Thank you to Elves are Awesome for your review.

Disclaimer: I only own Florina and Kuldra.

A/N: bold italics= the individual thoughts of FLorina and Kuldra when they are apart.

Credit for Florina's fate goes to Elves are Awesome. Thanks for the idea.

Enjoy!

They followed the path, letting the river guide them in the dusk. She watched as her partner-of-heart-and-mind-Eragon and Old-Rider-Brom set up camp and spar. She knew that he was worried about Rider Florina and gold-dragon-Kuldra. Florina had promised to catch up with them before they reached the city. Now it was only leagues away and they still had not returned. When she left to hunt, she searched for the pair. They were nowhere to be found. She curled around Eragon and together they slept.

She tried to enjoy their swim, but thoughts and worry of the missing pair nagged at her mind. She thought about them while she swam through the lake while the two males rode their odd beasts along the shore. She watched them both fighting. She paid attention to Brom's next lesson on magic. Finally, she couldn't take it anymore.

"Ask him what he thinks happened to Florina and Kuldra." Eragon repeated her question.

"I agree with Saphira. I am worried about them. They should have caught up to us by now."

"Maybe she has gone on ahead to make sure it was safe for us." Brom suggested. Eragon shrugged.

"We would have seen her." He said. "If she were going on ahead, she would have told us as she flew over head. But she promised that she would go with us to Dras-Leona."

"Eragon, she told us that she would not help us with the Ra'zac. Maybe she has had enough and decided to leave. She was wanting to go and find her father. Maybe she has decided now was the time to do so." Brom looked at the boy. "But you do not think that she has gone and done that, do you?" Eragon shook her head.

"I think she was captured. We have to find her."

"Eragon,"

"He is right, Little One. One thing at a time. After we have gotten rid of the Ra'zac, then we can go after her."

"But I worry about them. What if they have been captured and are on their way to the king? What if the only way to save them is to go after them?"

"But, do you think that is what happened?"

"No," Eragon conceded. "She is not on her way to see the king. But I have a feeling that she has been captured. Her and Kuldra both."

"We will find them."

She opened her eyes and looked around. "Kuldra? Kuldra, are you there?" No answer came. "Kuldra!" She jumped up and looked around. She was in a dark cell and she was alone. She had no idea where Kuldra was. From what she could tell, it had been weeks since Eragon had engaged her in a fight with the Urgals. She remembered very little of those weeks. She remembered that she had found the Urgals and had killed them with Kuldra's help. Then, they had been ambushed by men she didn't recognize. But she knew their uniforms. They were Galbatorix's army. She had not been far from Eragon and Brom. She guessed that she had overtaken them since she had been flying high enough to not be seen at all. She had just made camp when she had been attacked. She had barely thought to leave a clue for Eragon and Brom. But she had never gotten the chance. She didn't even know what had happened to Kuldra. "Please don't be dead." She whispered.

"Who are you praying for, Woman?" She spun and saw a man she had never seen before. She could not tell his features in the darkness of the cell, but she had a feeling who it was.

"That is none of your concern, Lord Tábor." She said, facing him. "Why have you brought me here? I was traveling back to my home and have done nothing against you."

"I have been charged with locating a certain blacksmith. Perhaps you know him. His name is Caleb." Florina kept her face emotionless. "You sold his wares for him. Many have heard the two of you use strange phrases that only few know. We know these to be the Varden."

"He is dead."

"What makes you so sure?"

"I found his body moments before I was nearly crushed by a burning roof. On my last trip, I returned home to find his house in ruins. I found the body of my master in the forge. I rushed out the back and into the woods before I was killed. No one saw me."

"Exactly. No one saw you. He could have escaped as well."

"If that is the case, then he must have magic. The roof fell right after I got out. No one followed me." She felt a consciousness near her mind. She put up a brick wall around her mind, surrounded by fire before attacking with her own. Tábor flinched. "Do not think little of me, my Lord. My mother trained me well." She glared at him.

"Move asssside." Florina tried not to let any emotion show in her face as chills ran up her spine. "Thissssss woman sssssmellssss of him."

"Ra'zac!"

"I have told you that any prisoner in my dungeon is mine. I caught her, I will find the blacksmith."

"You will not find him. He isssss gone." Florina turned to the window. The hissing disgusted her.

"Oh Kuldra, if you are alive, find Eragon and Brom. Please be alive."

She opened her eyes and looked around. It was morning. "Good Morning, Brave One." She waited for an answer. She picked up her head sharply when no answer came. "Florina? Florina!" Kuldra pulled herself to her feet. She found she was weak. After a moment, she knew why. She had not hunted in a few days. She had been out hunting and had left Florina by herself. Florina had called her and then she couldn't hear her anymore. She was gone. Urgals had ambushed her and she had been unable to reach her partner-of-heart-and-mind-Florina. The Urgals she had killed quickly, but not quickly enough. By the time she had reached the camp, Florina was gone. That's when she had collapsed, a sharp pain in her head.

