Glad you all loved the cliffhanger. Hehehe. Now, Florina meets her father. hehehe

She kept her eyes closed as she emerged from the dark-sleep she enjoyed when she was safe. But the waking felt wrong. She knew that she should not have been deep asleep. There were dangers everywhere during war and she and her partner-of-heart-and-mind were one of the main targets of their enemy's ire. The events of the last time she had her eyes open slowly came back. She was fighting red-shrike-dragon-Thorn above the Burning Plains. Rider Eragon and Sister-blue-dragon-Saphira had been fighting red-shrike-dragon-Thorn and Rider Murtagh before Eragon cast a spell and fainted. That's when she and her brave one had taken up the battle. The minds of the pointed ears had gone and then nothing. No, then she had woken up here, in the cave of some sort. She wondered if Florina had found a way to hide them.

"Florina," no one answered her call. "Brave One?" She opened her eyes and looked around. She was in a spacious cave. From the smell, she could tell that it was above a city. She prayed against what her gut was telling her. "Florina, answer me. Where are you? What happened? Please don't let me be alone." Movement in the corner made her stand and turn her back to the wall she had been against. "Name yourself." She demanded. The large mass moved and she could only see its outline. But she knew immediately who it was and her fears were confirmed. "Florina!"

"Florina!" She jumped up with a start only to fall back against the pillows with a groan. It was Kuldra. She was in trouble. She needed to get to her. But she was weak. She couldn't even get up. She tried reaching for her parter-of-heart-and-mind and found herself blocked. It was the room she was in. She could not get past the door with her mind. Nor could she get out in any other way.

"Kuldra," she attempted. The barrier broke a little. "Kuldra, answer me! Kuldra!" The barrier broke a little more, but she still couldn't get out and realized that the barrier was partly in her mind. She broke through it and instinctively retreated into her inner mind at the onslaught of thoughts wanting to be heard. She quieted them to a dull murmur and began looking for Kuldra again. She found her above, and she wasn't alone. The mind she sensed with Kuldra was twisted and old. "Shruikan." She got out of bed, barely noticing the sheets falling off her as she stood up. When she looked, she saw her clothes on a nearby chair. She dressed. In a corner, she found her sword and armor. She paused. "Why wouldn't these be locked up?" She wondered as she buckled on her belt, sword, and dagger, hiding another in her boot. "Kuldra, answer me, please." She checked her topazes and found the one around her neck and one on the belt still had energy in them. She gulped and went to the door. It was unlocked. Outside was a stone hallway. She wasn't in a cell. She turned and looked at the bed she had been in. It was a grand room, fit for a noble. She knew it was Galbatorix trying to gain her affection.

She hid in the shadows as a servant entered the hall. The servant passed and Florina continued on her way, following any stairs that led upward. "Where do you think you're going?" She skidded to a stop and turned to face the speaker. It was Murtagh and he was leaning against the wall.

"Where I go is none of your concern, Murtagh." She spat and moved forward. He reached for her. She grabbed his dagger and pushed him against the wall, the blade at his throat. "Don't waste your breath." She whispered. "I know where my loyalties lie and they are not with you and Galbatorix. If it wasn't the hope Eragon had for you, I would kill you now and save you and Thorn the misery of living." She let him go and threw his dagger on the floor before hurrying on. She had to find Kuldra before something happened to her. A bang was heard above her. "Kuldra!"

She hissed at the younger dragon that stood between her and twisted-black-Shruikan. It was red-shrike-Thorn. "Kuldra!" It was her partner-of-heart-and-mind-Florina. She was looking for her. They needed to get away from there and get back to the Varden. Florina knew Nasuada's plan to start invading the Empire. "Kuldra, I'm coming. Answer me if you can."

"I am in some sort of cave. Thorn and Shruikan are here."

"I'm climbing stairs. I think I've found the cave you speak of." The door burst open. "Jierda!" A female voice shouted. Thorn and Shruikan were knocked away from her and Florina ran up to the gold dragon and climbed on. There was no time to find her saddle and saddle her. They had to go before they were caught. Kuldra hurried to the entrance, which they could barely see, and prepared to jump.

"Letta." Kuldra stopped midstride. Florina tried to get off to face the new threat, but found she was stopped by the spell as well. Murtagh walked into view. "This is rude you know, leaving without saying good-bye. You haven't even seen your mother yet."

"Let me go, Murtagh. My mother is strong. Besides, what could I do when my partner-of-hear-and-mind is in trouble?" Florina searched for a large enough source of unguarded energy. She couldn't counter his spell without it. She would kill herself and Kuldra before she had any success as she could sense that he was being given energy from elsewhere.

