Learning (open to all)

[Quetzal]

A girl stood on a grassy cliff edge amid the trees on the outskirts of Ellesmera. The low orange sun painted the clouds with shades of pink and purple, dying the sky red and yellow and casting an orange tint onto the green forest. Lights were starting to glimmer in the houses a little distance away as she stood on one leg and swung a thin steel blade, vines and leaves crudely crafted into the hilt. A dog-sized dragon as tall as her waist watched her quietly, a thick red scar visible between his ice blue scales on his left side, showing he had recently healed from a vicious slash which had tore at the muscles of his wing and hind leg, reaching all the way down his side. The hatchling had been wounded by a cruel blow from a Shade outside Dras-Leona, his growth stunted by it. He was a month old now, and should be almost as tall as his Rider by now, if not taller. He had not been able to move much or fly for the past few weeks, and so was weak and barely able to keep himself in the air. He and Isrydia were in a good mood right now. They had finally arrived in Ellesmera earlier that day, and the elves had been able to heal his wound.

Isrydia threw her sword into her left had with a flick of her wrist, and tried to practice the movements she had learned as a mirror image. It was difficult, but she was getting better with practice. Being ambidextrous would be important so she was just as prepared to fight opponents who preferred left and right hands, as well as being able to cope with having her right hand or arm restrained or injured in combat. The hatchling smiled as he watched her practice. It was good to see her learning and training again after spending so much time traveling and caring for him. She had taken the books on magic and jewels for storing energy that Brenton had given her, but was struggling to make much sense of the magic or to grasp just how to use the energy of the jewels. Fighting with a sword was something she was used to and much better at. His sapphire eyes watched her, and he finally her her grey-blue ones. She paused, seeing his smile. "What?" she asked with laughter in her voice, not expecting the hatchling to answer.

"Isrydia." the word was full of love. Her eyes widened and he gave a deep chuckle. This was his first word.

"You... finally spoke!" was all she could find to say in her shock. He nodded and scampered over to the edge of the cliff to watch the sunset. She sat down beside him and looked up at the sky, arms behind her to support herself. He moved close to her so that his warm body was pressed against hers as she thought about his speaking. His voice was that of a young child, but no doubt it would mature as he did. Did dragons' voices do that? She had no idea. The main thing was that he had spoke at all. He had been in too much pain on their journey to take the effort of attempting to speak, and it was a relief to see his mind was still growing if his body had not. As the stars came out, she took out a small wooden telescope, an old one given to her by an old elf who was trying to get rid of it. It had been used to see the approach of far-off enemies, but she had a better idea for its use.

A few years ago, before being a Rider, before being a knight's apprentice, before any of this, Isrydia had climbed to the top of the tallest mountain of the Spine she could see to try and get closer to the stars, but they had still seemed as far away as ever. Perhaps the telescope would make their forms more clear, and she might be able to figure out what they were. Her best guess was the lanterns of the gods, but she could not be sure. As the sky turned purple, then navy blue, darkening and blanketing itself with a glittering sheet of stars, her eyes looked through the two lenses of the telescope. She found the brightest start she could see, and gazed right at it. To her delight, it did in fact seem a little bigger, but the telescope blurred its image as it was still too far away to be in focus. How did the focus and magnification of this thing work? It was to do with the lenses, and there wasn't anything she would be able to do without messing around with it. At her request, the hatchling shattered the wood with a few hits from a claw, and Isrydia took the two lenses. She rubbed them clean on her plain cloth shirt, then looked through them again. She moved them apart then back together again, and occasionally the star would look just a little less blurry, but it was hard to keep the two lenses exactly the same length apart. It seemed like it had to be a very precise thing. Focusing on stars was not something built into the telescopes generally used as the most any scholar did regarding the stars was to watch their movements, not try and look at what they were. They all moved in regular patterns, but some moved in very odd ways compared to the slow curve of everything else, and Isrydia wanted to know why. She was onto something with moving the lenses, but it would take time and trial and error to get it right.

