Arya-Chapter Three&Four-Edited

Chapter Three
Conflict

Arya walked nonchalantly into the outskirts of Ellesmera,
mentally willing no one to notice her.
No such luck.
“Princess Arya!”
Arya sighed deeply and turned around.
A tall elven guard was hurrying toward her, a worried expression on his face.
Arya inwardly groaned, but forced herself to put on a
Pleasant face.
“Yes?”
She queried.
“What is it?”
“Your mother, Islanzadi,
has been frantic!”
he responded
“Guards have been combing Du Weldenvarden searching for you.
I have been ordered to escort you to your mother, immediately.”
Arya groaned audibly.
“All right.”
She said, slightly short-tempered
“Let’s get this over with.”
The guard turned and led her on a winding twisty path
That led to her mother’s personal chambers.
At the entrance he rapped sharply on the door three times, than announced,
“Her Royal Highness, Princess Arya”
“Enter”
Came the short reply.
Arya rolled her eyes at the excessive
courtesy, opened the door, and stepped inside.
Her mother was sitting on a short settee, sipping from a
delicate cup containing faelnirv.
“Arya”
“Mother.”
“I have been worried about you, daughter.”
“You had no cause to fear. The forest protects us well.”
Islanzadi set her cup down with a loud crack, some of the
liquid spilled over the edge.
“I had every cause to worry! You have no idea what I
have been through!” she rose and began pacing wildly
“You are the heir of the elven throne! I have lost a mate,
all security I ever knew, and if I lost you,” she cut off her
sentence abruptly.
“Arya, you will remain with a guard at all times. You will
cease sleeping in your quarters, and sleep on the settee in here.
You are not to leave this room without my express permission.”
“No, mother. I will not comply with this stupid new rule! I was
completely safe! I was with Faolin Nlattingu, and was never more
than a league away from this very room! I am perfectly capable
with taking care of myself!”
“Arya!” Her mother pulled herself to her full, intimidating height.
“You will not disobey me. Also, you are not to see Faolin, unless I
give permission. Have I made myself clear? HAVE I MADE MYSELF CLEAR?”
Arya raised both hands, clenched so tightly that her nails pierced the
skin, drawing blood. She turned her hands palms-down, and opened
them so that the blood dripped onto the carpet.
She deliberately took out her sword and slashed it across her arm in
a long, shallow cut, that bled profusely. Islanzadi jumped forward, just
to late to stop her. Arya, still excruciatingly slow, held up one hand,
blood coursing down her arm, and with the other slid her sword back
into it’s sheath with a metallic noise. Islanzadi stopped, her gaze riveted
to the hand, as if unable to tear her eyes off of it. Arya said, with no
emotion whatsoever her in her voice, no sign of hurt on her face,
“I will not obey you in this respect. I will sleep where I wish, and
come and go as I please. I am not a helpless infant.” She paused,
than almost as an after thought, “waise heill.” Her hands and arm
healed, leaving no trace of her self-inflicted injuries, save for the
still-fresh blood on her arms. She turned and walked out, closing
the door quietly behind her. As she shut it, Islanzadi slid to the
ground, weeping uncontrollably.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Arya stretched, yawned, and promptly fell out of the Menoa tree;
catching herself just before hitting the ground.
She shook her head slightly,
waking herself up the rest of the way.
She quickly jumped out of the tree, landing lightly.
I’m hungry. Better go grab some food, then I need to go meet Faolin
For more lessons.
She yawned once more, running her fingers through her greasy hair.
Nix that, first a bath, then food, THEN lessons.
Arya stretched a few times, then began running toward her favorite bathing area.
As she cut through the bushes, she stopped abruptly, nearly
falling over.
Her mother was already there!
Dismayed she couldn’t leave, she had made to much noise to be unnoticed.
She cursed inwardly.
She’s the last person I wanted to see this morning!
Oh well, better get it over with.
Islanzadi turned, her face changed expressions as she saw her daughter.
“Arya.”
“Mother”
“I’m sorry.”
Arya was shocked!
Her mother was apologizing to her!
“No, Mother. I’m sorry. I
shouldn’t have blown up on you like that.”
Islanzadi rose out of the water, and pressed Arya to her in an embrace.
“Mother.”
Islanzadi stepped back.
“I need a bath. I smell awful.”
Islanzadi wrinkled her nose.
“Yes,” she agreed.
“you do.”
Then she began laughing;
taken aback at first,
Arya laughed along with her mother;
content that things were set right between them.

