I read and respond to all comments (except the ones that ask me not to). The feedback is important to me; I'd love and appreciate whatever you have to say, and I don't need you to spare my feelings in criticism. I'm a big boy. :D

As always, see the footnotes for Ancient Language translations.

The fledgling dragon rider spent the next week out 'sick' from school, with the Rashids' blessing. By no means, though, did this mean he was not learning. If anything, Shane couldn't remember a time when he'd ever studied harder. Nadia provided the boy as much reading material as he could ask for and more. Shane soaked up like a sponge accounts of ancient battles, histories of the evolution of Rider weaponry, and the diaries of Dragon Riders past written in modern typed books, penned parchment, and hand-quilled scrolls - scrolls, original manuscripts straight from their authors that had survived sometimes over a thousand years and a great deal of adversity and strife. Taken as fiction, Shane may have found them quite boring - perhaps if he were more into fantasy novels. But these things taught him, among many other things, that the boy really did live in a world of magic and mystery. "Can you watch the flashlight?" Shane's roommate Ali occasionally had to ask him well after midnight, "It's hard to sleep." It was a sentiment the young man shared.

The boy was enraptured to learn about the founding of the riders, untold thousands of years ago in a land long lost when an elf named Eragon (An elf! Where on Earth could they be now?) and a dragon he'd raised put a stop to a bloody war between the two races. He was enamored with the era of peace they had allegedly ushered in across that land, a universally golden and prosperous age by all accounts - one much unlike his own. But it was not to last. There were plenty of morals about misusing power in the texts, but none were more striking than the First Great Fall of the Riders. The Order effectively died to the mad traitor Galbatorix and was only survived by three surviving dragons, whose Riders were not sympathetic to the evil king. More than any other, Shane thought he saw a lot of himself in one of those Riders named Eragon Shadeslayer (no relation). It seemed history had taken an impulsive, mostly unremarkable boy who grew up on a farm in an adoptive family to turn into one of time's most important Riders. He and the others had gone on to preserve all the knowledge that they could, left their ancient homeland, and built the Riders' strength back up in secret. From what Shane could tell so far, Eragon Shadeslayer had gone on to live a long, long, long and happy life - but the texts he had access to were unclear about exactly how long.

More than history, Shane learned through his predecessor more about some finer details of this new world of his - and, through Eragon's story in particular, much of what seemed to be forbidden knowledge (of which, there seemed to be a great deal regarding these Riders). These things, especially, excited Shane the most. Had Miss Nadia lent Shane these materials without thinking? The boy incidentally learned about the Ancient Language, its connection to magic and deep roots to the very fabric of reality. When he did he immediately set to work learning as much of it as Shadeslayer was willing to teach him, despite Nadia's earlier warning. He was accidentally taught of the eldunarya, all but a dragon's entire soul in physical form and its power to enslave dragons in the wrong hands. Even if Shane wasn't sure how he felt about his own new circumstances, the thought of existing in such a form made him physically ill.

He learned that his mind was not such a bastion from outside influence as he had thought, and that nor were any others. But he also knew he could use this as a tool against others - though only with great restraint and even greater necessity. I don't like it when someone messes with my head, the young man immediately recognized, I don't know how I'd feel about doing it to other people. Fortunately for him, he sorely lacked both the necessary training and desire to do something he saw as so violating. Someone with magic always knows when someone is screwing with their head, and every Rider is magical. Still... Did it count for Shane if he had yet to find that well of power within himself? Was it possible to hide one's infiltration? Was there any way for the young man to know his every move wasn't being controlled right this very moment? If neither the dragon nor some malicious agent didn't drive the boy mad, the thought that they could nearly did so by itself.

