The white tunnel lasted for ten minutes before the ship emerged into real space again.

"If you all will sit tight, I'll be done in a minute." Ajax promised before turning away from the others and disappearing in a white flash of transport energy.

The Free Jaffa nation had just finished a council session when Ajax appeared before them with a barely audible pop and a bright flash of light.

Teal'c recognized the youth, and quickly walked over to him, waving off the other council members who had risen angrily. "Outsiders are not permitted in the Free Jaffa council chambers." he stated solemnly, escorting Ajax out.

Ajax inclined his head to acknowledge what Teal'c had said. "My apologies, Teal'c." he replied formally, dipping his head. "I came to honor my promise."

"You have brought the weapon with you then?" Teal'c asked, eyes brightening fractionally.

"I have." Ajax answered, producing the weapon and holding it out for him. "There's a switch for the stun/kill setting on the side. I must return to my ship at once." So saying, Ajax moved away from Teal'c, and pushed the radio button. "One for transport." he said, before disappearing.

Aragon was sitting in the center chair when Ajax arrived on the bridge.

"Any other stops?" he enquired cooly, twisting in his chair to look up at Ajax.

"Not that I'm aware of…unless you have a place in mind?" Ajax returned cheekily.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I do have a place in mind." Aragon replied.

"Oh?" Ajax asked, hiding his surprise.

"Yeah, Alagaesia." Aragon said.

Ajax's voice took on an announcer's quality as he said "Next stop, Alagaesia. ETA, two days seven hours and thirty five minutes."

"Is that all?" Aragon enquired sarcastically.

"Well, calculating the seconds is tedious, and yes, the time I quoted is all the time Phoenix needs to get from here to there. Considering the fact that the Daedalus would take about a month to do the same, it's no mean feat." Ajax explained with a grin as Aragon rolled his eyes. "Now entering hyperspace."

The window opened, and everything seemed to pause for a moment before the ship was sucked into the hyperspace window.

"How strong are your Gellar fields?" Aragon asked.

"I don't have Gellar fields." Ajax replied. "Remember what I told you? Hyperspace is one layer up from real space, while warp travel as I understand it involves subspace, one layer down from real space, and the warp you are used to, as I understand it, is in a different dimension. This is hyperspace, clean, quiet and safe. It's almost impossible to get into an altercation in hyperspace, mainly due to the speeds, but once in a while, someone has been forced out of hyperspace for one reason or another."

Aragon had been nodding through most of Ajax's speech, and when the junior Rider finished, he said "So, basically what you're saying is that there are no demons in this white and blue expanse, waiting to feast on my soul."

"Yeah, pretty much." Ajax said cheerfully. "Did you want such things?"

"NO!" Aragon said quickly, turning back to the controls. "I'm just not very used to traveling faster than light without having demons chasing me."

"Alright." Ajax said, attempting to placate the other Rider. "I'm switching on the warp core, the ship might shake a little when I power up the drive."

Sure enough, the ship shuddered as the warp core engaged with the drive, and the blue-white tunnel began to fly past the ship rather than the crawling speed Aragon had seen earlier.

His eyebrows lifted, then dropped back to their customary position.

They sparred at noon of the second day, the first time that they had had contact with each other since Ajax had engaged the engines that would ram the Phoenix through hyperspace at her current considerable velocity. It barely lasted three minutes, and Ajax ended up flat on his back, spread eagle on the floor. Aragon's sword ever so gently touched Ajax's chin. "Dead." Aragon said flatly. "I've had far more experience with swords than you've had, what made you think you could take me like that?"

"Stupidity." Ajax said, toweling his face. "Arrogance. Pride. The usual." he stalked out of the sparring room, failing to hide his bruised ego.

Amaranth, who had been watching the encounter, laughed at the antics of her Rider, then picked up the sword he had left behind. Carefully arching an eyebrow, she thought, "Care to best me, now?"

Aragon considered, then decided not to. "It would be unwise for a mere mortal to do battle with a dragon." he said, bowing low.

Amaranth's face fell. "Awwwww.", she said childishly. She wiped the blades, then placed them in their sheaths, which were then returned to the Armory.

Aragon shrugged as she left, he had no way of know what was really happening in her mind.

The ship arrived exactly when Ajax had said she would, though the lights flickered ominously as both FTL drives shut down simultaneously. Aragon had been sitting in the command view chair in the center of the bridge when the ship dropped out. Something exploded overhead, and he instinctively ducked as an alarm blared.

"Sorry bout that." Ajax called from the driver's seat. "I never got that cool little thing fixed. Every time something breaks, there's a small charge that goes off above that seat, complete with a little bit of sparks to go with."

