"Can I ask you something?" Arya said, sounding a little more nervous than he normally witnessed. She was sitting on the floor again, on the same pile of blankets to avoid the cold.

"Of course." Eragon sat up a little bit straighter. He was able to find a bigger mirror to scry her with and she could see him with even greater detail, as just the same went for him on his side as well.

"What was it like for you to find out that Murtagh was related to you?" She looked down at herself; at her hands which rested naturally on the small yet increasing swell of her belly as thoughts of family swirled overwhelmingly behind her eyes.

Eragon took a moment to think about his answer. "Well, at best, I was conflicted because I ended up learning that he and I were related before I knew Brom was my father, which led me to believe that Morzan was my father. I was shocked to have found a brother I never knew about. I was glad we found each other, but I was also very angry. I didn't want to be related to Morzan, especially since I was the first Rider to appear in over a century. Scorn would fall over me if I was biologically related to one of the Forsworn. Luckily, I wasn't, but Murtagh is still my brother and he suffered worse than I did. May I ask what prompted you to ask that question?" He kept his tone gentle while he watched the confliction flit across her features. Have her emotions always been so apparent, or is he just noticing things now that they're separated? Maybe it's the impact the baby is starting to have on her?

"Eila is… she's my cousin. Her mother is my father's only sister, Freydis."

Eragon smiled at that. "You have a cousin! And her father?" He said happily, but his smile faded when she looked up at him. "What's wrong?" Seriousness fell over and smothered his earlier rejoice.

Arya bit her lip. Eila gave her permission to tell Eragon about her heritage as she would have to train with him eventually. He needed to know, but she couldn't bring herself to tell a complete stranger and she's opened herself up just a little bit more than she had been knowingly comfortable with. Arya saw that it had taken a large amount of effort for Eila to work up the courage to simply speak the name of her father when they were together in the recovery room.

"She… she's given me permission to tell you that she's also Galbatorix' daughter. She was nearly reduced to tears when I told her that it might be better if she were the one to tell you, but I relented and said that I would do it for her. I asked if she wanted to meet you, but I think she's too nervous at the moment. She's been through enough difficulty which is… unfathomably extensive. I don't want to overwhelm her."

Eragon saw the tears in Arya's eyes and he wished he could simply hold her hand. She must know, in part, what their new student had gone through because otherwise she wouldn't have reacted so strongly. "Then… that means your family is now associated with Galbatorix?"

She looked up and nodded, her back straightening. "Yes, but it doesn't bother me as much as I feel like it should, though I am infuriated by his actions against my family and I am terribly sad that we didn't make an effort to go find her. I suppose the risk would have been enormous, which would make the decision to rescue Freydis many times more difficult. Those things are in the past and out of my control. I can't spend too much time stewing over it. For now, I'm worried for Eila above everything else that circulates the matter. Once we get back to Ellesméra, the questions of others will inundate her and she's already incredibly shy. We haven't discussed whether or not to announce her as having any parents. Elves can be nosey and forceful. If her lineage is discovered before it's announced… that will be a terrible day."

Eragon could almost feel her confliction. "Are you happy, though, that you have a cousin?" He asked ponderingly.

Arya looked up again as her eyes had drifted away from him. "Yes, I think so. Our relation has only very recently come to light."

He nodded. "Then perhaps you could speak to the Eldunarí about the matter. They shouldn't discriminate. If a person is born of an evil individual, it doesn't make the child evil as well."

Arya sighed. "The Elves also uphold that value, but because they haven't exactly been faced with it in this particular manner, I worry they will change their mind. The only things Eila has going for her is being a Rider and being related to me. She's a wonderful person too, but not everyone will be able to see that right away."

"I see what you mean. Perhaps tell them that I wish for protection against early judgement and cruelty, blatant or passive, against her or Eylörís. If I'm to remain the head Rider outside of Alagaësia, I need to remain non-partial. I am to take in Riders to complete their training, despite whomever that may be so long as you, Fírnen and the Eldunarí approve of them and that they've passed through the training you give them while in Alagaësia. If you trust Eila and recommend her, your people may be more willing to accept her."