"Isrydia," the hatchling said again as she took a break from fiddling with the lenses. The dragon was developing an interest in these mysterious lights, feeling her fascination so greatly he had developed interest of his own. She looked at him again, happy to hear him speak. It was a joy beyond words to hear him able to speak her name at last, and she felt honoured that his first word should be her name. "I said your name. Now I say mine. It is Arlyn," he said firmly. Isrydia laughed with happiness now, hugging the scrawny little dragon tightly. He nuzzled her face gently in response. They both knew why he had taken so long to decide on a name. She had suggested a whole host of different names of dragons from before the Fall as she knew from the stories she would tell when she was a traveling storyteller, as many dragons now chose to be named after another dragon. Arlyn had rejected them all, however, deciding he wanted to be the first of his name. He did not feel as though any of those names had suited him, and so had spent weeks inventing a name for himself. He had hidden this from Isrydia until now when he was completely sure of his name, and she had not tried to help him, knowing that he wanted to name himself all on his own so that it truly was his name, created by him, for him. The hug ended and Isrydia stroked the cold smooth scales on the top of his head. "Well, then, Arlyn Icescales the First, it's a pleasure to meet you," she said, making him laugh, a sound that was almost a hum.

[Aelodil]

Anuring walked through the forests at the outskirts of Ellesmera, enjoying the site. He admired the beauty of nature in all. He walked to a mountain where he felt new curiosity, love, and such happy emotions that just by touching them, Anurin had smiled. He reached the mountain top just in time to see Isrydia training with her sword. Off to the side he saw Arlyn her new-born hatchling. He winced at the site of the huge red scar on the poor dragons' side. Vanilor opened one huge eye to observe this new hatchling and Rider."What is on your mind Anurin? he asked his partner-of-body-and-soul to which Anurin replied,"Everything." He walked out into the open and watched as the girls' face sparked in surprisement and happiness. Then he realized she had been talking to her dragon.. so it must be his first time to speak to her. He smiled, remembering the moment he had first met Vanilor's egg. He then heard her talking to her dragon. Arlyn.. so that was the dragnos' name.

Stepping closer, Anurin introduced himself, "Hello. My name is Anurin, and this," he said, gesturing with his hand to the huge head of Vanilor, "is my dragon Vanilor. I wish Arlyn the best of luck at recovering. I could of course help speed the process if you would like me to do so." he offered. He himself kept his hands far from Andlat's handle as to show he meant no harm. Vanilor reached with his mind and said to the dragon,"Hello Arlyn-finiarel. I wish you the best of recovery. Please let my Rider attend to your wound. He has knowledge such that he could help your growth return to normal. Not dark magic such a Galbatorix uses, but magic he had learned from our masters long ago in the days before the Fall."

((Sorry for how short it is.. I just really couldn't find much to say :/))

[Brenton]

Up in the trees, far above the dirt and grass, sat a man with shaggy deep black hair that curled around his ears and then again at the end where it met his neck. He had deep golden eyes that betrayed knowledge far beyond his age shown by the silver specks that had not always been there but were actually only several years old. He was about six and a half feet tall with an extraordinary build that most people in the forest did not for his ears were not fully sharp like an elf and his features weren't perfect like an elf either. Still, the half elf was high in the elven people's government, being the king of them and all of that. He may not have been full elf but this particular half elf was not one to trifle with and if he had to then he would pull his right as king to have someone thrown into the dungeons on a split second word.

Yet his eyes were down cast and his mind was off running through the trees as his cloak billowed from behind him and Unbitr flashed on his hip. He was up in the trees looking out at his domain but not seeing much of the forest since he could only think of one person, and she didn't show interest in him. It frustrated Brenton for he had risked a lot to save her and her new dragon and had gone through hell and back with Sir William just before meeting her to have his mind captured by her beauty. He had figured it was just an infatuation at the time but the more he had ridden with her and got to know her, the stronger his feelings toward the woman got.

