Chapter 3 – Good morning

It was just before dawn. The sun slowly appeared above the horizon, chasing away the darkness' quilt. The animals and people began to wake up and do their job as always. The same as yesterday: the birds were chirping greeting the warmth of the sunbeams, moving their stiff muscles, the animals surfaced from their shelters. The night was cold, but now, it was the period of light and warmth again.

Eragon knew it was not only a new day beginning, but a new age beginning. He glanced at Arya sitting on the floor, the egg lying in front of her. During the night, the cracks had become more determined and wider, the trembling quicker. The little dragon in the emerald stone wanted to come out immediately, but he had to work for it hard.

The man observed the first reddish bows shining from under the heavy curtains, painting the floor and the hall into scarlet and orange. It was peaceful here, the fear and worry of the long night disappeared. Eragon could see the change on Arya, more than she may have felt. Her features were relaxed, for the first time for almost a month, her eyes glinting, her mouth curling up into an unconscious smile. She was beautiful.

The sunshine danced around her, playing with her hair and her shape, surrounding her and giving her an aura of untouched innocence and magic. The scarlet light harmonized with her green eyes matching the colour of the egg, the colour of her dragon – emerald.

The image was beautiful and Eragon knew that someday he would make a fairth of it. Yet, his heart was aching at the same time and he closed his eyes. The sadness was whirling in him slowly and was faint but permanent since he realized that she was going to be the next Rider. Saphira poked him with her snout and he felt the same emotions whirl around in her too.

They didn't talk, just shared the feeling, trying to find out where it came from. They should be happy, shouldn't they? The faint shadow remained there, bringing chill into his body. And Eragon knew they shouldn't. Arya was a Rider, yes. But Oromis had died and although Glaedr was able to teach the new Dragon Rider… it was not going to be the same.

They would have to be sort of half masters for Arya, train her. Have to wait until her dragon grew large enough. Keep the news in secret, but make sure the Varden were safe even if Murtagh attacked…

Eragon felt the new decision form in him and he knew Saphira had thought the same way. They were going to do everything to get five months of safety for Arya and the little new dragon. In five months, the dragon was going to be able to defend himself and Arya, and breathe fire as well. In five months, they were going to be relatively in safe. As safe as they could be with Galbatorix alive.

But until then, they had to be careful, very careful. A new Dragon Rider was going to be a great value and a great fortune for the Varden – if she lived long enough. This was the time she was the most vulnerable: after the hatch. The dragon was not large and experienced enough, the Rider didn't know the borders of her skills or how to handle the situation and easily, they could die both.

Not if he lived, Eragon promised himself soundlessly. Not until he himself died.

He closed his eyes and felt it was the last moment before the fight, the last breath before the diving. The last moment when he could gain some strength before the long war began. After this last moment of silence, the storm was going to rage above their heads and they could not be sure where they would be after it.

He had to fight for her, for the new Dragon Rider and his love. He watched as her smile widened, caressing gently a crack on the glinting surface. She deserved happiness and a chance to be able to train normally, live the 'normal' life of a Rider. She deserved it. Some time free with her little dragon, some time she didn't have to think about the war and battles, just the warmth of home and peace.

Something Murtagh and Thorn didn't get.

We will have to fight a lot harder… But Arya is a strong girl (Eragon became slightly distracted that anybody could talk about the elf as a girl, because she definitely wasn't, oh, how much she wasn't), she can survive it, whatever fate measures her as a destiny. Don't fear for her. Saphira agreed him, but for less personal reasons.

She's so vulnerable and fragile... I know I shouldn't, but I can't help it. Eragon replied his dragon uneasily. And look at Islanzadí! I don't like at all that light in her eyes. She looks at Arya like a hunter at his prey. It makes me worry.

We'll see, Saphira snorted. She was going to go against the queen or anybody who would try to force his or her will onto the new dragon.

Their conversation finished as they both felt the weak pull in their mind. Eragon glanced at Saphira, and walked back to the main hall where Arya was sitting and Saphira leant closer straightening her neck. The woman looked up at him and he smiled back at her. He sat down onto the floor a bit farther behind Arya's back.

The tremble grew stronger, shaking the egg, nearly spinning around on the floor while the noises coming from it grew louder. The people in the room felt that it was the time. Some wide cracks all along the shape of the emerald stone became more and more prominent, and the little piece of shell they bordered lifted with a sudden movement.

