A New Life Begins [Emi/Vlaer]

[Quetzal]

Isrydia walked at a leisurely pace through the forested slopes of the Spine, golden light of the setting sun shining with a green tint through the rich leaves, a bittersweet feeling in her heart bringing a sad smile to her lips. So much had happened lately. Her friend and teacher, Sir William, had ended her training, deeming her adequate to be knighted herself. She had known this was not the end, yet it saddened her to leave him after spending so long training with him and travelling at his side, meeting so many wonderful people and seeing such extraordinary things. It was a time of great significance in her life, although she had yet to allow the time for this to fully sink in. Her apprenticeship ending marked the end of her transition from unsure storyteller with no direction to head in to a confident young woman ready to make her own way in the world, able to fulfil ambitions herself. She was independent and had the skills to be a person of importance should she choose. Yet she had had no idea where to go from parting William, so had returned home to Kuasta.

Memories of returning home filled her mind presently, widening her smile. Her father was preparing her brother to share in ownership of his candle making shop, and little had changed. News of her apprenticeship had spread like wildfire since she first told her parents in a letter home, so she was bombarded with friends and relatives urging her to tell them of the knight who was her teacher. Rumours had spread, exaggerating the entire situation. Some thought she had gone to spy on the Varden for the Empire, others said that she herself was an important member of the Varden now. She explained the truth, of course, but wild exaggerations rose at the mere mention of her being knighted having completed her apprenticeship. This amused her greatly, although she would correct people whenever she could, much to their disappointment. Children and adults alike had gathered to hear stories of her adventures; encounters with werecats, elves, visiting the dwarves in Farthen Dur, and most popular, how she had met three different Riders, and had even been trained by the elven Rider Caspia and ridden her dragon, Amira. Dragons always had been popular topics of conversation in Kuasta. It had been upsetting to leave her friends and family again, but she would be able to see them more often now she was free to do as she pleased, having no duties or alliances. She could have stayed, of course, but there would be work to do elsewhere and she would have little to do if she stayed in Kuasta. Excitement and more adventures lay elsewhere.

And so the eighteen-year-old girl walked through the mountains of her childhood, nowhere in mind to travel. Anxiety gripped her tightly as she came to a clearing, catching a glimpse of the vast land of Alagaesia stretched out below her. Somewhere out there lay Dras-Leona, although the city was out of sight over the horizon. Today the Varden were to fight the Empire. For all she knew, Sir William and any other of her Varden friends could be dead or dying right now. It was a horrible feeling, not knowing if your friends were dead or alive. Shaking her head, she left her troubled thoughts to stew as she turned away from the clearing. She had no idea where she was going, for now content to wander the Spine. Many warned of its danger, but this area was well known to her so she had no fear of getting lost. Besides, all she had to do was keep heading down to leave the mountains. For now she simply walked in whichever direction her legs wanted to take her.

Subconsciously, she was walking towards a particular spot, driven by some unknown force. Perhaps it was destiny, perhaps only coincidence. Whatever the cause, Isrydia became somewhat aware that deep in her mind, a part of her was directing her as she walked. It was the same sort of feeling as when walking a route travelled every day, a route so familiar it could be walked with closed eyes while thinking of something other than the path being followed. Having nowhere else to go, she allowed herself to follow this path that felt so natural, barely noticing she was following a non-existent path at all. She noticed a broken twig on a bush, as though someone had left in a hurry, but no leaves on the ground were disturbed, so it must have been a long while ago. Looking more closely at the bush, she could see within an area where the branches had been hurriedly pulled into place, this given away as many were broken and several had grown new from the stems of old branches broken by something, loose earth over what was no doubt the hiding place of something valuable. Someone must have been in a great hurry to hide this thing here in the Spine where no humans, elves, dwarves, or anything in between went aside from through the well-used roads. They must have hidden it well, since thick stems of the bush grew from the loose soil over the object, the bush looking repaired of most of the damage. It could have been two years or more since this object was hidden. Using her sword, Nettle, she cut away the branches, then used the hilt to prise away the roots from the object, digging with her hands until they were filthy and the object was free.

Drawing it out from the bush into the golden-green light of the approaching dusk, Isrydia gasped at her discovery. Her first thought once the dirt had been rubbed away was how clean and unharmed it was, her second one of recognition. She had never seen one before, but had heard enough to know that the cool, smooth and surprisingly heavy jewel in her hand, about the size of her head, was a dragon's egg. It was a pale, icy blue, veined with sky blue. A soft white glow seemed to propagate from within the solid shell despite it being opaque, as though the light from the egg was simultaneously monochromatic and, at a deeper level, the mixture of all colours comprising white light. Inexplicably, she felt a deep emotional tug, not noticing the tears running down her face until they dropped to the ground. This egg moved her in a way she could not understand. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen, and she felt a giddy happiness and wonder as though she was looking into the sheer beauty of the universe itself and understanding even a fraction of its wonderful complexity, as though finding in that gently glowing egg a piece of herself she had not even been aware was missing, but now could look back and see blatantly that it had been missing all this time. She had an immense feeling of understanding, yet remained so confused and clueless about everything to do with this egg. She even fancied she could feel the life within, but dismissed it as herself imagining things. She always had been very sensitive, and it led to her being quite naive and constantly in wonder at the world around her.

