A/N

I won't always be able to post early, but I will when I can. I realized that I forgot about Orrin...I will probably improvise him and Surda into the background. This chapter will be a lot of plot development. As of writing this A/N, I'm still not sure of a lot of details, so let's see how it goes. As for Brom and Eragon not thinking about the funeral or Selena's death, I thought Brom would realize his priorities and focus on them, while Eragon will be...distracted to say the least without spoiling the plot development. Anyways, R&R(I say anyways a lot on these)

Chapter 6

Eragon

Eragon caught the keys, shocked Brom was letting him drive. It hadn't sunk in until the butterfly doors latched. The sound of the engine starting filled his ears. He immediately grinned. His grin fell as he saw his father's face grow serious. His dad spoke, saying "we need to talk. It's long overdue." Eragon nodded, unsure of where the conversation was headed. Before his father began speaking again, he plotted a route on the car's built-in gps, setting a custom route.

"Why aren't we just taking the highway? It will be a lot faster?" Eragon asked, confused about the route.

"That will he explained too," Brom replied, finishing up with the route after over a minute. "Go whenever you're ready," his father kindly told him. Eragon merely nodded and started driving, following the directions. "Before I begin, please hold your questions until the end. It will make things a lot easier." Eragon agreed, realizing the seriousness of his father, then Brom continued. "The plan is to drive to our new house over the course of a week. I have packed camping supplies in the trunk. The reasons for taking so long is to prepare you for what is to come, to remain off the radar for some time, and to explain the situation." Eragon was very curious by this point, less focused on driving and more on his father. "As for the last reason, this is a long story, beginning a long time ago. When I began my professional career racing cars, I was assigned a one-person pit crew, called a dragon. It sounds stupid, I know, but these dragons were insanely fast at their jobs. Many drivers became so attached to their dragons that they could practically become one while racing. This close connection to another had a flaw, however. This flaw was that, if a driver or dragon died, their partner would fall to grief, becoming a completely different person. One person who did this was Galbatorix. He and his dragon, Jarnunvösk, quickly rose to the top. Galbatorix, however, became arrogant with his abilities. The pair went to an illegal street race, which was hosted by a gang called Urgals. Upon seeing their defeat at the end of the race, the Urgals murdered Jarnunvösk. Galbatorix fled, grief overwhelming him. He came to Ilirea Racing Corporation(IRC), now known as Urû'baen Racing Corporation(URC), and begged to be let back into racing and to be given another dragon. Seeing his instability, the board denied him, claiming he would harm others during the race in his instability. He fell of the radar and, during his absence, convinced a young, aspiring dragon, called Shruikan, to become his new dragon. Galbatorix also managed to convince thirteen other drivers, with their dragons, to join him in attempting to take over the IRC. And, obviously, they succeeded. Once securing their power, through murders, court battles, bribes, and many other terrible actions, they branched out. Wanting more money and power, they invested their new corporation, URC, in illegal activities all across the globe. Their major investments are drugs and human trafficking, but they are involved in murders regularly. They have also bribed every political figure across the globe, with their, somehow, unlimited funds. Upon realizing this, people are united in Varden City, Weldenvarden, and Beor. Surda is also part of it, but they were founded after I retired. While being technically divided, the four organizations work cooperatively to turn the URC back into the IRC. The leaders are the adults who you met earlier today." Brom finished with "do you have any questions?"

Eragon immediately replied with "yeah. How are you involved in this?"

Brom stared at the dash, then replied, saying "one of the thirteen, Morzan, killed my dragon."

After an awkward silence, Eragon didn't know what to say or do, so he just asked another question. "Is mom's...death related to this?"

His father continued to stare at the dash before answering. The answer only confirmed his suspicions. "Yes." He slammed his fist into his leg and said, in a shockingly emotional voice, "I should have been more prepared!"

"Dad, it's not your fault. There's nothing you could have done," Eragon replied. He wasn't going to push the closest person to him away because of a mistake, if it could be called that.

