I woke the next morning to discover that Galbatorix had already left. Immediately, a wave of regret washed over me for I did not know when I would see him next. But, instead of wallowing in self pity, I picked myself up and began to get ready for training. Galbatorix may have been a full rider, but I definitely wasn't yet.

Walking over to Vascar, I began to put on his saddle, despite his sleepy protests. He rolled over several times, making it even more difficult to tighten the straps of his saddle, but in the end I managed to keep from being squished and made sure the saddle fit snugly in place.

'Vascar, wake up!' I prodded him with my mind.

'Talia, we still have hours before training. Why are you awake?'

'Because, my sleepy dragon, we are going to go flying before training,' I said, fully gaining his attention.

'What has brought about this sudden desire?' he questioned, opening one lazy, blue eye.

'Does there have to be a reason? Can't I simply want some quality time with my dragon?'

'That is a reason Talia,' Vascar joked, standing up and stretching out his large back. He was beginning to grow so large that his spine spikes almost touched the ceiling. How he would fit in here much larger, I wasn't sure. Reaching up, I started scratching the leathery patch of skin underneath his ears and beneath his chin. His head pushed into my hand as his humming echoes around the room.

Laughing, I ceased my scratching and instead climbed up his foreleg to the saddle placed on his back. For a moment, I marveled the agility it was beginning to take to scale Vascar's side, but my self awe was cut short as Vascar spread his wings and flew out of the opening in our wall.

The air took on a brisk chill, marking the soon arrival of the cold season, and I could not help the shivers that danced up my body. Vascar let loose a burst of flame that momentarily warmed the air, but quickly faded as we continued our flight.

'Don't worry about it,' I commented, pulling down on my sleeves to cover my hands, 'I will be fine, let's just enjoy the flight.'

He reluctantly agreed and began flapping slower. We glided peacefully over the still sleeping city, the only ones flying at this time of morning. The sky was a pale green that marked the arrival of dawn, yet still held the mind in a drowsy state. It was beautiful.

As time went on, the temperature increased, making the flight more comfortable. It was a very relaxed flight, and soon I began a chat with Vascar, talking about almost anything to put my mind at ease.

'Vascar?'

'Yes?'

'What do you think training has in store for us?'

He paused and turned his head to look at me, 'What do you mean?'

'I mean most riders train for five years! What is it we will be learning in those five years? It is such a long time and I cannot imagine what we could possibly learn for those five years...'

He chuckled beneath me. 'It doesn't necessarily have to be new things, Talia. It might only be a handful of things that we will take five years to master. But, despite this, I am sure that we have only scratched the surface of our training so far. We still have much to discover.'

'I figured that,' I responded, 'but the question is, what?'

'If I knew the answer to that, Talia, then I wouldn't have to be in training,' he teased, dipping in the wind.

I laughed at his comment, but he continued talking, 'But, Master Glaedr did hint to me that we will be learning something important today.'

I sat up straighter, "Why didn't you tell me this before?"

He shook his body, 'I did not think of it until now.'

Excitement coursed through my veins. We had not started a new topic in a long time. I had learned new things almost every training, but the knowledge was only building upon knowledge I already had. Despite my enjoyment of training and learning the things I was learning now, I was anxious to expand my horizons.

'Do you think Oromis and Glaedr would mind if we arrived early?' I asked, to excited to wait and find out what we would be starting today.

'I do not believe he would, it would be a nice change to us always showing up late or exactly on time,' Vascar joked, but he angled towards the Eragonian training center nonetheless.

As we flew, I glanced around and saw several other riders joining us in the air, being that the sun had now fully risen and the morning was no longer new. It shocked me to see the size of some of the dragons, for only several were larger than Vascar. But most were now smaller than Vascar, and not just barely smaller. Vascar was almost twice the size of most of the dragons I watched fly through the air.

'Vascar, how long have we been in Ilirea?' I asked, trying to count the months.

'Seven months. It doesn't seem like that long, does it? But then again, these seven months have been all I have ever known, seeing as I hatched on the journey here.'

