When I awoke, I was by a man that I didn't recognize, and upon noticing that, I couldn't stop the scream that flew from my throat. The man that had been sleeping leaped to his feet, and as I stared into his eyes, I realized that they were the same shade as mine.

"Eragon?"

"Arianna?"

"What happened to you?" we asked at the same time.

"What do you mean?" Again, spoken simultaneously.

I pushed myself up, and asked if he had a mirror about, because I wanted to see what he was talking about. He might look like an elf, but there was no way that I could. At least, I hoped that there wasn't.

I snatched it from him before he could stand there gawking at himself, and I almost dropped it. My eyes were slanted like an elf's, my ears were pointed, my face was as smooth and slanted as an elf's, and my skin was as pale and alabaster as theirs, emitting a faint glow, as if with the sheen of magic. I stiffened; I looked like Arya.

"Well?" Eragon asked me. I shoved the mirror at him and left. Briam attempted to talk to me, but I kept up the wards around my mind. Why had the dragons done this to me? Yes, my appearance would have changed over time anyway, but that would've been really far away. Now no one would-

I cut that thought short. Now no one will recognize me. The words that the dragon had said to me suddenly came back: Our gift so that you may protect what you must. I wondered what they had said to Eragon. I then realized that this must've been the premonition I'd had in my sleep that I hadn't remembered, and that it was the dragon's magic that had kept it from me.

Where goes Eragon? Saphira asked me.

I don't know. There was still a sour note to my voice.

I think he's going to do something he's going to regret. Find him.

She sent me the last picture she had of his whereabouts, and I ran, faster than I had ever ran before, to that spot. I also cheated a little and entered my brother's mind. That, at least, had not changed. Neither had his intentions about Arya, for that was whom he was with. As I raced towards them, I could hear their whole stupid conversation in my head, and it was Eragon who started it. Not much of a conversation really – just Eragon doing his usual mooning after the elf princess.

"How tall the trees, how bright the stars...and how beautiful you are, O Arya Svit-kona."

Sadly, I could understand why he said it, being in his head and all. That didn't mean I liked that fact though. Then something else hit me that made me even angrier. Who would I end up with in the end? I had a sinking feeling that it would be no one, and I willed the tears to go away.

Through Eragon's eyes, I saw Arya stiffen. "Eragon..."

And he, being the giant idiot he was, ignored her. "Arya, I'll do anything to win your hand. I would follow you to the ends of the earth. I would build a palace for you with nothing but my bare hands. I would-"

"Will you stop pursuing me? Can you promise me that?"

Of course he can't, I thought to myself.

She stepped closer to him, and in a low and more gentle than he really deserved voice said, "Eragon, this cannot be. You are young and I am old, and that shall never change."

"Do you feel nothing for me?" What a stupid question; of course she did. She just happened to be a little bit smarter than my brother when it came to their duties.

"My feelings for you are those of a friend and nothing more. I am grateful to you for rescuing me from Gil'ead, and I find your company pleasant."

Gee, I wonder why that would be.

"That is all...Relinquish this quest of yours – it will only bring you heartache – and find someone your own age to spend the long years with."

"How can you be so cruel?" he asked her. I was getting closer now, but I wasn't close enough to stop whatever stupid thing he was planning next.

"I am not cruel, but kind. You and I are not meant for each other."

"You could give me your memories, and then I would have the same amount of experience and knowledge as you."

Like that stupid thing.

"It would be an abomination. Hear me well, Eragon. This cannot, nor ever shall be. And until you master yourself, our friendship must cease to exist, for your emotions do nothing but distract us from our duty." She bowed to him. "Goodbye, Eragon Shadeslayer."

It was as she was leaving that I arrived, the same way that Arya was leaving.

"I apologize for my brother, Arya Svit-kona, and if you'll excuse me, I have to tend to my brother, as your lies have probably cut him to the core."

Her expression became one of hurt before she masked it behind her usual expressionless mask.

I found Eragon sitting upon a log with his face buried in his hands, weeping, and ground my teeth together from saying anything about exactly how stupid his actions toward Arya were.

Saphira, hurry up. This is your area of expertise.

Why would that be?

Because you're always the one to fix him after he says something stupid.

Not knowing exactly what to do, I sat down on the log beside him and put an arm around him. He clearly wasn't expecting other human contact, or rather, half-elf, half-human contact, as the case might be. I wasn't sure what I was exactly; Oromis would have an explanation, I was sure.

"Don't talk, stupid," I said when he opened his mouth to say something. "Saphira's on her way, so until she gets here, I'm all you've got."

"You always were," he said through tears.

Maybe he wasn't as stupid as I'd always thought. Saphira arrived quickly enough, and I allowed her to take over. I realized that I had no idea where Briam was.

Saphira, where's Briam?

She laughed, and I looked at her sternly.

He's passed out by the Menoa tree. He had a bit too much to drink.

You let him drink? He's just a baby!

I ran to the Menoa tree, and found Briam passed out, just as Saphira had said he would be. He was too big for me to carry now, so instead of trying to wake him up, which would've been pointless, I curled up on the ground next to him to fall asleep. I was mostly elf now; I could handle the cold. Besides, I had Briam's belly to keep me warm. I guess that I didn't really sleep anymore though. It was just a state of rest.