One thing she did know was that now she had found this egg, she could not be a part of its story any longer. She had to find whoever had hidden it, if they stilled lived. She could not give it to the Varden, who would keep it safe but might try to use it for war, but there were other she trusted who might be able to protect it until she could find whoever hid it. She felt deeply proud to have any part in this egg's life, and hoped that perhaps the dragon, when it hatched, would even know of the girl who had recovered its egg. This action might merit her a short line in the history books, something she was grateful for. Standing up, she looked around, trying to think of what to do and where to go. This dragon egg put her in great danger.

Crrrrrack!

The sudden sound jolted her to pay her full attention to the egg in her hand, making her jump and grip it tightly with both hands. The egg had answered the question of what was to become of it itself. Was this really happening? A small flaw, a tiny crack, had appeared in the smooth blue shell. Were her eyes deceiving her? She sat down quickly on the soft dry leafy forest floor, staring at the egg. With a crunching noise, the crack slowly but definitely expanded, creeping to grow across the entire shell facing her. Finally, a small chunk popped out and hit the ground, a muffled squeaking sound emerging from inside. The hole in the egg grew, and first a head, then a wing, then an entire tiny dragon struggled out, tumbling to land with a soft thump in Isrydia's lap. She held her breath, hardly daring to believe what was happening, not moving as she watched the baby dragon fixedly. It got its bearings, stretching its wings after so long in the egg. They were more pale than its icy blue scales, which grew more pale at the tips, the wings looking like delicate membranes with a network of sky blue veins and arteries running through them. The dragon looked at its new Rider with gleaming sapphire eyes, the deep blue standing out against its paler body. Isrydia gave a high laugh of disbelief and pure joy. The dragon squeaked, clearly pleased at her happiness. She reached her right hand towards it, which the dragon sniffed curiously before gently touching. A searing pain shot down her arm, like ice and fire at the same time, making her vision go black.

When she opened her eyes a few minutes later, the dragon was watching her from a few feet away, looking upset to have hurt her. She smiled at it, feeling an immense love for it. It perked up, pleased she was not upset, bounding closer and rubbing against her arm as she sat up. She stroked it gently with her left thumb, staring at her right hand. Underneath the dirt from digging up the egg, a new silver mark could be just seen. A gedwëy ignasia. She was a dragon Rider. Never in all her days of dreaming of dragons and legends had she ever imagined she would join their ranks. Somehow she could not believe this was happening to her. Holding up her palm, she focused on the air above it. She knew exactly one word of the Ancient Language. She had never been able to use magic before, not even to reach out her mind by herself. As a Rider - she shivered at the thought - she should be able to finally use magic. Excitement flowing through her, she murmured "Brisingr," focusing all her energy on creating a small flame. To her delight, a flame appeared in the air above her palm, illuminating her new silvery mark in its icy blue light. The dragon squeaked at the sight. She grinned; the flames were the same colour as the dragon's scales.

A mind pressed against hers. She looked at the dragon, who flicked its tail, looking into her eyes expectantly. She allowed its mind to enter hers, and it shared with her its happiness. There were no words as when dragons had spoken to her before, just it sharing its feelings of unconditional love and joy with her. She gave a half-laugh-half-sob, tearing up again at how perfect this moment was, entering its mind and sharing her own feelings of love and joy. This was the first living being she had ever managed to reach into the mind of. It gave her a toothy grin, then yawned and snuggled up close to her. A smile fixed on her face, the teary girl embraced her new dragon companion, moving to a tree and rolling out a bedroll to sleep. Together they watched the sun go down, the dragon falling asleep on her stomach shortly before she did herself, cradling it lovingly.

[/blockquote][/blockquote]

[Emiryal ♕]

rider of Kamikurai | empire rider

Much louder than the sound of the egg cracking, a roar tore open the silence that hung over the spine. It was the roar of a dragon. A distant silhouette of a dragon flying high was easy enough to spot. Kami twisted and turned trying to snap at her rider. Rerukusu dodged by leaning back just out of range. "Kami, knock it off you stupid dragon," he yelled at her. Kami roared at him and blasted him with fire. Reru sighed and held up his hand to catch the fire and turned it into a tight ball which he dissipated and took the energy from. "You know that isn't going to work," he said sounding annoyed. "Now do as you are told! We are here to find that egg!" he said.

Reru did not necessarily get along with his father Galbatorix, but being the son of the mad king had benefits. He had been able to use his father's power, influence and connections to track down a possible dragon egg. He didn't need another dragon, but he wanted to harness the energy in the egg. Yeah it would kill the hatching before it was even born but it would allow him to restore his former dragon.

Reru was not just any rider, nor just Galbatorix's son. He had been born during the fall of the riders. His mother an elf and forsworn rider. His mother's dragon had laid an egg which had hatched for him, making him a rider. That dragon was not Kami though, but Avendel Myshera. Reru had lost Avendel shortly after the war when he confronted Brom who killed his dragon. The loss had made him nearly as mad as his father if not worse. Avendel's heart of hearts was damaged and Reru had managed to save her by binding her soul to the gem in his rider's blade.

The truth was he didn't care about Kami, his current dragon. In fact he'd done something worse than even his father. He'd forced Kami to hatch for him breaking her egg himself. Kami was to become a sacrifice, Reru would kill her by replacing her soul with Avendel's in an attempt to get his old dragon back. But that took a special power, to do it he needed a dragon egg.

Hence Reru had proceeded to track one down, obviously his father would not give him the only one the Empire had. In the end his search had led him to the Spine, hearing a rumor of a group of travelers who had a mystic object that they worshiped. It was hard to saw if it was true but the object sounded like an egg. And now that they were over the Spine Reru could feel the egg, having cast a spell to detect life.

