An unexpectant surprise of longing [Invite Only]

[Nepherion]

" I don't understand how they do this ? " Nepherion complained to Starlight through the bond. It was frustrating to know that while he was forced to walk in the cramp burrows of the dwarlven home, that Starlight was laying comfortably at the Dragon's keep they had provided for him. Nepherion let out a quite sigh, not wanting to offend the dwarlven woman escorting him to his room. From what he had been told it was directly below Starlight's roost, something that had pleased him greatly.

" They are accustomed to such.. limitations. " replied Starlight, sounding as if he was picking his words carefully. Nepherion could tell that the noble dragon was waiting for him, through the bond all things were known. It was good to know that he would reach his room with a bit of conversation waiting for him. " Of course you will Nepherion, I have much to tell you of the skies surrounding the Beor Mountains. "

" Good.." he said, a bit of happiness flowing freely towards his partner. During the two hour travel, the dwarlven woman spoke little to him, only escorting him to his room and leaving with words of formality. " The clan, Dûrgrimst Ingeitum offers their humblest of rooms to a Rider. We hope you remember our kindness. " she said, her voice reminding him of his elderly yet kind grandmother's.

Nepherion displayed to her a smile and nodded in understanding " As usual The Dûrgrimst Ingeitum clan has my thanks and my arm in battle. " he told her, sure she would return the message to their clan chief. He waited for the woman to begin her decent back into darkness before heading into his room, it was only good manners and his duty as a Rider.

Inside he could tell the dwarves had built the room specifically for those of human and elven stature. A smile lifted his lips as he stretched his limbs from the cramp space from moment's past. " Ahh, this is much better. Starlight where are you ? " he called out, unbuckling his white cloak from his shoulder and placing on the polished stone that he guess would serve as his table for his food. It always astounded him how well that dwarves could craft such items.

He sat on the edge of his large cot, undoing his steel gauntlets and shin guards when he felt Starlight's mind pull on him. He ran over barefooted, his feet patting against the stone ground as he climbed up a small stack of spiraling stairs and ran out into the dragon's keep. It was made of denser, darker stone and was etched with large swirling designs stretching from its floor to its walls. A large oval hole was opened to the cloud filled sky of the Beor Mountains and was large enough to fit a dragon the size of Starlight or Saphira comfortably. A gust of wind billowed his straight immaculate hair as he entered it, bring with it a feeling of freedom and a moment of neutrality. Again he let out a bliss filled sigh out as he stretched his arm far above him. " This is perfect for you, " he told Starlight.

Hearing his Rider, Starlight looked over his large shoulders and towards Nepherion. His longer hair and emerald eyes had given him a femininity that hadn't been on his face before. Like Eragon before him, Nepherion seemed to had gotten the gifts of most elves and his mind had seemed even more complex and transcendental then before, if not for being his bonded partner he was sure he would get lost in it. " I agree. Up here, with you I feel at home. " he told him softly.

Nepherion placed a pale hand on his hip - the usual glowing not active because of his calm heart - before moving closer to Starlight. The white tunic he wore blew harmlessly in the wind and his black trouser did as well. " I feel the same Starlight, I feel the same " he agreed, enjoying the moment of silent merriment with Starlight. It may had been small, but without the strain of war lingering on his mind or the rigorous duties of a third party weighing on his shoulders, it had felt like a gift from the gods.

[Nandon]

William marched along the corridor, the route he took was much longer, but it didn’t involve him crouching into a cramped position, which, in full armor would be very difficult to do. William sighed as a cold gust of air brushed past his face, Suddenly glad he had opted out of bring his helmet along, While it may provide protection, it would make him overheat at a rapid pace.

William saw a dwarf woman walking from the direction he was heading and stopped for a moment to speak with her, Attempting to find the rider he was being assigned to protect.
“Excuse me miss, Do you know where the rider Nepherion is?” William asked and the woman seemed to understand him, nodding her head and pointing the way she had come before starting to walk again. Shrugging slightly to himself William set off at a walk once again, his shield strapped across his back and his sword in its ceremonial sheath at his side. William also wore ceremonial armor, Consisting of heavy silver plate armor, with a golden trim, It may have looked nice, And provided a good deal of protection, But it was extremely heavy.

William finally reached the end of the hall and saw a door, he drew his gauntlet up and gently rapped on the door, turning around for a moment he wondered where his apprentice had gone off to.

[Quetzal]

Isrydia hurried to join William at the door, having been a little behind him. She was wearing her leather armour, her shield also strapped to her back, her sword Nettle ready in its sheath. This was exciting. A dwarf city. She had only ever heard tales of such places before, having been too nervous of getting lost in the Beor Mountains and of upsetting the dwarfs to try to visit one before. The people, their architecture, their lifestyle... it was all so fascinating. She had taken a liking to the dwarfs already, and was starting to develop a deep respect for them.

Then there was the matter of their purpose there. They - or rather, William (she was more there to watch and learn, and, she expected, to do the more mundane tasks) - were to protect a Rider. An actual Dragon Rider. Her master was even more impressive than she had first thought him, to be given such an assignment. There was much she could learn here about fighting, culture and even history. If she were to have some purpose in the world, she had to start somewhere, and this was as good a place as any, even if it was being thrown in the deep end with a Rider.

The young woman was a little scared as well as excited. She knew she wouldn't be much use as a guard; she had not had much training so far. She knew a fair deal about the Riders, since her hometown, Kuasta, was also the hometown of Brom, and so stories of his adventures circulated, and with them lessons in the history of both Riders and dragons. She knew she was nothing compared to the people she was around, and was prepared to feel awkward and out of place. At the same time, she didn't really want to turn this opportunity down. She would better herself, and maybe, some day, she would even be equals with Nepherion the Rider and William. As William's apprentice, she was here to learn, help, and avoid being a hindrance or an annoyance when she could.

Isrydia bounced nervously on the balls of her feet as she waited to the response to Willaim's knocking on the door, remaining silent due to a mind too full of swirling, chaotic eddies of excited and anxious thoughts to properly voice any of them.

