A/N: Alright, I'm very sorry about the wait, but I was reading a lot of Zutara fics. They have way overused plotlines, but are really good! Sorry. But it's done now. And thanks a lot, Niloufar for telling me I forgot the star on Aliya's forehead. That'll be fixed in this chapter. And please, R&R! You don't even have to be signed in.

Aliya awoke to the sound of a beautiful, chirping bird. She muttered "Garjzla!" and aimed at the bird, silencing it, and turned back over. Before she could fall back asleep however, she heard the snap of a twig coming from the trees surrounding their camp. She looked in the direction of Rashid, and he was still there. Getting up, she walked over to Rashid and shook him awake.

"There's someone in the forest, Rashid!" she whispered urgently. He was immediately alert, sitting up. Looking around, all he saw was a squirrel scampering for nuts.

"There is nothing there," he assured her. "Just a squirrel gathering nuts." Aliya was glad; she had heard there were Urgals in this forest.

Karim was lurking just outside their line of vision. He stared hungrily at Aliya's back as she grabbed some fresh clothes from her saddlebag. He knew now that he was obsessed with her. He loved her fiercely, and wanted to make sure that she stayed safe. Rashid may be muscular, but it did not look like he could fight at all. Although it looked like she could take care of herself. The gift of magic was very rare. Sighing, he went back to his own camp and his horse.

Rashid got up too, retrieving his shirt from his horse's saddlebag. Putting it on, he grabbed some food and started cooking their breakfast. A few minutes later, Aliya emerged from the forest in clean clothes and sat by the fire.

"Mm, smells good. What is it?" she asked hungrily.

"It is Karim's recipe, he gave it to me before we left." She quickly accepted the bowl he offered her, and sat down beside him to eat it.

Karim, in his own campsite, had a hard time eating with the delicious smell wafting over from the other camp. He had only a loaf of bread because he didn't want the duo to notice the smoke from his fire. How he wished he and Rashid could switch places! It should be him sitting besides Aliya and laughing and sipping porridge, and Rashid sitting over here eating cold bread! It was too much for him to bear, so he packed away his bread and got ready to follow them. They were just leaving as he arrived at the trees outside their camp. Quickening his pace, he caught up to them in the cover of the trees along the path.

He followed them all day, stopping only when they did to eat lunch and supper, but not eating anything himself. He didn't want to draw attention to himself, and besides, he could wait until they were asleep. Neither Aliya nor Rashid talked much on the trail, and it was quite hard keeping up with the horses, but he soon picked up his pace and learned to enjoy the exercise. Finally, after twilight, they stopped to give their horses a rest and set up camp. Karim was relieved. He pulled out his unfinished breakfast and ate the rest of it.

Aliya and Rashid had just pulled out their blankets back in their campsite. Neither mentioned it, but both had felt unexplainably nervous today. There had been a lot more rustling in the forest and many more cracking twigs today. To say it was unnerving was an understatement. With a hurried goodnight, they fell asleep on the blankets, anxious to leave their worries behind as night fell.

Karim, however, knew nothing of their suspicions. He had been as quiet as possible for someone who was traveling through thick branches and over root covered ground. After finishing his belated supper, he had thought of nothing but sneaking into their camp to see Aliya again. He'd have to be extremely careful, but it would not be too hard for him. He waited until he was absolutely sure they were asleep until he snuck past his cover of trees.

He quietly walked over to Aliya and admired her in the darkness. The star on her forehead gave off a weird glowing light, but it only served to make her more beautiful. He had wondered often while she stayed at their house what it was, perhaps a scar, or a birthmark. He didn't dare ask her, especially after Rashid became suspicious of him. Watching Aliya sleep so peacefully had a calming effect on him, and before he knew it, he was asleep too.

The next morning, he woke up slowly, realizing that his back was inflamed with pain. Looking around, he noticed that he wasn't in his camp anymore. He was in Aliya and Rashid's. Suddenly alert, he jumped up and ran for the cover of the trees. Awakened by the noise, Aliya looked around, but decided that she must have dreamed it. Groaning, she got up and shook Rashid.

"Morning, sleepyhead," she told him. "Time to wake up and ride again." Karim felt a slight pang of jealousy at how easily they got along, but forgot about it as Aliya headed towards him with a fresh set of clothes. Looking around desperately, he could not find somewhere for him to hide while she was changing. Finally remembering his camp, he ran as fast as possible back there, careful to avoid looking back. He may be a stalker, but not a pervert.

