Writer of the North: I don't question that she is a good person. I simply and innocently believe that her entire campaign is based on pity and her pity crowd; it seems to me, is growing thin. Please don't hate me for that; simply exercising freedom of speech.

FlexManSteel: :) Oh I could explain that so very easily; but then there wouldn't be a reason for you to read the stories to come.

Valkyrie-chick: :) I know; I do too. He may be named after a species of fly that lives off in nowhere land, but I still like him. (The fly name was not deliberate)

EllenDraper: It says in the Almanac that one crown is equal to three dollars US. So the amount the Empire was going to pay Zodion would be equal to roughly six million dollars; and if you don't feel like doing math, the amount Nasuada offered him was 1.2 billion dollars.

dominicthewise: :) Not for quite some time under my current planning; but more on that later.

Obliterator1519: Maybe as a prequel, but I thought I did a decent job explaining it in chapter something when Hola arrived. They will arise in the story; but not likely in the way CP will do it.

Antclift: Really? I kind of like him. :( He didn't and that makes me sad; but Erik, being the super duper amazing brother he is, bought it for me.

A lot of people emailed me about Nasuada and Zodion; reading the signs supposedly given that underlines a future relationship. Allow me to set those rumors to rest. They are true. I tell you that spoiler because it will not happen for a while yet; and since you don't know when they will get together it's impossible to guess what influence on the story they will have.

The black walls of Uru'baen drew nigh when the Varden ceased moving. They had not stopped marching for the past four days; day in and day out was always the same. The Varden had made camp less than two miles away from Uru'baen on a flat slopped hill and set defenses at the bottom, making approach from the bottom impossible. The only beings capable of scaling those fortifications were elves, Urgals dragons, or Riders.

Aesire sat alone in his room, shifting through the book of Lunarmist, his ability activated. His chin rested in one hand as his turned page after page; seeking some word or phrase that only his Lunarmist could see that would explain the change in his eyes. I now occupied both his eyes and the design integrated into them had changed. "Nothing," he said. "Absolutely nothing." He closed the book and set it aside, deactivating his Lunarmist. I wonder if Galbatorix can read my thoughts right now. He smiled at the thought. If you are, you cannot escape. Eragon and I will defeat you. There came no response.

"Hello," Eragon's voice came from outside.

"Eragon," he said, as his friend entered the tent. "Sit," he gestured to a chair adjacent to his.

"Still reading that book?"

"I have to," he responded adamantly. "There could be something we missed."

Eragon scoffed. "Yes, like almost two thirds of them. Face it, Aesire. We can't read those glyphs."

Aesire looked at Eragon through the corner of his eye; reading his thoughts by what he did. He knew this often frustrated the Rider, but what he did not know would not hurt him.

"You're anxious," he said. "And...excited?" Eragon nodded.

"For some reason, yes, I am. Every battle I've ever fought I've been scared out of my wits for, but this one is different."

"So what has changed?"

"This time," Eragon said confidently. "I know victory awaits us."

"And how do you know this? With Futurestar mounted against us it seems close to impossible."

"Futurestar is just a small convenience to Galbatorix."

"Being able to read your thoughts before you think them? That's small?"

Eragon relaxed into the chair. "We have the three smartest people in the world at our disposal. I am not concerned."

A long pause followed. "So when do we march on Uru'baen?"

Eragon's voice, when he responded, had an ounce of trepidation. "Tomorrow; at dawn, when the sun will be in the enemies eyes. The Elves will arrive some time today and we'll rest for as long as possible."

"What about the tunnel? Is everything prepared for that?"

"I sent five of the elves down to set explosive spells on every one of the support systems. At my word they'll come crashing down."

"You know when to destroy them?"

"A minute before the Varden break down the gates. So that once the gates come down the main force will already be destroyed."

