"You're back early, Chick. My rider and I are waiting for you outside the mountain with some provisions for the evening."
Anna and Altaris had just returned to the Dragonhold when they sensed the mental presence of their green-scaled master. Firnen relayed their current location and meeting point to them and then withdrew from their minds. To distract herself from thoughts of Eragon, Arya thought of countless sermons and punishments that would justify insulting a religious member of the dwarves. Unfortunately, her Soul-Bound constantly reminded her that she herself didn't have the best connection to the religious side of the dwarves, but she was aware that she couldn't tolerate such behavior nonetheless. Finally, the Dragon Rider decided to first hear the students' opinions and then decide what the consequences of their actions would be.
"They are still young and don't really know what they're doing. Don't judge them too harshly, Snail."
"I know, Great One, but they must eventually realize that Anna's persistently curious behavior and Altaris' indifference can have negative consequences."
Casually, the Dragon Rider lay down next to her Soul-Bound on the grassy mountainside and let the sun warm her. It was late afternoon, so there was still plenty of time for a pleasantly warm lesson. However, the thought of the upcoming conversation with Eragon caught up with her. She had almost missed that Nasuada wanted to speak with her if it hadn't been for Firnen reminding her. A dark movement far above them pulled her out of her thoughts, and she opened her eyes to see a pitch-black young dragon flying towards them.
Now, don't appear TOO strict, or Firnen will scold me again. I hope I can at least teach them some manners before we meet Eragon...
Eragon...
"There you are. Make yourselves comfortable while the sun is still high in the sky."
As if they had misheard, both Anna and Altaris froze. Arya seemed friendly, almost too friendly, and she smiled at the two newcomers.
"D-Did we do something wrong, Mistress?"
"Why would you think that, Anna?"
Silence.
"Firnen and I have heard something, and we would like to hear your side of the story. I'm sure you know what I'm talking about, right?"
"Um, well... yes, actually..."
"So? And please use complete sentences. I don't want to force every syllable out of you."
"Well, it went like this: After our lesson this morning, we went down to one of the kitchens because both Altaris and I were very hungry, and he was too tired to go hunting. Eventually, a dwarf joined us and wanted to have a conversation. He wanted to basically reform us and started talking about the gods and everything. I found the whole dwarf mythology really interesting and asked him a few questions, to which he gladly responded. But when he invited me to attend a service in a cathedral here in Tronjheim tonight, I declined because, although I find their faith interesting, I have no desire to participate."
"I can't really blame you for clashing with the devout dwarves, but I must ask you to exercise restraint. Anna, you are far too curious in many respects and need to be restrained from the outside. Excessive curiosity, as you saw today, can quickly be misunderstood, but the lack of curiosity can also lead to misunderstandings. You must find a balance."
"That sounds really challenging, Mistress Arya, but I will do my best."
"If such things were easy to handle, we wouldn't need teachers, would we? Now, Altaris, Firnen and I have noticed that you show almost no interest in your surroundings other than your rider. With a little more understanding, you can go much further in life, and incidents like the argument in the kitchen could easily be avoided. As a rider dragon, you are already respected more when you have a neutral but assertive tone and can easily prevent certain things. Do you understand what I mean?"
"In principle, yes, Mistress. Master Firnen is very good at that tone, but I am not yet in a position to exude such a level of respect."
"But you are gravely mistaken, Chick. As soon as a dragon hatches with its rider, it is automatically regarded as a being deserving of respect. This quality can be somewhat annoying, but we can't do anything about it."
"I will strive to improve in the future, Mistress Firnen."
"Now that this tiresome matter is resolved, I want to continue your lesson for today. For you, Anna, it consists of exploring your surroundings with your mind and listening until sunset, and then reporting back to me. Altaris, you will accompany Firnen on his hunt. He will explain everything else to you."
The two dragons made preparations to take off when Arya stood up and pulled her handheld mirror out of Firnen's saddlebag.
"M-Mistress Arya, I have a question. Why should I listen to my surroundings? My ears have never let me down, and I see no point in training them further. I apologize..."
"Firstly, it doesn't matter how well a sense is developed, as there is always room for improvement. But you are not supposed to listen with your ears, but with your mind. Listen and report to me what you have seen, felt, and heard. The purpose behind it will only become clear once the exercise is completed, and that may take a long time."