Brom, wanting to change the subject, asked "do you have any other questions?"

"Just one more. Why do I have to be trained? Why can't you do it?"

Brom smiled and looked at Eragon. "Son, I'm old. My reflexes aren't what they once were. You have to be trained for two reasons. One, I've seen your ability to grasp car knowledge and it's better than how quickly I learned, and, two, if you could develop your skills to be what mine were, if not better, you can take Galbatorix down. Before you, I devoted my life to taking down the thirteen forsworn, as they were called, but I lost my dragon. Dragons and racers must perfectly match to be effective and nobody has found a second dragon to be paired with."

Eragon smiled, and said "I know I said I just had one question, but that brings up more. How many dragons are left? How do you know I will be paired with one even if there is one left?"

"For the second question, we don't. But for the first, we have discovered one of three dragons that Galbatorix was originally trying to pair with someone. You will meet her and see if you can pair with her." As Brom finished, Eragon nodded.

"Wow, life just got a lot more complicated," Eragon murmured to himself, but his father heard.

"No, you are just less ignorant of it. Ignorance is bliss, as they say," his dad answered. "So, about your training. Eli told me…" Eragon interrupted.

"Wait, you know Eli?"

"Yes, I asked him to train you. I've known him for a while and knew of his...habits." Eragon was shocked as Brom continued. "Eli told me that you mastered one type of drift in a week. That is impressive. We, however, are going to teach you more than just one drift. You will need to learn how to do a variety of skills, including heel-toe Shifting, how to find a driving line, every other drift, and much more. We won't have time to do all of it, but, for now, we will start with heel-toe Shifting. So, begin with…" Brom began talking him through various techniques.

This lasted for days, with Brom talking and, occasionally, switching seats to demonstrate how to do something. They covered everything from steering to weight transfers to rev matching. Occasionally, when there was an abandoned street, they would practice various drifts for hours on end. At this slow pace, six days passed. Eragon lost his previous soreness in his calves and arms from constantly pushing pedals, shifting, and spinning the wheel.

As they woke on the morning of the seventh day, Brom woke Eragon up, saying "good morning. Today, we will take it easy, then drive to our new home in the afternoon." His dad told him earlier in the week that he asked a friend to close on the house for them.

Eragon pushed himself off his sleeping bag. His dad refused to take them into hotels in case they had cameras. "The risk is too great," he said after Eragon practically begged.

"Good morning, dad," was all Eragon said. He was too drained from constant work to say any more, despite sleeping in the most all week this morning. They went through the motions before his dad called the practice to a close early. "There are some things we need to talk about," was all he said as they packed up their stuff, packing everything they could into the small trunk of the red SLR. They were currently on an abandoned parking lot in the middle of nowhere. Forests surrounded everything, making Eragon curious about what the original reason for the parking lot was. He wasn't complaining, though. It was more than big enough to practice various drifts. He hadn't mastered all of them, but he could do each of them with varying degrees of success. His dad said he "did more than I thought possible" in the week they had to work with.

Snapping out of his thoughts about the previous week, Brom began talking. "You will have to go to school, but everyone in Varden, Weldenvarden, Surda, and majority from Beor will understand your importance. Because of this, you won't have to focus as much on school and will be able to train more. You are at the end of the training that I can provide you with. There are people where we are going that can train you to your fullest potential." After this, Brom had Eragon memorize various important people he will meet. He told brief descriptions of their roles and their titles. Politics, Eragon thought as the morning began its transition into afternoon. "One last thing. We need to get you a car. Finding the perfect car for your style of racing will be a huge benefit to you." Eragon thought excitedly. I'll have a car again, he thought, excited. "Alright, we have another thirty minute drive before we get there. I'll drive he last leg, you deserve a break," his father concluded.

They got in the car and drove. Eragon had fallen asleep immediately. They were fifteen minutes out when the impossible happened. A black 1996 Porsche T-boned the SLR in the driver's side. Eragon awoke upon the collision, but got knocked out when his head slammed into the airbag.