Arya looked up and nodded. "Perhaps you're right. I'm not being paranoid… do you think I am?"

Eragon shook his head. "No, you're not." He smiled. "Eila sounds like a lovely person from what you've told me so far, especially if she's willing to risk herself and her reputation in the Human world to get the nutritional supplements you and the baby need. That alone shows she has a vast amount of empathy, something her father had none of."

Arya chuckled suddenly. "I suppose you're right. Maybe the response to her existence will be better than I expected. I only hope my people will be able to see the good she's already done. I've already told you about her selflessness when it came to helping Edrik. She's shown that she's a good person at heart and that she holds incredible disdain and scorn for her father. It would be a lot different if she idolized him. She wanted me to thank you for killing him, by the way."

Eragon raised his eyebrows. "I took no pleasure in it but give her my pleasantries." His eyes flicked down to Arya's abdomen and she could almost see the gears switch. "How is the baby doing through all of this? A lot has happened in the past few days."

Her smile became warmer. "He's doing well, I think, especially now since I ended up sleeping through an entire day. That was two days ago now. The only things that have happened involve the tasks related to constructing the crane we are going to use to remove the chests of gold, which is scheduled for today. All of us have been able to rest and I swear he's grown a little bit in that span. I know it… it won't be much longer before I can't hide this anymore." Her smile faded and Eragon could see the anxiety return to her gaze.

"Hey…" his voice was soft and she looked up, feeling somewhat vulnerable. "Like I said before and I'll always say it when it comes to this: It'll be okay. Assuming all goes well today, you should have all of the eggs recovered and then you can be on your way. It shouldn't be too much longer before you can go back home to Ellesméra. You'll get to leave in no time, and then you won't have to worry so much." He smiled kindly, and his warm words did make her feel better.

"Angela and Elva are coming with us. Oh, and look," She said as she glanced over to where she kept the first egg out of the ten remaining to be uncovered. She got to her feet then disappeared from the mirror's viewport. Eragon shifted and waited for her to return only a few moments later, carefully holding the violet egg in her arms.

She took a seat with care, then held the small egg out to him. "We were able to uncover one a few days ago. Shruikan says there are supposedly ten total, that is if his memory serves him properly."

"It's beautiful…" Eragon said with a wonderstruck expression before looking up at her. "Have you felt the hatchling inside move around?"

She shook her head. "Not yet, but I do sense life within the egg. Maybe he or she isn't big enough yet?"

"Maybe, I'm not incredibly familiar with dragon eggs. I'll ask the Eldunarí later for you. I wish you luck today, though." He smiled warmly, which prompted Arya to do the same.

"Thank you. Speaking of dragons, how is Saphira?" She asked.

"She's doing well. She's still excited about the baby. She won't stop talking about him. She's convinced he's going to have your hair and eyes, and she already has a list of names, despite how early it still is. I can't help but feel the same magnified anticipation when we are together." He beamed and Arya felt warmth swell in her chest again. It always seemed to surprise her that he and Saphira were already so dedicated. It was hard to get any words out, because she had just realized that they had given the baby's future more thought in the past few days than she has in the past few weeks. She's just been trying to get over the intense fear she has and yet she continues to push it away for another time. She doesn't feel like confronting it yet. Those demons are for a different time, a different place and Eragon can't know. Nobody can know.

But stars… they had a list of names, and an idea of what the baby might look like. It was certainly getting hard to hold in everything at one time.

"Arya? Are you okay?"

"Hm? Oh… um… I'm okay." She nodded along with a deep breath that was mercifully stable. She didn't want him to worry. She also didn't want to spend the next half hour reassuring him that she's fine by having to repeat herself multiple times to simply convince him of her words, which would ultimately be a lie because she's not fine.

