he had gotten, Edurna had not gone easy on her and she had attempted to use her left arm just before he attacked Vanir. The elf didn't respond, preferring to sheath his sword and walk away instead. "Where are you going?" Eragon demanded, getting to his feet. "We have unfinished business you and I."

"You are in no condition to spar." The elf scoffed.

"Then you are the coward." Eragon accused, not caring that he was now breaching the elves' sacred courtesy. "You hide because you say you are not strong enough yet you refuse to face me because of my condition."

"You know nothing of bravery, Shadeslayer." Vanir hissed. "You know not the sacrifices others have made to ensure you get to this point. You survived Durza because of dumb luck. What would have happened had Iris's daughter not refused aid from Arya and Saphira?" Vanir looked at Briar and then back to Eragon. "You would have been captured by Durza and now in the hands of the king. Durza would still be walking this land. She has suffered more than you ever will because of her actions to send you aid instead of accepting it herself." Vanir turned fully to Briar and bowed his head in respect. "I only wish I had half the bravery you and your family possess, Argetlam." He said respectfully and left the field.

Yes, the rivalry between Vanir and Eragon is still going to be there, but Briar will not be immune from "discourtesy" on the elves' part I think. I'll have to think on that for sure.

Thanks for reading and please review.