[[cass]]

Last night she screamed. It was an awful sound; it tore through her body and fought tooth and claw with her until she let it out. In those few seconds of it escaping she had cried. She had felt so incredible weak, so vulnerable and unable to even fend of her own nightmares. Caspia had tried with what little energy she had to fend it off, to throw off those nightmares, she had even begged for them to leave her, but they would not. It was a tiresome battle, one she could not fathom. It exhausted her to the point where sometimes she would collapse, that was a hard thing for a girl like Caspia. It was extremely hard to wear down an elf and yet she was failing to keep her feet beneath her. Part of her new that if it wasn’t for Amira she would have slipped into an endless slumber already. She had tried every bit of magic she knew, every spell, even a little bit of dark magic, but nothing had slowed down the pain, nothing had even made it pause for a moment. She was confused and scared and in turn that fear was making Amira nervous, that fear was driving Amira to not stray more than a few feet away from her little rider.

Because of that they were both suffering. Caspia knew that if something were to happen right now they would both be dead, neither of them were capable of fighting right now, they were sitting ducks, useless, weak and a present wrapped and ready to be delivered to anyone. A bitter laugh twisted Caspia’s lips. What would it matter? If anyone found us a captured us, would could they do to stop something I cannot? Maybe it wold be for the best. Amira snorted a trickle of smoke stretching from her purple nostrils. As thin and malnourished as the dragon was her attitude was still fierce and stubborn, but now she seemed unable to even come up with a stinging retort. Instead she simply dropped her head into her feet, her purple eyes pained, flickering always to Caspia making sure she was okay, even though she knew she could do nothing. Amira felt hopeless, she was aching on the inside, and she hurt as much as her rider did. She had tried to shield off as much of the pain as she could with her own mind, but it was pain that would not simply be vanished with a mental wall.

I don’t know anymore, Caspia. She was as tired and worn out as Caspia; she had refused to leave her, even to get food. The only thing she would do was drink. Caspia seemed unable to do anything, sometimes she would have enough strength to drink and at other times she would curl on the ground, her hands digging into her skin as she desperately tried not to scream. It hurt so much to watch. Amira had spent the first three days trying, trying with everything she had to find what it was that had made her become so sick, she had flicked through a thousand memories, of everything that they had done over the past few days, but she could find nothing. She could see nothing that merited any suspicion. The land around them was dead, as much as Caspia had hated to drain the plants of their lives, she had needed the energy. Amira was sure that if she had not done it she would be dead by now. Gently she nuzzles Caspia with her snout, the young elf had fallen into a fitful sleep, sweat clung to her skin, and she was burning like the fire that stirred in Amira’s own belly. She was ignorant to these kinds of things; she knew not how to even make her young rider stop burning like a fire.

All she could do was lie beside her as the minutes ticked by, as she hoped with all her heart do something to happen, for some sign of what to do. I’m sorry Caspia, I can’t help you like I should, I cannot even lessen the pain that you are in. She had repeated the same words for the last two days. Her heart ached, her mind had become numb. She knew not what to do except to apologise, a few times Caspia had responded telling her it was not her fault, and other times she had not been able to even lift a finger to say otherwise. The large purple dragon shifted her body sideways, until she grazed Caspia’s, slowly she stretched her tail and head around, finally lifting one, strong wing up and over the elf, to protect her. To keep her safe in a way, in any way. She could not stop her pain, Amira could not stop the poison from slowly killing Caspia, but she would stay with her. Slowly she closed her sad eyes, preparing herself to awaken with Caspia’s next scream.

The clearing they lay in was not that far from a nearby Dwarf clan called Dûrgrimst Ingeitum, but it was far enough that none could hear her screams. Caspia hadn't wanted any of them to hear her. She didn't need someone finding her and capturing her, so she stayed far enough away to remain invisible and far enough away that no one would no if she were to die.

[Nepherion]

The sky was foggy and white with the clouds misty bodies. It was beautiful and peaceful to look at, especially when he could enjoy the sight with Starlight. Unfortunately that all ended when careful knocks were carried from down stairs and to his sensitive hearing. He turned towards the spiraling stairs, his hand still on Starlight's jowl. He was thinking of letting it knock, knowing already that it was probably some formal business waiting to be addressed by him.

" You can not do that, It is your duty. " Starlight reminded him as he peered through the foggy mess in front of him. " Go, I shall wait here for your return. " he assured him. He crossed his paws over each other and held himself up with a certain composure and nobility that could only be imitated from royalty.

Nepherion reluctantly let his hand fall from Starlight's jowl as he nodded in agreement and walked back towards the stairs. The knocking continued as he hurried down the spiral stairs and walked through the bedroom and into the dining room. He rubbed the back of his immaculate hair and sighed, a bit of hesitance in the air around him. He had wished that he had tied his hair into a ponytail for it had grown to his mid-back and was only left tied during formal occasions. " Hold on, I'm coming. " he answered before opening the door to see a unfamiliar man and a woman behind him.

He straightened his slouch up as he noticed the armor that they were wearing, and gained the authority that most Riders had possessed around them. " What can I do for you two ? " he asked, opening the door so that Brojska could be seen hanging on his waist. From the looks of things the two of them were humans and so he knew that they were no match for him. That was if they were assassins or spies.

Starlight looked off through the fog, his mind plagued with a distant and yet longing plea of confusion. He didn't understand why but he had felt that someone close to him was in desperate need of help. He just didn't know who and where he could find them. His head lifted up and he flicked his barbed tongue in the air but found nothing. Maybe he was overreacting or something. It was often that Dragon's had unusual feats of premonition. Was those one of them moments.

[Nandon]

William had been about to knock again when he heard the call from the other side of the door. Then composing himself into what he hoped looked like a regal manor he waited for the door to finally open, Which took only a couple seconds longer. He looked at the rider studying him openly, then his thoughts flashed to his apprentice who was behind him. He couldn’t well turn and look at her while facing a dragon rider, that would be disrespectful. But William could still almost picture the look of awe that crossed her face when Nepherion opened the door.

