A.N. This chapter is a bit more serious, but don't worry. Soon the bubbly and eccentric witch everyone loves will be back in full. And, as no one cares a about my rather derisory excuses, I will let Angela take over.

–Solembum seems to think that this tale takes preference over the war. Cats never can seem to grasp the importance of time. I swear sometimes that he sits and stares at the birds for hours. As if the small feathered pests are of any importance during a time of war. He might as well do something useful and keep an eye out for mad rabbits instead of watching the trees. Anyway, let's continue.–

I promptly relayed to the king what Oromis had told me. That he said the riders had been betrayed. The king immediately looked worried and went to Oromis's room, telling me to follow. Normally, I would have resisted the orders, but as I had been trying to see the rider for a day with no success, I trailed behind without speaking for fear he'd change his mind. We were admitted and Gwendolyn looked up from the rider's bedside. She had been chosen because she was one of the better healers in all of Du Weldenvarden and knew methods no one else did.

She glanced up. "Atra esterní ono thelduin, Evander Könungr."

"Mor'ranr lífa unin hjarta onr, Gwendolyn Svit-kona." He replied. I formally greeted my friend and teacher before Evander continued. "How is he?" The king asked, looking at the pale and gaunt elf that was only a skeleton of what he should have been.

"He will not wake." She stood. "He was obviously tortured by the injuries he bore. He has seizures several times an hour. He is dying." She brought a waterskin to the elf and forced him to drink, the elf choking slightly on the water.

I stepped forward. "Gwendolyn, may I help you?" I asked, glancing at the king who raised his eyebrows at the master spellweaver.

"She is my apprentice." Gwendolyn said and then looked at me before turning back to the king. "Oromis is dying. He will die within the week unless I can find some way to heal him mentally. My ideas are exhausted. Meira, you may remain."

I nodded, watching his chest rise and fall weakly. "How is his dragon?"

"Glaedr will allow no one to approach or heal him. Not even the other dragons go near him. He is at the Crags of Tel'naeír."

I stood, immediately knowing where I needed to go. "I can go to Glaedr."

"Meira, no." Gwendolyn said firmly. "That dragon is dangerous. He killed an elf woman who insisted on healing him."

I stared her down. One thing I have learned is that if you lose your temper, you have lost the argument. "I insist. You said I can help heal him. And I don't intend on dying."

Evander nodded. "Gwendolyn, at this point, his dragon is our best hope."

"I will not allow the best student I have ever had to be eaten by a hysterical dragon!" She exclaimed. "Out of the question."

The elf king and I simply stared at her for a long time and then the king spoke. "Your best student was a human?" He looked at me with a smile. I smiled back impishly.

"Yes." She harrumphed and cast a small spell over the rider as he moved on the bed.

"I'm still going, Gwendolyn. I won't get eaten." Before she could answer, I shoved open the door and took off running, making myself invisible until I knew I was safe.

The massive golden dragon was not difficult to find. He was in the center of a massive clearing that looked as if it had weathered a forest fire and tornado at the same time. Trees were crushed and knocked over. The ones that still stood were charred. Giant claw marks covered the ground. Throughout the whole place there was the odor of blood. I gagged on it, but stepped into the clearing.

The dragon was on his side, facing away from me and his sides were heaving. "If I was a dragon and my rider was dying, I wouldn't hide in the woods like a newborn fawn. I would do something." I stated to get the dragon's attention. My eyes fell on the broken body of an elf, lying broken on the ground and I swallowed. Maybe I shouldn't have said that. I have no control over what comes out of my mouth sometimes.

The dragon leapt to his feet and almost fell as he lost his balance missing a foreleg. His head swung directly in front of mine and he glared at me. He didn't speak for several minutes. "Your breath does not smell very good." I said matter-of-factly and he growled low in his throat, blowing a cloud of smoke at me that caused my eyes to water and set me coughing.

Tell me why I should not kill you now.

I locked eyes with him, not backing down. "Because I don't want to die. And because you are not a murderer."