He awoke confused, but vaguely remembered what happened. He jerked at the memory and looked for his father. The black leather seat was empty, but had blood all over it. Shit. He didn't know what to do when he suddenly thought of Arya. Attempting to use his right arm, he cried out in pain. It was broken, there was no other explanation. He dialed her number, using only his left hand. She picked up after several rings. Before she could say "hello," Eragon immediately began telling her what happened. He texted her his location. The only words she said during the entire call were "I'm on my way," then hung up. Eragon began examining his situation. All he could see was the hood and rear bumper were caught by two trees. The car was shaped like a parenthese. He attempted to open the door with his left arm when a sharp pain was felt in his chest, then he lost consciousness.

He awoke in a hospital. Everything hurt like hell. He looked around to see that Arya was asleep in the corner. She was sitting in a chair, her head propped up on her right arm. She was wearing yoga pants and a baggy hoodie. He was confused until he realized he probably called her while she was relaxing on an average Saturday afternoon. She looks absolutely gorgeous, Eragon thought while staring rather creepily at her.

Everything came back to him in an instant. Before he could stop himself, he yelled "Dad!" Arya immediately jerked awake, looking empathetically at him. It was a completely different reaction compared to her reaction at the funeral.

She slowly stood and walked beside him. "Eragon, there's something you should know," Arya began, her voice filled with emotion.

"Where's my dad? He wasn't in the car when I woke and his seat was filled with blood."

She didn't know how to say what she had to. These were words she didn't want to say to someone, especially to someone as innocent as Eragon. At least, as innocent as Eragon was before this moment. "I'm sorry, Eragon. The collision killed your dad upon impact." Eragon's eyes widened. He felt crushed, but no tears came. The last of those were shed three weeks ago when watching his mother die in front of him.

All he could say was "I never even got to say goodbye."

Arya

When she fell asleep in the hospital, she dreamed of what led to this moment.

She arrived at the scene fifteen minutes exactly after he called. It took her five minutes to get help, then ten minutes to fly down the streets to his location as she called 911. Her heart sank upon seeing it. A black 1996 Porsche 911 was on the other side of the road, hood smashed in several feet, while the red SLR was bent between two trees. The sight of Eragon slumped in the passenger seat didn't calm her. She felt a strange feeling in her chest, one she hadn't felt in a long time. She pushed her thoughts away and focused on the take at hand.

She didn't have the medical equipment to help him, so she resorted to reciting everything to the 911 operator. She told Orik, Nasuada, and Saphira to look for Brom. They nodded and immediately went to work. Arya carefully opened the door. She began describing his broken arm, possible broken ribs, and any other injuries she saw on him. Sirens were heard in the distance as she heard Saphira's voice.

"I found Brom! Arya, he needs medical attention!" She yelled. When she arrived, Brom just finished telling Saphira something, then Saphira replied with "I will." Saphira pocketed her phone. Arya stepped on a branch, causing Saphira to jerk, blonde hair flying. Saphira's sapphire blue eyes stared at her, worried. Whatever Brom told Saphira can wait, she thought as she began examining Brom. She saw a stab wound in his stomach and his entire left side was fractured. She'd never seen anything like this wreck. This was no accident, was all she thought as she realized he wasn't going to make it.

"I'm sorry Brom. There's no way we can save you," Arya said, wishing there was a way to save her old friend and the father to Eragon-wait, what does his relation to Eragon have to do with anything? She asked herself. Saphira held his right hand. Nasuada approached from the direction of the wreck. The ambulance could be seen approaching.

Brom spoke weakly, saying "it's okay. Make sure Eragon knows that I love him an-" he went into a coughing fit. Blood was starting to appear on the outside of his mouth. "And tell him to live life to its potential. Thank you for coming. All of you." With that said, Brom slowly succumbed to his injuries. By then, Orik arrived and noticed what was happening. All of them realized what this means and looked at each other with grave looks on their faces, then returned to watching the man die.

