Hello faithful readers! I'm glad you've decided to stay with me, and I again apologize for not writing a chapter yesterday. Like I said, I may not be able to write every day. And just a heads up: I won't be able to post anything for Saturday and maybe not Sunday either. I'll be at a place with no internet (My dad's house…) so just hang in with me here! And… here's the story!

Saphira and Bhronnë were lying next to each other, necks intertwined and snouts touching; when Eragon and Arya walked in. If the dragons could blush then they would be deep crimson by now.

"What was that for?! Were you so intent upon sending us images that you showed exactly what you were doing?" Arya said, breathing deeply.

Bhronnë hummed with embarrassment. Like you said… Sometimes you slip, even when you're trying to block your mind from everyone else. I'm new to this kind of thing, give me a break.

Both of us are new to this kind of thing, Saphira said proudly.

Eragon let out an exaggerated sigh. "Well at least we don't roar so loud everyone in Ellesmera would know exactly what we were doing."

But you two do moan, Bhronnë put in. Everyone laughed goodheartedly at that. Arya rubbed her abdomen, trying to calm herself down. Eragon has slapping his knee, and the dragons were blowing tiny jets of flame from their nostrils. All of a sudden Saphira stopped laughing and everyone stared at her for a moment, setting off the episode again.

They finally fell quiet when the treehouse got considerably darker, as the setting sun was covered by a cloud. Arya lay down on the bed, exhausted, and Eragon squatted on the floor for a moment. Saphira and Bhronnë were already sleeping. He stood and slipped into bed beside Arya. She looked at him with a bright smile on her face.

He leaned toward her, being careful of their child, and kissed her. She immediately responded with such passionate intensity that Eragon was pushed back, only to quickly recover and adjust to being just as intense and passionate as her. She sighed, wanting more of course, but knowing she couldn't have it. Eragon contacted Arya in her mind. I know. I want it too. But this child is worth the wait. Arya agreed and they kissed faster, their tongues moving like a sprinter would move his legs.

Arya's eyelids fluttered and her kissing became lethargic, and soon she was sleeping with her mouth open. Eragon shut her jaw carefully with an artist's light touch, wrapping his arm around her and falling into a dark-colored sleep.

--

Bhronnë and Saphira had already started their training that morning when Arya had woken up, at down like always. She retrieved her breakfast and left it inside, scribbling a note onto a piece of parchment for Eragon to read.

Eragon, my love,

I woke at dawn. I decided to walk to the spring, to bathe. I will be back soon. Eat your breakfast.

Arya

Arya retrieved a pair of clothes and walked to the escape rope by the dragon's entrance, sliding down it easily despite being pregnant. She slid a hand to touch her stomach as she walked to the spring. Stripping down, she walked into the frigid water, her legs making tiny waves in the calm water. She waded out to chest-deep water and began to swim around, enjoying the feel of cold water on her skin. She took a breath and pulled her whole body underwater, opening her eyes to a blurry underwater scene. The cold water bit at her exposed eyes, but she didn't mind. It felt relieving. She ran her fingers through her hair, letting the temperature surrounding her to penetrate to her skull.

When she came up for a breath of air, she saw a silvery form move behind the bushes. A wolf and two black pups stepped out of the cover of the forest cautiously, and bent to drink at the spring. Arya treaded water, keeping perfectly calm. The pups waded in, their fluffy youngling belly fur dragging at the water. One began to drink, and the other slyly pushed it over, making the wolf pup wail in surprise. She immediately attacked her sibling, sending him into the water. They were both happily soaked. The mother wolf stepped out into deeper water, beginning to swim as her pups played in the shallows.

Arya smiled at the family, watching the mother wolf swim right up to her.

"Hello there. How are you doing?" The wolf spoke.

Arya was a bit taken aback. "I'm good. What about you and your pups?"

"Fine. Good luck with yours." The mother wolf swam to the embankment where Eragon had gotten Arya pregnant and climbed onto the rocks, shaking herself off. She called to her pups and the younglings began to swim the same way she had. She lay down on the rocks and as one of her pups tied to climb, she picked her up by the scruff and set her on the rock, doing the same with her male pup. The wolf waved her tail at Arya in farewell and Arya waved her hand back, watching the trio disappear into the forest.

She left the water then, drying off and pulling on her change of clothing. When she made it up to the top of the treehouse, she heard a light snore. Eragon was still asleep. She bent by the bed, kissing him lightly. Eragon gasped and opened his eyes. He smiled upon seeing his mate's face and noticed her wet hair.

"You went swimming?" He guessed.

Arya nodded. "I saw a wolf with her pups down there too. They played in the water while I washed."

Eragon looked pleased. "That's interesting."

He stood and stretched, yawning. He looked outside, a fake-frustrated look appearing on his face. "Why do I always wake up after dawn?"

Arya pondered that for a moment. "I don't know. You just do." She bit into a fruit, her teeth slicing the soft food easily.

Eragon dressed and belted on his sword. He noticed Arya had her sword on her hip and disapproved of it, but she waved the disapproval away. "I am still capable," was her argument. He gave up, knowing how stubborn the female elf could be, along with the rest of the female race.

Eragon was strolling to the sparring fields when he heard a distant scream. Saphira, meet me at the Menoa tree. Now. We need to find out if something's happened. Nobody else seemed to have heard it, just calmly looking away from a frightened Eragon as they passed. Saphira was telling Bhronnë to wait where she was, taking a long time to explain it. He was already at the clearing, and tapping his foot with impatience. Never mind Saphira, I'll go on foot. He didn't give an explanation. He ran towards the sound.

