well, well, i must say this killed me more than i thought it would, but i'm hoping my updating skills will only improve as i go along ^^ quite a bit of a wait for this, it's been like 2 years or something, but i figured 'what the hell, might as well' and decided to continue with this.

i'm thinking after this i'm gonna do one more chapter, then start the sequel, i'll post yet another A/N after with the link to it if you're interested :P

also, i just couldn't bring myself to end this story on a number of chapters that doesnt end in 0, and especially not 69 of all things, lol

anyway, it's late and i thought up a whole lot more of things to say, but well i can't remember them now, so i'm gonna go ahead and do a good ol' claimer - you have no idea how longs it's been since i've done one lol.

-claimer : i own all that isn't in the inheritance books, :D

....enjoy!!! 3

69.–Sienna hue

The sound of tent canvas flapping in the wind was the first thing that I was able to decipher, like hundreds of whips being cracked simultaneously. I drew the back of my hand over my eyes and cracked them open; wincing as the weak dawn light all but blinded me. My vision swam into focus and I looked up at the dark crimson ceiling where the growing sunlight hadn't reached yet. The pain in my body hit me then and I shuddered, the involuntarily movement making me realize that there was something heavy draped over my stomach. I turned my head to see Dorran's face inches from mine, so still that I would have thought he was sleeping had his dark eyes not been open and staring into mine. I snorted and closed my eyes, realizing that it was his arm causing pressure on my belly, holding me closer to him.

"This is oddly bold of you Dorran, maybe even slightly on the verge of inappropriate, what if someone saw and a nasty rumor started circulating?" A smiled touched the edge of my lips, of course he could tell straight from my emotions that I couldn't care less if others saw and was actually totally happy, but I wasn't going to say that out loud. Well, not in the morning at least.

When he remained silent I squinted an eye open curiously, unable to read his emotions because from what I could tell they were a jumbled mess. His eyes closed and he sighed, pressing his head into the space where my neck joined my shoulder, his lips brushing the skin ever so lightly. With that sigh one emotion overpowered all – relief.

"…I'm not going to apologize for going off to kill Galbatorix, just in case that was what you were expecting." His eyes flashed open in anger and he was suddenly on top of me, hands restraining my wrists and knees on either side of my thighs. His face was so close to mine that his hair tickled my cheeks, all I could see were his eyes, enraged with a blood-red tint, reflecting the surrounding walls.

"What the hell did you think you were doing? Going off like that on your own, why didn't you call for help? Why didn't you call me for help?! Do you know how worried I was when I found you lying unconscious, barely breathing, in a pool of blood –"

His speech cut off as my lips met his, but angry as he was, he didn't try to resist. He leaned down further, smashing his face against mine, our emotions and thoughts entwining until I was unable to tell what were mine and what belonged to him. Except one, I felt the terror he'd suffered through after finding me, as well as the total helplessness that accompanied it.

Of course, the experience was short-lived.

Something shoved itself between our faces, separating us and causing an annoyed emotion to spark from Dorran. I sucked in a breath, not realizing that I'd needed one, and stared up into a swath of bright green smushed up against my face. I couldn't help it; a laugh escaped my lips, followed by a wince as my injury throbbed.

With a growl Dorran picked the intrusive baby dragon up and shoved him onto the floor, a look of annoyance coloring his features.

"Why is it that we're always being interrupted by this shrimp?" he demanded, climbing off of me and sitting on the side of the cot to put his boots on. I looked down at Bernlak; the tiny dragonet was actually about the size of a sheep-herding dog.

"He's hardly shimpy, look how much he's grown! He'll be tearing you up in no time if you're not careful." Bernlak's mouth stretched into a fanged grin, emerald scales glimmering in the brightening light.

Yeah, watch out! I blinked as a voice entered my mind and looked over to Dorran who proceeded to lace his boots as if he had heard nothing.

"…Was that you?" I turned down to the puppy-dragon who puffed a plume of smoke and leapt onto my lap, as graceful as a cat with none of the lightness. He chirruped and nuzzled my chest, his forked tongue running out from between his fangs. A low growl erupted from Dorran and he thrust him to the ground, causing him to land heavily on his flaring wings. Before I could protest, or ask him the reason behind his sudden action, a muffled knock sounded on the entrance flap, the silhouette of someone outlined against the thick material.

I sighed, "Come in Cadara," and made my way over to a stone basin on a stack of drawers. Her brown eyes were wide with relief when she saw me, golden hair glowing like sunshine in the light.

"Kalanie! I'm so glad you're alright; we were all so worried when you were brought back here. How did you know it was me, by the way?"

I rolled my eyes at myself in the mirror over the sink, examining my dark nest-like hair in dissatisfaction in the reflection before splashing freezing water over my face. "Who else would come chasing after Bernlak? And I thank you for your concern, I'm happy you are well as well."

She nodded and petted Bernlak's head, "I was on my way here anyway, but Bernlak decided I was walking too slow and ran on ahead, sorry if he disturbed you." Her eyes were embarrassed as she said this and I realized what it must look like to her, neither Dorran nor I were particularly dressed, there was one cot in the tent with the sheets a mess, and Dorran had an unmistakably annoyed look on his face, the result of which was from Bernlak, but Cadara didn't know that. Of course if I was in her place I wouldn't have assumed anything, but you never know with other people.

I waved a hand in dismissal, "Don't worry about, why were you coming here anyway?"

