A loud knock at her door had woken her from a peaceful slumber. Alianna sat up groggily, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "Come in." She croaked, swallowing some water to soothe her parched throat. She blinked as Galbatorix himself stepped inside. It was very rare for him to make personal visits, usually he just sent a messenger to her which meant this had to be very important indeed. She bowed her head, her golden hair disheveled. "How may I serve you, my king?"

"Always right to the point. I like that about you as much as Aerin does." He smoothed his black tunic with his gloved hands. "No doubt Murtagh told you the other day that he was going to search for the reknowned Oromis."

She nodded. "He did, though I thought that the elven dragon rider was supposed to be dead."

His lips curled upwards into a visible smirk. "Funny, Murtagh said the same thing to me. Delving through his mind when he was defeated by Eragon, it was evident the young rider has had another teacher since Brom and there was only one who's body I never saw. My policy for enemies is unless I see their dead body, they could still be alive."

"A very interesting policy, your majesty. Since you are here at such an odd hour, I assume that Murtagh found this elf and brought him here."

"Once again your analytical mind shows your value, Lady Aliana." He dipped himself slightly at the waist in a rare sign of respect that he hardly ever showed anyone. "He is indeed here, all though I fear Murtagh got a little carried away when battling him. As a result, I would like to have you see what you can do for him so that he's in fairly good health when I battle him."

To say she wasn't flattered by the compliment would have been a lie, but she also knew her king well enough to understand that he only was saying it to get her cooperation. He was very good at manipulating people, after all. "Of course, your majesty." She replied in a compliant manner, rising as she tied back her unruly hair with some ribbon. "Where is my patient?"

His eyes held hers in a way most people found unnerving, but Aliana was long used to it. "I believe you recall the garden room?"

"I do, your majesty."

"That is where you'll find him. Don't worry, I made sure he isn't able to attempt an escape and he's not a threat as weak as he is."

She nodded. "Is there anything else, your majesty?"

"No, you may go."

"Very well." She said with a curtsy, grabbing a cloak to put on over her nightdress to ward off the cold. She tightened the laces into a knot as she walked barefoot down the hall. She arrived in the garden room to find a golden-eyed elf laying on a cushioned settee with a few major wounds. She noticed that magical wards had been erected around the settee, probably by Galbatorix to make sure that Oromis didn't try to stop her from doing as she'd been commanded. It seemed a waste to have a warrior like him restrained and kept alive only to fight one final battle with the king himself to soothe his ego.

"You are very wise."

Her head snapped up from analyzing his wounds to meet his eyes that were as deep as an ocean. "Perhaps it's merely a survival instinct."

He considered her for a moment, then shook his head weakly. "No, not for you. You have a will of iron."

"And how would you know that about me, dragon rider?"

"Not many hold my gaze so fearlessly. You would make an excellent dragon rider."

She barked a laugh. "After seeing what his royal highness did to poor Thorn? No thank you. I could not willingly inflict that on an innocent kit."

His lips twitched into a ghost of a smile. "You speak very boldly. Aren't you afraid of getting in trouble for such an opinion?"

"Why should I be? His majesty already knows that about me and I'm still alive and asked to do very important things by him." She replied as she gathered herbs she needed from the garden, crushing them into a poultice. "Not that it means anything, everything is a test in one form or another."

His golden eyes glinted like candlelight as he watched her. "Very well reasoned, Swordmaster."

She looked up from putting the poultice on his wounds. "Figure that out on your own, did you?"

"I am quite old." He replied as if it were common knowledge. "I have met many good swordmasters in my time, all of them excellent herbalists."

"It runs in my family." She found herself admitting with pride even though she knew she shouldn't be sharing that kind of personal information with him.

His ghost of a smile was back. "So you are Toren's girl. I thought as much, though you look more like your mother."

Her hands trembled as she pulled them away from him. She knew so little about her mother, the woman having died trying to give her father a son when Aliana was two. "What was she like?"

"I only met her once before the fall of the dragon riders, but she was able to keep toe to toe with your father. I never saw anyone win an argument with him besides her."

She felt herself smile a little at the mental image, which felt completely right to her. "Thank you for telling me that, dragon rider."

He grunted. "Since I'm going to be in here a long time, you can just call me Oromis if you please."

"As you wish, Oromis. You may call me Aliana."

"Your parents named you well, Aliana."

She suddenly felt very self-conscious under his gaze as she wrapped up his wounds. "Thank you. Now try to get some rest and I'll check on you later today." She left before he could get in another word, walking back to her room the long way. She almost tripped over the end of a massive tail and her heart went into her mouth as an obsidian eye opened in complaint, a low growl filling the hall. "S-sorry, mighty Shruikan."

He huffed hot air, turning away from her as if losing interest because she was so small.

She was more careful where she stepped after that close call, though it was rare to see the massive black dragon outside the throne room. Besides, at this time in the wee hours of the morning when even the sun wasn't up, he melded into the shadows of the torchlight. She made it back to her room without further incident, falling back into bed. She lay there sleeplessly, her mind going over the conversation with Oromis over and over. Liking him wasn't a good idea, she knew that and yet she couldn't help but be intrigued by this strange elf with hair like starlight and eyes like the sun. Time would not be kind to these feelings and Galbatorix would exploit them. It's too late now, the bones have been cast. Now it only remains to be seen where they will land. She thought as her eyes closed, sleeping again at last just as the first hints of dawn crept across the horizon.