To the Young the World Will Pass (David and Velathan)

[Brenton]

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Long ago, an order of riders was built to protect the world and to call peace between the races of Alagaesia. And it worked, for a time. That was, until the riders grew old and lax in their behaviors of justice. For there was a threat that had arisen from within their ranks, one named Galbatorix. And in his heart he was harboring malice toward the elders. So he had gathered a group of riders under him and they became the Forsworn, a menace that would haunt the lands for years to come. And this group took to the skies with their dragons and their swords, cutting down the elders and watching as some fled.

Over one hundred years later, a young boy was able to hatch a dragon egg and out came a blue dragon named Saphira. This was the dawn of the new order of the riders. Yet not all was good for Galbatorix was still alive. So the riders who had surfaced from old and the new riders banded together to take on the mad king. Many were killed and many more suffered. Yet in the end it was a fate that all hoped for in the Varden. Galbatorix fell and his two children disappeared.

It was prosperity once more for all who came across a dragon egg. Now the older riders of new could take the time to train their new recruits.

The lone figure wandered into the city with his head low as he listened once more to the bard's tale of the fate of Alagaesia. They had got much right and much wrong as well. As the man stopped, he looked up and cast a wary glance around his surroundings. Despair filled him as he once more remembered what he had done to Isrydia when the crystal finally was destroyed. Of course he still had fragments of it but they were no longer keeping him tethered to the Nether magic.

Because of that he was able to feel remorse and pain as well as love and the deep ache of sorrow. His stomach rumbled and suddenly Brenton looked at the market with hunger blazing in his eyes. He had ran out of money a long time ago and his funds in the elven territories were cut off unless he could get to the training grounds. Still, that was in Ellesmera and his hunger was here.

So the once king and now disgraced knight went silently to the stall that had fruits stacked on it. He darted a hand out and when he pulled it back it was clutching a nice large apple as well as a cantaloupe in the air being suspended by magic. Quickly he took the fruit into a dark alcove and sat down to eat slowly. Maybe he would find some way to get a room later on. After all, a great war hero that helped topple the Empire should be afforded some benefits.

((This takes place about two weeks after the battle thread.))

[David Lightningsword]

It had been two weeks since the black Dragon had hatched for him, and David had been the happiest man alive, happier than he had been since before his father's death. The dragon had yet to speak in his mind, yet he had grown quite a lot, now the size of a large dog. Even though David would prefer stay hidden with his dragon until he was large enough to protect himself, he had his duties to the varden, and now that he was technically a rider, he had to do them. He was in Gil'ead spreading the news of the victory and new leadership along with his fellow new rider Velathan and his red dragon.

David was surprised when he saw the exe king of the Elves. He approached the food stand the elf had stolen from and paid for the fruit, before he turned to the elf and twisted his hand in the way elves swore fealty. Since he was now a Dragon Rider, he waited for the disgraced exe king to start the greeting ceremony.

[Velathan]

Velathan watched as a dark, lonely man wandered into the marketpe looked to be of a poorer type, maybe even one who would resort to stealing. His suspicions were confirmed as he saw two fruits from one of the stalls start to, for seemingly no reason, begin to float. Now, a few months ago when he was but a lowly soldier with the Varden and had no experience with magic, that had all changed. It had changed because, after the battle for Urû'baen, a dragon from the mad king's stores had hatched for him. The same red dragon that now resided temporarily in his bag. So he knew magic when he saw it. Sitting up from his perch on an old, crumbling bench, he began to stride towards the magic using man. "Weren't you ever told that stealing is wrong, magician?"

(Forgive this post, it was done on my phone.)

[Brenton]

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Brenton looked up as the two approached him, his eyes blazing at the words that one of them spoke toward him. As a king, he had rarely dealt with people speaking their minds in such a manner, but as a humbled knight he was supposed to be used to it. Of course, one of them started the traditional greetings that would be reserved for one of higher ranking and that made him smile slightly at that.

Bite your tongue, boy! I am no lowly magician and will not be treated as such. Although as I look like such a position now, I will not go to hard on you. Thank you, kind sir, but I am not worthy of such respect anymore. My name is Sir Brenton. You may have heard of me as King Brenton Bromsson, yet that was but a lie placed into my head by Galbatorix long ago. Now then, yes I was taught not to steal, and yes I know it is wrong to resort to magic to get food when I cannot pay. Yet would you rather I have become like my old mentor and ransacked the market and taken all that the stalls had? I am, after all, a former rider trained by Galbatorix and his riders.

