AN- ok I have been gone ages and I was looking over my past chapters only to see that there are loads if typos sorry! This story has had the best reaction than any of my others so far, I came back to find loads of messages and five reviews! Thank you thank you thank you all those who reviewed/favorated! It was a great thing to come home too!!

Rubies

Opal lay back on the strange bed contemplating what she had been told. This entire day had been given over for her to have her questions answered and more. Her mind buzzed with the thought that once she got her strength up she could defeat Galbatorix and the eldunari because she new the true ancient language, what was spoken by the elves had changed with time but she thanks to the mirror spoke the most powerful unchanged version. She could read and write in power runes, this meant that she could have spells cast and the energy used but the enchantment themselves was yet to be detonated, she was told that this would be good in battle she hoped that it would never come to that. Opal was scared at the thought that a whole empire was depending on her; she so desperately wished that she could just go home.

"And what of you my thousand year old toddler?" she looked over at the said youngster who was rolling on his back trying tear shoe to pieces. At her words he dropped the shoe quickly looking guilty.

"Meep?"

She laughed at his oh-so-innocent look.

"Silly Alex, you're supposed to be a great wise all knowing Dragon. What would the elves say to your antics? What would Saphira say?"

Alex dropped his head in shame at her scolding making her laugh again. She walked over to him and scooped him up.

"I cannot imagine you as a great stern all knowing beast, your Alexizlandzer playful little dragon, my new best friend. In six months you'll still be Alexizlandzer just a bit bigger."

-xxXXXxx-

Six month later this statement proved right.

Opals laugh resound through forest as Alex dived spinning as he did so. He had grown so much in the past months, though he was thicker around the neck and shoulders than Saphira, he was by far more flexible, he had been taught complex flying maneuvers since he could fly and found areonastics as Opal called them far more fun than learning the history of Dragons or magic from Saphira and Glaedr, hence the reason that both he and Opal had snuck out early in morning to have a good fly and eat some meat.

"Look over there wild hog! That'll be delicious!" the excited boyish voice resounded through Opals head, he pulled out of the dive to fly over the clearing giving her a perfect view of the frighten pigs.

"Am I right in thinking that it will be the large boar over there one the menu today?"

"Are you going to get it or am I?" he asked in response to her question, knowing that unlike the elves she still ate meat.

"How about together? There nothing like a good chase! no magic used off course."

"Off course" he flew down quickly separating the boar from the rest of the herd while she nocked an arrow and aimed. It flew straight and true, into a nearby tree.

"Piss!"

It took three tries before she hit the boar with a killing blow.

"You need more practice Stony" he said amused using his preferred nickname.

"What do you think i'm doing if not practicing?"

"Well what your about to do it take your part of the meat so that I can have lunch" he said hopefully gazing intently at the dead hog as he landed beside it. She laughed at his typicalness as she slid of his back.

She hacked off part of the back leg and started a small cook fire. Alex munched hungrily and manner less. Opal smiled at her friends' messy eating habits and how Saphira would not eat with him because of them.

The chunk was skinned and spitted with a small tray of potatoes under it to roast in the drippings. Alex gazed forlornly at the fire. Noticing her big green friends unhappiness she patted his blood-smeared nose.

"You'll get your fire soon Ally stop pining after it."

"It's bloody well taking its time." He huffed a lungful of smoke in her direction as if to underline his point, causing Opal to double up coughing.

"Oops! Sorry I forgot that you humans can breath that stuff. Sorry!" he frantically tried to breath the smoke back in.

"Try to remember next time. I don't think that dying because my dragon choked me with smoke is a noble death for the last rider" she said ruefully.

They finished their meals with an air of content about them.

"I don't care the elves say about meat that was delicious!" she exclaimed as the started to fly back.

"Elves are weird. Plants are living things to and its fine to eat them but if it can run away its evil to eat them" was the reply

"What was it Ayra said? Not food with a face." She said in a pointed way.

"Ayra is a hypocrite she cannot eat meat but dresses head to toe in leather," Alex agreed with Opal when I came to Ayra being irritating and enjoyed pointing out her faults.

"What do you think will happen to us when we get back?" she was worried.

"S'best not to think about it"

It was not often that Opal and Alex would run away for the day but there was a lot of tension in Ellesmera lately and nobody had told her why. This in turn had frustrated her greatly; she had not been this ignorant about events going on since she first arrived. The first time they had done this Eragon had yelled till he was blue in the face from lack of oxygen about how they could have been captured without anybody else knowing or if she or Alex had been injured and could not get help. She and Alex had sat through his ranted lecture silently and took the punishment without complaint. But as they say forbidden fruits taste all the sweeter, Opal found that Alex did not have too try hard to persuade her to run off with him again. She found the small thrill of getting caught addictive and the more freedom she found in the forest surrounding du Weldenvarden the more stuffiness she found in her lessons.

Alex swooped down in to the clearing where his rider and him had there lessons, sure enough standing with his arms folded glaring at them was Eragon and equally irritated Saphira standing next to him a multi faceted gold stone underneath her front paw, even this seemed to be radiating an angry vibe.

"Warm welcome eh?" Alex seemed unfussed at how angry their tutors were.

"This is all your fault, I will blame it all on you" she said in mock accusation.

"You love me for it" she could see him grinning from where she was sitting, his grin could often be mistaken for aggression if you did not know him.

