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"I am not standing down, Arya." Delinnëa snapped as she donned her armor. She had found it in the armory in Tildarí Hall in the short time she had been there. She was glad that it fit and she could move in it. The rose was still secure in her hair and she was sure that it would never move. It was the third rose that her father had given her mother and the one that had seen her through the war with her birth father.

"You do not have the strength nor experience it takes to defeat your mother." Arya argued. "She will destroy you."

"She wants me to surrender control of the Riders to her."

"From what I saw, she negotiated with Garrow and not you. You should never have laid siege to the queen." The elf queen said. "Not to mention that your father is still her prisoner. What if she decides to throw him into the middle of the fight and the only way he lives is that you surrender? What are you going to do?"

"What my parents taught me to do." Delinnëa said without hesitation. "They would want me to do what they would do." Arya stepped back, the words taking her back to just after the Battle of the Burning Plains.

Eragon and Saphira had just left with his cousin without a word to anyone. Hoping that Nasuada would have the answer, she had gone to her pavilion and arrived as Florina was walking out. "And what about you? Should we be concerned that Galbatorix has Emily in his dungeons and that he will use her against you?" She heard Nasuada ask. "No," Florina had answered. She had said something else but Arya couldn't hear her.

Nasuada had told her later that Florina had said that Galbatorix had not known that Emily had raised the Golden Rider. Arya had gotten the feeling that Florina would have sacrificed Emily to ensure the safety of Alagaësia. Now here was Delinnëa, the daughter of that same woman, promising to do the same thing her mother would have done. The thing that surprised Arya the most was that she knew that is what Florina would want if all else was lost.

"If you are going to help me, then I need you to keep Murtagh away from me and my mother." The younger woman said. "I think I know what my father was trying to do and I think I might be able to push her the rest of the way. But I can't do that if Murtagh is there and able to influence her."

"I can't let you do this." Arya said. "Your mother made me promise to protect you and your brother should anything happen to your parents. Your mother has been placed under a spell and your father is now her prisoner. We have no idea what has happened to your brother. I will not break my promise with you as well."

"You should have thought about that before fleeing to the valley with your people." Delinnëa snapped. "You ran and hid like a coward. And even then, I had hoped for your help. But you seemed to disappear when I told you that the flower was lost and no one hears from you until now. You may be the queen of the elves, but you do not rule me nor my Riders."

"Delinnëa," Garrow's voice came from outside as Arya opened her mouth to protest. Delinnëa buckled on her sword and pushed past the elf and out of her tent. Garrow met her outside the tent and took a moment to catch his breath. "Murtagh comes with Florina's Riders." He said. "Your mother does not ride with him."

"Why?"

"She's been locked in the king's rooms." A werecat trotted up to the trio. "Since the elf showed up and began to talk to her, she has become even more unstable. Yesterday, she had an extreme episode that drove her to unconsciousness for an hour before she had seemed to return to her new normal. And just hours ago, there was a fight between the queen and Murtagh over the elf's fate." Delinnëa looked at the two Riders, a sparkle of hope in her eyes.

"Do you know what this means?" She asked. "It means that whatever Dad's plan is, it's working. She's coming back!"

"You can't be sure of that." Arya cautioned. "She can still be unbalanced and was put there to keep her safe during the fight."

"No, you're wrong, Arya." She said. "Mom is coming back to us. I can feel it. And we need to give Dad time to finish what he started." She turned to the werecat. "Where is he?"

"Locked in a tower, at the moment. He was placed there after the negotiations so he could watch the bloodshed. But her episode occurred right after that. And then she had gone to see him with the rose in her hand. I'm not sure what was said, but I could tell that she was different from the queen she had been these past several years."

"Can you get to him?"

"I can try to." The werecat said.

"Then try. Tell him that he needs to get to my mother and help her. Tell him that he needs to finish what he started." The werecat nodded and ran back towards the city.

"What do we do, Nëa?" Garrow asked.

"We fight Murtagh and those that follow him. Try not to kill our brothers and sisters. They were only doing what the blood magic pulled them to do. As for the others, try not to kill them as well. Injure, but not too severely. Try to capture and hold them until Mom comes out as herself again."

"What about Murtagh?" Arya almost whispered.

"I'll fight him. And make sure he can't get to Mamma again." She answered as she began walking towards the dragons. Garrow followed. Others joined them as Delinnëa's orders spread through the camp.


Lifaen looked up as the door opened. He stood, prepared to defend himself. He was starting to get through to his wife. She was starting to see the truth. He was not going to let himself die now. Edan walked in and Lifaen gathered up his chains.

"What is a traitor like you doing here? Have you come to kill me?"

"No, Lord Lifaen." Edan said. "I never turned on the Riders. I swore to follow the Golden Rider where she led. Kilana and I decided to follow her to ensure her safety and the safety of the people. If the Golden Rider had started becoming her father, we would have turned on her and attempted to subdue her and take her home. Just now, she fought against Murtagh to keep you alive. And I saw something in her eyes that I have not seen in years."

"Her love of life." Lifaen said and Edan nodded. "Where is she now?" The elf asked as Edan unshackled him.

"She is locked in Galbatorix's old rooms. If we hurry, we can finish the job and get outside before the fighting starts." The two ran out of the tower and towards the royal wing.


Florina threw herself against the door for the hundredth time. It still didn't budge and her shoulder was beginning to bruise.