“Yes, Well. I am a Knight from the Varden, Sir William Shay, member of the Order of the Green Wolf, And this is my Apprentice. Isrydia, I was sent here on a diplomatic envoy to the dwarves. And once I arrived the dwarves informed me that they had recently received two riders, And they wished for me to act as a sort of…Formal guard per say.” William said turning his emerald eyes to nepherion.

[Quetzal]

The look of awe William had pictured on Isrydia's face was an accurate assumption. She tried to hide it, but the degree to which she was impressed by the sight of a real life Rider was hard to disguise. For all the games she had played as a child, all the stories she had heard and had told which had ultimately led to her leaving home, she had never actually seen anything or anyone that might be the subject of these stories. Her eyes had never landed on a dragon, elf, or Rider... before now. People from whom she picked up these stories were right about how the Riders seemed to gleam with power. Although unsure if this was just to be formal and cautious or not, Nepherion appeared very regal and strong. Intelligent, too; generally not someone to be messed with.

Isrydia gave a small bow to show her respect when Willaim introduced her as his apprentice, but otherwise remained silent. It was not her place to speak. She was slowly sinking into the feeling that they would not be needed; Nepherion looked perfectly capable of handling himself. He looked almost elf-like to her, with his white hair, blue eyes and athletic build. Were they there to help with the other Rider? Was there some other threat she had not been told about? Were they there purely to make the dwarves seem all the more generous? Isyrdia still said nothing, watching and waiting to see what would play out between her seniors, her expression still one of awe, but her gaze patient and polite. She didn't want the Rider's first impression of her to be that she would stare rudely at people, after all.

[[cass]]

The day had been long and tiresome; Caspia had sunk into an unconscious state, which was a small relief for Amira. Even though she hated seeing her rider unconscious - she worried she would never wake up - it meant that Caspia would not toss and turn and she would not scream. Not a few minutes ago she had woken up again screaming, this time had been different, she had been muttering words of the ancient language and one or two times she had screamed for the family that she had been banished from. In those moments Amira had ached more than ever. She hated seeing her rider like this, but to know that while she was dying she just wanted to see the family she could never see? It was horrid. She tried a desperate attempt at a soothing hum, the one that she would always sing when she wanted to say I love you, but she could never quite grasp the words. But she faltered after a few heartbeats when Caspia screamed out mother. That had taken every bit of effort to not try and wake her, Caspia had not screamed that name for a very, very long time, the last time and the first time she had ever spoken of her family it had been by their names, never by who they were to her.

Amira felt weak. The earth around them was completely dead, there was no plants in a hundred meter radius, they lay exposed in the middle of the decaying earth and yet Amira new that in this position she needed to be able to see everywhere around her, so that no one could sneak up in her. And yet she found herself giving into a bitter snort. Even if they were found she could do nothing. She was incapable of most things right now. She had tried to stand up, she had done alright, her legs had shaken badly underneath her and she knew that she had tried to take too much of the pain away from Caspia, and that some of that pain had affected her. Earlier that day it had taken every bit of her physical strength to go to the river at a hundred meters away and it had taken all of her mental power to even leave Caspia, lying, curled up in a tight, pain filled ball, her fingers digging into her skin, leaving crimson streaks where they tore in. But she had. And she had managed to even get a little bit for Caspia too.

She turned her head to take in the too far away dwarf clan. She did not despise them, she knew that there was no one there that could help her rider, and she knew that there was no one there, more capable at healing then Caspia. Healing was Caspia’s speciality and that was what made this situation so much more panicky. Amira felt hopeless, if Caspia could not heal herself, who else could? She felt something odd. It was like a feather light brush against her mind. For a second her eyes turned swiftly to Caspia, hoping that by some miracle she had recovered, but she lay there, her peaceful unconscious was slowly becoming a more fitful, pain filled sleep.

No, it had been a different mind, but familiar. Carefully she let her own mind go, spreading outwards, she knew it was dangerous, she knew it was a bad idea, but she had little else she could do. She felt it again, just a light brush. With all her energy she focused on that touch. A flash of white crossed her vision and a snort of surprise sent a trickle of smoke escaping her nose. Starlight? She put all her hope on that word, and that was when Caspia screamed. Without thinking Amira could see it and the imaged flashed though her mind and she knew that she had sent them to Starlight. Bright, pain-filled images with Caspia screaming and she hoped they would come. She hoped that it had been him, because if it wasn’t she did not know what would happen, any more.

[Nepherion]

Nepherion looked over the two, they both seemed to be fit for battle. It was a rather generous gift from the dwarves. To send warriors from the Varden to protect him was a little much, it wasn't as if he needed it. His deep pools of blue looked pass the man as he gestured too the woman behind him. It seemed that they hadn't give the two warriors rooms of their own, had they expected them to stay in his quarters ? Certainly they had not expected the two to stand guard at his door in the cramp space of the burrows. " Its nice to meet you two. I'am Nepherion Coldfire. " he responded not unkindly. .

" You two can come in if you want, I'm sure the cramp area has stiffened your necks. " he said, gesturing for them to follow. He walked pass the round-table made of stone, his bare-feet still patting against the ground as he made his way to his cot to fetch Bid'Daum from his bags. He didn't exactly feel it safe anymore to keep him out in the open. He had expected the two to stay in the dinning room. It was considered mannerly to wait for a person to invite you into other areas of one's living quarters.

He shouted out to them. " William, Isyridia. You two can make yourselves at home. I'll be going up to sit with... " His voice trailed off, his words dropping off the face of the earth as violent images pass over his eyes. " C-Caspia ? " he gasped.

Without a seconds noticed he ran up the spiraling stairs, skipping over one every few steps. With the grace of an elf it had taken little more than a few seconds for him to reach Starlight's roost. He had quickly realized that the image hadn't been sent to him but to Starlight. He was only allowed to see it through the bond and that was all he needed to go search for them. His eyes were hard as stone as he approached Starlight and climbed into the saddle, incapable of strapping his feet in thanks to their bareness. " Starlight, do you know where they are ? " he asked, slightly panicky.

