"What is HE doing here?" Isabella pointed irritably towards Eragon, issuing a surprised look on Eragon's face.
"Don't be rude!" Shouted Ismira, "Do you know who you're talking to. Eragon is a hero. You none of us would be standing here if not for him." Isabella scoffed and walked to a chair in the dining hall. Around the table her family were all sitting there save a couple who were late. Her womanizing brother Tybalt being one of them. Sitting close together at the end of the long table were her mother, Ismira, and grandparents, Katrina and the King.
"Why do you always ensue the wrath of our mother?" A voice came from the entrance of the dining hall, followed by footsteps. The owner of the voice was a long, dark hair, tall lean man. He was clad in blinding gold armor, with his helmet held under him between his left arm and torso. He looked in his mid-twenties.
"You could call it a talent," Alex said from the table, "Now enough about that. Where have you been Ty? We haven't seen you all day."
"Don't feign ignorance we all know where he's been. Chasing some poor innocent girl, trying to corrupt her virtue. I feel sorry for whom ever is ensnared by your charms." It was true that Tybalt was the fairest of any man in their family and since at a young age was always surrounded by girls. He had a natural charm about him that captured the hearts of many young ladies. His sister; however always said his natural charm as devilish. She never liked how Tybalt so easily used and broke the hearts of many women.
"Oh, please why don't you tell me how you really feel?" Tybalt said smugly.
"Please stop," Ismira pleaded, "You children dishonor our family by partaking in these foolish arguments in front of a prestigious guest."
"No, need to intrude, I am quite enjoying the show." Eragon said while gleefully. He has never met any of Roran's lineage and was quite enjoying the family banter that he and Roran used to do so many years past. He could feel hostility rise from Isabella. She really doesn't like me, Eragon thought, then laughed to himself. "I'm honored to be in the presence of the youngest member of the king's personal guard." Eragon said gesturing to Tybalt, "Well you are the king's second son, but I've heard stories of your skill. It is said that you could rival the finest elf."
"I can't say I can live up to stories, but I try." Tybalt said giving Eragon a dashing smile which made one of the table servants blush and smile.
"Please prepare for lunch." Said Ismira, "but first take off that ridiculous armor."
"Hey, that is my design," said Roran, "I wouldn't say they're ridiculous. Old fashioned maybe, but not ridiculous."
"If you say so father."
Tybalt complied and made his way out the door and into the small bathing room along with one of his personal servants. A few moments later he came back dressing in regular trousers and a shirt. Soon after servants came through the doors carrying hordes of food. They politely placed every dish appropriately on the table. A smaller spread was being prepared filled with bread, cheese, and fruit.
"Don't think I've forgotten about your eating habits," Roran said to Eragon. Eragon nodded thankfully.
"Shall we begin then," Roran said joyfully. Roran looked around the room and saw Nadia standing to the side. "Come join us girl," he shouted.
"I would never be so rude to eat in front of you M'Lord," she said humbly.
"Nonsense I am requesting you sit here and eat with us. I will hear no further objections."
Nadia looked up to Izzy and saw a heartwarming smile on her face. She began walking to the table and sat next to her. There she felt wanted and safe, "Thank you for your kindness M'Lord."
Half way through the meal Isabella said, "Did you call us here only to feast? If so Nadia and I had plans to enjoy the bright day, and will sadly have to take our leave."
"Oh, no. What I have to tell you is very important. I believe you've already met my cousin here, Eragon, have you not?" Roran said curiously.
"Aye, I have," Isabella said annoyed, "But what does that have to do with me?"
"Now don't be foolish, you know who he is, a rider, such as yourself and Nadia. There are many more like you out in the world, but none in this land. Eragon trains an entire land filled with Riders and dragons, and we have requested that you two would accompany him back to the land he hails." Ismira nodded agreeing with their decision.
"Aye, and I have agreed. If I may see your dragons I heard they were quite newly born. No older than a few months."
"They went out for a hunt before your arrival. If I concentrate hard enough I believe I may be able to reach my dragon." Nadia said.
"No," Isabella said to Nadia. She turned to her grandfather, "You must be jesting. We do not need an old worn out Rider to train us. We can handle ourselves." Isabella nearly shouted.
"Shut your mouth. Eragon has been kind enough to properly train you in the ways of a Rider. You must accept his teaching, "Ismira shouted.
"How can you of all people request this especially after what happened with dad?" Isabella shouted back.
Eragon remembered what Roran had told him about their father, Ismira's husband. How he was also a rider. That he did not wish to leave the lands of his home. So in Carvahall he fed, trained, and lived with his dragon in secret. Roran mentioned that one day while his dragon went hunting was the same day Ismira had ran away from the castle and into the woods. He'd known where she went because Katrina had made a habit of running to the same spot ever since she was a little girl. The same spot on the edge of the woods where he had taken her to watch the fish swim upstream. As he arrived there he found this kid with her. The kid's name was William. Then Roran hadn't known that this kid would become his new son, so he had him arrested. Roran only did this to scare him and keep his male tendencies away from his daughter; which didn't go so well with Ismira or Katrina and he had to release him within the following hour. Roran told Eragon that despite his fatherly warning William continued to see Ismira in secret, and that one day he came to him as a man and announced his intentions with his daughter. An act Roran admired because he never had the same courage with Sloan. Roran accepted and with the next year Roran had a son. All this happening without them knowing about William's dragon. He had moved into the castle as Roran's son and within the next few decades had family with Ismira. Three beautiful children. It was ten years ago when he'd left with seemingly no warning, only a letter left that revealed his secrets to Ismira and the rest of them. But instead of anger they felt pity. Roran was all too familiar with watching Eragon struggle with keeping such a secret and should have known. He then sent out a search party, but found nothing. As the years passed by they had no other choice but to accept the truth.