"Stop this madness, Brave One, and think. You cannot go out there and fight until you know what you are fighting for. Those Riders are not wanting to take your Empire from you, but take you from the Empire. What are you really defending against? Who is your real enemy?" Kuldra said and Florina forced herself to sit on the couch.

"I don't know." She admitted. "Ever since the battle in Duweldenvarden, ever since we found the flower, nothing has been straight in my mind. I have two different memories for every event since you hatched. I don't know what the truth is. Do I trust my head or my heart? What do I do, Kuldra?" The dragon said nothing for a few minutes and so the two sat in silence until the gold dragon did speak again.

"Before she ended her life, Jarnunvösk told me that your truth splits here, at the castle. I did not know what she meant until you began to question yourself. And then I saw something in the dragon hold above and it brought to me a memory. It is a partial memory, but one that felt important."

"What did you see in the dragon hold?"

"A hairbrush. One that looked old. When I touched it, it fell to dust and splinters and hair. After that, I saw something that I think was a memory. Here, let me show you." Florina opened her mind more and the dragon shared the memory.

She was assaulted by the sights of the old throne room. Everything had a gold tint which meant that she was looking through Kuldra's eyes. She was in front of Kuldra, guarded by Murtagh. The flower was prominent against the woman's black hair. From the stiffness in her stature, Florina knew that her father had just said something that she did not like. Then the vision began speaking.

"I don't believe you. My father was a blacksmith who was married to a barren woman. He knew Selena of old and was allowed to father a child with her, granted that the babe be given to his wife as her own. Selena agreed and I was conceived and born. Then Selena disappeared from our lives. That she had other children does not mean much to me and I call lies on you, Galbatorix. You are a liar, a thief, and a murderer."

"Florina, do not talk to your father in that manner." Florina turned.

"Mom?" She looked from her mother to the king sitting on his throne with his dark dragon behind him back to her mother. She was dressed in finery, not the rags they had expected. Her hair brown hair was no longer oddly cut and burnt. Instead it was long and tied into a partial bun. "No, that can't be. She was taken from us as a prisoner." Angela's prophecy echoed in the dragon's mind as she realized what had happened. "What have you done? Why are you dressed like that?" Emily looked at the king who nodded his ascent. Emily turned to face her daughter.

"Florina, you must understand, I did this for your own good."

"What are you talking about? You were taken captive. Father said you were taken by his spellcasters." Florina pointed to Galbatorix.

"Yes, I was taken by them. I was locked in the dungeons. I have been there for months."

"But you are not dressed like a prisoner. And there is no reason that he would dress you up like this unless you agreed to serve him." Florina fell silent and Kuldra could feel her Rider putting the pieces into place. The spell she had cast only allowed a select few to say their names and not be forgotten. They were herself, Florina, Arya, Caleb, and Emily. Neither of them had told the other two Riders their names. Arya was with Nasuada and Eragon. The man named Caleb was now dead. That left only one other person. "No." Florina whispered. "No! I don't believe you! You would never do that to me! I am your child! You raised me as your own! You would never do this to me!" Murtagh grabbed her. She didn't notice.

"She did it to save you, Florina." Galbatorix said. "She did it to keep you alive." Florina turned to face him.

"Don't waste your words on me! I was safer with the Varden than I am with you, no matter what you promised her!"

"Florina," Emily tried again, "listen to your father. You would have been killed had I not agreed to serve him. You would have been killed either by his men or the Varden. More likely the Varden once they realized I was in your father's dungeons and could be used against you."

"You're a fool!" Florina cried, barely aware of Murtagh's arm around her waist. "You are a fool to believe him! They knew, Emily! They knew exactly where you were! Dad and I went to them for help! To save you! They knew the whole time that you are here! They've known since before the attack on the city! They knew all along where you were!"

"Murtagh, take Florina back to her room." Galbatorix ordered. "I'm afraid this has been too much excitement for her."

"Yes, Majesty." Murtagh picked up his sister and carried her like a sack of potatoes.

"Let me go! No! Kuldra! They knew, Emily! They knew all along! You've killed us all! Let me go! Kuldra!" They all listened as Florina was carried away. Emily didn't say anything and only looked at the floor until Galbatorix spoke.

"Well, that is an interesting turn of events. Don't you agree, Emily?"

"Indeed, Majesty." He waved her away in dismissal. She bowed and left through the door she had entered through. He looked at them and nodded towards the large door and Thorn forced her through back to the dragon hold.

The memory receded and Florina sat in silence, processing the memory. It brought to mind other memories that didn't have a fight. Ones that had Eragon and his father, Brom, and Saphira in them. She recalled Kuldra mentioning a memory of being around water while in her egg. Florina felt the back of her head, where the Urgal club had hit her while she had flown to Eragon's defense, not Durza's.

"Who are you, Brave One?" Kuldra asked. "I have shown you something that could not be faked. That memory of betrayal, no one could ever fake that. That woman meant something to you while she lived. Where does this memory lead?"

"To the truth." Florina answered.

"The truth of what?"

"Of who I am."

"And who are you, Brave One? Are you the queen of the Empire, a position you inherited from your father, King Galbatorix? Or are you the Golden Rider, a woman raised by a humble blacksmith and his barren wife until the wife was kidnapped by the mad king?" Kuldra was silent a moment. "Who are you, Florina?"


The war ends, hopefully, next chapter. Thanks for reading and please review.