Ellie: On set for this was freaky and cool at the same time, I swear. You'd never see a hunk of dirt piled up against a castle in real life.

Rebecca: I was upset that I didn't get to go down into the tunnels, they looked pretty cool.

Sarah: They weren't. Someone thought it was funny to put a real rat among the fake ones.

Meg: Sorry, I couldn't resist,

*Stunned silence*

"Everybody knows, everybody knows where we're going. Yeah, we're going down." -One Republic

"You want me to what?"

"Nasuada," Sarah said through clenched teeth. "Please do not try to tick her off, we don't want her to Hulk out."

"Meg, in light of your recent nightmares and the fact that Murtagh and Thorn are in Dras Leona, I think it's best if you do not engage in battle. You will remain with me and will only use your weapons should you and I be attacked." Nasuada explained.

"But I don't think-"

Nasuada held up her hand to silence her. "Meg, I'm your friend. I don't want you to get hurt. If you don't do this for your own good, do it for your friends."

Meg sighed and looked at the four girls who had become her sisters over the years, "Will I still be able to supply my friends with energy?"

"Of course,"

"Then I give you my word. I will stay by your side."

"Rebecca," Nasuada said as the other girls filed out. "I have spoken to your husband about an hour ago."

"Then he is alive?!" She said, a smile lighting up her face.

"Yes, wounded, but alive. He asked me to send his love and to tell you that he will return soon."

"But he's only been away for a week-"

"The siege of Aroughs was a simpler task than any of us could have imagined. He also said to tell Brooke that Baldor sends his love as well."

"Thank you, Lady Nasuada," She said as she left. "For everything."

Roran and Baldor arrived three days later to a happy Rebecca and Brooke who were eager to hear of a personal account of Aroughs. Ellie and Sarah joined them as it was something to do and Eragon was busy with Glaedr and Solembum was off chasing a female werecat much to Sarah's annoyance.

Meg was usually always with Nasuada, even when they were both off duty. They seemed to be discussing something, but whenever anyone else came close, they'd change the subject. Something was up.

"Explain it to me again."

Brooke actually had to choke back a groan. Her cousin kicked her, Ellie rolled her eyes and Sarah scowled while Meg remained oblivious.

"Some five hundred years ago, Erst Graybeard was sent to what was to become Dras Leona, however when his queen was killed, the excavation ceased and all the builders left, it seems as though a sewage system was begun, but never finished."

"You think there's a tunnel leading into Dras Leona?" Brooke asked.

"If so, based on the calculations of the width and height of the tunnel, you could only fit one person in at a time. You'd need a small team to go unnoticed, four, five at most."

"I'll go," Eragon offered. "The Empire can't hurt me, Galbatorix won't let them."

"No way is Eragon going in alone," Ellie said. "I'll go with him."

"As will I," Sarah insisted. "No one suspects a cat who wanders where she pleases."

"One of the eleven spell casters should accompany him," Arya insisted. "As well as I."

"That is too many, one of you should stay behind to be used in case of an emergency." Meg interrupted. Everything grew silent.

Ellie and Arya looked to each other and Ellie sighed-

"I will remain." Arya interrupted. "It does not take many to succeed." Ellie smiled and nodded her thanks.
"Well, Arya may have been one too many, but I should hope to go as well as long as you do not mind," Angela said, nodding to Nasuada, who rolled her eyes and nodded in approval.

The group set out, leaving Meg and Nasuada as well as a few servants who were cleaning, alone.

"Something is going to go wrong, I can feel it."

"The Heartless Lady is feeling now?"

Meg snorted and Nasuada chuckled.

"He's been looking at you," Meg pointed out. "He has a certain glint in his eyes that light up whenever he looks at you."

"Really?" Nasuada blushed.

Meg smiled, "Let us win this battle—for Orrin."

"Have you found it yet?" Angela whispered, more annoyed than anxious. It required all of Ellie's self control not to roll her eyes—such a thing had began to hurt.

"If you're so adamant about finding it," Wryden said. "Then you can lead the way."

"Very well," Angela replied with a shrug. It took her about ten minutes which made the tips of the Elvish spellcaster go red.

"Remember this, Ellie?" Sarah asked as she slid into the ancient man hole. "How much you want to bet this one has rodents, too?"

"Golly, I hope this one doesn't take us back home, there's so much unfinished business here!" Ellie muttered, following close behind.

Walking around really wasn't that bad with Angela's light guiding them, but that didn't mean the trip was enjoyable. As Sarah had predicted, rodents skittered across the floor and at some point, something slithered across Ellie's foot.

"Do you have any idea where we are?" Ellie asked with a pleading tone.

"These runes, they look like the ones in Helgrind." Eragon murmured.

"Look out!" They turned abruptly to be met by soldiers. Ellie was cut off from the others and Sarah had disappeared—probably cat form.

