"Welcome, friends. You are, indeed, most welcome here."

Makeeda watched the man as he bowed, doing so in return to him. Edmund followed suit.

"They are not from these parts, Shadeslayer." Fenris told him.
"Where do you hail from?"
"Narnia."

The Rider looked taken aback.

"Narnia…" he repeated. "You are far from home, friends. My name is Eragon, Shadeslayer. This is my dragon, Saphira."

Saphira and Shruikan remained almost nose to nose with each other as their Riders spoke.

"I am Makeeda, protector of Narnia, Lady of the Forest and Queen to my husband, Edmund. This is my dragon, Shruikan."
"King of old…" Eragon said, looking at the crowd. "Hail, Edmund the Just."

The crowd around the dragons bowed to Edmund in unison.

"We aren't in Narnia, you are not under my rule." Edmund responded, though he smiled back at the crowd appreciatively.
"They know who to pay respect to for peace after the Witch's rule. Narnia was not the only place her evil touched." Eragon explained. "And seeing your Queen is a Rider, they will show you respect, regardless of your crown."

Eragon turned to the crowd again.

"Behold, your King and Queen. Lest not forget her dragon, for you will extend the same respect and courtesy to him that you do Saphira."
"Please, you don't need to…" Makeeda said, causing him to turn back to her with a questioning look. "We are flattered, but we have only come for help."
"Ask and you shall receive."

"Can your dragon breathe fire?"
"As well as you can create it with a spell."

Makeeda felt her defenses rising, knowing she did her best to keep the look of a Dalish, and not a sorceress. She shifted her weight and crossed her arms.

"What makes you think I can cast spells?"
"You are a Dalish magician-"
"No, I am not."
"I know who you are, Mahriel."

Makeeda's defensiveness vanished as she felt her heart drop at the sound of her clan's name.

"Then you'd know I am not a Dalish magician. I was taken from my camp when I was young, by the Witch."

A woman stepped forward from the crowd of people, stopping at Eragon's side.

"You…"

Makeeda stared at the old woman's face, taking in the sight of her complex face painting and pointed ears.

"Your face…" Makeeda said, recognizing her. "You look like someone I once knew…"
"Your Keeper-"
"Marethari." The woman gave her a small smile before Makeeda hugged her tightly, feeling relief washing over her. "I have missed you dearly…"
"I foretold you having a difficult path, and you have, child. What is left of the clan has joined our sister clans and settled here with the Shadeslayer."
"My magic…"
"The Witch will never be forgiven for defying the laws of the Dalish."

Shruikan's attention was finally averted to Marethari. He bent his neck down low and touched his nose to her forehead gently.

"It is an honor to meet a nest-mate of Makeeda's."
"Andaran atish'an." Marethari replied.

Makeeda smiled at the familiarity of her language. She looked around at the crowd, seeing more than just elves there; humans stood amongst the elves, small face paintings of their own worn proudly for anyone to see. Makeeda was surprised that the elves let the Shemlen share their ways, but she was grateful that the time of the Witch was able to bring everyone together. Differences set aside, everyone had suffered and everyone had been able to rebuild as a group.

"You are most welcome here for as long as you need. What is it that you seek help with?" Eragon asked.
"Shruikan cannot breathe fire."

This seemed to catch Saphira's attention, because she and Shruikan were nose to nose again. Hearing Saphira talk was different for Makeeda, as she was accustomed to Shruikan's voice in her head.

"A dragon's first line of defense is fire. I shall protect you for the time you are learning to do so."
"Why can't he do this?"
"I do not know."
"It must have been his development. Did anything happen to his egg that may have caused it?"
"He was with me."
"Did you perhaps use any magic on it?"

Makeeda remembered the night Shruikan shrieked in his over-heated shell. She'd put a cooling charm on it, bringing his temperature down for the night. She closed her eyes, guilt filling her.

"It was hot… I cooled it down, but… I didn't know…"

Makeeda couldn't look at Shruikan, who was now burning a hole in her back as she hung her head.

"My Lady, I can show you to your room for the night. You have taken in a lot." Eragon said.

She nodded, following him in silence with Edmund by her side. After a few moments, they stopped at a door.

"Thank you." Edmund said.
"I shall send someone in the morning." Eragon told them.
"I shall keep you in my dreams, until the morning." Saphira said, touching Shruikan's nose again.

Eragon and Saphira left them alone to their room for the night. Makeeda turned to Shruikan.

"I am so sorry-" she began, her voice cracking.
"Hear me, and hear me well… This is not your fault." Shruikan told her, bringing his face down to hers, one large eye level with her own. "You were doing what you thought was right for me. I can only be grateful that I had such care from you."
"I love you, Shru." Makeeda said, petting his nose lovingly.
"I love you, lethallan."

He walked to the dragon hold, heaving a large sigh as he laid down.

"Why did Saphira act so… Weird?" Edmund asked him.

Shruikan's ribcage rumbled with laughter as he closed his eyes.

"It is the first dragon he has ever met, and she is a girl." Makeeda said, smiling. "I cannot imagine Saphira has met other dragons either."
"Right." Edmund laughed, following Makeeda over to the bed.
"What do you wish to do about all of this?" she asked hesitantly.
"About what?" he replied, taking his shoes off.
"My people are here… I thought them to be dead, and now I have found them. To leave tomorrow is not the ideal thing to do."
"I know." he said, leaning back on the bed now.
"How long are you willing to stay?"
"I will stay until you are ready to leave."