Starlight's feelings coursed through him, great worry had veiled over his usual calm and even still, another emotion had overshadowed his fear, and that was his determination. " Yes, Hold on ! " he shouted as he launched out the roost and through the sky.

Nepherion lurched forwards, his heartbeat pacing as the image of Caspia replayed in his mind. " We must hurry Starlight. " he shouted, his voice barely audible with the roaring wind around them. The speed at which Starlight was going was appropriate, the white dragon was fast and they had reserved such speeds for war and escaping only. It took a little over twenty minutes for the two to spot the dead patch that served as Caspia and Amira bedding. He leaned over the side of Starlight, his teeth clenched at the deathly area around them. " This is bad, if she was force to suck the life from the plants then she's in immediate peril. " he growled through clench teeth.

Starlight had barely landed when Nepherion leaped out the saddle and ran towards Caspia's side. The glow on his skin had brightened from his heartbeat and it had illuminated the area around her face as he slid to the ground beside her. He hastily lifted her head into his arms. Her orange hair cuffed by the crook of his elbow as he analyzed her scarred skin and sweaty face. " Caspia, Caspia wake up ! " he called out, trying to get her to respond to him.

Likewise, Starlight had galloped over to Amira's side, his snout pressed up against hers softly. " Are you okay Amira ? You called out to me didn't you ? " he inquired, a low growl rumbling in his throat. Starlight's large frame had blocked out the sun from over them, covering them both in a bit of shade. It was frustrating, to had just received notice that she was so close to him but to find her in such a predicament. How was they to save them.

[Quetzal]

((ooc: Nandon said to skip him, I'm assuming he meant on this thread, if not then sorry!))

Isrydia followed Nepherion, looking around the room as he took something from his bags. He spoke to them again, then confusion spread across her face as he shouted a name and raced up the spiral staircase. She wanted to follow to see what was going on, but it clearly didn't concern her so she stayed put, listening carefully since she could not see what was happening. All she heard was the Rider's hurried footsteps echoing off the stone, then a brief pause followed by something large beating against the air, then silence. Her eyes were wide. Something had beat against the air, and Nepherion had gone, judging by the silence. Did that mean... she had heard his dragon taking off? A shiver ran down her spine as she realized how close she must have been to a dragon - he must have been right over her head!

Looking up at the stone ceiling, the woman traced the elaborate dwarvern patterns with her eyes as she contemplated the events of the past few seconds. She had just met a Rider, been in the room below a dragon, and- well, she didn't actually know what had happened. Was Caspia the other Rider? Why the hurry? Riders, like elves and magic-users, could touch the minds of others, right? Had Nepherion or Caspia said something to each other? Was Caspia in trouble? There was definitely something wrong, otherwise Nepherion would not have been so worried. Isrydia could not even begin to guess what wrong, all this stuff with more important people being very new to her. She had steered clear of getting involved in the war so far, and she was aware she was at risk of being dragged in. Making a mental note to be very careful from now on, she turned to William.

"Whoever Caspia is, they must be in trouble. To worry Nepherion like that... do you think we could be of any help? Do you think he'll come back? Should we just stay here?" she asked, hoping he might know something more about this situation. Jumping into whatever was going on might not be a good idea. It might be a personal thing, or something Nepherion could handle on his own. "I think it might be best for us to wait and see if they want any help... unless you know anything more about this?" the apprentice seemed to be calmer now.

[[cass]]

Amira couldn’t help the relief that seemed to pour off of her. She could sense the urgency through Starlight as him and Nepherion took flight, heading straight to their position. She turned her eye as to Caspia, her smaller frame protecting the young elf as much as she could. There was worry, as always for her and she hoped they would get here soon, she had finally stopped screaming, but they echoed within Amira’s mind, like a cold, cruel brand, they were seared into her and she couldn’t close her eyes, or even look away without hearing them, without feeling them through her own body. It took not more than a few minutes before she could hear them. Her whole body twitched as she turned her hopeful eyes towards the sky, where a fast moving silver shape flew towards them. She had never felt such relief before. She had never wanted to see Starlight more than she did in that moment. The hopelessness that had been haunting her for the past few days seemed to take a step back and away from her. She knew Nepherion could help them, especially since he was as strong or maybe even stronger then Caspia, that change had done a lot to him.

She watched as they landed, in any normal circumstance she would have gotten up herself and she felt incredibly weak, and incapable and even slightly embarrassed at her inability to stand. But she held her head high as Nepherion raced over to them, his first words reaching towards Caspia as he grabbed her and held her in his arms. A long time ago she would have felt a small pang of jealous at anyone touching Caspia like that, but she had soon learned that no matter what happened between the elf and anyone Amira would always be bound to her. As he called to her, asking her to wake up Amira had to snort, she could not help herself. Hatchling, she has barely responded to me, she will not respond to you. She is dying. She needs help. She ended a bit more harshly then she had intended, but she was scared and she couldn’t help it.

Are you okay Amira ? You called out to me didn't you ?

[/i] Starlight gently touched her with his snout and she closed her eyes, gently nuzzling him with her own snout in turn. Yes, I did. I felt… I felt something, I felt you and so I reached out and I’m sorry you got the picture you did, she just started screaming and I couldn’t stop it. She turned her worried gaze back to Caspia. She felt lost, she felt useless and she hated admitting to anyone that she didn’t know what to do. It made her hurt even more to know she could not help the elf that had helped her so much, the young brave little girl that had saved their lives when Murtagh had first captured them. The thought of losing her made her want to cry, but dragons did not cry, she told herself and she bit back that pain with a fierceness that surprised her.