She felt someone grab her from behind and dragged her into another room. She recognized Angela and Eragon but noticed a lack of Wryden and Sarah. She stood, ready to go fight for her friends only to find the door closed and blocked. She was about to speak when there was a sharp pain in the back of her head and the world went black.

"Ellie,"

Her head throbbed violently and she felt a warm fluid running down the back of her neck. Her arms were numb and raised above her head.

"Ellie,"

Go away, She thought. I'm sleepy, five more minutes.

"Ellie!"

She opened her eyes and looked around. She was in a room, a room of stone and metal. A torture chamber. She saw Eragon and locked eyes with him, taking deep breaths that burned her throat but were required. They were chained to a wall. Wryden was dead and if Sarah and Angela were not already so, they were on their way.

The door opened and in came the High Priest, dark evil in his eyes as he gazed upon them. She tried to speak, only to find a cloth wrapped too tightly to be moved, turning her words to mumbles.

She began to hyperventilate as the Priest issued his threats to them. He said that no torture would make them pay enough for killing those they worshiped—the Ra'zac. She had never been as scared as she was then; for she feared not for her own life, but the life of Eragon.

The priest ripped off her gag and smiled darkly. "A pity really," he said. "That one of your beauty should be wasted on a meal. Tsk, tsk. Oh, well. Enjoy."

She didn't know what he meant until after he left and a pair of slaves brought in three eggs. "Eragon," she whispered, her voice hoarse and painful. "I thought you killed them all."

"Apparently not."

One of them cracked.

"Oh, Lord," she whispered. "Eragon-"

"It's alright, Ellie, I promise you, we're going to be alright."

"That's a broken promise,"

"Ellie, just listen to me!" She fell silent, slightly startled. He spoke quietly, almost too quiet. "I love you."

"What?" Crack!

"I said I love you," He told her. "And I'm sorry that I haven't been there for you, but you've always been there for me and I need you to know that I love you and only you."

"I love you, too," something crawled out of the egg and was crawling towards her. "Eragon-"

The door opened and a cat lunged at the beast, killing it with its claws while a woman came in and smashed the eggs.

The cat promptly turned into its human form and cut them down. "Sarah! Angela! We thought you were dead!"

"We almost were," Sarah said. "But I'm Batman. I can get out of anything."

"You're a dork."

"Hurry, we have to open the gate," Angela said. For the first (and possibly only) time the witch was focused on the task at hand.

Or, at least the girls thought she was until she gifted a sword to Eragon that was neither stone nore metal called Tinkledeath. Don't ask.

They were running through passages that Angela somehow knew, attempting to avoid as much conflict as possible. "We've been here before!" Ellie cried, pointing to the alter where she and Eragon had been caught by the Ra'zac long ago when Brom was alive.

"Yes!" Eragon exclaimed. "Next time, please be a little quieter."

Her little out burst had alerted the high priest who sat, staring at them in astonishment. Eragon took care of the vile man with Tinkledeath while she retrieved her own sword and Brisingr.

"Some" priests weren't too happy with that and decided to attack them. Within minutes, the followers of their brutal religion was greatly reduced.

"And good riddance," Angela said with a nod as they beheld the number of bodies Ellie wanted to throw up.

"Do you hear that?" Sarah asked. The room became silent and they listened carefully. A bell.

"Shoot," Ellie muttered. "We have to go, NOW!"

"I've contacted Saphira," Eragon said as they took off running through the streets. "She's going to distract at least Thorn."

Ellie heard screams and the crashes of buildings being ripped apart, but she did not look back. Even when Sarah and Angela stayed behind to handle a squad of guards, she kept running and never looked back. She stopped though, when hundreds of soldiers were preparing for battle in front of the gate. "What do we do?"

"Rebels!" Her attention was stolen by a soldier who shouted such and drew others to fight the couple.

To make matters worse, a mound—a mountain—of dirt was piled in front of the gate.

"Saphira," He replied to the question she had nearly forgotten. Ellie stole a glance up and saw Saphira and Thorn flying straight for the gates.

But Murtagh was too smart for that. "You are failing, brother. You will never win." Ellie shivered at his words—at one point, the same man had spoken of love to her sister.

Ellie suddenly felt strange, like she was shoved to the back of her body and was replaced by a powerful being. She took Eragon's hand, pointed to the gate and the mound of dirt and shouted "Jierda!"

The dirt shot skyward, shredding Thorn's wing and landed in a blanket over the city. Together, they spoke the word for open and the gates opened, letting the Varden in. Ellie felt bloated and fell to her knees, resuming command of her own body.

"What just happened?" She whispered, her vision in multiples.

The Varden stormed forward, sweeping the city clean of the filth of Galbatorix and claiming Dras Leona as their own.

"Brother!" Shouted Murtagh, "I'll have blood from you for the injuries you caused Thorn! Take Dras Leona if you want, it means nothing to Galbatorix. But you've not seen the last of us, Eragon Shadeslayer, that I swear!"

Ellie smiled triumphantly, looked to Eragon, then frowned; exhaustion overtook her and she fainted.