Her sword clashed with that of her opponent's. It was the only thing that helped keep her sane in the world of politics she had gotten herself into. She was a fighter. She always had been. She had fought for her place in her father's court. She had fought against the Varden. Then against her father when she had seen how he had used her people. Now she was fighting against the Riders under Eragon. Once again, family was fighting family. Eragon believed that he could keep her from her throne, hers by right of birth, by casting a spell. She had been there when her father had died. She had sensed it when he and the dragons had gotten into his mind. It was that farfetched to believe that he had done it to her, to scramble her memories. The dragons had been a help in that to she guessed.

The queen ducked under her opponent's blade and rested Naegling on her collar bone. The Rider submitted and Florina backed away and scowled. These Riders were too slow and too predictable. They had yet to find their own style of fighting. They fought in the way Eragon had taught them. She knew his moves and so she knew theirs. Florina stalked back to the castle and the nobles within. Murtagh was a better challenge for her. He always had been. He had matched Brom and Eragon in different ways. She broke a sweat when they sparred together. But he was still missing. She had searched the forest for him and found nothing. When she scryed him, she only saw darkness, as it had been when he had to pretend to be captured by the Twins. Just as it was then, she didn't know if this was a spell or true and he was gone from the world. The thought troubled her. The dreams were becoming more real, as if they were memories. Last night's had been of Murtagh and Eragon fighting before her and her father. She remembered the fight, except, in the dream, she had been standing next to her father instead of sitting next to him and using her power to keep Elva and Arya where they were. She had loved to see the betrayal on the elf's face when she realized that Florina had been a spy. But in the dream, she had only felt horror when she saw the elf's expression. She was sure that it had something to do with the spell the two of them had cast, but every day and every dream cast doubt into her mind. Kuldra couldn't make sense of it either.

"Your Majesty," a voice called from down the hall and Florina groaned. She did not want to talk to any of the nobles from Surda at the moment. She had invited the king so they may talk of a peace treaty. He had brought his three sons and his daughters along with a handful of nephews. She knew what he wanted. A marriage to align the two kingdoms. The daughters would have been for Murtagh had he been there. But there was more prestige in being married to the queen. She thought she had made it obvious that she had not wanted a husband. Not when she was in the middle of a war and there was no way she was going to promise herself to a man who was a family member of one of her most loyal followers. She would have to get Edan to speak to them. She needed to speak to Sila. Florina was loath to lose Edan back to his countrymen. He had proved loyal to her and she enjoyed his company. She would need to test his abilities.


The werecat looked at the valley in relief. He had made it. Of all of his siblings, he alone had retained his father's ability to sense magic and so had been able to follow the queen's trail to the valley, even though she had flown in rather than walked. Angela needed help. If Florina learned the real reason for Angela being in Ilirea, the witch was a dead woman.

"Who goes there?" He heard a dragon demand. It wasn't one of the old ones who had used his ancestors to get a message to Eragon years ago. This one was younger. One of the new dragons.

"I am a watcher of the watchers." The werecat replied. It was something the Arya told Angela to tell the elves or the Riders should she ever be in distress. He hoped that either Eragon or Arya were listening. He needed into the valley.

"Proceed straight to the castle, Werecat. They are expecting you."

The werecat said nothing and hurried though the hole in the barrier. He didn't care that it closed in behind him. He didn't plan on leaving until Eragon rode to war with his sister. He needed to tell them that something was wrong with her now that Murtagh was missing. The son of Solembum entered the castle under the scrutiny of Saphira and Fírnen. Eragon and Arya were waiting just inside the doors. Arya's face set into a grim line when she saw that it was he, Angela's new companion. They had met briefly, when they had sought out Angela for help in this war. She spoke a few words to Eragon before he led them to a small room off the entrance chamber. He guarded the room with spells and then turned to the werecat. The werecat looked at the Rider. He was considered ancient now, along with his brother and sister. He had been the second of a new generation of Riders. The fact that he had to report on his sister did nothing to ease the tension the werecat felt in the room.

"Why have you come?" Saphira asked as her head and Fírnen's entered through open windows. The two dragons looked at the werecat, as if appraising him for a meal. "What do you go by?"