It started off with just a little bit of dizziness, she thought little of it. Then by the next morning she could barely move. She tried so many different spells. You know Nepherion that it is what she specialises in, but nothing worked. And for three days now she has been like this. She will barely say anything and she will either lie there screaming, or curl into a little ball. I –I can’t do anything. She turned her purple eyes over to the human, dragging her gaze away from Caspia. Please, Nepherion, please help her. She pleaded.
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[Nepherion]

Hearing Amira's voice in his mind, Nepherion cast his gaze on her, his eyes obvious with a desperate, angered, worry. It was then that his fears for the situation was confirmed. Not only by Amira's explanation but by the simple fact that she had started a mental conversation with him. All dragons valued the bond with their partners and so it was rare for a dragon to speak to the mind of another besides their own. He looked back down at Caspia, his brows furrowing in frustration as he shakily swept a strand of hair from her sticky cheek. He couldn't help the worry building inside him and on the outside it had showed through his skin as it increasingly grew in illumination. " I won't let you die.. I won't. " he said, pulling her closer to his chest.

Starlight closed his crimson eyes at she nuzzled him back. How could he not feel for her when she was so intertwined in his heart. " Do not worry. Nepherion will not let her die, I can feel his love for her through the bond." It was weird to speak on his partners feelings without consent, but when it came to those two it was different. Their was no reason to hide such emotions from them, they had been the only two that he and Nepherion had developed such feelings for in the first place. " Its going to be okay. Calm your fiery heart and rest. We're here now. " He raised his head from her and looked over to Nepherion as he cradled the girl in desperation. Then he felt Bid'Daum rouse in his heart of hearts.

It was then that Bid'Daum had spoke from Nepherion's side, allowing all to hear. " The poison in her veins are from the days of the eldest of Riders. " he told him, jogging him from his useless fit of frustration.

Nepherion pulled her gently from his chest and laid her on the ground. " You know what's wrong with her ? ! " he asked a bit louder than need. Bid'Daum sent him an image of an affirming nod from his massive imaginative head. " The poison is attacking her consciousness and the very essence of what makes her, her. The spells that the elves taught her will do little to cure it. " he added, calmer than the situation was asking for. " If you know the spell Bid'Daum -elda please tell me ! " shouted Nepherion, his tone showing the displeasure of the dragon's pace.

Bid'Daum's eldunari glowed inside the pouch on his side for a moment, its bright white light had veiled over Nepherion's own golden glow as his anger was made apparent. " CALM YOURSELF ! " The ancient dragon demanded. He knew the gravity of the situation but also knew that a desperate Rider often made the worse mistakes. " This does not require a shambled Rider..Your worry will cause more harm than good. "

His deep, reprimanding voice had brought silence to the area and had sent animals that had been several miles a way fleeing in fear. A small moment of shock passed through Nepherion's mind as he grasped the reason behind Bid'Daum's words through a flash of images and feelings. The spell that he would use was extremely long and difficult to pronounce. The language before the elves had translated them would be used in portions of the spell. Him, Starlight, and Bid'Daum both knew the spell would be difficult and taxing, so they did their best to set up for the long night ahead.

Nepherion looked to Amira, a resolute glare on face. " I'll save her, I promise you. Just watch me. " he told her as he stood up and walked over to Starlight's saddle. He brought out some ancient scrolls that he had ravaged from the crag of the Beor Mountain's on an earlier exploration. He sat down the scrolls near her body and begin to study them, preparing himself to recite them.

[[cass]]

Caspia could barely sense the world around her. In any normal situation this ull realisation would have made her worry, but now? She was too far gone. The distant tramp of feet was impossible to make out. She could hear or see nothing and when she told herself to open her eyes all she saw was blackness. She was not even sure she had said it, after a few seconds of silence. In this world there was nothing, but darkness and silence and the distant –here and there- scattered beat of her dying heart. It was the only thing she could feel now, the thump, thump, thump of the irregular beat. Two times the poison had struck at it like a viper, sinking its teeth into her heart before slinking away. In those times her heart had stopped, as black veins had stretched across her body and she had held her breathe, knowing that that was what death would feel like. The first time it had made her scream, as her heart stopped beating the pain had come and it had been pain the worst pain she had ever felt. It had felt worse than that time Murtagh had tortured her, because that pain hadn’t been as real, she knew it had not, but this pain? She could not stop it as it tore through her small, weakened body. She couldn’t fight the fire as it consumed her and she had –with all her remaining strength- arched her back and screamed.

Some dull sense told her she should be scared and she felt that fear seep into the darkness. It fed off that coldness, it fed off of that poison and she was scared. She felt that fear envelope her, because some part of her knew that there was no going back, some part of her knew that she could not reach out and scrape against her dragons mind. That, she knew, was whether death would end up like. She had no strength to reach those trendils forwards and graze Amira’s mind. She had the strength to do nothing anymore. That was when the viper struck again. It had hidden itself in the fear that had consumed her and is it slide out she tried to push it away, she tried to shove that poison away from her body, but she was far, far too weak. She was hopeless. So all she could do was watch as it rose its head and lashed out at her beating heart, a heart that moved too slowly, not often enough. The pain was worst then last time, it was faster and hotter and it burned it simply burned through her like a wildfire. It too hold of her and took everything, it burned through that fear and all that pain and within seconds her body had moved, a jerky movement of the pain and she wanted to scream.

So she did.

It tore from her lips, like some wild animal. It was a pain filled scream and she couldn’t stop it. She was too weak to even hold it out for long. Her body closed down on itself and she gasped, her mouth flying open for a few precious mouthfuls of air, but her lungs would not work and her heart was still not beating. It was lying down limply, as though it could not. Black trendils slipped through it, grasping it and staying. This time they did not leave and she fought. She fought with everything she had to push them away. Caspia did not want to die yet. She screamed again, an airless, wordless scream that raged on only in her mind. Her body was limp once more, but her mind was on fire, her heart was not beating and death was creeping up on her, but she hit it, she clawed it and spat. Screaming with her mind for tell it to leave, to flee to run. Because she was not ready for it. She hated it and she did not want it. It retreated a few steps and she dragged herself after it, shoving it away from her, telling it to leave.

It was slow at first, but then it began to slide away, and slowly her heart which had not taken a single beat for over three minutes began to beat once more. It was jerky and worse than last time, but it was beating and that meant that she was still alive. For how much longer? She could not say.

