Hey guys. Merry Christmas! I am going to have new chapters for you guys hopefully for three days in a row to celebrate. At least Xmas Eve and Xmas. I was going to have this be part of another mega update, but was unable to compelte chapters for my other fics. This one just fascenates me right now. Plus, there is something else...never mind it though. I have more on that for you guys on the ATRI page, so go check it before you read!

Of course there is a song for this chapter. I had had no idea how to write this, though I did know in general what I wanted. But then I came across this song and really it not only really fits every character in this chapter, but it helped inspire me to try a completely different approach to writing it. The song is Hurt by Thousand Foot Krutch; I suggest listening to it while reading for the full affect. Throw in a little 3 Days Grace and Trans Siberian Orchestra with a couple other odds and ends and you get this chapter. So without further a due…

Enjoy!

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The first explosion shattered through the air around noon.

In its wake, a symphony of shouts and alarms rang out, shattering the pre-battle silence. Eragon was among the first of the confused, bleary-eyed men to stumble out into the hall, not knowing what was going on.

In his sleep-deprived state, his mind did not comprehend at first what was going on. It was like a dream, a nightmare. Men ran around him, rushing and shouting to each other. Many gathered their weapons, their battered shields and armor clanking wildly around. Some struggled to put them on, panic in their eyes. Another explosion jarred the air, the sound of shattering stone echoing through the empty halls. It was accompanied by the choking smell of smoke.

It took him another moment to fully regain composure till he got himself to start toward the sound, first slowly then faster and faster with every step till he was at a dead run.

It was just wrong. Everything. The scouts had said the Empire was still miles away, and besides that, why noon? The Empire had spotted group of scouts and killed two. There would be no surprise with their attack. No matter when that was. Plus night would be a much better time to attack. But at noon? When they were all wide-awake and most were at their best? The only thing could remotely help their cause was the heavy mist which had set in, obscuring details of anything over a couple feet away. And that really would hurt them just as much as the Varden and Surda's forces; if not more because of them being more familiar with the lands.

He could feel his heart racing as another explosion filled the air. A thin layer of sweat and dew coated his skin, sending chills down his spine.

As Eragon arrived upon the courtyard, suddenly, a new sound rattled the air. Eragon froze in his dead run, shock written on his features. Thud. A heavy impact jarred the air. Thud. The mists above him swirled around in a white wind. They condensated on his check, further drenching his body. Thud. The sound of wings pumping filled the air. No! Not yet!

Then came the blood-curdling roar, high pitched and animalistic. A shadow shivered across the expanse of the courtyard. He looked up just in time to see a shape shifting in and out of the clouds.

A torrent of flame ripped down towards him, setting the white mist to a blue gleam. Feeling a familiar tingling in his body, he cried out the first word that came to mind. "Brisingr!"

At the last second, the flame swirled upward back to where it came from, the intense heat singeing his hair. The figure above effortlessly dodged, the sounds of its growls of frustration rolling off his ears.

Eragon drew Adurna. The blue blade glimmered as it slung out. "Come on!" He shouted as the figure above wheeled around for another attack. He shielded his mind, not intent on letting the other rider get the best of him. The dragon above dove toward him. Eragon could hear the almighty crack of his jaws as he rushed towards the rider. The next second he got a face full of monstrous teeth snapping at him. He swung Adurna wildly, his vision clouded by the mist. The dragon snarled and pulled away, rising up. As he turned his tail impacted Eragon, the spikes on its end scraping across his unprotected stomach. He clenched his abdominal muscles to keep them from going too deep.

He stumbled back, putting one hand across his bleeding stomach to assess the damage as the dragon ascended with a triumphant roar. Blood gushed from the wound, warm and sticky. Not life threatening if treated fast enough, but he had no time. The dragon seemed to be content with watching him suffer for a little, circling above him like a vulture waiting for a weak animal to finally surrender to death. He wondered if he dared to risk a healing spell, considering the way the dragon was attacking lead him to believe its rider wasn't on it.

