Truth or Dare?

The light from the fire was casting dramatic shadows as the riders sat around it to play the Game. Tristan gulped down some of the wine Rikon had brought with him and watched everyone around him closely.

His sister kneeled to his side and whispered into his ear. "What do you think Grion was doing in the Games? You must have been surprised to see him"

Tristan hmphed. "Surprise is one word for it. I will attempt to scry him and mother tomorrow to find out more. I am glad he managed to enter the Games and standing against a Kull… He is brave!"

Kayla pressed her palms on her knees, worry thick in her tone of voice. "So you don't think something happened to our mother?"

Tristan shook his head quickly. "If something had happened Grion or Buster would have found a way to contact me. Scrying mirrors were aplenty in Bull Ridge. I am sure Grion could have requested an audience with the Dragon Riders if something like this had occurred"

Kayla nodded and went to add something more, but the incredibly hysterical and cheery voices of the twins interrupted her.

"Ilumëo orono dor?" May and Maya repeated, speaking in the Ancient Language and obviously addressing Rikon who looked at them with apprehension.

"Dor!" he replied quickly and slammed his cup on the ground with some force and almost rolled to the side. Grohn put a restraining hand on his friend's shoulder and corrected his position while Tristan hid a small smile, realising that his dwarven friend had had a bit too much to drink.

May rose and clapped her hands together. "What shall we make Rikon do? Shall we start easy and have him climb up to that tree and collect the bee's honey or …. Shall we go harder?"

Tristan gulped and Grohn next to him, smiled.

"Climbing atop the tree and collecting honey from sleeping bees? I don't think that's easy" his Urgal friend said.

"Rikon, you have your dare then!" Maya said and jumped across the fire to point at a tall tree.

The dwarf took another sip from his alcoholic beverage and went to climb the tree. Somewhere in the distance Tristan saw Fiord approaching. The dragon reached Rikon's side and with a simple nudge helped him climb atop the tall pine tree, easily collecting some of the bee's honey while the rest of the bees slept.

He then returned to the fire holding the jag with honey in it, presenting it to May and Maya. The twins laughed and Adrian shook his head.

"Using our dragons obviously defeats the purpose of this Game" the elf said and Fiord growled.

Tristan saw Vertigo flying above him unsteadily and landing on a patch of earth near them.

Shame… And I was thinking of joining in!, his dragon complained, but his words were slurred as if he had had too much to drink.

"No matter, I won the dare so its my turn!" Rikon said happily and turned to Adrian.

As soon as Adrian replied with a dare, Rikon had him collect some of Fiord's faeces. When Adrian returned it was obvious that he was dissatisfied –which made Tristan smile widely – even though the elf was carrying the dragon's faeces above him with magic.

He dropped them with force on the ground next to Rikon and then rose an eyebrow. "My turn"

"Ilumëo orono dor, Tristan?" Adrian asked and Tristan had to squint his eyes, knowing he had to be very careful with the elf, due to his mischievous ways.

If he said dare then it was certain that Adrian would have him do something horrific and possibly very hard. If he said truth, then, he could avoid this, although it would be cowardly of him to do so and he was also certain that Adrian would find a way of turning it around so that he could embarrass him even more. Now he understood what the twin girls had meant when saying that truth could be as interesting as dare. He was trapped like a fly in a spider's web.

"Dor" he whispered and looked at Adrian who was half smilng. Gwen, opposite him, pressed her lips together while Grohn whistled.

Adrian's expression turned to serious again. "I dare you to use magic and return this jag of honey back to the bees nest"

Vertigo jaws near Tristan must have popped open, because Tristan heard a snapping sound. He took in a deep breath returning Adrian's glare. Out of all the things Adrian could have asked him to do, he had asked for the simplest of tasks. For most dragon riders, that is.

Tristan pressed his palms on his knees and rose from the ground, collecting the jag of honey from Rikon's trembling hands and walked to the pine tree without returning his friends' stares. He knew all the dragon riders were watching him.

"Risa jagar" he whispered and willed the jag in front of him to rise.