[Nepherion]

Nepherion and Bid'Duam had been undergoing a cramming session, since neither of them was sure on how long Caspia had had the poison in her body. Her screams had several times on instinct invoked him to leap over to her side and cradle her until she had returned to her silent state.On one occasion even her heart had stopped for several minutes, bringing Nepheiron to the brink of trying the incomplete spell and having to have Bid'Daum restrain him with a rough mental battle. But a couple of minutes later and it had started back up.

...

Nepherion sighed with relief on his breathe, he could only imagine the fight she was putting up to live. He looked over at Amira, it had only a been a few minutes but he had already had most of the spell complete. He didn't know how he'd do it but he had promised her that he'd save Caspia and he had never gone back on a vow. His brows furrowed up in determination as he scurried over to the scrolls - dirtying up his dark trousers with brown, thin dirt in the process. " The scroll !? Let's get back to the scroll ! " he hurriedly said to Bid'Daum.

Bid'Daum sped the words of the spell through Nepherion's mind, its words perfectly clear and yet obviously going at a speed that most humans or elves wouldt be capable of comprehending. Nepherion repeated the words through his head multiple times, finally thinking that his brain's inability to slow down was actually working in his favor.

Just as quick as he had the spell down pack, Nepherion went over to Caspia and as instructed placed his palm on her sweat-drenched forehead and lifting her shirt a little, placed his other palm on her naval. He felt a bit of warmth rush up his palms and too his cheek before reprimanding himself for the thoughts going through his head during such a situation. He closed his eyes and begin to recite the spell, and as he did so his hand begin to glow a very brilliant green color, while reciting the spell Nepherion felt the poison surging through her bloodstream, but it was held back , or more so waiting for its time to strike again. He tried to track its source, for just cutting it up at the body would only leave its head to still run amok.

It took awhile but his mind had finally cornered the beast at the top of her head where his palm was, he hoped that it didn't cause to much pain on her. Nepherion's eyes shot open as his hand lifted from her head and his hand formed as if he had grabbed something before yanking it out. The green light pulled out a ooze of black from the pores of her head and it floated there jelly-like in the emerald light. With a furious resentment he tossed the ooze to the ground and lifted Caspia's head. " Did it work ? " he asked Amira, exhaustion on his breathe. He had just realized that the spell had drained most of energy and some of Bid'Daum's.

[[cass]]

Amira watched. This time when Caspia screamed she did nothing, the echoing pain-filled sound tore into her and she wanted to groan with that pain, she wanted to yell, scream and spit for Caspia, but she could not bring herself to do more then simple lower her head in defeat. It was taking every bit of her will to let Nepherion touch her and hold her and be the one to save her, because Amira could not. She hated it, she hated having to watch, that hopelessness had dug itself in to her heart and would not budge. Most of all she hated watching Caspia arch her back and scream. A few moments ago, she herself had felt a heart wrenching pain in her own chest, but she had bitten back on sound. It had been the kind of pain that had raced through her own mind, as though the bond they had shared at been yanked, viciously, pulling it away to the point where it almost snapped. The pain lasted as long as Caspia did not breathe and Amira was about to panic as she felt it begin to frey and give up as she felt it almost snap. That would be the time when she knew Caspia would be dead, that would be the time when she knew that their relationship was over and she would be alone.

But it did not happen. Caspia's heart began to beat once more and she let herself feel a small sense of relief. She was not dead, yet. Nepherion was frantic, he scrambled away from Caspia and sat beside the scrolls, only to race once more to her side as she began that terrible screaming. Amira watched it all, her own pain for the young rider evident on her face, evident with every beat of her heart. Then after what seemed to be forever Nepherion finally stopped reading the scrolls. Amira watched, eyes darting between him and Caspia as he walked over to the dying girl and gently placed a hand on her head and her stomach. His entire body was glowing, like some brilliant light, his hands shone brightly, and she could see him trying, she could see him using all his energy to save her. In any normal circumstances she would have lent him some of her own, for Caspia, but right now that would have been a silly move. Her own energy levels were exhausted. So she waited, with her heat racing to see if it would work.

Caspia fought on. The battle within her a bloody war. She felt the contact, barely, on her skin, but to her it sparked no interest, to her there was nothing more important then stopping that blackness from touching her heart once more. It lashed out and she lunged, throwing everything she had at it, but it had drawn itself back, tricking her. It was playing with her, she was falling and failing and it was only an small amount of time before this would all be over. In that moment of realization she saw it. A green glow and she felt it. The magic, someones magic coursing through her body and she would have laughed if she could. No magic could save her know, no magic could do a thing. She had tried, oh hell she had tried with every spell she could think of. She had become so desperate she had tried spells that had nothing to do with poison, but nothing had worked. She watched with a pain-filled numbness as the green lunged forwards, wrapping itself around the black and it begun to drag it away. She watched. She watched unable to comprehend what was happening, but understanding that maybe it was leaving. That maybe this was not a trick. The blackness fought back and she flinched away from it, and injured animal running and hiding.

The green stuff was stronger and it yanked it away from her heart. Then there was pain. This time it was in her head. A sharp, sharp stab that made her stiffen all over, that made her want to cry out, bit she didn't, she couldn't. Her lips would not move, her body would not move. Then it disappeared. All at once the agonizing pain left her and her body went limp. The strength fleeing her and running and she was not sure if she could move. Slowly the became aware of the hands holding her and she knew instinctively who it was. She knew with her heart who had saved her. Unable to speak she moved one of her hands, movement that took a lot of effort and strength, but she moved her hand and grabbed one of his. Holding it loosely with her remaining strength.

Amira bent forward quickly and nuzzled her rider, holding her snout there for a moment. She could sense it. There was no more pain. She is alive, Nepherion, she is alive.

[Nepherion]

Nepherion's breathing was deep and loud. His immaculate hair had become heavy and hung down on his head, laying only slightly above his white brows and strong yet weary sapphire eyes. His eyes lifted in surprise when he felt Caspia's hand wrap around his and he couldn't help but lose his breathe. His head slowly lowered down to see her hand touching his, its surface was dirtied and sweaty but so very beautiful wrapped around his. Amira's voice brought him out his thoughts and he snapped his head towards her, a smile finding its way on his face as he responded. " Yea she is. We did it. " he said softly.

