Another Update! I think I am getting back into the swing of things, I am getting chapters written and posted on time now X) One thing, I want to thank Booklover1598 for mentioning Inheriwiki, it has really helped speed things up. I no longer have to go searching through the books to find one little thing, haha. Also thank you to remvis, who pointed out that the previous chapter had no breaks in between the perspective changes. Terribly sorry about that, I had dashes in place but apparently they didnt survive the upload. It is fixed now though. Anyways, enjoy and please review! We are now up to 10,500 views and almost 80 reviews! I feel so loved :')

Chapter 24:

Issues Resolved

Eragon sat at the long oak table picking the last few morsels of meat off his plate. The feast had proceeded mostly in silence, with no one wanting to be the first to attempt conversation. Fenrir glared resentfully at him from across the table.

Finally, the young elf girl, Aerin if he remembered correctly, broke the silence.

"Could someone pass the fruit basket this way if there is any left?" she asked softly.

"No. The fruit is gone. It'll be back in about twenty years," Fenrir mumbled.

"Fenrir, that doesn't even make sense," Evalette scolded him, rolling her eyes.

"Neither does leaving everyone you know behind," Fenrir replied.

The young Elves sat quietly eating their meals, avoiding the tense air between father, son, and daughter.

Eragon cleared his throat.

"Son, I-"

"Don't you dare try to call me that," Fenrir hissed.

"Would you prefer I called you daughter?" Eragon asked, faking a smile as best he could in an attempt to lighten the mood.

Fenrir shoved away from the table, storming off out of the room through the main doors. The large wooden doors creaked as they slammed shut.

Eragon wiped his mouth and stood up from the table, shooting Roran an apologetic glance before walking after Fenrir.

That has to be Arya's side. I don't act like that. Do I?

As he stepped outside, he saw the two soldiers who had been standing guard passed out asleep. Fenrir sat atop the stone wall that surrounded the Keep. His black hair blew back in the mid-day wind, his eyes squinted in the bright sun.

Eragon took a deep breath and took a few graceful leaps up the wall, sitting down next to his son. He half expected Fenrir to go running off as soon as he tried to speak, so he kept quiet, watching the villagers go about their business in the town below, scurrying around like hundreds of busy insects in the distance.

"I'm sorry," Eragon mumbled nervously.

Fenrir gave no response. He simply kept his gaze focused on the townspeople.

"Fenrir, I am sorry that I had to leave you all here alone. I am sorry I am not better at looking after a family," he stumbled over that last word, "But I am here now. Do not push me away."

Fenrir's eyes glistened with the threat of tears, but he did not allow a single one to flow down. He sniffed and cleared his throat.

"Why did you not come back until now?" Fenrir quietly croaked.

"Well, for the first ten years, your mother kept you two a secret. I'm not sure why, maybe she was scared? Unsure how I would react?"

Eragon cleared his throat again, trying to remain calm.

"Whatever her reasons, It wasn't until later that I found out about you two. It was a shock, to say the least," he smiled with his eyes beginning to water, "and I wanted to come back, as did Sapphira, but after all of us talked it over, we decided it would be safer for you to remain unaware of us. Who knows what hate still burns for me in Alagaesia? I did not want you to become a target of those wishing to attack me."

"A lot of good that did," Fenrir replied after a moment, the first tear escaping his eyes, "we are hunted by the very people you left to safeguard Alagaesia."

"No, no, no, I refuse to believe that the woman, the leader, that I helped put on the throne is aware of this."

"But what if she is?"

Eragon pondered the question.

"Then… I do not know. I will have to find a correction for my mistake."

They remained in silence a while longer, mid-day slowly turning into evening. Clouds rolled lazily across the sky, casting shadows over the rooftops as they passed in front of the sun.

"You really do smell wretched by the way," Eragon joked, exaggerating a face of disgust.

A fleeting smile flashed across Fenrir's face.

"Well, you have Lord Stronghammer to thank for that. Tell him to clean out his prison cells for once. It's enough to make a man want to be hanged," Fenrir replied with a small smile.

"How in the name of our ancestors did you get your uncle to almost hang you?"

Fenrir looked skeptically at him as he said "uncle," but apparently it wasn't that big of a surprise to him.

"I may have broken into his Keep and rummaged through his personal documents in search of information about high-ranking White Fire officials. And given the moment that he found me, he may believe that I attempted to, er, surprise romance his daughter."

Eragon stared at him.

"You… didn't really do that last one… did you?"

