The Waking of a Fallen Star (Sol-lu/Fasail)

[Harbor]

We are nearly finished, Blodgharm said to Fasail, and she nodded her understanding. She wondered how Aroure was feeling now with more of a stranger's memories than her own, but Aroure had fallen silent, introspective to a far greater degree than Fasail tended to care for for too long, but introspection then had always been more common a pastime for the dragon than for the Rider. Granted Fasail had lived longer.

The drawing of power from Fasail and her sapphires began to wane, and Fasail sighed with relief. Two drains in about three days was about as exhausting as the flood of adrenalin tended to be for other people--your heart surged ahead of your body even when it wasn't yet needed to, later leaving you weary even if you had done nothing strenuous to bring the fatigue.

Fasail felt Sol-lu's weight shift. "I believe we've lost our dragon spirit," she said, releasing Sivara's hand and twisting her neck around, stretching her spine, before bringing herself gradually to her feet just in case she had lost more energy than she realized. Touching her ribs, she briefly checked their stores, and faintly, fondly grimaced to herself. Still significant. Of course.

"We will take him to the camp," Wyvern said for all of them, and she heard his weight shifting as they magically lifted him to comport him more gracefully than slinging him over a shoulder would have.

"I'll be there soon," Fasail replied, standing and placing her hands on Aroure's brow, firmly rubbing as though to wake her companion for sleep.

The spellcasters left with their dragon spirit, and Aroure heaved a sigh far heavier than Fasail's. My mind has a strange new weight, she said.

Nothing too cantankerous, I hope.

No. The elves created a sort of vault for Sol-lu's memories so they do not interfere with mine. It takes effort to recall them, whereas for naturally occurring memories they resurface on their own. They should not be much of a burden; indeed they should prove very interesting as I sift through them.

Poor Sol-lu, having all of his laundry aired by the skeptical and scrutinizing mind of a dragon, Fasail teased, still rubbing Aroure's scales the way she knew she liked it.

Hmmm. She sighed again. I will take you back to camp, but then I believe I shall sit quietly a while and see if I can find out how these memories are organized.

You can stay here if you'd like.

Aroure snorted. You haven't perfected listening to your wards yet--you'll walk into a hole in the ground and we won't hear from you for hours. Get on.

Fasail smiled again, and did as she was told.

Aroure waited just long enough for Fasail to leap to the ground before taking off again, leaving Fasail standing with her lips pursed as she thought, searching for a quiet mind she'd never known, and one that now had no memories to call its own.

A voice at her elbow saved her the trouble. Hvedor, a dwarf she'd spoken to on multiple occasions. "Fasail, are you looking for someone?"

"Yes--the queen's spellcasters brought in a man in silver armor not long past; do you know where he is?"

"Oh aye. I can take you there if you'd like."

Aroure would tell Fasail it was good for her to learn how to graciously accept help, so Fasail let the corners of her lips rise and laid one hand on Hvedor's broad shoulder. "Lead on."

Several minutes later she sat in a secluded tent with an unconscious dragon spirit, briskly but carefully sharpening his eons-old sword in case she needed to confiscate it from him when he awoke. She had her feet up on the end of his cot and was leaning back in her chair, perfectly at ease. She'd expended enough energy just controlling it that day to not need to vibrate with the excess. She hummed as she worked, wondered how Aroure was getting on, and wondered what Nasuada and Eragon would think of their newest acquisition, so to speak, when Blodgharm reported to them.

[shadowclaw]

Sol-lu had fallen into what felt like a dream-less sleep staring up at the blue sky as he slumped against the tree that supported him. Now, what felt like moments later he awoke staring at a tan-colored tent ceiling, illuminated from above by the sun. He noted he wasn't in his plated armor anymore, the silver plating placed nearby. Instead he was left in a simple but comfortable garb. He noticed he was lying in a cot, a simple one with straw as its cushioning. His consciousness grew more and he began to stir then, his golden eyes drifting over to Fasail where she sat near the end of it sharpening his sword. No one else was in the tent besides the rider and the Dragon spirit but Sol-lu could hear the shuffling of feet outside, the sound of a bustling camp. Reaching out curiously with his mind he felt the presence of many soldiers and others. He remembered why he had fallen unconscious, the spell they had performed removed a great portion of his memories in order to save his life, but he remembered not what it was they had removed, at this Sol-lu frowned slightly. He remembered landing on Alagaesia and the events past that clearly, but everything before that was just bits and pieces of darkened memories all of them missing something. Maybe he had lived on Alagaesia all along, but why was he on a boat in the first place anyway?

