Alex turned restlessly in his sleep, dreaming of a beautiful woman sitting on a cliff. She was garbed in a long cloak, next to a great golden dragon. Who is she? he wondered, trying to wake up.
Suddenly his dreams were shattered by the same evil being that had once tormented him before. A silent scream escaped his mouth as the being almost overcame him. Alex woke up with a startled gasp, looking around cautiously. He was in a small room in a house, lying in a short bed with wool covers.
Where am I? he thought, mentally searching for his dear dragon. The door to the room opened, and Alex found himself looking at a rather pretty girl, who asked "Oh good, you're awake. My name's Katrina. The other villagers found you buried in the snow, unconscious. They were inspecting the destruction of a farm outside of this village. What's your name?"
"I am called Alex" he said, remembering what happened at the farm.
"I do hope Eragon is all right" he muttered.
"Eragon?" Katrina asked, surprised. "He is fine, though what do you know of him? You're not from around here."
Alex blinked, and then thought Crap, I'd better be more careful. I don't think it would be good if people would find out too much about me. "Let's just say Eragon and I met a while ago. Now I know you're still wondering what's going on, but don't worry. I just need a bit of time to clear things up, if that's okay?" he replied to Katrina, who then said
"Fine. I'll be back later. In the meantime, rest easy." She left, closing the door, leaving Alex to his thoughts.
"Thanatos…Where are you?" wondered Alex.
He didn't have to wonder long, for his dragon's presence came rushing to him like a boulder falling off a cliff. Alex! Thank the gods that you are all right. I was so worried about you.
"Worry no longer, dear heart" said Alex, mentally caressing his relieved dragon. "I am alive and well, with the minor exception of these bruises. So, tell me dear, what have you been doing in my absence?"
Well said Thanatos, pausing to think for a moment. I have been talking with Saphira, Eragon's dragon. She has convinced him to go after those who burned his house down and killed his uncle. We've met, and she trusts me enough to let us go along. Eragon is escaping as we speak, and you should do the same before the villagers discover your secrets.
Alex got out of the bed, and walked toward the window. "Alright, I'll meet you soon. Don't forget to get my equipment from our old home. See you later, Thanatos."
And with that message, Alex broke off contact with his dragon, and leapt out of the window, landing in a deep snowdrift. He gasped, and quickly dug snow out of his boots.
Boy, that'll wake someone up in the morning he thought to himself.
Alex walked around the edge of the village, as not to be seen, and retreated into the nearby forest. He headed toward Eragon's house, hoping to meet him and Saphira there.
As he arrived at the destroyed farm, the day was coming to an end. Alex noticed many footprints on the ground, as well as what looked like a large creature launching off into the air. He heard something coming, and looked up to see Thanatos dropping out of the sky and neatly landing next to his rider. Alex ran over and hugged his dragon fiercely, who responded with rumbles of pleasure and love.
"It is good to see you again, Thanatos." said Alex, caressing his dragon's muzzle." Now, where are Eragon and Saphira? Did they leave already?"
Yes, they are nearby replied Thanatos.
"Good. Let us go meet up with them again" said Alex, patting his dragon and walking away.
I'll go and hide, in case there are travelers around said Thanatos, flying off into the darkening sky.
Alex put on his cloak, and began exploring the nearby forest, looking for Eragon and Saphira. He came upon a small path leading into a deep thicket. He started to go in, but was stopped by a voice from behind him.
"And just who might you be?" said the gruff voice.
Alex turned around, and faced the old man whom he bumped into earlier.
"Oh, hey there. I'm Alex. I bumped into you at the village near here. I was just looking for someone I met a while ago. Eragon was his name, I believe. What might your name be?"
The old man looked at Alex suspiciously, and lied "Neal. Eragon is sleeping within the thicket, and doesn't want to be disturbed. What are you doing in this area?"
Alex looked at the old man curiously, and replied "Eragon told me that he is on a quest of revenge against those who destroyed his farm and killed his uncle. I wish to join him, for I was struck down by the same beings."
The old man tensed up, and asked suspiciously "Very few know what actually happened at that farm. Who is your friend?"
Alex looked at the old man carefully, seeing if he was trustworthy enough. "I do believe I can trust you with my "friends" existence. Suspicious you may be, but you will trust us once you know."
He pointed toward the evening sky, where Thanatos was flying around, looking for a place to land. The old man followed Alex's gaze, looking at Thanatos intently.
"How is this…" he started to say, but stopped. "Follow me, and tell your "Friend" to meet us in the thicket. There should be enough room for him in there" he said to Alex, and walked into the thicket.
