Sort of a long chapter but I don't think you guys care.

The Bridge Lowers

Eragon stared at the face that he had once considered possibly his future wife. Megan was a girl, woman now, of some five feet tall, with skin

like light honey, and light blond hair. With those features she had quickly aroused a race between Eragon and Roran over who would win her

first. Then that fateful day had come for Roran when he went into town to get a scythe re-sharpened when he had seen Katrina, and had fallen

in love with her. Thereafter Eragon had openly flirted with her until he had found Saphira's egg. At that point the relationship went slightly

downward, as he had began to care more for Saphira then her. But he had still cared about her, to the point where he almost told her about the

sapphire dragon. He remembered the conversation vividly. Eragon walking to her house, mind filled with the blue dragon. Knocking on her door and

seeing her honey colored face inviting him in. Megan telling him that she was home alone. Her gently pushing him to a couch. Her finally pushing him

into a lying position on it and whispering in his ear while she rapped her arms around his neck, "Come on. Let's take off our cloths, and then you can

have some fun. Him pushing her off and saying, "Megan, stop it. You know my answer to that." Her sighing and sitting on the opposite side of the

couch and they started a light conversation in which he had almost decided to tell her about it. The blue dragon that so filed his mind. She now looked

at him like all the memories of her past life had slapped her in the face. "Eragon?" Eragon immediately shielded his mind and put his palm barring

the gedwey ignasia below the table. "Megan, what are you doing here?" Megan looked at his in a sly seductive way, not even glancing twice at

Arya, and sat down beside him. "Well after you left Roran told us we all had to leave, due to some solders attacking us. If you recall I was living

with Ivor, my uncle, at the time, because my father died. He was one of the people who stayed and so we went to Yazuac, and found it

deserted. So we went here, to Gilead. We've been here for nearing six months. Since he can't farm anymore I took a job here. So what's been

up with you?" She rattled off the list as if it were absolutely of no importance. He looked at Arya, who seemed to be a little annoyed, and said, "A

lot of things have happened." She smiled at him in a way that made his insides churn. He may be with Arya, but that did not put up a shield to

his male urges. She was a bit higher then lovely, but he was not about to lose Arya again merely because he could not contain himself. Then

Megan brightened at a sudden idea. "I have a great idea! How many people do you have with you?" Eragon thought about the wisdom of telling

her then decided she was no threat to them. "Four." Megan's smile widened. "Then you have to come and stay with me and Ivor. We have a

huge room and there are only two of us." Eragon cast a quick glance at Arya. What do you think? Arya was looking reluctantly at Megan, as if she

had guessed at the role she had played in Eragon's life, a role she now held, and said back, "Better not to use up our coin. Let us go with this

Megan." Eragon nodded. It made sense to go, but he was reluctant because it was had flirted with more men in Carvahall then

Eragon had been aware that there was. "Alright Megan, let's go." Triumph spread on Megan's face and she said, "Well I really can't go right

now. Why don't you send that pretty slave girl to get the others of your party." Eragon frowned at her. "She-" he pointed a finger at Arya, "-is

not a slave girl. I will explain what she is when we get to your room." Arya stood up and left to get Kroger and K'eray.

Arya jumped from one roof to another back to the hotel. As she jumped she seethed with anger at this Megan. She hasn't been at Eragon's side

for more then half a minute and she's flirting with him! With how much time it took for her to flirt with I bet she's naked right now. Slave girl. I am the

soon to be Queen of the Elves! In about ten minutes she landed on the roof of their room and walked in. Kroger or K'eray was nowhere to be

seen. She heard whispering and giggles from inside the bathroom, and a cold line of dread climbed up her spine. She walked to the door and

listened. Giggling and then, "I know, I know. She was the one pushing for the information. Yeah I know nosy, right? Let's see, what did she say?

