52. Back on the Isle

While their parents were away, Will took Lena flying one day on Glimmer. They flew farther than they usually did when going off by themselves. Will's destination was Lake Arya, as he knew they wouldn't be disturbed there. He had made all of the necessary preparations for an outing of many hours, and when they arrived at the lake, Will set out the picnic he had packed.

After eating and talking on the shore for some time, Lena suggested they should swim. It was getting quite hot in the afternoon sun.

Will immediately agreed. Before entering the water, he removed his shirt, noticing that Lena's eyes fell on the blue ring he always wore on its chain around his neck.

"I want to wear mine on my finger," Lena casually commented as she dressed down to the modest undergarments she intended to swim in.

Will grinned and took off his boots and socks. "You shall. Oh, why wait any longer? You know that's why I brought you here, don't you, Lena?" He dropped to one knee in front of her, grasping both of her hands in his. Without any nervousness or hesitation, Will firmly asked, "Lena, will you marry me?"

Lena smiled joyfully and nodded. "Yes, Will. I will."

Will reached up to undo the chain around her neck. He slid the golden ring off, slipped it on her finger, and refastened the chain as a necklace. Then, while still on his knees, he pulled her close and nestled his face against her bosom. "Thank you, honey. I'm so excited to be your husband. I spoke with your father and told him we want to be married after they get back. He wholeheartedly agreed. So we won't need to wait much longer."

"Good," Lena murmured, running her hands around his horns and through his hair. Will lifted his face to hers, and Lena leaned down to kiss him. When she pulled back, she was smiling. "Is that how it always feels for you?"

Will knew his eyes must be full of the same longing he always felt after kissing Lena on the lips—thanks to his part Urgal blood—but he carefully controlled it and asked, "What do you mean?"

"When you have to lean down to kiss me?"

"Hmm," Will mused. "I don't know. Try it again and I'll pay better attention this time."

Lena laughed and obliged. Will pulled back the second time and rested his face against her, breathing slightly deeper than usual. Lena placed her chin on top of his head between his horns.

"Since I don't know how it usually feels for you when I have to lean down to kiss you, I can't say," Will finally managed. "But we had better not do anymore experimenting right now. You often rest your face against my chest after, which I love, but I doubt it has the same effect on you as what I'm currently doing has on me." He reluctantly lifted his face away from her soft chest. "You smell so amazing," he added.

Then Will stood, surprised her by snatching her up and tossing her over his shoulder, and recklessly charged into the water, where he intentionally fell down and took them both under. When they surfaced, both he and Lena were laughing, and she was spluttering. She pushed him indignantly, and he acted like it was enough to send him under again. Their swim, which was really just more lighthearted play and flirting, continued for some time.

When they had both had enough, they crawled out of the water and snuggled in one another's arms on the warm sand to dry in the sun, each content with the knowledge that in as little as a week, they might be able to enjoy the same embrace as man and wife.

-:-:-

Keeta didn't find the time to keep her promise to Nefin and tell her friends about her birthday dream until the day before Brin's eighteenth birthday, which coincided with the day of Eragon and Arya's anniversary.

They each seemed as concerned by Angela's words as Keeta was. And they agreed on the fact that since Keeta was the last to hear the familiar warning that had begun the previous year, the event Angela was preparing them for would happen before Brin's birthday.

"Which means sometime today," Brin anxiously concluded.

"Most likely tonight," Brom added. "Bad things always seem to happen at night, don't they? We should stay together, just in case."

"The children might like the idea of a group sleepover in the Great Hall," Var suggested.

"But whatever might happen could be dangerous!" Hanna worried. "Would they be safer in our families' living quarters?"

"We can have the other Riders stay in there with them, along with some of the elves, while we sleep outside in the courtyard," Will said, apparently thinking along the same lines as his twin brother.

"If something crazy happens," Brom reasoned, "it probably would be less chaotic to know everyone was accounted for, rather than trying to run around from room to room."

"Why wouldn't we just use our minds to communicate?" Hanna wondered, still concerned.

"We have to be prepared for any eventuality, including one where magic might not serve us," Brom said. "Remember what Angela told me on my birthday? Well, maybe you don't remember everything because it was a lot, but what I'm specifically thinking of is when she told me we will only succeed as a team."

Hanna reluctantly nodded, and the ten friends set about preparing for the sleeping arrangement they had discussed.

The ten friends quickly learned that their younger siblings were thrilled by the idea of a communal sleepover in the Great Hall, and it had taken many hours—after a rambunctious pillow fight and seemingly endless whispering—for the youngsters to finally settle down enough to sleep.

The older youth in the courtyard experienced the same difficulty, though for different reasons. There was obviously their anxiety about the feeling of impending doom. On top of that, there were the many romantic overtures. Will and Var, along with Lena and Zadí, were the only four sure of what they felt and wanted. A couple of the other males were equally as certain of what they wanted, though the females in question were still uncertain about moving forward to marriage.

Will and Lena fell asleep in one another's arms, reassured by the thought that the presence of their eight friends would keep them from getting carried away in their affectionate expressions. Sleep found Var and Zadí facing one another and holding hands. Brin and Keeta lay close to each other, whispering in their minds for fear that the two boys who fancied them might even be able to overhear their thoughts. Sleep eventually overtook them as well.

Brom and Nefin positioned themselves on the outskirts of the group, with Brom a small distance behind Brin and Nefin not far from Keeta. Ajh and Hanna stayed close to their siblings, for while they were beginning to suspect their growing regard, it was still in the initial stages. Hanna was far too worried to think about romance that night, yet she also soon fell into her waking dreams. Brom and Nefin stayed awake the longest, though sometime after midnight, they ultimately succumbed to exhaustion. Taking care of so many younger siblings was far harder than they had expected, and it had given the group of ten a much deeper appreciation for all their parents did in addition to their Dragon Rider responsibilities.

The clearest clue that the seven Dragon Riders and their three siblings weren't simply enjoying a fun night together was in the fact that all of them who had weapons were sleeping with them nearby. And their seven dragons formed a protective circle around them in their sleep.

-:-:-:-