Starlight eyed pass Amira and at Nepherion, his crimson gaze laid on his exhausted rider. " Are you okay ? You used quite a lot of energy ? " he asked, concerned. His looked down at Caspia for a moment. " She is quite important to you, isn't she ? " he asked before returning his gaze back to Nepherion.

He brought Caspia into his arms, wobbling slightly before standing to his feet. He waited a moment before speaking, not really wanting to speak on his recent show of emotions. " Do you think you can carry us both back ? " he asked slightly irritated. He looked over to Amira next, his skin glowing alluringly brightly from his contact with Caspia. " You and Caspia should come with us to the Beor Mountains. With your blessing, I want to take Caspia in Starlight's saddle. " He had a feeling that she would be drained but he hoped that she would be capable of flying at least.

Nepherion's thoughts had made Starlight wonder. He turned his white draconian head towards Amira. " Are you feeling well ? " he asked pawing up to her. He stopped a bit away from her, his worried emotions indistinguishable because of his dragon features. " I... I want you to accompany us, so I will share some of my energy with you so you can fly.. " his noble voice sounding a little less regal and more tentative in tone. If she had said yea, then he would had given her a considerable amount of energy.

[[cass]]

Amira was loathsome to leave Caspia, she had not strayed from her side for over a weak and as a result she was not sure if she could even stand. She had slipped as much of her strength in to Caspia as possible and right now she glanced worriedly upwards as Nepherion gently picked Caspia up. But she knew that as much as she loved Caspia and as much as she wanted to be the one to carry her back she would not be able to. Her strength was very limited and she knew that even if she could get up she would not be able to fly. She agreed swiftly with Nepherion to the idea of heading to the dwarf clan, she knew Caspia would not like it. Caspia was prickly and hated the idea of being dependent on anyone, but herself and to an extent Nepherion and Starlight. More so Caspia hated the idea of being in their debt, she was on no side, she had sworn no vows, but she always paid her debts. The thought of Caspia scowling almost made Amira snort, but she stopped herself, flicking her gaze sharply back to Nepherion as he finished his request. Grudgingly she gave her consent for Nepherion to take Caspia, the young elf, was very thin and the bones on her face were very prominent. Amira took careful note of the paleness of her skin, and the blackness that sat beneath her hollow eyes and cheeks. She looked gaunt; she looked very sick and unwell. But she was alive and for now that was all that mattered.

Her expression softened a touch, relenting on her annoyance at Nepherion taking Caspia, she knew she had no right to feel annoyed, the young rider had saved Caspia’s life and it was, in fact, that fact that Caspia had not been able to do anything that annoyed her. She bite back her snort of anger, her feelings twisting around her. She had hated it, with a great passion, having felt so useless and unable to do a single thing to prevent Caspia from dying. All she had done was slowly feed her more and more of her own energy. She had not been able to do anything at all and that was why she was truly upset. Nepherion I owe you a thank you for saving her life. She looked up at him from her position, his arms wrapped protectively around Caspia, Amira bit back her own jealousy, scolding herself for acting in such a way. She was being childish and she hated more than anything when a dragon acted in that way. Stubbornly she shoved those emotions away, instead sending a few images and flashes of her gratitude and thanks into Nepherion’s mind. Gently she brushed against Caspia’s, she had slipped back into unconsciousness, unable to stay awake, too weak to keep her body going.

" Are you feeling well ? "

[/i][/color] Starlight had padded up to her and she looked at him levelly. She was tired and whilst everyone had begun to move she had remained lying down, as he spoke she strained with all her muscles, pushing herself up. Unsteadily she rose, to her annoyance she stumbled backwards, her body trembling as she forced it to stand and not slip to the ground. Her effort caused a small trickle of smoke to slip from her nostrils and she grunted. It was taking a lot of effort for her to keep her feet beneath her. " I... I want you to accompany us, so I will share some of my energy with you so you can fly.. "[/b][/color] She blinked at him. ”I’m-I’m not sure I can fly.” She paused, she hated admitting to weakness, especially to Starlight, she liked Starlight very much and she always, always liked to show off to him. The two of them were always having a battle amongst themselves of who was the better dragon. Looking away from him she said ”I will need some energy if I am to come with you.”
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[Nepherion]

Nepherion held Caspia in his arms, coming to a stand still when Amira had transferred her thanks through a flash of images and emotions. His legs trembled slightly , he had almost forgotten what it was like to almost be completely without energy but that wasn't why he had come to halt. He came to a halt because he had been given a insight, if only for a moment to the depth of Amira's love for her bonded partner. It was so unconditional and loyal that Nepherion had trouble grasping his mind over it. The warm feeling flowed through him and the emotion had brought a continuous glow to his pale skin, it no longer dimmed with the beating of his heart. Instead it remained lit, lighting the ground around him with a ethereal and beautiful golden light.

A few moments went by and Starlight couldn't help but turn to Nepherion, his lids widening as he finished giving Amira as much energy as he could before crippling his own flight. The emotions that was flurrying inside his Rider was new, something never before experienced by him. A jovial feeling lifted his jowls into a soft smirk as his Rider finally got a glimpse of the love that all Dragons held for the-partners-of-their-mind-and-heart. A lighthearted hum came from the large Dragon's chest. " This is un-expectant. Not many riders can grasp the full extent of a dragon's love for their partner." Absent minded and slightly oblivious of Amira now, he pawed his way to Nepherion and raised himself to his full stature, blocking out the orange sun with his body. He had always wanted to express his feelings to Nepherion but it seemed once again that Amira had beaten him.