Now Brenton sat in the highest branch of one of the oldest trees with his mind trying to devise a way to tell Isrydia how he felt and find out if she felt the same way toward him. Brenton looked up when he felt the gusts of wind from Grazael who had gone off hunting and was in constant contact with him. Why you trouble self? Isrydia only human being. Go talk her or I take you to her. The dragon was just under a month old and although he had been able to talk for awhile, his sentences were still juvenile in structure.

Grazael, she is more than a human to me. In my eyes, Isrydia is a goddess who I cannot but hope to gain her affection and it kills me how much I think about her. Even now, I should be at Ellesmera listening to people complain but instead I sit out her and contemplate what to do about this issue. Trust me, friend, I would love to go talk to Isrydia but I can't find the words to say to let her know how I feel.

Just as Brenton finished speaking, his body was caught in the talons of the large gold dragon and he was soon airborn and heading toward the cliffs where Isrydia often trained. This was no time for thinking but time for action, in Grazael's opinion. So the dragon flew at quick speeds toward the cliffs and came into view just as another rider and his dragon appeared and started talking to Isrydia. Talk to her like normal person. I lick you if not do right. The dragon dropped Brenton and watched as the king fell ten feet and rolled just in time to avoid breaking any bones. Dammit Grazael, I told you I don't know what to say to her! Brenton had forgotten that Isrydia was right there and so he had yelled it out loud.

[Quetzal]

Arlyn looked around when he heard Anurin speak, but it was not the elf he looked at. The pure white dragon attracted his eyes, shocking him. His mere head was as big as any dragon he'd ever seen, his entire body so large it was difficult to believe even seeing it with his own eyes. So the rumours were true. The oldest dragons before the Fall were the size of mountains. Valinor must be the oldest dragon in Alagaesia to be that large. This alone filled him with a deep respect, making him feel suddenly more humble than he ever remembered being and making him distinctly aware of just how young he was, barely seen any of the world yet. Isrydia stood up to face Anurin, similarly awed by Valinor. She recognized that these two must be so old and so must have great knowledge beyond imagination. "Hello... my name is Isrydia," she remembered to introduce herself after a moment.

At the offer of healing, Isrydia smiled. She doubted there was any reason to distrust an ancient Rider, as if he were a bad person he would either be at Galbatorix's side, killed long ago, or attacking the elves. The elven healers had done a lot to repair the torn muscle and tendons, but there was only so much energy and only so much they could do, and so had rejoined the tissue and spoke words to ensure he would heal completely, but that would take more time and he would still be weak. His growth was important to his development, and he was growing impatient to fly and carry her on his back. Arlyn continued watching Valinor as the great dragon spoke to him, a shiver running through him at being called 'finiarel' by someone he already admired so much. Isrydia looked down at him, and he looked up at her, waiting for her to reply. "It's your body, so it's your decision," she spoke into his mind. After a moment's consideration, he concluded that Anurin and Valinor were to be trusted, and anyway this was too good an opportunity to miss.

"Then yes," he told her, looking back to Valinor.

"Anurin-elda, we would be so grateful if you and Valinor would help him heal. It was a Shade that struck him, so it was difficult for even the elven healers to help him. He longs to grow large enough to be ridden, and it could take some time with that wound," she explained, thinking it might help if he knew something about the nature of the injury. Arlyn took a step forward towards the older Rider and dragon, but halted when a shape dropped to the ground.