Suddenly he felt bile rise in his throat. If the dragon's rider wasn't on it, where was he? He looked around him, hoping that this hadn't been some sort of trap. He suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder and spun around, slashing Adurna wildly. It hit cold steel and sent shards splintering the ground.

Before Eragon could make another lunge, a familiar voice stopped him. "Eragon! Stop! Stop! It's just me!" He let his sword down as he eyed Hayden.

"Sorry." He murmured as Hayden half-heartedly stared down at his broken blade in disbelief.

"Guess I'm gonna need a new sword…" Eragon flashed him a quick smile and drew an older blade he had been keeping on him. It was covered in rust and had several dents, testifying to its master's harsh treatment. Hayden gave it an odd look and dropped the broken one, reluctantly taking it. "Thanks…" he said as he eyed it distastefully. "Still gonna need a new one…"

"Let's just make it through this first. Then we can worry about afterwards." He said as the dragon above them let out a roar as if to remind them he was still there. "Cover my back! The rider's not on him!" He shouted as the dragon dove once more.

This time the attack seemed more planned, no longer just wild slashes. He rushed toward the weak points on Eragon, his legs and wounded midsection. Eragon slashed at the dragon's head, barely missing its obscured eyes. He still could not tell if it was Shruikan or Thorn he was dealing with, though he hoped the latter.

The dragon attempted to circle the pair, knowing that Hayden would not have enough experience to deal with it, but the pair kept spinning, following the dragon's motions perfectly.

The dragon suddenly sped up, hoping to win the fight in one try. Eragon took advantage of its poorly calculated move, slashing out at him. Adurna clipped his left wing, easily sliding through the membrane and shredding it. The blue blade gleefully glimmered as red met its length. Hot dragon blood squirted from the wound, a few droplets hitting Hayden, scalding his skin.

The dragon roared in pain and pulled up, further ripping the flesh. He sent a torrent of flame back at them as he rose away. Eragon gripped the younger boy's shoulder and dove down, sending them both sprawling to the ground just as the fire roared over head. But it wasn't quite quick enough for Eragon, catching him on his right shoulder. He let out a cry of pain as his skin blistered in the intense heat. It did not catch fire, but it still burned away a good chunk of his shirt. He was glad for the first time it was such a misty day as the moisture soothed the burn.

The dragon above them bobbed, clearly struggling to stay airborne. He fought it, attempting to rise once more. But for every mighty pump of his wings, his body dropped a foot. Finally, the great dragon relented, tucking his hurt wing inwards and using the other one to gently glide down. What ever chance there was that this fight was going to result in all four walking away unhurt seemed to be gone with the dragon's ability to fly.

A chorus of twangs suddenly echoed through the air. Eragon gave a grim smile as he realized that his men were mounting an attack on the dragon. He didn't expect them to rush in with him like Hayden had; he'd actually ordered them not to, but even the arrows were an unexpected display of courage.

There was a chorus of metallic clanks as many bounced harmlessly off his scales and some totally missed, hitting the pillars behind the dragon rather then the dragon himself, but a infuriated roar testified to the fact that some found purchase in the dragon's side and wings.

The beast rose on its hind legs, mindlessly slashing towards at the arrows. Its tail grated across the ground as he swung his forelegs at the upper level of the building where the shots came from. Eragon took advantage of the distraction and swiftly healed his wounds as the sounds of the arrows met his ears once more.

He rushed towards the dragon the next second, silently and swift poising his blade to strike. He slashed at the dragons back, shuddering as the dragon let out an anguished whine. He swung backwards at his attacker, but Eragon quickly dodged, rolling behind a pillar. The infuriated dragon blindly rushed forward, oblivious to the fact that Hayden coming from behind…

The dragon's massive head appeared from behind the pillar, snapping at Eragon. He slashed back, forcing the dragon to withdraw a bit. Eragon started to try to run, but the dragon's massive tail slammed in front of him, the force of the blow sending Adurna flying and sending him sprawling backwards toward the dragon's waiting claw.

