Chapter 2

"So you are the rider that Eragon told me about," Nasuada's voice was cold as she looked over the stranger. An elf, that much was certain. Black hair, pointed ears, spectacular beauty, all those were hers.

"And you are this Varden I heard about." Stella frowned at her before nodding her head wearily. "Are you the one in charge here? How nice – I've never supposed that the one I wanted to meet was a human."

"What is your name? Why have you not shown your face before? We could have used your help in the battles against the king," Nasuada challenged. Behind her, the nobles of King Orrin's court looked aghast and frightened.

"I did not appear before you so that I would be questioned." Stella was curt as Auria lashed her tail back-and-forth. "Eragon must have fallen greatly to be stuck under your thumb."

Eragon stood up, not liking the way this conversation was going. "Nasuada," he bowed slightly, "this is Stella, Rider of Auria, and she has no alliances with the King."

She gave a small smile, her lips lifting off her pearly teeth. "Well done, youngling. A to the point introduction." Auria turned to look at the conversation before turning her attention to Saphira.

'It has been long since we have been in the company of others.' The larger golden dragon informed the other. 'If you make a move, a single move, to harm any of those I care for, I will not hesitate to rip you scale from scale and scatter your corpse to the eagles to feast.'

Saphira blinked one eye in understanding. 'It had been a while since she had received any threats. I assure you that will not be necessary. We fight for the good of the people.'

'You are unnatural. I would have expected better. For a rider to bind themselves to others, to be naught but a servant, have the riders lost their prestige here? Are they nothing but the chess pieces of others?' Auria's golden eyes looked straight at Saphira's, as though challenging her.

'We fight for those who have been taken advantage of by the king.' Saphira stared back. 'And we serve the people, fighting for them, even though they may not know it.'

The golden dragon nodded slowly, before blowing out a puff of smoke. 'So you do believe in what you are doing. That is a good sign, very good indeed.'

"Will you serve the Varden?" Nasuada continued, leaning back in her chair.

"Serve? We do not serve another. We may help, but we will never bind us to being lower than another, especially one that is in fact lower than the one she has bound." Stella's voice was cold as she wrapped her cream gown about her.

The twittering of King Odin's nobles started once again. "What does she mean? Has the King been able to hatch one of his eggs again? Who is she anyways?"

Stella, hearing these, curled her lips into a knowing smile. "But, I assure you, anything that will serve the dragons in any way, I am bound to do." With that and a slight incline of the head, she strode out of the tent. In the doorway, she turned back towards the humans instead, her golden eyes bright. "And, youngling, I'd like to talk to you," she murmured at Eragon.

With a lower bow than hers, the Rider removed himself from the politics going on, before turning towards Stella. "What did you mean by that comment?"

"Exactly at it sounded," she replied, before turning her face towards the sun. "Who was your master?" she said finally.

"Oromis and Glaedr," replied Eragon, with a slight halt. "Why?"

"So, at least they were still alive," she murmured to herself. With a slight smile, she turned back towards Eragon, with her head held high. "Why are you holding yourself back?" she asked quietly, waving one hand towards the tent. "Humans are the newest addition to our pact – we had no reason to submit to them."

It was with a careful choice of words that Eragon decided to answer. "Because we are common allies, bound against the King himself. I, myself, am a member of each race: I've been adopted by the dwarves, I am a human by blood -."

The black-haired elf cut him off with a shocked exclamation. "You?"

Eragon gave a nod, before continuing onwards. "I've lived with the elves -."

"What about the Kull?" the elf asked with a frown.

"I've worked with them. They're not the beasts that everyone thinks they are," he retorted. "The Varden doesn't care what race you are - we'll accept anyone that wants to help us overthrow the king."

"I never said that they were…" replied the elf with a frown. She turned back towards Eragon, before observing him for a couple minutes. "Why do you allow yourself to be used? The Riders were designed to be free from any authority, but you – you search out authority to follow."

"It is the only way that I can serve the beliefs of all those oppressed. I have to listen to them to help them!" answered Eragon, forcefully.

The elf smiled a bit as his comment. "So, you're showing a little bit of fang now. I was hoping that they hadn't leashed you too. So, would you listen to what I wanted to do to this world?"

"Only if they coincided with the majority."

"All I ask for is the continued survival of the dragon race," she stated, narrowing her eyes. "And the chance to see who the Riders have become. I have heard rumors about the falling of our kind - and this simply cannot do." Drawing herself to her full height, she captured Eragon with one simple look. "Did you in any way work to make this happen?" she asked, before a mental weapon pushed into his mind.

As Eragon tried to concentrate on his big toe, it was shattered into thousands of different pieces. "No." he said, wincing at the pain.

She ignored his answer, before murmuring something under her breath. Suddenly, a sword that gleamed like light itself appeared in her hands. Its pommel was covered in a single large fist-sized piece of amber. "Then - will you last through Judgement's Retribution?" she said, raising the sword towards his eyes.

Then, she moved, but with the dragon's gift Eragon was easily to block her blow. It was weaker than those of other's he had fought before, and didn't even nearly jar his elbow. Doing a somersault over his head, the sword trailed in the sky, as Eragon grabbed it with one gloved hand and pulled it closer.

She fell out of balance, but still had that insufferable smirk pasted on her face. Falling to a crouch, she pulled the sword out of his hand. She murmured something intelligible in the ancient language, before lashing out again.

It glowed, a pale gold in the light, before something strange shot out from its blade and flew towards Eragon. He, then, flinched away from it, and with an acrobatic dodge, was able to get away from it. Eragon took Brisingr, and with a swipe, he dodged the point of her sword, and stopped with the sword over her throat.

"I see," she murmured to herself, ignoring the sharp blade that was so close to killing her.

He ignored this comment, before pressing his sword harder against her own. "What did you mean by attacking me?"

She laughed again, before pushing away the sword with one cold hand. "You didn't lie about Oromis, did you?" she asked, before the sword disappeared from her hands. Putting her smaller hands, nearly elegant, on the hilt of Brisingr, she pushed it out of her way as she stepped forward to Eragon. She took off one glove and placed her left palm upwards, its golden mark shining slightly. "There is still much that you have still you learn. But all that's left are secrets that are best hidden by dust and time." Her lips curled upwards slightly, before she spoke in a more challenging tone. "Do you still want to know?"

Eragon gave a nod, before lowering his weapon. "Of course. How else do I defeat the King? I need to know everything."

She laughed - a mirthless chuckle that echoed slightly. "Well, youngling, that is going to take a while." With that smile, she walked away, towards the horizon, as Auria opened her wide wings and flew after her. As Eragon stepped closer to her, she turned around, and raised one hand in farewell.

"Wait! Aren't you going to tell me?" he called after her.

"No." she stated again. "It's better for you to find out by yourself. If Oromis hasn't decided that it's something that you need to know, then I'll stand by his judgement."

. This has taken me too long to get uploaded. Updates will remain slow - awfully slow.