Isrydia stood, startled, but then the shape shouted the name 'Grazael'. Sure enough, the dragon was up there, and so the figure must be Brenton. Yes- so it was. But what did he mean, he didn't know what to say to her? This wasn't going to be another one of those awkward confessions, was it? He had spoken about liking her in more ways than just a friend, which was how she saw him, outside Dras-Leona when the Shade attacked and he thought he might not see her again. That had made things somewhat awkward between them, and she had hoped it may have just been because they were facing the possibility of death then or that he had gotten over it, but it looked like that might not be the case. "Erm... hello, Brenton, nice of you to drop by" she said, unsure, amusement in her voice at his entrance. Arlyn took a big leap into the air and beat down as hard as he could with his wings, lifting himself high enough to nip the end of Grazael's tail as a way of greeting his friend before he dropped back down to the ground. His left wing complained at that, but he tried to ignore it.

[Aelodil]

Anurin's face saddened at the sight of Arlyn's pain as he barely managed to fly a few meters above the ground. He seemed surprised and annoyed to see the King as the last time he had seen him the King had shown him how arrogant and haughty he was. Very rash and naive. He nodded at Isrydia and Arlyn's answers and knelt next to Arlyn, stroking his scales softly and drawing energy from himself and Vanilor. He began chanting in the Ancient Language, a complex spell whose parts he had learned during the centuries, only learning the full spell a decade ago. Half-way through the spell he abandoned the energy from Vanilor who had grown weary. The strike from the Shade had been further worsened by a plague of dark energy. He had to dispell this energy then fix some bones for Arlyn. None of this would be painful like Galbatorix's augmentation of dragons.

Throughout a half hour he spent chanting in the Ancient Language, the words flowing like a river, so pure, so natural. His energy weakened and finally at the end of his spell, he stood up astonished to see Arlyn now even a bit taller than Isrydia's waist. "He will have completed his growth of a month old dragon within a few days. He needs sleep and a lot of food." Anurin said, standing up dizzily. The energy the spell had costed him had been a lot.. enough to tire him out. He eyed Brenton with disdain and maybe a little regret. Perhaps he had seen the wrong side of the king. No matter what it was, he would give him another chance.

"Hello King Brenton." Anurin said as Vanilor rumbled in his mind,"Well met." his pride refusing to acknowledge Brenton as king. Anurin did not blame him as he had only spoken Brenton's title to show him he respected him and his authority. Anurin noticed a certain... aura between those two. They seemed so tense around eachother. Could it be what he thought...?

Shaking his head, Vanilor yawned, opening his massive maw and spilling out fumes of meat. He didn't understand humans and Elves. They were all so weird. It had token him and Anurin centuries to truly understand each other. He unfurled his large wings and covered himself in them and laid his head to his tail, going into a deep slumber. He would be asleep yet awake, his mind roaming near them to make sure no harm befalling them. He kept one large eye open, watching the hatching with interest while darting to his Rider and sometimes Brenton. He knew that the hatching could use a ton of food after that augmentation and so he stood up, shaking himself to remove the stupor and reached far behind them, grabbing two elks and placing them in front of Arlyn. He then continued to rest, all the time covering them.

[Brenton]

Brenton sighed and ran his fingers through his hair in embarrassment at what had just happened without him fully realizing before he had done it. His pain in the rear dragon had flown him to the cliffs and dropped him right next to Isrydia without telling him so that when Brenton reacted the way he did, he spoke words that he hadn't meant to around her. The king glanced up at Grazael with a murderous look and then turned to Isrydia again while gathering his thoughts. Well met, Anurin and Vanilor. It is good to see that you have helped Isrydia's dragon here after the elven spellcasters did what they could.

At the heart of the issue was what Grazael had actually brought him here for and he knew he should say something but Brenton just couldn't do it anymore. He often times sat by himself and thought about how he would be charming or smooth talking around Isrydia but then he met her and all of that went out the window. Good day, Isrydia. Are you and your dragon doing well today? Brenton looked away as he forced himself to not say anything about his feelings for her.