They landed in front of the irritated figures. She decided that spending any more time than necessary undoing the saddle straps was a bad idea. When she first discovered the power runes she had burnt a few in to the leather so that she could undo them with a word, there was also some to do them up quickly to. She muttered the detonation words before leaping off. She waited in silence for the ranting to begin but Eragon did not shout, instead he looked at her with his head tilted to the side with a calculating look on his features.

"The elven council has decided that we cannot win this war," the melodious voice of Saphira echoed in there minds. "We need the third rider on our side if we are to have any hope, your ability with magic is no match for Galbatorix yet and it would seem that word of your hatching Alex has reached Uru'baen. The council has formed a plan on how we can free Murtagh and Thorn from there oaths to the king. It is a great risk to both of you and we do not like it."

"They know that one of your greatest talents is shielding your minds and how you can trick an invader to thinking that he has breached your defenses when he has not." Eragon spoke up at last his tone of voice grave, "they want you both to get captured and to trick the king in to believing that he has control of you. Than you must find out exactly what Murtagh and Thorns oath was and try to break it. Your behavior to day has not helped to ease my doubt about this plan working but this is the only thing that might work"

"And as always do we have no choice in the matter?" Opal said tiredly already knowledgeable of the answer.

"It is the only way out of this corner that we are backed in to. If there was any other way at all I would instantly support it. I wish for you to look at how this battle is playing out, there is nothing to lose. If you do not do this than all hope is lost and we will be slaughters by the dozen, if you do do this than there is hope that we may win" his word were said in the practical manner normally used when reading out a list, not talking about how there all going to die if she did not put her and Alex's life and sanity on the line.

"Alex? What do you think of this crackpot plan?" She asked still undecided

"I think it just might work." His voice was serious for once.

"Fine we will do it, when do we get caught?" she said in deadpan tones.

-xxXXXxx-

It was a dark night, Alexizlandzer flew one silent wings above the forest, Opal was crouched down in the saddle behind his head a parcel containing false plans that she was supposed to be taking to the Varden. She hoped that word of her 'secret' solo flight as messenger had reached the mad king. Reaching out her awareness she found nothing, the tension was killing her.

An arrow whizzed past her ear hitting the invisible shield she had put up before she had left. Five more followed suite. She told Alex to fly lower as she searched the darkness for her attackers. The thump off great wings came from above making her look up. A great shadow blocked the moon and she felt a mind probe hers. She sent up a fiery wall to protect herself while she started to create a false mind. One that would lure the attacker in to thinking they had breached her defenses when really y they had done no such thing.

The mental attack strengthened coupled with more arrows as the aggressor tried to distract her. Alex barrel rolled out of the line of fire giving Opal a chance to star firing back. After each of her arrows were let lose she muttered "brisingr" so she could see were they had gone. The flaming arrows flew like comets towards the attacking shape. Her head felt as if she was wearing an iron cap that was slowly shrinking. To her surprise one of the arrows had struck something flammable. The pressure on her skull was momentarily lifted as orange light bloomed in the distance only to come back in full force with added anger. She judged that the time was right and lifted the protection on the false mind while hiding her real one deep in a false memory shielded strongly.

She felt the attackers satisfaction at his victory as the great shadow came closer, the silence pressed in on the night. A great bust of flame illuminated ruby scales and wine red wings. Thorn flew close giving Opal a good look of the rider on his back. He was tall and armored with a helm hiding his features and the ragged burnout remains of a cloak on his back.

"Surrender I have breached your defenses if you try to attack now you shall surely lose." his voice sounded in her false mind, she lowered her bow. Murtagh mutter something under his breath and Opals hands snapped together unseen force acting like manacles. A strangled whimper from Alex told her that he was muzzled with the same force.

"Rider you have been captured, do not struggle for you will injure only your self and your dragon. You will follow me, resist and I shall have to force you to follow me" his tone was an uninterested almost disappointed drone. Opal could not help but reply:

"Oh so we've been captured? Id never have guessed. What with the magical manacles and that attack I thought we had just been given a prize or something"

"Silence! Insolence will not be tolerated!" a brief stab of pain ran down her back making her gasp.

"Oh very brave. Hurting a chained, fifteen year old girl, I bet they sing heroic ballads about you around campfires at night" she said this aloud mainly because she wanted Alex to hear it to. Surprise radiated down the mental link as Murtagh took in what she had said. In a very calm voice he thought back.

"That was very rude. Like I have said child insolence will not be tolerated" she felt her tongue glue to the roof of her mouth shutting her up. She her Alex chuckle beneath her.

"Bastard!"

"My pleasure. Would you like me to silence your thoughts as well?" was the satisfied reply.

They flew over the forest in silence for a few hours before they reached a small camp. A soldier greeted them showing no surprise that the captured rider was a sullen teenage girl. She slept on her jacket under Alex's wing that night they both celebrated their success in secret.

AN- sorry this took so long to get up what with me and my laptop being separated for a whole week (sob) and the electricity in my house turning on an off constantly meant my internet was acting up. So I posted this early because I'm feeling nice (i.e. Guilty)

Reviewing is like eating a cake somebody has baked for you; you tell them what you think of it. It is impolite stuffing it entirely into your mouth and then leaving without saying a word so please be nice and review!!!