Kami had instantly tried to retaliate against her rider. She didn't want to die nor did she want Reru to kill a baby dragon. "I WILL NOT LET YOU KILL IT!" she roared in his mind and tried to reach for him again. "You don't have a choice!" he countered drawing Ueyato. It wasn't a Rider's blade but was just as strong as one and was older than even the elves. his rider blade he rarely used for fear of damaging the gem that held his dragon's soul. Without hesitation he stabbed the blade into Kami's shoulder. "I can leave you half dead you know," he said angrily. Kami roared in pain and rolled trying to dislodge his blade. "Hah, you know I'll do worse than this Kami, I'l-" he started to say when Kami grabbed him and yanked him from his saddle. When she had rolled Reru had crouched so as not to fall off, putting him in range of her mouth when she twisted her neck.

Kami tossed her head and let Reru go sending him falling hundreds of feet down to the far side of the spine. Reru shouted something and Kami felt the force of his magic shove at her and one of her wings broke sending her plummeting down towards the spine. She roared in pain and fear, and despite her broken wing she tried to break her fall but to no avail. Reru's blade was still lodged in her shoulder making it even more difficult.

Kami managed to slow her decent only by a little before she crashed into the forest. The purple dragon slid to a stop breaking trees in the process and injuring herself more. She was much larger than her age should've been. Reru had increased her size magically to get her ready to be sacrificed so his former dragon could be restored. Kami had fallen very close to Isrydia, in fact close enough that she had knocked down trees only a few feet from the new rider. Kami didn't seem to notice though but just lay almost still where she had come to a stop. A wake of destruction behind her where tree's had been knocked down. Only the slight rise and fall of her chest indicated she was alive.

[Aelodil]

Ragdar and Lenora watched Reru and Kami argue from a distance. Ragdar tried to make it seem that he was yawning, though as he covered his mouth chortled laughter emitted from him."Oh boy, he's never going to live that down is he Lenora?" he asked his dragon. Lenora looked at him with amused eyes,"Apparently not if you keep jutting it out. Now try not to tell him you were laughing at him."[/b] she responded. He nodded. Good advice.

As Reru was thrown down, Ragdar simply face-palmed. Wow.. that was the best pair he had ever seen. They would make good actors. But then he decided to stop and told Lenora to swoop down and catch Reru. They went down at lightning speed, Ragdar removed his hands from the spikes and let them free. He let out a bark of laughter at the thrill of the whole ride. Lenora just barely grabbed Reru, and she began searching for Kami.

In the meantime, Ragdar leaned to the right and looked down at Reru."Good morning. Out for some sky-diving without me? How rude of you not waiting for my company. Though I should say you have a unique way of sky-diving. Now shall we find that crazy dragon?" he asked Reru which probably not the best way to greet him. Lenora swooped down and let them down.

Ragdar brushed himself off and then looked up -- just to find a fresh trail. Of course he was not to know that this trail belonged to Isrydia. He thought a farmer thatvsaw Kami fall came to inspect what happened. He turned to Reru who now had no weapons."Ready for some old school team Gladiator match against a dragon with no weapons or magic?" he asked, indicating the time they had to fight a Fanghur with no weapons or magic.

He stepped into the trail and began following it, causing him to avoid the main road. He frowned as he saw a lot of broken trees and hastily regrown bushes. He parted the bushes and immediately cursed. The egg he was trying to help Reru find already hatched. And right there, next to the sleeping form of the new Rider was Kami. He growled and strode over to Kami, pulling the sword, ignoring the howl of pain she let out.

He returned the sword back to Reru then went to the new Rider. Ugh.. now they would have to find another one. He unsheathed Arucane. No one needed these two. He might as well kill them. But he was stopped by Lenora who said,"Leave them be. We have more important matters."[/i]. Ragdar nodded and went back to Reru, wondering what to do.

[Quetzal]

The shaking of leaves and snapping of branches as Kami fell woke Isyrdia with a start, the loud thud of the dragon landing bringing her to full alert. The dragon was nestled in the crook of her left elbow, and raised its head sleepily at the sound. It opened its wings slightly and let out a small squeal, telling its Rider of its fear and confusion through their mental link. Her right hand flickered immediately to Nettle's hilt, hardly daring to breathe as she remained still, trying to look asleep. The dragon followed suit at her warning, hearing the sounds of a person nearby. A howl of pain made her shiver, and she waiting for the footsteps to leave before standing up. With ease, the pair spotted a great purple mass a few feet away. It looked like... a dragon. Isrydia cautiously moved closer, taking slow steps. Glancing up, she could see the broken branches and guessed it must have taken a fall while flying. The dragon at her feet hopped closer, looking at the first other member of its species it had ever seen, then let out a cry of terror and ran back to Isrydia. She scooped it up and it pulled itself in close to her, shaking in fear and sharing with her a great sadness which made her feel upset, too.

The dragon was still alive, as she could see by the worryingly slight rising and falling of her chest. She must have fallen so far, it was a wonder she had survived. Isrydia felt sick as she saw blood seeping from a stab wound in dragon's shoulder. She could see no-one else in the sky, and since she had only fallen a few seconds ago, whoever had done this must have been on her back. She had a saddle, so was not a wild dragon. Isrydia suddenly felt very alone despite her new companion. What was she supposed to do? There were no healing spells she knew as she only knew one word of the Ancient Language. For all the stories she had heard, none described how to help an injured dragon, as they were all about the dragons in their prime. This dragon was much larger than hers, too, looking several months old, so would have taken a very hard fall. At a loss of what to do, the new Rider moved around to Kami's head and gently stroked her, trying to sooth her. "My name is Isrydia, and this is my dragon. It's just hatched so doesn't have a name yet. We are friends, we can help you," she spoke in a quiet tone in case someone dangerous was around, "Who did this to you? Where is your Rider? We can find them for you," she asked.