But of course, it did not. There was no magic present at the back of his mind as he had heard Kayla and Laer once describing, nor was there a feeling of power flowing through him. He felt Vertigo's presence inside his mind and he felt as if the dragon was trying to pass him some of his power. but Tristan quickly shook his head.

No, this is my task, not yours.

Vetrigo's tail twitched. As you wish.

Tristan swallowed and tried again, but as before nothing happened. He must have attempted to rise the jag atop the tree for at least five minutes before he stopped, turned around and returned to the fire. Wordlessly, he passed the jar to Adrian and took his sit near his sister as before, knowing full well that all eyes were on him.

"You did not complete your dare" Maya said smiling, stating the obvious.

Oh, how I hate the elves!, Tristan whispered inside Vertigo's mind.

"Which means that you will be excluded from the next parts of the Game and at the end we can find a suitable punishment for you and others who did not complete their challenges" May continued and winked at him.

Tristan nodded and he unstrapped the bow he had across his back, caressing the smooth wood.

The next questions of the Game seemed to pass quicker, but whether this was because he was no longer participating in it or due to his slightly drunken state of mind he did not know. Maybe it was simply due to the fact that Adrian had managed to make his point and embarrass him in front of the riders. It was known, of course, that dragon riders could use magic, but he appeared not to be able to do so.

He shot the male elf a glare which he hoped could communicate his feelings and tightened his grip on the bow. Surprisingly, Adrian seemed not to be boasting about what he had accomplished but rather he appeared to be in regret. The elf turned his gaze away from Tristan and looked at the circle of riders.

Questions in the Game included Rikon's heritage, who apparently was King Orik's illegitimate son, dares which had Kayla and Grohn strip to their underwear and do a crazy dance under the moonlight – something all the riders found hilarious apart from Kayla who was looking at everyone with death glares - and others. Someone asked the twin girls whether they had sided with the enemy to which they instantly replied that: "No, they would never side with the enemy" and then Rikon asked Laer whether he was an Urgal to which he replied "No" while laughing. It seemed that the Game had grown less serious over time which was frankly to Tristan's advantage as the riders' attention was elsewhere and not on him.

But then the questions of the Game changed again and started becoming more romantic, in a way. Maurine asked Kayla whether she harboured any romantic feelings for any riders present to which she replied "No" with a serious expression on her face. Tristan tried to notice the riders' reactions and everyone seemed to have paid little attention to her answer apart from Laer who smiled. Then Kayla dared Grohn to balance 6 swords around his body, which he did, but at some point he lost his balance and one of the sword sliced his arm. Gwen's expression suddenly became worried and rushed to the Urgal's side, but Kayla had already healed his injuries within seconds. Everyone returned to their sits apart from Gwen.

"This Game has gone too far, maybe we should stop" she said and went to head back, but Grohn who was fully healed, pointed at her.

"Not yet! I have a question for you" he said and smiled widely.

The twin girls kneeled forward, clasping their hands together as if in anticipation. Tristan kneeled forward as well, because during the Game none had directed a question at Gwen.

"Ilumëo orono dor, Gwen?" the Urgal asked and the human dorm leader paused, looking as if she was considering her options. Flee or play the game? And if play the game, choose what? Tristan wished she would pick truth because that way he could find out more about her. Possibly.

But Gwen crossed her arms over her chest and whispered "dor" which seemed to please the twin girls greatly as they exploded in a fit of laughter. By now though, everyone was used to these sudden outbursts so they simply ignored them.

"I dare you to kiss the rider next to me. Tristan" Grohn said and Rikon whistled, while Laer smiled and Adrian pressed his lips together.

Tristan's breath was caught between his lungs as he stared at everyone around him, shocked. So far no one had dared each other to initiate physical contact with another rider and this was beyond his expectations.

I guess it's your lucky day, Vertigo whispered into his mind and his reptilian face had turned into a sort of smirk.

Tristan watched Gwen as she walked towards him in a few quick steps, her olive skin glowing against the fire's light, her dark curly hair brushing the edges of her chest. He tried to look at her almond eyes and understand what was passing through her thoughts, but he came to no conclusions as the rider kneeled next to him.

