Alaric followed Eragon into the throne room of Queen Nasuada. It was massive and lit with flameless lanterns. It took them some time to get across it to the dais with the throne of the queen, even with the marching pace that Eragon set. Alaric saw this place differently than most, as for him it was a past battleground when he and Trianna faced off for the fate of the Empire, not the seat of power that it truly was.

As they came to the throne, Alaric could see the queen more clearly. It had been many years since they had last met as the life of the Chief Dragon Rider in Alagaësia was a very busy one, though less so now that Eragon was back. In that time Nasuada's beauty had not decayed but become more refined, distinguished perhaps. She had not changed much, still wearing dresses that showed off the scars on her forearms from the Trail of the Long Knives, in addition to some scars that had refused to heal completely from Galbatorix's captivity. Eragon, with all the respect that she had earned from him, said angrily, "You need to stand down!"

Nasuada seemed surprised at him. "What are you saying?"

"Don't play dumb!" Eragon said. "You know that you sent assassins after Lynde, a Rider in every way but one, and Artsanna, the Dragon bonded with her."

Nasuada sat straight up and said, "She was a traitor to the Empire and conspired to rebel. Besides, she was not a member of your order."

"But she was under our protection," Alaric noted. "We have never said to kill them, and advised all of the kingdoms to keep your distance."

"We told you to keep your distance and yet you set a bounty on them," Eragon said. "We told you not to kill them and you send assassins after them. After all we have done you show no respect for the Order."

"In my mind they were not part of it in any way," Nasuada said. "I take it you did not think of it that way and perhaps I did make a mistake. But I did what my position demanded of me and set about stabilizing the Empire however I can. If you allow any more of your Riders to act in such a manner, I will have to take steps to assure your order is severely punished."

Eragon shook his head. "You've forgotten how this works, Nasuada," he said in a voice Alaric had not heard him speak in for a long time. It was like he was scolding a child almost. "You do not tell us what to do; we tell you, and right now I'm telling you to step down as Queen of the Brodding Empire and appoint a suitable heir to take your place."

Nasuada was outraged and Alaric was surprised. They had not talked of this. "You dare command me to step down?!" Nasuada said. "I shall not, I will not. You have overstepped your authority, Eragon!"

"No, you have overstepped yours," Eragon replied. "Step down by the last full moon of summer or else I will bring the full brunt of the Dragon Riders to bear against you."

Nasuada had a defiant look in her eye and held Eragon's gaze for some time before lowering her gaze and said, "Very well, I concede. But allow me another moon. The first moon of autumn should be suitable amount of time to find an heir if any amount is enough."

"As you wish," Eragon said harshly. "But if you do not find an heir, I will find one for you who will respect the Riders properly." He then turned on his heel and marched out.

Alaric, trying to show respect to the fallen queen bowed as he said, "Farewell, Queen Nasuada."

"Farewell, Alaric, and pray he does not replace you next," Nasuada said warningly. She did not even meet his gaze, instead watching Eragon go.

Alaric ran after Eragon to catch up. Once they were outside the throne room, Alaric turned to Eragon and said, "Why didn't you consult with me before doing that?"

Eragon turned to him and said, "I do not need your advice, Alaric. I am the leader of the Dragon Riders, not you, and I have access to great advisors to you."

Alaric shook his head. "Not to doubt the wisdom of the ancients, but you need to trust those who you deem wise enough to lead your Riders. While we are not as old as the Eldunarya, our words can help you. Even the most ancient immortal can be wrong if they are born of mortal flesh."

"Alaric, keep your advice to yourself and your Riders," Eragon said. "If you doubt my wisdom or the wisdom of the ancient ones again, I may be forced to find a new Dragon Rider Chief."

As Alaric followed Eragon out and back to their Dragons he began to worry. He worried for the head that wears the crown and for the leader of the Dragon Riders. Not simply for his position, but for the fate of all Alagaësia. He hoped that Eragon did not force him to do battle with him or else that battle would—at worst—consume the Empire and all of Alagaësia in another Rider War.

He had hopes for these people he worried were too high. He hoped that Eragon would be wise and consider the consequences of his actions before he made too terrible of a mistake. He hoped that Nasuada would step down quietly. He hoped that there would be peace in Alagaësia for the next hundred years, but those were those mortal hopes of a mortal man, which were nothing against the ambitions of queens and the power of men like Eragon.

To be continued in Divide

Thank you all for reading this far (and not for skipping to the end). I'm in the final stages of Divide (editing) so it should come out soon. If you want an exact date, then I'll give you one: the first of June. Yes that's a lot smaller a gap between installments, and I do hope you'll all join me when I begin posting.

I'd like to thank my brother again for supplying the cover and for reading this while I was writing it to give me his opinions of it. I'd also like to thank for allowing me to have a place to post this, and Christopher Paolini for giving me something interesting to read and rip off. And finally I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed, followed, favorited, and viewed this story; it really does make me feel better to know that I am being read by anyone out there, not matter how small or large a group they are.

Farewell and I look forward to June.

Edit: 6/1/2017: It's June. Time for Divide!