Eragon frowned. "You'll tell me if something's wrong… right? I worry about you feeling alone in all of this. I know we didn't exactly plan everything to be flexible in case this happened, but I'm here for whenever you need me. I understand that it's odd because we aren't together physically or… or in a relationship, but I want to be there for you like we would if we were together. In both aspects." He seemed sad for a moment. "But I know you don't want that, at least not now or any time in recent existence when talking in the relationship sense and I won't pursue you, just like I promised. I just… I just want you to know and be confident in the fact that I am here… for both of you. I don't want you to feel alone because that's scary, especially when talking about having a baby." He said pointedly and seriously.

The shield over the vulnerability in Arya's eyes dropped and he could see everything she didn't want him to see. That included… her feelings for him. "Thank you, Eragon." She said with a forced smile. She was trying desperately to cover it up before he saw something; before he figured her out and ran with it. "And I did say we perhaps could have a relationship one day, so it's not entirely off the table. There will come a time where I'm not chained to my position as Queen. We both need to learn and grow some more, though. For now we should just focus on the baby, I think." She was able to hide herself again after she spoke. It was a relief. "And the dragons." She offered a simple smile.

Eragon watched Arya look down at herself, her hands taking a more protective position over her belly. It was obvious to him that she's nervous, which most likely went far deeper than what he saw on the surface.

"I agree." He said, his eyes softening. "Thank you for allowing us to come a few months before he arrives. It means a lot to us."

Arya nodded, but she didn't look up, her gaze seeming to grow tender. "It would be entirely unfair if I didn't allow you to come, my only requirement is that you need to find a suitable location for training future Riders in order to come an extra month early. I must urge you to take care in finding one, though, as it will be a permanent place many will consider their home."

Eragon sobered at her words. "I'll do the best I can. I don't know how many options we will have as I wish for this place to be somewhat close to land, just as Vroengard was. We've traveled far out west, though we are beginning a path to the south as our provisions are limited. Blödhgarm and the other spellcasters as well as the Eldunarí have helped us search the lands to the west of Alagaësia and I fear there isn't much. Our safest bet is to go south for now as it is with the current that runs along Alagaësia's coast."

Arya straightened and looked directly at him. "Oh… I wish you luck, then." She offered a smile and he nodded.

"Thank you. I'll let you know if we find something worth looking into. Perhaps the south will be warmer than what we are used to. Then again, Alagaësia isn't too extreme when it comes to the cold. Ellesméra is lovely this time of year. I will never forget the new growth of the forest when I first visited."

Her smile widened. "I am beginning to miss being at home. I've been gone for a whole month and I'm finding my favor of my old lifestyle is beginning to change, meaning, I find myself enjoying the calm that Ellesméra brings to me over that of traveling. Then again, It might be my increasingly frequent exhaustion, as my body is also growing another life and that is tiring. I was beginning to feel it soon after you left, I now realize."

His eyebrows rose. "Really?" Surprise coated his voice. After all this time of hearing her vehemently say she enjoyed being free to explore the world, he was definitely taken back a step.

She smiled. "I think I can start blaming things on the baby now because he's definitely influencing that decision. Once he's born, I'm sure I'll be itching to do active things. Promise me we can spar after?"

His shock turned to a smile. "Of course I'll spar with you. You have my word, Arya Shadeslayer." He said, earning a positive grin from the woman on the other side of the mirror.

"Fantastic, thank you. Now, I must be going, it's harder to simply show up whenever I want now that I'm Queen. Some things just become unacceptable." She shook her head and he chuckled.

"Just promise me you'll be safe." He said with a humorous smile, but with serious undertones.

"I promise, Eragon Shadeslayer." She nodded with a knowing look.

"Then I can only say, 'fantastic, thank you.'" He copied with a clever smirk.

She chuckled lightly. "I'll talk with you tomorrow to tell you about today. Send my greetings."