"Unlike my father, I prefer to keep my name hidden from all in case it should fall into the wrong hands. I am Solumbem's son and that is all you need know." The werecat answered.

"A name would be nice," Arya muttered, remembering him during the time she and Delinnëa had spent with him and Angela.

"Call me by my father's name if you wish."

"We will shorten it." Eragon said. "That way I don't get confused. Solum, why have you come."

"It is Angela. The plan, may not work." Solem answered. Arya grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and picked him up. He hissed at her as she brought him to eye level and glared at him. He glared back, none too happy about his current situation.

"What has happened to her? And why are you here instead of trying to help her?"

"I am trying to help her." Solem hissed. "She was thrown into Florina's dungeons. It was just before the attack on the forest. They could be torturing her. I do not know. All I know is that Florina does not trust her and for your plan to work, the rose needs to be given to Florina by someone that she trusts."

"You let Angela go against my sister by herself?" Eragon asked in disbelief. "She's beaten you in battle twice, Arya."

"I know that, Eragon!" Arya hissed. "Angela assured me that she would be fine. I thought she was going to wait until the dragons had imbued their magic into the rose and then I could get it to her to give to Florina, as a grateful subject of the Empire." Arya dropped the werecat onto a chair and sat next to him in another. Eragon began pacing.

"Florina recognized Angela. She knew her from Tronjhiem."

"She remembers Tronjhiem?" Saphira asked. "How can that be?"

"I am not sure. But that is not all. The queen of the Empire has not been sleeping well as of late. A few nights ago, she woke and looked at her back." Arya looked at the werecat sharply. Eragon stopped pacing and looked at her.

"Arya?"

"You said she looked at her back after waking." The elf confirmed. The werecat nodded.

"She seemed very distraught, actually. Then she seemed to decide something and calmed and went to the library. She wasn't able to go back to sleep."

"What is the significance of a nightmare?"

"It wasn't a nightmare." Arya whispered. "She never told you, but she told me in the days when she lived on the Crags and I was raising Fírnen. It was an accident actually. She was doing some exercises in the morning with a short shirt on. She had her back to me and I saw them. Scars from a whipping. They looked like they were still healing. I walked over and touched them and she jumped away from me, pulling on a full shirt as she did so. It took some pressing, but she told me. She had been whipped during her stay at the castle. It was punishment for trying to help Nasuada escape."

"But why didn't she get rid of the scars?"

"His orders. The healers were to keep them, as a reminder of what would happen should she disobey again. She kept them to remind herself of her failure to save one whom she loved dearly enough to endure the torture for."

"They never told me." Eragon whispered and knew that it was Florina's shame that had kept her from sharing the secret with all except for her husband and Arya. Nasuada knew, but only because she had also been a prisoner. "What does this mean then, for the plan?"

"We have to find that rose." Arya said. "Her memories are returning to her. They need strength to become truth in her mind again, so she knows what is real and not."

"And what of Murtagh?" Eragon asked. "Surely he is convincing her that what she is remembering are lies we planted in her mind when she was weakened by say a whipping."

"Murtagh is missing." Solem informed them. "He has been since they took the forest. She does not know where he is or if he is alive."

"Murtagh is the one who took her this time. If he is the one who brought the blood magic to the surface, then it is tied to his presence to her. It means that even though it looks to have taken control of her, my sister is still fighting, trying to return to us."

"And if Florina can be influenced by Murtagh, she can be influenced by Kuldra even more so. Just as our bond has grown stronger, so has theirs. If we can free Kuldra from the blood magic, then she can save Florina." Saphira said.

"But first," Fírnen interrupted, "we have to find Murtagh and ensure that he stays as far from Florina as possible. He became Galbatorix's right hand once he became a Rider. He is now Florina's right hand. She trusts him with her life and with Kuldra's life."

"We need to find a way to get rid of the blood magic." Saphira said. "That is the only way to free the four of them."


I promise, we will look in on Murtagh next chapter. Hehehe, I've been waiting for this one. Thanks for reading and please review.