Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or places. They belong to Christopher Paolini

A/N: Hey, I forgot to add in my last chapter that Kela put her cloak on after the bear attack. Sorry about that.

"Kela! Kela!" Arya cried urgently, bending over the figure on the ground. Kela was crumpled in a ball on the ground. Her cloak covered her entirely.

Pushing back the cloak, Arya felt for a pulse. She was relieved to find blood pumping through her veins, although it was weak.

Eragon shot up. He had just drifted off to sleep when Arya dashed past him. Grabbing Zar'rac, he went to assist with what he thought was an attack. He was surprised when all he saw was Kela.

"She fainted," Arya explained, have gained back her composure. "I'm not sure why. I'm also not sure why she traveled in the night instead of just making camp and catching up with us later."

Eragon shrugged. He was as confused as Arya. Even though he had only known Kela for a little time, he already felt protective of her.

"Help me move her towards the fire," Arya ordered. They had allowed themselves a fire tonight, for the night was fairly cold.

As Eragon and Arya picked Kela up, her cloak shifted and Eragon saw the white bandages. Arya swore. When they set Kela down, Arya immediately examined Kela's arm. The blood had partly worn through the bandages, and Arya could see that her arm was not at the right angle.

"Boil water for bandages." Arya took off the splint and removed the bandages, thinking of a deep gash across her arm made by a sword. Arya was amazed at the wound. It didn't have the neat cut a knife would make. Rather it looked as if she had been…

"Mauled?" Arya exclaimed ludicrously. Eragon rushed back to her side. He looked at the wounds and shuddered. While they were not dangerously deep, the certainly were long, running from her shoulder, all the way to nearly her wrist, where they were the deepest.

"It looks like a bears work," Arya announced. "Kela is lucky to have escaped with her life." Saphira snaked her head past Eragon's shoulders to examine Kela herself. She snorted in disgust and allowed Arya to continue.

Eragon waited, assuming Arya would say the ancient words that would heal Kela. The words never came. Eragon reached past and had just been about to say the ancient words when Arya covered his mouth.

"Do not try to heal her, imbecile." Eragon was surprised at the venom in her voice. He brought back his hand. "You would have died. I cannot heal Kela, and I am fully trained. Think before you do. Ask, then you might have found out."

"I don't understand. How can you not heal her? It's simply a wound. I healed your wounds when you were injured, how can you not heal hers?" Eragon's voice was accusing.

"In order for magic to be impressed onto her, it must have great energy, energy that you and I do not have. If I was to heal a needle prick on her, I would live, but I would be in bed for days. It is a blessing and a curse. No harmful magic can be put on her, but no helpful can either."

Arya continued washing Kela's wound. Finally, she put a paste onto it and bandaged it up in new cloth. After that, she asked Eragon to hold Kela's shoulder. Kela's forearm had broken, and she jerked it into the proper position.

Eragon leaned over Kela. "Be glad you're unconscious," he told her. "That would have hurt like anything."

Arya had fashioned a splint and tied it to Kela's arm. She tied a sling and put that around Kela's neck. Last of all, she braided Kela's dark hair into a single plait. "She hates it when her hair is down," Arya explained. "She insists that it gets in her way."

As she covered Kela with blankets, Eragon saw Arya lean over and kiss Kela on the forehead. Seeing Eragon watch, she smiled and shrugged.

"My sister will kill me if I don't bring her back," she explained. "I let her get hurt, so she'll probably kill me anyway."

This reminded Eragon of something. If it wasn't for him, she wouldn't have been alone in the woods without any weapons. If it wasn't for him, she wouldn't be hurt. He felt awful.

Trying to shake that from his mind, he asked "Why will your sister kill you?"

"She is Kela's guardian," Arya told him. "She loves Kela."

"She lives with the elves?" Suddenly things were starting to fall into place. That's why she knew everything about dragons and how to talk to them. That's why she was so familiar with Arya.

"Of course she lives with the elves. I am her adopted aunt." Arya shook her head. "I thought you would have figured that out by now," she reprimanded.

Eragon gave a slight half-shrug. "Is that why she can't be healed?"

"No, Eragon. She was born that way. Her father's family had occurrences of it before. She also got her mother's side of how she can sense feelings. It just happened that way, like the reason you have dark hair. It was passed on." Arya paused and then turned back to Eragon. "Go back to sleep. I'll wake you when it is your watch."

Eragon nodded and headed back to his bed roll. Saphira, who had listened to the whole conversation entered Eragon's mind.

I did not know that any person could be resistant to magic, Saphira admitted.

Neither did I. I didn't know that she could sense feelings, either. I guess we've both got a lot to learn.

A/N: Sorry about the really short, boring chapter. You learned a few important things, however. Please review- I'd be ever grateful!