"I will. Take care, Arya. Do the same for me." He twisted his right hand over his breast and leaned forwards in a bow, his eyes lowering to Arya's abdomen. "I love you, Juniper. I know it feels like we're on the opposite ends of the world, but I will still love you, even from that distance. Take care of your mother for me. Remind her to eat, sleep, and to be careful with herself. I'm not so worried if she decides she wants to spar right now because I'll just feel sorry for the poor fool who got himself into that one, but I'd still strongly advise against it. Try to talk her out of it if you can, it'll be our secret." He grinned and Arya gave him a rather stern look, though it was surprisingly tender when their eyes met.

"I'll… I'll talk with you tomorrow. Wiol pömnuria ilian." For my happiness, she said, her voice seeming… sad.

"Take care, Arya. I'll see you tomorrow." He smiled and paused for a moment before ending the spell, causing his mirror and her own to go dark for a moment before their reflections returned.

Arya sighed heavily, letting her head fall into her hands, feeling a weight in her chest that constricted painfully. She allowed herself to let go for a moment before pulling herself back together. A single quiet sob escaped from between her lips.

"Are you okay?" Fírnen's familiar and comforting voice drifted into her mind.

"Not really." She responded sadly, pulling herself to her feet.

"Why? I thought your conversation went well." He sounded confused.

"It did." She answered as she bent to fold the pile of blankets on the floor from where she had been sitting.

"So why are you not okay?"

"Because I miss him, Fírnen. My mind is… it's different because of the baby and I'm just maddeningly sensitive to everything. He and Saphira already have a list of names and I've barely been able to get past trying to get used to pregnancy. He's excited, and I'm just… too worried, too caught up in my head; too paranoid, and I don't know how to get around that. I want to feel the overwhelming joy I know he feels but I don't know if I can and I've never been so unsure of myself when it comes to a new task like this before." She laid the folded blankets on the end of her neatly made bed and swiped her hands over it a few times to help smoothen out the winkles. "And I feel like he can connect with the baby better than I can and he's not even here physically. That doesn't help with my insecurities either." She tried to make herself sound less petulant than she thought she sounded. She straightened her back and her hands immediately went to her baby bump. She wandered back to the mirror and looked at herself.

"He doesn't have to worry about the same things you do, Arya. He doesn't see the responsibilities and worries you already have on your mind. You're not doing anything wrong." He tried to reason, but he knew she would need to figure it out for herself in order for her to understand it completely.

Arya lifted her shirt to expose her abdomen. The laces on her trousers needed to be tightened differently due to her change in waistline, but she still had a little while before she would outgrow them. "He has worries too. He has duties to the dragons and the Eldunarí and to making sure everything and everyone arrives safely to wherever their new home will reside. The whole dragon race rests on his shoulders."

She frowned when she turned to the side, then sighed in defeat. It really wouldn't be much longer before she can't hide her pregnancy from prying eyes. Before, she felt like she looked as though she had eaten a big meal. Her midriff is slightly more exaggerated now and it's only been a few days. "Slow down a little bit, love. It's not a race." She murmured softly to her belly before pulling her shirt back over to hide herself. "Then again, if that's what keeps you healthy, then I suppose it's okay. I'm just trying to keep you safe, that's all."

"Your responsibilities are different from his. His are subconscious, yours are out in the open, they need attention constantly, it seems. Don't worry so much on not feeling ecstatic, it'll come to you in time. For now, let's just focus on rescuing the eggs, because then we can begin heading home, where you can achieve some proper rest and the baby won't have to be a secret anymore." His voice was confident and smiling.

"Maybe you're right. Taking things one at a time to make the whole seem less overwhelming sounds like a good idea." She smiled a little anxiously. "Let's go. Are Eila and Eylörís ready?"

"Yes, I believe so. Eila has managed to climb on top of the Loft and has proceeded to watch for the sunrise along with Eylörís, except today is turning out to be cloudy, so they only were able to see a partial sunrise with red skies. I'm sure she knows how to get down safely. Luckily she's a Rider in the instance that she's unable."

Arya frowned with concern while she laced her boots. Once finished, she stepped outside and went straight to the small wall that lined the edge of the Loft's stone overhang and leaned over. She looked up to see Eila's bare feet hanging over the edge.