The massive creature grasped Eragon's form, smashing him into the pillar that had protected him, now betraying him. He yelled in agony, the harsh claws digging into him. They pushed cruelly into him, squeezing the life out of him as the dragon malevolently rumbled with pleasure. The scaly arms pulled him up off the ground, skimming him across the pillar. His skin tore across his back as he screamed wordlessly, struggling to break free of the dragon's grasp.

Soon the ground bellow was a hazy blur even to his elven gaze. The dragon rose to its full height, its head towering above him. He could imagine the look of glee in his eyes; could almost feel his pride of victory like an electric buzz through the air.

But before the dragon could get in the final blow, a new sound filled the air. With a yell, Hayden plunged his borrowed blade into the dragon's thick left ankle. He roared in pain, doubling over. As his grip released him, Eragon found himself freefalling, right towards the dragon's neck spikes! He swiftly drew a small dagger he kept on his side, desperately plunging it into the column. Luck was with him for once and it caught the stone, abruptly stopping his fall.

Bellow, the dragon swung at his aggressor, sending Hayden flying backwards till he hit a far pillar with a sickening crack. Satisfied, the dragon turned in pain to face Eragon once more. With a sick feeling, Eragon realized that even wounded, his neck could reach this high alone. He needed to get higher! He desperately swung his legs, trying to find purchase as the dragon rose his neck to meet Eragon rapidly.

Just as it seemed he wouldn't make it, a sole metallic twang filled the air followed by the most terrible sound he'd ever heard, a dragon's scream. Not roar or whine, a scream. He could feel his eardrums split and he couldn't help but loose his hold on the dagger, the momentum sending him flying across the courtyard. He landed hard, his body writhing with pain.

And it was a good thing he did; the sound of exploding stone filled the air as the dragon crashed headfirst into the column. It broke into a million pieces as the dragon fell to the ground, setting the earth vibrating as the pieces rained down.

Eragon didn't move for a second, his gaze not wavering from where the fallen dragon lay, unmoving. He finally rose to his feet, warily watching his fallen foe. He didn't move, not even an inch.

A groan distracted him suddenly. He turned to see Hayden lying a few feet away from him.

With a limp, he staggered over to his side. Hayden was pretty banged up, his shirt red with blood and his torso and all visible skin speckled in bruises and a few blisters. He let out another groan. Eragon knelt over, feeling pain shoot up from his left leg. He kept weight off of it as he gently placed a hand on the young boy's side. He closed his eyes, seeing his damaged body we his mind. He then methodically healed each wound, dabbing into the reserves he'd built in Adurna's gems as well his own strength.

After he had patched up Hayden to the best of his ability, he healed each of his own wounds, though his leg still hurt accompanied by this terrible pain on his face. He had to bite his tongue to suppress it.

With in a few seconds, he heard footsteps and looked up. A figure appeared, silhouetted by the milky mists. It was a tall, lanky form with broad shoulders. In one of his—for it obviously was his—hands was a bow. He moved in a similar way to Hayden, slow but sure. As he appeared, Eragon could see how much he resembled Hayden, especially obvious in the way he smiled. It was curved up on the left slightly. But there were a few differences. His hair was a rich shade of brown and seemed much better kept. Also rather than Hayden's dark blue eyes, he had deep brown eyes that matched the shade of his hair. He wore the same clothes, however, beaten and patchy.

Hayden finally came to fully, slowly sitting up. "Pace…" Hayden moaned, confirming that this was indeed his brother.

"Aren't you skilled? Only you would stab a dragon 'n' then just stand there like an imbecile." He let out a chuckle, a playful gleam in his eyes. "Lucky that you got such a good brother to look out for ya." He mussed up Hayden's hair affectionately.

"What happened?" Hayden asked.

"Shot it in the eye. It freaked out and crashed in the pillar. I dunno if it's dead or alive…" He answered.