So what happened? Shane demanded to know, How do you have an army of super strong, super fast, super smart, super experienced fighters - supported by an equal number of freaking dragons - and they aren't just everywhere, ruling the world like benevolent gods? Unfortunately for the Riders, their First Great Fall under Galbatorix was not their last. Far from it, in fact. The Second was almost a direct result of the First, when a supremely powerful shade threatened to undo all the Shadeslayers' work while it was still in its infancy. Additionally, dragons were not well-received in lands outside this 'Alagaësia,' mistrusted as abominations of nature. Their Riders had no authority where it was not accepted. The Riders refused to initiate an extermination campaign against those who rebelled against their rule, even when those same people were hellbent on the reverse. The threat was great enough even back when it took an army to fell a dragon and Rider in the days of swords and arrows, but the age of personal firearms and artillery turned out to be the final nail in the coffin.

Every time the Riders, or their dragons, attracted any attention, they were swiftly hunted and like prey. It seemed in the present, there was no shortage of weapons that could destroy a dragon. Modern tools such as shoulder-fired anti-air missiles and fighter jets could reliably execute a dragon, but often a dragon could be felled with nothing but a commonplace high power rifle and the element of surprise without physical armor and a thick layer of magical wards. Their riders were equally vulnerable, perhaps even more so. The Rashids didn't own any record of a specific engagement after the 14th century, but he supposed he understood why. It must be hard to document your own annihilation... especially if it succeeds. I know I've seen tabloid headlines about dragon skulls, but I guess after centuries without commonplace sightings of elves and dragons we all just stopped believing they ever existed. Add that the Riders never really got much farther than Alagaësia and, well... no wonder more people don't know this stuff.

And so, secrecy was a core tenant of the modern Rider's code. This was exemplified when Shane had attempted to ply Nadia with the question, "'Alagaësia' didn't exactly come up on Google Maps. Where is it?"

"No one knows."

"That's impossible!" Shane had exclaimed, "How can there be a landmass that big, with people and even two whole countries on it, that no one knows about? I mean, we have ships all over the world and satellite imaging stuff."

Nadia explained, "Magic is still a powerful tool, even today. For example, there are spells that could hide a location by making you forget it as soon as you stop thinking about it. If I were much more powerful, I could cast one on, say, this house. Then I could tell you our address, and you would know it, but as soon as you thought about something else you would never remember that this house even existed."

"But isn't it harder to do that over a bigger area?" Shane pressed. This question made Nadia's eyes suspiciously, causing Shane to immediately shift track to reducing suspicion; he didn't want her to know how much he'd already learned about magic. "I mean... I would think," he sheepishly deflected.

"Well, you're right. But similar deeds have been done." That was all Shane would hear of that.

Over that week, Shane was mostly untroubled by unexpected mental contact with the dragon. Learning to block unwanted psychic visitors was a skill Shane put his mind to as soon as he learned it existed. The boy suspected he wasn't really any good at it yet, but perhaps the dragon saw that he was trying and was respecting his wishes. However, the more the boy learned, the more his position softened. Over time, the great beast became less of an unknown... though yet more so at the same time. A giant flying, talking, fire-breathing killing machine that gives humans- er, people - long lives and magic powers. Ali was right: I wouldn't believe any of it if I didn't see it. But now Shane did believe it, and was working on making his peace with it. That meant the boy had to make peace with him.

Shane wasn't up late for the purpose of sneaking out, but he figured as long as he was already up he may as well. Once again, the young man was confident he hadn't disturbed his roommate as he strode across the fields yet again. As he did, for the first time that he could remember, Shane dropped his weak mental defenses and even attempted to probe outward for the creature's consciousness. Dragon? Are you awake?

The young man swiftly received a drowsy but enthusiastic acknowledgment in answer.

Did I just wake you?

Yes.

Shane immediately regretted reaching out. I'm sorry, he was quick to apologize, Go back to sleep. It can wait. Evidently, the dragon refused. Shane heard the unsecured barn doors fly open and turned around in a hurry to see the beast. Somehow, its - his - scales shimmered almost as brightly under full moonlight as under direct sunlight. Jesus Christ, the boy thought privately, He's already bigger than last time. The dragon likely didn't mean to be threatening as he bared his entire mouth in a wide yawn, but the young man could not ignore the fact that practically his entire body could now fit inside in case the dragon got too hungry. Almost as bad, the yawn itself provoked an empathetic response from Shane; when he'd finished, Shane's body took the moment to remind him now much sleep he'd missed lately. He yawned, too.