He could see that her heartbeat had increased, as the vein which run down her neck was beating erratically. Gwen inched closer to him, her lips only a breath away from his and instinctively he touched her shoulder which seemed to surprise the rider, but not alter her course.

Their lips touched, only for a fleeting moment and Tristan could feel blood running to his face. Maybe it was due to the fact that he was sitting so close to the fire, but suddenly he felt like he was burning from the inside out, only it was a good burn, the same burn one feels when the sun touches their skin on a clear warm day.

He expected Gwen to pull away after this, but instead she paused and then kissed him again, only this time the kiss seemed to be more powerful to which Tristan responded in kind, tightening his grip on her shoulder and he felt a sigh escaping her lips before she pulled away. Tristan tried to meet her eyes, but she looked away, facing the rest of the riders.

The kiss could not have lasted more than thirty seconds, but still, he felt as if hours had passed and he was left with this burning sensation and an unsatisfied need for more. Which did not seem to be what Gwen was feeling since she had regained her composure and was looking at the riders seriously, as they whistled.

"Relax riders. I did my part. Now, Adrian, truth or dare?" she asked quickly which surprised the elf sitting opposite her.

From all the riders present, Adrian appeared to be the most dissatisfied with the outcome of the dare, but maybe he was merely dissatisfied because Tristan's luck had turned.

"Dor" Adrian said, facing Gwen with silted eyes and she sighed.

"Why isn't anyone using truths in the Game?" Maya said, sounding almost disappointed and her sister, May, patted her shoulder as if in comfort which made Tristan laugh. Kayla rose her eyebrow at him and returned his smile.

Impressive. I am not sure if what I witnessed was a mating ritual but it appears that two legged creatures do this very quickly, Vertigo whispered in his mind and Tristan had to contain a chuckle as he stared at his dragon.

Vertigo, trust me, this was not a mating ritual. This was merely a kiss and it was part of a Game so.., Tristan started but then paused as he listened to Gwen's next words.

"I dare you to stand before Tristan and fight him, but without using magic" she said and sat down again, near the fire.

That earned another round of whistles and May shot up and started clapping her hands quickly.

"But of course we have to determine what will happen if one of them loses! Since Tristan is out of the Game if he loses then he has to do something, whereas if Adrian loses then he will have just a wounded pride. Finally things are getting exciting!" she said and her sister was chirping like a bird.

"Is this really fair though? Tristan has only been a rider for less than a year whereas Adrian has been on the island for longer?" Laer asked and Kayla nodded.

"It does not matter!" the twins exclaimed and Gwen bit her lip as if reconsidering her dare while Tristan could only look around him in shock.

And there I thought my day was getting better!, he exclaimed in Vertigo's mind, annoyed.

Then Maya jumped across the fire and landed in front of Tristan. "If you lose you will have to climb down a steep rock, the likes of which you have never seen before. You will not use magic or your dragon's help to do so"

Gwen pressed her lips together. "Maya this steep rock you speak of is used only for training and for upper level students. It would not be fair to have this as a punishment…"

"If I lose then I will have to climb up and down the rock three times. Would this make it fair? Do you agree to the terms, human?" Adrian asked in an almost insulting tone, interrupting Gwen at the same time.

Tristan pressed his lips together and leaned forward, but Kayla grabbed his arm and whispered to his ear. "Tristan this is just a Game, you don't need to agree to any of the terms. You don't even have to fight Adrian for that matter. And you know Eragon instructed us not to fight amongst ourselves without supervision"

Tristan turned to her, surprising both her and himself, as he was usually the one to follow the rules on this island whereas she did not. "My pride has been hurt once already today. I will not allow the satisfaction to cross Adrian's face again" he said and then added "I accept"

….

The sun was starting to rise in the horizon as Tristan went into his fighting position.

The riders had gathered near the edge of the cliff, opposite the towering shadow of the steep rock the twins had mentioned. Only they had failed to add that this was not a rock but more like a tall, smooth, rocky surface with a few sharp spikes springing forth. Tristan could understand why climbing atop it would be hard, considering the lack of places to hold on to and in the case of one falling, they were certain to fall to their death.

