Thanks everyone for the reviews. Sorry if I confuse you, but I am skipping around just because there seems it would be a lot of filler chapters.

Enjoy!

She breathed in and out again and concentrated. She had to concentrate. Her mind had been full of too many things over the past days. She took another breathe and then began the Rimgar, an exercise that Oromis had taught. She had found that it cleared her mind when she was troubled. Above, Kuldra was going through her morning routines as well, making sure she stayed in shape. Murtagh and Thorn were not among the army, but that didn't mean they wouldn't return. She was expecting it. She was stronger than Eragon, a fact that she could not understand as the dragons had blessed them both with the strength and grace of the elves. Kuldra believed that it had something to do with her being older than him. Older elves tended to have more strength, according to the gold dragon.

She straightened and breathed again. Her mind was already clearing. She could feel it. And she could feel twenty-four beings coming from the north. "Kuldra!" The gold dragon swooped and picked up her Rider. Florina pulled herself into the saddle and Kuldra glided over the camp. Below them, Florina was hearing the word elves coming from the men's minds. "They must be the two dozen Islanzadí sent to protect us." She didn't think it, but she was hoping that Lifaen was with them. She wanted to see him again. She subtly touched the rose in her hair. She was surprised it had stayed clean during the battle at least a week before.

Kuldra hovered over the northern entrance of the camp a moment before landing. Florina dismounted as Nasuada and Elva rode up to them. Together, they scanned the horizon for the elves. It was Elva who saw them and pointed them out to Nasuada as Kuldra had pointed them out to Florina. She barely heard Nasuada and Angela talking. But she did sense the six Nighthawks arrive and she and Kuldra moved away. They were followed by Angela and Elva a few seconds later. They waited in silence until Nasuada signaled them to return. Florina looked at the elves. With her improved sight, she could see the strange features of the lead elf. He was covered in midnight-blue fur that varied in length depending on the area of his body. Of his clothes, Florina could only see a loincloth and a braided belt with a small pouch. He had bright yellow eyes and a claw on both middle fingers. Then his musk hit her. It smelled like dry juniper, oiled leather, and smoke. She felt her breathe quicken and knew that Nasuada's had done the same. Kuldra shielded Florina long enough for the Rider to place a ward around herself. She greeted the elves according to custom and then watched Nasuada as she spoke with the elf.

His name was Blödhgram. At the moment, he was reporting that Ceunon had been captured. Florina watched closely to make sure that Nasuada did not breach courtesy. She had lived among the elves long enough to know that they valued courtesy as a virtue. "Your purpose here, as I understand it, is to protect Eragon and Saphira and Florina and Kuldra. Am I right?" Nasuada finally asked.

"You are, Nasuada Svit-kona." Blödhgarm answered. "And we are aware that Eragon is still inside the Empire but that he will return soon."

"Are you also aware that Arya left in search of him and that they are now traveling together?" He flicked his ears before replying.

"We were informed of that as well. It is unfortunate that they should both be in such danger, but hopefully no harm will befall them."

"Will you seek them?" Florina finally asked, knowing she was not breaching conduct. The elves, save Arya, did not know that she and Eragon were siblings, but they did know that she was his commander as a Rider. "Will you seek them and escort them back or will you wait?"

"Twelve of us will remain as guests of Nasuada, daughter of Ajihad. The other twelve will begin their duties as your guards. That is all we can do for now as our presence would definitely be detected if we went to search for them. Galbatorix is most likely to strike here, at the Varden. If he does and if Thorn and Murtagh should reappear, Saphira, Kuldra, and Golden Rider will need our help to drive them off."

"It is Florina, Blödhgarm." Florina answered. She held up a hand to stop Nasuada's protests. "We have no reason to distrust you, but before you enter our camp, we must ask that you be examined. I shall do it myself as I have been among your people. I am sorry about this, but we have been plagued by traitors and spies."

"As you wish, Lady Florina." Florina stepped in front of him, struggling to ignore the fact that his musk had grown stronger now that she was closer to them. She took a breath and sent a probe to his mind. She immediately heard the chords of music that made him an elf. She delved slightly deeper to ensure that he had not been tricked into swearing to Galbatorix. Once she was done with him, she moved onto the other elves, examining each of them carefully. She didn't show any sign that she recognized Lifaen when she reached him last. She examined his mind with the same precision as she had done his fellows and then turned to Nasuada.

"They are elves of Du Weldenvarden, Nasuada." She announced. She walked back over to Kuldra and leaned against the gold dragon's leg. She watched as Nasuada and the elf talkd a little more. It was Kuldra who warned her of the approaching humans and a sapphire dragon. Florina looked and saw Orrin's court approaching. She sat on the grass, knowing it would be a long wait.