Brenton stood up and cut the cantaloupe with a clean hunting knife he had recently bought with the last of his money. Five pieces were cut and two were given to each of the people before him. The last piece he ate himself before finally deeming it appropriate to cast off the dirty traveler's cloak. Beneath was a suit of armor made by the finest elven smiths that he kept clean, as well as a sword belt with two swords on it. Both were elven in design with their leaf blades. Across his back was a yew bow, a quiver full of arrows, and a long sword colored blue that was named Undbitr.

Brenton, I sense dragons nearby and they both seem to be young. Although I'm not sure how close they are to you. The voice was Saphira I who was in her eldunari that he kept in a satchel on his waist next to the other two. In the other two were a golden eldunari that Grazael was within and the many pieces of the cruxis crystal that made up Vaentr's eldunari. Luckily, somehow, the dragon had survived when the crystal shattered.

[David Lightningsword]

David shot Velathan a warning look. He had taken it upon himself to teach his friend the world of magic, until another mentor decided to take the mantel from him. He then bowed to the man "My apologies, Sir Brenton, My friend is new to this world, and has much to learn. It is an honor to meet someone such as you. As for you bring one of Galbatorix's trained Riders, it means nothing. Each Rider chooses his or her's destiny." he placed a hand on the pommel of his new sword. The black curved Blade Kveykva.

As had become a part of David's routine, he spread out his mind, and almost jumped when he came across the minds of dragons that were not his or Velathan's. He then said to the Rider "You claim to have lost your Dragon, why do I sense the minds of many Dragons?" he sensed concern emanating from his Dragon, but pushed it aside.

[Velathan]

Velathan's eyes widened as he heard who the man really was. Although he was not really the king, he had occupied the position and thus deserved respect. "My apologies, I did not know who you were and spoke out of turn." he said as he took the piece of cantaloupe. As a habit, he went and brushed the large bag he carried with him to check if Auran, his dragon was alright. As he did so, he knocked his cloak out of the way, accidentally revealing his hand-and-a-half, red rider sword, Urfael that he had also taken from Galbatorix's stores. His cloak fell back into place as soon as it had left, but had still shown his blade, which unsettled him as he preferred not be exposed as a rider to people he did not know. Not until Auran was bigger, anyway.

[Brenton]

Brenton chuckled warmly at David's shock to the presence of each dragon. With a simple brush of his hand over each satchel, they became translucent for but a split second before the knight gasped and ended the flow of energy for the spell. Not being connected to the Nether and refusing to use Inferno for every day use made it hard to cast spells that he use to take for granted. When the man finally caught his breath, he spoke to the two riders.

I lost my dragon, or dragons, as I once stated before. Yet that does not mean that they are not still with us. Each of these satchels holds an eldunari or something similar in Vaentr's case. To each eldunari is a dragon. One is Saphira I, another is Grazael who is my second dragon, and the pieces of crystal belong to Vaentr from a time of darkness in my life. They all still live and in Vaentr's particular case, I can at times call on him to fly once more. Although that is rare occasions and it is difficult to differentiate who is who. As for you two, I see the rider blades and Saphira told me of dragons nearby so I assume that you are both dragon riders. Still I have yet to get either of your names.

[David Lightningsword]

David bowed when he heard this explination and said "My name is David Lightningsword" Now that the war was over, he had decided he should finally adopt the name he had been given. He felt slightly bad for abandoning his fathers name, but he figured it would help him get over it all. "I am indeed as Rider. If you wish to come with us, i could show you My Dragon, he is currently hiding, not being big enough to truely defend himself, but being too big to carry around with me, he seems to be growing faster than my friend's." He said quietly. He then added "If your dragons would permit me, i would like to greet them without a middle man, as they called it." He soothed his dragon with his mind, assuring him that he would return safely shortly.

[Velathan]

Velathan waited as David made his introduction before he spoke. "I'm Velathan Arrallsson. Sadly, I don't seem to have been given a nickname like David here." he added dryly. "And no, yours just hatched before mine. Besides, my dragon barely even fits in the bag anymore." he said, annoyed. It was true, though. Another day or so and Auran wouldn't fit in the bag at all. It wasn't on the same day that they'd been hatched, David's had hatched slightly before which had left Velathan very disappointed until his own had hatched later.