"Suppose I should thank you." Eragon said. Pace looked at him. "Would have gotten me if not for you…"

"No big deal…" Pace said, his voice quivering a little to let Eragon know he knew whom he was talking to.

"I highly doubt that. That was some shot. It was even moving…" Eragon gave him a kind smile to let him know it was okay to take credit where credit was due.

He rose, a limp still evident in his stride as he moved over to examine the dragon. In his peripheral vision, he could see Pace due fully supporting his brother as Hayden tried to stand. He couldn't help but let smile tug at the corners of his lips.

That smile grew much more serious though as he cautiously approached his fallen foe. Even from this distance, he could see it was not dead. He eyed the wounds and was impressed that the dragon had managed to last so long. The blow to his wings had left a massive, painful-looking hole in his wing. The left ankle was destroyed so bad, he knew even if it got a magician to look at it, the ankle would always be weak and chances were it would never be able to support much weight. The wounds to the back left untreated were serious enough that the dragon would bleed out almost surely. Random arrows stuck out of his side, most of them shallow and easily treatable. But the arrow lodged into the eye, though not far enough to reach the brain, was possibly the worst thing, he knew. The dragon would never be able use his eye ever again, and if it got infected it could easily become life threatening.

Suddenly, as Eragon took another step forward, something happened.

He froze, bile rising in his throat, his head threatening to explode. It wasn't a he… it was a her. It was Saphira. He lost his control at that moment, the little contents of his stomach pouring onto the bloody ground. He had seen little glimmers of blue while they were fighting, but he hadn't thought it was really her. Just his mind playing tricks on him! He couldn't believe he tried to…how could he have….

He paid attention to the pain on his face and leg once more, realizing it wasn't really his legs and his face that hurt. They were the two worst wounds she had been dealt. He was still remotely linked to her, though it had gotten much weaker. He was feeling her pain…

He could feel his stomach clenching, trying to find something more it could toss out. His dry heaving forced acid to gather in his mouth, eating away at his gums. He couldn't believe it and closed his eyes, praying when he opened them this would just be a dream, just his over-active, exhausted mind was playing tricks on him.

But when he opened his eyes again, he was still facing her blue thigh. There was still rubble covering her body. They had still attacked her, his best friend, his girl. They had still made her half blind and taken away both forms of motion she had at her disposal. Another sick feeling hit him as he realized she would be completely defenseless against Shruikan and Thorn in this state. As if it wasn't bad enough!

How could this even have happened! She was in a tower! A reinforced, magical tower! And she had been drugged! She should still be there! He suddenly remembered that he was supposed to be the one who look after her, with the rest of the magicians gone. He must have miscalculated the dose…

He could feel his heart ripping. This was his fault. All of it. If he had just…he hadn't meant to…He let out a choking cry as he fell to his knees, his hands cupping her wounded thigh. He held her tightly, sobs wracking his body. He could not believe this. There was just no way. How was it that of everything that could have happened today the very worst was thing that did?

He clenched and unclenched his hands, anger gripping him. Anger for what ever was happening to her. Anger with the Empire for tearing them apart. Anger at her for not being truly there to talk to. Above all, anger at himself for letting this happen. If he had just protected her. It wasn't that hard. She did it all the time. But when she was at her worst, he did nothing.

"I'm sorry." He whispered, more to himself than to her. As tears drained down his face, he burrowed his head into her side. Even though this was less than what he had expected, it was the worst and best he'd felt in forever. To touch her. To hold her. To feel her. He felt closer to her than he'd been in weeks, yet still so far away. He had to look at her to see she was breathing, still couldn't actually hear her the way he always had. The intimacy was missing. Still, it felt good, to caress the warm scales on her leg. "I missed you…I don't want to leave you…" He murmured, the tears on his face all too blinding.

He was so caught up in his tears that when it happened, in no way was he ready. A blue tail smashed into him hard, hitting him squared in the head, knocking him out instantly as he flew back and hit the ground hard.