"Precisely." Aesire looked down at the book of Lunarmist. "I wonder if there is anything else to be learned from these books. It's dangerous to leave them out in the open where anyone can..." At that moment the fires of his mind lit up like an inferno in a single line of logic that seemed so obvious he cursed himself for not noticing it before. "Of course!" said Aesire, grabbing the book and opening it. Eragon looked up at him, a questioning look on his face. "The Elves hide everything that they deem of danger, right?"

"Aye."

"But they left those secrets, or at the very least the keys to those secrets, with someone. Why then, would they divert from that path in these books?" Aesire closed his eyes and activated his Lunarmist, opening them as he began flipping through the book.

"What happened to your Lunarmist?" Eragon asked as he beheld Aesire's eyes.

"That is exactly what I mean to discover." He opened the book of Lunarmist to the final page and looked down on the script that no one could read. Glyph by glyph he began to understand what it said.

If your eyes are so keen that you can make out these words, you have unlocked the true power of Lunarmist.

This is Lunarmist's more powerful version. All of the Three Great Spells have such. In Lunarmist's most powerful state, all things shall be seen. Every facet of this world shall be revealed to you with the sight this power will grant you. To use The Eyes of The King, look at something and activate your Lunarmist as if you were giving a command to someone under your control. Aesire looked up from the book and did as it said. The world around him exploded with detail. Every blade of grass became so sharply defined from it's fellows that it was like only one blade of grass occupied the tent. He could define every stitch in the wall of the tent sixty yards away as if they had just been freshly sewn. Eragon, when he looked at him, he could see into him. Every drop of blood in his veins, every hair on his head, every molecular structure that made up his body was clearly shown to him. He could see Eragon's brain and just by looking at it he could read his every thought.

Now do you know the true power that Lunarmist holds. The Elves hid this power away for fear of the tampering of the world, causing chaos and havoc to ripe the world in two. If Lunarmist was to fall into the wrong hands, those people could see every attack, every defense and how to undermine them. The man to hold this power could be unstoppable.

At the bottom of the page there were three lines which took longer to read.

Be wary if you fight the monsters of the dark, lest you become one of them. To whoever wields this awesome power will the dark monsters attempt to corrupt and control, and if care is not taken, eventually they shall succeed.

The words of Vrael, Lord of the Riders.

Just Aesire was closing the book a page ran into the tent and said, "Master Shadeslayer! The Elves! They've arrived!" Aesire threw the book under his cot and went with Eragon outside and out to the edge of the hill. On the low and distant horizon the Elves armies moved with slow grace; in no particular order. When they beheld Uru'baen and subsequently the Varden's camp, a horn rose up.

"So the five races of this land now come together in open conflict," Aesire said. "Elves, Dwarfs, Urgals, Humans and Dragons will all cut each other to shreds to decide the fate of this land." The gallop of a horse from behind them drew Eragon's attention. Nasuada and Zodion rode up on a single stead.

"That was an elven horn," Zodion said, jumping of the mount.

"Aye," Eragon said shortly as he turned back to the elves.

"How many are there?" Nasuada asked. She seemed out of breath.

"Too many to count. I'd say almost a hundred thousand!"

Aesire looked down at them for three seconds and said, "Correction. One hundred thousand, two hundred and thirty one." Eragon was about to question him when Nasuada spoke.

"This day may yet yield victory. Zodion! Give Eragon your horse." Zodion handed the reins to Eragon. "Eragon," Nasuada said. "Go out with Arya and inform the Queen of our plan of attack."

"Yes, my lady."

As he leapt onto the horse, he saw Arya run up behind him and climbed up as well, the weight of her pregnancy holding her down.

"Are you up for this?"

"The Queen will demand an explanation, but yes."

As Eragon and Arya walked amongst the elven encampment Eragon felt like he was back in Du Weldenvarden. That feeling did not last as long as he had hoped. A fierce eyed elf stepped up to them, garbed in armor that shone like a star.

"Queen Islanzadí eagerly awaits you in her command tent."