[Brenton]

Brenton opened his mouth to speak when suddenly he heard the voice from one of the eldunari. Hello David Lightningsword and Velathan Arrallsson, my name is Grazael. I am the golden dragon that hatched for Brenton after he became king when Vaentr died. My body was aged to the size of twelve years but my actual time in the world was less than a year before Brenton and I fought against our friends Isrydia and Arlyn. They were our pupils and when they left they were corrupted by witches who later killed me in an explosion. It was because I saved Brenton but still he beats himself up for it.

The second dragon spoke with more hesitation, a little more wisdom and sorrow to his voice. My name is Vaentr, Brenton's first dragon and the one that hatched for him when he was in the Empire. We went through many hard times and until recently I was twisted to a state of madness. I also died protecting my rider but that time it was in a fight to protect him and a student from a shade who was the daughter of Morzan.

Finally the third dragon spoke up, in softer tones that spoke of wisdom and feminine strength. I am Brom's dragon, and Brenton's friend, Saphira. Like Eragon's dragon, I was blue, but I was considerably larger when I died protecting Brom from the Forsworn. My eldunari was lost along with Undbitr for a long time until Brenton received them both when he went to Carvahall.

Brenton nodded as each dragon introduced themselves and spoke a bit about who they were and how they died before in their lives. It was devastating to think that such magnificent beings could be killed by so few foes but all three had died by a lucky shot. Finally Brenton spoke himself. It is great to meet both of you and now you both know a bit about my three eldunari. Because of them I am still a rider but not at the same time. Yes I would enjoy meeting both dragons no matter how young they are.

[David Lightningsword]

David grabbed his head as the three dragons spoke, feeling very strongly for their sorrow filled voices. After a few moments of slience, he then said to all three of them at once, opening his mind to include Breton, Velathan and Auran. "It is an honor to speak with you Grazael, Vaenti and Saphira. My apologies that you no longer have your bodies. When mine Dragon becomes of age to fly, I am sure he would be honored to let you all enjoy the view from the sky again." He then looked at Brenton and added outloud

"Unfourtunately, i doubt i can give you the same courtesy. It is one thing to volunteer the service for one of his own, yet to offer his services for a 'two legged'.. he will have to give his own voice to that.."

He then waved his hand "But alas, this is not the time, Follow me, and I will lead you to our rooms at the Inn." This whole time he had been saying stuff with his thoughts so the dragons could hear it. he then motioned for Brenton and Velathan to follow him as he lead the way.

[Velathan]

Velathan winced as the sad, sad voices of the dragons past, the eldunari spoke to him. He mostly stayed silent as David spoke to Brenton and then led them both through streets towards their rooms at the local inn. He quickly spoke with Auran to summarize what had happened, which filled the time as he trudged along with the other two back to the inn. He enjoyed talking with Auran, it made him feel.. Whole.

[Brenton]

Brenton followed behind David and just to the side of Velathan as he thought slowly about what he was going to say to them. They seemed like a great pair of youthful riders but their lack of knowledge was apparent. Still to just say that out loud would offend even the most peaceful of people for their honor would be wounded. So Brenton gathered his words carefully and then opened his mouth in anticipation of the shock that would be on their faces.

I don't mean to point out flaws in the two of you but you both have a knack for giving away that your riders if you are trying to hide it. Accompanying that, it doesn't appear that either of you knows much about the ways of a rider much less how to make a saddle or care for a dragon. If you would not mind it, then as a veteran rider, I would much like to help you both learn these things. Don't think of me as being a mentor though, for that would require a rider in full, but more as a friend and someone who will help you in times to come.

[David Lightningsword]

David looked behind himself and eyed the half-elf carefully. He then said calmly 'We are indeed incompetent in the ways of the Riders. yet this is not our fault. The Queen sent us out as soon as our Dragon's hatched to spread the word of our victory. Once we return, we will find a Rider and Dragon who are willing to train us. I for one have an idea for a Dragon who would be more than willing to train mine, the Rider would be a little more difficult." He kept walking for a bit before he said "Yet to gain some information that could help us survive this trip would be greatly appreciated. I've heard word that Eragon learned a lot of useful information from Brom on their travels.. so since you are his son as well.. And you wield his own blade and have the heart of hearts of his dragon.. I would welcome your instruction."