"You could have warned me." Aragon said. "Didn't have to leave me in the dark."

"Sorry. It makes for good action when you need help, and you're talking with another ship. I can't tell you the number of times that thing has saved my bacon strips and bacon strips and bacon strips and bacon strips and bacon strips, etcetera."

Aragon just shook his head. "Let's go."

"I'll put you down in the Citadel." Phoenix said, standing near an auxiliary console. "Call me when you're ready to go."

There was a flash of white light, and the next thing Ajax and Aragon saw was Nasuada's throne. The two Riders looked at her, and she looked back at them for several seconds.

"You are back." she said at last, her voice clear as a bell.

"Yeah, thought I'd say a few goodbyes." Ajax said. "I'm not here long."

"What do you mean by that?" Aragon demanded, turning on the younger Rider.

"Exactly what I said." Ajax replied, hardly glancing at him.

"If you aren't on Atlantis when she returns here, I swear I'll come back to Earth, and drag you, kicking and screaming, to this world. I will not run the Riders on my own."

"Oh, you're right about that." Ajax said and began counting on his fingers. "There's Eragon of course, and then Murtagh, somewhere around here; and Max will probably stay on the city with Angel and her Flock when Atlantis leaves Earth, so there's three besides yourself."

"Ajax." Nasuada stated.

"Yes?"

"I wish to speak with you, in private."

"As you wish." Ajax said, feeling rather agreeable.

Nasuada rose from her throne gracefully, and gestured towards the balcony. "I know you don't want to stay, but I wanted to thank you properly for what you did in the aftermath of killing Galbatorix."

*Flashback*

"Bah! It is but paltry recompense for my involvement in this joint venture!" Orrin exclaimed.

"Oh, shut up Orrin!" Ajax blurted, jackknifing to his feet.

"Of all the disrespectful nerve! From a mere boy at that!" Orrin fumed.

"I'm a Rider, not a 'mere boy'." Ajax spat. "You want to argue about who gets the throne of the Empire. Here's your simple answer. None of you."

"What?" was heard from several voices at once.

"I killed Galbatorix." Ajax said. "In other words, me. Therefore, by right of conquest, the throne is mine. The Oath-Breaker was king, I killed him, and thus the throne goes to me." Ajax said coldly. "I have had enough of this. For three days, you have argued and argued and argued. I was told to attend the meetings by Eragon, a command I obeyed because he was well within his rights to do so."

"In that case." Eragon stated. "I command you to give up the throne."

"No." Ajax said. "You cannot order me to surrender my right. I have things that need done."

Orik scratched his head, shook it vigorously, then stood up and said "The king is dead! Long Live King Ajax!"

The others in the room did not take up the cry.

"The elves have no claim to the throne, and no rights to meddle in the politics of choosing the ruler of this land." Ajax said. "No disrespect, but Rhunon, the elf smith who has forged every blade that is carried by the Riders, was a master smith in her own right since sometime before the Rider Eragon and his dragon Bid'Aum. I could easily see the elf race as being undying, and I do not believe that an Undying should have the throne unless the subjects to the throne are undying as well."

"In that case, you will surrender the throne." Orrin stated.

Nasuada coolly sat back in her chair and waited to see where Ajax was headed.

"Do as I say, not as I do…a phrase well favored by those in power. You would do well to remember how it looks from the other side. There are none in this room who can take the throne from me unless I give it to them. Orik, you have comported yourself well in these meetings, much as you told me Eragon did during the voting of a new king of the dwarves. The Empire is forever in your debt. Gar Nozvog, your warriors gained much honor for their family and their race. I do not know what Nasuada has promised you, but I assure you, you will receive it. It might not have been hers to give, but I support it regardless."

"You please me with your words, wet-rider. I am apprehensive though. Our young will grow up, and they will need victory to earn the right to mate. I fear that war may break out between you and our next generation."

"I hope not, for everyone's sake. What if games were organized, where the four races of Alagaesia could meet and compete? I am sure that friendly competition could solve that problem, while still giving your youth the means needed to prove themselves."

"It could be done, wet-rider. We will try it."

"Great. More on that later. Moving on to King Grimr Half-paw. You have stated that all you wish is a pillow for one of your people, by the throne of whoever leads the Empire, from now until forever, am I correct?"

"You are." Grimr said, looking at his nails. "And if that condition is fulfilled, we care not who sits on the throne."

"Good, that's one less headache to deal with." Ajax said. "Now, Orrin. I give you the lands Nasuada attempted to negotiate giving you-"

"A paltry recompense for our part in the war!" Orrin shouted.

