Thanks all for reading. iPineapple: There will be differences between Eragon and Florina now that they are in Ellesmera.
Disclaimer: I only own Florina and Kuldra
bold italic text is Kuldra/Florina thoughts and conversations
Bold text is Eragon/Saphira thoughts and conversation
enjoy!
She opened her eyes to the golden tent above her. She chuckled as she remembered sleeping besides Kuldra. She tapped the golden dragon's ribs and stepped out of the bowl. She smiled at Saphira's roar of joy. She opened the screen to her room and found a try with a note.
Greetings Kuldra Bjartskular and Florina Golden Rider. I, Bellaen of House Miolandra, do humble myself and apologize to you, Kuldra, for this unsatisfactory meal. Elves do not hunt and no meat is to be had in Ellesméra, nor in any of our cities. If you wish, you can do as the dragons of old were wont, and catch what you may in Du Weldenvarden. We only ask that you leave your kills in the forest so that our air and water remain untainted by blood. Florina, these clothes are for you. They were woven by Niduen of Islanzadí's house and are her gift to you. Florina looked at her dragon and she picked up the tray and clothes. She examined the clothes. She found two short-length, deep gold tunics trimmed with lavender needlework. There was also two half-tunics of the same deep gold. These were not decorated in any way and she knew that they were meant to go under her tunics. The leggings were tan in color, to compliment her tunic and hugged her legs. The three pairs of socks felt like liquid in her hands.
She bit the inside of her cheek, debating whether or not to bath. But a quick look in the mirror told her to. She had discovered last night that the dip in the next room was a bathtub. She stripped of her old clothes and slipped into the water. She didn't soak long and was lacing up her boots when there was a knock on the screen to her room. "Come in," she called and Arya walked in. "Good morning."
"Good morning." Arya smiled as a strand of black hair stuck to Florina's face. "I see that you have discovered the bath."
"And I am glad I did." Florina nodded the clothes she had left by the door. "Is there any way to get rid of them? I am grateful to the dwarves for them, but I doubt I will be wearing them again."
"I will send word to Bellaen. You have become my friend and so I came to warn you. My mother and a host of others are waiting for the four of you. But be wary. My mother is as tense as a cornered wolf."
"What is going on?"
"It is not my place to say." Florina frowned and finished lacing her boots and grabbed her sword. Arya noticed but said nothing. She had come to know Florina well enough to know that she never went without her blade. She and Arya and Kuldra were the first to arrive and they waited for Eragon, Saphira, and Orik to join them. When they had, Islanzadí bid them follow. They walked to the edge of the city where few building resided. The queen then turned on them once they reached a wooded knoll.
"Before we go any farther, the five of you must swear in the ancient language that you will never speak to outsiders of what you are about to see, not without permission from me, my daughter, or whoever may succeed us to the throne."
"Why should I gag myself?" Orik demanded. Saphira backed him up. Florina wondered the same, but she and Kuldra had already promised each other that they would do whatever was needed to save Emily from Galbatorix.
Eragon looked at Florina sharply as he heard the oath come from her and Kuldra to Arya and those assembled. Her immediate response left the younger Rider and dragon and dwarf shocked. Even Islanzadí looked taken aback at Florina's readiness to gag herself. After a moment, the other three swore and the queen led them to the top of the knoll. Florina looked out across the forest below them, feeling like she was standing on top of the world. A flash of recognition graced Eragon's face. At that moment, a jarring thud swept up her legs. She grabbed onto Kuldra's neck spike for support. The thuds became stronger as the creature approached them. A final thud and a massive gold dragon rose from below the cliff with a Rider on its back. Florina and Eragon fell to their knees at the same time, awe and relief coursing through them. Anger filled her as she saw the white stump where the dragon's left leg should have been. Kuldra shifted next to her.
"Something about the dragon is familiar to me." She commented as the dragon landed and the Rider descended down the dragon's right leg. The elf approached them. Florina didn't hear Eragon's words and only greeted the elf when he turned and helped her stand. She thought she saw recognition in his eyes, but it passed quickly and she wasn't sure she had seen it.
"Oromis is my proper name, my young Riders." The queen picked that moment to confront Oromis about knowing of them. She turned her attention to the dragon as it breathed on her.
"We are well met, Florina Golden Rider." His voice rumbled through her mind like thunder. "I am Glaedr."
"I am honored." Florina responded, touching her lips. Glaedr turned his attention to the dragons who stood stock still.
"You both smell of humans. All you know of your own race is what your instincts have taught you, but you both have the heart of a true dragon."
"Islanzadí Dröttning, by your leave." Oromis's voice pulled Florina from her thoughts. She mounted Kuldra, crouching in her spot, where she would have usually sat, to prevent her legs from being skinned and the dragons took to the sky. She found it fun when Kuldra would twist, not to show off, but to express her excitement.
"You have great strength, Florina." Oromis commented.
"Thank you. I must admit that this is the first I have done this." Kuldra twisted again, adding a flip to it. Florina gripped the neck spike tightly.
"You two are a natural pair." Florina only smiled as she saw the trees below them again. When they finally landed in another clearing, Florina jumped off her dragon's back and breathed deeply. Eragon looked at her while Oromis disappeared into his hut. She also wore new clothes which looked more regal than his. He wasn't sure if it was because she was a woman, the leader of the Riders, or both. Oromis returned, carrying three stools and three flagons of cold water. Florina accepted the water but declined the stool and sat on the grass. She looked at the sky and waited for the elder Rider to speak. She had many questions, but they could wait as they were not ones Eragon should hear. They concerned her position and what it meant. The hours passed and she was soon examining the way Glaedr was looking at Kuldra while she braided her hair which had dried during the flight. There was a strange light in his eyes, as if he knew her. "You have both learned the value of patience well. That is good." Oromis's words made her jump. She had forgotten why she had been sitting observing the day in the first place.