As the dragon casually padded across the field toward Shane. However, he stopped when he noticed that every step forward for him was a step backward for the boy. From their distance, the dragon raised his head, cocked it to one side, looked the pale boy in the eye, and dryly observed, You're still frightened of me.

The pair were still far enough that Shane could only speak straight into the mysterious creature's mind, unless he cared to shout instead. He admitted, If anything I'm more frightened now, but went on, It's not your fault. I don't want to be, as he swallowed a lump in his throat.

Why are you frightened of me?

Because- Shane was loath to give the dragon ideas, but he understood it was too important to work out his reservations. You're bigger and stronger than me. Your claws and teeth could kill me easy. You could just crush me. You could set me on fire. You can overpower my mind easily, I can tell. And I'm- Shane felt the need to slow down and think very carefully. This wasn't like speaking out loud, where Shane could send his thoughts through a filter before letting them be known. -I'm not saying you would. I just don't know. Maybe I make you angry one day, or maybe there's just something I don't know about dragons that'll set you off. I feel like I don't understand you, I can't predict you, and I can't control you.

I see. The dragon paced forward some more. Shane continued to subconsciously back away, only this time the great beast was not deterred. He continued pushing the boy backward. You are not frightened because I am bigger and stronger than you. You are frightened because I am unknown to you.

I'm just that moment, Shane became beset under a barraged by a series of images. A shiny green egg hatched alone in the dark, confused and scared. A much larger, bright orange dragon discovered a dark green hatchling. A green dragon the size of a wolf killed and ate a cow. A similar dragon closer to the size of that cow knew better, that he was only to hunt in the wild. A larger one still saw Shane once from the air and instantly recognized him, filling the creature with a newfound sense of purpose and fulfillment. The largest dragon shown yet, only slightly smaller than the real one before him now, loomed alone in the barn, lethargic and unmotivated.

I am a dragon. I am capable of wrath on a scale rarely seen. Shane didn't realize he'd stopped walking until the images stopped flashing. While Shane had been subject to the dragon's 'presentation,' the beast himself seized the opportunity to swiftly cross all of the distance between them in only a couple leaps and bounds. Shane was so startled he fell right down on his butt into the grass. My claws are not for you. My fire is not for you. The dragon loomed heavy over his rider like a mother lion over her cub. These things are for hunting and for our enemies, those who would do us harm. I don't know you either - no better than you know me - but I know my purpose. Rather than stand over the shaking young man, the great dragon sat back onto his haunches, then let his front half lazily fall forward in front of Shane. Likely he meant to make himself look smaller, but Shane only thought he looked even bigger by the fact that the smallest the dragon could make himself was still titanic. I would join the Dragon Riders and use my power - and yours - to defend the innocent, punish the instigators, and fulfill my duty, as a dragon, toward you - my rider.

As close as the beast now was, Shane was surprised that he felt more calm now than only a moment prior. The creature's body language was peaceful and passive, but more than that his words were reassuring and… agreeable. "…I really just want go to UCB and study meteorology," Shane mumbled, having switched back to verbal communication. The boy felt secure enough to sit up a little straighter. It was a strain for Shane to look up at the dragon - his dragon - at such a sharp angle, but the dragon had pulled his massive head back a little to create a little more space. "My parents are- do you know what the 'Air Force' is?"

I do not.

"It's, uh… actually, it's kinda like the Riders, now that I think about it." Despite their close distance, Shane thought he had to raise his voice a little to make himself heard over the steady drone of crickets. "My parents travel around the world helping people in danger. They save people in dangerous places, where there's war or fighting… and they often do it by raining fire down on bad guys from high in the air." The thought made Shane smile in admiration. "I, um, wanted to join the Air Force. When I was younger. I wanted to do what they do, wanted to… to be in a powerful position to keep good people safe and make bad people hurt. When I told my parents, they were… surprisingly unsupportive."