He swallowed and tried not to think of would happen if he did fall. Instead, he examined the weapons he had on him, a sword Laer had lent him and the bow strapped across his back. There hadn't been much time for any other preparations to be made or protective armour to be worn. Besides, protective armours and shields were only useful in battles and not so much in one to one combat.

Adrian stood before him, looking like his usual self only more collected. He had a sword strapped across his back, but for the moment he was bare handed, for what purpose Tristan could not understand.

It was only right for the twins to signal the start of the match, as they had been the ones orchestrating this whole event. May and Maya stood near the cliff, in a safe distance from the riders, holding a flag they had made from magic. Tristan tightened his grip on Laer's sword, as the warm spring breeze ruffled through his braids. He had had little to no sleep over the last two days, but he felt more alert than ever, wine and exhaustion abandoning him in the face of impending doom.

"On your mark riders…."the twins whispered and Tristan could feel the eyes of all riders on him, specifically those of his sisters and Gwen's.

If you lose, you are dead, Vertigo whispered in his mind as he flew above the smooth, steep rock which rose from the water's surface as the waves crushed loudly at the edges of its base.

Tristan smirked. Thanks for the comforting thought.

Any time. Good luck, Tristan, his dragon said just as the twins signalled the start of the fight.

Tristan had seen Adrian fight before. He had seen him face the infamous werecat, Maud, and he had seen him losing. Tristan's fighting skill at the time could not even compare to the elf's, but now, maybe there was a chance of him winning.

He heard Grohn blowing a horn and watched the flag dropping down, signalling the beginning of the combat.

Instead of throwing himself into the fray he decided to fight Adrian from a distance, dodging and sidestepping trying as much as he could to find an opening in the elf's defence. But despite Tristan's evasions, Adrian was still able to touch him twice with his blade in rapid succession – once on the ribs and another on the shoulders. His expression changed to open contempt and dancing forward, Adrian was able to slid his blade up Laer's sword, twirling the blade and wrenching Tristan's wrist.

Tristan let out a pained cry and dropped the blade, not able to match the elf's superior strength. He saw Adrian momentarily lowering his defences, no doubt appreciating the advantage and with a backward turn Tristan took his chance and slid under Adrian's open legs. He then kicked the elf on his shoulders, hard, jumping off from his back and then running away as fast as he could.

While still running he unstrapped his bow with his right hand and with his left he obtained an arrow from his sheath. As soon as he turned around, ready to let the arrow fly loose he saw Adrian running for him. Tristan knew that he only had one chance at this. Adrian was far better than him at sword fighting and it was doubtful he would get another chance to use his bow. So he concentrated and felt the energy pulse through him just as a female cry tore through the early morning calm and he turned around.

He saw Gwen's horrified expression and he could not understand what had caused her to scream. Apparently he wasn't the only one, as all other riders had turned to her but she appeared to be speechless.

And in that moment Tristan knew he had lost his chance. There was a delicate balance between noticing your surroundings and the enemy – as he remembered from Octavian's extensive lessons - and he had failed. The distance between him and Adrian was too short for him to fire the arrow so instead he used its blade to counteract the blow from the elf. The arrow snapped in half and Tristan dodged a few more times, but his shoulders burned, sweat poured off his face and he had no weapon to defend himself other than his bow. At last, Tristan slipped and fell, but determined not to let the elf beat him while he was on the ground, he jumped up just in time for Adrian's blade to reach his chest.

It was obvious that Adrian had not anticipated this move, because shock and horror crossed his beautiful elvish features, as his blade slid inside Tristan's chest and caused blood to gash through. The cut was clean and fast so it took a few moments before the pain erupted inside Tristan's chest. A dragon's growl and a pained cry sounded from the riders. Tristan blinked as he fell to the ground, while Adrian tried to stop his fall by placing his arms around Tristan's shoulders.