Arya stripped off her soiled tunic, pushing it down to
the bottom of the pool to soak. She sank down up to her
neck in the cool, refreshing water. “ahhhhhhh” she sighed.
“Now that feels good. She washed herself off slowly,
barely noticing when Islanzadi left.
A horn caught her attention. She strained to
hear who was being announced.
She, quickly used the ancient language to enhance her hearing.
“Announcing” came a far away voice
“Brom, Oromis and Glaedr come home!”
Arya gasped, scrubbing herself down frantically.
She grabbed her tunic, thrust her mind out and pulled all the
grime out of it.
She then coaxed the water out as well, leaving it perfectly clean and dry.
She leapt out of the water, racing toward the Meeting Hall.
Arya crept in the back. knowing her mother disliked late-comers.
Quietly she slid into her chair next to her mother.
The Elders rose and one by one greeted the Riders and Dragon.
“Where,” asked her mother “is Saphira?”
Brom bent his head, grief showing in every tortured line on his face.
And then, almost inaudibly, “she is dead.”
A gasp went through the room.
Mutterings came from every corner.
Islanzadi raised her voice to be heard.
“It appears” the voices quieted “that you,” this sentence
was directed toward Glaedr “are the only living, sane dragon.”
Glaedr bowed his head sadly.
“It is true.”
His deep voice rumbled through the room.
“All my kind’s minds are twisted by Galbatorix.
I grieve for them as if they are dead.”
“They might as well, be dead”
cut in Brom, the elder’s faces showed their shock at
his rudeness.
“in the service of Galbatorix as they are.”
He spat out the name as if it was a rotten
bit of food.
“I will not rest,”
he stated vehemently,
“until either I, or all the traitors,
are dead.”
Islanzadi rose to her feet.
Her voice rang out in the room, silencing every sound.
“You speak rashly.”
she said, pity on her face.
“You should rest for at least several months,
then decide your next course of action.
You are lucky we are speaking in the language of humans, else you
would be bound by that oath.”
Brom’s face tightened, then he repeated his words, this time
speaking in the ancient language.
“I will not rest, until either I or all the traitors are dead.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chapter Four
A Rider’s Place

Brom turned on his heel and left the room, slinging his pack onto
his back.
Arya ran to catch up with him;
“Brom! Brom!” she shouted.
“Yes Princess?” he did not turn his head, nor did
he slow his steps.
“Please don’t call me princess.”
She caught up with him, grabbing his arm to
make him stop and face her.
“What is it, Arya?”
“Why are you behaving so strangely?”
Brom sighed, running his fingers through his hair, making it stand
up on end.
When he spoke, his voice was tortured, rough and low.
“Arya,” he gripped her upper arms hard.
“You couldn’t possibly understand.
Saphira,” he paused, a single tear running down his cheek.
He released her, wiping it away roughly.
“She was my whole life! When she was murdered a piece of my
heart was torn out, and it will never be whole again.
I am not complete without her!
My life will never be the same again.
I must avenge her!”
Arya pulled away slightly.
Her voice was soft.
“I understand, Brom.”
Brom turned away, gazing at the forest.
“I’ll miss this place.
Farewell, Arya.”
He turned on his heel, about to leave.
Islanzadi’s voice rang out.
“Brom, wait. I must speak to you before you go.”
Brom returned to the Council room, Arya trailing behind.
As she stepped inside, her mother stopped her.
“Arya, I need to speak to Brom, privately”
She stressed the last word.
Arya sighed unhappily, and turned away as the door shut .

