Murtagh raced down the halls towards his sister's rooms. One of the others had mentioned that she had seemed unstable since the invasion of Du Weldenvarden. Ever since he had been gone with the captured Rider. He had left her alone to be influenced away from what needed to be done. But she was surrounded by her followers. How could she have been influenced by her enemies? Sila and Cobalt didn't speak to her much, only when she approached them. It had to be something from the forest. It had to be. How could it not be? The timeline was too complete to be anything else.

The sound of a Rider's blade hitting stone made Murtagh hurry his steps. His queen, his sister, was in danger from an unknown source. Eragon would pay for his cowardice! He had sent something to Florina to make her doubt her instincts and what her father left for her.

Murtagh rounded the corner and found Florina crouched against the wall and clutching her head, Naegling was on the ground next to her. She was screaming in a different language, one that he didn't know, but had heard. The people of Kuasta had spoken the language of the Empire, but also had their own to speak to their gods when praying.

"Florina," he knelt next to her and touched her shoulder.

"Get away from me!" She screeched and clawed at him. "Just leave me alone!" He looked in her eyes as he grabbed hold of her wrists. They weren't cold and calm like he was used to seeing. Her dark eyes were full of madness and fear. He had never seen anything like that before. Not even her own father had had that look in his eyes when he had been alive. He imagined it was something similar to what would happen should a Rider lose their dragon or vice versa. "Lifaen, where is Lifaen?" Murtagh picked up his sister and carried her to her rooms where he threw her on the bed. She didn't try to get away, but she didn't stop sobbing either. It would be best to leave her in her rooms until she was well again. But who knew how long that would take. Their enemy was on their doorstep and ready to attack should Florina not give in. He would check on her in a few hours. He placed a spell around her bed to keep her from leaving it. If she had gotten out, that meant she had used the Word and she was sane again. In the meantime, he meant to figure out what had caused this change and how he was going to reverse it.

You can't reverse magic. His father's voice taunted him. The shade of his father had not left him alone since he had returned to the castle. He stayed quiet most of the time, but chose moments when Murtagh needed a clear head to speak and break his concentration. Murtagh ignored his father and picked up Naegling. Florina had won it during the war after her master had been killed. She had been changing then, beginning to fight against her father. He had kept that from her, that she had changed sides if only to protect the people whom she loved. It had happened, he guessed, in Du Weldenvarden when she had been training under Oromis and Glaedr. He remembered that he had killed them and then had to force Florina back to Urû'baen. She had taken the sword and left another in its place. The other sword. He hadn't seen it since that day. The elves have had it since, my son. And there is now an elf in your sister's dungeons.

Murtagh hurried to the armory and searched for the gold sword that Florina had made during her time with the elves. If the elf had brought it with him and it had been confiscated, it would have been placed in the armory to keep it from him. The sword wasn't there. He breathed a sigh of relief that stopped suddenly. Sitting next to the daggers, on a black pillow, was a gold rose with white lined petals. She had had one in her hair when he had taken her from Vroengard. He had also seen one like it during the war. She had never been without it. When he had her in the castle in the north, he hadn't seen it at all. This one, this one had magic radiating off of it.

"I found it in Ellesméra." Florina's voice echoed in the silence. He turned to look at her. She had straightened her hair and tied it back, but there was still an echo of the madness in her eyes. "Why didn't you tell me I had had one when we were in the north?"

"I thought it had been nothing."

"The witch says that an elf had given it to the woman he loved and that it had been kept in the armory for safety. Why would I have had one? And why does this one radiate with magic?"

This is your chance to get her back under your king's control. Tell her that it was used to control her. Tell her!

"I don't know, Florina. It could be that this one was given for love and the one you pulled from your hair was meant to control you, to keep you from returning to yourself. Maybe they thought that if you saw more than one, you would guess it was just a flower native to the region.

Coward, his father mumbled.

"Perhaps," Florina whispered. She walked over to the flower. Murtagh waited for her to say something else, but she remained silent.

It is the flower that is sending her into this madness. Destroy it. Destroy it now! Save your sister and get back into the queen's good graces.

Florina picked up the flower and left. Murtagh watched her go and watched as she headed in the direction of the tower the elf had been placed in.


Delinnëa looked at the flower in her hand. It was the one her mother had worn through her war. Nëa had brought it with her to remind her why she was fighting. She needed to save her parents from Galbatorix. She was the only one left that could do it. But she had a problem. She had seen the people and how happy they were. Elva had mentioned that she had not seen this happiness in the people when she had been visiting Nadara. Palancar Valley was thriving in much the same way. She remembered her uncle telling her and Oromis that they were related to the people of Palancar Valley. Selena, her grandmother, had been born there. Her brother, Garrow, had had one son and had raised Eragon. Garrow's son, Roran, had been given a stewardship and the land of Palancar Valley to protect and govern. Roran had named his first son after his father and his daughter had been named after her grandmother, Ismira, Katrina's mother. Eragon had loved telling stories of Roran's attempt at romancing Katrina and then how they, and the people of Palancar Valley, got involved in the war.

"He also mentioned that the blood of Palancar, the deposed king, runs through the people of the valley, including your mother." Evarínya interrupted. "Are you thinking of placing your extremely distant cousin on the throne?"

"Well I can't exactly take the throne. That's how this whole mess got started." Delinnëa said to her dragon as she secured the flower in her hair. "Galbatorix had stolen the throne and then never died. But, from what we've seen, he would be the best fit. Nadara and her family didn't do anything right by the people. I think they prosecuted more than protected because of Nasuada's law regarding magic. No, Nadara cannot be given back the throne."

"You are becoming wise, Strong One. You are becoming a leader."

"It wasn't something I ever wanted."

"But a station you were meant for, nonetheless." The dragon said. "Look at yourself and where you are. Look at who follows you. Garrow is one of the oldest Riders among your ranks, yet he defers to you. The wild dragons answered your inquiries without resistance. You are a born leader, Delinnëa. Nothing anyone says or does can change that. And when this is over, it will be you the Rider's look to for guidance."

"What do you mean?" Evarínya didn't answer. "Evarínya, what do you mean?"

"I shouldn't be telling you, but I wasn't sworn to secrecy either. You were in a meeting with your uncle and Arya. Your father refused to be a part of it, I think it was when you were telling them about the flower. He told me that after this, he felt that they would have to leave Vroengard and never return. He felt that Florina would not be able to lead the Riders, not without fear of falling victim to the blood magic again. He told me that when they left, they would leave you to govern the Riders and make the decisions."

"What about them? And the Riders would still need their new blades."

"He didn't say." The dragon whispered.

"Mama loved the forest. Maybe they will hide there for the rest of their days. Or maybe they can go to the Valley and help uncle train the new Riders."

Delinnëa stood from her cot and walked out of her tent and to the command tent. Arya had arrived last night and wanted to talk to her. Delinnëa guessed that she wanted to talk her out of this attack. That wasn't going to happen. She was committed to this now and nothing could stop it. She would save her mother or die in the process. She was the Leader of the Riders now, and she would do what needs to be done.


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