"I am the king of the Empire and a Dragon Rider!" Ajax shouted back with equal force. "I have made no promises to you concerning anything, my giving of the lands is purely out of generosity. You already have a crown. You already have a kingdom. I daresay the long hours spent on the march have done things to your mind. Return to your home, to your throne in Surda. Rule Surda, as your father before you and his father before him did."

Orrin looked as though he'd eaten something particularly nasty, but he didn't say anything.

"On a kinder note. I know of your fascination with the sciences. I procured a book for you, one I think you would like very much. It may help explain some previously unexplainable things." at this the king perked up slightly.

"I believe that's almost everything I wanted to say, and now the crown grows heavy upon my brow. I am retiring from the job, and name my successor, Nasuada. Congratulations, you are Queen of the Empire."

This caused Nasuada, Eragon, and Orrin to all start speaking at once.

Eragon was congratulating Ajax on his maturity in giving up the throne, despite the fact that he could have easily kept it, Orrin was still ranting about how unfair it was, and Nasuada was asking where he was going. That question broke through to Ajax.

"Out." he said. "My path leads out, so I am going out." So saying, he walked out of the room, the door closing with a rather final sounding boom.

*End Flashback*

"I raised hell with that stunt, didn't I?" Ajax asked fondly, remembering that day.

"I remember being shocked that I was no longer in charge, and then you artfully dumped it back in my lap." Nasuada replied with a smile.

"Artful? Hardly. It did get the point across though."

"It did at that. Where will you go now?"

"Earth." Ajax replied. "My path is on Earth. I don't know what Eragon will do, haven't asked. When Atlantis does arrive though, you'll more than likely pick up another Rider in town. Max will probably base herself out of Atlantis, seeing as how Angel is bonded with the city. Though I should warn you, she's feisty."

Ajax grinned and Nasuada smiled.

"So this is your final goodbye?" Nasuada queried after a moment's silence.

"It is. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, my path lies on a different world than this one. You will do fine without me. Besides, I've smuggled a small strip of paper into Aragon's bag. There might be a whole lot more dragon eggs than anyone knows."

Just as Nasuada was about to question him about what he meant, Aragon and Angela came strolling along the parapet in the opposite direction to Ajax and Nasuada.

"Well if it isn't the rider of the green dragon!" Angela exclaimed happily.

Ajax took one look at Angela, and then backed up swiftly, saying "Stay the hell away from my life!"

"What do you mean?" Angela asked, confused.

"You know damn well what I mean, Lady Fate." Ajax snarled. "Ajax to Phoenix. One for immediate extraction!"

With that, Ajax vanished from sight in a flash of white transport energy.

The three people standing on the parapet looked at each other with confused expressions on their faces before Angela summed it up quite philosophically. "That was strange, even for me."

In the city of Ellesméra, Ajax materialized near the Stargate. An elf ran at once to the throne room, and several minutes later, Arya came to where he was standing.

"Why are you here?" Arya asked, after exchanging the ceremonial greeting.

"I thought you might want to send a message to Eragon." Ajax said.

"I would far rather if you could take me to Eragon, rather than a simple message." she said quietly. "I love him, and he had expressed the same, before."

Ajax nodded sagely, not caring to involve himself too much in the love affairs of others.

"It's your call." he said at last. "Send a message, don't send a message, send yourself as the message, I don't care, but you'll need to make your decision quickly. I'm leaving now."

"Then take me with you." Arya said decisively. "I want to be with Eragon again."

Ajax inclined his head, then reached for the radio saying "Ajax to Phoenix. Two for transport."

And so ends the story of the Stargate of Alagaesia. I'm well aware that some events depicted here don't match up with the books, but I've got the keyboard, and I did as I liked, and you can't stop me! Mwa hahahahaha *cough* *choke* *gasp* *wheeze* *cough-cough*

I need to work on that evil laugh of mine, it seems to have decayed…

Answers to Readers:

Master of the Blood Wolves: Alright, Aragon will be checking back on Ajax when Atlantis shows up without said character, and I've currently got lot's of ideas for TI, none of them actually on the road yet though.

NinthFeather: Nobody needs to be concerned…human!Amaranth came from an idea I picked up from Van Helsing, with the animagus thing thrown in to tidy it all up. I'm glad you enjoyed Aragon playing around with the IOA, I had fun writing it.

Forsaken By All: Now you've read the final chapter of the story. What now?

And now for Avenging Angels to close out for the last time in this story!

So sad to see it all come to a close. But wasn't it one hell of a ride? Give it up for Hideout Writer guys! Let's hear it!

Sincerely,

Avenging Angels