Nepherion's breathing was hesitant and caught by emotions. He was could grasp the almost inexhaustible feeling of love but he was having a hard time believing it. His emerald eyes fell on Starlight's immaculate frame, his scales were as pale as bone but was shimmering like diamonds in the waning day. " D-Do, Do you feel the same ? " he asked in soft disbelief. Starlight hadn't responded with words but instead with a slight nod of his spiked head. Nepherion lowered his head so that Starlight could not see, trying to hide the smile that was curving his lips into a undeniably blissful grin. " Let's go. " he said softly.

After placing Caspia in the saddle, Nepherion had almost forgotten about the scrolls and was force - though reluctant- to leave Caspia for a second and retrieve them. Once that was done, he returned to Starlight and leaped into the saddle, wrapping his hands around an ivory spike. " Alright, We're all set. " he told Amira more so than anyone else. " The ride back will be a little longer but I'm sure you'll enjoy the peace of mind. " he said with a empathetic smile. He knew now the calm that had swept over her, the wave of emotion that had eased her spirit when Caspia had started breathing again. He doubted that feeling would easily perish from his heart anytime soon. His gripped the spike even tighter as he ushered Starlight into the sky and banked him back towards the way they had came.

He wasn't sure if whether or not Amira and Starlight had been conversing for his mind was too preoccupied with Caspia laying against his chest. He always held a hand on the top of her fiery hair as they made their way back and was constantly sweeping it back gently in a attempt to comfort her sleeping mind. Not even the machinate ideals of the Dragonkiller Galbatorix had bothered him or the difficult task of moderating the Varden and Empire. In those minutes, in those moments all that was and ever would be was Caspia, Starlight, Amira and him.

A little less than a hour later and Starlight's wings had beaten the wind and slowed his entrance into the roost of the room that the dwarves had provided. Nepherion held tightly to Caspia as he lurched forward slightly and Starlight pawed off to leave Amira with enough room to land.

[Nandon]

William had slowly climbed up the stairs as Nepherion had ran, Muttering curses the entire way up, these stairs where steep, And wearing heavy plate armor as he was William had plenty of reason to be cursing… When he finally reached the top William stood there a moment, only moving slightly to let his apprentice up the stairs William caught his breath a moment before turning and looking at the large oval hole in the side of the mountain…he walked forward towards the very edge and peered forward, faintly noticing a dragon off in the distance that gradually grew farther and farther away, Sighing he slowly lowered himself to the ground, letting his legs dangle over the edge. He turned and looked at his apprentice before finally answering the question she had posed to him while they had climbed the stairs.

“Yes…I agree…Whoever this Caspia is she must be very important to the rider for him to just rush off like that…I know nothing of her. Though I assume she is the over rider the dwarves mentioned.” William then gestures at sky in front of them before continuing. “No way we can help them, Unless you know how to fly…” William said a hint of a smile touching his face. He then settled in to wait… His eyes actually closed as the coolness of the air touched his skin relaxing him. That’s why he frowned when the sound of distant flapping filled the air, gradually growing closer. Finally he opened his eyes and noticed with alarm the two dragons approaching. Muttering a curse William crawled off the ledge and ran forward turning to his apprentice. “RUN!” He yelled as he himself ran forward, being encumbered slightly by the armor he none the less proved his speed. He didn’t stop however until a loud thump filled the air, followed by a second one. He then turned and realized he was now on the other side of the area, Shaking his head slightly he panted out a chuckle before advancing forward again “Rider nepherion! You return! My apprentice and I where wondering if you would…” William said trailing off, noting the two dragons though not noticing the woman held in Nepherions lap.

[Quetzal]

Isrydia climbed the stairs behind William, partially not wanting to be left alone and partially wanting to catch a glimpse of a dragon. Starlight was too far away by then for her to see, as she steered clear of the gaping hole in the mountain while her master replied to her questions. He was right; they couldn't help. Neither of them were Riders, and neither of them knew what was going on. It was just a waiting game now, she supposed. There wasn't much else for them to do, an she couldn't imagine the dwarves being very happy if they turned back simply because Nepherion had left for a bit.

For a while, she watched the mountains outside. The Beor Mountains were much bigger than even the biggest mountains in the Spine, but at least looked similar in other aspects than size. Trees hugged the mountainside, latching onto even almost vertical rock faces with their roots and holding on for dear life, making the mountains further away look like fuzzy green teeth poking out the ground. Many trees were familiar, but some Isrydia did not recognise, their leaves different shapes to adapt to the slightly different climate. She could not see from where she was the paths where no plants grew, but she knew they were there as she had seen them while journeying to this place. They she recognised as the favoured paths of like animals such as deer. These paths were wider than those in the Spine, so she assumed the deer must be larger, or it was some other animal entirely. The apprentice moved to where William was sitting for a closer look. Hesitantly nearing the edge, she looked down.

Big mistake. Her stomach lurched at the sight of the ground so tiny beneath the mountain. She had no dragon to catch her if she fell, and she knew no spells to stop her plummeting to her death. She had no idea how William could be so calm sat there. Stepping back slowly, she sat down safely away from the edge. And waited.

She was half-asleep when William's shout brought her jumping to her feet. The sky was darkening now. How much time had passed? Whatever the time was, William was fleeing from the entrance, so she ran too. Not looking behind them, she stopped as she heard the thud of Starlight landing. That must be Nepherion returning on his dragon. Behind her right now was a dragon, a common fixture of her imagination since she could remember. She turned round. Breathing escaped her. A bone white dragon stood before her, gleaming like each scale was made from clouded diamond, magnificent, regal, powerful... Everything a dragon should be. And - not one dragon, but two. She tried to surpress it and stay professional, but she couldn't help a smile spreading across her face, eyes shining in wonder as she bit her cheeks to try not to look like a gormless fool amazed at the world. She heard William greet the Rider, and stepped forward beside and a little behind the knight. Looking at Nepherion, she noticed now that he looked exhausted, and that he was holding an unconscious elf in his arms. Her smile disappeared in a flash. That wasn't right. As much as her excitement grew at seeing an elf, Isrydia having great respect for them as lovers of nature, weren't they supposed to be strong and powerful? Seeing one like this just seemed... Wrong. "Is something wrong?" she asked, concerned.

[/blockquote]