"Betrayal is an ironic thing. He or she betrays you then you betray yourself. You think you're showing strength with your anger, but in reality you're showing how much you still care."

- Shannon L. Alder

All That Remains

Chapter 1: Hide a Little Longer

When Kagome opened her eyes, she knew something was not right; she could not feel Cinder nearby. Her body felt weighed down, and her mind unfocused. They had given her drugs again.

…She did not remember having done something to earn her king's punishment.

She tried to sit up, but a flare of pain in her stomach made her sink back onto the cold floor she laid on. Her head met a small pillow, and she frowned, muttering, "That's new."

A throb in her arm made her hiss, and she lifted it to examine the damage. Someone must have wrapped bandages around it while she slept; she could not see her wound because of the firmly tucked strips of material.

She used her other hand to lift herself up, expecting the pain from her abdomen this time, and eyed the dark, musty dungeon she was in. Cold stone surrounded her, yet somehow they seemed different than she remembered.

A cup of water lay a few feet from her, along with a loaf of bread. Both likely contained more of whatever drug they had given her this time. In the corner of the room, she noticed a man sleeping against the wall. He seemed familiar to her; though she didn't know why.

She felt like she should.

The chains wrapped around her wrists clicked together, and he stirred. His eyes, cold steel, opened slowly and his face looked weighed down by a serious nature, despite having just woken.

Her head tilted, "So what did you do?" she asked, for surely he had done something –probably a theft. He was not dressed like a guard, and Galbatorix would not put a soldier so close to her.

He had probably taken something from a local bakery – no, that would not warrant him a place in the castle prison… he would be taken to the outer rim of the city.

He must have attempted to take something from Galbatorix himself.

Their eyes met, and his lips turned down into a scowl.

Her back hit the stonewall beside it and she slid down onto the ground. Her nose wrinkled as smoke invaded her nostrils, and flames danced across the battlefield. Yards away, she could see Urgals smashing Urgals, and men downing the survivors. One man in particular, was leading a wave across the battlefield.

She could tell by his style that he had been trained in swordsmanship. He was fluid and agile, unlike most of the men clobbering away on the battlefield. His head angled toward her, and, even as far away as he was, she could see his lips turn downward in a scowl.

"You!" Her eyes widened and she stiffened. So it wasn't a dream! Did that mean that he was her guard – was she in the Varden's dungeon?

She must have been; it would explain why she was suddenly pillow-worthy.

Galbatorix never gave prisoners pillows.

The man before her ignored her gaping, angry expression and stood. His back popped loudly as he stretched his sides, and then he walked to their cell door - heavy iron- and banged on it.

Footsteps echoed from outside, and, soon enough, a small, harsh face was staring at them suspiciously from a barred window in the door.

"The girl is awake." Her companion's remark was terse. She could not see his expression, but she could tell he was grumpy.

"Ai, I have eyes," grumbled the guard, "I'll send word to Ajihad."

She watched as the guard received a nod and walked away, sending hard jolts through the floor long after he had faded from her view.

She fought to keep her expression impassive as he turned around and locked eyes with her. His arms crossed and he simply stood there.

She stared back.

She was not sure how much time passed; it could have been minutes – or even hours. He eventually sat against the wall, and her screaming stomach caused her to lie down again.

They did not speak, and her thoughts began to wander to other things…Eragon and Brom.

If she saw them again, what would happen? She could remember bits and pieces of the battle, and she clearly recalled trying to strangle the later of the two. Would that happen a second time; or maybe Brom would not give her the chance to try.

She shook that thought away and closed it into a sealed box; preferring instead to trail her eyes along the dark grey ceiling. She memorized the small cracks and larger ones, even going so far to find the patches of darker and lighter areas.

Eventually, she grew bored with that, closed her eyes, and listened intently to her companion's even breaths.

If she were not so sure of his skill, she might have assumed he was asleep. – There was no way, she knew, because he would be acutely aware that she was a Rider.