"No." She and Kuldra were the only ones not surprised by the child's answer. Nasuada had tried to convince Elva to release Eragon from his vow to try to remove the blessing from her. "Eragon, Angela, Golden Rider, you all know what it is like to share someone's thoughts and emotions as they die. You know how horrible, how wrenching it is, how it feels as if part of yourself has vanished forever. And that is only from the death of one person. None of you has had to endure the experience unless you want to. But I have no choice to share them all." She went on and on. Nasuada asked Angela to add on. But the witch refused saying that Elva's choice was a personal one. Nasuada turned to Florina. She refused saying that Elva's blessing, or curse as she thought of it, was not something she would wish even upon her greatest enemy. Only Eragon spoke on Nasuada's behalf, but only to make sure the child understood what she was doing.

Finally, Eragon knelt in front of the girl and explained what he intended to do. Florina did not know the counterspell he had come up with, but she prayed that it worked. She did not want this child in any more pain. The spell took Eragon five minutes to say. Florina could see the disappointment in the child's face. "What is wrong, Elva?" She asked the child.

"I can still sense them." Florina knelt.

"Who?"

"You, him, them, everyone who's in pain. They haven't gone away! The urge to help them, that is gone, but this agony still courses through me." Florina turned to her brother. He frowned.

"I must have missed something. Give me a little while to think and I'll put a spell together that may do the trick." He trailed off into silence and Florina could see him thinking.

"No!" Elva said suddenly. Everyone looked at her in puzzlement. "No, don't try again."

"But," Nasuada began.

"I don't want any more spells feeding off me. I just realized, I can ignore them!" Florina stood and placed her hands on the girl's shoulders. She could feel the excitement. She let go of the girl's shoulders and reached for her mind.

"If this is your choice, do not abuse it." She told the child. "But do not forget, you are still a child and a child you shall be until you are grown." She shifted her consciousness from Elva to Eragon. "Come and find me when you are done." She left the tent.

She looked at the metal the smiths had. She, with Kuldra's help, had remembered the song Rhunön had sung while Florina had worked. She had told Eragon that she would make him a proper sword, but that it may take some time as she had to find metal good enough for it. For now, he was using one he had gotten from Fredric gave to him.

It was a few hours until the wedding and she needed something to do. Eragon had invited her to help with the preparations, but she was uncomfortable. Eragon had grown up with the people he was surrounded by. She was raised in a small coastal city, far from Palancar Valley. She ducked into her tent, shrugged out of her nice shirt, put on an old one, and then exited her tent while tying on her apron. It was noon already. She wouldn't have much time to work, but she could at least get the space set up.

A horn rang out in the distance. Florina stood straight and looked towards the north. It sounded again. Florina moved to her tent, pulling off the apron. It rang a third time. She ducked in, threw on her armor, fearing the worst, and grabbed her sword and Kuldra's saddle. She had just exited when the war-drums began to beat. "Lifean, to the northern entrance."

"We hear and obey." Kuldra jumped into the sky the moment the saddle was buckled, grabbing Florina in the process. Florina checked her stores of energy. They were still full except for one topaz on her belt. That one was low. She arrived at the same time Nasuada , Jörmundr, and Arya had.

"Who comes?" She asked. Moments later, Saphira and Eragon landed, the elves emerged from the tents. Orrin and the dwarves arrived followed by Nar Garzhvog from the east. Nasuada pointed out their enemies. Two miles away, five boats had landed and soldiers were pouring out from them. Arya shaded her eyes and looked.

"I count at most, three hundred." She said. Florina ignored Orrin's outburst. She turned to him at his last comment.

"We could obliterate that entire group and not lose a man."

"Maybe, maybe not." Nasuada answered.

"The Dragon King is a false-tongued traitor, a rouge ram, but his mind is not feeble. He is cunning like a blood-hungry weasel." Florina blocked out the rest of their words and extended her consciousness towards them. Something wasn't right about the men marching towards them. She began looking for the consciousness of another dragon. She could sense Eragon and Saphira and Kuldra talking. They stopped when movement across the river caught their eyes. Florina turned and felt her stomach drop as the red dragon rose into the air, Murtagh thrusting Zar'roc over his head. She turned to the group.

"We have to stop those soldiers before they reach the camp. Orrin, Garzhvog, with me. We have to stop those men. Eragon, be careful." Kuldra jumped into the air as Orrin signaled for the cavalry to prepare for a charge. The moment the gate was open, Kuldra shot forward with the cavalry and her twelve elves below them. Kuldra flew over the enemy a little ways before dipping and scooping up a claw full and burning them.

"Ah, no, help me! They won't die! Angvard take them, they won't die!" Florina turned back towards the men that Orrin's cavalry thought they had killed and saw them getting back up. Linked as she was with Lifaen's mind and that of the other elves, she could feel their astonishment that the soldiers were still fighting.

"What devilry is this? Burn them!" Kuldra roared and the fight began anew.

Hehehe. Surprise for the next chapter. THanks for reading and please review