"Oh, Lady Nasuada said to check on you, and that if you were awake to tell you that she would like to speak with you if you are up to it."

I nodded; I had doubted that the mystery of what had happened in the King's 'trophy room' would remain in the dark for very long.

"I will escort her to Nasuada's tent; your dragon requires your attention." Dorran stated and Cadara nodded without looking at him, smiled once at me, then left, practically dragging the protesting dragonet along with her.

The moment she left I tried to inconspicuously rake my fingers through my knotted hair in an attempt to somewhat tame it, but was stopped as Dorran's hand suddenly grabbed mine, halting my makeshift brush in its tracks.

"Dorran…"
"You don't need to try to impress anyone, your presence and accomplishments alone do that, it doesn't matter what you look like."

I huffed, "That sounds like something one tells an overly self-conscious ugly person when they're worried that their looks might disgust people, are you trying to tell me something?" He groaned and turned away from me and I looked back at the mirror, staring closely at my features, even more elvish now that I regarded myself properly, and my abnormal silver eyes were definitely off-putting.

"I knew it, I'm ugly. I've always wondered why so many people look away from me and refuse to meet my gaze. I always figured it had something to do with what a freak I am, but I never even considered being ugly, how utterly vapid of me." Dorran growled and whipped around, his eyes furious, but quickly turned confused as he saw that I was smiling.

"What –"

"Do you seriously think that how I look had any affect on how I think, feel, and act? I couldn't care less about something so petty; I'm trying to figure out just what you meant by that whole comment more than anything."

He ran a hand through his dark hair, eyes averted and staring at the tent door, "It's just that…no, never mind, it's nothing." He smiled and shoved me towards the exit, only pausing to grab a pair of boots and forcefully thrust my feet into them.

"Dorran, what the –"

"Nasuada wants to see you right? I couldn't tell her what happened seeing as you blocked your mind the entire time from me, so we've all been eager to hear the story, so you better tell it well." I sensed a flicker of anger that reminded me yet again of how livid he was at me for excluding him from my plans, but he quickly suppressed it, and I knew better than to comment on it.

He marched me through a see of dark red, the sunlit patches seeming to glow and reflected off surfaces around them. Eyes regarded us as we walked, hundreds of them, all mostly curious, but the owners of some even going as far as to bow in our direction. The whole ordeal made me more than uncomfortable and I felt Dorran take my hand and give it a reassuring squeeze, but even his support didn't stop me from wanting to bury my head in the ground.

At last we approached a slightly larger tent, a huge coat of arms displayed above the entryway. A group of guards regarded us warily, but clanged their shields with their swords and announced our presence to the inhabitants inside. Almost at once the flap was flung to the side and Nasuada was suddenly in front of us, her dark skin glowing copper in the light, made even more so by the contrast of her night-colored hair and the delicate golden pins that adorned the strands.

"Kalanie, it's so good to see you out of bed! And of course it's a pleasure to see you again too Dorran, we were beginning to worry if you were ever going to step out of the confines of that tent. But of course one can hardly blame you, now I'm afraid we will have to continue this reunion inside seeing as you two seem to be attracting a lot of attention that might not be exactly desired at this moment." I glanced around and realized that it seemed as if half the camp had gathered to witness the conversation and I hastily nodded and strode through the opening, the flap folding shut behind Dorran, dimming the inside light.

I blinked, allowing my eyes to adjust, and took in my confined surroundings. The furniture was as simple as it was in our tent, with the exclusion of a sturdy wooden desk that I faintly recalled having seen in Nasuada's office in the tunnels beneath the mountains. But it wasn't the desk that I noticed first, it was the person seated to the side of it. I regarded the girl curiously, and she looked back, her dark brown eyes wide and her same colored hair tumbling down her shoulders in braids.

"Kalanie, Dorran, allow me to introduce Sienna, she surrendered before the end of the battle, claiming to have been a slave to Galbatorix. Whether this is true or not we are unsure, but she has not threatened us as of yet, so we will wait to see what happens." Nasuada smiled warmly at the girl who made no notion in return but continued to watch me silently, in a way that could almost be described as unsettling.

Then a flicker of recognition traveled through me and my eyebrows pulled together. Dorran sensed my slight change and scrutinized the girl as well, trying to figure out where we had seen her before. With our memories joined we were able to identify her in seconds. The Shifter I had fought before had the same eyes, whether they were human or dragon as they had been; they still contained the same amount of suffering and sadness as they did before me now.

"I don't believe she will harm us." I stated, walking to stand right in front of the girl so I could get a better look at her in the faint light. From this close she looked much younger, twelve at most, her eyes still round and child-like, despite the ruthlessness they had witnessed.

I looked down at her ankle, remembering the jewel-encrusted anklet that had been securely latched around her skinny leg. The circlet bulged from beneath her thin skirts and I leant down to examine it, trailing my fingertip along the thin, cold edge.

It was at this point that Faolan suddenly entered the room from another off to the side, his sapphire eyes bright regardless of the early hour.

"Ah, and they emerge! I was starting to think–"

But we would never find out the monumentally rare occasion on which he actually managed to use his brain, because it was at that exact second that Sienna decided to attack.

That's what I get for underestimating people, I guess.

mmmm a little short, but i'm just glad i managed this :P and of course i couldn't help making fun of Faolan at the end there, it's been so long .

as always....

please review!!!!!!!

~Firesilk:D