Saelin jerked from sleep. He was being shaken by Atríl, who already had his bag packed and looked ready to go. There was little light coming through the window: it was still very early. Eridor was up and chasing some flies. He would occasionally catch one and gulp it down. It was evident that he had grown over night as he was up to Saelin's belly button now. Good morning Saelin, Eridor's voice ringing in Saelin's. Good morning. Saelin replied. You have grown! Eridor was pleased by this comment and said in a much deeper voice then the day before. I know, soon I will be mighty and we shall rule the land. Atríl held out his hand for Saelin. He took it and was helped up.

"In two days, with some heavy riding, we will reach Osilon," Atríl said in a bright voice.

"Heavy riding you say? Well, at least I will get my first look at Du Weldenvarden." Saelin replied hopefully

"Let me warn you now Saelin. Du Weldenvarden is not as great as it is said. It is beautiful, yes, but is only a forest. Keep that in mind," Atríl told Saelin.

The two gathered things and left the rooms. They walked down the dusty hallway, down the creaky stairs, and into the bar. Atríl gave the keep two crowns for the rooms, some sausages, and some carrots. Atríl handed the sausages to Saelin. They each put the food into their bags and shouldered them. They bid farewell to the keep and left. They went to the picketed horse, saddled up and rode westward toward Osilon. Most of the ride was flat plains. Bored, Saelin tried striking up conversation.

"So Atríl, you aren't like other elves from what I've heard about them."

"And what is it you heard about elves?"

"Well, I heard that you are polite and very serious about things."

"Now that is true to most elves, but my father was not a traditionalist. He taught me to have fun and also to have an open mind. Have I been rude to you at all? I have not been traditionally polite in the elves eyes, but I wasn't rude. I am, I guess, in-between elf and human mannerisms. That is all," Atríl explained, obviously amused.

"So are all the elves going to be very well mannered?"

"Yes, yes they are. It can get rather annoying."

"Oh, great."

With Saelin's remark, Atríl let out a great laugh. After riding for half an hour they could finally see clear: the sun had fully risen. After another hour and a half they could see Du Weldenvarden in the distant. Eridor was the first to see it as he found it more enjoyable to fly above Saelin and Atríl.

"Are you a rider Atríl?" Saelin asked.

"No I am not. I have not had an egg hatch, and I have held every egg we have right now. Well, all but one. The last one would probably not hatch for me either," Atríl said sadly.

Saelin asked no more of this as he thought it was digging too far into Atríl's personal life. He wanted to know how old Atríl was but decided not to ask. He had already asked enough questions. The stopped at lunch a league away from the ever growing forest. Saelin started a fire with some flint and went to look for a stick. He eventually found one and took his knife and whittled a sharp point at one end of it. He slid a sausage on it and held it over the cracking fire. The sausage, after a minute of cooking, began smoking and slowly darkened. Saelin pulled it off and began to eat the sausage as Atríl ate the end of one of the carrots. Lunch was very short as they wanted to conserve their food supplies and get moving. In an hour they reached the edge of the forest. This is it Eridor, Saelin thought. I am excited. Was the reply from the young dragon. Once in the forest, the sun hardly shone through the many branches. There were small animals lurking around and several bugs flying, which Eridor found entertainment in catching. They continued as the underbrush thickened. They stopped after the sun went down. The lit a fire and sat around on logs. Atríl told Saelin some folk stories from the elves. Saelin quite enjoyed these stories because they were beautiful. Atríl really had a knack for telling stories. His voice was smooth like butter and he could get you involved. Saelin finally rolled out his blankets on the ground. He said goodnight to both Atríl and Eridor. When Saelin lay down, Eridor came and curled up next to him and kept him warm. Wow, less then a week ago I was in Therinsford doing chores, now I'm on my way to train as a Rider with the elves. Things couldn't get any better. After his realization, Saelin fell into a deep sleep where his dreams were filled with elves and dragons. With Eridor by his side he slept well until morning.

Saelin was the first to wake, but after he stood up, Atríl woke too. "Good morning," Saelin said brightly. Atríl only grunted back. That put a smile on Saelin's face. He wouldn't hear anything like that while he was with other elves. The plan was to ride as fast as possible and get around the peak that hid Osilon. The only problem was the thick underbrush. It was hard for the horses to get through it. Eridor had again grown and was as tall as Saelin. He was now bid enough for Saelin to ride. This was what Saelin was excited for. Atríl had also noticed that Eridor could be ridden.

"When we get to Osilon we will have a saddle made for Eridor. For now it will have to be a soft one because he will continue to grow. I am sure you are excited to ride him for the first time. By this time tomorrow, or even sooner, you can ride him," Atríl said amusedly.

The two doused the fire in water and packed their blankets. They needed to leave as soon as possible if they wanted to reach Osilon the same day. Eridor had to fly above the trees and follow the two on horses. The rode as fast as possible, the horses tired prematurely from cutting through the thick foliage. At midday they could see the rocky peak overlooking the trees. Saelin filled with excitement. He would soon see his first elf city.

They made it around the peak Osilon was revealed. It was quite a big city with many homes and buildings made out of - "Trees? You live in trees?" Saelin asked flatly

"Yes, it only makes sense, use what you got. We do not even use our hands to make them too. You see Saelin, we sing to our trees and they grow like that. It is really magnificent to see happen," Atríl said amusedly. The rode slowly into the city and when Eridor flew over Osilon, the elves gave a great cheer. They adore us. Eridor told Saelin. Atríl and Saelin made it to the center of the city. People flocked to see the new Rider and his Dragon. Everyone watched as Eridor lightly landed and gave a great yell. They seemed not to be frightened by him. If Eridor had done that in Therinsford people would frantically run away, scared out of their minds. Of course the presence of a dragon was normal in Osilon. Atríl pushed his way toward a specially made tree home for Saelin. There was a bed on the first floor and a library on the second. On the third and last floor was a room just for a dragon. The dragon room had a large dip in the middle which was lined with straw. It had large windows with blinds you could pull down to close the room from the elements. These pull down walls were on the other two rooms as well. The library was filled with elven books and had books upon books on Dragon Riders. Saelin found one on flying techniques. He pulled it down and flipped to the first page. There were very detailed diagrams on wing position and wind direction. Saelin looked at the diagrams for about an hour. His eyelids were heavy when he closed the book and returned it on the shelf. He said goodnight to Eridor and went to his bed on the first floor. He pulled down the blinds, flopped on his bed, and fell asleep.