He blinked and withdrew his head a bit. What did you mean about my rider?

"The elves don't know what is wrong, and his mind is too heavily guarded. You know. You could help your rider, maybe prevent his death, but you hide like a fawn, hoping the danger will go away."

You are an insulting little pest. He snapped, but if anything, he did not seem as angry as before.

"I have met others who share the same opinion."

The dragon stared at me with a look of puzzlement and then sank to the ground, exhausted and weak. I stepped forward, ignoring the warning growl until my hand rested on his warm snout. "I have agreed to help your rider. May I heal you to help your rider?"

How much magic can a puny human such as you do? He asked disparagingly.

"May I?" I asked over politely, warranting another growl. Despite the growl, he dipped his head slowly. I walked around him and took in his injuries. The missing foreleg was obviously the worst, but I had no idea if it was even possible to replace that. "Waise hael." I caused the skin and muscle to seal together at the end of the stump. The dragon twitched, but didn't comment, eying me warily. I healed one more large gash on his side that looked to be caused by teeth. It had ripped deeply through the muscles in his thigh, and it was a wonder he had been able to stand.

Ignoring my weariness, I continued my healing, drawing from the nearby trees. It took almost an hour to heal the dragon before I couldn't continue, but by then, the injuries that remained were small and insignificant. "Now, we should return to your rider. Come on." I said as he took a step forward and almost collapsed.

The dragon lay back down and whined. I stared at him; I had never heard a dragon make that kind of noise before. "Glaedr, did I miss something?"

I am a cripple. He whispered in my mind and I felt an overwhelming pity for the beast.

I looked at the magnificent dragon and the leg that ended it a white stump. Then I walked over to him and put my hand on his side. "Dragons are not meant for the ground anyway. It will not be a disability when you are in the air where you belong. Are you strong enough to fly?"

The dragon stood and threw his head, defying her suggestion of weakness. Then he looked at me. You may ride me. I owe you some thanks for bringing me to my senses.

I smiled and climbed onto the dragon's back. He wasn't wearing a saddle, but it was a short flight. I guided him to the house. Glaedr, land slowly. It might be difficult.

I felt a sense of despondent agreement and then he slowly glided to the ground. He landed heavily and hopped forward a few steps, nearly throwing me off. I slid down his good leg to the ground and turned to him. "It was a bit of a rough landing, but that will get better with practice, I am sure." I turned as Evander stepped out of the cabin. I was a bit surprised he was still there, but my surprise was nothing with the look on his face when he saw the dragon behind me.

Glaedr lowered his head and pushed at me. Is there any way he can be brought out here?

"I think we could do that." I ran inside and Gwendolyn breathed a sigh of relief as she saw me still in one piece. "Glaedr wants to know if we can move Oromis out there."

"How did you manage to get Glaedr's attention?"

"I insulted him."

"You what?" She asked and then shook her head. "You are a fool. A lucky fool. Help me carry the bed." I heard her mutter 'imprudent child' though I would have sworn she was smiling slightly.

We picked up the bed and carried it outside to where Glaedr had lay down. The dragon sniffed his rider before Oromis convulsed and his face twisted in pain. Glaedr flinched with an echo of his rider's pain and seemed worried. Help him. Not really knowing what I was doing, I held the rider down to keep him from hurting himself and smashed my way through the barriers in his mind.

Glaedr, help me! I said as the rider subconsciously attacked my mind. The dragon shielded me and I searched for the cause of the rider's illness. It was not difficult to find. A terrible scene of the dragon and rider trying to flee before two female riders flew at them, battering them with attacks as they fled. She watched as they were brought down as Glaedr's leg was torn by a large silver dragon being ridden by an elf woman. The elf was then tortured, mentally and physically as his dragon was beaten by the two younger beasts. Then the elf tried to sever Oromis's connection to magic. She watched as he somehow managed to run to his dragon and get into the air, out flying the smaller dragons because of his massive wingspan. They had not stopped until crashing in front of her.