An image appeared in her mind of two men standing nearby, this being sent from the dragon, who had looked up and was still shaking in fear. Her head snapped up immediately, eyes locking on a blonde half-elf and a red-eyed human who looked somewhat elvish so must be the Rider of the red dragon standing behind them. The blonde man did not look like he was being held captive, so could not be the injured dragon's Rider. She froze, adrenalin coursing through her. She could run from this danger, or she could stay and help this dragon. It occurred to her that the Rider was likely to be the dragon's attacker, as he could have ambushed her from the sky.

"W-Who are you? Did you do this? You... you monsters! Stay away from this dragon and tell me what you did to her Rider!" she grew in confidence as she spoke, drawing Nettle and waving the sword threateningly. She would be no match for two people and a dragon, but she couldn't just let this dragon die without at least trying to protect it and fight for it. No-one else she could see would, after all.

[/blockquote][/blockquote]

[Emiryal ♕]

rider of Kamikurai | empire rider

Kami was only vaguely aware of Isrydia and her newly hatched dragon. The cry of terror from the other dragon caught her attention and she tried to focus on the present rather than her pain. Her shoulder throbbed and she knew one of her wings was broken. There was no way should could fly. A feeling of terror gripped her when she felt Reru's presence coming near. She was terrified of him but could never get away. This wasn't the first time he had injured her like this but that didn't make it hurt any less.Feeling the touch of Isrydia on her head the dragon opened her eyes half expecting to see Reru and tensed ready to fight with what remained of her strength. It wasn't that she wanted to see him, in fact she'd be glad if she never saw him for the rest of her life. When she realized it wasn't Reru but someone she didn't know she relaxed and her gaze fell to the new hatching. The hatching was what Reru had come for but the egg had hatched! Reru would be upset but at least now Reru would have to waste time tracking down another egg. "I'm--Kamikuri," she said touching their minds lightly. A jolt of fear shot through her when she saw Reru and Ragdar. With what seemed like great effort she moved her tail protectively around Isrydia and her new dragon. She wasn't in any condition to fight but the gesture showed she would've chosen to fight against her own rider and defend Isrydia even though they had only just met.

-----

Reru was surprised when his fall was abruptly stopped by Lenora. He held onto her tightly after she grabbed him. He knew he could've saved himself with magic, but he didn't want to unless he absolutely had to at the last minute. He rarely used his magic as he preferred to store it and save it amassing quite an impressive amount in a crystal that hung around his neck.

Almost surprisingly Reru laughed when Ragdar spoke to him. He didn't seem at all upset or angry, in fact he seemed very pleased. "Crazy is just the way I want her. But the sky-diving wasn't something I had planned on," he said. "Thanks for catching me."

Once on the ground Reru adjusted his now empty sheath then followed Ragdar. The trail Isrydia had left wasn't easy to spot but it was there. Kami's trail from her fall on the other hand was extremely obvious and Reru was amazed at the damage it had caused. He grew somewhat worried hoping she had survived it. Having her suffer he was fine with but he didn't want her dead, not yet at least.

He smiled at Ragdar. "I only do that when I want to preform a death defying stunt," he joked. He remembered all to well their fight against the Fanghur with no weapons or magic. that had been one of the most difficult things Reru had ever done. He wished he still had his sword but at least he wasn't helpless. He still had his magic.

Reru's eyes narrowed when they came upon Isrydia and the hatching dragon. Well this certainly wasn't what he had expected to find. A hatching dragon was useless to him! He needed an intact egg and finding one of those was harder than finding a needle in a haystack. He accepted his sword from Ragdar and wiped the blood off of it against a tree covered in ivy.

The half-elf prince sighed when Isrydia spoke. "Put the sword down you look ridiculous," he said not answering her question. He waved his own sword in a series of impressive circles on either side of him before unexpectedly sheathing it in the same movement. The display had looked so effortless that it was clear Reru was an expert swordsman, likely better than Isrydia. After all he was part elf leaving him with strength and agility beyond what most humans were capable of.

He took a few stepped forward and held up his left hand. A gedwey insignia was on his hand and seemed to be even tinted slightly purple, though it could have been a trick of the light reflecting off Kami's scales. "I am her rider," he said. He reached for the end of Isrydia's blade to hold it still. Swords generally were blunt and not razor sharp. They were used more damage than cutting, so he had no fear of being injured by holding the end of the blade. Only if Isrydia swung the sword at his hand would it do damage. "I am Reru and that is Ragdar, we are riders of the Empire. Now I'd appreciate it if you let me pass so I can attend to my dragon's injuries," he said. He seemed to be purposely ignoring the hatching dragon. Frankly it was worthless to him now so why should he care?

[Aelodil]

Ragdar stared intently at Isrydia, his composure showing her that if she tried anything funny she would have to deal with two expert swordsmen. Plus, he had his two Eldunari and Lenora. Walking closer to Kami, he kicked her lightly with his boot and was satisfied with the growl he recieved. Good, she was still alive. Kneeling next to her, he said,"Don't waste any energy on her. I can heal her.". He quickly began chanting words in the Ancient Language, relying on the energy in the ruby in Arucane's pommel.