He had to know that even wounded and drugged she was dangerous – or at least assumed it in some respect. However, if he knew how much her immunity toward potent drugs had increased over the last few months…

He certainly would not be closing his eyes around her.

Already, her thoughts were clearing of their unfocused nature, freeing little wisps of magic to her control. Her thoughts would only become clearer, meaning she could only become stronger while she waited.

Escapes were already lining up in her brain. She learned long ago to consider every aspect when creating a strategy – it was the second lesson Galbatorix instilled in her mind.

The first was cruelty.

Cinder was a slump in her little plan; her mind was not focused enough to feel his presence as of yet. Where would they have placed him? The dragon hold seemed like an obvious choice, but they would not be able to contain him there.

Voices snapped her from her thoughts, along with echoed footsteps. She opened her eyes and sat up – just a bit too fast. Her stomach throbbed from the movement, but she stayed sitting.

Her companion stood at the same time as the guard's face poked into the window again. "Is she secure?"

"Give me a second." He grumbled, and his stern face pushed into a frown. He approached her stiffly, and knelt by her arm. His fingers, long and tan, wrapped around her injured forearm and he grimly inspected the chains that wrapped around her tiny wrists. She was sure she could slip through them, if she truly wished it, "You couldn't have spared five minutes to find something that fit her?" he shook his head, muttering, and snatched her other arm from where it held her up.

She barely managed to catch herself, and her stomach pulsed again; her body's silent warning of impending hurt. She fought back a snarl and, again, forced a neutral expression onto her face.

Minutes passed and the man patted down her body, causing a small blush to rise to her cheeks unwarranted. The Varden had dressed her while she slept; did he think she was capable of conjuring weapons at will? Still, as foolish as he seemed, she admired the effort. If only he was so thorough with her magic.

Though she did get the impression, if he had his way, they would have put enough drugs in her system to make her comatose.

"Are you almost done boy," replied the grisly voice she had come to know as Brom's, "this is becoming silly."

Her companion snorted, flicking the dark brown hair from his eyes, and pushed himself off his knees. "She's clear."

Obviously.

She dropped back onto the floor and attempted to rub her bandaged arm, but in the attempt, realized that she could not reach that far.

Then, the door opened, and anxiety started fluttering in her chest. The box of doubt she had previously locked, once again opened, now with a foreboding confirmation.

Brom had come to kill her.

The space between her body and the door became a vast wasteland, and it only seemed more ominous with every gaping moment.

She felt as though she had been plunged into ice-cold water, goose bumps had risen on her arms and her hair stood on end. Multiple pairs of footsteps echoed through the room; loud and muffled at the same time.

She swallowed heavily as Brom's face entered her field of vision, and mentally prepared herself for what was to come. Would there be accusations; would he attempt to hurt her mentally before he ended it all?

"… She's wounded," he sighed, shaking his head, "how much longer will Angela be busy?"

"Eragon's condition hasn't stabilized yet." A man sneered; he was tall and skinny. Another man, identical to him, stood at his side. "We don't have time to spare for the king's dog."

"Enough." The final newcomer said. He was only inches shorter than the twins that he pushed passed, and his form was bulky. He seemed tired, dark circles were clear under his impossibly dark eyes. The black armour he wore covered his caramel skin, and was littered with grime from the battle. Everything about the man screamed authority, and she was not surprised when the twins straightened as if trying to put themselves above him.

His eyes landed on hers, and she pulled herself up, sticking her chin out stubbornly. Again, she had to remind herself to keep a neutral expression. "Kagome, that is your name?" he replied quietly; his voice flowed like water and reminded her oddly of Eragon. She didn't move to acknowledge his question, so he continued after pause, "I am Ajihad. I'm here to ask you a few questions."

"She won't answer honestly," snapped one of the twins, "her mind will not lie; allow us to inspec-"

The look that followed was almost worthy of Durza's glares, and it successfully cut off his sentence. The twins backed away, until they were nearly to the cell door, then he turned back to her, "Tell me what went on in Cantos."