"Dras-Leona is an easy day's ride that way."

"Thank you, Sir." She recognized the voice. It was the Old One.

"Eragon! Saphira! Brom!"

"Eragon! Saphira! Brom!"

"Brom, did you hear that? It sounded like Kuldra."

"I did Eragon. Talk to her. Let her know we are here and ask her where she is."

"Kuldra, Kuldra, are you still there?"

"I am, Rider Eragon. It is good to hear your voice. Are you well?"

"I am. Is Florina with you?" No answer came and then he got a picture of a clearing to the east side of the road.

"Come and I will explain."

"Well?"

"She won't tell me if Florina is with her. But she wants us to go to her and she will explain. She is just east of us."

"She must not be far if she heard us. Let us go then." They guided the horses off the road and into the trees around them. They traveled for about half an hour before they found the gold dragon. "Florina!" Brom called. There was no answer.

"She is not here."

"Where is she?"

"I don't know. We landed here a few days ago. I left to hunt. I was ambushed by Urgals. She was ambushed as well. I was too late to help her. The last memory I have from her is this." She showed them an image of a twisted flame they both knew well. "After that, I lost consciousness and only just regained it. I am worried about her."

"Where would they have taken her?" Eragon asked.

"The nearest city where they can keep her until they can take her to the king, if he is the one that wants her." Brom said. "But since her father had dealings with the Varden and they were discovered, they are going to want to use her to get to him and the Varden."

"So she is in Dras-Leona." Eragon said. "We have to get her out!"

"Eragon," Brom said harshly, "think. You have been hunting the Ra'zac for months now. Now, I know you have to care for Florina as a friend and want to go rescue her. You cannot do both. She is going to be heavily guarded. If you go to free her, the Ra'zac will know you are here. If we storm Helgrind, you will not be able to get into the prison. You have to choose." Eragon was silent. He looked at Kuldra and knew that what she was going to do would affect Kuldra as much as it would Florina. But he had sworn revenge on the monsters that had killed his uncle.

"Eragon, you made a vow to get revenge on those monsters. I will get help for Florina. I will go to the Varden. They will help me get her out. You go and get your revenge."

"Are you sure?"

"Florina is not your responsibility, but mine. We protect each other. She has protected me since birth. Now I must do the same. Go," She looked at them. "If you find her. Let me know. The Old One knows how."

"I will stay with you, Sister-gold-dragon-Kuldra. If they find her, Eragon can tell me and I will tell you."

"Very well." The gold dragon sighed audibly before standing up and taking flight with Saphira so she may eat.

"Just tell them what they want to know."

"No." The whip cracked across her back.

"Where is this farm boy you were traveling with?"

"I was not traveling with a farm boy. I visited one a few months back. Maybe they smell him." She winced as she felt the whip slit open another piece of her back. They had been at this for a few days now. She kept herself from thinking about the farm boy the Ra'zac wanted. If she thought about him and her concentration wavered, they would know. She kept her mind clear of everything that could be harmful, including thoughts of her dragon. She hoped that Kuldra was safe and that she had found Brom and Eragon. She wanted to talk to her. She missed her so much. Her head snapped back

"Answer the question." Tábor demanded.

Florina spit out blood. He had hit her without the whip. "What question?"

"Where is the farm boy?"

"I do not know what you are talking about. The only farm boy I know is many weeks from here. His mother is a friend of my father's. I was staying with them on my way back from a recent trip to the north."

"Thisss isss not working. Leave her to ussss." She refused to let the fear show in her eyes as she smelt the Seither oil in the air.

"I will get it out of her. Besides, I still need her to find the blasted rebels."

"No. Sssshe is not of any use anymore."

"The king is coming and I wish to have information to give him."

"She will not give you anything. Give her to usss. We will make her talk."

"I am afraid I can't. The priests have asked for her." She heard no more as she finally fainted from the loss of blood. When she next woke, she was lying on her stomach and someone was dressing her wounds.

"What's going on?" She moaned.

"Lord Tábor asked me to administer to you. You will be leaving the prison soon. You should be honored. I hear you are to join those at the cathedral and become one of them." Florina balked.

"No, this is not going to be good. I need to get out of here before then."

"But Lord Tábor has some more questions for you."

"I don't know the answer to his. I already know what he wants."

"I will tell him then." Florina stayed quiet and tried to form a plan.

I hope you all enoyed this. Action in the next chapter. WHat choices will the two Riders make? Thanks for reading and please review