As he finished he got up and looked at Isrydia, now ignoring the hatchling. It was less than useless to them now so he just ignored it. Isrydia however was another case. He had no idea if she was Varden or just a normal traveller. In either way he knew if push came to shove they would respond with anger. Lenora leaned closer and helped Kami up with her tail. She knew what was necessary but she at least sympathised with Kami after such a fall.

Ragdar choked on laughter as Isrydia threatened them if they didn't bring Kami's Rider. He would have responded but Reru beat him to it."So what are you doing here? We answered your questions but how about you? Are you a traveller or an egg hunter?" he asked Isrydia in turn. His hand dropped casually on Arucane giving her advice not to do anything stupid. That's when he looked up.

He whistled."Reru I am pretty sure that isn't how people used to sky-dive. Next time send me an invitation. That seemed rather fun." he told Reru sarcastically. He stared at Kami. She was lucky they needed her else he wouldn't have healed her. Then he quickly rememered that he healed her and cast two binding spells so that she doesn't attempt attacking them or run away.

[Quetzal]

Everything about this encounter was surprising Isrydia, as if finding a dragon egg, let alone becoming a Rider, wasn't enough. She could tell there was fear in Kami's voice, and could not understand why she would try and protect her against her own Rider. The hatchling in her arms looked less fearful and more puzzled, watching Reru and Ragdar while feeling as though something here was deeply wrong. Isrydia would not have believed Reru if it were not for his gedwey ignasia, but this only left more questions. Why would a dragon try to protect a stranger against their own Rider? How could Reru be so calm when faced with the possibility of his dragon dying? Nothing here made sense.

She lowered her blade and sheathed it when Reru held it, watching him carefully. At least he was healing his dragon. The other Rider was just as puzzling, seeming to care nothing for Kami despite having a dragon of his own who seemed much closer to him, so he must understand the bond and how dragons were not just animals. Her eyes widened when he kicked Kami, her dragon digging it's little needle-like claws into her leather armour. The armour protected her, but she could feel its strong grip. Even though it was only tiny, not even the size of a cat, it was strong and could put up a fight, although obviously not against Reru, Ragdar and Lenora. Presently it wriggled a little, telling her it wanted to look more closely at the strangers, but she told it she would not let it down on the ground where she was less able to protect it. It agreed, flicking its tail as it watched events unfold around it, the strangers seeming to pay it no notice.

Isrydia was somewhat reluctant to tell too much to these Empire riders who seemed to heartless and cruel, but she did not have much of a choice. Better not to get on their bad side. "Just a traveller. I was only passing through here to wherever I might end up, and I felt sort of drawn to this spot... I found this dragon's egg a few hours ago. It was very well hidden," she said truthfully. She did not dare ask a question, it not being her place to do so.

[/blockquote][/blockquote]

[Emiryal ♕]

rider of Kamikurai | empire rider

Kami growled not so much because Ragdar kicked her but because she didn't like him. He was helping Reru and she despised him for that. The half-elf rider watched as Ragdar healed her for him. He was glad for the offer, he didn't like to use his magic unless he absolutely had to. He used his magic to keep the soul of his former dragon alive. Any spells he cast would prevent him from giving that energy to her.

As Ragdar finished healing her Kami slowly stood up. Her height had been deceiving when she was laying down. She roared at Lenora not wanting her help or anyone's for that matter. She felt betrayed and alone. She couldn't trust anyone or at least it didn't seem like it, maybe she could trust Isrydia, she didn't know yet though.

Reru was forced to duck and step away from Isrydia as Kami swung her tail at him. He just smiled at her. "Alright Kami knock it off, the hatching isn't of any use to me now calm down," he said feeling the rage inside her. The purple dragon didn't back down but didn't proceed to bother her rider any more.

The half-elf, blonde rider looked at Ragdar with something like disdain. "Fun was far from it. Ever been inside your dragon's mouth?!" he said. Kami had grabbed him with her mouth and tossed him. It had been not very fun and her teeth had been sharp, only his wards prevented damage.

Kami growled in protest as Ragdar cast not one but two binding spells on her. She struggled against them desperately trying to break through them but she was weakened from her fall still had finally collapsed in defeat.

Reru ignored Kami and watched Isrydia. "A traveler? You were lucky to come across that egg. I've been searching for it for months. Are you with the Varden? Another rider for them now?" He finally glanced at the hatching and walked over to Kami retrieving something out of one of her saddle bags. A salted rabbit. It wasn't much but he knew the young dragon was probably hungry. He tossed it to Isrydia. If he was to get any information out of her he had to be more diplomatic.

[Aelodil]

Ragdar hid a smile as Reru tossed a small rabbit for the new hatchling. He understood why however. He himself grinned wickedly at Kami as she fell back to the ground again. He leaned down, confident that his spells would keep her tightly sealed and whispered so that only she could hear,"Your time's running up. Reru and I are losing are patience. Soon enough we will find another dragon egg. Be glad I don't break you limb by limb."

Ragdar stood up and smiled as Reru informed him that it wasn't fun. He shrugged. As Isrydia replied truthfully Ragdar fumed silently. They had spent so much time, just to find that the egg had hatched for nothing but a young woman. As Reru asked whether she was part of the Varden or not, he tensed. Being the half-son of Galbatorix had its advantages, like the fact that he didn't have to swear in the Ancient Language to him, yet his father had yelled at him on more than one occasion that Ragdar and Lenora should at least show him loyalty. That meant, if this woman turned to be part of the Varden they would have to waste precious days to take her back to Uru'Baen.

