forum A One on One

Started December 13, 2022 by @WIngs-of-Silver

tune

"Am I, if I am only speaking the truths I have been told, time and time again, in the ancient language that Riders and elves hold so dear, these things that I am now telling you?"

“And I have spoken in the same language how I feel, and yet you still doubt it!”

"I doubt you only because your opinion is very biased towards me. I know how you feel about me, you know. I always have. I know you've always admired me, but for once you need to uncloud your vision and see the true nature of the thing you think you love. Though the spirits that reside within me are gentle, they are still powerful forces, more powerful than Durza or Varaug. Do you understand? I am a force akin to Galbatorix, a threat to the balance of the world. My dragon, so they say, is fated to become like me: cursed, a wanderer. Me and Islinger will have no home after the true fall of the Riders. We will live to see the end of the elves, the humans and dwarves. Does that seem natural to you? Does that seem right? Is this creature you are looking at truly worth such a lofty pedestal?" she snaps, for once speaking her mind.

She takes a breath and recomposes herself.

"Now if you have nothing else to say, I was ordered to find Queen Arya once I got settled in. I shall go to her now." she murmurs, bowing and disappearing.

Naru sighed, taking her dragon to rest with her.

After a few hours, Verneti returns.

She was obviously shaking, but didn't speak a single word. She collapses into bed and simply lays there, doing absolutely nothing.

Naru was still up in her room, sleeping against her dragons side

Hours pass, and Verneti still does not move.

Islinger had long since crawled into the room and wrapped himself around the bed.

"Queen Arya is. . . intimidating." Verneti eventually says.

"Indeed she is. Firnen is magnificent. . ." Islinger sighs.

Naru had gotten up at some point, training heavily against her dragon. The two were quick against each other

(Sorry, I lost track of this one.)

Verneti hears Naru and her dragon training, and sighs.

Slowly, she slips out of bed and pads down to the area outside the tree house, watching the pair spar for a while before looking at Islinger, who'd followed her.

"It would be impudent of me to ask them to train with me, so why don't we train the way they are?" she asks.

Islinger blinks slowly. "Alright."

And so they start their own sparring match, each of them blurring into motion, too fast to keep up with; Verneti, being a Shade, was powerful. Combine that with the fact that her base form was elvish, well. . . you get the idea.

So it was no surprise that she was capable of a lot more now that she was a Rider, and that even Eragon or Arya had a hard time keeping up with her.

Naru had been slowing down, something was happening and her dragon could feel it. (now we see why naru doesn't go out often,)

Almost instantly the dragon stopped fighting and rushed to ease his rider's fall. He gave a worried growl-like sound when his wing caught naru. Her body was seizing and curling up into a tight ball.

Her sword had left a cut down her arm by accident, assuming it had happened when she dropped it.

Verneti notices this and halts the sparring match, rushing over to Naru.

She looks up at her fellow Rider's dragon.

"What happened? I see the scratch, but this is more than that." she asks.

The dragon shook his head but didn't let verneti close “let her come out of the episode”

Verneti frowns.

"It's like what was happening to Eragon after his injury, isn't it. Except, she has no scars, she hasn't been in battle. . . which means these episodes happen naturally." she says, contemplating. She narrows her eyes a little.

"The Agaeti Blodhren. It's only a few months away. We need to try and help her then."

“eragon has tried to ease her pain but she refuses to call for help”

Soon naru sat up, her body still shivering from the after tremors. “Where..?” she asked quietly before remembering “thanks buddy,” she said softly and padded her dragon

"The Agaeti Blodhren is much more powerful a force than Eragon. If I can channel my magic, create a spell, while it's happening, I can channel the magics of the celebration to try and help Naru. I don't care if I have to run forever afterwords. She's the only one who's cared, though she shouldn't." Verneti retorts. "I don't care if she won't call for help. I will help her anyways."

She steps back to a respectful distance as Naru sits up.

Naru looked at her arm and sighed, though now she noticed verneti “you will do no such thing. Your life is worth much more than mine.” she said, shakily standing.

"It is not. I am an abomination. An elf Rider is common. An elf that became a Shade is nearly unheard of. And a elvish Shade Rider? It should not exist. My life is only worth anything because of Islinger. Eragon or Arya would have ended me well before now if it weren't for Islinger. Therefore, my only worth is in Islinger." Verneti sighs.

“I highly doubt they would have done that. And if so I would have challenged for your life,” she said sharply
“Obviously there is good in you if you are willing to risk it all for me. The bloody king wouldn't have done so, which makes you sad apart from him. You are a different breed of shade so to say.”

"If they'd known of me before I touched the egg, they would have, no matter how 'good' I might seem, and you didn't know me before I showed up at the Rider's home." Verneti sighs. "

Shades are violent beasts. I am not really any different. It's all I can do to keep the spirits from taking full control of me. A creature like me is unnatural. Maybe I should end my life, after I save you." Verneti murmurs.

Naru growled, carefully walking over to the shade and pulling her into a close hug “don't you ever say that again.” she ordered

Verneti jerks away from the hug.

"Don't- don't." she says, tense as a catapult cord. "Don't touch me. You'll dirty yourself by touching me. Don't care. You'll hurt yourself."

“Verneti, please “ she said softly “you are not some dumbass shade that hates the world! You are better than any dragon rider I know. I don't give a damn if I get dirty! I don't care okay! You are.. “ she stumbled on her words, holding her head as the tremors got worse

"You need rest. . . you're not thinking straight. You'll have another attack at this rate." Verneti pleads.

She looks to Naru's dragon. "Get her to bed, okay?"

“ I’m thinking straight enough to know I’ve loved you, at least since last year if not longer.. I can’t stand you constantly putting yourself down..”

"How? You barely know me, we haven't talked before today, and I've been pretty well watched so I don't mess with you or the others. And if you can't stand me putting myself down, what do you feel about Eragon and Saphira? Arya and Firnen? Do you hate them?" Verneti retorts.

“First off, I've known you.. Longer then you think, and while I don't hate them.. I'm upset with their decisions “ Naru was swaying now, her dragon trying to hold her up

Verneti just shakes her head now, looking at Naru's dragon.

"Please. . . get her to bed, and no matter what, don't let her get out of bed until she stops shaking and her mind clears." she murmurs.

Naru didn't fight this time, tolerating her dragon's persistence

Verneti turns away and pretty much vanishes from sight.

Islinger doesn't follow after her. She'd come back when she was calm.

Incidentally, about 10 minutes later, huge blasts of magic can be seen as Verneti finally breaks.

30 minutes after the last blast could be seen, Verneti trudges back into the city, sticking to the shadows and back paths.

Naru was sleeping under Calalunguntë‘s wing when the two came back. Her body kept twitching but other than that, she was fine.