Saphira woke up to a dwarf yelling urgently at her rider. She immediately noticed that she was alone on the cliff. Quickly looking around, she neither felt nor saw no sight of her friend Thanatos. The sapphire dragon went with her rider to Ajihad's study, for the leader wished to speak with them. They found out through the scroll Alex gave Ajihad earlier that there was an entire army of Urgals and Kull ready to attack Tronjheim. Ajihad said that preparations have been underway, and asked where Alex was.

"I do not know" replied Eragon. "His room in the dragonhold was completely abandoned, and there's no sign of Thanatos…"

Ajihad cursed, then sent Eragon and Saphira to assist with the battle preparations. Along the way, Eragon questioned Saphira's anxiety and concern when Thanatos was mentioned.

He told me that this battle will be his last. I admitted my admiration for him, forgetting that he mentioned that he already had a mate. If he goes, I'll be the only sane dragon in Alagaesia… she replied, shuddering.

Eragon placed a hand on his dragon's side, saying "If I understand your concerns Saphira, I'm going to say that everyone has a mate for them, whether they're from this world or another."

Oh I know that. I just don't like seeing friends die.

"Neither do I" said Eragon, remembering Brom's death. They arrived at the fields around Farthen Dur where they assisted the dwarves in collapsing some of the tunnels under the mountain, to force the Urgals out of a few selected tunnels. Much time passed after this, in which Murtagh and Arya joined them. They say no sigh of Alex or Thanatos during this time.

The Varden's soldiers were divided into three separate armies. One was led by Ajihad, another by Jormundr, Ajihad's 2nd in command, and the last by Hrothgar, King of the dwarves. The dwarves equipped Saphira with a set of dragon armor, further bolstering her defense. Then, the Urgals came.

Thousands of the monsters poured out of the tunnels, charging toward the Varden. Some soldiers on cliffs above the tunnels spilled boiling tar and pitch onto the Urgals, and tried to light them aflame. The Kull charged on, but suddenly a thunderous roar sounded throughout the entire battlefield.

Both sides looked up to see a very determined black dragon with a spear-wielding rider on its back. The rider wore a full suit of armor studded with green crystal, and his spear was wrapped in many bolts of lightning. Thanatos roared again as the battle resumed, and the Urgals fired a cloud of arrows at him. Alex pointed the Arc Wind at the arrows, and shot them all down with the stormy spear.

The great black dragon blew a massive fireball toward the charging Urgals, lighting aflame the tar. They flew down to meet their foes, as Alex leapt off his dragon and embedded the Arc Wind in the skull of a Kull. Walking off the large corpse, he defended himself against three Kull as his dragon tore through the Urgals army with fire and claws.

Looking behind him, he caught Eragon's gaze and nodded in acknowledgement. The blue dragon and her rider flew to fight alongside Hrothgar as Alex sent shockwaves of lightning into the ranks of his enemies. Like usual, Alex's lust for battle took over. His moves and skills flowed like water, though he seemed more determined and resolute.

Thanatos was getting so ferocious that the Urgals were running from him, but the black dragon pounced upon them like the deer he hunted. The Varden's soldiers were losing, but Alex and Thanatos fought on regardless. Suddenly there was a great howl form somewhere in the mountain, and quite a few dark spirits flew off into the distance. The Urgals looked up as if they were released from a spell, and turned on each other. Alex planted his spear in the ground as Thanatos landed beside him. They looked up to see a hole being rent in the sky, and a dark form crawled out of it.

"Time to fulfill our destiny" said Alex, while climbing on Thanatos.

Aye replied the black dragon, taking a deep breath before flying with his rider to confront their foe. As they leveled out far above Farthen Dur, the reborn dark lord wasted no time in beginning his assault on Alex and Thanatos. Kriegos himself looked like a swirling cloud of darkness with four torn wing-like structures sprouting out of his back. A single glowing eye next to an empty socked stood out on the dark lord's demonic face. Kriegos bared his large fangs, and shot many balls of dark energy at Thanatos and Alex. Their years of experience fighting Kriegos shown as they dodged most of the bullets. A couple clipped Thanatos on the shoulder and leg, but he fought on.