Arya watched it with wide eyes, a soft smile playing on her lips. The piece of shell fell back then lifted again as the little creature pushed it up impatiently. The broken part of the emerald shell fell onto the ground at last, not covering the young beast inside anymore. Eragon suspected it was the dragon's wing appearing in the hole, but he couldn't be certain. The limb played in a beautiful shade of emerald green though, this was sure.

Arya let out an excited little sigh and he felt a sudden urge to embrace and kiss her. But he just observed the woman watching her hatching dragon silently, wanting to keep the sight preserved in his mind forever. The process became quicker now. The dragon found the best method to crack the shell which had been protecting him so far and now large pieces of emerald stone fell onto the ground one by one.

The fragile creature let out a pleased sigh when he succeeded to free himself, very similar to the one Arya had had a moment ago. Eragon quietly chuckled and knew the two were going to make a perfect couple. The dragon was clumsy, not knowing what to do with his limbs and how to use them for his will. Slowly, after many unsuccessful tries, he discovered the most comfortable way to exist: head upwards, feet downwards.

It was a piece of cake from now on: somehow balance the yet too large wings, not bothering with them, but also making sure they weren't under either of his pads as well as the long tail which wasn't good for anything just to get him out of balance and distract him even more. The main, the only important thing was moving the feet. Or, at least, arranging them some way he would get a steady position.

After some minutes, this hard task was completed and the dragon was standing almost right on his shaking feet which always tried to ditch him. He was irritated at his clumsiness too and obviously decided he had had enough of moving for a time and he sat down, getting more of a balance. His nostrils moved quickly as he curiously registered the scents in the air. The most interesting was the other creature kneeling not far of him.

Arya watched him try his newly discovered body and the feeling he was out, he was in a new world. She chuckled at his desperate urge to steady himself and at the expression he wore when he decided sitting was safer: he was almost pouting. Then, the dragon's attention turned towards her and she blushed under his observation. She turned to Eragon for some advice.

The Rider smiled at her back. She was clueless and she wondered what she should do now. "I… don't feel any difference." She admitted almost shyly and as she said it, she realized how true this was. She didn't feel the mental bond or any connection to the little dragon. She just… observed from outside, not being closer to her dragon than any of the others. She quickly stood up feeling confused.

Eragon stood up as well and gently touched her arm squeezing it. He motioned towards the dragon on the ground. "Just touch him." His expression was calm but Arya saw something weird in his eyes she couldn't define. The woman nodded uneasily and stepped closer, leaning down to his snout. He felt her astonishment as he followed her. Arya glanced back at him for a last time then reached his skin.

Arya shouted in shock as the pain flashed through her body. She lost the reign over her body and would have measured out her length on the floor if Eragon hadn't been standing close behind her. He caught her and lifted her up, embracing her slightly trembling figure with one hand at her knees and one at her shoulders. He stepped to a sofa and gently placed the shaking woman onto it.

Her breathing was hard and quick and she closed her eyes in her pain, but he could see it was lessening by the relaxing of her muscles. He wondered if he had spent also that much time lonely on the floor in Garrow's house and shuddered. He caressed her cheek and whispered to her in the ancient language to calm her down: he knew exactly how scary the experience was.

"What…" She began to ask when the pain lessened enough.

"Sssh, it's fine. It will disappear in a minute."

He had learnt from the scrolls that an elf's change was quicker than a human's, but more painful. The change in a human's case was less painful as magic was more unfamiliar to the body which was not able to react or try to fight against it, but it needed deeper changes and so more time. In the case of an elf whose body was more familiar with magic, being able to try and fight against it, the change was harder and so more painful, although it didn't last so long: an elf's body was already immortal, did not need the 'infection' of magic, pointed ears or deep changes.

Arya finally opened her eyes and her expression wore exhaustion on it when she slowly sat up. She glanced at her palm on which the gedwëy ignasia had appeared and was glinting with fresh silver shine.

"We are matching now, I guess." Eragon grinned at her offering her his right hand, his palm with the gedwëy ignasia up. The woman smiled faintly and took his hand. Eragon pulled her up. The woman held his hand a moment longer than it was necessary and looked deep into his eyes.

"You could have warned me."

"Sorry." He replied shortly. He nodded himself, already deep in thought.

Shaking her head, Arya turned her attention back to her newly found soul mate. The little dragon was sitting on the ground helplessly, watching curiously the others around him. His tiny eyes followed every motion in the room suspiciously.

Arya crouched down to him and the creature managed to step closer. Her mind, used to loneliness all too well, could now feel the new bond between them, connecting two bodies and two souls that couldn't have had more differences.

"Good morning, hatchling."

To be continued…