"Gods, no!" Fenrir elbowed him.

"Just checking. That would be strange, with her being your cousin and all."

After a moment more of silence, Eragon stood up.

"I don't know about you, but I am heading back inside. This rocky wall is less comfortable than riding a Dragon bareback, and that is saying something," Eragon laughed.

A few seconds passed before Fenrir turned around and lept off the wall. The two of them walked back inside, still distant, but on much better terms.

With their dispute settled, the rest of the evening passed in a fairly light-hearted mood. The young Riders swapped stories with each other, though they did not bother trying to top Eragon or Roran's tales of battle, of which there were the moon replaced the sun, and they were each directed to spare bedrooms throughout the Keep. Roran also insisted on stationing one of his guards outisde each of their rooms.

The dark hallways closed in and all the noise of the bustling town dimmed to little more than a whisper as the night descended upon them, drawing an eventful day to a close.

Eragon rose from his bed in the early hours of the dawn. The first rays of sun light poured in the windows and blanketed the room with gold. As was his usual habit, he quietly made his way outside to check on Sapphira. He walked out into the courtyard to find Evalette sitting with the blue Dragon, running her hands along her massive azure scales.

Eragon took a seat on the ground next to his daughter.

"Don't you have a Dragon of your own to bother?"

Evalette gave a quiet laugh.

"I do, but we have not had much time with them. "

"Why is that? Should not a Rider and their Dragon be at each other's side?"

"The Elves, or more specifically, the Queen, er, mother, said that it was too dangerous to go taking the Dragons anywhere."

"While I cant say I approve of locking up the Dragons, I can see she is trying to protect you."

"But the point of a Rider is not to simply stay alive by hiding. We are supposed to help people."

His daughter's words rang more true than she realized. Eragon glanced away, thinking once again about how he had left Alagaesia alone, before it was fully able to stand on its feet again after the war.

"You are right, Evalette, that is very true indeed," he replied.

"Why did you decide to return after so long?"

"Well, I realized that you two," he gently poked her stomach, causing her to laugh, "couldn't stay out of trouble without me here."

"Don't blame me, Fenrir is the troublemaker!"

"That may be true, but he has also kept you safe all these years, and for that I thank him," Eragon said with a caring smile.

She smiled back at him.

"But don't tell him that. He is too proud as it is," he added, whispering to her in mock secrecy.

She laughed at the joke and nodded seriously, pretending she was keeping some big secret.

They sat together, leaning against Sapphira's warm stomach, listening to the morning birds sing their songs as the sun rose higher into the sky.

Once the others were up, they had a large breakfast, with eggs, fresh-baked bread, various fruits, and of course plenty of ham. The Elves declined to partake in the meat, though evidently Roran did not mind as he ate more than their portions.

After breakfast, they began their day. The Elves began packing their things and restocking their supplies for the trip back to Elesmera. One of Roran's stewards showed Fenrir to the bathhouse so he could get fully cleaned up after his stay in prison. Evalette and Ismira had evidently gotten along well, as Ismira let Evalette try out several of her dresses she had stored away.

While everyone else went about their business, Eragon found a handmirror in one of the bedrooms and attempted to contact Arya.

The reflection in the mirror blurred and shifted until he saw Arya in her bedroom.

"Eragon? Is what I've heard true? Have you returned?"

"Aye, I am back."

"It has been weeks, where are you?"

"I am sorry, but I had to check on Roran."

Arya rolled her eyes.

"Is the Queen of the Elves jealous?" Heasked with a smirk.

"Absolutely not! I am simply annoyed that you waited so long to notify me of your arrival."

"Yes, well, it seems I arrived right on time. Fenrir was apparently imprisoned and-"

"What?!"

"Fenrir was captured trying to break into Roran's Keep."

"We raised a criminal?" Arya asked herself, sitting down on the end of her bed.

"Er, first off, we barely raised him, Arya, we sent him away to be raised in a human town. Secondly, he is the son of the Master Rider and the Queen of the Elves. I am pretty sure being captured by my cousin is not the worst thing that could happen to him."

Arya glared at him.

"In any event, I am glad he has been found and is safe now. What about Evalette?"

"She arrived with a group of young Elven Riders."

"Good. Now that everyone is accounted for, I want you all to return to Elesmera."

"We were already preparing to, your majesty," Eragon replied, not too fond of her commanding tone.

Arya shot him one last glare before ending the communication, though Eragon caught a glimpse of her smile as the image faded away.