She did not reply, but she could tell he noticed her body become rigid.

"Did you destroy the city?"

Her eyes flashed to Brom, who now kneeled only a foot away. His hand gently closed around hers, and he nodded to her. Do they think I'm stupid? Perhaps they did, the king had not made her swear many oaths, but several commanded that she guard his secrets.

And how could she trust Brom anyway? According to King Galbatorix, he had murdered his best friend in cold blood.

Staring into his wise, blue eyes, she could not imagine he had done anything of the sort. That was so unlike the person she had grown to know.

… But her king had spoken in the ancient language, and one cannot use those words to tell untruths.

"Do you serve the king of your own volition?" She snapped from her thoughts as the leader of the Varden knelt beside her, grabbed her wrist, and shook her harshly.

She could see Ajihad becoming increasingly frustrated by her silence, and, apparently, so could Brom, "Give us a few minutes," he quietly asked, then added, "Alone."

He's so sure I'll spill my guts to him. She really hoped he enjoyed disappointment.

"You have five." Answered the Varden's leader, and the gesture made her wonder just how well he knew Brom. He would not have trusted just anyone with a captive dragon rider.

He gestured for the twins to leave, before making eye contact with the grey-eyed man she had woken up near. He was more reluctant to leave, but, after minutes had passed, she was alone with Brom.

He remained silent for a while, and his hand still held hers loosely – as though to remind her of his presence.

Then, he began to speak. Hours passed as he told tales of the ancient dragons that had once roamed Alagaësia, and only once did Ajihad return. He took one look at them, and disappeared.

Tales of beauty and strength, and those of sadness and death enraptured her. He had stopped once, as his voice grew weary, and she had silently given him the water that lay close to her hand.

He sipped it for several seconds and continued. His story was one she recognized as a faint memory. The story of a man of elven face who cried for death as he lay against a great tree.

He described to her a young dragon, whose scales were as dark as unused coal and had eyes the color of the deep seas; a dragon who could breathe underwater. The dragon was sent to the elf, in order to inquire about his sorrow. He asked many a time, but never did the elf answer.

Still, the dragon was not to be deterred and he began to spend his days at the elf's side. Years passed and finally they stood, together, and so was born the first rider.

If Kagome had not remembered the story, she would have snorted as Brom listed their happily ever after. The elf was content, the dragon found another who accepted its uniqueness, and all was well.

The tale took a turn for the worst as conflicts between elves and dragons grew plenty, and the dragon's mate and hatchlings were the victims of war.

In a rage, the dragon killed all who had a part in the deed, and flew off into the vast seas with its rider on its back, never to be seen again.

His retelling had changed from what she remembered; he spared her no harsh details and allowed her to make her own decision regarding the dragon and the elf.

When he had finished, he paused, allowing her to absorb the story. Then, he broached another, more personal subject. He spoke of Eragon; of the kind of man, her boyish friend had become. He told of the perseverance he displayed and his skill with a sword; even relaying tales of his foolishness. He stopped for several minutes to gulp down more water, and her eyes never left him as he did so.

Finally, after his words had died into nothing but whispers that clung to her eager ears, he finished. "And what has his bravery brought him? He killed Durza, but now he lies comatose, his dragon worries he will never awaken, and you are no longer at his side." He shook his head, wrapping the glass of water in her hand, "This will not be our last visit, Kagome."

He stood then, and walked to the door. She thought, for a moment, that he would speak again, but he did not. Instead, he knocked harshly, and the guard's face one again entered the window suspiciously

His eyes flashed to her, and the door opened. She watched his back retreat into a long hall, and then the door closed behind him, leaving her cold inside.

She stared after him, long after his footsteps had faded and the candles around her went out, leaving her in darkness.

Eventually, she was lulled to sleep by the sound of her own heartbeat.

i luv niki4444

:D Here's chapter 1!

I hope you guys like it andddddd I'll try my hardest to get another chapter out soon. ^_^

Review plz ;)

- Niki