Hayden and Pace weren't too far off when they hear the massive crash and the roar that followed. They rushed back, Hayden overcoming what was left of his dizziness. They had, as soon as they too had realized it was Saphira, left Eragon to his privacy. But they hadn't though she would wake!

Her neck was right above him, curled protectively around her prey. She let her lip go back a little in a malevolent grin, ready to defend her catch if need be. She snarled at the brothers, beckoning them to come closer.

"What do we do?" Pace shouted to his brother, drawing his bow and a small blade.

Hayden thought for a moment till something hit him and he looked over at Pace. "I have a plan…"

"What?"

"We kick her butt." He answered. Pace smiled at his brother, knowing that Hayden knew what he was doing.

The two took off in separate directions, keeping a wide birth from the dragon, though not so far as to loose her attentions. She seemed confused as to which one to pay attention to, her gaze snapping this way and that. Every time she tried to look at one, the other moved a little closer then jumped back as soon as she turned to face them. It became a game almost.

Then she seemed to remember herself and let out a torrent of flame to Pace before snapped her attention back to Hayden. She was wounded, her motions limited, but Hayden knew that was no reason to get cocky. He eyed his brother a second as Pace dodged the messily fired flame. Then it was time. Hayden ploughed in, blade flashing wildly.

Saphira lunged like a snake, snapping her jaws at him. He dodged her and swung his blade wildly, not truly intending to hit her. He just needed to keep her attentions for a little while…

Pace hooked his arm around Eragon; said man did not so much as groan or anything. He knew he would be carrying dead weight, but he needed to get Eragon out of there till he regained consciousness.

He pulled at Eragon's shoulder, hoping to get him out before his dragon saw what was going on…

Hayden desperately fought off Saphira's advances, banging his sword on her teeth a couple times when she remember there was more than one brother she was fighting to garner her attentions once more.

He scraped her cheek with one thrust, sweat gleaming off his forehead as she withdrew a little. Smoke bubbled out of her silts as she let out a hiss of pain. She snapped her fangs at him, trying to find some weakness in his defense.

He ducked out of her way and once more lunged forward at her. She growled and lunged at his legs, finally finding purchase. Her teeth dug into his thigh, slicing through his muscles. He let out a hoarse cry, his leg on fire. He couldn't think, couldn't see, could barely breath. She picked him up, shaking him like a rag doll. Blood gushed out of his wound, forcing a painful cry from his cracked lips.

"Hayden!" Pace screamed as he let go of Eragon and rushed to his brother's aid. Saphira seemed surprised by his sudden outburst and lost grip on Hayden's leg, sending him sprawling to the floor. He grunted, the feel of his rib cracking sending a fire into his chest.

Pace rushed in with out another thought, rapidly slashing at the dragon. She seemed overwhelmed at first, not sure how to counter act his wild advances. But soon she got her game back and blew a puff of fire at him to prove it.

Pace dodged most of it, the edge grazing his arm. But he didn't so much as bite his lip as his arm blistered, his mind too focused on his brother. He wouldn't loose him, even if it meant his life he'd be damned if he lost him! He continued with his wild motions, spinning in a dizzying pattern as he struggled to protect his brother.

He kept a wild, unpredictable pattern to his attacks. The dragon, who had been fighting all this time plus before Eragon even came out, seemed to be tiring, her motion more staggering and her breathing uncontrolled. Pace on the other hand, had much more energy, having only barely been involved in the original fight and caught up with adrenaline, had only just broke a sweat. He was glad for once that he had been a farm boy before hand rather than a butcher or even a smith, so he had a decent level of endurance.

In desperation, Saphira lashed her tail out like a whip, clipping him hard across the chest and knocking the breath out of him. As he fell to the ground, she pulled away for a moment, catching her breath.

He tried to stand but she put her foreleg across him, holding him down as her body shook with effort of standing. He looked up into her eyes, filled with pure fire and rage.