The words slithered out into the air like a hostile snack. The elf turned and showed them to the red command tent. Holding the flap open as they entered, he released his hold and the room became only lit by a flameless lantern that hovered on a table. Sitting at the table were three elves, all garbed in the dress of war. Queen Islanzadí, Dathedr the friend of Arya, and one of the members of Islanzadí's court. All three were staring at them differently. The council member with detached disinterest, Dathedr with a guarded expression that had hints of relief, and the Queen with outright fury.

Eragon bowed and said, "Greetings, Queen Islanzadí." The Queen stood with soundless motion. Calmly, Arya greeted her as well.

"How dare you?" The three words came from the Queen with silent outrage. "How dare you, Shadeslayer, come before me as though you had done naught wrong since the day of your birth? How dare you, daughter, stand before your mother and Queen as though all were well?"

Dathedr leaned forward. "You're Majesty Islanzadí, there is no need for..."

"Silence," she said harshly. She looked back at Eragon with the piercing gaze of a hawk. "You have uprooted an entire millennium of Elvish ways and customs, the most Important of which being the continued purity in the line of the Royal Elven family. You have undermined Vrael himself. You, Arya, must have known better than this. You are a Princess of the mightiest race in all the land and yet you lower yourself to the level of a farmer! Explain yourself!"

Arya's eyes had been downcast but then she raised them so they were level with the Queen's. Eragon felt like he was standing in the line of archers as they glared at each other.

"How dare you, Mother?"

"How dare I what?" the Queen asked challengingly.

"How dare you bane me from your sight, banish me from the realm of my kin, send me out to live amongst races that were not my own and still expect to have hold over me?"

"I am your Queen." The words were spoken like a death threat.

"And as you just testified I am a Princess. And yet, regardless of this, you banished your own daughter."

"If you had not..."

"If I had not done something this never would have come to pass? Is that your believe? Do not think to blame my banishment and torture on me. If I had been more like you, Mother, content to sit in your den while Galbatorix grows strong enough to rip down Du Weldenvarden, it would have worked out much differently for a time. The hard fact remains, however, that eventually Galbatorix would grow strong enough to wave our defenses aside as if they were nothing and kill or enslave every elf in the forest. So aye; perhaps it is my fault that I am not a proud coward like those who came before me."

A deathly silence filled the tent. It was so quiet Eragon hardly dared to breathe. Islanzadí sat after a long moment and splayed her arms out in front of her; thinly restrained anger in her demeanor.

"Daughter; I would not be bereft of your presence for another seventy years. Even for our eternal lives that is no small span of time. However, you must know this. Because of what you have chosen neither you nor this human, though Rider he may be, or any children that may result from this union can ever sit upon the Knotted Throne in Ellesmera. Elvish law dictates this- that all who sit as the King and Queen of the Elves must be of pure Elven blood. It is my hope that you will not hold this against me, for it is not by my hand that this sentence is given." She withdrew her arms and rested them in her lap.

"I will not hold this against you Mother; as I was fully aware of the repercussions of my actions before I took them. It is by no fault of yours that that these actions were taken." Despite her words a small tear appeared in her eye before disappearing as she blinked.

"Very well then," Islanzadí said. "Let us proceed. Shadeslayer, what news do you bring?"

Eragon took a deep breath and relayed everything to the Queen, starting with Aesire's plan of attack on Uru'baen, moving to the Three Great Spells found under Dras'Leona, and finally to Futurestar. Contrary to Eragon's expectation, the Queen's face remained completely neutral during his speech.

"And how do you plan on combating this new spell of the King's?"

"I have yet to decide."

"And when does Nasuada intend to attack the black city my fair kin once inhabited?"

"At dawn tomorrow, when the sun is in the enemies eyes."

"Then she shall have the Elves' full power behind her attack. I bring nigh on a hundred thousand elves with me..."

"One hundred thousand, two hundred and thirty one, to be absolutely precise," Eragon said, recalling what Aesire had said. Islanzadí stared at him as if she was going to comment but then seemed to decide not to.