As she turned to leave, a familiar voice rang out behind her.
“Arya!”
Arya gasped, touching two fingers to her lips out of sheer
habit.
“Yes, Master Oromis?”
she queried.
“Is there something I can do for you?”
“Yes, Arya,” he said, looking rather absentmindedly
around.
“I want to build a house for myself, and Glaedr, away from Ellesmera.
Now, I know this place like the back of my hand, it’s true, but I
want your advice. Is there an exceptionally beautiful place around here,
with a great view?”
Arya sat still for a minute thinking.
A place nice enough for Rider Oromis and Glaedr.
Hmmm, I wonder if…
YES! That’ll be perfect!
“Oromis, I know the perfect place!”
“Thank you, Arya.”
Glaedr appeared high above them circled once, than tilted into a
steep dive, flaring his wings at the last second;
landing gracefully next to Oromis.
Arya, he said, would you take us there now?
“Yes,” Oromis insisted. “Please.”
“Well,” she hesitated “it’s quite a ways away. Almost two leagues.”
Distance doesn’t matter. We’ll be flying.
Arya’s jaw dropped open. “Me? Flying on you, Glaedr?”
Oromis laughed gently. “Yes.”
“Well then.” she said; recovering from her initial shock,
“We’d better get going.”
Oromis climbed onto Glaedr, securing his legs in the
saddle-straps, then reached out a hand to Arya to pull her aboard.
She took the proffered hand dazedly.
Me, Arya, riding on a Dragon?
She could hardly believe it.
She slid into place behind Oromis, wrapping her
arms around his waist for stability.
Which way, Princess?
Glaedr asked.
“East.”
“It’s going to get too loud to speak out loud.”
Glaedr warned
“We’d best carry on our conversation, mentally.”
“Fine with me.”
Arya said.
“Good, and Arya?”
“Yes?” she asked
“Hold on tight.”
He then leaped into the air, clearing
the trees before opening his wings,
with several powerful wing strokes, they were high in the sky,
heading east.
Arya whooped with sheer joy, ecstatic with the feeling of soaring high in the sky,
Dragonback!
Glaedr chuckled at her antics.
They flew for some time, Arya correcting their
direction occasionally.
At last they reached a cliff, higher than the rest.
There!
she pointed.
Glaedr circled once, landing in the clearing.
Arya leaped off nimbly,
Oromis remained seated, his face had turned white,
he clutched at his chest wit fingers curled into claws.
He appeared not to breathe at all.
Glaedr agitatedly swished his tail from side to side. He curled
his head around until he could touch Oromis’ head with the tip of his nose.
Oromis let out a long ragged breath; all the stiffness melted out
of him, leaving him hanging limply; only the saddle straps keeping him
from falling.
“Arya!”
Glaedr cried
“Get him out of my saddle, if you can.”
Arya hurried to comply, her fingers slipped
on the knots, several times.
Finally she had him out; lifting him, she was shocked at how light he was.
Glaedr hovered anxiously over her shoulder.
“Set him down on this grass.”
“All right.”
Arya laid Oromis down carefully, watching his face for
any sign that he might be awakening.
“Glaedr,” she asked “What exactly is wrong with Oromis?”
“I don’t know. After he was captured by Galbatorix something
broke in him, and We don’t know how to remedy it.
Already the best healers in Ellesmera are studying his ailment, but
as of yet they have found no cure.”
Oromis shook his head slightly as if to clear cobwebs from his head.
“I’m getting really sick of that happening.”
he grumbled.
“Oromis!”
Glaedr stretched his head up as high as he could and bugled happily.
Oromis stood, slightly unsteadily, wrapping his arms around Glaedr’s
neck.
Glaedr lowered his head, touching Oromis’ back.
Oromis pulled away from their unique embrace;
gazing around the clearing.
“This is perfect, Arya.
I’ve never seen this place before.”
Arya smiled happily as Oromis continued.
“It’s not too far away from Ellesmera,
but it’s far enough
away that I can have solitude,: he broke off, turning to Arya.
“I thank you.”
‘I thank you as well.”
Glaedr rumbled
Arya twisted her hand over her sternum and bowed slightly.
“Arya,” began Oromis
“would you like for myself and Glaedr to teach you magic?
I don’t mean to offend but I noticed you are very inexperienced
and have done it only for a very short time.”
Arya stared
“You can tell all that just from observing me for a short time?”
Oromis smiled.
“Yes.”
“Arya bowed again. “I would be honored to have you teach me, Master.”