He could still remember what he had said and done when the shade had attacked and it was the only time he had been able to really say anything. Just then Grazael swooped down and opened his jaws in a warning to Brenton that if he didn't say anything then the lick would come. Brenton shuddered at the thought of his dragon using that barbed tongue on him and then shook his head. I won't say anything to her about it because Isrydia doesn't show an interest in me. If it were different then I might say how I feel but she doesn't and I can see it makes her nervous.

Grazael gave a deep rumble for his size and pushed the elf king down on the ground with his clawed feet. Brenton supposed confess love for you, young woman. He scared and so I do it for him. Grazael spoke so that both Isrydia and Anurin would hear although that was just to really show Brenton that he should have done this by himself.

[Quetzal]

Arlyn's eyes closed as the sound of the chanting washed over him. The Ancient Language was soothing, especially when spoken in the flowing, graceful way Anurin did. He felt relaxed. Slowly the pain lessened as he felt the Rider's words mend his broken bones and muscles, repairing most of the damage carefully. Small steps were done at a time, and he could feel the persistent pain like a sickness ebb away. He realized that must have been some dark energy from the spirits possessing the Shade, something which happened a good deal with wounds inflicted by a Shade. The repair was an odd mix between having pins and needles and sitting in a warm bath. It was soothing and warm, yet also tingly and prickly as bones fused back together and tissue reformed itself. The whole thing felt like something good and almost natural, the magic used clearly good rather than the dark magic Galbatorix used to forcefully and artificially grow his Riders' dragons. That was because this growth was in a way a healing too, restoring what should be; his height. His ability to grow would have slowly helped him reach his proper height, but he would always have been a few weeks behind and would still probably have grown slower if it were not for Anurin.

When the healing was done, he bowed his head, finding to his delight it was a few inches heigher than normal. Isrydia had seen this, too, and smiled warmly at the Anurin and Valinor, feeling an immense gratitude towards them both. She could see how complex the spell must have been by how tired he was now. "We can't thank you enough for that. That must have taken a lot of energy; feel free to take some from these gems. It's not an awful lot, but it's something," she offered, brandishing a leather pouch netted with metal so that it could not be cut, a handful of gems that Brenton had allowed her to take of a variety of colours within. They ought to contain sufficient energy within them to help Anurin catch his breath and keep him feeling strong after such a complex spell. The skill he had displayed there was simply incredible, and inspired Isrydia to keep at her studies all the more so she too might some day work complex magic.

"We're doing very well, thanks, as you can see. He finally invented his name not too long after the sun set. It's Arlyn," she replied. It was strange to her how formal Brenton was. Normally he wasn't formal to anyone, least of all her. Grazael's surprisingly deep rumbling preceded the words that explained a lot and once again increased the awkwardness between Isrydia and Brenton. She never really knew how to react when reminded of Brenton's true feelings for her, hating to rejecting but not wishing to take their relationship further than friendship. She cleared her throat after an unbearable silence. "I already know about that, Grazael, he told me at Dras-Leona... I'm afraid my own feelings haven't changed..." she replied, hating to not be able to reciprocate those feelings and thus let Brenton down. She hoped someone would change the subject before things got too horrible for the king. Meanwhile, Arlyn was happily tucking into an elk, finding that as Anurin predicted he was ravenously hungry. Much energy was needed for his growth spurt. Humans and elves had very strange ways of courtship he did not understand, and to be honest he had little interest in it, finding it pointless and tiresome. While they talked, he touched Grazael's mind. "Hungry?" he asked simply, letting him know he was welcome to help him eat - two elks bigger than he was were more than he could eat right now.

[Aelodil]

Anurin smiled at Isrydia's offer. "I thank you, though no, keep the gems' energy. There will come a day where you will need them. In fact..." he said, reaching out to touch the gems before allowed a steady flow of energy from Vanilor enter the gems. He opened his eyes, then reached for Vanilor's saddle, having to climb him to reach it before taking out his cooking kit. He dropped to the ground and began a fire, then running to a nearby river to fill the pot with water. He returned and put the pot above the fire, then left to hunt for fruits and vegetables for the stew. He found a farmer who had given him some potatoes and carrots, he found a pineapple tree which had been funny yet annoying. He even found some melons. He returned, chopping the potatoes and carrots and plopping them into the stew. He then worked to cut the melons and pineapples. It was a shame he hadn't brought any apples. But that would be dealt with later.

