Chapter 1

7 years earlier

"Mother!" A shout rang.

"I'm right here Aris, what is it?" The woman said with a roll of her eyes.

"How tall is that mountain?"

"I don't know darling."

"That is not an answer!"

"yes it is, just not the one you want to here," the woman said laughing, "why do you ask my curious one?"

"Well," the little girl said very matter of fact, "Oormis said that I have the potential to be a great ruler one day. Like you or father, so I concluded that the more I know the more problems I can solve with ease." Aris turned to smile at her mother.

They rode in silence for some time as Aris observed that their surroundings, trying to memorize the terrain she so rarely got to see. Her mother, Forsythia, reflected upon the last eleven years. She remembered that diplomatic trip to Surda to talk with King Larkin, they had need to discuss plans of action against the Empire.

"Who would have thought that an elfin queen would fall in love with a human king." She mused to herself.

Even though elves don't usually marry, she had married Larkin within two months and had been pregnant a month later with Aris, along with inheriting an stepson of eight years. She glanced at her daughter and marveled at how she could have gotten so lucky. Her stepson Orrin was magnificent, very bright and loving, you could always catch him tinkering with some scientific experiment. And, Aris was the spitting image of herself with jet black hair gently waving down her back and delicate elfin features save for her ears. Her ears she had gotten from her father, they were rounded like a humans. Her eyes were ocean blue, also human for elves only had green or silver eyes. And her lips those were of dwarves origin, from her fathers side, an elf with full lips like that was unheard of.

Not that those were the reasons Aris was a diamond in the rough, rather it was the fact that she was brilliant, and very powerful, the strength of her magic and her excellent sword play was strange in one so young. But, to Forsythia and Larkin her best trait was her kindness, being a princess in two empires had no effect on her sweetness or moral values.

"Mother!" the exclamation rang out again interrupting her thoughts.

"Yes?" Forsythia expected another question but didn't receive it.

"There are soldiers over there……but not ours…."

"There they are captain." the soldier whispered, pointing over the ridge at two small figures on horses.

"Thank you soldier." The captain sighed dreading what he was going into, "ready the men." he replied then thought for a moment, "I supose they deserve to know what we are going up against." he then added, "Warn them that these two, women or not, are extremely powerful and dangerous."

In a skeptical voice, "the little girl?"

"Yes!" the captain sighed exasperatedly, "Let me explain this to you! The little girl has a certain special talents beyond the skill that is already elevated by being elfin. From what I understand she is one of the strongest elves in gramarye.

"Gramarye?"

"Magic! In addition to that she is apparently quite quick with the two little daggers she keeps hidden on her person. My spy in Surda reported that the people there believe her to be the one to defeat the Empire, unite the three races, and bring peace to Alagaesia."

"How is she to do that? She is part elf and human so perhaps they will follow but dwarves I don't think so."

"She is part dwarf so they will follow."

"Part dwarf!?! How?"

"How are babies made you idiot! In the reports from my spies they say that Larkin has an eighth dwarf in him." The captains brow creased as he calculated numbers. "So she is half elf, and has … a sixteenth of dwarf I guess….and the rest is human…no matter that doesn't change the fact that she is strong."

"Right." the soldier glanced up then ducked suddenly, "Captain! She has seen us!"

"Ready the men you great lummox! Hurry!"

The captain lay flat and looked at the figure on the white horse, then her miniature on a smaller black, both looking in his direction.

"I shall not underestimate you, but nor shall I be underestimated." he whispered to himself.

"Those are Empire soldiers!" Forsythia realized, "Aris go hide in the trees, they have seen us so make sure you can't be found."

"No! I'll not desert you to a battalion of soldiers!"

"Aristianna if you don't go I will be worried about you the entire time."

"If there is going to be a fight then I remain here. I am as strong in my magic as Arya, and I can beat Vanir with my dagger against his sword, and these are humans!"

"We may not even fight, maybe they have no idea who we are, besides you are far to young!"

"I am ten! And, if there is no fighting then there is no reason for me to hide!"

"Aris, please, I don't want you to be-"

An eruption of galloping horses sliced through the stillness of the mountains and cut Forsythia off.

"Very well," she continued hurriedly, "but, you protect yourself over everything else, don't worry about me or any of them, understand?"

"Yes, mother." Aris whispered drawing her knifes seemingly out of thin air then hiding them in her sleeves. She looked at her mother and spoke, "I love you mother."

"And I you my daughter, but we will be fine."

And it began. The galloping grew louder and the twang of bowstrings could be heard. Both Aris and Forsythia threw up wards to deflect the arrows and began to cast spells attempting to hold off actual contact for as long as possible."

"Letta!" Forsythia heard Aris shout and out of the corner of her eye saw a knot of men fall, their hearts having been stopped.

"Jierda!" Forsythia snapped ten or so necks.

"There are hundreds of them!" Aris screamed finally beginning to lose her calm demeanor.

Forsythia looked around and saw that her daughter was right, yet there was no way to escape. She drew her long swords from her hips and with all the reassurance she could summon she said "Then there is only eighty left."

