Disclaimer: I do not own The Inheritance Cycle. I only own Michael/Ancalagon.
"That was reckless of you!"
It worked, didn't it? The Urgals are dead and won't trouble us any further.
"That was still foolish! Something could've gone wrong... but I suppose you did what you thought was best to ensure we were safe."
The group had made camp somewhere far from the stench of burning Urgal, after Ancalagon told them they needed to move quickly and find someplace to lay their heads for the night. Once they had found a place, which was a small clearing, where Eragon and Brom were eating stew and the dragons laid around them. Brom had taken the chance to scold Ancalagon on swooping in like that, without regarding whether or not the Urgals could not do something to take him down given Urgals have killed dragons in the past, such as Galbatorix's first dragon. Ancalagon just brushed the old man's concerns off. They were alive, that was the bright side in his opinion.
However, Ancalagon didn't realize the folly of his actions until they had made camp. He had prevented Eragon from using magic on the Urgals, which would incapacitate him for around two days while Brom and Saphira would hunt the Urgals down before they can escape with word about their appearance. During the time he's alone, Eragon would scry them, leading ti him curious about scrying Arya.
Eragon had no reason to scry anyone.
Ancalagon had to fix this. Now!
What were you planning on doing, Eragon? Ancalagon suddenly asked, bringing all attention to him as the black dragon looked at the young Rider. Saphira looked ready to fly at the Urga;ls with you on her back. What was your intention on such an action? How would you take out the Urgals?
"Well, they were going to overtake Brom, so I thought we'd land in between them and I would have used magic to knock them out."
Brom sputtered and was about to yell at the boy but Ancalagon held up a talon to forestall his lecture, his eyes staring intently into Eragon's as he continued calmly.
You'd only succeed in killing yourself. There are rules when it comes to magic. A task takes as much energy as it'd take to do normally. Can you, with your current physical strength, knock out or repel an Urgal? At that, Eragon slumped his shoulders and shook his head. Then you can realize the outcome from magic, yes? Good. As a Rider, you are capable of many things with magic if you have the strength for it. Such as scrying to see whatever or whoever you wish and even blessing somebody, but that is something that must be done correcting and properly.
"What do you mean?" Eragon asked curiously, filing away the scrying part for later when Ancalagon had described it. If it could do what he said... then maybe he could look in on Garrow, Roran... and even see if that woman in his dreams is real.
Ancalagon stared at him, now deciding to make sure that what happened to Elva in the book would not happen here. Not while he had anything to say about it. Sure, Elva had her uses in the story, but what was done to her was a curse. And besides, Ancalagon had foreknowledge, he would do what he can to disable the traps Galbatorix laid in his fortress when it was time to assault it.
Magic requires you to know the exact pronunciation or else the result could be anything from negligible to catastrophic. For example, 'Atra guliä un ilian tauthr ono un atra ono waíse skölir fra rauthr' and 'Atra guliä un ilian tauthr ono un atra ono waíse sköliro fra rauthr'. By messing up the verb conjugation and using the word for "shield", as opposed to "shielded" by replacing the "-rö" suffix with an "-r" turns a blessing into a curse.
"That is completely correct, Ancalagon, I'm impressed with your knowledge." Brom's praise was appreciated but Ancalagon only mentioned what Eragon had done in the book but he couldn't tell them that.
Experience is a good teacher, Was someone who blessed someone with the wrong version. That person became cursed to feel the pain and evil thoughts of everyone around them. Turned the person from an innocent soul to a dark, twisted being full of hate. Another unexpected side effect was they could see everyone's fears and used that to terrifying success. Here, Ancalagon glared into Eragon's eyes, his tone hard and stern, as well as dead serious. You are the sole free rider. That alone puts you at a status above everyone else and there will be a time when the common folk will seek your blessing. Do not do as they did, If you must give one, then I would suggest the Elven greeting. If Brom knows it, he can teach you, and never use magic when giving a blessing.
The black dragon kept his eyes on the young Dragon Rider as he squirmed under his gaze, only relenting when he agreed. With his piece said, Ancalagon laid down to get some sleep.
That should have fixed things and prevented Elva's curse before it was too late. He thought to himself before closing his eyes.
Brom's strict training filled nearly every hour as the days slowly blended into weeks. Because of his splint, Eragon was forced to use his left hand whenever they sparred. Before long he could duel as well with his left hand as he had with his right.
By the time they crossed the Spine and came to the plains, spring had crept over Alagaësia, summoning a multitude of flowers. The bare deciduous trees were russet with buds, while new blades of grass began to push up between last year's dead stalks. Birds returned from their winter absence to mate and build nests.
The travelers followed the Toark River southeast, along the edge of the Spine. It grew steadily as tributaries flowed into it from every side, feeding its bulging girth. When the river was over a league wide, Brom pointed at the silt islands that dotted the water. "We're close to Leona Lake now," he said. "It's only about two leagues away."
"Do you think we can get there before nightfall?" asked Eragon.
"We can try."
Dusk soon made the trail hard to follow, but the sound of the river at their side guided them. When the moon rose, the bright disk provided enough light to see what lay ahead.
Leona Lake looked like a thin sheet of silver beaten over the land. The water was so calm and smooth it did not even seem to be liquid. Aside from a bright strip of moonlight reflecting off the surface, it was indistinguishable from the ground. Saphira and Ancalagon had already flown ahead to be there upon Eragon and Brom's arrival, with Saphira commenting. The water is lovely—deep, cool, and clear.