He then turned to Velathan and said "Do you object, friend?" He then lead them threw a pub then up some steps to their room. He was slightly hurt as the man pretty much bashed their attempts at hiding their dragons, yet David knew instruction was needed. He was trying his best to teach Velathan the ancient language, but he was no instuctor, and he himself was still woefully ignorant to all the different forms and secrets of magic. What was sad was the fact he knew more than any human spellcaster, save Riders. How they had won the war with so many mediocre Magicians was beyond him.

[Velathan]

"I don't, if our friends don't. It'd be good to learn more." Velathan spoke as they began to walk up the stairs in single-file. He was, in-fact , wanting to learn more about the ancient language and being a rider, as David had only taught him the very basic skills needed for magic along with a few useful words, such as 'brisingr' or 'jierda'. While useful, in a few situations, there was only so much he could do with only a few words. And, he thought, being taught to be able to care for a dragon and even saddle one would prove invaluable once the Rider's Order was reformed and he was sent out on missions to keep the peace in Alagaesia, not to mention that they were essential anyway, for both him and Auran.

[Brenton]

Brenton grimaced as he realized that his wording had more than likely injure the pride of at least one of these riders if not both. No new rider wanted to hear that they were so inadequately doing something when they were trying their hardest to succeed. It just hurt to think that someone out there, no matter who it was, could spot the mistakes and take advantage of them if they chose to. Of course, Brenton wasn't going to use any knowledge he gained against these two but it was likely they would run into others who would. That was why the former king wanted to help them and get them prepared for that situation.

As they walked through the pub, Brenton glanced around and noticed that there were mainly only Varden soldiers within at this hour. Of course there were. This was a good military base and Brenton had heard that a knight and his commander below him ran this city and a couple others with ease. At that thought, the elven knight tried to think of who they could be. The only knight that had a commander below him was Sir William, but as far as Brenton knew, William died in Ellesmera to Rella's hand.

When they finally got into the room, Brenton looked at his woefully small bag of supplies and pulled out a piece of parchment. He wrote elegantly across the thick vellum, watching the ink seem to take a life all of its own. Each word was in the common tongue but Brenton hoped that one day the recipient could learn the elven language as well as he did. Forgive me for not returning after the battle. I had things to see to about my curse and when they were done I learned I am not who I once thought I was. On my way back, my stomach grew weak and so I got something to eat. Along the way I met a couple of young people who I took it upon myself to teach a bit. When they are trained enough to survive then I will return to you. Until then, may the stars watch over you Rella. - Brenton. With another glance around, Brenton saw that there were no messenger birds within a mile of his location so he walked to the window and spoke three words in the Ancient Language.

The message flew up into the air and then disappeared, hopefully to reappear near his beloved wife soon enough. Finally Brenton turned to the two riders and smiled. The first thing you should know about riders is that there are still some out there that wish you harm. If you ask any non magic user then they will call me a liar but I can feel their presence. Plus at least one got away and she is formidable without her dragon. If you run across them then it is best for you to turn and flee. Never go into battle over confident unless you have a contingency plan in case things go sour. Second, no matter where you are in this world, people will always respect you for being of the order that saved them from the tyrant. Look to them for aid if you ever find you need it. They often can get ahold of someone who is able to communicate with stronger riders. Third, a rider is not to be considered a bringer of justice in any means. The original riders proved this by their era of peace. Riders are but peace keepers and we arbitrate as well as mediate if we come across a fight. Only if there are strong enemies like a shade or an enemy rider should we ever draw our sword in preparation to fight.

As Brenton stopped, Vaentr picked up where he left off. People assume that dragons are just ignorant beasts who allow two-legs to ride them. This is not the case. Caring for a dragon is complicated but will be the way your bond as rider and dragon grows. You will come to find the many nuances of each others personality and soon be able to predict what they will do. Eventually you will be able to feel each others minds from great distances and a rider will be able to see as a dragon does. That takes the strongest of bonds though.