In a clash of steel the two fought through the throng of men. Forsythia heard Aris scream as her horse was killed under her. As she looked around she saw Aris already standing and flitting from place to place killing men left and right, in that moment that she looked back she felt her horse collapse under her. She fell sideways having her leg pinned under the fallen horse, as she hit the ground her shoulder scraped a fallen arrow, slitting her skin.

"Mother!" Aris screamed. Forsythia felt a shadow cross her face and stretched for her swords she couldn't reach and as she reached for her magic the shadow shrank as its owner knelt beside her. Forsythia panicked and the word to kill this figure was on her lips the figure touched her forehead with thin fingers, Forsythia released the magic as she realized it was Aris.

"Mother-" Aris turned to stab the man coming up behind her. "get up I need your help!"

She was right the men where closing in only their wards were stopping most of them, but those would fade soon. Suddenly Aris reeled backwards her leather booted feet lifting off of the ground. Forsythia looked up into the setting sun partially covered by the man who had Aris around the waist with a knife to her throat. Her eyes were wide as she tried to wriggle away from the cool steel.

Forsythia managed to gasp out, "Thrysta." The mans arms snapped then hung limp from his body releasing Aris from his grip. The look on Aris face was a mixture of anger, fear, and desperation.

"This needs to end now!" she muttered, then her eyes fluttered and focused as if she was looking at something far away. Then she inhaled and closed her eyes tipping her head back and spreading her arms wide. Forsythia watched as her daughter summoned the rare gift she had over magic.

"Brisingr!" The word echoed through the air and suddenly fire sprang up in a ring around Aris and Forsythia. The screams of burning men took the place of war yells and cheers.

Finally it fell silent and Aris stood breathless then her knees quaked and she collapsed next to her mother. She had a gash on her thigh and but she was wearing grin. Forsythia moved the horse from her leg with a spell and looked around, then she made eye contact with Aris. Now that Aris had regained her breath Forsythia's look of concern was the exact opposite to her daughters look of triumph.

"HA!" Aris yelled, "they thought that they could take us with a mere hundred soldiers! We are such a good team!" She continued then smiled at her mother.

"Yes, you did well, but take no enjoyment in killing"

Aris looked at Forsythia in shock and disgust, "I don't!" she shook her head, "no, I am just happy we survived … and slightly amazed." she looked at the bodies around her ruefully, then continued in a whisper, "but, I am very sorry for their families and I am disgusted by the death."

"And, in that my dear you have matured, come here and let me heal that gash."

"All right, but just the gash, then your shoulder."

Forsythia smiled at her daughter softly, "very well."

Unbeknownst to them a man not quite dead, had managed to fall inside of the fire ring. He was struggling painfully over the spear littered ground holding a short hand sword by his side attempting to be silent.

"Thank you I feel so much better." Aris said then gagged, "the smell of the burning…" she choked out the next words, "…corpses is sickening."

"I know my dear." Forsythia healed her shoulder, "Any other wounds darling?"

"No, I am just tired, that spell took a lot out of me."

"Yes, tell me what was it that you were-" suddenly Forsythia gasped

Aris looked down to see a blade poking out through her mothers abdomen "No! Mother!" Her dagger appeared out of no where then in the next moment it was imbedded in the stabbers throat. As she turned back to her mother tears began to run down her cheeks.

"Mother…Mother…please hold on."

"Aris," Forsythia gasped, "Aris don't cry, I need you to listen to me…Aris."

"Okay," Aris hiccupped, "I'm listening."

"Empty the saddlebags of everything…but blankets, food, water, and bandages."

"Just let me heal you first mother, then you can talk all you want."

A sad longing smile crept upon Forsythia's face accompanied by the threat of tears "No, darling, perhaps if you were older…and more complete in your training. But,…you are exhausted and need your strength so please do as I say."

"You can't die! You can't…I…I…" the tears returned full force.

"Take my swords, belt and bow as well…they are yours now. Then run…into the mountains…that way." She struggled to lift a finger and point. "Due Northeast until you…see DuWeldenvarden…then go to Ceris, they will help you there." Her breaths came in shorter bursts and she labored to continue.

"I won't be able to find it alone." Aris' voice cracked twice

"yes you can!…remember your gramarye."

"Mother please!"

"Find a cave, and…rest…remember to cover your trail there maybe more soldiers." She drew upon her last bit of strength, "Remember Aris, your magic can supply you with you might not otherwise be able to attain, your strength in physical and …mental means …are some of your greatest tools but can be even greater when combined." She inhaled again, "When it comes to making decisions…judge and evaluate with your mind, then…trust your heart to help guide you to the right choice. Remember theses…things and," She groaned slightly through her attempted strength, "and you will thrive," she forced out then continued, "Trust your friends, but stay wary…I love you so my daughter. I love your father, brother, Arya, Izlanzadi and Oormis, make sure they know that…Oormis will always be there for you love, trust him…I love you so and I always will, I will be with you…I love you."

"I love you more than I can bear mother!" Aris choked out in a whisper.

And, with that Forsythia lay back and closed her eyes. She focused on the good she had experienced. She felt the confidence in her daughter and forgot all about her regret of not seeing her grow or her restoring peace to the land. And so she remained remembering joy for those last few moments until the cold, gentle, and oddly comforting hands of death carried her away.