After several moments, Arya made up her mind. "I will ride with Eragon. When he wakes up, he needs a friendly face to explain what has happened," the other three acknowledged her as she began walking back to Eragon, who was now being loaded into one of the ambulances.

"Ma'am," a police officer walked over to Arya, "we need your statement."

Worried the ambulances might leave without her, she replied "sir, I will answer all of the questions you have later, but I wasn't there." As she said this, Nasuada was calling the other paramedics over to attempt to help Brom. They all knew it was futile. Arya continued, "all I did was answer a call from the boy in the ambulance." The paramedics began closing doors on the ambulance. Arya spoke up, ignoring the officer, "wait, may I go with you?" The paramedics looked to the officer, and he nodded, resulting in the paramedics nodding. She climbed into the ambulance and started dreading the conversation to come.

She awoke to the yell. "Brom!" As soon as the name came from his mouth, she knew it would be a difficult conversation.

Words poured from Arya's mouth. "We got there fifteen minutes after you called. It was me, Orik, Nasuada, and Saphira; they are in the waiting room now, because we could only convince the doctors to allow one person in here. I arrived, telling the 911 operator your condition. When Saphira found Brom…" she faltered, not wanting to say it.

Eragon waited silently, already knowing the truth. "My dad is dead, isn't he?" He asked as his brown eyes stared into hers, seemingly deciphering the puzzle in her eyes.

"Yes," was all she managed. He was innocent. But life had other plans, she thought morbidly. It was at that moment that she realized the emotional side of the phrase "the good die young."

As they stared at each other, it looked like Eragon was completely broken inside. She felt an overpowering urge to hug him, which she complied to, justifying it with the thought he just lost both parents in less than a month. Any sane person would hug him. She cautiously wrapped her arms around his torso, careful to avoid and injuries. His left arm, the unbroken one, slowly wrapped around her. It felt so electrifying to her that she questioned if she stayed there for him or for her. It can't be for me. That isn't me anymore, she justified.

After around thirty seconds, a knock at the door broke them up. Nasuada, Orik, and Saphira entered, with a doctor tailing. Saphira was looking at her, the look asking "what was that?," and Arya just ignored it.

The doctor spoke first. "Mr. Miles, do you know where you are?"

"A hospital." The doctor barraged him with questions that he half-heartedly answered, distracted with the most recent loss of his father. His one constant in his life. His last constant in his life, as everything in his life changed. Arya watched him, only understanding half of what he went through, and tried to decipher why she really hugged him. She wasn't a hugging person.

The doctor spoke a final question: "do you have someone to stay with? You will need help getting around for the next week or two."

"You can stay with me," Arya said. I'll explain it to mother later. She won't turn him down, especially since he is Brom's son.

Eragon protested. "No, no, I couldn't do that to you. Dad bought a house before we moved here, I can stay there."

The doctor defended Arya, saying "you have multiple broken ribs, a broken arm, and a mild concussion. I cannot allow you to stay by yourself."

Eragon nodded, accepting the inevitable. He mumbled "and I thought moving would be the hardest part."

A/N

I was going to stop it before the hospital scene in Arya's POV, but I couldn't stop and figured you wouldn't complain with a bit more in the chapter. I'd like to do a mix of street racing and maybe some guns, but I'm not sure how to implement the gun side, so that will remain iffy. Any ideas? I know a lot about cars and guns. Plus I think it would add some more interesting action scenes. Anyways, just my thoughts while writing. Thank you for reading, please let me know what you think.

Mad Hatter-Yeah, I've had to keep that on the back of my mind. I'd like to think I didn't steal too much. Saphira's car is the only real thing I stole and that was because my brother is really into the R8's and talks my ear off about them.

Asnari-I might do an Arya POV every chapter(or at least majority). It depends on what happens in the chapters mainly.

I'll probably do progress updates on my bio as I work on chapters. I've seen a couple of people do that and it informs the readers while not spamming the story followers of a false update.