Grazael stepped into the conversation next. Finally, a dragon and rider may be two beings but you should always consider yourselves as one. If one of you is in danger then both of you are. That is why many dragons will die for their riders and riders will carry the eldunari in memory as well as to stay sane. Don't put yourselves in meaningless danger because it will soon cause harm to your partners.

[David Lightningsword]

David listened Quietly as Brenton, Vaentr and Grazael started to flood their minds with information on being a Rider. At first David couldn't comprehend how they expected him to retain all that information at once, but then David remembered how Eragon had only been in Ellsmera for a few months before he had returned to the Varden as a strong, smart, Rider. This was the Norm for Riders, so David had to up his game. He felt sorry for Velathan though, because David had not had much time to teach his friend much about magic. he head taught him a few words, and had started him with the classic 'stone rise' magic command. At least David had a large head start on his friend, he was not truly dropped into a world he did not understand, just a new layer of it. Velathan had been dropped into the new world.

He then said "I would never dream of attacking any Rider or Dragon, even if they were hostile, until my Dragon was big enough to hold his own. Without him, it would be suicide. As for being a keeper of the peace, we will need peace to keep. The war may be over, but there is still people fighting. True it may be a fight they can not win, but yet again, that was the fight the Varden fought the whole war. We only won because we believed we fought for justice and freedom. I have a feeling the resistance does the same" he sighed, saddened that Galbatorix had brainwashed so many people that they continued to fight for him after he was de-throned.

He then said both with his mind and out loud to the Dragons "I have known for over a year now that Dragons are not dumb brutes, that when you are bonded with one, they are your other half. I will never be closer to anyone than I am my Dragon, I know that now, even though my dragon has yet to speak words. I would protect my Dragon with my life."

David then removed the protections he had put on the door with a phrase in the ancient language, then unlocked the door. He opened it and quickly ushered everyone inside before he closed and locked it again. With a small prodding with his mind, David told his dragon it could come out now. There was nothing, then from under the bed the black dragon emerged, hissing at the new comer, keeping a safe distance away form him.

[Velathan]

Velathan walked into the room with David and Brenton, then after David had spoken and drawn out his own black dragon, he placed his bag onto the floor and pulled out his own red dragon. The dragon flailed indignantly as he was lifted up and placed onto the floor, breathing a puff of annoyed smoke from his nostrils. For some reason, this made his gedwëy ignasia itch, so he peeled off his glove and rubbed it until it stopped, now that they were in the room, protected by wards and most importantly, alone. At the sight of Brenton, his dragon backed away slightly, but Velathan comforted him with his mind, to which he responded by sitting down on the floor and looking at the stranger with curious eyes.

[Brenton]

Brenton watched all of the movements of the two dragon hatchlings until he was thoroughly satisfied with their behavior. A dragon, no matter how large, would always be wary of any new person to join a group until they got to know who it was. That was why the former king was not upset when the black dragon hissed at him or the red one backed away from him slowly. At last, the red dragon sat down and looked at him curiously while the black one was still leery of his intentions. That black hatchling would grow up to be a strong fighter and would one day protect David as well as any dragon ever had before it.

With a sigh, Brenton pulled off his gloves and showed the gedwey ignasias, on both palms from both dragons, to the two hatchlings. Out loud he spoke in the Ancient Language. Eka aí fricai un Shur'tugal! Skulblaka, eka celöbra ono un malabra ono un onr Shur'tugal né haina. Atra nosu waíse fricai. Atra esterní ono thelduin. Since it was the Ancient Language, Brenton couldn't lie and most beings, whether animal or man, could understand what was said deep inside them.

[David Lightningsword]

The black dragon eyed The new man suspiciously. He of course did not know what the words this man said meant, but he got the general idea. The man meant him and his Bond partner no harm. He slowly got closer, contuning to keep an eye on the new man, before he made it to infront of his rider. He reared up on his hind legs and placed his forelegs on David's chest.

David chuckled and rubbed his dragon's head. By now Brenton would probably notice the shape on the black dragon's back, which somewhat resembled a Lightningbolt. When the dragon had had enough of staying on his hind legs, he retreated to David's bed. David walked over and sat on the end. The dragon jumped up then curled up beside his rider, his head on his lap. David smiled and placed a hand on his head. The Dragon hummed quietly, his eyes closed in pleasure.

David then said "So now you have met them. Any professional opinion on how they are growing?"