Hello Everyone! Surprise! Double update. Another short chapter, but one of my favorites!

Enjoy!

Once, when she was a small girl, Taya had been told that if she had faith in what she believed in, she would be a much stronger person. By her example, she could help others be stronger too.

When she was older, this always seemed to come back to her and she was able to help those around her stay strong, no matter where or when.

Looking into the faces of the men around her, Taya heard her mother's bodyguard's wise words as if he was speaking to her now.

"Remember, Taya, that you are strong. You have the gift of knowing what is right and wrong, but you also believe in something much more significant, and you are faithful to that belief. If you keep that faith and hold dear to what you believe in, you will help others have that faith and it will keep them strong. By your example, I believe that you will help others have that faith and keep them strong. This is such a gift, Taya. Be careful how you use it, and please do not lose that pure, beautiful faith. It is something that defines your character, something that makes you who you are. You are a beautiful girl, little Taya."

When he'd told her this, she had hardly understood, but now… now, with these men counting on her, she understood his meaning perfectly.

"If only it was easy, Chester." She spoke softly to her horse, caressing his thick neck.

"Lady Rider?"

A soldier stood beside her horse, looking up at her earnestly.

"Yes? What is it?" She asked, leaning over slightly.

"The last of the soldiers are in position, Lady Rider. All the Captains have reported ready for your orders. General Gi' Vare says that he will relay the attack command to you directly, and that you will lead the troops. He will bring up the rear with the main force of the cavalry."

Taya nodded. "Very good. Relay to the General that my group is ready and waiting for his order. Then, please find Captain Liastrin and tell him and his section to shift more towards the wall for communication purposes."

"Yes, Lady Rider!" The soldier saluted, hesitated, and then turned to leave.

"Wait." Her own voice shocked her, and the surprised guard stopped, wondering what he'd done wrong. As he looked up at her, she said softly,

"Be strong, Soldier. Have faith."

Even more surprised, the soldier only nodded his head, saluted again, and hurried away, but her words and tone stuck with him until his death years later.

Taya looked over the mass of soldiers to the plain beyond, where she knew Murtagh and the Hljodhr's would be.

All the running, the worry of what was coming, was about to end. She knew she would have to fight Murtagh. That was inevitable, and something painful to think about. Was this it? Would one or both of them die today?

She knew this was no mere skirmish. This was a battle, where you fought and killed or died. Her own plan was to shorten the battle, to end it before there was a mass slaughter. Taya would not stand by and watch her friends fall.

Her eyes traveled upwards to the sky, searching it. There were clouds, a visible blue sky, and flocks of carrion birds, waiting. Yet she saw no hint of a high flying 'bird' that might be her partner. Her hope and faith in Kabarak doubled instead of decreased. He was coming, from wherever he had been. She could feel it across their link, as his emotions were starting to level out and become clear. He was anxious and excited, but afraid.

Now, the question was would he make it before the reinforcements were called on?

General Gi' Vare, from his vantage point, was able to see the outline of the two opposing forces. In the distance to his left he could see Lithgow, rising from the ground like a target. To his right and behind him was the reinforcement cavalry. Forward of him, behind what they called 'the wall', was the main force of the reinforcements. He could clearly see the separate sections, and above his own men's voices and sounds he could just barely hear a murmur from below.

At his side, his lieutenant shifted in his saddle and Gi' Vare glanced at him, noticing his expression.

"What is it, Lieutenant?" He asked softly so no one else would hear.

His lieutenant in turned glanced at him.

"I am thinking of the new dragon rider, sir." He replied stiffly.

"Ahh." The General replied knowingly, the ghost of a smile on his face. When he offered no further comment, the lieutenant continued as if his general had not caught his meaning.

"Begging your pardon sir, but should you have placed her in direct command of the main section of reinforcements without Lady Nasuada's approval? Rider Corsallen is so new to us and war that we don't know how she will command the forces, or fight for that matter. I thought the council had placed her under you for that reason."

"Are you questioning my judgment, Lieutenant Brodj?" The general asked curiously, turning in his saddle to fix the man with his frosty blue eyes. The usually ordered lieutenant fidgeted, as all lieutenants fixed under such a powerful stare would do.