As he saw the dragon squirm and Isrydia's reaction to his kicking Kami he smiled in a way that showed them, that in his own way, Ragdar was as mad as his father, if not even more-so. He watched the young dragon attempt to wriggle into a better position for a better view. He began losing his interest in it and began looking around, trying to get his bearing.

He looked at Reru, then Isrydia."Shall I send Lenora to go to the nearest city and attempt to find some more leads on another egg?"[/i] he asked Reru, reaching out with his mind yet not into Reru's mind. More of a knock of permission from the outside. He continued to study Isrydia. He knew that she could put up quite a fight. Though for him, or Reru, or even Lenora she wouldn't stand a chance. He relaxed his composure and continued listening to the conversation.

[Quetzal]

Isrydia did not like the way these two were treating Kami. They did not seem that abnormal, which confused her as it had previously been unthinkable to her for a person to show cruelty to a dragon, least of all a Rider to his own dragon. The worst part was that they showed no sign of caring in the slightest. Reru should be feeling something through his bond with the dragon, yet he was quite content to see his dragon kicked and bound. No wonder she hated and feared him so much. The poor thing must be so confused to have hatched for him and to have this bond, then to find the one person who should love her unconditionally attack her and treat her in this way. Isrydia was completely unaware that Reru and Kami were not truly bonded, their bond being forced, something which she had never even imagined was possible.

When Ragdar bound Kami, the dragon in Isrydia's arms was visibly shaken watching the struggling dragon, wailing when she gave up. Its impressions of the world so far had been far from pleasant. The first other member of its species it had seen had been badly wounded, then mistreated by its own Rider and another, whose dragon did nothing to stop them, although did show some compassion in helping Kami up earlier. It was confused, and stared up at Isrydia with scared, deep blue eyes. A questioning thought touched her mind from it. It was worried about its own safety, not from the the other Riders, but from its own Rider. Seeing this made it worry she would turn on it, and it now wanted to know if she did love it and if she would care for it. She was upset it had to ask that, sending it thoughts of her already strong love for it and letting it know that Reru and Kami were a pair unlike any dragon-Rider pair she had ever heard of before. That satisfied it, and it relaxed again.

Isrydia was reluctant to answer Reru's question, not because he was with the Empire but because of how he was treating Kami. She was surprised when he threw her a rabbit, catching it without realising why he had given it to her. "Thanks," she said. The dragon eyed it hungrily, and she understood. Dragons grew quickly before slowing down a lot once they were big enough to ride, but never really stopped growing, did they? All that growing would take a lot of food. Not having enough hands free, she had to let the dragon down onto the ground, watching it in case either of the two Riders tried anything as she tore the meat into strips that would be easier for the dragon to eat. The dragon, meanwhile, took several wobbly steps towards Kami, feeling safe close to the larger dragon. It cautiously sent out a tendril of thought to her, partly wondering if she could help relieve its confusion and partly just wanting to make contact with another dragon. Isrydia did not pick him up again, feeding him the rabbit and standing up to answer the Rider's question.

"I'm not with the Varden, no. I have no interest in joining the Empire, either. Never been interested in politics or the war; politics is boring and I don't have strong enough feelings with either side to risk my life in a war," she told them warily. It would be far better to tell the truth than risk them finding out she was lying. Being so useless at guarding her mind, for all she knew they could be subtly disguising themselves as they scratched the surface of her mind just enough to see if she was lying to them or not. She was glad to not be aligned with the Varden right now, guessing they would have to capture or kill her if that was the case. What she really wanted to say was something in protest to Kami's mistreatment, but she was too frightened of what they might do. Still, no-one else would stand up for the poor dragon... "I'm not trying to be rude here, but maybe if you were nicer to Kami she would obey you more easily..." her heart picked up speed as she said this, afraid Reru might react badly. She tried to see if from his point of view, thinking that it was probably true that treating Kami well would at least prevent her from trying to hurt him.

[/blockquote]

[Emiryal ♕]

rider of Kamikurai | empire rider

A low growl emanated from Kami when Ragdar spoke to her. "What you and Reru are trying to do is wrong. I would rather you break me limb by limb than what is going to happen," she said to him. There was fear and anger in her voice and she would fight this until the very end.

The large purple dragon watched as the hatching came near her. She wasn't surprised when the dragon contacted her, she made sure to block Reru and Ragdar out. She didn't trust them or like them. "I'm glad your alright," she said to the hatching. "what troubles you?" She didn't know how much the hatching would understand but she hoped it was enough to converse.

Reru allowed Ragdar to speak to him with his mind and hesitated before answering. "There are no other dragon eggs like this one. I've looked for months and I don't want to waste more time doing this...we'll have to steal one from the Varden," he said. Galbatorix certainly wouldn't give them one so the next best place to get one was the Varden. It would be tricky though.

Reru seemed glad when Isrydia spoke and was not with the Varden. That would just make it easier for him since he wouldn't have to bother capturing her. "I'm not interested in the politics or war either. War is pointless and causes un needed deaths," he said somewhat bitterly. He'd lost his first dragon to war. Isrydia was of no threat and Reru didn't really care all that much to verify what she said so he saw no need to attack her mentally to verify it. When she spoke confronting him on his treatment of Kami he smiled, not something one would expect but it was more of the smile of someone who was mad. "Oh yes, she would obey me more if I was nicer to her but I don't want her obey me. What I'm doing must be done, there is no other way. If I were to kill your hatching right now I think you'd understand what I mean more. I lost my first dragon during the fall and I'm going to bring her back using Kami."

