Sorry if this seems like a filler.
disclaimer: all rights to the land of alegaesia belong to mr. paolini.
enjoy!
The days on the river passed in relative peace for Florina. Lifaen and Narí switched between boats while Eragon and Orik and she and Arya tended to stay with each other. At the current moment, Narí was with her and Arya. They were a ways ahead of Lifaen, Orik, and Eragon. Arya was settled behind her and she was behind Narí. Kuldra was off hunting with Saphira as evidenced by the flash of bounding deer behind her eyes. She sighed and let her mind drift as she paddled. Sometime later, Narí looked back towards the other boat. He spoke to Arya quickly in the ancient language before turning to her.
"This is unusual indeed."
"What is?" Florina asked, coming out of her thoughts.
"I have known Lifaen more many a year now and I have never seen that look upon his face." Florina turned and looked. He was facing straight ahead, but a moment before, he had been looking straight at her.
"He is upset with me." She answered, turning to face forward again. "When we departed Ceris, he asked to be my personal guard and I told him that he would have to guard us all as you and Arya cannot do it alone."
"I have seen him upset. The look he has now is not upset. I cannot tell what it is. But it does seem as if it is one of protection. I think, he will protect you above the rest of us." Florina was spared from answering as the dragons returned. "Aren't they glorious?" Narí cried, echoing similar cried from Lifaen. "See how their scales catch the light! No treasure in the world can match this sight!" Florina chuckled as the dragons landed in the river.
"Are you faring well, Brave One?" Florina's face darkened.
"As well as I can be. But the dreams seem to become worse the closer we get to Ellesméra."
"Maybe our teachers will have an answer. Perhaps he can create a shield to prevent the shadow from troubling your sleep."
"Kuldra,"
"Yes,"
"I am afraid. I am afraid that this shadow is a part of me, somehow."
"I will shield your mind tonight so you may sleep."
"How do we get past that?" Eragon yelled over the waterfall.
"We have to portage our canoes and supplies for half a league before the river clears!" Lifaen called back, pointing to a worn trail up the steep ridge. Florina began untying the packs and supplies and she and Aray divided everything between the six of them.
"Saphira has offered to carry it all for us." Eragon said, gesturing to the packs. Florina looked at Kuldra who yawned non-convincingly. It was obvious that the dragons had thought up this plan together.
"Kuldra would like to help as well." Florina said, reading the look on her dragon's face and her emotions. Lifaen looked at them in horror.
"We would never dream of using a dragon as a beast of burden. It would dishonor you, Saphira and Kuldra-and Eragon and Florina as Shur'tuglar-and it would shame our hospitality." The dragons snorted and grabbed three packs each and took off over their heads.
"Catch us if you can!" They called together. Florina began laughing as Arya did. She had never seen Kuldra playful and it warmed her heart and her mood. Arya turned to Lifaen and smiled at him.
"You have much to learn if you presume to tell dragons what they may or may not do."
"But the dishonor-"
"It is no dishonor if they do it of their own freewill. Now, let us go before we waste any more time." Florina smirked and picked up the boat.
She sat against the tree next to Eragon. She felt alone without Kuldra near her. She had forgotten how lonely the world was without her partner-of-heart-and-mind-and-soul. She wanted nothing more than to be in the skies with her. That was where they belonged. Being apart from her reminded her too much of Kuldra's first months of life. Sure Kuldra was in the trees just beyond, but they could only see each other at certain times. When they were traveling with Brom and Eragon and Saphira, they were able to spend more time together and in the months that followed, it felt wrong to be apart. She looked up in time to see a meteor shoot across the sky.
At that same moment, a woman's voice drifted to them from Sílthrim. The melody felt wild as the strength of the voice rose and was joined by several others. The added voices added hundreds of variations to the song. She tried to ignore the music, knowing it to be a spell, but to no avail. The fey strains sent jolts of elation and fear down her spine and brought forth a longing she had never felt before. Before she knew what she was doing, she and Eragon had both jumped to their feet. She started to move into the trees when Arya grabbed their arms and yanked them to face her.
"Eragon! Florina! Clear your minds!" She struggled to free herself of Arya's iron grip. "Eyddr eyreya onr!" Everything fell silent as Florina felt her ears empty of sound. She stopped fighting and looked around. Eragon was as stunned as she was. On the opposite side of the fire, Narí and Lifaen wrestled noiselessly with Orik. Sound suddenly returned to her with a pop, but the music was gone.
"What…?' Eragon asked. Florina could hear the dazedness in his voice. She felt the same. But the longing was still there, along with an emptiness.
"Gerr'off me," Orik growled. Narí and Lifaen lifted their hands and backed away.
"Your pardon, Orik-vodhr." Lifaen said. Florina sat next to the fire, trying to figure out her feelings, the feelings the music had caused her. Arya gazed towards the city.
"I miscounted the days. I didn't want to be anywhere near a city during Dagshelgr. Our celebrations are perilous for mortals. We sing in the ancient language and the lyrics weave spells of passion and longing that are difficult to resist, even for us." As Arya finished her sentence, Florina fell into her own world of understanding and ignored the rest of the words spoken by the others. She knew why she felt empty. She was a month away from being nineteen years old. She knew that, if Kuldra had not hatched for her, she would have settled down and continued being the blacksmith of Kuasta. But Kuldra had hatched for her and she had not had time to form lasting relationships with anyone. Nor had she even thought of courting while her mother was in the hands of Galbatorix.
The dragons arrived four hours into the celebration. Florina could see that the spell was affecting them as well. Their eyes were sparkling with a queer aspect and they were panting and shivering. Florina stood and walked over to Kuldra while Eragon did the same to Saphira. Kuldra seemed more in control of herself than Saphira did.
