Not quite the end, but close. Enjoy!
Her whole body shook as she held Zar'roc away from her with Naegling. Their fight had lasted well into the night and the new day was dawning. They were evenly matched when it came to fighting. They always had been. That's the way the three of them had been once Eragon had learned to fight. She was the one who had taught the youngest of them to fight more than one opponent. She wished she had him with her now. They had just started to get back in touch and be more of a family before Murtagh had kidnapped her and Kuldra. But she knew why he couldn't be here for her and for her family. Years after the end of the war, when they were all settled and they had started training the new Riders, Eragon and Saphira had told them of Angela's prophecy the day she had found him in the herbalist's shop. Once he left the lands of Alagaësia, he would never be able to return. He had made that true by tying himself to the valley and the secret it held. In order for him to live there with the dragons and the new Rider's, he had made a pact with the valley's previous guardian to become the valley's guardian, freeing the creature before and binding Eragon and Saphira. It was a choice that Eragon had taken years to tell even Arya about. He had told the elf queen after she had invited him back to Du Weldenvarden for the twentieth time. It had saddened all of them. Florina had made the decision never to tell Roran and Katrina. She had made up the excuse that Eragon was so busy with training the new Riders that he felt he couldn't leave them alone and had given the couple a special mirror they could use to contact their cousin. Eragon had still managed to be an uncle and send gifts. He was more excited than Garrow's parents when the boy had been chosen by Dwerva. A metal clang interrupted her memories and she focused again on the fight she was in.
Florina's legs threatened to buckle under Murtagh's weight. They had landed around midnight, when the dragons could no longer hold themselves in the air due to their injuries. They now laid on either side of the fighting pair, making a large circle around them. Their fates would be decided by the two Riders fighting. Murtagh had since stopped trying to get the blood magic to work for the moment. Florina knew that he was trying to wear her down, make her vulnerable. Like he had in his castle in the north. But he was quickly wearing down as well which would make him easy to capture. But he was hard to keep alive. He had become a Rider under Galbatorix. He had learned from the Mad King and knew spells and tricks that she did not; that none of the Riders would be prepared for and she dare not try to keep him locked up in the valley with Eragon and the knew Riders who would be vulnerable to his silver tongue. Then there was the blood magic that ran in both of their veins. She may have escaped its grip for the moment, but she knew that it was still there. She knew that, in a moment of weakness, it would be there to take her over. The Queen of Alagaësia would always be ready to take her throne back from whomever the Golden Rider gave it to. It was a problem that Florina and Kuldra would have to figure out later with Lifaen's help. But she already had an idea of what needed to be done.
Florina pulled back on Naegling and Murtagh pitched forward. Florina slipped on the mud created by their blood and fell next to him, losing her grip on the gold sword. The siblings looked at each other. Florina pushed herself to her knees and reached for her sword which wasn't far away. Murtagh got to his feet and kicked it away. He was visibly shaking as well. Even though they were the oldest Riders living, even they had limits to their endurance and stamina. But she had also been fighting the blood magic.
Florina tried crawling for her sword, but Murtagh grabbed her hair and pulled her next to him.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" He hissed. "I have given you everything your father left you. He left you everything he had. What more could you want? A family? You had me. A husband? You can have any man in the Empire. You could build an army of Riders of your children and grandchildren if you wanted."
"Go to hell." Florina spat. "And I had everything I wanted. I had a normal life. I had a father and mother who loved me. I found a purpose when Kuldra hatched. My father taught me everything I needed to know. He gave me everything he had and it was all that I ever wanted." She pulled her dagger from her belt and stabbed his leg. He roared in pain and let go of her hair to grab his leg in order to try to heal it. But he was too weak from the fight that the magic fizzled out as he struggled to get the words out.