Moving to sit up now, he looked around the tent more clearly now, but he could still not see outside, the tent flaps overlapping perfectly. Frowning at this for now, he remembered his previous concerns, "Was your Dragon able to bear the burden of my memories?"  he inquired, seemingly more worried about the spell's effect on the dragon then its effect on himself. He felt oddly like something was missing from him and was very confused. 

[Harbor]

Fasail heard Sol-lu shifting eventually and smiled in his direction, still carefully honing at the long edge of the sword. "Good afternoon, buttercup," she greeted. She found herself surprised that Sol-lu's first concern was to Aroure, and was quite pleased to find that it was. "To the best of my knowledge she's doing fine. She's out and about somewhere getting accustomed to them, but she's less fussy than I about requesting assistance when she feels she needs it, so we've little to worry about in that respect. How are you?" She'd been at the sword for a while so she declared it finished and slid it under the cot where it would be in nobody's way. She couldn't remember where she'd laid or leaned the sheath, and wasn't about to cast about blindly for it in front of someone who didn't know her. She still liked things to do with her hands, but at this point in time, due to the energy loss, she didn't need them. "The short pitcher on your side table is wine, the tall one is water," she added in case he happened to be suffering any of the urges of the living, like thirst. In case of hunger she finished, "And someone brought bread and a rather nice cheese spread to go with it if you happen to want any of that." She lifted the smaller, cloth-wrapped bundles she'd had sitting in the grass underneath the chair and tossed them onto the end of the cot. "Everything you had with you when we found you is in here somewhere, by the way."

Fasail cast briefly out with her mind to wordlessly check on Aroure again.

I'm fine, I'm thinking, Aroure absently assured her.

Carry on then. Dragon-man's awake.

Good. Make sure he doesn't collapse again, will you? He is old after all.

Fasail chuckled.

[shadowclaw]

Sol-lu's golden eyes followed along as Fasail spoke, glinting towards the drinks and food. He oddly did not feel hungry or thirsty. He was more concerned with other things at the time. Right now however, the biggest thing that nagged at him was the void in his mind, he had to find something to do to get his mind off of it. Deeming he wouldn't find anything interesting in the tent he spoke then after a long pause where he seemed to be deep in thought. "I feel... different, but otherwise fine." he stood up finding a pair of boots near his bed which he slipped on, "Thank you for the offer of food and wine, but I would rather get out of this sheet-house and into the open air." with that he began to walk out of the tent, but then he paused frowning "If you want you can accompany me, I do not know my way around wherever we are so easily." he chose his words carefully, he did not like asking others for help but in this case he had to, although somewhat indirectly. Sol-lu still spoke in the ancient language as he did not know common.

[Harbor]

{Has Sol-lu noticed that she's blind at this point? She does hide it as best she can, but she's no longer a fool about it either.}

At the offer of accompaniment Fasail smoothly stood, returning her boots to the floor, and twirled Sol-lu's sword into its sheathe and tucked it into the grass under the cot. No one would dare to touch it. "I can help direct you but only if you will do me the great favor of allowing me your arm." Fasail didn't like to tell people she was blind, since Sol-lu was highly likely to figure it out on his own soon enough, if he hadn't already. She stepped out into the sun with him. "I have not yet perfected my ability to avoid stumps." She reached in the last direction from which she'd heard his voice--her ability to tell directions by sound had greatly increased in the last month--and extended a hand palm-up so she could loop it inside his arm once she found it. She didn't want to be randomly grabbing him however--as calm and level as he sounded, likely he was jumpier than he let on. She certainly would have been. But then Fasail had always been high-strung, in some aspects. At least she wasn't twitching now, thanks to the depletion of energy his recovery and healing had caused.

"The meal tent and most food-related businesses are to the north of us," she said with a nod in that direction. "Training grounds are south. Most living spaces are east, and other businesses and services are west. There is an Urgal camp south-west of here, elves to the north-west, and dwarves behind us to the south-east. Most of the more important people are housed near the center of the camp."

{Running out of ideas for this thread.}

[shadowclaw]

{Sorry for the wait was a bit busy}

Sol-lu was alright with guiding her through the camp, in truth he was somewhat relieved once she accepted, he did not know anyone else as well in the camp, or rather, anyone alive in this era. When he exited the camp they were immediately surrounded by crowds of people, which seemed to alarm Sol-lu for a few moments his grip of Fasail tightening ever so slightly to indicate this. He only had one destination in mind, and that was the exit of this camp. He wanted to shift into his true form for this first time in a thousands if years, the craving was almost unbearable at this point to take to the skies and just soar, as was in his nature. Even all those years ago, the city was way to cramped for him to turn into his dragon form, he needed to find somewhere more open.

"Where would I find the gates to leave this city? It is way to cramped in here."