Meira retreated from the memories and looked down at the elf. Elves were magical creatures. Severing his connection to magic was severing his connection to life. I searched his mind, not knowing what I looked for until I felt something that seemed alien and tried to understand it. I could feel magic, but it was stopped and torn. Not knowing if I was doing the right thing. I whispered several words in the ancient language and gasped at the drain in my strength. It would be too much. Then I felt a rush of energy from the gold dragon and the spell finished.

I examined my work. It was imperfect and crude, but I had managed to reconnect the rider to magic. Even as I saw his eyes move beneath his eyelids, I fainted.

–Yes. I fainted, Solembum. Well, if you had to do that kind of magic you would have to. Really.–

I woke up a minute later and felt my cheeks flaming as Gwendolyn helped me to sit. She brushed my hair from my face. "Are you alright?"

I nodded and, ignoring her protests, stood and stumbled over to the rider. I had decided to leave them with the impression that I had fainted because of the magic, but the truth was that what I had seen in Oromis's mind had disturbed me greatly. Oromis blinked slowly before opening his eyes. "Glaedr?" he questioned with a hoarse voice.

The dragon held his head over his rider and I could tell they were speaking. The rider fell asleep again and Glaedr went to sleep as well, both peacefully.

Evander looked at me with newfound respect. I saw for the first time he was thinking of me more than the irresponsible human who happened to live with the elves and as a sentient, intelligent, and magical being who just happened to be born a human. "How did you do that? What was wrong with him?"

"I saw his memories of what happened." I said, feeling dizzy again as the memories invaded my peace of mind. "He was tortured by two other riders and their dragons." I closed my eyes, fighting memories that did not belong to me. Gwendolyn grabbed my arm and forced me to sit on the ground beside her. "They severed his link to magic. I don't know if he will be able to cast spells again, but I think I fixed it well enough that he will live."

"You look like you're about to faint again. Are you alright?"

I shook my head and, not being able to take any more, began crying. Evander started to say something, but I felt Gwendolyn shake her head. "Evander." She said quietly. "Would you mind fetching Vanir for her?"

"Vanir?" he questioned.

"She is distraught by what she saw. Surely you have noticed how close those two are. He might be able to help her."

I was angry they were talking as if I wasn't there, but couldn't say anything. I don't know how much time passed before I they returned. "Meira?" My friend's voice asked. It was obvious the king had told him nothing. I felt his hand on my back and he took me from my teacher, helping me to my feet. "Come on. Let's walk." I probably wouldn't have been able except that he put his arm around my waist and supported almost all of my weight. Just into the trees, we sat on a log and he kept his arm around me. "What's wrong?"

I met his eyes and he flinched. "I don't think I could talk about it." He was rubbing my back and looked so worried I tried to control my crying if only to get him to stop looking at me like that. "I just can't."

He nodded and didn't ask. I was glad Gwendolyn had sent for him. She was my friend, but she was my teacher first. I had grown up with Vanir, and we knew all of each other's secrets. He was my best friend and he was able to calm me down easily without doing anything.

We sat for awhile on the log, him with his arm around me before he stood and pulled me up by the hand, not letting go once he had. Gwendolyn and Evander both watched as we rejoined the group. When we were still a bit away, I turned to Vanir. "Do they have to stare?"

"You do look pretty terrible." He said with a completely straight face and I elbowed him in the stomach, laughing quietly as he protested my attack. "That was uncalled-for." He complained.

"You so deserved it." I said, wiping my eyes once more.

Gwendolyn smiled as we sat down next to each other. I knew I was being foolish, but I couldn't quite be on my own. Every time I looked at Oromis, I pictured the horrible things they had done to him. In the end, I stood up and went to sit next to Glaedr. He opened one eye and then laid his head next to me. I knew the dragon understood. He had been with me in Oromis's mind when I had seen the memories. My companions, however, looked between me and the golden dragon in surprise as I traced patterns on his scales.