"Are you well, Brave One?"
"Are you not affected by this?"
"I am. But I know that there is a mate for me. There are two more dragons who have yet to hatch. One of them may be destined to be my mate. Being bonded to you has given me a patience I never thought a dragon to have. But you are not as unaffected as you appear. What is troubling you?"
"Kuldra, you hatched for me on the night I turned eighteen. In a month, you will be a year old and I will be nineteen. For humans, we come of age at sixteen. That is when we start courting and looking for a suitable…mate. I didn't do that at sixteen because no man would look at me and see me for me. And then you hatched and Mama was taken and we were traveling." Florina sighed and wrapped her arm around Kuldra's neck. "I should be settled down with a husband and raising children. Possibly continuing my father's work as a blacksmith. But I am here with only one other of my kind. But even then, we are not completely human as he is bonded to Saphira and I am bonded to you."
"Oh, Brave One." Kuldra nuzzled Florina's head before staring into the darkness. Florina didn't move as Arya placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. Florina looked at her and knew the elf understood what she was feeling. Together, the five of them made a living chain, watching the darkness.
"Are you going to be alright, Brave One?"
"I…I will be fine." Florina watched as the others prepared to leave.
"I would rather you stay with me."
"I know. But it would be difficult for me to hide with you and Saphira. No, I will go with them." She jumped as Saphira broke a sapling with her tail. "Don't let her dwell on what she experienced last night."
"Don't you dwell on such depressing thoughts. Remember Angela's prophecy. Love will find you, but you must accept him." Florina's face darkened.
"I am too much of an oddity for any man to take as his wife." She hugged Kuldra's neck and mounted the horse provided for her. Florina felt Kuldra's eyes on her as she followed the elves and Orik into the trees. She saw Eragon look back at Saphira. She touched his arm. "She will be fine. Kuldra will not let her dwell on what she has experienced."
Florina did her best not to dwell that day on what had happened to her the night before. She decided against speaking to Arya about it and instead tried to concentrate on the direction they were going. They had left the river behind and the trees were thicker here. She was happy when the dragons returned that night. Kuldra kept Florina close, knowing that the feelings her Rider felt would not pass quickly. The realization that her life was no heading in a different direction than what she had believed frightened her and Kuldra could feel it. Arya noticed that the gold dragon kept her Rider near her, always covered with her wing or surrounded by the gold dragon's massive neck.
"What happened to Florina during Dagshelgr?" She wondered that night. After pondering for a while, she extended her consciousness towards the golden rider.
"What do you want?"
"Are you well? Kuldra seems more protective of you than before."
"Is it a crime for a dragon to be protective of her Rider? We protect each other, Arya. I am fine." Florina cut off the connection, leaving Arya bewildered.
It was days after the celebration and they were nearing their journey's end. Florina felt better, but the feelings would never truly go away until she fully understood what had happened to her. She stayed close to Kuldra and tried to ignore Lifaen's eyes on her. They rode in silence. Late in the afternoon, the gloom lifted to revel and elf sheathed in a ray of light the penetrated the green ceiling. He wore flowing robes and a silver circlet upon his brow. To Florina, he looked old, noble, and serene.
"Eragon, Florina. Show him your palms. Eragon, show him your ring as well." They obeyed. The elf's eyes passed over Eragon and Saphira and Kuldra and lingered on her. She knew it was her eyes. They were too dark to be comfortable. She felt a consciousness brush against her own. She slowly let down her mental barriers and allowed him access into her mind. He examined the memories of her childhood, being gentle. Satisfied, he withdrew from her mind, closed his eyes, and spread his arms in a gesture of welcome. "The way is clear." Arya said and commanded her horse forward.
"Who is he?" Saphira asked.
"He is Gilderien the Wise, Prince of the House Miolandra, Wielder of the White Flame of Vánil, and Guardian of Ellesméra since the days of Du Fryn Skulblaka. None may enter the city unless he permits it." Florina refrained from mentioning her experience. She knew she was an oddity and it generally made people suspicious when they saw her eyes. Her thoughts focused when she heard saw elves staring at her, Kuldra, Eragon, Saphira, and Arya.
"They are the Fair Folk." A woman's voice rose from the crowd. Eragon blocked his ears a moment before Arya corrected him. They all dismounted. "Gánga." She told her horse and it followed the others. They followed Arya up the street and she caught names such as Longclaws, Daughter of Air and Fire, and Strong One applied to the dragons. She took in the city while Eragon questioned Arya about its make.
Lifaen caught her when she tripped on the steps at the end of the path. She nodded her thanks and climbed the steps behind them to a door. Her heart pounded in her chest. She was about to meet the queen of the elves. A quick glance as the doors opened revealed a honeycombed ceiling and twenty-five chairs. In twenty-four of them sat lords and ladies all looking at them with excitement in their eyes. She didn't fail to notice their swords. Where the chairs met sat the twenty-fifth chair and throne. Upon it sat Queen Islanzádi. Florina gulped as she looked at the woman. She immediately noticed similarities to Arya and knew the woman before them was her mother.
"Wyrda!" Florina's attention was moved to a white raven perched upon a curved rod in the queen's hand. The door closed and the eight of them approached the queen. Arya bowed first, followed by Narí and Lifaen, Orik, Florina, Eragon, and finally the dragons dipped their heads in respect. Islanzádi stood from her throne and approached Arya.
"Rise." She commanded and Arya obeyed. The queen cried out and embraced the younger woman. "O my daughter, I have wronged you!"
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