Florina grabbed her sword and looked at him. This was her chance to end it. But he was distracted. Her father would frown if he knew that she had killed a defenseless opponent. She couldn't bring herself to do it. She would give him a chance to heal himself. The other Rider fell to his knees as he lost more and more blood. Thorn whimpered and Florina's heart shattered. It would be mercy to kill them both now and end their suffering. But she couldn't bring herself to do it. Murtagh yelled loudly in the ancient language and his palm glowed white. The glow enveloped his hand and then his arm and then his body. Florina tried crawling away, knowing she was too close. She threw an arm up to protect herself from the bright light, and also the arm reaching for her. Murtagh screamed in pain and Thorn echoed it. Florina tried pulling herself away, tried getting to her feet so she could get away. She fell into the dirt again as the light got brighter. She looked back at her half-brother. The glow was turning red. There was a blast and she was knocked to her back for a moment before she was lifted and flipped over several times, being tossed past Kuldra as the same glow enveloped Thorn. Florina hit a rock and lost consciousness.
He looked up from the plow and took a long drink from the water jug on his back. Other workers in the fields did the same, taking their cue from him. He signaled a break and they all went to sit in the shade. Roran Stronghammer, when he had built his mansion on the hill, had cleared a large area of the valley to become a communal farm. Everyone in the valley worked it, or parts of it to keep the land healthy. This year, the acreage to be left alone was closer to Therinsford. But Roran had also ordered that everyone was to do their part when it came to the fields. Even he did. Garrow hadn't, but that was because he had become a Rider so young.
"Elan, there is a Rider here for you." Elan looked back towards Carvahall and saw one of the soldiers running over to him. In the distance, he could see a dark form waiting on the outskirts of the town. Elan stood and grabbed his shirt and sword.
"What is it, Baldor?" Elan asked. They came from the same family. Baldor's great-uncle had married Elan's great-aunt or something like that. Elan's parents had decided to honor the matriarch of the family during the war, Elain, who had stood beside her husband when Carvahall had been besieged by the Empire. Baldor had been named after her son who was fast friends with Roran Stronghammer. The families had stayed close over the years.
"A Rider, Elan. He says they've come to take you to Ilirea."
"Ilirea? What could the queen want with me?" Baldor shrugged in answer and the two men walked back towards the city while the rest of the men got to work. As the soldier and earl got closer to the dragon, Elan could see that it was Garrow, Roran's first son who had become a Rider. Elan sighed in relief, knowing that it wasn't the queen who wanted him.
"Garrow, what brings you home again?" Elan called as they got close enough. The Rider pushed himself off the dragon's leg and the two embraced quickly.
"I've come to take you to Ilirea, Elan." Garrow said. "You are needed there."
"You serve the queen?" Elan asked, confused as he put on his shirt and belted on his sword. His wife came out of the city with his pack. Katherine handed the pack to Garrow and kissed her husband's cheek.
"Be safe, Love." She said. Elan wanted her to go with him, but they had a young child to think of and riding on dragon back would not be the best thing for the newborn.
"I'll come back. I promise." Elan said. Garrow helped him onto Dwerva and then climbed up after him. Once both men were settled, the dragon jumped into the sky and flew towards the capital of the Empire. Elan's stomach turned as he tried not to look down. This was the first time he had ever ridden on a dragon and it was bothering him. He was glad he had yet to eat lunch. He didn't look up from Garrow's back until he felt that they had landed which was hours later to camp. Garrow explained that Dwerva needed to rest before going the rest of the way since she had been flying against the wind. Elan could only nod and slowly eat his food, trying to keep it from coming back up.
In the morning, the men got back into the dragon's saddle and flew the rest of the way to Ilirea, arriving just before midday. Garrow took his family to a room where Elan could wash up and then took him to a small study where he needed to wait. Elan stood in the middle of the study and looked at the maps on the desk. He looked up when the door opened.
"Hello Elan, it is good to see you." A female voice said.
One final cliffhanger for my faithful readers. Hehehe. Thanks for reading and please review!