"No, sir, I was… I was merely…"

"You were merely curious as to why Lady Rider Corsallen was put in command of our reinforcements by me now, and not before by the Varden council. Yes, I know." Gi' Vare finished for him, and the lieutenant nodded glumly. "Or, you are merely curious as to why I did not place you in command, as you have been with me and the Varden much longer than our new rider."

The lieutenant's face paled, and he seemed to see his career and his life flash before his eyes. But before he could deny such a thing, Gi' Vare pointed towards the two armies.

"Down there, men will be fighting and dying. There will hardly be any control. I believe that this new rider has what it takes to lead men, and keep them alive. I also believe that the Varden council, out of fear, is grossly underestimating this mysterious rider. By placing her in command of a portion of my forces, I am placing my trust in her that she will do what needs to be done. She will do what needs to be done."

As an afterthought he added with a slight smile. "She is strong, this Taya Corsallen. She is full of fire. If we have a little bit of faith in her, who is our comrade, we all may live through this battle."

"Yes sir." Lieutenant Brodj nodded his head, and then fell completely silent, leaving the general to his thoughts for the moment.

All of a sudden, one of Du Vangr Gata rushed up to him, the look of inevitable fear on his face.

"General, the Empire has refused peaceable terms. They have begun the attack. Lady Nasuada wants to be sure you are ready for an immediate response."

The general's blood ran cold, as it always did before battle. The feeling of the unknown never left him.

"Relay to her that we are more than ready for an immediate response. Has this also been relayed to Rider Corsallen?"

"Yes, general, it has been. Lady Nasuada wishes to know if Kabarak has arrived."

General Gi' Vare's mouth tightened. "Tell her that he has not, and that we must not worry about such things at this time!"

The magician bowed and his face went blank as he relayed the general's words to another magician, who would relay it on to Lady Nasuada. Gi' Vare narrowed his eyes toward the battle, seeing both sides moving.

"It begins. Don't disappoint me, Corsallen."

Below, Taya's nerves were going haywire as Trianna reported the start of the battle. She was directly linked to Eragon and Saphira, so she was able to see the beginning from their eyes.

On the outside she looked like a statue, sitting rigid in the saddle, her expression blank and her eyes unfocused towards the battle.

Her captain, a tall handsome man whom Gi' Vare had specifically placed with her to help command the reinforcements, was watching her anxiously. Beside him was a magician whose name was Grenba, and he had been the one to communicate out loud what Taya had been told by Trianna personally. He also was looking towards the fight, a slight frown on his gaunt face.

"Grenba." Taya's voice was soft against the silence, and both men couldn't tell if she'd spoken or if they had imagined it.

"Did you say my name, Lady Rider?" Grenba inquired, moving his horse closer to hers.

"Yes." Her eyes were still unfocused, and she seemed to almost be speaking from a trance. "Have you ever met Vanira Dacoryn? The elfin ambassador?"

Grenba was slightly taken aback. "Why, yes I have met her once or twice." His expression was puzzled. "Might I ask why you ask?"

"Where do you think she is now?" The question was blunt, but she still did not look at him.

"That, I do not pretend to know, Lady Rider. When we met, it was in passing. I have no idea as to her character, and she is certainly not easy to read. I am sure if you knew her personally that would be a different story. Although, I always thought she was one to be where the action was… yet she is not here."'

Taya seemed to suddenly come alive.

"Where the action is… Kabarak!"

Her exclamation startled everyone within hearing range, including Chester. The horse ducked his head, snorting and prancing where he stood. Taya's green eyes seemed to burn, and as the captain and Grenba watched, she seemed to straighten, to grow taller and far more regal than even Lady Nasuada.

"Captain Behl." She said firmly, turning towards him fully, her armor glinting in the sunlight. "I am placing direct command into your hands for a temporary amount of time. I will be back, and hopefully it will be soon."

With one quick motion, the rider turned her horse and galloped away past the edge of the reinforcements before the astonished Captain Behl could utter a word in protest.

Grenba watched in fascination, wondering exactly what he had said and exactly what she had figured out from it.

"Grenba," Captain Behl started, and then seemed to lose his train of thought for a moment.