"You cannot stalk a deer if you are in a hurry." Eragon answered.
"Nor can blades be made in an hour." Florina added.
"True enough. Let me see your hands. I find they tell me much about a person." He examined Florina's first. "You have wielded a hammer and sword in equal measure and have never used a bow."
"That is correct. My father taught me his craft and how to fight before Kuldra hatched for me." His finger brushed over her fingers.
"You have written much in your life."
"Mama taught me my letters and numbers so I could keep track of what Papa and I sold."
"That is good. You fight with grace that only elves usually achieve."
"Papa encouraged creative fighting which has proven useful to me in the past." He released her hands and turned to Eragon. "Correct me if I am wrong, but you have wielded a scythe and plow more often than a sword, though you are accustomed to a bow."
"Aye,"
"And you have done little to no writing or drawing."
"Brom taught me my letters in Terim, with Florina's help."
"Beyond your choice of tools, it seems obvious that you tend to be reckless and disregard your own safety.
"What makes you say that, Oromis-elda?" Eragon asked. Florina listened as Oromis bade them call he and Glaedr master rather than elda. He continued to question them about their motives. His eyes seemed to fall when she mentioned that Galbatorix had her mother in his dungeons. Florina caught his flagon as his face turned crimson and his fingers formed hooked claws that grabbed at his white robes. She handed him back his water when he had recovered.
"You are not crippled!" Florina said angrily when Eragon said he was as crippled as Oromis. "If you believe you are cripple, then cripple you shall be and the brunt of defeating Galbatorix falls to me as you sit here and learn decades of knowledge at a slow pace. I cannot do this alone!"
"And there you are partly wrong, Florina." Oromis said calmly. Florina's temper cooled slightly. "You can do this alone, if you must. But she is right about everything else, Eragon. You are only cripple if you think yourself one. No one of us may shirk their duties because of illness, injury, or demons." Florina met his gaze without flinching. "Stand and remove your tunics, both of you. I want to see what you are made of."
"Master?"
"Yes, Eragon."
"You said for both of us,"
"Yes, both of you. Unless Florina has an objection."
"No, Master." Florina said as she removed her tunic to reveal the skin tight half-one underneath. Eragon's cheeks flushed and he looked away.
"Was Brom aware of your existence?" Saphira asked suddenly.
"He was my pupil as a boy in Ilirea. I am glad that you gave him a proper burial.
"Did you know Morzan as well?" Eragon asked.
"HE IS MY FATHER!" Kuldra's excited shout blocked out the next words between Eragon and Oromis. "That is why his voice is familiar to me. And Oromis's as well. Glaedr is my father!" Florina spun to face the dragons, happiness etched on her face and she looked at the two dragons. A tap on her shoulder reminded her where she was. She turned sheepishly and Oromis examined her as she stood tall.
"You have a fair amount of muscle as well. But it is nicely hidden. You are not lopsided either. Are you ambidextrous?"
"I am. When my father found out, he had me learn how to fight with my left hand as well."
"Good, that will save us time. Now, both of you, clasp your hands behind your back as high as possible." They did as he instructed. Where Eragon could barely make his hands meet, Florina was able to clasp hands and raise them to her shoulders. "Now, bend forward while keeping your knees straight. Try to touch the ground." This proved to be a struggle for Eragon as well. He was bowed like a hunchback with his fingers still about ten inches above the ground. Florina touched the ground with her fingertips." Oromis nodded and muttered to himself, letting the two stand straight again and moved to the young dragons.
"Master,"
"Yes Florina?" Oromis answered as Saphira and Eragon flew back towards the city.
"Before we entered the forest, Arya mentioned that I am Eragon's superior as Kuldra hatched first. Is this true?" Oromis sighed and gestured for her to follow him inside.
"It is true." He said as he served fresh water and they sat at the table.
"But why not you and Glaedr? Why me and Kuldra?"
"Our infirmities prevent us from leading the new generation of Riders. Besides, the old ways are no longer what is needed to survive. You and Eragon and Kuldra and Saphira survived on your own by instinct. Eragon and his dragon were the first Riders and so they became the first leaders of our Order. However, the way we chose our leaders no longer works as there are only three of us."
"I would never think of commanding you, Master."
"I know, Child. But you must remember that if you must, I will be expected to follow your command because Kuldra hatched before Saphira and Glaedr and I can do very little. There will be lessons that Vrael left me to give to his successor: you." Florina fell silent and picked at the table. "This is a lot to take in and it was not Arya's place to say it."
"She was only trying to educate us."
"True, but she would have done better just to let you remain speaker until you had come to me. But yes, in war councils with any of the leaders and they include the Riders, you are to be present."
"But,"
"Florina, the world you have been thrust into is a world of politics that you must navigate yourself. I can guide you, but I am from the old generation. You will, with Eragon's help, have to make new traditions and laws regarding the Riders." She looked at him. "Do not worry about it for now. Right now, we will concentrate on what you and Eragon have to learn. But I will give you records to read so you do not make the same mistakes."
"Thank you."
"Go on. I will see you in the morning." Florina smiled and walked out to Kuldra. The younger dragon seemed loath to leave, but Florina promised they would see each other in the morning.
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