Oh, my Aiedail. My darling Aiedail.

My name is Galbatorix. The king of Alagaesia. And I'm not proud of it.

They call me crazy. They say I'm a mad, cruel king with a black heart. But my heart is not black. No. It is broken.

I am a Dragon Rider. No, let me correct myself – I was. No longer. My dragon is dead. I have Shruikan, yes, but he is not my true dragon. No. My dragon has died, and left me alone in the world.

And her name…her name was Aiedail.

She was the most beautiful dragon in the world. Her jade-colored hide sparkled in the sunlight whenever she moved. And her eyes were the kindest, most understanding eyes I have ever seen. They saw right through my façade of toughness, and she was always by my side.

She brought me happiness in the form of a friend. She must have been an angel sent to be by God, if there is one. She was my sole purpose in life, and it made me happy to see her. She had the most wonderful outlook of the world, and for a time, I did, too. But the happiness I felt did not last long.

My friends and I had gone flying in the north. When a lizard struck, we landed to find shelter from the snow. As usual, Aiedail was completely undeterred by the ice, and soon found a to rest in. It was large enough for all of us.

Halfway there, we were ambushed.

My companions were slain almost immediately, caught off guard. I heard their dragons roar, before they were slain, also. I was almost killed to, as an arrow flew directly toward me. I could see the attackers now. They were Urgals.

As I closed my eyes to die, a clink sounded out. I opened my eyes, and say her standing before me, shielding me. She turned to face the Urgals. From the depths of her enormous belly, she roared. The earsplitting sound reverberated through the hair as a torrent of green flame shot forth from her glorious mouth, past the razor sharp teeth, and roasted seven Urgals. Eight broke and ran.

Aiedail roared again. The sound was filled with pure rage. As her emotions boiled over onto me, I realized why she was overflowing with righteous anger. They had tried to kill me.

I drew my sword and charged. As I shot past her, my dragon raised her wing and brought them down with a powerful surge of energy. The snow was lifted off the ground as she was lifted off of the snow. She flapped her wings once more, and overtook me in an instant, moving toward the Urgals. They were Kull, but tiny in comparison to her.

Another jet of flames erupted from her maw, incinerating two more. Her claws took care of another, and as she reared up, slashing about her, an Urgal left a deep gash in her underbelly.

By now I had reached the Urgals. At once I was slashing, jabbing, and slicing all around me in a furious battle of revenge for my fallen comrades. Aiedail fought along beside me, her snapping jaws and bloodstained claws taking care of any to came to close. Her tail lashed about her, the spikes smashing into the stomach of an Urgal.

But there were only two of us. We were outnumbered by about twenty to one. About ten backed off and began firing arrows from afar. I did my best to stop them with magic.

Aiedail suddenly whirled and breathed fire again. But this time, it was different. The flames were blazing red, instead of green. The moment the touched the Urgals, they screamed in agony and fell to the ground. She slowly turned in a circle, taking down all in her path of flame. The archers stopped for a moment and stared.

She snapped her jaws shut and reared again, lashing out at the small remainder of the force that had attacked us. As she did so, an arrow struck her in the chest. It drove through her, and she fell to the ground.

Screaming, I slew the last of the foot fighters. The Archers turned and fled. I was already at my beloved companion's side, cradling her huge head in my arms. I whispered comforting words as the tears flowed freely down my cheeks, telling her repeatedly to hold on and stay alive for a little longer. I told her that I would go and fetch a healer. Even as I said this, I knew it wasn't true. The wound was too deep. I did not have the skill to heal her.

She was dying.

I pleaded with her not to go. I begged and cried for her not to leave me. But she simply sighed. I felt warmth spread over my body. She was transferring comfort to me, giving me her strength. She told me that she was not afraid of death. She also made me promise not to kill myself, and that she would be watching over me as I lived. Memories and friends are forever, she said. And although I may not be here with you in the flesh, I will be with you in spirit.

She told me many more things in the next few minutes, but what I will remember most are her last words.

The greatest gift that you have is the power of love, Galbatorix. Remember that, and do not be angry, but forgive.

And I have failed her.

My Aiedail, my dragon. Please forgive me.