"My real name's Brom, I suppose you can understand why I lied to you earlier" he said, beckoning Alex to follow him.
"Yeah I do" replied Alex, walking into the thicket.
"Before he arrives, I would like to say a little something about my friend. Just because he's a certain color doesn't mean he has evil attributes."
"I understand" said Brom. "I can see you bear us no malice."
As they walked into the clearing, Eragon's dragon, Saphira, raised her head and looked at Alex curiously.
"We can trust him" said Brom, quickly, taking a seat next to a campfire.
Alex made a short bow toward Saphira, and said "My name is Alex. It is a pleasure to meet you, Saphira."
Likewise she replied, laying her head down around her rider.
Alex sat down across from Saphira and next to Brom, and then heard the flapping of great wings as Thanatos neatly landed beside Saphira, and dropped Alex's bag beside him. He greeted her, then relaxed and started to sleep. Alex noticed Brom had tensed up during Thanatos' arrival, but seemed to relax now.
"So" said the old man, turning toward Alex. "Why don't you tell me about yourself, and where you are from?"
"Well" replied Alex, thinking. "I don't remember exactly where I'm from, but I awoke on an island to the northwest of here."
He continued to tell Brom his adventures so far, about the vision on the island, and how he found trained with, and raised Thanatos.
"Interesting" said Brom, slightly perplexed.
"The man you saw atop the twisted dragon…Galbatorix. He is the emperor of this land, and is ruling it rather harshly. I have always thought a new generation of riders would rise again and defeat him, and that possibility is now here. But he is quite powerful, and it will take a lot to defeat him. I'm not sure we could do it with our current skill with the sword, especially Eragon. We're going to need a lot more training to defeat the emperor in battle, and that will start tomorrow" continued Brom, walking over and climbing into his sleeping bag.
"For now, let's get some sleep. It's getting late."
"This is going to be one interesting adventure" said Alex softly, walking over to his dragon and settling against the warm scales. As he fell asleep, a smile crossed his face as Thanatos instinctively curled around him.
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Alex woke up to the smell of cool morning air. He sat up against Thanatos, who was still asleep.
"Morning, Alex" said Brom, sitting next to the campfire aside of Eragon.
"I've just told Eragon about your adventures so far. It doesn't seem like coincidence that you two met at the same time and place where the dragon eggs appeared."
Alex thought about this for a moment, and then replied "It is possible that Eragon and I were meant to rise up and defeat Galbatorix, but I know that moment won't happen for a while."
"I know we'll have to face the king eventually, but the road to that point is sure to be harsh…" said a slightly depressed Eragon. Saphira looked up, and comforted her rider.
He's been through a lot said Thanatos to Alex, yawning. Saphira told me about what happened when we first met.
"You're a strong lad" said Brom. You'll be able to handle the training that is involved. We should go now. Let's stop by Therinsford to pick up some horses. Both Thanatos and Saphira are still too young to carry two people at once. It'll be harder to catch up with the Ra'Zac, but if you boys want my training and knowledge of dragonkind, you're going to have to accept that fact." said Brom, standing up and walking toward the entrance to the thicket.
"I don't mind" said Alex, following Brom. "I'd like to play it safe, and improve my skills before I fight them again"
"And I shall go along as well" said Eragon, rising and looking more determined.
"As much as I would like to chase after them on Saphira, going with you would be the best of options."
"Good" said Brom. "Let's go then. Tell your dragons they must fly high and stay hidden. We don't want any other travelers noticing them."
They walked out of the clearing and into the snowy forest, heading south to Therinsford.
I don't like having to hide everywhere. What if they get into some sort of trouble? said Saphira, shifting.
Do not worry Saphira. I don't like it either, but they will be cautious and look out for each other. Though let's stay close by, just in case something happens. After you said Thanatos, gesturing to Saphira. She took off high, keeping track of her rider, with Thanatos right behind her.
Arriving at Therinsford, Brom left the horses at a stable, and told Eragon to look over them. Thanatos and Saphira were in a clearing far from town, getting to know each other quite well. He took Alex to a clothier, and got him some nice looking traveler's clothes so he would fit in better.
"You look good in that" he commented, walking out of the shop.
"Thanks. They're quite comfortable, and hopefully will last a good portion of this trip" replied Alex. "I think we'd best get back to the stables, and get some horses. Don't want anyone to recognize us." he said, while Brom nodded in agreement.
"Yes, especially Eragon's cousin, Roran, who should be around here somewhere. I wouldn't mind confronting him, but now is not the time" he said.