"I will inform General Gi' Vare of what has happened." The magician said quietly, reading the captains thoughts. Behl nodded that that was what he wanted, and he continued watching the fast retreating form of his commander with a troubled expression.

"Sir."

Gi' Vare looked over to see that the magician from Du Vangr Gata was back.

"Yes, what is it?" He asked, turning his eyes back to the distant fight. The magician hesitated.

"Sir, Grenba, the magician stationed with Lady Rider Corsallen has just told me to inform you that the lady rider has left the reinforcements and is traveling quickly West and South, away from all of us."

Gi' Vare had frozen, and very slowly he looked in the direction stated. His blood began to rise, but before he could curse or order anything, the magician hastily continued.

"He also says that he thinks it has something to do with Kabarak Authamir and Vanira Dacoryn. She told Captain Behl that she would be 'back hopefully soon'."

Suddenly relaxed, Gi' Vare nodded to the magician. "Very good. Let me know if he says anything else. Communicate this to Lieutenant Tatanya, but no one else, understood? Especially not to those in battle. They have far more important things to worry about. This goes for you as well, Brodj." His eyes met those of his lieutenants, and the Generals eyes were cool. "This goes nowhere."

The lieutenant nodded. "Yes sir, I understand."

The General nodded, and then said, "Captain Behl is a more than capable man. He'll be alright down there until Taya returns." His tone left no room for argument, but no one would have argued anyway.

"I hate it when she does that!" Sasha hissed, having received the magician's message. "She just up and leaves with no explanation whatsoever!"

"What's this?" Siranus Liastrin queried softly, voicing Raya and Sacar's same question. The four of them were a separate group of reinforcements from both Taya and Gi' Vare's, and they were a much smaller group. This was for safety, but it also thoroughly irked many of its members who wanted to be with Taya.

Sasha looked around, and found many other people too close for comfort, so she reached out with her mind as Taya had taught her, saying softly to them.

Taya just lit out from up ahead. Gi' Vare knows, and he doesn't want anyone else knowing lest people try to panic, I think. But Grenba, the magician with Taya, apparently thinks this all has something to do with Kabarak.

Raya stared at her as if someone had slapped her across the face, and then she looked desperately over at Sacar, who stared back. Siranus was frowning, but he nodded and didn't say anything out loud.

"She told us not to worry about Kabarak!" Raya hissed to Sacar, and the young man nodded. "And now we are worrying about both of them!"

"As if we didn't have a battle to worry about already." Sacar replied gravely, looking off in the direction of the battle. He narrowed his eyes. "I wonder how it's going."

Saphira! Eragon shouted with his mind, warning the dragon before a magician could hit her with a nasty spell. The blue dragon opened her maw and roared at the magician, breaking the man like a stick with her tail. Satisfied, she turned back to the pike men who were trying desperately to puncture her fragile wings.

It was obvious that the soldiers had learned from previous battles how to deal with a massive dragon. Eragon parried a blow from an opponent, worried for his dragon.

Beyond him, Arya was dancing her deadly dance, and she confused more than one soldier before she struck her final blow, which usually ended in more than one soldier falling.

While the fight seemed to be going well for the Varden, many were dead and dying on both sides very quickly. Eragon could only save so many, and his protective wards around specific people were adding up. Granted, he and Saphira had grown in strength, but for some reason these soldiers seemed to be trained better, or they were more heavily protected.

We are going to need our reinforcements soon. He commented quickly to Saphira. Murtagh isn't here, which means he must have something more up his sleeve. We have to save as much energy as we can…

Saphira's affirmative was a feeling across their link, and with that feeling there was something else. He wasn't sure if it was pain or confusion, but whatever it was, it worried him. Not that he wasn't already worried… Where were Murtagh and Thorn? What was he waiting for?

Eragon caught Arya's eye for a mere second, but her glance told him that he was not the only one worried.

Eragon! Trianna's voice shouted in his mind, and the suddenness of her voice caused him to miss a block, and a well-aimed stroke of a sword sliced through his wards, leaving a line of blood on his arm.

Pain shot through the arm, and he healed the wound quickly, although it was only a scratch.

Eragon, they are pushing us back! Trianna shouted and he suddenly understood why he and Saphira were pushing forward so easily. The soldiers weren't staying in one spot to fight… they were continuing on past the defenders ever so slowly.