[Quetzal]

((I have no idea where Vlaer's got to, hope he doesn't mind me posting before him...))

The hatchling was pleased when Kami spoke to it, glad to be accepted. It was too young to understand the words she spoke exactly, but it helped that they were spoken with the mind rather than allowed so that it had some idea of the thought and feeling behind them. From it could tell, the larger, older dragon was asking why it was concerned, which it did its best to answer. It sent her an image of Reru and Ragdar taunting her, followed by an image of Isrydia. This was accompanied by feelings of confusion and worry; it could not understand why Reru would treat her like that when they shared a supposedly strong bond, and was worried that Isrydia might one day turn out to be like that too. Presently no part of her mind had any intention of hurting the hatchling, as it could see, but it was worried that something could change. Reru had been driven to abuse, so why not other Riders? So far, the love from Isrydia and hate from Reru and Ragdar towards Kami, although Ragdar and Lenora seemed to get along fine, were the only examples of how people treated dragons. Such contradictions would have been enough to confuse anyone who had never seen the world before. It wondered whether Kami had perhaps done something to drive the two men to behaving in such a way, but thought it was more likely to be something wrong with Reru than with Kami.

Isrydia seemed to have given the right answer with regard to her side in the war, if the lack of chains around her arms and legs were anything to go by. That was a relief. Had she been captured, she wouldn't know what to do. Swear loyalty to Galbatorix and live the rest of her life as a slave soldier, most likely. While she was not bothered by the idea of supporting the Empire, she did not exactly look kindly upon Galbatorix and certainly did not fancy being held against her will and forced to make an unbreakable oath in the Ancient Language. She had a feeling that if Reru hadn't shared her feelings towards war, she may have found herself in a tight spot all the same. The Empire were looking to recruit anyone who had yet to pick a side, last she'd heard.

She was finally starting to understand this strange Rider, oddly enough. It was something she hadn't expected, having simply written him off as 'pure evil' or something or the sort after first seeing him. Now, however, she could see that this was all to do with the loss of his first dragon. Now he mentioned it, she could see why the loss of their dragon could make a Rider go mad. The little hatchling meant a lot to her already, and they had only spent a few hours together. Reru must have been driven mad with the death of his dragon, making him dream up some insane scheme to return her to life using Kami and another dragon egg. She could not imagine what he had in mind, but it could not be good. All that pain and loss he must have felt, to make him think this was the right thing to do... she almost felt sorry for him.

"I heard about people raising people and creatures from the dead before... they all died in the effort. How could you survive-" she stopped as the source of energy for the spell dawned on her, "Ah. The egg. But even if you think your plan might actually work, Kami's not just a puppet. You should be glad you at least have her now. It's not fair on her and whatever egg you find to harm them to bring back your old dragon. There must be some other way that won't destroy any more lives," she tried to make him see reason. This was far worse than just abusing his dragon. He was planning on doing something, she had no idea what, to what - exchange Kami's life for that of his old dragon? She could understand his pain at his loss, but not the lengths he was going to to try and live in the past.

[Emiryal ♕]

I dunno where Vlaer is either. Should I post now and his characters will be assumed to be there. Or should we wait?

[Quetzal]

Could we assume his characters are around? From my experience, when people disappear without explaining why, it's usually a while before they return... Since you have the admin account now, can you see people's email addresses? You could try emailing him about where he's gone.

[Emiryal ♕]

Yeah, we can. That's what I usually do. I just wanted to make sure you were fine with that.

And yeah I can see emails. I have full access. I could do that. I dunno if he'd check his email or not.

[Emiryal ♕]

rider of Kamikurai | empire rider

Kami realized images might convey more to the hatchling than words. In response she showed her Reru's former dragon dying at Brom's hands. It was a memory Reru had shared with her only once. She tried to convey Reru's grief and his madness from it. Then showed that Reru had broken her egg against her will and forced the bond. Reru and her were not like most rider and dragon pairs. She tried to show the hatchling that this case was rare and Isrydia would probably not do that to her. Even Murtagh and Thorn did not harm each other, they would die for each other.

Reru smirked when Isrydia caught on the purpose of the egg for the sake of the energy it contained. "I am glad for Kami but not in the way you think I should. There isn't any other way to do this without destroying lives. To bring one back a life must be paid to keep the balance. It's risky but that's why I'm not using my own energy to do it. My old dragon, Avendel, meant more to me than anyone has before or since. I have a chance to save her however slim it might be. Wouldn't you do the same? Would you do anything to save the one you hold most dear?"

[Quetzal]

((Worth a try, but chances are it might be a problem with his Internet access altogether.))

The hatchling's eyes widened as Kami conveyed why Reru acted as he did. His bond with Kami was forced, it wasn't true, which could explain for why the bond lacked any love. It had chosen Isrydia, knowing in some strange instinctual way that this was the person it should hatch for, so their bond was true. This difference made it more comfortable that its relationship with its Rider would not take such a bad turn. The hatchling gave a satisfied squeak, comfortable that it would not end up on the other end of its Rider's sword, but still felt sorry for Kami, upset that she had to live like this.