He quickly packed up his blankets and food while ignoring the pain in his back and legs, anxious to make sure they didn't leave before he was ready. Finally, when he had everything put away, and he was sure that Aliya was done, he headed back in the general direction of their camp. Frightened, he noticed that they weren't there. Grimacing, he remembered that they had to follow the trail, so they would obviously be on it somewhere ahead of him. He would just have to catch up. Starting up a brisk pace, he decided it would be okay for him to walk on the trail, at least until he caught up.

Aliya and Rashid were feeling much better today. There hadn't been any strange rustlings in the bushes, or seemingly random twigs snapping. They were much more at ease, talking and joking together until they stopped for lunch. Pulling out a bowl much like the one Aliya broke at Hakim's house, Rashid heated the contents over a small fire so that they could have a hot lunch.

"Another one of Karim's mother's recipes?" Aliya asked him. He nodded, and offered her a different bowl full of the steaming stew. Smelling it, she inhaled deeply. The aroma alone was delicious, and she ate it as fast as she could without burning her tongue or throat. Rashid took the one from over the fire, handling it carefully so he wouldn't burn his fingers.

Karim, smelling his mother's stew, knew he was getting close. He quickened his pace as much as his protesting legs would let him, starving, but knowing that he couldn't stop until he reached them. It was hard not to let his stomach take over him with that delicious smell. He'd give anything to be at his own home with his mother, father, and Aliya, eating it in his kitchen. Abruptly, he came out of his daydream when he almost ran into Aliya's horse. He had made it. Relieved, he stopped and pulled some food out of his pack and sat down to eat it and wait for the pair to finish their lunch. He was halfway through his wheel of cheese when they started packing up their food, and sighing, he got up too. Careful to go back under the cover of the trees, he started following them once more. Just in case, he was even quieter today, and neither Aliya nor Rashid noticed the strange sounds today. When they stopped for supper, he did too. Positioning himself so that he could see Aliya, he pulled out his unfinished cheese wheel and started on it again. His legs were aching sorely, but he ignored them. He had to keep up with his precious Aliya.

When they got up, he did too, noticing that his back felt much better, but it was the only part of him. He'd need extra blankets tonight, but he pushed that thought to the back of his mind. Aliya was more important now. He could not lose her, would not lose her! Especially to Rashid! He could tell they had feelings for each other, but he might be able to change that, in time. Especially if he was there to protect her when her precious Rashid was not. Shaking those thoughts out of his head, he hurried to catch up to their horses.

Aliya was starting to notice Karim's presence. During dinner, she had felt eyes on her, but ignored them, thinking what everyone else does, that she was being paranoid. But just now, she had started hearing that weird rustling noise again. It was unnerving her.

"Rashid?" she asked nervously. "Did you hear something just now?" He looked at her questioningly, and shook his head no.

"What, is something wrong?" he asked her. She shook her head.

"It's nothing, do not worry," she assured him. He still looked worried, but didn't let on to Aliya. Karim, however, was very worried when he heard her admit her worries to Rashid. He thought he had been very quiet. But hearing Rashid dismiss her worries that easily just strengthened his resolve to protect her. Unknowingly, that's exactly what he would do.

Finally, to the huge relief of Karim's legs, Aliya and Rashid stopped to find a campsite. He stopped a while back of them, setting up his own blankets between two humongous trees. He didn't want a repeat of what happened last night. He may not be as fortunate, and wake up with a very confused Aliya or even worse, Rashid standing over him. Besides, Aliya was suspicious enough; he didn't want to make matters worse for himself. He slept soundly that night, with his heavily padded blankets beneath him. That is, until he was rudely awakened by an ugly Urgal in his face.

The creature tried talking to him, but Karim couldn't understand a word he-or maybe she said. The Urgal got more and more frustrated, and motioned to another Urgal behind him. Feeling a prick on his neck, Karim looked down and saw a very blunt axe held to his throat. He gulped. He had absolutely no idea what to do. If he tried anything, he could be killed immediately. But he also couldn't communicate with the Urgal in front of him, who was obviously the band's leader. Just as he was thinking about his predicament, the Urgal started talking to him again. But no matter what was pressed upon Karim's throat, he could not understand the Urgal language. The irritated leader finally gave the Urgal behind Karim to chop off the teenager's head. Karim experienced a pain like he had never felt before, but unfortunately for him, the blade of the axe did not go through all the way the first time. He was dying slowly, hack after hack, his neck too numb for pain anymore. Finally, after what seemed like the millionth hack, he took in his last breath as his head was severed from his body. His body jerked around for a few more minutes until his lungs ran out of oxygen, then he was completely still.