Standing up, Anurin placed a large tray on a stump and placed three bowls of stew and some melons and pineapples. He reached into his bag and took out a loaf of bread which he split evenly, leaving some extra which he crumbled around the area. That's when he heard Grazael say what Brenton couldn't. He stopped in his tracks and turned to see the king. He wondered whether this was a turn for the worst or the best.. he couldn't know. An awkward tension hung in the air then Vanilor suddenly jolted awake and muttered something like 'Chickens..'. Anurin choked on laughter as he tried to invite the two to the small make-shift table.

Finally after awhile, Anurin spoke, "Please, come sit at the table. I have prepared us a simple meal." he hastened to sit in the middle so that Brenton and Isrydia would sit opposite each other. He once again reached into his bag, producing three spoons and placed them on the make-shift table. He then gestured for them to eat.

[Brenton]

Brenton forced his way out from under Grazael and rose with little room for dignity. He'd lost that when he started acting like a fool around Isrydia and now that his dragon was big enough he would make sure that it was noticed. I told her when the shade attacked, Grazael. That was part of the reason I wouldn't mention it again yet you are stubborn and don't know when to leave it alone. Brenton straightened his shirt and looked at Isrydia with an embarrassed gaze. He was sorry for what his dragon had said but he wouldn't apologize for it because he did have feelings for the woman in front of him. With a sigh, Brenton leaned against a tree and glanced at the larger dragon when he muttered the word chickens. Vanilor-elda, while I respect your opinion of this situation, that is not the case. As humans and elves don't mate by power or strength, we look for people we connect with and actually fall in love with. Isrydia and I just don't both feel that way for each other. It sucks for me but it is just how it is right now.

Grazael made a noise that sounded like a cough and a roar at the same time that persisted and grew louder for each second. Soon the sound was loud enough to shake trees and Brenton knew what was going on. Grazael had started chuckling and it had turned into a full laughter that he couldn't stop now that he had began. This was just too good for him to get a grip on himself.

[Quetzal]

Isrydia was surprised when Anurin refused the gems, instead giving them more energy to hold. "Thank you," was all she could say. He didn't have to do that, nor did he have to heal Arlyn. The healing had been enough, but this man's generosity seemed to know no bounds. Naturally, she had already developed a trust in him to match her respect. Watching him as he began cooking, the smell of the food rose into the air. The sight of the food appealed to her, as well. Potatoes and carrots were common enough, but pineapples and melons? They preferred climates warmer than much of Alagaesia. It was not often she had the chance to taste them. Sitting down, she took a spoon and began eating the stew. It was good, but she did miss meat. Not as much as she would have thought, as she had tried reaching out to the minds of animals which went some way to put her off eating them. Still, the elves vegetarian diet was one she was starting to grow tired of.

Arlyn looked up as Grazael started to laugh. It proved contagious, the smaller dragon joining in after a few moments. A few birds had gathered in the trees, tempted by the bread Anurin had crumbled but wary of the dragons. Isrydia looked at the others. "So, confessions aside," she glanced at Grazael, "what have you been up do, Brenton? You too, Anurin-elda, how do you occupy your time, if I may ask?" she asked, trying to start a conversation. She was curious to learn more about such an old Rider, but knew it might not be her place to ask of certain things.