"What are you doing up there?!" Arya called matter-of-factly, and instantly Eila's feet were gone. A second later, the young woman's head was hanging off the edge, nearly thirty feet up.

"Watching the sunrise! Is it time to go?!" She yelled back.

"Yes! Can you get down safely?!"

"Yes ma'am! One moment!" Eila shouted back before disappearing again.

"Why didn't you use mental communication?" Fírnen asked.

"Because I worry about invading her mental space. We only just met and as you know, her past has been more than harsh. She's very private. I think it's better to take it slow with her." Arya responded, turning away for a second to look at him, but frowned when his gaze remained on the roof. Arya turned back just in time to see her apprentice and cousin hang from the ledge with one hand and feel around the underside with the other. Finding only smooth stone, she let her free hand rejoin the one gripping the ledge. She kicked her legs out and tucked them back in, swinging her body. She repeated those motions twice before letting go. Her body was airborne for a moment before she landed on her feet. She immediately shifted her weight forward and rolled, transferring the energy of her downward direction into that of horizontal motion. She sprung to her feet and brushed her hands off.

"Please don't do that again." Arya said instantly and Eila's expression became cautious.

"I won't but… if I may ask… w-which part am I not going to do anymore?"

"Jumping from high places when we aren't in Ellesméra. As you probably know, the situation I'm under makes it more taxing to use magic. To fix a broken bone costs more to fix than that of burned skin, it would exhaust our dragons for more than just little while. It is different with Shruikan around, so healing a bone wouldn't be much of an issue with all three dragons involved, though my point still stands…" Arya said pointedly. "And I don't want to see you get hurt again." She smiled and gently pressed her hand to Eila's cheek, her pale flesh pinkened from her efforts.

Eylörís had to fly out, turn around, then head back as she felt simply turning over and swooping in was too risky. Her feet landed nearly noiselessly on the stone floor. She shuffled her wings then walked up being her Rider, only to nuzzle her hand.

"Good morning Eylörís, how are you today?" Arya asked, twisting her right hand over her sternum and bowing slightly.

"I am well, the sun is hidden, yet the day is warm and promises rain. That brings me happiness as the rain waters the plants that feed the animals, providing the materials to sustain life, both new and old." She nodded and Arya smiled.

"A fine observation. The air is beginning to smell like the rain and the clouds are growing dark. I wonder how long we have before it does produce any precipitation. Are you both ready? This effort may not take long, though be prepared if it does."

"Eila and I were given a set of travel bags we could use to carry the eggs in for the time being." Eylörís offered.

"Oh, that slipped my mind." Eila's eyes widened.

"I believe it would be appropriate to bring our own methods of carrying the eggs. It's always better to be over prepared than under prepared." Arya nodded and Eila jumped as if she'd been startled.

"I'll get it." She said before sprinting over to her room. She opened the door and disappeared into its depths.

"Is she okay this morning?" Arya asked Eylörís.

"She's growing anxious because she knows it will be soon that we leave. This castle is all she's ever known, and she's never been outside it's gates before. She only knows the land based on maps committed to memory. That being said, she's never seen the pleasantries of green nature."

Arya frowned. "She's flown with you, you both didn't leave the castle's premises?"

"We did, though it was above the clouds. It makes her uneasy to think about leaving. She was very skittish when we were newly bonded, so our first flight was in the clouds so she would be more comfortable. I'm proud of her for being able to relax some over these last few months. I've been trying to help her understand that the new people here are not here to hurt her, but her past has scarred her. I'm glad to see that she's found a greater level of trust in you and Fírnen than she has in anyone besides myself." Eylörís looked directly at Arya, her blue eyes burned intensely.

"I'm glad to see her growing more comfortable and I hope she continues to do so as we get to know each other better. I think time and positive reinforcement is what she needs the most at the moment." Arya replied as they waited for Eila to return.