The Urgals, deciding that he was a friend of the pair ahead of him, took his head as a gift. They threw it in first as a warning of what would happen to them, and it hit Rashid on the head. He woke up, startled. Looking around for what hit him, he saw Karim's head and screamed. His scream woke up Aliya, who had been dreaming about the river again, and thought that it was herself screaming. When she opened her eyes, she saw Rashid, she saw the head too, and would have screamed if the Urgals hadn't entered their clearing at that moment. She was too shocked to do anything else. Figuring she only had one chance, she yelled, "Garjzla!" and pointed it at the Urgal, who, fortunately, was the one who had chopped off Karim's head. She had been right. These weren't the Urgals that were under Galbatorix's command; they scattered at her show of magic, obviously afraid that she was an elf.

"What just happened?" Rashid asked, still confused.

"I…kind of want to know myself," Aliya said simply. "What was Karim doing following us? Why did the Urgals kill him? And what are we going to do with that Urgal carcass?" Rashid grimaced slightly.

"We had better do something soon. It already stinks, can you imagine how much worse it will smell in a few hours?" Aliya had to laugh at that, even though she was holding Karim's severed head in her hand. They decided to burn the Urgal since he really did not deserve a real burial. Karim's head, however, they decided to give a proper burial to after Aliya pleaded with Rashid. He did make sure that they didn't go back and search for his mutilated body. His head upset Aliya enough, and they didn't even know where he'd been camping. They took turns digging a hole big enough to stick his head into, and when it was safe from scavengers Aliya took the liberty to say a few words over him.

"Karim…we barely knew him. He was a kind-hearted soul who I loved as a friend, and I will never forget his father's or his compassion to take us in when my ankle was broken. Rest in peace Karim, we hardly knew ye." Rashid muttered an, "Amen," and they packed up their food. Before they left, Rashid started up their fire from last night, and threw the Urgal into it. The fire flared, and they rushed their horses out of the area.

"Rashid, do you see a stream anywhere?" Aliya asked him.

"No, why?"

"My hands feel so dirty after holding poor Karim's severed head."

"I'll try to find some water," he assured her. An hour or two later, he heard the sound of rushing water, and realized that they must be near the river that their guards had drowned in. He felt guilty bringing Aliya back to the horrible place, but their bodies had been washed out to the ocean a long time ago. Hopefully, she wouldn't recognize the river, and mistake it for a particularly fast stream. He motioned her away from the trail, all the while silently praying that she wouldn't recognize it.

It was impossible for her not to, though. Not when she had those horrible nightmares about almost every other night. She immediately recognized the river where they were and pulled her horse up short.

"I'm not going near there," she said as calmly as she could. Rashid's head snapped around so rapidly that Aliya feared he had broken it.

How could I think that she would not recognize the river? Rashid asked himself angrily. She has nightmares about it so often, and now it is my fault that she will have more!

"It is the closest stream, Aliya," he told her. "I'll hold you so you don't fall in, do not worry." She looked completely relieved when he told her that.

"So we do not have to cross it?" she said with the slightest hint of a smile.

"We do not have to cross it. Come here, so I can hold you." She smiled, and relaxed into his hold. Slowly, she leaned down towards the water and dipped her hands in. She scrubbed hard for a minute or so, and came back up reluctantly, relishing Rashid's strong arms around her waist.

"Do we need water?" she asked, pointing at the canteens.

"It will not hurt to get more, especially if you are eager to get away from the river." He unwillingly let go of her long enough to grab the canteens, and when she had them both, he put his arms back around her so she could fill them. When she could barely fit the cap on, he pulled Aliya back up. She slipped slightly, and he pulled her closer, turning her around abruptly. Their faces were inches apart, and Rashid had this sudden urge to lean in and kiss her. He fought with it, but there would never be a more perfect opportunity. He pulled her in even tighter, both completely forgetting about the canteens, and kissed her with passion. What surprised him the most was when Aliya started kissing him back. He could never wish for a more perfect first kiss.

A/N: Made you wait for that one, huh? The fifth chapter and they finally understand that they like each other. Too bad they get a chaperone next chapter.:) But guess what? I just found out that I'm following Christopher Paolini's map perfectly. Which makes me happy. The village they went through was called Tarnag. And they really did have to cross the river. Yay me!