A/N Hey everybody! Well, it's that time of the week, update time! And I'm happy happy happy for two reasons: one coz I'm going to a rock concert they are holding at my school for unsigned bands and stuff, bring on the mosh pit! Yay and two: Good Charlotte's new album is out Monday!

And 66 DAYS TILL ROTK EE DVD and 77 DAYS TILL CHRIXTMAS!!!

DaAlCh- Yeah, I do intend to do something along those lines when we meet Arya, to do with Aragorn and Arwen and that, I think I said something like that before. And yay! Can't wait till you get your story posted, they sound good. Hey, an LOTR/HP/Eragon crossover would be fun don't you think? Yeah, you should definitely do something like that!

Xiad Rusco- Lol, cheers ears!!!

dragon-miko- Yep, can get difficult to keep updates regular thanks to the curse of Mordor (school!)! I have a ton of homework for the weekend to, most of it due in Monday. Oh what fun! But this comes first! Glad you like.

Moonyasha- yeah stupid Eragon, listen to the almightily Elf, he makes sense (except for when I'm writing about him!). Yep, I know Eldest isn't coming out until gasp August 2005. No! Can't wait that long, I feel another grand count down coming on. Lol. So please don't kill me if and only if I finish this well before then! I think I'll probably end up finishing my other fic and doing a few one shots type things to keep you guys occupied while we wait for Eldest!

So, if I do end up finishing this well before Eldest comes out, as Moonyasha has asked me to inform you guys (mainly for my own safety!) please don't kill me! Like I said I'll probably end up doing some vignettes or something. But, I think I got a lovely bunch of reviewers who won't want me dead if they see no sign of the sequel for a while. Will you guys? (I hope not anyways, if you do I'll have to be getting me a bodyguard, I'm thinking Leggy would be excellent. Hey, that's not a bad thing actually!)

Anyhoo, I think of babbled enough with me veeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrrryyyyyyyy long A/N so folks, on with the show!!!!

Chapter 21- Of Athelas And Scrying

When Eragon woke he was met with a refreshing fragrance caught in the steam that came from a pot boiling on the fire. It cleared his mind and he felt calm even though he as bewildered as to how exactly he had gotten where he was. He lay there for a while and dozed lightly, breathing in the sweet smell of whatever was in the pot.

He pulled the blankets tighter around him, cocooned in their warmth and felt something hard on his right arm and tried to move his wrist only to have a wave of pain lace up his arm. He pushed himself up to a sitting position using his one good arm. He found himself in a small clearing with the campfire. No one was there. His first instinct was to call to Saphira or Legolas but to his alarm, he could get through to neither of them. He suddenly felt starving and tried to scramble to his feet. There was a heavy splint on his right arm, he sighed with pain and went to look around the camp, searching for the saddlebags to try and find some food. But the horses were no where to be found.

He wondered over to the fire and went to look in the pot hoping to find stew or some nourishing substance to fill his hunger. But all he found was a pot with boiling water in it and some crushed leaves floating in it. It smelt good, but he did not fancy trying it, he had learnt well enough by now not to go sticking his hand in something he was unsure about, the Seithr Oil had taught him that much. Suddenly, he heard a groaning sound coming form behind a tree, wearily, he went to investigate, only to find Gimli lugging a pot o water back towards the camp a little hap-hazardly and spilling most of it. Eragon noticed his arm was strapped in a sling. He rushed to help the Dwarf, grabbing the other handle of the pot he helped Gimli carry it to the camp fire, "Thank you lad," he said when they had removed the cot currently boiling over the fire and replacing it with the freshly filled one.

"Your welcome," Eragon replied. "Gimli, where's Legolas, Saphira and Brom? And what happened to your arm?"

Gimli grumbled adding a few ingredients to the pot he had obviously got from one of the saddle bags. "They've gone chasing those Urgals you knocked out; it would have been so much simpler to just kill them, but no! they had to go catch up with them and dispose of them before they can get back to their master, whoever that may be. As for my arm, I dislocated it when that great beast the Elf calls his friend threw me off as he swerved to face the Urgals," Gimli grunted having no pleasure in admitting his injury. "And so I am left here to baby-sit you. Boy, you have caused even greater trouble and hurt. You are lucky to be alive lad! You have been sleeping for two days, all thanks to that little trick of yours!"

"What?" said Eragon in disbelief.

"Ah, talk more about it with Brom and Legolas. Now, I'm making stew, do you want any?" Gimli shrugged.