Why?

"They said the whole reason they joined up," Shane elucidated, "Was so other people wouldn't have to. They think they're sacrificing for me, and I would be wasting it if I ever 'did something so dangerous and stupid.'"

They sound noble, the dragon would compliment. Why are they not here?

Shane sighed. "They're still out kicking butt and taking names. As usual. They used to take tours separately, but it was always really hard for them to be apart. Then I got older, and I got put with the Iraqi family who saved their lives once, and got awarded US citizenship for it, so that they could go together with the Join Spouse program." At the absurdity of the situation, Shane could only laugh. "I think they would ground me until I was 40 if they knew I was really thinking about the Riders."

So you are thinking about it?

"I just wanna go to UCB", Shane reiterated, "But... this sounds more important. I still don't get what all the dragons and Riders do when they can't be seen anymore, but I wanna think it's worth doing. I just gotta work on, uh..." The boy tried to choose his words as carefully as he could. "...getting used to it."

You seem to be doing alright now. In a gesture of gentle affection, the magical beast let his enormous head drop to Shane's level. The boy made an automatic movement to lean away, but the dragon had more reach than Shane had space. He pushed the boundary. The tip of the dragon's snout met the forefront of Shane's hairline, where the human could feel breath slightly cooler than boiling steam stream over his forehead. The dragon nudged his rider with his snout curiously but carefully, barely even upsetting a hair on Shane's head. While the boy initially leaned away from the touch, it began to feel surprisingly nice and relaxing.

Shane had been about to reciprocate the gesture, raising an arm to meet the dragon's nuzzling snout, but once again he abruptly remembered he was not dealing with a mute animal. He still felt the need to inquire, "May I?"

Shane could tell the question amused the dragon even without him communicating that through their telepathic link (although he did that, too). You don't need to ask. The dragon even leaned his own nose into it, causing Shane's fingers to spread flat over the glimmering green scales beneath his palm.

Shane instantly regretted it. He might have compared the sensation to being struck by lightning. The palm of his hand felt white hot, like he'd just touched a smoldering magma rock, and the feeling shot all the way up through his arm. When it reached his torso, it spread like wildfire through the rest of the poor boy's body. As he seized up and collapsed, he screamed; middle of the night be damned, Shane had to scream. His heart rate instantly tripled. God, make it stop! His eyes squeezed shut.

Shane knew he was missing time when he was capable of rational thought again. He couldn't have been made a guess at how much, but he knew his body position had changed such that his back was now propped up against the dragon's side so that he could sit up, but he couldn't quickly stand while one of those leathery wings was applying pressure to trap him in place. He felt better... but not by much. As Shane came to his senses, he hissed and tossed; most of the fire had been extinguished, yet a stinging under his palm at the initial point of contact persisted. Weakly, breath still rapid, Shane demanded, "What did- what did you do?"

It's alright , the dragon tried to assure, You're safe.

"Let me go." The creature obliged, lifting the wing off his Rider and liberating him. Shane took the opportunity to both shoot up to his feet and fearfully examine the palm of his hand. Under his phone's flashlight, there lie what the boy took to be a gnarly blister. Much of the skin had turned silvery-white. However, its flat ovular shape didn't fit right with the blister assumption. It did sting when Shane ran his other hand over it, but it didn't feel like raised skin. Additionally, the mark reflected the flashlight's beam in a similar manner that dragon scales reflected moonlight. It rather than a blister or a burn, it seemed more like someone had just tattooed the mark with some reflective ink. "Wait, that's- there was a word for this." Try as he might have, the specific word did not occur to him. As if to test it, Shane tried to rub off the mark on his jeans. It stubbornly clung. "Agh, geez. I didn't think it would hurt that much."

Once more, the dragon touched his snout to the mark in a sympathetic gesture. The arm attached to it tensed, but the ache had been reduced to a dull throbbing. This time, there was no shock or agitation. Shane did notice that the scales' texture was a little rougher like sandpaper moving from tail-to-snout than snout-to-tail, such as a shark's denticles, but this time that was all he felt. Wear it well.