You want her exact words? Do you want me to say all the insults and bad names?" There came a silence then the male voice said, "No. We don't

want to dirty your pretty mouth." Arya was relived to hear that it wasn't Kroger's voice. K'eray giggled at the boy's complement. "Okay without

all the bad names and insults.....she didn't say anything." Laughter bubbled out of whomever that was. Arya sighed and smiled. It was always

so when a mentor trained an apprentice harder then they liked. They made up bad stories about them and told them to all their friends. They

were silent for a minute then the boy said, "K'eray, I'm so glad I met you. No one accepted that I'm not a full elf, but you. I really, really care

about you." K'eray giggled. "Why do males always have to hide their emotions behind a wall of manliness? Well I'm not so petty. I, for one, know

that I love you." From the male there was silence for a moment and then, "I'm sorry. I've had to prove myself time and time again, much more

then others. It makes me want to hide all my emotions; for fear that people will ridicule me for them. I love you too K'eray." Arya reached out to

the doorknob. "Going way, way too far," she whispered to herself as she opened it. She opened it slowly at first and then pushed it open all the

way as fast as she could. K'eray sat on a stool in front of the mirror, were a basin of water was. The water inside of it showed the fading image

of a blue sky, then a hand, and then it was clear. K'eray assumed the position of washing her hands, and then she looked at Arya as if she had

just seen her. "Yes, what is it?" Arya took two steps forward, so that she was all the way in the room and closed the door and locked it. "Alright

I told you I wasn't going to make you tell me who this was, under those two conditions, one of which you just broke. You can't possibly be in

love and care about your training at the same time." K'eray shook her head, tears in her eyes. "Wh...What are you going to do? I can still see

him can't I?" Arya thought about it. She had been charged by the queen to train this young elf, and how far would it go once she met him in real

life.

"I don't know, K'eray. You broke our deal. There has to be a punishment. You broke the rules. Do you think it would be fair not for me to in force

the punishment?" K'eray looked at her in faint hope. "Maybe, maybe, just this once, you could let it slide?" Arya tossed her long black hair. "I'm

sorry K'eray, but no. There has to be a punishment to your actions, so that you aren't tempted to do it again." K'eray lowered her head and

sniffled, resigning herself to the inescapable. "Alright. Be merciful." Arya frowned. This was the one part of being a mentor that was not as good

as the other parts. She hated punishing another. Then a thought occurred to her. "Or maybe you could be merciful on yourself. Why did you do

that knowing you'd get caught and punished?" K'eray looked up at her mentor defiantly. A small glare of angry light shot up in her eye. "Why are

you allowed to love someone, but for me it's like be allowed to murder?" Arya reached out with her mind and soothed the elf's nerves, he anger,

and to Arya's surprise, her over-powering love for the half-elf she had been talking to, which burned with the power of a thousand suns. "It is

not like that. Listen and I will explain." Arya got a brush and started to brush the young elf's hair, calming her. Like a mother would for her

daughter, Arya ran the brush through K'eray's long black. "You see, there is a war going on, and the queen needs powerful elves if we're to win.

So then, my task is to train you until you are powerful enough to stand in the black stain of battle and not be killed instantly. So it does me no

good if you go after a romantic relationship with this half-elf." K'eray jerked away from her and looked back at her mentor, a cold gleam in her

eyes. "It's not his fault his parents weren't both elven." Arya gently coaxed the elf around so that she could again run the brush through her

hair. K'eray's shoulders and arms eventually relaxed. "Now I understand that. However, wither or not his parents were both elven, it does not

erase the fact his is not pure elf. I am not saying that makes him better or worse. I have a half-elf as a mate and I love him with all my heart."

K'eray relaxed her head against Arya's knee and looked up at her. "Eragon?" Arya nodded with approval. She would have found out anyway.