"You two are fools for fighting with me after such a battle" sneered the dark lord, tearing through the rider's armor with his claws and slashing Thanatos' side. Alex retaliated by charging the Arc Wind with holy energy, and slamming it into the dark lords remaining eye. Kriegos howled with pain and frustration, and created a massive explosion above dragon and rider, slamming them onto the crags of Farthen Dur, unconscious.

Eragon had just woken up from his fight with the shade Durza. After a brief discussion with his friends, he asked what became of Alex.

"He's still fighting with Kriegos" said Arya darkly as the explosion rang throughout the mountain. "And it doesn't sound like things are going too well for our friend…"

Silently, Eragon got out of bed and picked up Zar'Roc.

"Where are you going?" asked Angela before Eragon walked out.

"If Alex falls, Kriegos' next target will be the dragons. Saphira and I will fight, regardless of whether we win or lose" replied Eragon.

"We will come too, for we will not sit by while out land gets destroyed" said Murtagh.

"All right, let's go then." Eragon climbed onto Saphira, and they all walked through the hallways of Tronjheim. They arrived just in time to see Kriegos about to strike Alex and Thanatos one last time. The dark lord stalled and instead turned his attention to those advancing toward him. Eragon and his friends bared their weapons in front of Kriegos, who laughed and fired a beam of dark energy at his enemies.

Suddenly there was a flash of light, as a tired and bloody Alex atop an equally damaged Thanatos stood before them. Alex floated above his dragon and released the light within him, ascending into his true form. . Before Alex's power went out of control, Thanatos allowed himself to be absorbed into the holy dragon. Saphira, her rider, and their friends looked on in awe at the beautiful pure white dragon above them. It was slightly larger than Kriegos, and its body was covered in gleaming feathers.

Kriegos fired off another dark beam, which ricocheted off of the dragon and disappeared into the skies. Alex took this time to reach forward and absorb the dark lord, who struggled mightily but could not trump the power of his adversaries love and compassion.

"Everyone, I couldn't have asked for better friends. Do not be saddened by our deaths, for we will live on inside your hearts. Goodbye." said Alex and Thanatos to their companions below them. They threw their heads back and roared one last time, detonating the holy power within them. An explosion of white fire burst throughout the skies of the Beors, obliterating Kriegos for good. As the fire settled, two bodies could be seen dropping out of the sky. A black dragon and his rider clinging weakly to his neck.

Thanatos! screamed Saphira, flying toward her dear friend. She watched on in horror and sadness as the black dragon slammed onto the ground, lifeless, throwing his rider on the bloody fields. The sapphire dragon landed nearby, and futilely touched Thanatos' cheek as her rider checked out Alex.

"Eragon…" whispered the near-dead Alex as his friend kneeled down next to him.

"Take these amulets." There was a brief flash of light as two very intricately wrought amulets, one fit for a dragon and the other for a human, appeared in Eragon's hands. The amulets looked similar, with the image of a dragon clutching a sphere of light in its claws.

"Should darkness arise again, these will protect you and Saphira. Goodbye, my friend."

And with those last words, Alexander, rider of Thanatos, died. Eragon clutched the amulets close to his heart as he mourned his fallen friend.

Bring him here said a very depressed Saphira. Trying not to cry, Eragon carried the surprisingly light body of Alex and laid it next to Thanatos. Saphira took a deep breath, and hummed deeply, as the air surrounding the fallen heroes shimmered. The bodies of the great black dragon and his rider sank beneath the earth as spires of black rock replaced them. In the front of the collection of spires laid a boulder of the purest white rock.

"You honored them well" said Eragon, laying a hand on his dragon's side. A voice came from behind them, and they turned to see Jormundr riding to them on a horse.

"Come, our destinies await us" said Eragon, turning with Saphira to mourn their friends once again before going off with Jormundr.

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RAWR!

Finally done. It feels so good to have completed this, my first story. I hope you all enjoyed this. Be sure to check out "The Keeper of Souls", which I'll be working on next.

Alex

PS- For those of you who are wondering, yes there is a sequel to this fanfiction that I'm planning to write after I'm done with Ruidrik's life story.