Serena sat in one of the hospital wing's large, stained-glass windows, looking up at the stars. She sighed as she stared at them. They're so beautiful here, even with the lights of the city. Her sapphire gaze slunk to the violet dragon sleeping at her feet. The Rider smiled. Edoc'sil had not left her side ever since she had been brought back to Surda. She stroked his arrowhead-shaped head with the toe of one of her feet that was hanging off of the window's ledge. The dragon rumbled a moan of content. Serena smiled again and looked back up at the stars.

"You always did like the stars."

The Rider jumped to her feet. A tall, slim figure stepped out from the shadows. Serena relaxed. "It's you, Arya svit-kona." She bowed respectfully, then returned to her relaxed position on the windowsill. "Yes, I do." She answered the elf. "They're even more beautiful out here, in the city."

Arya nodded in agreement and walked over to Serena. "May I?" she asked, gesturing to a vacant place in the windowsill.

Serena smiled and gestured her to sit.

The elf joined Serena at the windowsill and stared up at the stars. "How did your meeting with Nasuada go?"

Serena shrugged. "It went fine. Eragon told her of my connection to Galbatorix." Arya flashed her a worried look, but the Rider shook it off. "She did not react the way I thought that she would. No flames, no torture, and no interrogations. She only wanted to know where my loyalties lie."

"And where do they lie?"

Serena laughed. "With the elves, of course. Whatever side that they are on, I will be on."

Arya furrowed her brow. "So if the elves were to change sides tomorrow—"

"I would follow them and offer my services to Galbatorix."

The elf looked horrified. "But why…?"

Serena smiled and looked down. "If you were found, abandoned in a forest and raised by a people who did not even want you there, if they had trained you to be the best in your city, if they showed you mercy when no one did, would you not follow those people to the very end?"

Arya looked away. "I believe that my answer would be the same as yours."

The room fell into an uncomfortable silence.

It was Serena who broke the silence. "Why did you come here at such a late hour, Arya svit-kona? I am sure that you had not intended to speak with me."

Arya shook her head. "No, I assumed that you would be asleep. But, low-and-behold, here you sit."

This forced a quiet laugh from Serena's lips. "Then what did you expect to do?" Their eyes were still fixed on the stars.

"I had thought that…maybe…Eragon would be here."

Serena broke her gaze from the stars and looked away. Without looking at the elf, she asked, "May I ask you a very personal question, my lady?"

Arya's emerald-green eyes tore themselves from the stars to gaze into Serena's sapphire-blue ones. The elf gave the Rider her permission with a slight nod.

"Do you love Eragon?"

The elf froze. Why was Serena asking this? Arya grunted. "You know that Eragon's and my relationship is strictly professional—"

"With all-do respect, my lady, you would not be searching for Eragon in the middle of the night if your relationship was 'strictly professional'."

Arya sighed. "Why do you want to know this?"

Serena was hesitant, but then she answered, "Because I love him, too." She gave a weak smile before looking back up at the stars. "But I also know that it is not me whom he loves. His heart does not beat fast for me." The Rider's sapphire blue-eyes turned to the slender elf. "It does for you, Arya svit-kona. And I know that yours pounds in your breast for him."

Arya's cheeks flushed a light shade of pink. The elf quickly turned away. "I…I do not know what you are talking about. It…It is Eragon who loves me, not I him. You have it all wrong—"

"Do I?" Serena's voice was angry now. "Hear me, Arya svit-kona, I have the utmost respect for you, but my loyalties lie with Eragon on this one." She turned away. "I want to make sure that he is happy, even if…even if it is not me he is happy with." The light from the stars glinted off of a single tear that ran down Serena's cheek.

"Serena, I—"

"Stop it." She said forcefully. "If you have something to say, say it to Eragon, not me. Now I would very much like to get to sleep right now, if you don't mind."

Arya started to say something, but shook her head and left the hospital wing.

The Rider curled into a ball on the windowsill and sobbed quietly.


okay, so don't hate me cause it was short! I just HAD to post it. It was blocking my concentration...XP Well, i officially changed the genre for this story. instead of Action/Adventure, it is now...DUN DUNDUN DUUUUUUUUUN! Action/Adventure/ROMANCE! XP enjoy!

Shadeslayer390