Suddenly she let out a screech as Hayden slashed at her uninjured back leg. She swung her tail to meet him, but he duck just in time. He wracked his blade across her tail, leaving a gaping cut across her tail.

Before she could retaliate any more, Eragon's voice rose. "Slytha!" Suddenly, she collapsed where she lay, her legs giving way. She let out a soft whine before collapsing to the floor, her weight bearing down on Pace. He grunted, her claws digging into him.

"Pace!" Hayden shouted, moving as fast as his injuries permitted to his older brother's side. Pace looked up at him, blood pooling all around him.

"'Ey Haydi." He coughed out hoarsely as his brother desperately tried to unhook Saphira's claws out of his brother. "I 'ook good 'uh." He groaned out weakly.

Hayden coughed up a little blood, absentmindedly wiping the red liquid from his lip. Nothing mattered till Pace was safe. "Want were you thinkin' Pace? 'Oh I'll just run up and attack a dragon and then when it passes out be right under it.' Real smart." Hayden let a playful smile play across his lips, trying to keep his face devoid of the pain or worry he currently was feeling.

He gently pulled each talon out of Pace's flesh, carful to avoid causing further discomfort to him. Finally free, he pulled Pace away to safety. He looked down at his older brother, who caught the worry in his eyes and flashed a cocky, left-side-up smile.

"We 'ere a good team 'ack there." He murmured weakly.

"We still are." Hayden smiled at him. "You were really brave."

"Naw, I'm just you 'lder brother….my job…"

"Mine too."

Eragon put his hand on Hayden's shoulder. He hadn't wanted to interrupt them, but this was no time for some star-y eyed goodbye or even a conversation. The claw wounds on Pace looked nasty and he knew Hayden's leg should be dealt with.

He put his hand on Paces chest and began to heal the talons, weaving a complicated spell so to ensure the muscle and nerves healed correctly. When he had finished he tried to tend to Pace's other injuries, but he shook it off. "No, take care of him."

He turned to Hayden and placed a hand on his leg, murmuring a spell of similar length to heal his torn legs. By the time he had finished and was ready to move onto the next, he was exhausted. When he tried to heal him, Hayden grabbed his hand and pushed him away.

"Go and get some sleep. We'll be fine."

"That makes three times now that you saved my life, you know that?" Eragon offered with a smile.

"Well, if you would quit with the damsel-in-distress thing you got goin' on…" Hayden replied with a quick, slightly painful laugh. Pace and Eragon shot him a look. "I'll be fine." Hayden insisted.

"Okay…" Eragon answered hesitantly. "You need anything?"

"Ya, about four pounds of ground beef please. Cook it well done." Pace joked.

"That and some warm water, herbs, bandages, a needle and thread, and time. Just send it up to our room and go get some shut-eye." Hayden said in all seriousness before adding, "And get him a dress."

"What color?" Eragon asked, a laugh in his eyes.

"Sky blue to compliment his eyes."

"With or without lace?"

"With. Also, could it have pink flowers on it?"

"Okay, joke gone far past being funny." Pace growled.

"No need to get your panties in a bunch, princess." Hayden taunted. Pace shot him a glare. Eragon couldn't help but let out a chortle, covering his mouth when Pace's glare was suddenly stuck on him.

In all seriousness, he turned to his dragon. He knew it wasn't smart idea to just leave her here, hurt and vulnerable. He drew on the strength of Adurna and went around her, carefully healing each wound. He used magic to remove all the arrows, being especially careful with the one in her eye. Then he tried to think carefully if there was some way he could heal here eye and leg. He crafted a few more spells, one that created the allusion of an eye so that her enemies would not see the difference initially and the other knitted the muscle and repaired many of the damaged nerves.

He then crafted a spell, which would increase the efficiency of a drug, not letting it leave her blood stream so quickly before using a small pack he had on him containing a strong drug Angela crafted.