They want to get closer to the city. Of course. But somehow this is different. He thought to himself, looking around, and then he replied to Trianna. We will do our best to deter them. I would suggest though that Lithgow know of this. Murtagh could have some alternate plan that more involves the city.

Yes, Shadeslayer.

Let's hope I'm right… Taya might have more of a fight than any of us… if we let her have her way. He thought grimly. Quickly he scattered a group of magicians, but not before they could inflict minor damage on a section of Varden archers.

Why, he thought, did it feel like they thought they had the advantage?

Because, Eragon, they know something you do not. A feminine voice whispered in his mind. The brief contact faded, leaving him cold as ice. He did not recognize the voice, and he had been strongly shielding his mind from any unknown presence. It had been too easy for whoever it was to enter and leave his mind.

'Because, Eragon, they know something you do not.' What did she mean? Whoever she was.

There were too many unanswered or unanswerable questions in his mind at a time when enemies and allies surrounded him. He was too confused in this battle.

"Nasuada!" Jormundar lunged in front of a sword aimed at the Varden leader, catching a wicked blow on his shoulder. One armed, his left arm hanging numb and useless, Jormundar battled the attacker to a standstill, taking heavy blows at the same time.

He knew death when he saw it. He didn't know if Nasuada had heard him in the insane uproar and confusion, and he didn't know if she would even be in a situation to help him now. Almost easily the soldier suddenly tore Jormundar's sword out of his hand, a mean glint in his startling blue eyes.

"Now she's mine."

Jormundar could have sworn those were the words that the man's lips formed, and his blood froze as he stared at death, and saw Nasuada's life flash before his own as well.

"ZEN!"

Above the din of the battle a voice bellowed, and Jormundar caught a fleeting glimpse of black as he rolled to the side and snatched up his sword as his opponent was slammed to the ground by a charging figure.

Without thinking, Jormundar took that chance to melt back into the battle, to defend his liege lady again. Nasuada caught sight of him, and he saw the relief in her eyes as he rejoined her.

Fighting beside her bodyguards, Jormundar took a momentary lull to survey their position.

He was not reassured.

As Trianna had reported, the Empire was doing a good job of forcing the Varden ever so slowly closer to Lithgow, and the Red Rider had yet to show himself. It pained him to realize that after only a few hours of fighting they had suffered so many losses.

He instantly thought of their reinforcements. Was it time yet?

Not yet. A little voice whispered in the back of his mind.

"It is not going well down there, General." Standing beside General Gi' Vare was the magician, who now stayed close as the day wore slowly on. "Our forces have managed to hold their slight advance, but our soldiers are being pushed. It is only a matter of time before the order comes."

Gi' Vare cursed silently. No Red Rider, no Green Rider. Where was Corsallen?

"What is the condition of the imperial troops?" He asked softly.

The magician hesitated. "Apparently only some cannot feel pain, but while they have lost soldiers, the others continue on with incredible strength." He looked worried. "After their march through the desert, sir, I wasn't thinking they would have this much strength and determination."

"Death and war are funny things." Gi' Vare looked over at the man. "Would you walk to your certain death without putting up a fight at the end?"

The magician's eyes flickered. "I see you point sir."

"Good. Inform the Captains to stand ready to move. And tell Grenba," He watched the south west with narrowed eyes and a stony expression. "Tell Grenba that Captain Behl is still in command until Rider Corsallen returns."

"Yes, sir." The magician too looked towards the south west, and then his face blanked as he sent out the orders.

Alright, Corsallen. Gi' Vare thought. Where are you now? You are our last hope in this fight, you and Authamir. You alone can stall the Red Rider's two way slaughter. So where are you now when we need you?

"Also," He said suddenly, a faint idea forming in his mind, "tell the southern reinforcements that when the order comes, they are to slip behind our forces as smoothly as possible. The northern reinforcements I want to stay on their original course. When we move, we must move quickly, with or without our second dragon and rider.

This last sentence caught those closest to him off guard. With dread filled eyes, they who'd heard turned away, comprehending his word in the exact way he wished them to.

Now, he thought with a slow smile, we have the advantage.

I am not the best at writing battles, so please bare with me! I hope you have enjoyed this double update!