Eragon ( Riders of the Lands across the Sea )

Chapter 22 - I'njan and Lenora

Queen Arya of Du Weldenvarden rose from her soft seat and spoke lightly, ' Today, I stand before you, as the monarch of a unified elven kingdom of Ellesmera. It used to be a self-sustaining kingdom that prided its sovereignty, closed borders and solitude. My race, despite our physical and magical superiority, chose to forsake everyone else in Alagaesia for centuries as we watched King Galbatorix's cruel reign. We only joined hands with Varden when it was clear that we needed to do something to bring change to an unchanged scenery for several centuries.' As she spoke, many of the elves hung their heads in silence, perhaps contemplating the actions of their brethren and ancestors. She continued, 'Despite my actions against the previous Queen,  Queen Islanzadí, as an elven ambassador to Varden, I am still far too entrenched in the traditional ways of my people. I have since, brought on many elves of the younger generation, the ones that were not tainted by the war, Du Fyrn Skulblaka, that my comrade Vanir spoke about and have trained them to lead Ellesmera in a new direction that is far more inclusive within the next few decades as this young group slowly mature. While we are proud to have been the race that brought the dragon riders to existence, it no longer belongs to elves alone. The riders have evolved to represent the best version of everyone of us.'

'As such, I, Arya Dröttning have decided to step down as the Queen of Ellesmera and leave Du Weldenvarden along with my dragon, Firnen,' Arya made the sudden announcement. Commotions rose from the ranks of the officials present, but the elven officials maintained their stone cold looks and stared straight ahead. It seems like they were made aware of her decision recently and they were not too happy about it. Arya raised her hand, and the room fell silent once again, 'I wish to stay here, the new home of riders and train any and all new riders that will rise through out the lands. The four eggs that was previously sent out too would eventually find new owners and they would all require proper guidance.' Arya had clearly thought long and hard about this decision, Eragon was sure. He has never witnessed her being irrational or quick to decide. He knew she was withholding something. There was no way she would step down as the queen of her people without a legitimate reason. Saphira heard Eragon's thoughts and hummed to herself. 'Boy, he was in for a big surprise,' she thought to herself. Firnen had made her swear to silence just as she had did to him when introducing Sarah and Illiea. 

A shadow passed by on the floor of the throne room. It was impossible for any known flying creatures to reach such heights save for a dragon. Everyone tensed up, reaching for the weapon by their sides. The only two known dragon to the group was sleeping peacefully inside the plains of the valley, hence, this had to be a new dragon, or Thorn. Eragon looked up straining himself against the sun to get a glimpse of the new dragon. It had a bright yellow shine, similar to the scales that would have been on his Master's dragon, Glaedr. Eragon knew Glaedr had passed on, leaving only his heart of hearts behind. So there was no way it was him, but deep inside him, Eragon had wished that Glaedr was alive and fine somewhere far away living peacefully. His hands moved towards Brisingr by instinct. His eyes caught Arya's and she was still calmly smiling at the approaching dragon. 'Everyone, I would like to introduce to you, Lenora and her rider, I'njan,' Arya beamed proudly as the dragon and her rider landed in the courtyard. Lenora strode into the throne room proudly with her rider still siting on top of her. I'njan unbuckled the straps on his dragon, and slid down. He knelt in front of Eragon and spoke in a clear voice,' greetings Grand Master of the Dragon Rider order, Master Eragon. He placed two fingers to his lips and spoke, 'Atra esterni ono thelduin' (May good fortune rule over you). 'Mor'ranr lifa unin hjarta onr' (Peace live in your heart), Eragon replied without missing a beat. 'Un du evarinya ono varda' (And the stars watch over you) the young elf replied. He was clearly trained by Arya with outmost precision. He had greeted Eragon, a human with the traditional human greetings before proceeding with the ancient elven greetings. Lenora too told her greetings, directly into the mind of Eragon. She had a wise look about her, and it felt as if master Glaedr was there right in front of him. 

There were some sharp gasps while others stood there in disbelief. Eragon understood what had happened, and what Arya meant when she said her race was still entrenched in the traditional ways of doing things, but he held his tongue. The existence of a new pair of dragon rider and dragon was proof that the monarch of Ellesmera were harbouring another egg without letting its existence known to the rest of the world. Even their close allies were kept in the dark, despite the post-war efforts to share information and resources. If the Elves were to add a new dragon rider and his dragon to their ranks, it would completely dismantle the power balance between the members of the High Council. As the current queen, the responsibility of centuries of hiding away Lenora's egg falls upon Arya's shoulders. Her giving up her throne and restoring the power balance of the High Council would appease the allied forces and maintain the neutrality of the Dragon Riders. 

Saphira had arrived behind him during the commotion, and she strode it with the majesty befitting the a queen. Both the new rider bowed once again acknowledging Saphira's authority, but Lenora simply stared back without flinching. 'Firnen made me swear not to tell you beforehand,' Saphira informed Eragon, looking apologetically as she lost interest and looked around to find Eragon. 'Its fine,' Eragon hummed thinking of the possibilities this new pair brought to Alagaesia. 'May I see your gedwëy ignasia,' Eragon inquired. It was more for the benefit of the crowd present, as most of them might not have seen on in their lifetimes. Eragon had one just like it, though it was hidden beneath his gloves. The young elf removed his gloves and displayed his "silver hand" for everyone to see. It was an uncontested proof that an individual was a dragon rider, and should be respected and treated as one. 'Lenora was smaller that Illiea, so she must have had a rough time getting here from Du Weldenvarden. I wander how Arya managed to surprise everyone including the dignitaries she had travelled here with,' Eragon mused to himself. 'They must have used a different path to arrive and only met up with Arya, after she had gotten through the security checks,' Eragon concluded. 'Or she could have made the pair follow from a distance from far while hunting and living on their own throughout the journey, Saphira chimed in. 'May I ask you a question,' Eragon asked tentatively probing Lenora, to lower her defences. She blinked once signalling her approval. 'Did you know of master Glaedr? He had passed on during the war,' Eragon spoke to her. 

'Yes, he was my younger brother,' Lenora replied without hesitation...