Eragon nodded. "Gimli, I'm going for a walk into the forest. I wont go too far. Tell me when Brom and Legolas get back."

Gimli grunted and continued adding sticks to the fire and was now boiling water for the stew. Bending down to the disregarded pot of sweet smelling water that Gimli had taken off the fire, Eragon dipped his hand into the water, deciding it was safe enough, that had cooled in the cold air he scooped up a handful of the crushed leaves and inhaled their fresh sent, with that he walked off to explore the surrounding forest.

He found a good place to sit under a fir tree that leaned against a bolder with a bowl-shaped depression filled with clear water. He stared absent minded at it for a while, then remembered Brom had told him something about scrying, forming a picture in his mind of the thing he wanted to scry, say some words form the Ancient Language, then the picture would appear in the water he was using to scry. He suddenly had an idea.

Maybe he could scry Saphira and see where Brom and Legolas were. Even though Brom had warned him it would take a lot of energy to do, he could attempt it couldn't he? After all he was feeling much better now. He closed his eyes and focused on a picture of Saphira, and holding it his mind, which was more difficult then he had anticipated, he muttered the words "Draumr kópa!" and gazed at the water.

The surface of the water became completely flat, as if frozen as the reflections of himself and his surroundings began to fade and the water became clear and on it shimmered a picture of Saphira. But her surroundings were pure white even though she was in a flying position. And there on her back, sat Brom and Legolas who sat in front of him. Eragon noted Legolas' long knife at his side was stained with blood. Brom's sword lay across his its owner's lap in much the same state as Legolas'. Eragon frowned but let the image fade deciding that they were both safe.

He took a minute to clear hi mind then decided to scry his cousin Roran, he had been wondering how he had been since Garrow's death and was eager to see how he had faired. He muttered the words and Roran's image appeared in the water in place of Saphira's. he appeared to be sitting on thin air, meaning he was sitting on a chair or something Eragon assumed. At least he knew his cousin was safe, though he savoured the image for as long as he could before he had to let it fade back into the water.

He sat for a while, recovering his strength, thinking of all the things he could scry if he desired to. Then another thought suddenly struck him, what if he could scry something he had seen in say a dream, or was perhaps a figment of his imagination? Maybe it would show him what his own consciousness looked like. It was too tempting to pass up and he already had an idea of what to scry. The Elf he had seen in his dream back in Teirm, the one he had mistaken for Legolas.

He fixed the scene in his mind and spoke the words "Draumr Kópa!" Nothing happened. He waited for a moment then began to let go of the magic. But suddenly the water turned inky black and began to swirl.

A lone candle flickered in the darkness, brightening to illuminate a stone cell. The Elf form his dream was curled up in a cot in the corner. The Elf lifted its head, dark hair falling back, and now he realised it was in fact a women. She stared directly at him. He froze, the force of her gaze keeping him in place. Chills ran up his spine as their eyes locked. Then the women trembled and collapsed limply.

The water cleared and went back to normal, reflecting his shaken face which had now turned very pale. That Elf was a women, not Legolas, he realised with relief. Yet why had he first mistaken her for Legolas? This he could not answer. Then he thought about it and remembered the piercing eyes. None could long endure the gaze of Legolas save perhaps Saphira. And he could certainly not withstand her strong dark eyes.

But then, that women should not be real, he had only dreamed about her and yet she had looked straight at him. how could she if she didn't know he was scrying her? he shook his head, mulling over all that he had seen when a great shadow passed over his head and the steady beat of Saphira's great wings resounded in his ears. He got to his feet and hurried back to the camp where Gimli sat stirring the pot of stew. He found Legolas and Brom climbing off Saphira's back. Both had dark stains covering their clothes.

"What happened?" Eragon asked urgently noting the state of his friends.

"What happened?" Brom roared when Eragon approached. "You want to know what happened? We've been off cleaning up your forsaken mess you left! You couldn't have just killed them straight could you? You had to go and be all fancy and knock them out! And to top it all off, that magic almost killed you!"

"Yes, but at least I stopped the Urgals form getting you!" Eragon replied defensively, trying to justify his decision.

Brom groaned. "Yes, and we've just spent the past two days tracking them all down and doing the job properly, something that could have been greatly amended if you had simply shot a rock through their heads. Knocking them unconscious I tell you!" Brom yelled. "And even with Saphira and Legolas three of them escaped! And you go and land right in front of them and reveal yourself and Saphira's existence. We may have gotten away with it all had we escaped without your silly little trick, with the Urgals thinking we were just travellers. Fat chance of that now! They will probably get back to the Empire with this. You don't deserve to be counted as a Rider after this trouble boy! You made a very poor choice Eragon!"

