I only own my own OCs. I hope you like the newest chapter, and please review. I always check out the stories my followers make, so you follow me, I follow you! And just to be clear, this is a list of the dragon Rider levels:

Apprentice: Young Riders in training; taught by dragon Riders, Elders, and occasionally the Head Rider if the apprentice in question is a true prodigy.

Dragon Riders: Fully Fledged Riders who complete missions for the Elders and Head Rider

Elders: Council of older Riders, oldest, wisest, and most powerful Riders; the High Council, as I have called them (or Raweru, Vraela, Arya, and Murtagh)

Head Rider: The "king" of Riders. Usually the most powerful/oldest/wisest.

I was prepared to ban Meirin from missions by the end of that day. It was five days after Meirin had been welcomed into Ridership, and he was being quite the show-off. He never stopped boasting to the apprentices, and even trying to oust the Elders! I have been arguing with Arya and Murtagh about his punishment, Raweru and I believing he should be held from missions for a few days, but Murtagh and Arya believed that he should only have to clean the wild dragon pens.

I had eventually gotten so fed up with the fighting, I just groaned, and shot out the doors, a shot of forest-green lightning coming from the sky and landed about ten feet from the large table's center. Arya seemed as if she wanted to call me back, but then she must have realized I wouldn't have listened, and let me walk out the doors, and into the garden.

I walked, not quite sure where I was going, but I kept going, until I found myself at Nasuada's honorary home, as she a Murtagh usually stayed at their mansion on Utgard Mountain. I had helped to repair my moss and ivy covered home from one-hundred years ago, and I rather liked making the old halls seem new again. But Eragon had called a council meeting of the Elders, and Nasuada had come to stay, momentarily escaping her many duties.

I knocked on the doorway of the oak, and a kind voice replied, "Who is it?" I yelled, "Vraela!" The door opened, and Nasuada's dark skin was blunt against the pale wood. She smiled brightly and welcomed me. "Vraela! It's wonderful to see you! We haven't had a chance to speak, well, openly, since the last Shade appeared near Dras-Leona. Last time, so many nobles surrounded us, if I had spoken my mind about that Shade, Edrin didn't he call himself? Well, they would have made the craziest gossip of it."

I laughed and motioned at my side, silently asking her to walk with me. I needed to speak someone else, non-Rider. As we walked though one of the many gardens, I asked, "Have you heard about the werecat who joined us? Meirin is his name." She grimly agreed, "Well, yes, but the Riders who visit me say he is reckless, selfish, and rather smug. So nothing good." I nodded and asked, "Well, I wish I could deny these things, but Meirin is becoming a problem. He constantly fights with the other Riders, boasts excessively to the apprentices, and even threatened the High Council when we ordered him to treat his fellow Riders better."

I remembered his exact words, and how hostile he had sounded. "You may be 'wise,' but you are also old, and someday will crack in your sanity, and much sooner than my generation. We are much more powerful, and unlike you idiotic Elders, we will not soon become senile, deaf, or blind to the world around us. I am prepared to lead my age to a better time; where the young Riders are given the power they deserve!" I had felt the hostility vibrating of him, and was shocked. How could this young boy want and feel so much anger?

I asked Nasuada, "May I show you?" She nodded, and I let the memory flow towards her mind. Once I felt she was done watching this, I withdrew, and she blinked away her shock. "So this child is causing this trouble, and you know that if you speak against him, the werecats may take offense, as he is the first to join you from their race. I now understand why you seem, unlike yourself." I frowned; was this really getting to me this badly?

I asked, "I know that you faced a decision much like this once, but I haven't. Please help me." She put a soft hand on my arm and told me, "My decision was a hard one, but one I had to make for myself. Many humans withdrew when the Urgals joined the Varden, but more Urgals joined than humans lost. You may have to sacrifice things along the road, but remember: there is always something at the end of the road. Now I believe I must return home before Murtagh has finished speaking to Eragon. Good-bye for now, Vraela."

I embraced her, knowing that the main reason we had bonded so strongly was we had both survived Galbatorix's horrible tortures, and said, "Thank you for your wisdom. I shall have to visit you soon." She smiled and told me, "I would like that very much." I then walked back to the council hall, where the others still argued. Murtagh suddenly saw me, and spread his arms in welcome. "Vraela. Are you prepared to reenter this... disagreement?" It was obvious that the fight was getting worse, as a lot was riding on Meirin's punishment.

I nodded and sat down, just as Meirin pushed open the doors, furious. I glared lightly at him, and he gazed back with fury burning. He yelled, "I heard you all! You plan on punishing me just for speaking my mind? This is another reason that my generation should lead. You are all outdated, retired! You are called Elders for a reason! You are unfit for these seats!" I stood up and firmly said, "You are speaking out of term, child. We only punish you because you show us no respect. So do you understand?"

He smiled, and I thought I had broke through to him, but he quickly gripped a chair and attempted to hit me over the head. I glared at him and whispered, "Letta." The chair stopped, and Meirin attacked me directly. I grabbed a plate and used it to block the punch, and when he turned into a cat, I gripped him by the scruff of the neck and held him away. I looked at Arya and Murtagh and asked sarcastically, "No threat, eh? No need to over react? I can see that." Meirin suddenly was human and tackled me, and I crashed to the floor.

I screamed, surprised by his strength, but before I could summon a small shock of lightning, Raweru ripped him off of me, and with a bit of help from Arya, held him back while I got to my feet. I glared at Meirin, and said, "What can we do about this?" Meirin smiled wickedly and snapped, "Yes. My people will turn on the Riders if you disband me, and if you let me stay, I will make sure that all of you see the reign of Head Rider and King Meirin! But you would be seeing it in chains, of course."

I looked at this child with incredulously. How could this be? No words could explain the level of awe I now felt. I gripped his right arm with Arya and said, "For now, we should put him somewhere he can't cause trouble." And we led him away, his fate, Skulblaka Hjerta, and even all the races of Alegasia at stake, for the price of one young boy's evil wishes.