By the time all was said and done and he was back in his cousin's old room, Eragon was thoroughly and completely exhausted. He collapsed on the bed, his limbs shaking violently. In the final gift Hayden and Pace had given him, he found sleep for the first time in three days, shadows of the war, a less than sixty hours away flittering into his mind…

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"'Kay, we're almost there." Hayden said softly to his brother. Pace had one arm on his little brother, putting most of his weight for Hayden to carry. Truly, he felt bad for making Hayden help him like this, but he insisted. Pace knew he could handle it, but was still hesitant to make his brother do all the work.

While most of the pressing injuries Eragon had healed, Pace's upper legs had still been shot to hell and his back ached like no one would believe by his calm demeanor. Then there were the random cuts, bruises, scrapes, left shoulder dislocated, and one nasty burn to contend with. But he and Hayden had always faired on their own and even though it was tempting to just get all the wounds out of the way now, Hayden was right. It wasn't right to steal Eragon's energy like that. He needed some rest and he was the only one who stood any real chance against the red rider and Galbatorix.

He looked over to Hayden who climbed onto his own bed. He couldn't be more worried about that kid. He was doing it again. He was picking at his fingernails, tugging at his cuticles, licking his lips, and then playing with his ring. For him, it was what's equivalent to biting his lip or tongue or gritting his teeth. It was a routine he always did when he was trying to hide the fact that he felt like screaming in pain or anguish.

Hayden grunted slightly as he let his brother down onto one of the beds. He knew the blood earlier had not been a good sign, but could not bring himself to ask any more of the rider than healing his leg. Hayden had far less wounds than Pace, but most of them were more serious. He hid it from Pace, but he had a slight pain in his leg still which left him wanting to limp. He had a few minor scrapes, but the burn and blood score and most everything else had been healed, save his broken rib and a massive laceration on his tongue. He had been worried at first that the blood was coming from his lungs, but now he was almost sure it had missed his lung and that it was just his tongue bleeding. He still ached to move, to breath even.

Hayden could tell his brother was fairing as badly as he was. To anyone else, it would seem more like he took a fall and had scraped his knee than had a dragon's worth of weight crushing down on him, much less one with its claws digging into his body. But there was this glimmer in his eyes, this slight twitch they always had when he was pretending to play strong big brother. That and he always fussed with his overly kept hair when he was hurting. And right now, he could be mistaken for a girl the way he fussed with his medium length strands.

He knew in the back of his mind Pace was not fooled by the quick smile or the relaxed way he lay across his bed. He had made it his personal mission ever since Vexia to know everything, every little cue that his little bro was in pain. And Hayden did the same, paying attention to every movement to see the underlying meaning. Sometimes it seemed like Pace was reading his mind…

A solid knock filled the room. "Come in." Pace shouted out. A small, short boy, couldn't be over fourteen, came into the room pulling an oversized cart along with him. The boy was gone before either boy had a chance to thank him.

Reluctantly, Hayden got up to examine the cart. There were herbs and water and everything they could possible want to help heal them.

"Tell me there's some food." Pace yelled from the bed.

"We just ate two hours ago!"

"Excuse me if fighting off a dragon makes me feel like I could eat a cow."

Hayden gave a surprised look, blinking twice. "Well, you got your wish…"

"What?"

"Remember we asked for four pound of ground beef, well done?"

"No. Way." Pace said, salivating.

"Dude, that's just gross." Hayden replied, pointing to a string of saliva coming down from his mouth. Pace shrugged and sucked the strand back up with a loud slurp.

Hayden gave him a look. "What?" Pace said innocently.

"Are you—never mind…" Hayden rolled his eyes and continued to rummage through the stuff on the cart. He opened a small drawer and couldn't help but keel over laughing. His chest burned intensely, but he just couldn't stop. It was Pace's turn to give him a look.

"What's so funny?"

Hayden took a moment to reply, and even then his body was quivering with stifled chortles. "Here." He grabbed the item in the drawer and threw it at him.