"I heard of what happened with your father, and extend my condolences. Being a Rider can be lonely and hard, and some of us chose the solitude, because it is always welcoming. Your mother doesn't want to see you or Nadia fall victim to the pain William suffered. Please reconsider." Eragon said solemnly.
"What do you know of anything? You're far away with your pack of Riders. Where were you to help my father?" Isabella shouted. Tears swelling in her eyes.
"Watch your tone," her mother said, "he had no Idea of William's identity. You cannot place blame on him."
"I can and I will. Besides I don't feel like this old man has any skill at all. We all know how wild stories can get over the years." Isabella said calming down.
"None the less you must go with him and train and become strong. You must grow up and leave childish grudges behind you," said Ismira.
"If I may interject. I am not here to beg for another student but I do have an obligation to my fellow Riders, dragons, and ultimately my family," Eragon said, "but if you are as good as you say you are, then an old man like myself would be no match for you, right?"
"Is that a challenge?" Isabella said smugly.
"You there Nadia, you will participate as well." Eragon said.
"Um, okay sir" Nadia said without looking up.
They had all left the dining hall, and into the training grounds behind the castle further into the mountains. Both Nadia and Isabella chose regular long one handed swords. Eragon had none.
"You should arm yourself with something, or see your head removed from your shoulders." Isabella said laughing.
"Izzy don't be rude. You know of the tales of his heroics. We must use all our power to defeat him, even if he's unarmed," said Nadia.
"Yeah and they're just tales. I bet he can't hold a sword properly."
"I can here you, you know. So much confidence, I see. Well both of you, come at me at once."
They slowly circled around Eragon, as he stood still. They both lunged from opposite ends, their blades firm in their hands. Isabella went high and Nadia went low, in prefect sync. To any normal human their moves would have slice them in two, but Eragon was an experienced Rider who had fought and defeated many elves, ra'zac, and skilled warriors .To him their swings looked to be in slow motion. He jumped horizontally spinning in between their slashes landing with his right hand and both feet on the ground, not moving from where he stood. The spectators were in shock to see such speed and flexibility. They began to shout and cheer in favor of Eragon, enticing a pit of anger from Isabella. She lunged again from behind, her blade slicing the air as it rushed to the nape of Eragon's neck. He ducked under while turning his body and extending his leg, hitting the back of her right ankle sweeping her off her feet, with an unbelievable force. Her body escaped the group flipping on its head, crashing down with a deadly force. Any normal warrior would have been rendered unconscious.
"Smart to attack from behind against a stronger opponent. To catch them off guard and gain the upper hand. But you forget about my abilities as a magician. I can sense everything about you. I know your next move before you do." Almost in an instant later Eragon heard the song of another blade piercing the air, in hopes of connecting with his back. He spun and grabbed the Nadia's hand and the hilt of the sword. In one fluid motion he turned the deadly weapon and its force against her only to stop it before piercing her throat. "The same goes for you." He said disarming her.
"I think that was a good enough sparring match. And a great show as well," said Roran, "I believe you two understand that you're hilariously outmatched."
Nadia helped Isabella to her feet, Eragon walked towards the spectators. They both needed a moment to digest their defeat, while the others began to move back inside the castle.
"You know they're right Izzy. We must train with the other Riders if we have any chance of achieving our true potential and get stronger." Nadia said.
"Now you want to leave just because two old men said so? I thought you were smarter than that, Nadia!"
"Don't be stubborn. He made us both look like armatures without a weapon. That power is something no human can teach us. Besides we too are Riders. Our dragons may only be a few months old but we both have felt the change within us. We're faster and stronger than most humans. We belong with them."
"If you really feel that then you go I'm staying here, in my home."
Nadia felt defeated. "If you wish to stay then I'm staying with you. Your company is all I need to survive."
"Great let's go back inside."
Eragon overheard the two young ladies conversation, and was very bothered by Isabella's selfishness. Later in the afternoon Eragon ambushed Isabella while she was alone.
"You know that girl would do anything for you right?" Eragon entering the study where Isabella was reading a book about the history of the Riders.
"Pardon me, but I do not have the time nor the desire to hold a conversation with you." Nadia said without looking up from her book.
"I've lived for a long time. I've seen all kinds of loyalty. Loyalty for a king, or a lord. I've even seen forced loyalty. But rarely have I seen loyalty from one friend to another, like the one Nadia shows to you. It reminds me of Roran and I's relationship so many years ago. The only difference is that it we were mutually loyal. I would sacrifice something for his desires and he the same for mine. That girl feels lost in this place, in this world. She doesn't feel like she belongs anywhere, but now that she finally gets the chance to do something new you hinder and abandon your duty as a friend. To sacrifice your own selfish stubbornness to see her succeed. Like I said I do not wish to beg for another student, but I will if they truly want to know more about what it means to be a Rider." Eragon eyed her reading choice. "I see you too are interested in who you are." Eragon smirked, "I see a lot of potential in both of you. Who knows maybe someday you'll be even stronger than I, maybe then you can take revenge for humiliating you twice in the same day." He walked away leaving Isabella with the hope of someday becoming stronger than even him. Isabella smiled at the thought of someday fighting Eragon on equal ground.