"I agree." Eylörís nodded confidently. "You'll find that the longer you know her, the more you realize how full of mysteries she is. Thank you for helping her." Eylörís leaned forward and nuzzled her snout against Arya's hand, who in turn gently caressed the smaller dragon's cheek.

"You're welcome." Arya smiled.

Their attention was brought to Eila, who carried two large saddlebags, one on each shoulder. "Here you go." Eila said, sounding positive. "Eylörís, are you sure you want to do this? I remember you were not fond of the idea of even having saddlebags.

Eylörís hummed. "It was I who suggested it. While I am not fond of serving as a pack animal, I will need to set my pride aside for the safety of my own race." She and Eila shared a nod. The young woman walked forwards and began fastening the bags over her dragon's back.

"Do you need any help?" Arya asked and Eila shook her head.

"No thank you." She responded, looking up quickly. "You've eaten this morning?"

Arya smiled. "Yes I have. Bread seems to be the only thing I can keep down as of late. Luckily the bread provided to us is made up of several different kinds of vegetables, so it's not like I'm lacking entirely in nutrition."

Eila nodded. "Lady Nasuada is having the medical facility send nutritional supplements down to us soon. As you know, I have to head over there and ask for a daily supplement because the request to send a supply to me is taking longer than I thought would be necessary. I'm not supposed to be taking them and they're starting to make me feel different." She smiled, but Arya frowned.

"Negatively?"

"No, it's kind of like the way you feel when you know something's… off, internally I mean. I remember I could feel it when I first became pregnant. My insides just felt different once I knew I had conceived, except that was horrifying because I wasn't sure if I was carrying a normal child or something else. At that point Durza was already a Shade. I know he was still Human and therefore should produce a Human offspring if he was still… fertile, but his whole being was twisted by magic and evil spirits." She frowned as she tightened one of the straps that fastened the bags onto Eylörís' back. "I feel like that again, just the different feeling that comes with pregnancy, not the bad part." She clarified, then stood back to observe her handiwork and to make sure she had fixed it on properly. "Anyways, I think they're helping my skin finish healing. Do I need to bring Istalrí?"

"Istalrí?" Arya frowned, still trying to process why her apprentice was able to speak about her non-consensual relations with a Shade so casually when everything else brought about hesitation.

"Oh, that's the name of my sword. Flame in the Ancient Language, because it looks like a flame." She clarified.

"Then… not unless you want to. If it makes you feel safer, I'd encourage you to bring it, however, you might not need it. I'm not bringing Támerlein with me, but then again, if I wear it, it'll become obvious that I'm hiding something."

Eila smiled. "Then I think I will forgo bringing my sword. Can I bring my knives?"

"Maybe just keep one in the open and conceal the rest if you want." Arya smiled. "I keep knives on my person at all times."

"Oh, good thing, I already have them all concealed." Eila grinned. "Ready?"

Arya nodded. "Ready. Fírnen, Eylörís, are you both set to be on our way?"

Both dragons gave their affirmative and soon, their group left for the dungeons once again.

A/N: Hey guess what? This fellow on YouTube is in the process of creating a whole soundtrack for the Inheritance Cycle series, and so far all of the songs sound amazing! It's called 'The Inheritance Project' by Malte Wegmann. I would strongly suggest you guys head over there and give it a listen. Anyways, here's another chapter, I know it's long, but I think I'm just going to start making longer chapters, I don't know. It's going to start picking up again as I'm proactively writing a continuation of my draft to help me continue writing, that's why it's taking me a little bit longer to give you guys chapters.

Anyways, thank you all for reading this far! I know this is growing into a long story, but I'm okay with that. I enjoy writing and it's a fun pass time activity for me. I might post a few one-shot things that I've written while battling writer's block. Those stories will mostly coincide with this one, or I will write them so that they can fall into the book series, this non-canon work not included. I'll definitely specify if I choose to post those. Let me know what you guys think!

Thank you forever for giving your attention to me for a short while as you read this story. It really does mean the world to me.

I love you all!

-Lady Arlo