"They shall be at the Varden's disposal. How many Elves will you need to fight Galbatorix?"

"None," Eragon said. All the Elves in the tent directed their attention to him in outright astonishment.

"Rider Eragon," Islanzadí said, "your bravery is duly noted, but this no contest of feats of arms. The fate of the entire world rests on this battle and if you should die at Galbatorix's hand, the chances of victory will be next to none."

"I understand that, you're Majesty. But when I am fighting someone as powerful as Galbatorix, I can't be moving so slowly as to accommodate many elves. I must be able to move swiftly and silently if I will have any chance. All I need is Saphira."

"You are sure of this?"

"Aye."

Islanzadí breathed deeply through her nose as she looked at him. "I will place a hundred of my finest spell casters on stand by. You have but to call to them and they shall rush to your aid."

"Who will serve as the focal point for my thoughts?" Eragon asked. If a spell caster did not have a mind he was familiar with to direct his thoughts towards, they would be swept up in the numbers the following battle would entail.

"Arya," Islanzadí said. "You are the finest of spell weavers. Will you stay with this force of elves so that they can be at the ready when Eragon calls to them?"

"Yes," she said. "Eragon knows my mind better than any, but for Saphira."

"Dathedr; send word to all the elves that they are to follow the lead of the Varden in the attack and when they are in the city to wreak havoc among the Empire. Let those who broke down our mighty trees suffer our wrath."

"Yes, my liege," he said bowing and exited the tent.

"Go now," Islanzadí said to Eragon and Arya. "Rest and recover strength."

"Wait," the elven council member said, raising a slender hand. "What is to become of the Elven world at the conclusion of this battle?"

"I don't know." Eragon exited the tent.

Eragon stood in a sea of black clouds that swirled below his knees. "So it's you again," he said as he saw the black clad man standing before him.

"Aye; it is."

"You know you hold no sway on my mind. Why, then, do you stand against me?"

"I believe we've had this discussion before. I hate you; pure and simple."

"For whatever I did to you I apologize. But what is the point in torturing me?"

"You were fairly warned, Rider. Continue to fight against me and everything that you hold dear will be ripped away from you. You were fairly warned.

Eragon stood a mirror supported by a black tripod, adjusting his armor. The day has finally come, he thought. The last dregs of my revenge will be sated. He looked off at Uru'baen as it awoke in the new morning air. Soon I will spill your blood, Galbatorix; for you spilled the blood of thousands. Justice will be brought upon you.

He strained to get the tie of a breastplate to go on, but it remained stubborn. Now I know why I hate breastplates, he thought to himself.

"That's hardly fair," Aesire said from behind him. He gripped the ties and forced them over and tied them together, nearly suffocating Eragon.

"Reading my thoughts again?"

"It's not telepathy. You could do it if you wanted to. And besides; I'll need to be able to hear your thoughts while we fight Galbatorix."

"You aren't going with me to fight him. I'm doing it alone."

"Saphira can carry two; it would be simply foolish to only take one. Think of this as a little sub condition for my aid in this war."

Oh, just let him,Saphira said. His skill will be helpful.

"Very well," he said. "But follow my lead, okay?"

"Right."

Eragon clung to Saphira's neck spike, Aesire's arm tight around his waist, flying above the Varden's armies bolstered by Urgals, Dwarfs and Elves. The horn of the four races called out across the land. Today this ends,thought Eragon. Today I will have vengeance for my uncle and my father.

From the center of Uru'baen, on the top of a citadel that towered over the city, the head and shoulders of great black dragon stood up and looked down on them as an eagle does a mouse.

Ladies and Gentlemen: I was looking through my random generator for today's random section; which I usually like to have three or four things in. But I found one today that made me say, "That deserves to stand alone." Ladies and Gentlemen, this is a fact.

On the 2001 New Zealand census, 53,715 people listed their religion as Jedi. People...this saddens me. :)