Saphira is curious.
She keeps few secrets from her Rider, but Saphira knows when there is information that he cannot handle. As she flies over the Varden camp, she watches the many-race-warriors that stand behind Nasuada, eyeing the young human from beneath their helmets.
She remembers the night of Nasuada's defeat of Orik, drinking their beer and laughing all the while. Her wings curl up, descending quickly back to her tent. Eragon is still gone from her, and she misses his constant humming at the back of her mind.
However, she must be careful to shield him from Nasuada's thoughts when he returns with Arya. She remembers that the girl could not think straight when Saphira mentally spoke with her that night. She remembers her thinking, For Arya, for Arya, for Arya. She saw the elf in her thoughts, smiling and not looking so tired for once. Her memories were leaking away like sand through small fingers and the dragon saw them in a room, standing close together with red-warm-skin like Eragon gets around Arya.
And this is what she hopes her little one will not uncover in her mind.
Although she does not know the inner workings of human feelings, she can understand that his heart will twist. He will be empty and rejected like the time his tender-magic-Arya-painting was shattered.
She lands before Nasuada, just in front of her tent, as if returning from a hunt. Saphira has seen Eragon's thoughts about Arya, wanting to kiss and touch. He dreams of her, and she can sometimes feel through him how it is to be human.
Hello, Saphira, says Nasuada.
Good evening, replies the dragon, folding up her winds.
And for just a moment, Saphira wishes she could be a human or elf. She wishes she could understand the longing for lips-pressed-together with another. She wants to know why Nasuada can only picture Arya when all her other thoughts are crooked.
She has seen the concern of the young-looking-old-spirit-elf when she watches Nasuada, and, although she wishes her looks were for Eragon, Saphira cannot help but think that the two women make a good pair. They could comfort and empathize with each other, and know that they are both broken and still strong. She thinks that Eragon would not understand this at all.
But if she were human, she would not have the strength to hide this secret from her little one, and that is something she cannot stand.
XXXXX
A/N: I know I decided that an epilogue was in order, but I had three written and couldn't decide which one to use. So I've decided to extend this story from other POVs, and Saphira is the first. I have five characters in mind, but that is subject to change.
Sorry for stringing you along! I hope you enjoy these additional chapters and thanks to everyone who reviewed for me. :)