"Very good. That was well guessed. Now I need you to tell me, what is your friend's name?" K'eray thought for a moment and then whispered,

"His name is Brom." Arya stopped as if someone had punched her in the gut. Brom? Her son? Trying to hide her shook she continued talking. "R-

Really? Who are his parents?" K'eray shrugged. "Not really sure. He never told me. All he said was that they had left a while ago and had yet to

return." Arya tried to order the thought. Okay, it might not be your Brom. "What does he look like?" K'eray looked back at her and smiled. "Sorry,

can't give out any information other then his name." Then she grew sober and said, "So, what is my punishment?" Arya turned her mind back to

the present. She had heard her son tell K'eray that he loved her. "What do you think would be a good punishment?"

K'eray thought for a moment, and then hopefully looked back at her master. "Well whatever you do don't let me talk to Brom sometime in the

next hour. I would hate that." Arya smiled at her apprentice. They're always so hopeful. Maybe because my son loves her I should let it slide. "Alright

I'm going to share a little secret with you." K'eray frowned for an instant at the change of subject, but then looked interested. Arya leaned over

and whispered, "A little while ago Eragon filled my belly with a little child. Do you know who that child is today?" K'eray looked away for a minute

and then shook her head. Arya said in an even quieter voice, "His name is Brom." K'eray jumped back in astonishment. "You're Brom's mother?"

Arya nodded. "I am. I'll tell you what. You can continue seeing him, and even go as far as 'I love yous', but I want an oath in the Ancient

Language on your elven blood not to let it go any farther then that for the duration of you're apprenticeship." K'eray nodded her head solemnly,

knowing the gravity of what she was about to say. (AN: I don't know how to say that oath in the elven tongue, so I'm not even going to try

and feed you the crap that I do, and so as a result I'm not even going to try. BTW Arvindr, I just made that into the word ice. It probably

isn't that in the Ancient Language.) K'eray swore that she wouldn't. Satisfied Arya laid a hand on her head. "You are a good apprentice, K'eray,

and I don't want you to spoil it." K'eray nodded and Arya lifted her hand. "Can I contact Brom again?" Arya smiled at thought that she thought

that such a question was necessary. "Yes, but I want to talk to him, in private." K'eray lifted a hand to the doorknob and then stopped and

stared at her mentor. "You're not going to hurt him, are you?" Arya laughed. "No, I can't." K'eray left and Arya said the words for scrying and

talking. Brom appeared on the water, tapping his hands on the ground impatiently. When he saw the water clear he, obviously thinking it was

K'eray, said, "Finally, I was begun to think my mother had..." He stopped as he saw Arya. "Oh...umm.....hello mother." Arya stared at him with

some amount of amusement in her. "It's alright; I did nothing to your precious love." Red spots appeared on his checks and he began to protest

when Arya raised a hand. "Listen. I will allow you to continue talking to K'eray, and even accept your love for her, but I won't allow you to please

her in a sexual manner. Understood?" Brom nodded. "So...so...where is K'eray?" Arya rolled her eyes to the sky. She called K'eray back in left.

She could hear them talking.

She went to the window to go back to Eragon and tell him they would be a while, when the window slammed shut. She turned around to see

Kroger walking in. He had just spoken a word to close a tightly secure the window. Drunkenness was plastered all over his short and clumsy

movements, which looked ridicules coming from an elf. "Kroger, open the window, now." He grinned at her and said in a slow and slurred tone

"No I don't think I will." He gestured at the larger of the two beds and said, "Come over here and lie down." A cold line of horror began to work

its way up her spine. Her palm began to glow with a green light. One touch of that green light would send him flying back a half mile. Kroger

laughed and said, "What do you think you'll accomplish with that? I'm much stronger since the last time I pleased you're worthless hide." Arya

snarled and tightened her fist and it flared with the power in it. "Touch me and I will kill you." Kroger leaned his head back and laughed. He

lowered his head and spoke around thirteen words in the Ancient Language. Arya yelped as she was lifted off the ground and the folds of her

dress began to unlace themselves. Arya fought back with everything she had but he was too strong for her. In less then a minute she had used

up nearly all her strength trying to fight him off. Soon she was completely naked in his hungry view. He held out an arm in her direction and

moved it to the bed. With his arm she moved and walked beside her rubbing his hand over one of her breasts. He laid her down and snapped

his fingers. His cloths flew off him like they had been pulled by strings. He grabbed her by the hips and plunged himself inside of her, and she

screamed.