Maybe I'll go swimming tomorrow, Eragon responded before he and Brom got to work on setting up camp under a stand of trees and were soon asleep afterwards, leaving the dragons to themselves.
Saphira snorted before she turned to Ancalagon who laid curled up, evidently wanting to go to sleep. Saphira glanced up at the sky, seeing the starts were out and twinkling in the sky, and the moon was full, shining it's beautiful light on the lake. She leaned down and nudged Ancalagon. Ancalagon?
What is it, Saphira? The black dragon asked curiously, lifting his head off his crossed front legs to regard her.
She jerked her head to the lake. Swim with me.
Ancalagon blinked and looked at the lake but Saphira was already making her way over to it and only placed her front legs in the shallow area of the lake, looking back at him with a soft, almost begging look for him to join her tonight.
Ancalagon gulped in that moment. With the position in which she stood, the full moon shined on her, casting her in an ethereal glow that highlighted her beauty. It stunned Ancalagon as he stared into those beautiful sapphire-coloured eyes, feeling his heart beat several times faster and even skip a beat every once in a while.
She looked so beautiful...
And nothing screams romantic like a swim under the moonlight. A voice whispered in the back of his head, and Ancalagon chose not to shove it aside, a part of him even agreeing with it.
Was he... was he falling in love with Saphira?
It was a question he was scared of knowing the answer to. Knowing what it meant, how much he had changed, how the idea no longer disturbed him as it did months ago. It was a sign of how he had adapted to being in the body of a dragon.
He got to his feet and walked over to join her, never breaking eye contact with her as she did the same, staring into his eyes. The two then turned their gazes to the lake and entered, with Saphira enthusiastically swimming in deeper, a chuckling Ancalagon following her. The two dragons playfully darted at one another, or performed tricks, then splashed each other and wrestled playfully in the water. Somehow, they never once woke up their human companions, which helped to not disturb the setting and mood the dragons were in.
Because were very much enjoying themselves.
Saphira's lips curled into a draconic grin, showing her teeth, before she dived underwater which made Ancalagon raise an eyebrow before he decided to duck underneath, blending in with the darkened areas of the underwater and he spotted Saphira, who had no doubt been attempting to surprise him from underneath, look around for him. He swam at her like a shark pursuing it's prey with bloodlust, and caught her by surprise in scooping her into his front arms and they burst out the water, staring into each other's eyes as the water dripped from them, hovering in the air thanks to their wings flapping on instinct.
If one were to look up now, they'd see two silhouettes close together with the full moon in the background. A human would call it one of those romantic movie scenes where the couple hover in the air, staring into each other's eyes and closer than before.
Ancalagon stared into Saphira's eyes and she stared into his, their tails slowly intertwining together and holding onto the other tightly. As Ancalagon stared, he felt compelled by a long, forgotten desire that he hadn't felt since he was human.
The desire to kiss another.
He started to give into that desire, feeling the blood inside him boiling, a drive to accomplish this. There was a heat in his veins that he could not explain, but it was being fuelled by this desire and he was inclined to begin succumbing to it. He started to lean forwards, tiling his head a little in the way humans did, and Saphira instinctively tilted her head the other way as she slowly leaned forward, not sure what was going on but felt like following Ancalagon's actions. It didn't help she could feel her blood and veins heating, her heart beating so fast it felt ready to burst out of her chest.
Is this really happening? She asked herself in her mind.
As their lipless mouths came centimetres close, Ancalagon stopped and Saphira did the same. The black dragon leaned his head back, blinking and realizing their position... what he had just been about to do...
I-I'm sorry! Ancalagon stuttered as he back away, both of them only staying in the air thanks to the slow flap of their wings. I... I guess we got too lost in the moment.
...I suppose so. Saphira said softly, disappointment in her tone before she shook it off. She wasn't sure if he had been about to... what do humans call it? Kiss her? It looked like it, and she knew it was a human thing for them to express their love for their partners. She had only seen it in Eragon's memories, his cousin performing the action with a girl in their village. It involved their mouths connecting.
It was a human action, and dragons did not kiss. So why did Ancalagon look like he was about to do so?
The two dragons flew back down to the ground, silent, and simply laid down at the edge of the lake to stare up at the full moon and also admire the stars.
I'm glad I met you, Ancalagon. That we met you. Saphira said softly as she laid her head down and slowly rolled it onto Ancalagon's paws.
Ancalagon looked down at her. He shouldn't be doing this. He was a human being! A human in soul and heart, but a dragon in body. He couldn't do this... he couldn't fall in love with a dragon! He... He did not know how to feel! On one hand, he enjoyed spending time with Saphira, he loved their playful spars and games, and he really enjoyed the late night swim they shared this night. On the other, he was scared to fall in love with her, to even admit that he was was proof of how much he was changing while in this world and it scared him.
It scared him so much that he forced himself to pull back and not give in. To not kiss her and express how much he loved her.
And I you, Saphira. Ancalagon said just as softly, watching as she closed her eyes and her breathing changed to that of one who had fallen into slumber. He laid his hea down next to hers, hesitating before allowing his wing to drape over her.
He was just so scared...
Yeah, I'm cruel, aren't I? The two almost kissed and I had it prevented. Ancalagon may be a dragon, but he's still human and he's scared of the possibility that he's falling in love with Saphira because it means he is changing while in this world. He grew up in a society where it's just humans love humans, and now he's in the fantasy world of his favourite series, in the body of a dragon, and nearly kissed one.
Does he love her? Oh he's starting to realize it but is scared of it.
Man, trying to word this without making it sound so complicated is even more troubling.
Still a better love story than Twilight.