Makeeda had always admired his loyalty to her, but she knew she couldn't stay with her clan forever. She shook her head at him.

"I will not stay long."
"Keeda, I am with you," he told her. "but what will you do if they ask you to stay?"
"This is not my home…" she said.
"Your home is wherever the elves travel."
"My home is beside my King."

He smiled at her slightly, touching her face after she laid down next to him. They laid there in silence for a few moments, thinking over the events of the day, falling to sleep in each other's arms.

"There is no way to fix what is done." Eragon said. "You can strengthen your magic to make up for what he lacks, but there is no way to fix him."
"I am not broken…" Shruikan said to Makeeda, not letting Saphira or Eragon share his thoughts. "I am not something to be fixed."

Makeeda felt sympathy for him, knowing it was her fault that he couldn't do something that a dragon should be able to.

"What do I do to strengthen my magic?"
"I can give you instructions, things to help you better yourself… But there is one request I have of you…"
"What is that?" Makeeda asked.
"Our dragons are the last of their species…" Eragon said and Makeeda knew where he was going with it. Makeeda looked to Shruikan. "They need to create an egg, to continue their race."
"What good does it do to create an egg if it will only hatch for a worthy Rider?" Shruikan asked.
"It does good, because we never know when the next Rider will be among us." Eragon replied
"He is right." Makeeda said. Shruikan snorted at her in protest. "I would not ask you to do this if it was not important…"

Shruikan hung his head for a moment, then shook it slowly.

"I will not do this… I cannot." he said, opening his wings and flying away from them.
"I am sorry." Makeeda said, looking at Eragon.
"How long will you stay?"
"How long do I need to stay?"
"The mind is always learning. How long are you willing to stay?"
"Three months." Makeeda said.

Eragon nodded.

"We should get started first thing tomorrow."
"Yes, sir."

"My Lady, I have a message for you."

Makeeda took her letter from the elven boy, smiling.

"Thank you." she said, watching the boy run from her.
"What is it?" Edmund asked as Makeeda closed their bedroom door.
"An invitation to have dinner with the elves."
"Ah."
"Would you like to go?"
"Of course."
"It says I will be hunting for it…" Makeeda said with a smile, admiring the way the clan naturally accepted her.
"That should be fun to watch." Edmund laughed.

Makeeda looked at him.

"I will have you know, I was a very good hunter when I was younger." she said, her hands on her hips.
"Oh, I have no doubt about that." he said, picking up her bow and handing it to her.
"Let us get a move on then, yes?" she said, strapping her quiver to her back and taking the bow from Edmund.

As they came back from their hunt, Edmund and Makeeda were greeted warmly by the clan.

"Dahlin, you never fail to make your ancestors proud." an elf said as he approached them.
"Ma serannas." Makeeda said, inclining her head to the elf.
"You do not remember me, lethallan?" he asked.
"I am sorry…" she replied, give him a small smile as she shook her head.
"I am Paivel."

She smiled, hugging the man abruptly as memories of him rushed to her mind.

"I have missed you dearly." she said, taking in the sight of his face after letting him go.
"And I you, lethallan." he replied. "Your arrow continues to strike true, I see."
"It does."
"I believe I owe you thanks as well, Shem." he said, looking to Edmund.
"You're welcome." Edmund replied.
"You should go dress for the feast." Paivel told them.
"Should we wear something special?" she asked.
"I suppose you do not have any elven made things."
"We can take care of that." Marethari said from behind them. "Come with me, Dahlin."
"What about-"
"King Edmund can come with me." Paivel said.

Makeeda looked at Edmund, who seemed to agree. She nodded at them, accepting the offer.

"Come with me, Dahlin."

"King Edmund, your Queen." Paivel said after they'd been waiting for Makeeda to come back.

Elven girls led Makeeda to him. He sighed with a smile as he took in the sight of her.

"You look beautiful."
"Thank you." she said, looking down at herself, then back up to him. "You look good in elven clothes."

They smiled and sat down with the elves at their long feasting table. The dinner was beautiful, and full of treats along with the venison Makeeda had hunted for them. Shruikan and Saphira were there as well, enjoying the game. After they were done eating, the elves created music and danced, enjoying the company of each other.

"Could I join them?" Makeeda asked Paivel as they clapped from the sidelines of the dancers.

He looked at her with a laugh.

"Of course, lethallan."

Makeeda stepped forward, immediately grabbed by two other elven girls. She had told them she didn't know how to dance like they were, but they simply told her to move her feet and have fun. She soon caught the rhythm of the music, dancing with them happily.

Edmund watched her as she danced around and enjoyed the friends she was making. He sat on a log that the elves used as furniture, smiling at the sight of how beautiful Makeeda was.

"You are lucky, King Edmund." Edmund turned his head to see Eragon standing there, watching Makeeda as well. He looked down to him. "May I?"

Edmund nodded.

"I am lucky." he agreed.
"She is special."
"Special?"
"She has been taken from her home and defiled, yet she was chosen by a dragon to be a Rider and her clan still loves her as family…." Eragon said. "She is a strong person."
"I am honored to be her husband."

Eragon smiled at him.

"I do not mean to over step my boundaries."
"You don't?"
"No, I do not. She is a magnificent woman, but I respect that she is yours."

Edmund looked back to Makeeda.

"Thank you."
"I like you, Edmund. You are a good King."
"Are you their ruler?" Edmund asked, looking back to Eragon.
"No." he laughed. "I am their protector, should they ever need protection."