Departure & Fellow Dragon and Rider (UPDATED)

"...so...I'm the head of a dead clan now? My only responsibility is to guard these eggs?" I asked.

'Actually, you were brought here to learn how to be a proper Elf and learn politics and how to act in certain social circles. Your father had accepted a marriage proposal for you when you were young.' Markai said.

"...are you telling me I'm engaged to someone out there?" I asked quietly.

'Yes. The Princess Arya of Ellesmera. You are the future King.' Markai said respectfully.

"...wait.....are you saying I'm...?" he interrupted me.

'Yes. You are the next King of Du Weldenvarden. King of all the elves. You are Evanyar Sianilo. True and rightful king of Ellesmera.' Markai said respectfully.

While I was lost in thought everyone else respectfully remained silent until I was done sorting my thoughts.

"Wait. As a Rider, don't I forfeit any claims to the throne?" I asked hopefully.

'Unfortunately for you, no. You are the last male heir of the clan. This leaves you, and you alone to inherit the throne. Someone from the clan must marry the Princess, and you are the only option left.' Markai clarified with a laugh.

"Shit!" was all I could say.

'Such language is hardly befitting of a king, your grace.' Markai said, clearly amused.

"I have no desire to be king and deal with politics while sitting on a throne all day. Not to mention having guards that can't defend me near as well as I can myself, following me around everywhere I go." I said adamantly.

'As a Rider, you are given a certain leniency compared to normal kings. And your betrothed can take care of the everyday issues.' he said.

"Is she a decent person at least?" I asked.

'From what little we know, she's actually pretty amazing. She should be able to keep you in line, your majesty.' Markai said with some hidden amusement.

"Will I need to worry about anyone trying to kill me after I show up?" I asked worriedly.

'IF THEY TRY I WILL BURN THE CITY TO THE GROUND!' Ēborisk said angrily, bringing a smile to my face.

'There is no need to worry. Nobody would try to hurt you. There has never been an assassination attempt of the royal family members outside of war, and never from a fellow elf.' Markai assured us both.

"Well that helps but I'm not comfortable with crowds. I was raised in a village with fewer than twenty people. How am I going to handle thousands? Maybe even millions?" I asked, growing paler as I continued talking.

'Be calm. The elves don't normally have such grand ceremonies. You will have to deal with people I'm sure, but it will be in small groups. Not everyone at once.' Markai said.

"That's a relief. But I also refuse to be stuck spending all my time in a palace. I need to reform and regrow the Riders." I said.

'I understand. But you have a responsibility to your father to continue his lineage. So you'll have to get married. Luckily, or unluckily for you, you already have an arranged marriage from just before you came here.' Markai said.

"...I guess there's no helping it. Let's just get this over with. No matter what, I am a Rider first." I said adamantly.

'Just bring the other Eldunari and eggs into your ring before you go. You're going to need us all if you want this plan to have a chance of working.' Markai said.

"Agreed." was all I said before grabbing everything else and closing the door. Reaching my consciousness into the ring I realized I could still communicate with the Eldunari while they were stored away. "Varðveita (Preserve)" I cast magic onto the scrolls in the room while linking the spell to the Wards.

'Well thought out your majesty. And the excellent idea to attach the spell to the Wards. So long as this place doesn't go through an entire year of nothing but night, the spell will hold.' Markai praised me.

"Thank you, Teacher. But this is the least I could do if I want to save all this knowledge from my clan." I responded.

'The least, huh? It is more than enough. Do not worry, the spell will hold. The most powerful Wards ever made by the clan absorb the magic necessary to keep this place from falling apart. Your extra spell just helped." Markai assured me.

Walking back out, closing every door on my way I asked "How long will it take us to reach Ellesmera?"

'About two weeks.' Markai said confidently.

"Two weeks?! How far away are we?" I asked with concern.