"You fool! Why did you not stay in the ground?" Adrian bellowed, irritated and tried to remove carefully his blade form Tristan's chest, but as he did so, more blood splattered and he stopped.

"I need help!" Adrian cried just as Kayla and Laer arrived at the scene, but the elf dismissed them quickly. "No, I need Gwen or the twins, they are more experienced, they…"

"…are not here" Kayla finished for him. "Gwen said she saw something like a vision and that attacks are happening in Alagaesia. I am not sure if that is the case but she went to warn Eragon and the twins accompanied her" she added and kneeled next to Tristan and Maurine, just as Rikon and Grohn arrived, all looking worried and anxious.

Vertigo was the last to arrive, but he landed on the surface with such force that he made the rocks tremble.

Tristan! Are you all right? Let me slice this elf apart!, the grey-blue dragon bellowed inside his mind and went to attack Adrian who stood up and raised his arms in the air just as Mars landed and stood before him.

This will not save you, you ungrateful elf…, Vertigo whispered as he prepared to blow fire.

Vertigo, no!, Tristan exclaimed inside his dragon's mind and as he did so the effort seemed to cause more blood to flow and he winced in pain. This stopped his dragon who kneeled on the ground and stared at him.

"Onyx and Fiord notify Eragon or one of the elders!" Laer shouted and the two dragons set off without further due.

Tristan watched Adrian concentrating and making one more attempt at removing the blade from the wound, but again stopped as the blood flowed. Suddenly Tristan felt nauseous and weak and he felt his sister's fingers slide through his.

"Adrian, let me do this. Out of everyone here I am the most capable at handling magic. I will need your help though, since I have never healed an injury of this extent" Tristan heard Kayla say as he blinked, feeling as if he was going in and out of consciousness.

"Do you have enough energy to heal him? If not I will lend you mine!" Adrian said but his voice felt like it was coming from a dream.

Do not dare go into unconsciousness!, Vertigo bellowed into his mind and Tristan's eyes shot open just as the blade was being removed from his chest and excruciating pain was running through his veins. Rikon or Grohn must have given him something to bite on, because next thing he knew he had a cloth inside his mouth and the blood was running aplenty. He could feel hands touching him and words being whispered and then energy or rather magic was running through him.

He felt his blood returning into his veins and flowing fast, his skin stitching itself back together, organs and bones that were shattered, regenerating. At last, he felt something cold spread over his chest and he saw Laer spreading a green paste.

"What is this?" he asked while coughing and trying to rise.

His sister's angry stare stopped him. "Do not dare move. If you do, your stitches will break and I am not sure I can heal you again. It was hard enough doing this the first time. I just hope I haven't made any bones grow where they shouldn't"

Her last sentence made Tristan want to touch his ribs and make sure that all were there, but Adrian held his hands on the side.

"This is a mixture of Dilia Velosa, Analaj, Kirkumon and water. It stops the bleeding and numbs the pain" Laer replied, answering his previous question.

"Thank you" Tristan said, adressing all of them and took a deep, struggled breath. Even though there was no evident trace of pain he was still afraid to make any sudden movements.

"How is this possible? The blades should have been dulled before the start of the fight!" Adrian said, thoughtful, and then cursed out loud, probably realising what Tristan already had.

"The blades were last handled by the twins" Laer whispered picking up his blade and examining it. "No trace of magic"

Two-faced devils!, Vertigo growled in his mind and Tristan could tell that his dragon was about to take flight and go attack them, but he raised a hand in the air.

Vertigo, please. We will resolve this later.

His dragon bared his lips and showed his fangs for a second before he set back onto the earth's surface. As long as I get to peel the skin of their flesh later.

"I don't understand how they could do this!" Rikon bellowed and Grohn shook his head.

"They most likely thought that it would make the match more exciting if they did so. You know how they are" the Urgal replied.

"They are with Gwen now, though. And I do not trust them to be around her. Especially after what happened" Laer said and he shot up. "Onyx has notified Octavian of what occurred but the riders have not yet seen either her or the twins. I shall go search for them"

Before anyone could stop him Laer was gone, running faster than Tristan had ever seen him do.