Another scream sounded, much closer this time but more feeble. He heard a vicious growling nearby. Being careful not to tread on any sticks, he approached the noise with the wind in his favor. He smelled blood, and not just elf blood. Human blood also.

Taking a bush for cover, Eragon surveyed a small break in the trees. An elf was on the ground, cowering and bloody. A man with wild eyes was staring down at him, also bloody, and growling. The elf sensed Eragon and broke the cover in his mind, showing a few images to Eragon and begging for help. Eragon knew that a human that could come into the forest unnoticed, not be affected by any spells, and know his way around was a dangerous person. Slowly unsheathing his sword, being thankful his sheath was leather, he burst through the bushes and let out his war cry.

The human turned to face Eragon, and dodged the swing Eragon aimed at his neck. He unsheathed his own small blade, and swung it at Eragon. He parried the blow, cutting off the tip of the feeble sword the man dared to use against him. He was maniacal, swinging his blunt blade blindly and not caring to protect himself. Foam was trailing down his chin.

The man wouldn't tire, always swinging with all his blunt force and somehow avoiding all of Eragon's blows with amazing agility. No human can be this agile, Eragon thought. He new it was impossible, as the madman wasn't tiring yet he was.

Eragon found an open vital area and swung his sword. "Brisingr!" he yelled, and the sapphire blade caught fire. The man put down his sword and stared as the flames went straight through his chest, cutting him in uneven halves. Eragon cut off the magic flow, gasping for air. He sheathed his sword and looked at the elf, who was still on the forest floor. He fainted, and Eragon reached forward, catching his head before it hit the ground. He lifted the elf with ease, walking back toward the city.

As he approached the specialized healer's house, a female elf came running up and gasped. "Conan! What happened to him?" she demanded, looking at Eragon, her king, with scared eyes.

He looked down. "I am not sure if I can tell you. I must discuss this with Queen Arya before I know for sure if I am able to reveal his attacker."

The female nodded, and Eragon carried Conan into Illyria's house. Her walls were lined with cots, none of them occupied except for one: Vanir lay, gasping, in the dim light of candles. Illyria stood over him, scolding the elf for not protecting himself with magic.

She turned when she heard Eragon enter, and saw him carrying Conan. She rushed to the two elves, taking bloody Conan in her arms and laying him on a cot. She muttered a few spells, and his wounds closed, his blood disappeared from his body and evaporated in to clean vapor. She looked to Eragon and turned to see him panting.

A dark liquid dripped onto the floor beside him. He looked down, hearing the sound, and saw the blood begin to stream down to the floor. He lifted up his clothes, looking down to the wound on his side. His eyes rolled back in his head and he collapsed.

Illyria rushed to his side, stretching him out on the floor and eyeing the puddle of blood growing quickly beside him. She pronounced a spell to make the wound stop bleeding, then healed it from the inside out. Eragon still lay in the pool of blood, still steadily growing.

She flipped him over, seeing another gash down his back, and said the same spells as before, leaving her gasping for breath at healing so much in so little time. She saw the ring on his finger the one Brom had given to Eragon. She slipped into it, grasping a bit of the seemingly endless energy flow and finished healing his wounds, leaving some to keep her conscious.

She plucked him off of the bloody floor, stripped him down to his underwear, untouched by blood, and threw a white sheet over him. She sat down and called her assistant. "Get Queen Arya over here, now." She gasped. The young elf sprinted out of the house, running for the ranging fields.

--

Arya aimed at a target, releasing her bowstring. It returned with a twang, leaving the arrow to impale the dummy in the throat. A young elf approached her, asking for her immediately. She sighed and unstrung her bow, opening her mind to him and asking him what the problem was.

His mind was creased with worry and fear. It's Eragon. He was injured badly. He's passed out in Illyria's house.

Arya slung her bow and quiver over her back and began to sprint to Illyria's healing house. She had to slow to a jog though, her abdomen suddenly paining her to run. She reached the door in a few seconds and ripped it open, slamming it shut behind her. She rushed to her mate's side.

"Eragon… Eragon do you hear me?" She tried to contact her mind, but nothing came to her. Just blackness. He was deeply unconscious.

Illyria spoke as Arya stroked Eragon's hair. "He lost more than half of his blood. It'll be awhile before he wakes. Maybe a week, even."

Arya wailed in despair, letting her head sag against her chest as she took ragged breaths, still stroking Eragon's hair.

--

Saphira was training Bhronnë how to fight on the ground when she felt Eragon go completely silent, a pain ripped through her back and side. Bhronnë immediately stopped his attack, asking what was wrong.

It's Eragon… Something happened to him. He's dying. She abandoned all thoughts but of Eragon, trying to reach him but not getting anything but blackness. She leaped off the ground, flying with speed faster than she had ever flown before. Eragon was in true danger of dying now. She had to be there for him. And that second.

She landed beside the house, gently clawing open a dragon's door and stepping inside. She saw Illyria mopping up blood on the floor, Eragon's blood. Arya was crying, stroking her Rider's hair. She didn't pause when Saphira sat beside her and Eragon, as she placed the tip of her snout on his forehead.

Please live, Eragon… We will be hopeless without you.

Well, I'm sorry for posting so late. My mom wanted to watch some movies with her. And I had a meeting. But I posted this for you guys. I'll take a vote to see how many people want Eragon to live or die. Review and leave your answer in your review. Don't worry, even if he dies it won't mess up my plot. SO, review, leave advice, and your vote!

PS: I will not hold up my update just to get reviews. I may not be able to update tomorrow… if I don't please know I won't be able to until Sunday or Monday. I apologize in advance if I don't post tomorrow.