'About the same distance as Ellesmera is from the Dwarven capital. The map you have only shows the world that humans know about. All other knowledge of the world map is kept between the Riders, Elves and Dwarves. You can get a better map in Ellesmera.' Markai assured me.

"Alright. Let's go." I said as I jumped onto the saddle on Ēborisk's back.

...

Twelve days later

'I see a plateau ahead. I'm going to land before we proceed. This is the longest I've ever flown.' Ēborisk said tiredly.

"We can camp for a night. I don't mind waiting an extra day to you aren't dead tired when we arrive." I responded.

'I won't argue with you then.' Ēborisk said as we started to descend.

After landing, I noticed a lot of caves were on the surface. Bending down to look at the terrain I noticed the gravel I was standing on looked strange.

'Welcome to the Stone of Broken Eggs. Back when the Elves and Dragons were at war with each other, the Elves ascended the plateau in the night and broke all the eggs they could find. This caused a massive kill or be killed fight. Fortunately, one young Elf, named Eragon, stole an egg instead of breaking it. He hatched the egg and became its Rider...the first Rider. Eragon along with his young Dragon brought peace between our two races. To ensure that peace we performed the ritual that bound our two races together. We pay respect to the Stone of Broken Eggs every time we come here, for the loss of so much life that had to be lost just so we could have peace.' Markai said respectfully.

Ēborisk and I just stood there in silence for awhile.

"Let's get some rest..." I started to say before a shadow cover both of us.

Looking up we noticed a gigantic gold dragon headed right for us.

Jumping back onto Ēborisk's back I watched the gold dragon preparing to fight us.

Ēborisk was able to jump out of the way in time to avoid the landing Dragon. As we prepared to fight I noticed a Rider on his back.

"Hver er meiningin að ráðast á okkur? Við höfum ekki gefið þér tilefni til þess. (What is the meaning of attacking us? We have given you no cause to do so.)" I said to show I was being honest.

"Þú kemur fram í þessum löndum, ríður á ungan dreka. Auðvitað er fyrsta forsendan mín að þú sért undirmenn svikarans! (You show up in these lands, riding a young dragon. Of course, my first assumption is that you are underlings of the betrayer!)"

"Ég hef enga stjórn á eiðsrofanum, á nokkurn hátt, lögun eða form. (I am under no control of the oath breaker, in any way, shape or form.)" I said.

"Well. I do apologize for our behavior. I hope you understand why I would act the way I did." he said as he sheathed his sword but not letting his guard down.

"I do. But trying to attack someone before finding where their allegiances lay is hardly protocol. Who are you? I was under the impression I was the only Rider outside of the betrayers little gang." I said.

"Ó, hvar eru siðir mínir. Ég heiti Oromis og félagi minn hér er Glaedr. Við erum...vorum síðustu frjálsu reiðmennirnir áður en þú mættir. (Oh, where are my manners. My name is Oromis and my partner here is Glaedr. We are...were the last free Riders before you showed up.)" Oromis said with a slight bow.

"Ég heiti Evanyar Sianilo og félagi minn er Ēborisk. (My name is Evanyar Sianilo, and my partner is Ēborisk.)" I finished speaking in the ancient language so he would know I was being honest.

"Your grace? YOUR GRACE!" Oromis started crying as he struggled to get off Glaedrs back as quickly as he could.

"Vinsamlegast vertu rólegur. Ég man ekkert fyrir þorpinu þar sem ég ólst upp í. Það er engin þörf á titlunum hér í burtu frá hnýsnum augum. (Please, be at ease. I remember nothing before the village where I grew up in. There is no need for the titles here away from prying eyes.)" I said, trying to calm the older man down.

Freezing, he stared at me with concern. "Were you perhaps injured with a head wound at a young age?"

"No. I just don't remember much from my childhood. My teachers can attest to my story. They have already been through my mind and I have no desire to be read again." I stated.

"Your teachers?" Oromis asked.

'Young Oromis and Glaedr. It has been a long time, my students!' Markai said.