As much as it had hurt to get, Shane understood the mark was a badge of honor. "I'm gonna try. But, uh… dragon-" He meant to say something else, but it was at this point Shane realized, "-I never actually asked you your name. What do the Rashids call you?"

A Rider's dragon gets his name from the Rider.

"Ah-" Uh-oh. Shane felt suddenly put on the spot. "-um…" The dragon made a noise like he was entertained by the boy's nerves. "No, hang on! I remember- uh, I remember reading some old dragon names." It was a lie, to stall for time. In reality the fledgling Rider retained only very few dragons' names, as well as the fact that they were very picky about accepting one. The one that immediately stuck out most was the dragon paired to the Rider whose story Shane had felt some relation with: Eragon Shadeslayer. Saphira Brightscales, he privately recalled, 'Saphira,' like a sapphire… blue. So, green- Though he was thinking in haste, one glance at his own dragon was enough to convince the boy the same naming convention could apply. -like an emerald. From there, the young man had begun frantically searching his memory, specifically what in that Ancient Language he had illicitly learned.

I understand if you-

Shane suddenly blurted out, " Friyün! " interrupting his dragon in the process. "That was it. Um, sorry, I just remembered the word. 'Friyün .'" Remembering dragons' particularity with their names, he immediately began to hedge, "That's just the first thing I thought of. I can think of a better one later. I know it's important, and I just really want to get it right-"

-I like it. The dragon circled around Shane for a couple of steps and tilted his head this way and that, as if letting the name suggestion roll around in his cranium. Shane was still keenly aware a misstep could turn him into paste, but after a conversation this lengthy with the dragon he no longer felt an acute need to retreat from them. The dragon repeated, 'Friyün…' The dragon came to a sudden stop in his circle around Shane to look the young man dead in the eye. I've been rude. You came to see me for a reason, didn't you?

Shoot, Shane had almost forgotten about it, too. But Friyün was right. "That got a little off track, didn't it?" reflected the boy, "At first, I was gonna try to say sorry for... freezing you out. Being kind of a scared idiot. Add waking you up in the middle of the night, I guess. But if you're still happy with an idiot Rider then… y'know."

Hmm. Friyün lazily lay himself down again, only this time he indicated with a flick of the head that he wanted something from the boy. Get on. Shane only froze in place. Come now. I thought you wanted to be a Dragon Rider after all?

"Ah-" The last animal that Shane could remember mounting had angrily thrown him off. He immediately searched his mind for excuses. "-We don't have a saddle," he pleaded, "I don't think it's safe to ride without one." The words came with some reservation; now that it was right in front of him, his perspective changed. Shane could scarcely believe a creature with personhood - let alone one as strong and dignified as a dragon like Friyün - would not just consent, but demand to carry a smaller and weaker human on his back like a riding horse at the state fair. It was both an experience Shane was reluctant to repeat and an honor he didn't deserve.

Friyün conceded, Then we will not fly, but he continued to wave the boy closer with his near wing. More out of politeness than enthusiasm, Shane obeyed. He now found himself staring at a wall of green scales taller than himself even with the beast laying on his belly. There was not an obvious way up until Friyün extended one foreleg a little toward Shane. Before he let himself freeze again, the young man set his own foot on top of it. Friyün's leg lurched upward, almost causing Shane to lose his balance. The row of sharp spines along Friyün's back threatened to impale Shane if he sat down wrong, yet not only were they viable handholds, but mercifully there was a gap in them between the base of the neck and several feet back between the wings. It might have been a struggle for Shane to pull himself up, but Friyün's boost propelled him high enough that all the Rider had to do was a slight hop to get there. He settled himself sitting 'side saddle' momentarily before carefully swinging one leg over, properly mounted.