"Shut up and like it Arya. Arya. Arya, what's wrong?" Kroger faded and she found herself lying outside the door to the bathroom. K'eray stood

over her looking down at her with worry in her eyes. "What happened?" Arya sat up. It was just a dream. A nightmare actually. She was shaking

a little. "Nothing. I must have fallen asleep because I've been so tired lately. I guess I had a nightmare." K'eray tilted her head to one side.

"What was it about?" Arya gulped as the memory of the nightmare hit her. "I don't remember." I only wish I could forget. At that moment Kroger

walked in with a bag slung across his arm. He looked at K'eray and then at Arya, who was still on the floor. He walked over with concern and sat

beside her. It was like letting a giant spider crawl all over her. "Arya, are you alright." She pushed him away and stood. "I'm fine. Let's go.

Eragon had a reunion with an old friend from his village, and she has offered us her home. K'eray say good-bye to Brom." She forced up a warm

smile. "He wouldn't like it if you just ended the spell, would he?" K'eray jumped up and nearly ran as fast as she could to the bathroom, which

left Arya alone with Kroger. He laid a hand on her bare-to-the-shoulder-arm and she forced herself to accept the contact of their flesh. Queen. If

you want to be a queen act like it. What crime has he committed recently enough for you to dislike him? All you've got is a bad dream, produced at

random from your memories. Kroger seemed surprised at her calm and ran his hand down her arm to her hand, where he entwined his fingers

with hers. He leaned his head over and kissed her forehead. Arya hand to bit the inside of her check to let him. Customary. It is customary for an

advisor to kiss the Queen, or Princess, on either the hand or forehead. It is legal. Kroger seemed surprised and happy at how far he was getting.

Kroger's eyes sparkled. He raised a hand to his mouth and bit open a vein, so that blood covered his thumb. Arya's heart filled with horror as

she remembered a rule of the Queen's advises. Each of them, once a month, had to prick open a vein, and lay their thumb on the Queen's chest,

to symbolize that they offered her their loyalty to the point of death. Kroger extended a hand to her chest and Arya tightened her fist, preparing

herself to use magic if he made a move to rape her again. His hand reached her breast he laid his thumb down on it and pressed, so that the

blood of his veins was over her heart. Then he took her left breast in his hand and ran a bloody thumb over it. Arya gasped. The sensation

coming to her was not pain, but pleasure. She glared at Kroger and he moved his hand all the up and down her breast and finally removed his

hand and put it again at his side, healing it. Arya did not understand. Who could it please her?

She glared at him for a moment then said, "How?" Kroger smiled. "Because this time you weren't forced to accept it, rather it is something done

mealy as tradition." Arya took a step backward. "That doesn't explain." Kroger reached out and took her hand. She flinched. "Why do you fear

me so? The Arya I know is not afraid of anything, much less something that ended nigh on fifty-five years ago. Come now; drop your hatred and

your fear. I won't do that again, I swear on my elven blood. Drop your anger and hatred and fear of me, they are only holding you down." Arya

swallowed. What should she do? A Queen. A Queen would forgive him for something that ended a long time ago. Arya accept his hand on hers and

entwined his fingers with hers. "Alright, if you swear on your elven blood, I forgive you." Kroger smiled and nodded. "That was a queenly thing

you just did." He walked past her into the hall way, where K'eray was waiting. Arya was about to fallow, when she heard a low chuckle behind

her. Outside on the balcony sat Kolembum purring as if chuckling. His eyes flashed white, the same color as Solembum's when he told Arya the

prophecy, and Blagden's when he told her the other parts. In her mind their came the voice of all three of them and superimposed over them

was a louder voice. And so the bridge to your castle begins to lower and so enters the Carrier. Soon you will burn!