[Aelodil]

Anurin looked up from his meal in surprisement. "Most of the time I spend resting with Vanilor or travelling. Our talents are needed in many places. You must know by now how..... inconsiderate some of the Vardens' leaders have been about expending the more powerful Riders. They feel like we have a duty, which we do. Yet I must say, that duty is not to tire ourselves to death attempting to be here and then there quickly. I say this with full respect of the Varden leaders as I'm sure they have their reasons but I've tired. An old man needs a break at least. And so here I am. In the same place I was born. As is Vanilor's birthplace. Though on some occasions, we spend our time wandering near Vroengard. Our old capital." he responded to her, smiling at the old memories and almost laughing at remembering the first time Vanilor had breathed fire. He went back to his meal, eying Grazael. He must be a hand-full.

He finished his stew quickly, putting his bowl in the middle, waiting for the others to finish so that he could take the bowls and utensils to the river to wash them off. Vanilor found himself laughing, his head shaking as he laughed and Anurin stood up in alarm. If Vanilor laughed too much then there would be a small tremor.. not a good thing to happen. Vanilor seemed to catch himself and stopped laughing though he was still obviously amused. He eye Grazael. The best kind of a dragon is a dragon with humor.

[Brenton]

Grazael tried to stop laughing but couldn't seem to do anything about it, until it was replaced with an annoying hiccup case that wouldn't stop and ended up making his flip backwards as he tried unsuccessfully to fly to the water. The gold dragon laid on his back for a little bit, frequent hiccups racking his body, as he concentrated on calming down. Finally he was able to roll back over and rejoin the group in their conversation. Well, are you calmed down now, Grazael? When the dragon gave a nod of confirmation, the king turned to look at Isrydia.

There aren't many interesting things for a king to do after he has gone about his duties. Mostly I sit upon my mother's throne and listen to the citizens complain about how someone has stolen from them or they feel wronged in some way. Lately I have had to deal with people complaining about the few Varden who are here and they are quite annoying complaints. Right now I try to spend my time outside training with you and helping Grazael grow as best I can. It is just like it was with Vaentr back when he first hatched.

Brenton sighed and remembered the first time he had been able to ride Vaentr into battle, sitting on the saddle on the blue dragon with his long teal bladed sword in his hand with his hair flowing from under his helm. Now he was anticipating the day he could ride Grazael for any length of time and not tire the dragon out. If he never had to ride into battle then that would be just fine but riding was wonderful.

[Quetzal]

The Varden seemed to be causing some trouble around here lately. Isrydia knew from William that they found Riders useful for missions far away at a moment's notice, and that they had become vital in battle since the Empire had Riders too - it was something of an arms race. She knew that citizens did not like being disrupted, having been one until under a year ago. The Varden caused large disruptions in their lives, creating big changes and draining resources. From Dras-Leona, she knew they were often unwelcome aside from when they held big feasts and declared celebration throughout the whole city. It sounded to her like Anurin would be much better off training the Varden's new Riders, passing on his wisdom rather than risking losing it with his death in battles.

"The Varden do seem to cause a lot of trouble. I suppose to the average citizen, their presence has a huge impact on their lives, which can upset them. Their task is a big one, so each one of them has a lot to do, especially the strongest and smartest, which would include the Riders. But it'll be worth when the egg breaker is taken off the throne," she thought aloud. She sympathized with the Varden although she did not want to join its ranks. She had no interest in involving herself in politics and didn't want to align herself to anyone in particular, must preferring the freedom to help whoever she pleased, regardless of their own affiliations.

Arlyn had stuffed himself full of elk while she had spoke, and lazily waddled towards his Rider, poking at her hand with his muzzle until she ran a hand along his scales and rubbed his neck. "Grazael seems like more trouble than Arlyn," she smiled, amusement in her voice as she compared the two dragons, "but then again, Arlyn hasn't had the chance as he can't fly around a lot yet and can't lift me up, either. I guess we'll have to see," she looked down at her dragon. He licked at the blood around his lips sheepishly, stretching out her wings and taking to the sky as if to prove a point. There was no pain in his wing now, and so flying was much easier. He hovered at eye level with Isrydia, watching Grazael as if daring the other dragon to take off as well.