"I know, I realise that now and I'm sorry. But the Urgals already knew about me. They had orders to capture me. And when they saw Legolas, they threatened to take him and, and do things to him. they were probably intending to kill him Brom!" said Eragon.

Brom's eyes widened. "What? Legolas and Saphira told me you had talked with the Urgals, but they failed to mention this!" Eragon quickly told Brom the tale, and his face fell. "Well, they have a 'leader' now do they?" Eragon nodded. "And you just defied his wishes, insulted him and attacked his Urgals? Well congratulations Eragon, you have just made enemies with one of the possibly most powerful being in all of Alagaësia." With that Brom stalked away from him over to the fire, receiving a bowl of stew offered by Gimli.

Eragon looked around the camp, but he could not see his other friend. "Where's Legolas?" he asked Gimli who shoved a bowl in his hands.

"I don't know, he wandered off into the trees. He'll be back sooner or later. For now, eat up lad," replied Gimli.

Eragon laid down his bowl, not feeling at all hungry anymore and went off into the trees. He found Legolas crouched besides a small stream, washing out his blood stained tunic. Eragon stood behind him, waiting for Legolas to show some recognition that he knew he was there. The Elf finished his task and laid his tunic out on a dry rock in what remained of the fading sun light for it to dry. He stood up and turned towards the boy, clad in his silver shirt that went beneath his tunic, and his leggings and boots. "Legolas?" Eragon ventured to say at last.

The Elf regarded him with distant eyes. "So you're mad at me too?" Eragon sighed plopping himself down on a rock.

There was a long pause, then Legolas said "Not mad, just- disappointed."

Eragon rolled his eyes. "Why can't I do anything right?" he said angrily.

"Eragon-" Legolas began.

But Eragon cut across him. "No, Brom's right, I don't th8inik and I don't deserve to be a Rider."

"Eragon," Legolas said more forcefully, gaining the boy's attention. "It was merely a mistake, a costly one at that, but redeemable. Brom said he will use the time your wrist takes to heal to teach you some 'sense', he will teach you when you should use the magic as well as how. We will continue to Dras-Leona to find the Ra'zac."

There was a pause, Eragon dug into his pocket and retrieves the crushed leaves he had stashed there earlier. He inhaled their fresh scent. "What are these? Do you know? I found them in a pot over the fire, they smell wonderful," he said.

Legolas glanced up form where he was perched on a rock next to Eragon whetting his long knife. "It is Athelas, the herb that Angela gave me back in Teirm. She told me to use it when I had need. But I still have plenty left. Ai, athelas! Or kingsfoil in your tongue. Asëa and aranion it is called also. It is what Aragorn used to call Faramir of Gondor back with its song.

When the black breath blows

And death's shadow grows

And all light pass,

Come athelas!

Life to the dying

In the king's hand lying!

You certainly needed it after what you have been through," Legolas smiled to himself and went back to whetting his knife.

They both sat in silence for a time, then Eragon ventured to say "I'm sorry I didn't listen to you. And I'm sorry I disappointed you. Forgive me, I will heed you more in future."

Legolas looked up again at the boy who sat next to him. "Ú-moe edaved Eragon. Le neth," he replied softly. (There is nothing to forgive Eragon .le are young.)

Eragon sighed. "I will have to learn your language!"

"Yes, it would be good to speak to someone besides Saphira, in my own tongue again. But maybe one day I will teach you. For now you have much to learn though."

"I do try my best, I really do," said Eragon.

"I know, you did well with scrying though, even though you had not fully recovered your strength," said Legolas.

"You knew I was scrying you?" asked Eragon in amazement.

Legolas nodded. "I could sense it at the back of my mind."

"Legolas, you remember the dream I had back in Teirm, about the Elf and I thought it was you?" Eragon began, deciding to tell Legolas.

"Yes," replied the Elf, looking at him intently. "Have you had the dream again?"

"No. but I tried to scry my dream and it turns out, I don't think it was a dream Legolas. The Elf, a women Elf, she's in trouble. Legolas, she stared straight at me, she knew I was scrying her. But she can't be real, can she?"

A/N There you go! Another chapter. I should really be doing my art homework right now but I had to update. In fact, I should be doing a lot of homework. Arrrggg! I have a ton, my weekend is dominated by it. As if we don't go to school long enough in the week. I wouldn't care much, but I only got most of it Friday and it's due in TOMORROW!!!

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