She somehow reminds me of him when he was still so ignorant. Curious and skeptical. However, she has far more eccentric traits than I have ever seen in a human girl.
As soon as the young rider disappeared from the sight of the elders, a highly suspicious clearing of the throat could be heard.
"Well, from what I see, or rather hear, it seems like you have both of them under control."
Silence.
Arya stared fixedly at the image of her beloved and couldn't utter a word. All intentions of having a somewhat normal conversation vanished the moment he made himself known.
"How are you, Arya?"
A mental blow, akin to a slap in the face, struck her and snapped her out of her trance. Firnen could no longer bear to witness this spectacle.
"Arya?"
"I-I'm sorry, it's just been so long since I last saw you."
"That's unfortunately true, but let me return to my original question: How are you?"
"Actually, quite well, considering I can relax and enjoy the evening sun here."
"I'm glad to hear that. I assume you've seized the opportunity to take a break from your royal duties while herding the youngsters around, right?"
Once again, the elf froze. Yaela apparently hadn't informed him about their conversation yesterday and had withheld all the news from him. But what bothered Arya the most was his deliberately neutral and friendly demeanor. It was reminiscent of their early days of acquaintance, except now they addressed each other using "you."
"Is something wrong?"
"Yaela didn't tell you about our conversation yesterday?"
"No, she just seemed rather grim when she announced your arrival. Did something happen?"
"Several things, but first I want to know how you're doing, Eragon. You were unreachable yesterday and today, and Yaela wouldn't tell me anything."
Silence. Arya could almost see Eragon formulating an excuse.
"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, but I just want to know if you're doing well now."
"It's not that I don't want to tell you. Maybe I can give you a brief summary someday, but at the moment, I'm really doing very well. But now, tell me what has been happening."
"Did you hear about the attack on Anna and her guards?"
"What?! Who and when was that?"
"It happened a week ago. The attackers seem to be from Surda, and Nasuada and Orik are currently investigating the case. If Angela hadn't sent us in the right direction at the right time, they would probably either be dead or captured."
"Fortunately, that woman always knows more than she's supposed to. Are you sure they're from Surda?"
"Not entirely, but the tracks lead there. I'm sure Nasuada or Orik will contact you if the situation starts to escalate."
"I hope so. Not that I wouldn't approve, but why are you near the two youngsters right now?"
"You need to know that I..."
She swallowed. Arya wanted to tell him herself that she had stepped down, but now that the moment had arrived, she was almost overwhelmed by the fear of his negative reaction.
"Yes?"
"I have relinquished the crown and all elven duties. My succ..."
"What? And I'm only finding out about this now? Why doesn't anyone inform me about the important events in Alagaësia?"
"It was my fault that you were not informed of my resignation. Nasuada, Orik, Garzhvog, and my successor, Helios, agreed to my request to deliver this news to you personally."
"And why is that? I need to contact the new elven monarch immediately! Apparently, everyone really thinks I'm incapable and untrustworthy..."
"No, that's not how it was meant... I'm sorry."
An uncomfortably long pause ensued. This conversation was far from what she had anticipated. First, he seemed completely indifferent to her actions, then he reacted with horror to her resignation, and now 'she' had appeared as well. The elven woman trembled with anger, sadness, and jealousy. She mustered up her courage and focused on keeping her voice from rising too much.
"Eragon, I must also tell you that this elf promised me to inform you about the latest events, but apparently, she didn't consider it necessary."
"What? I only gave you the chance to inform him yourself, Argetlam! I won't tolerate such accusations against me!"
"Accusations? I remind you of our conversation yesterday."
"One moment, both of you. What has gotten into you? This is not how I know either of you, Yaela or Arya."
Again, absolute silence prevailed, except for the wild growling and hissing of Nila.
"Would one of you please answer me now?"
"It's just something personal between us, Eragon. In any case, I will now look for my student. It was a pleasure to have this conversation with you after such a long time, and I look forward to further discussions."
With a gaze that couldn't have been more deadly, the dragon rider looked at the elf in the east. She held it for a brief moment before Arya bid her farewell with a forced smile and placed the mirror upside down on the floor. This conversation with him had not unfolded as she had imagined.
If SHE insists on it... I can play a different game too!
