Disclaimer: the world of Alagaësia belongs to Cristopher Paolini. Any original characters and references to other worlds are mine unless stated otherwise.

The silence that followed was quite uncomfortable, as the resident people and the strange guests watched each other, now and then glancing at the destruction to the building left by the 'dragon' that had taken Eragon. Only the strange wasp creature had the presence of mind, or decided to do something, and none really noticed as it took off from the roof of another building nearby and flew in the same direction as the monster had.

And then the silence was broken as a black-haired elf burst into the courtyard, followed by a human woman with dark skin and hair. Taking in the unexpected scene, their eyes widened as they both skidded to a sudden stop.

Arya's green eyes went first to the unconscious Sapphira, and then the elf woman tilted her head slightly to look up at the shattered wall of the building nearby. Then she finally turned her attention to the strange guests, the expression on her face shifting from disbelief to what might have been anger. Having seen Eragon being taken by the alien dragon-like creature, that she had been unable to do anything to stop, she turned to the next possible threat.

Taking a step forwards, Arya was about to speak the word that would immobilize the strangers, only to find herself eye to eye with the giant cat.

:Don't go there, you may not like the result: it said, silver-tipped, slate grey shifted as the feline moved his head a little back, yellow eyes watching her with a glint of amusement. Flicking an ear backwards as the blue dragon bent her forelegs to make it easier for her rider to get down to the ground, the giant cat sat back at his haunches, appearing to be in deep thought for a few moments before he spoke again.

:I at least, pose no threat to you as long as I am not attacked, or someone go out of their way to annoy me. This world is not the one I was born into, my world of origin is probably further from here than any of us can imagine:

Standing rigid, Arya watched the giant cat, seeking for any clues of that he was lying as she listened to his mind voice. But his mind was tightly shut, nothing leaked from his mind as he spoke.

"For now, I will believe your word, though you must be prepared for that there will be demands for you to open your mind. We are at war, and cannot take any chances-- certainly not with such strange visitors as you. Tell me though, how did you get here, if you are not from this world like you claim?"

Lowering his head slightly as the dragon's rider, still wearing her helmet, stopped beside him-- the cat glanced over at her as something passed between them.

:As far as I can tell, we were forced to this world by a spell woven out of your kind of magic. How I and my two 'companions' ended up here I can't answer, though my guess would be that the spell was simply not focused enough to bring us to our intended location. Now though, I would like to be told more about what is happening here:

The cat's ears flicked as he looked upwards, at the windows and rooftops where a considerable number of archer had gathered in the meantime-- their arrows aimed and him and the two others. Aino, the dragon, rumbled angrily as fire flickered in the air above her head-- but except to move forwards to unfold a wing over her rider and the great cat, she made no threatening moves.

Mind racing, Arya folded her arms. Logic demanded that she made certain of that the strangers could be trusted, by that their minds were examined. They were real, she was certain of that, but now when they had just officially declared war on Galabatorix, it was impossible to say what he could come up with to destroy the Varden and Surda. But still the fact remained that those beings had to come from where, and if that feline had spoken the truth...

Suddenly aware of the arrival of the surdan king, she took a deep breath to help her gather her thoughts. So many facets of the situation that had to be dealt with-- Sapphira still appeared to be unconscious, the strangers and the fact that some creature had just taken Eragon, had simply snatched the young dragonrider right in front of their noses.

:Perhaps you should let them know what has happened, then you may read my mind if you insist: the giant cat said:and by the way, the name you may call me by is Mirdrairee. I would still prefer if you told me a bit about what is going on here when you have the chance though, giving me that information might make me more willing to give more information about myself and the world I come from:

Signaling to Nasuda, King Orrin and the others that she would talk to them soon, Arya gave the cat a slow nod. And as a number of sorcerers came to take a look at Sapphira, she breathed a bit easier, certainly a dragon wasn't easy to bring down-- but a hit to the head like that could be serious for anyone.

"That is acceptable" she said, signaling that the giant cat and the dragonrider, the still silent Elli, to go inside.

Later, after what felt like days, the worries of the Varden and the surdan nobles and generals had finally been presented and to a degree dealt with-- Arya quietly left the council chamber. Although she only had a few minutes to gather her thoughts before going down to the courtyard to look into the minds of the visitors, the council on top of everything that had happened-- that had not been easy.

There had been times during the council that she had wanted to shake some sense into the more unreasonable and conservative council members-- some who had called for the immediate deaths of the strangers. Yet others had again called for a surender to Galbatorix, or utterly refused to release any forces and supplies to go after the creature that had taken Eragon.

One had even had the nerve to suggest that she and Sapphira was to be sent to the Empire as a peace offering, Arya clenched her hands as she had to make an effort not to strike out at the wall. Why could those fools not realise that there was no return now, even if they surrendered, the Empire would never just let them to.

Those who were killed right away would probably be the lucky ones.

:I am sorry to disturb you, Arya, but they are waiting for you in the courtyard:

Startling at Sapphira's voice, clear despite that she sounded somewhat preoccupied, Arya replied quickly before she started down the corridor in the direction of the stairs down to the courtyard. In her current mental state, having to examine someone's mind was really one of the last things she wanted to do, but despite of her earlier feelings about that matter-- she was glad that she would be getting some aid from the human sorcerers.

As she entered the courtyard a few minutes later, it looked quite different from what it had been hours ago. Already someone had managed to clear the ground of stone and other rubble from the shattered wall, and the jagged hole itself had been covered with a large canvas to protect the room inside from the elements. What caught her eye most of all though, was the two dragons sitting in the courtyard, their scales lighted by torches and what appeared to be small spheres of fire hovering by the walls.

Where one dragon's scales glistened like a finely cut diamond, the scales of the other had the gleam of cold metal. Though that was really the smallest of their differences. It was clear that they had been talking, but as Arya came into the courtyard, both turned their heads to look at her.

:Shall we get started with this then?:

Flanked by several soldiers, Mirdrairee sat on the ground just beyond the two dragons, and the cat's eyes seemed to gleam as his gaze met Arya's. Then he slowly turned his head away to look to the left-- at an older woman standing just a few meters away.

At first Arya frowned, knowing that something about the woman was familiar, but she couldn't quite recall from where. Then however, her eyes widened slightly as she recognized the clothes, now with her helmet off, worn by the stranger.

:In a moment or two. And I see that Aino's rider has finally deigned to let us have a proper look at her: Arya replied. Looking at the woman though, she couldn't help but wonder. The dragonrider's pointed ears and build did suggest that she was an elf, but then there were her somewhat cat-like features of her face and the subtle pattern of green on her otherwise tanned skin.

:Why remove what protects your head in a potentially dangerous situation?:

Tail moving lazily back and forth, Mirdrairee stood up and walked up to Arya, closely followed by the soldiers set to keep an eye on him. And with a sound that couldn't be mistaken for anything but a rather good imitation of a human chuckle, he lowered his head slightly to look at her.

:But let's not waste any more time, get this reading of my mind done with:

With a glance over at Sapphira, who gave a barely noticeable nod, Arya accepted the blue dragon's aid as she reached out to sift through the giant cat's mind.

There was a bit of a surprise to her that he offered no resistance, although she did sense a mild curiosity at the fragments of thoughts and memories he picked up from hers and Sapphira's minds. True contact was suddenly established, and as she began her work, the joint Arya/Sapphira nearly cried out in mixed surprise and denial at what they found.