It was immediately clear this was not a pony. Friyün's back was broader and less slippery. It felt stronger and more stable, like his own weight was barely any imposition. Did Friyün even feel him, he wondered? He was much higher up off the ground than a mere pony's back, a fact simultaneously more thrilling and more frightening. Yet there were still similarities: Shane could feel Friyün's muscles contract and shift underneath him with every micromovement and natural shift of the beast's weight, and this reminded him of the thing that frightened Shane the most: in this position, Friyün had complete control over him. "OK… that's not so bad," the boy mumbled in an attempt to make himself mean it. "Ah!"

All Friyün had done to startle Shane was stand up, but the boy felt the need to hang on for dear life to the spine in front of him, laying his body down nearly flat to reduce the need for constant balance readjustment. Suddenly Shane was elevated much higher. No doubt sensing the Rider's anxiety, Friyün calmly spoke, You need to learn to trust me. Eka weohnata néiat atra ono rach. There was a word or two in that promise whose meanings went over Shane's head, but he was confident he understood the gist. Friyün was promising the Rider safety and made a point to do so with a language in which it was impossible for the speaker to lie. You wanted to be in a powerful position. What's more powerful than this one?

"Most of them," Shane quipped, only now there was an element of jest to it. The dragon's promise in the Ancient Language was assuring. On the other hand, the dragon's knowledge of the tongue surprised him. "How do you know any of that language?"

Your training will no doubt begin the moment you tell Nadia and Sitra your decision. Mine began the day I hatched.

"I guess I'll have some catching up to do." A movement so simple as Friyün beginning to stroll toward the house had Shane alert again and hyper aware of his balance in response to the dragon's shifting muscles and weight, but it only took a few paces before he realized how much he was overthinking it all. In an act of internal daring, the young man gave up on all his effort to stay stable and was pleasantly surprised; he still felt steady and secure. "I, um- I remember before. You were showing me what it was like to fly from your perspective.

And what did you think?

"You were having so much fun. I was having so much fun. I thought flying for you would be routine, but I could, like, 'sense' it wasn't. You loved it. I could still tell the difference between your feelings and mine, but whenever you sent me those visions, I loved it, too." Even from the ground, at night, on familiar ground the view was stunning when seen from dragonback. As closely as his brain wanted to manage and adjust for every step, Shane was slowly coming to understand he didn't need to. He was proudly perched on the back of a dragon! In the sense that it was an honor and a rare event, Shane hoped he never got used to that aspect. "I guess what I'm trying to say this whole night is I'm gonna get there. I just gotta get out of my own way."

Friyün would propose, Perhaps a quick trip to the mountains and back?

"No!" Shane hastily protested before amending himself, "Er, thank you. Maybe when you have a saddle? I don't think Miss Nadia would want... eh, who am I kidding?" Shane only realized that Friyün was carrying him back to the house when the dragon lay himself down beside the back porch. Dismounting was at least easier than mounting, but the way down was a bit of a ride in its own right. The fledgling Rider slid down the dragon's side. The drop was far enough to create a thud upon landing. "And, again, sorry I woke you."

If you came out here for me, it would seem I'm the one who woke you. This dragon - his mind was still so alien to Shane. I meant to hunt before dawn anyway. Fewer human eyes. But you don't have to be in the same place with me just to talk. The Rider took his meaning.

"Maybe I should actually try and sleep tonight instead," Shane declined, "I don't know what Miss Nadia has in store for me, but I'd probably better be ready for it. Good hunting, though."

Good night.

Shane did make a point to watch the newly dubbed Friyün shoot into the night sky, the wind of the takeoff tussling his hair. Just before he snuck back into his room, the boy looked at the silvery scar on his palm and thought to himself, Mom and Dad are gonna kill me.

Ancient language:
1. Eldunarya (el-doo-NAH-ree-ah) - hearts of hearts (gem-like organs in dragons, in which they may store their consciousnesses, which can be removed from the dragon's bodies without killing them)
2. Friyün (free-YOON) - emerald
3. "Eka weohnata néiat atra ono rach." (EH-kah way-oh-NAH-tah NAY-ee-at AH-trah OH-noh rach) - "I will not let you fall."