"Not before you see your parents." He grabbed her from Kuldra's shoulders and pushed her through another, larger, opening. Shruikan and Thorn had already gone through. Murtagh motioned for Kuldra to go before him, keeping a firm hold on Florina, before following with her. The walk took ten minutes before they entered from a side door into a large room. Near where they had entered sat a throne with a balding man atop it. Shruikan settled behind him. Thorn stopped Kuldra while Murtagh forced Florina forward. He knelt, pulling her down with him. She fought him off, finally free of the spell.

"Rise, Murtagh." He obeyed and Galbatorix turned his dark eyes on her. "Ever since I learned who gave birth to you, I have been eager to meet you."

"Is that so, well isn't that nice to know." Florina said back, not bothering to hide her disgust.

"Yes. The Golden Rider has become a legend in these lands."

"How flattering."

"It was a nice surprise to see that the Golden Rider is my own daughter." Florina cocked an eyebrow. "You can't deny it. You may look like your birthmother, Selena. But you have my eyes."

"You lie!"

"No, it is the truth." He said in the ancient language. "You are my daughter. Selena and I spent a wonderful night together while Morzan was away. Then she disappeared for almost a year. Then she disappeared again a couple of years later when Eragon was ready to be born. It is interesting that all three children of one woman have all become Riders." He looked at the gold dragon standing next to Thorn. "I have been told that your dragon is the oldest of the three. That makes you, my daughter, very important indeed in this new generation of Riders. You, Florina and Kuldra, shall serve as my right hand and heirs to my throne when I tire of this world." Florina didn't look around her at Kuldra. There was no way that he should be able to say their names. She had made sure of it. Not even Orrin knew her name.

"I don't believe you. My father was a blacksmith who was married to a barren woman. He knew Selena of old and was allowed to father a child with her, granted that the babe be given to his wife as her own. Selena agreed and I was conceived and born. Then Selena disappeared from our lives. That she had other children does not mean much to me and I call lies on you, Galbatorix. You are a liar, a thief, and a murderer."

"Florina, do not talk to your father in that manner." Florina turned.

"Mom?" She looked from her mother to the king sitting on his throne with his dark dragon behind him back to her mother. She was dressed in finery, not the rags she had expected. Her hair brown hair was no longer oddly cut and burnt. Instead it was long and tied into a partial bun. "No, that can't be. She was taken from us as a prisoner." Angela's prophecy hit her like the club in Farthen Dûr. "What have you done? Why are you dressed like that?" Emily looked at the king who nodded his ascent. Emily turned to face his daughter.

"Florina, you must understand, I did this for your own good."

"What are you talking about? You were taken captive. Father said you were taken by his spellcasters." Florina pointed to Galbatorix.

"Yes, I was taken by them. I was locked in the dungeons. I have been there for months."

"But you are not dressed like a prisoner. And there is no reason that he would dress you up like this unless you agreed to serve him." Realization struck her as she realized how Galbatorix and Murtagh were able to remember her name. The spell she had cast only allowed a select few to say her name and it not be forgotten. They were herself, Kuldra, Arya, Caleb, and Emily. She had never told the two other Riders her name and neither had Kuldra. Arya was with Nasuada and Eragon and Caleb was now dead. That left only one other person. "No." She whispered. "No! I don't believe you! You would never do that to me! I am your child! You raised me as your own! You would never do this to me!" Murtagh grabbed her. She didn't notice.

"She did it to save you, Florina." Galbatorix said. "She did it to keep you alive." Florina turned to face him.

"Don't waste your words on me! I was safer with the Varden than I am with you, no matter what you promised her!"

"Florina," Emily tried again, "listen to your father. You would have been killed had I not agreed to serve him. You would have been killed either by his men or the Varden. More likely the Varden once they realized I was in your father's dungeons and could be used against you."

"You're a fool!" Florina cried, barely aware of Murtagh's arm around her waist. "You are a fool to believe him! They knew, Emily! They knew exactly where you were! Dad and I went to them for help! To save you! They knew the whole time that you are here! They've known since before the attack on the city! They knew all along where you were!"

"Murtagh, take Florina back to her room." Galbatorix ordered. "I'm afraid this has been too much excitement for her."

"Yes, Majesty." Murtagh picked up his sister and carried her like a sack of potatoes.

"Let me go! No! Kuldra! They knew, Emily! They knew all along! You've killed us all! Let me go! Kuldra!" Emily and Galbatorix listened to Florina's screams as she was carried down the hall. Emily didn't say anything and only looked at the floor.

"Is it true? Did they know this whole time where I was?"

"Well, that is an interesting turn of events. Don't you agree, Emily?"

"Indeed, Majesty." He waved her away in dismissal. She bowed and left through the door she had entered through. "Did I just betray my daughter for nothing? No, I did this to save her life. She will see it soon enough. She just needs time to adjust to her new life. He promised that he would take care of her."

*evil laugh* thanks for reading and please review