After a while, Glaedr raised his head. He is waking again. I stood and went to kneel beside the rider's cot we had dragged out. I watched as Oromis's eyes opened to look at his dragon. Then he turned to me.

"Glaedr says it was you who healed me." I nodded and looked down, unsure as to how he would take me breaking into his mind. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Oromis sat up and watched me as I avoided his gaze. "Child, look at me." I looked up and he flinched. "I was going to ask if you were alright, but I can see you are not. "You saw everything?" I nodded. My friends were all watching. He looked at me for a minute and then turned his gaze to the elf king. "The riders have been betrayed."

Evander nodded. "Who did this?"

"Galbatorix. Galbatorix is their leader. He was the one who stole Shruikan. Kialandí and Formora attacked me as I was fleeing Illrea. He intends to destroy the riders. We'll need everyone to fight."

"We'll tell the riders tonight and they will leave in the morning."

I had been staring at the ground again, but then I perked up. "I will go with them."

Evander frowned. "No, Meira. You are a human woman. Any rider. Even a human man could defeat you."

That was the last I was going to take. "I will go. I will fight. Do you honestly think a man could defeat me? I am human but I can still hold my own with elves with the sword. And my magic could very well best yours."

Gwendolyn cuffed me on the side of the head, hard and I turned, stunned by the not so gentle blow, to stare at her. "Meira, that is no way to speak with your king. You will apologize and show proper respect."

In my normal state, undisturbed by the visions I had experienced in the old rider's mind, I probably would not have reacted as strongly, but I had reached the edge. I stood. "I am fighting, there is no question. I do not care what misgivings anyone might have about me fighting, and I intend to help. And he is not my king. He is the king of the elves."

"Is that what this is about?" Gwendolyn asked quietly as the king watched me with an indecipherable frown.

"What?" I snapped.

"You wanting to meet others like you. Mortals. Humans."

I shrugged. "I don't want to be here any longer."

"I'll go with her." Vanir spoke up suddenly. "If Meira gets to go see the world, so do I."

At that the king looked up. "You will stay. While she can say she is not under my rule, though that could be disputed, you most definitely are, and you are a child still. I will order you to stay back."

He only nodded, looking disappointed, but not surprised. The golden dragon raised his head to look me in the eyes. Meira needs to go to the humans. I can feel it in her mind. She is not accepted or appreciated here. If she wishes to leave, no one will stop her or they will have to face me.

Thank you. I whispered mentally to the dragon as everyone stared in surprise at the golden dragon. I assume the golden dragon felt he owed me some debt for saving him and his rider's lives. I looked around at the people surrounding me. "I am leaving Ellesméra."

–That was probably the one of the biggest decisions in my life, right after allowing Solembum to be my companion. Not that he would have left me alone if I had told him to let me be, but how awkward would that be to have someone with you all the time that you had told to go away and that you didn't want them. Continuing…–

I sat at the back of the gathering as the crippled golden dragon and his ill rider went before the crowd of elves and riders and began to tell what had happened with Galbatorix. When he stopped talking, it was quiet enough to hear the faint rustle of leaves by the wind, high above everyone. Oromis continued. "All of the riders must go to battle with the king. The elves will follow on foot. This is war. You will leave when the sun rises in the morning.

I had already had a row with my parents over going to war, but luckily I am skilled in the arts of persuasion and arguing –Though my father says he only agrees so he doesn't have to listen to my voice. How rude.– My father reluctantly agreed and the next morning I was to fly with them, away from the only land I knew.

–That seems a decent place to take a break. The following day, my life had turned a page. If anything the prologue had ended and I was about to be thrown into the real world. My story was about to begin.–

Sorry about the wait. Next one should be shorter. I am going to edit one or two of the previous chapters for grammatical reasons. So if it updates and there is not a new chapter that is why. Under perfect circumstances (teachers laying off on the homework) I may post a new chapter Sunday or Monday. You guys are great. Thanks again to everyone who has read and reviewed my story. I love you all.

Don't forget to tell me what you thought.