Meanwhile, Isrydia was understanding Reru to some extent, though she hated that she did. Every part of her told her that this man was evil and insane, that there was no chance of making sense of what he was doing. Yet she could see the method in his madness. He may have been driven mad with loss, but here was a person with nothing to lose and everything to gain, someone desperate to return to a past where he still had the thing that meant most to him. In time, the pain might had faded, but in situations like these people tended not to be patient. If her dragon, or her brother or either of her parents, were to die, she would do everything she could to save them. But would she kill? She liked to think not, but if such an event arose, her mind would work differently. She doubted she would treat her victim with the same unnecessary brutality as Reru. To kill something as great and as rare as a dragon, too... she honestly did not know if she would be brought to do it should the need arise. "I... would do everything I could to save them, but... not like this. I have limits. But I haven't experienced loss like you have, and there are very few who could understand your pain. I suspect I might act differently if something terrible happened," she replied, frowning. She still thought what Reru was doing was wrong, but was seeing it from his perspective.

[Emiryal ♕]

rider of Kamikurai | empire rider

(I emailed him now.)

Kami watched the hatchling but said nothing more. She wished she and Reru could've been like that, and actually had a true bond and cared for each other. Instead their bond was forced, Reru was an egg breaker and cared nothing for her.

Reru seemed unbothered by speaking openly of his plans. The whole thing seemed not to phase him and he was just fine with killing a dragon to get Avendell back. He reached up and brushed his hair back from his ear which tapered into a slight point but not as distinctly as the elves. "Very few do understand. I'm a half elf I've had more time to think about this than most ever would. Just because time passes doesn't lessen the pain of loosing someone," he said. His thoughts turned to his mother, one of the forsworn. He'd lost her too, he still missed her dearly but unlike Avendell there was no chance to bring her back so he held onto the only hope he had. "I don't expect you to understand," he said. Even Galbatorix didn't fully understand him, not even Kami nor Ragdar. He muttered a few words and released Kami from the binding spell, countering Ragdar's spell. "But what of you? Neither of Varden nor Empire? You won't last long on your own. My father's Riders will be sure to seek you out and the Varden won't risk you joining the side they oppose," he said.

[Aelodil]

Yeah, I feel like a complete douche. Here's the problem though. You see, I was a bit busy trying to get over my ADD and Insomnia, and I was about to. But then as I wake up, I walk to my laptop and guess what? INTERNET'S DEAD D:. So I just fixed this damn laptop, fixed the Internet and I'm back. I don't mind at all that yall posted ahead of me, I was late by a loooong time. Sorry for the inconvenience!

Ragdar stretched, rather annoyed at where the whole conversation had strayed to. He had lost his family awhile after he was born so he could relate with Reru, but at the same time when it came to conversations of these kinds of feelings, he would rather chop the head of the man or woman who had asked him and be over with it. It was his one weakness, the one thing other than his pride that could get him one step closer to death. He sneaked a glance at Lenora and shook his head.

Ragdar glared at Kami, reminding her not to cross a line as she seemed to have a conversation with the baby hatching, though he had no idea what it was all about as she blocked him from her mind, but he knew she wasn't trying to help them. He sighed as he was informed that they would have to steal an egg from the Varden, but realized that was their only choice.

"Well, this was a nice chat. I'm going to be honest with you; I'm getting tired of it. I never was known for my patience. But in any case, Reru's question intrigues me. What will you do now? You just became a Rider, and though both of us aren't necessarily sworn to capture you, not that we would bother, in the end our fathers' Riders will end up hunting you down. If not them, the Varden will. I would like to wish you luck but.. in this cursed world luck has no place." he said, red eyes droopy stuck in a terrible nightmare, witnessing his mother hugging him even as she died, the blood staining her clothes.

[Quetzal]

((It's fine, Vlaer, glad to have you back! Hope the insomnia and ADD isn't causing you too much trouble now))

Reru's point that he had longer to suffer his loss than most gave Isrydia another sense of understanding. As both a Rider and half-elf, he would have countless more years to let his mind fester and sink deeper into the consuming clouds of madness. Her lifetime, too, was now increased to be potentially as long as that of a dragon, she supposed. This would be fine among the elves, who already had long life expectancies, but what about her as a human? Her parents, brother, friends, would all die long before her. Watching friends age and die would be enough to turn a person insane with loneliness, not to mention grief and loss. Thankfully, she had not experienced any great losses so far, hence why she could not fully understand Reru's pain, but she knew that they would happen.

At the question, she drew a blank. Before now she had got by simply by being unimportant, without possessing any significant power. The hatchling which watched Radgar and Reru cautiously from Kami's side had changed all that. She was at risk to attack, yet by joining either side she would be all the more at risk. There would be fights either way, should they be a struggle to remain free, or in battle against whichever side failed to capture her. If she had to pick one, she would pick the Varden as their methods were less cruel and strict, and because she already knew several of their members. These two were clearly not representative of all Empire soldiers, but at least some of them were at least on the verge on insanity to be driven to do some of the things they did.

"I suppose I will just to fight for my freedom, should the need arise. I will take care not to provoke either the Empire or the Varden, although I know that won't stop them tracking me down. When it comes down to it, I refuse to fight in stupid battles because some people with more authority don't get along very well, when there would be better uses for my time. Why should I kill as many other people as possible just because someone says I should and some guy wants a town or village or castle, when I could be learning new things and helping people as a whole, regardless of who they agree with?" she found herself being more stubborn than usual, passionate about her view that fighting was a useful skill but wars and battles were stupid. It would be nice if people could get along without gathering large groups to kill each other, but she doubted people would stop doing that any time soon. It was just so... dull and pride-driven. She didn't consider herself above the people who did go to war, she just personally found the whole thing annoying.