"I promise I will climb the rock tomorrow, Adrian" Tristan said to the elf in a joking manner, but both he and Kayla shot him murderous expressions.

"Do not be foolish again, human! It was a stupid game, you have proved your worth, it was wrong of me to accuse you of not being able to use magic and if you do attempt to climb the rock I will finish what I accidentally started" Adrian whispered in a dangerous manner.

Grohn and Rikon looked at the elf surprised, while Kayla shook her head quickly while looking at her brother.

They let Tristan rest for a while before anyone attempted of moving him back to the human dorms, but by then his injuries seemed to have faded to nothing and he was able to walk although he did use Grohn and Adrian for support. On his way back he was stopped by Octavian, Laer, the twins and Gwen.

Octavian's brow glowed under the sunlight as precipitation flowed from his skin. "Well" he said crossing his arms over his chest. "I see you have broken the rules, fought amongst yourselves without supervision, gone out into the night without permission and injured yourselves greatly. Honestly, I could punish you for what you did but…" he said pausing to point at Tristan "I fear you may have already learnt your lesson and you will not repeat such doings again"

Everyone nodded and Octavian smiled. "Great. Now that this is resolved… We can all head to training!"

Everyone stared at him with open mouths.

"Oh, don't look so surprised. Just because the Games are over it does not mean training is over as well" he said, cheerfully.

"But… What about the attacks in Alagaesia?" Rikon whispered troubled and Octavian raised an eyebrow turning to Gwen who shook her head.

"It appears I was wrong. I am not sure what made me feel like I had seen something. We scried Bull Ridge in the Grand Hall with the elders. Everything appears to be normal" Gwen whispered and looked on the ground, perplexed, fingering her dagger.

Tristan stared at the human rider for a few long moments before he followed everyone else for training.

He was not buying it. He remembered her desperate, heart-drenching scream. This was not a simple coincidence. As everyone walked ahead of him he grabbed Gwen's arm, but not forcefully, and she turned around to face him.

"You saw something, Gwen. That look on your face…" he whispered, while he took a struggled breath, his chest slightly sore from his very recent injuries.

She shook her head. "I am sorry Tristan. It is my fault you lost against Adrian and I also was wrong about the attacks. If truth be told I only dared Adrian to fight against you so that you could prove to the rest of the riders that you are worthy. Because you are. You would have won if I hadn't screamed and I cannot apologise enough…"

"What did you see Gwen? And why were you so certain that it was true?" Tristan asked interrupting her words.

She shook her head again, her curls bouncing atop her back. "I was given something, once, by the Queen of Alagaesia" she said caressing her dagger again and the stone that decorated it "This would allow me to know if something ill had befallen her"

Tristan did not pause to question why the Queen of Alagaesia had given Gwen a dagger. "And what did you see?"

Again, Gwen shook her head. "It does not matter, it is not true..."

"Gwen!" Tristan bellowed as he watched the human dorm leader approaching the rest of the riders and leaving him feeling more confused than ever.

And he wasn't the only one. Kayla, Laer and Adrian were all interrogating the twins who appeared perplexed one moment and then laughed uncontrollably the next.

"Stop, whispering amongst yourselves, students!" Octavian shouted and then pointed with his finger behind him. "Behold Stenr abr Andlát. Who of you is willing to translate this?"

"Stone of Death?" Maurine asked and Tristan had to cover his eyes as the sun was shining directly at him and he couldn't discern what it was. As soon as a cloud covered the sun he was able to see and he gasped realising what it was.

Stenr Abr Andlát was the Rock that the twins had told him to climb as a dare. And now apparently he had to climb it, not because of a dare, but because his training had gotten to that stage. He swallowed and stared at Octavian, wondering if despite what the Master of Strength had told them, this was indeed their punishment.

Ancient Language Translations:

Risa jagar = Rise jag

Ilumëo orono dor = Truth or dare?

Dor = Dare

Stenr Abr Andlát = Stone of Death

A/N: Hope you enjoyed this chapter, don't forget to tell me what you thought! Next chapter should be posted on Sunday next week or the one after.