Pace caught it and shot Hayden a quizzical look, pulling it away for further examination. "What the—"

"It's made special, just for you." Hayden taunted as Pace held the sky-blue, lace-and-hot-pink-flower-covered, ankle-length dress. It took all the control Hayden had to keep from suffocating from laughing so much.

Pace shrugged it off, trying to pretend he didn't care. But Hayden could see the way he picked at his dirty clothes with annoyance that that was as far from the truth as could be.

Which made him laugh even harder. That is, till Pace got up and smacked him in the arm.

"Hello, bleeding here…" He reminded Hayden.

"Right." Hayden said, wiping his eyes. Pace went to reach for something with his right arm but stopped with the wave of pain that hit him.

"God I think I dislocated my shoulder." He said eying it in all annoyance.

"I'll pop it back if you want." Hayden offered.

Pace shot him a quick smile to accompany the sharp nod of approval. Hayden poised his hands on his shoulder, Pace wincing slightly as he did. "Just make it quick…" He grimaced.

"Okay, on the count of three." He put a light pressure on his shoulder. "One. Two." He snapped his hands just as he reached two and was rewarded with a painful-sounding crack as Pace's shoulder popped back into place. Pace grunted, having not expected it so soon. He swung his shoulder back, testing it for a moment.

Hayden tossed him a glass of mead and set about fixing the rest of the supplies up. He quickly downed a painkiller-type herb himself as he was reminded by a sharp pain in his chest he too was hurt.

When he turned again to face his brother with a warm wash cloth in his hands, he saw a look on Pace's face he'd seen many times before. His brows were furrowed inwards and his eyes were far off. There was a slight frown painted on his face. It meant only one thing, he was going to try and play older brother again. "Hey Haydi?"

"Ya?" Hayden replied, already knowing what he was going to say.

"You know, you really scared me today. I thought I was going to loose you…"

"Not just a one way thing you know…"

"Ya, but still…I don't want you to fight when the battle starts…"

"We already went through this Pace. I'm not leaving you here alone…"

"Yes you are. I want you to go…"

"And just what do you expect me to do, Pace? Go to the Varden's new location by my self and hope I don't get killed trying to get there? Run off to the dwarves and just pray a clan war doesn't break out? Go and get drafted into Galbatorix's war maybe? Or perhaps you want me to run off into the Surda countryside, which is doomed anyway?" Hayden looked at him, fire in his eyes and Pace bit his lip but said nothing. "That's what I thought. You're stuck with me bro…You're not gettn' rid of me that easy…"

"Fine. But if you're stayn' here." He tossed his bag onto the opposite bed. "I'm on this one."


*Cowers behind a pillar* I couldn't help myself, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to half-blind Saphira, it's just once I started writing this chapter it just kind of took on a life of its own. And you have to admit, it is a great plot idea! So I admit, a lot of this was set-up, but action-filled set-up at least.

And just so no one starts getting mad at me, I have to admit, Hayden and Pace were loosely based off of Sam and Dean on my favorite show Supernatural, but don't worry. They aren't completely Supernatural's, as before I fell for "that darn show," as my parents call it, I had already had almost these exact plans for my boys. Their resemblance to Sammy-boy and Dean-o won't even last. I have plans for my boys. They will also provide a strong contrast...you'll see...

Evermore and many of my other works tend to revolve around family and how far someone will stretch for someone in their family. Evermore has a lot of base in Eragon and his family, from Murtagh to Selena to Roran even. Of course, I throw in a little of this and that, but that really is one of the main deals. Unfortunately, one thing his family lacks is my all-time favorite dynamic, the brotherly one. You know, the kind of relationship that you, I don't know, would go to hell and back to save your brother-plot. Like the one in Supernatural. Lol. Hayden and Pace are the Sam and Dean of the Eragon world, and they would go to hell and back for each other, though I don't think I'm going that far... So when I brought up the whole "good brothers" thing, I couldn't help but use SPN for inspiration. And who can blame me. That show is A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.