They walked in the stables, where Eragon was petting a shy horse. Alex took a quick look outside, and noticed a young lad about Eragon's age looking at him suspiciously.
"We'd best hurry. I think someone recognizes me" he said, while Brom was bartering for two good horses, because that's all he could afford at the moment.
"Right" said Eragon, leading his horse, who he named Cadoc, out of the stables with Brom and Alex close behind. Luckily, Roran wasn't around, so they quickly went out of town and to the dragons, who were lightly teasing each other.
"They seem to be getting along quite nicely" commented Eragon. "I can tell this is going to be one fun adventure" Alex agreed, saying "Yes, I've always thought the right mix of people makes for a good time."
Eragon and Brom packed up, saddled their horses, and took off down the road with Alex jogging aside them.
"I take pride in my speed" he told them. "I'll be able to keep up with you."
The dragons flew off, keeping an eye on their riders.
"We'll make camp far from here, near the lonely mountain, Utgard" said Brom, riding along with Eragon and Alex.
Saphira was flying overhead, enjoying the day, when her view was suddenly blocked by Thanatos' large wing.
You little… she said surprised, snapping her jaws and chasing the black dragon.
Thanatos was keeping just out of range, merrily emitting a curious draconic laugh. He paused, and let Saphira catch up with him. She smote him with her wings and finished off with a cloud of smoke in his face.
Having fun? Thanatos teased, looking at Saphira.
I'll be keeping my eye on you. Let's get going, our riders are getting ahead of us she replied, flying on with Thanatos.
Back on solid ground, Eragon was looking just as surprised as his dragon, and Alex and Brom were laughing heartily.
"Is Thanatos always like that?" asked Eragon, after they calmed down.
"Yeah, he's a bit of a tease, and knows not to push things too far" replied Alex, still amused by his dragon's actions.
"Heh, a little bit of joking around never hurt" said Eragon, turning off into the woods. "There's a good campsite over here. Saphira spotted it from above."
Brom and Alex followed him, and came upon a hidden clearing where Saphira and Thanatos were waiting. They set up camp, and started making a cheap meat stew for dinner. Brom got a couple of sparring sticks, and tossed two to Alex and Eragon.
"Sparring time" he said, walking toward Alex with his stick raised.
"Excellent, I've been waiting for a good sparring partner for a while now" said Alex, raising his stick in his right hand, pointing toward the ground in a defensive pose.
Brom smoothly lunged toward Alex, swinging his sparring pole toward his side. Alex quickly blocked, and retaliated with a combination of blows to Broms head and side. The two dragons and Eragon watched in interest as Alex and Brom dueled around the campfire.
Alex managed to land a few hits on Brom, but it was clear that the old man was a superior fighter. He delivered a blow to Alex's head which was so powerful that his pole snapped in half. Despite this, Alex continued fighting until Brom called off the duel.
"Not bad" he commented. "Though you really need to work on defending your weak points. I bet that last blow hurt."
"Yeah, I prefer not to show any weakness in the midst of a fight." said Alex, walking over to Thanatos.
"Though I'm sure the pain will strike soon…like right about now." He groaned, and rubbed his now very sore head.
"Boy that smarts" he said to Thanatos, leaning on his dragon's neck.
Allow me to alleviate your pain, dear rider said Thanatos, touching his snout to his injured riders head.
When the black dragon settled, Alex rubbed his head again to find the pain and bleeding had stopped, though it was still quite sore.
Saphira says she liked your fighting commented Thanatos.
"Give her my thanks" replied Alex while Thanatos complied.
"Say Alex, how did Thanatos heal you?" queried Eragon, looking over at him from his seat near Saphira.
"Don't really know" replied Alex, eyeing Eragon. "It appears that dragons are mysterious in their abilities"
"Entirely true, Alex. Not even they know the extent of their power" said Brom, tossing Eragon another stick. "Now it's your turn, Eragon. Get ready"
"Not again" he complained, getting up in his dueling stance.
Alex watched amused as Eragon tried his best to block Brom's blows. He managed to get a bit of defense in, as well as a couple strikes on Brom, but the old man still easily trumped him. Eragon walked away with many bruises as Brom put the poles away.
"Good. You're improving" he commented.
"We'll be setting out early in the morning for Yazuac, which shouldn't be that far from Utgard. Good night."
Brom climbed into his sleeping bag while Eragon walked toward his dragon, shaking his head as Saphira laughed in that curious draconic manner. The young lad crawled next to his dragon, and fell into a light sleep.
He has potential noted Thanatos, laying his head down.
"Yes" said Alex, lying against his warm dragon's side. "Now let us sleep. We've a long day of walking ahead of us"