Seven months. That meant my birth-date had gone by without me even realizing it. I was sixteen and would be considered an adult. I didn't care that I had forgotten though, for now that I was a dragon rider, I would be practically immortal. But, had I still been in Daret, there would have been a small ceremony in my honor with my family, for I had come of age. I also might have been courted by one of the other boys in my town. It was strange to consider how much had changed in those seven months. It was strange to consider how much I had changed.

Thinking back upon my age, I could not stop my mind from dwelling on my lifespan, and for a moment I was stunned. I had never stopped to consider how much my life would change with being a dragon rider. Even things like death would forever be altered, for I did not know how long exactly I would live. Would I be immortal? Dragon Riders did not die of old age, so the only way I would perish would be of an unnatural cause.

I then thought of my family. I would outlive them by hundreds of years. My whole town would be dead, and there I would be, still looking as if I had not yet reached my third decade. My chest felt cold with the realization and I ended up gripping Vascar's spike to release some of my tension.

'It is hard, Little One,' Vascars soothed, 'But, there will be others you meet who will live just as long.'

He sent me images of Draumrhjarta and Leilaní. I smiled and thought of Oromis and Galbatorix as well. All of them would still be alive. I would not be alone.

'I know, it's just difficult to think about. Most of these people,' I gestured to the street, 'Will be dead and gone before we have even fully matured.'

'Talia, I will probably die before you become mature, and I have a dragon's lifespan,' he teased, diving down in the air to unsettle me in the saddle.

'You speak as if you are the mature one. You are only seven months old! I have sixteen more years of experience than you do.'

'But I am a dragon. I learn quicker and have better instincts that make up for learned experience.'

I sighed, there was no use arguing with him for he never seemed to give up. 'You are one extremely stubborn dragon.'

'I get it from my rider.'

I laughed lightly, patting his neck with my hand. His scales were extremely warm to the touch, causing my hand to thaw out a little bit. I was so focused on my own thoughts, that I did not notice the plan Vascar had schemed in him mind, and was shocked when suddenly I was upside down.

I screamed, clutching the spike in front of me even harder as my hair pointed towards the ground. My body attempted to do the same, but luckily I had remembered to strap myself in to the saddle. Vascar opened his maw and roared into the morning air and the sound echoed through the open space. He then completed his aerial move and once again flew right side up. Now that I was focused on his thoughts, I could sense his actions seconds before he did him. So, when he twisted in a tight spiral, I was prepared and pressed myself tight against his neck so as not to be whipped around and probably break my neck. Vascar began to hum deep in his chest, amused by my initial shock and also pleased with himself for being able to execute the maneuvers. He continued on in that manner for several minutes more, twisting through the air and performing spectacular dives before shooting back up. I began to enjoy the sensation of each sudden change. It was unexpected and I loved the thrill of each turn, each dip, each jolt of my stomach.

We were a unit, a team. We were inseparable. We were rider and dragon. And soon, I was seeing through his eyes. It happened smoothly, without me realizing it at first. My mind molded with his, and our visions converged, until mine grew sharper. I began to sense what he sensed. Feel what he felt. I became a part of him, more so than usual. I was physically a dragon.

We flapped our wings together. When our tail turned in the air, we also turned, following the path we had chosen. In the air, we smelt the scent of other dragons, and people, and some elves. It was so distinct, so detailed, so different from my own senses.

I wasn't sure how Vascar had done it, but he had somehow molded our minds together. We had always had a connection deeper than most, but this was different. We were the same entity. I let my mind go blank and relax completely. And as I relaxed, I truly began to tell the distinct differences between our senses. Like, how Vascar saw reds, oranges, yellows, and blues more vividly then greens or other colors.

But, the sensation could not last, and soon I felt our consciousnesses separating as I drifted back to my own body. It was as if I had plunged into a cold river as my own thoughts snapped back into my head and I resumed control of my own limbs and was able to sort out my thoughts and senses from Vascar's.

'That was... Amazing,' I said, at a lack for words.

'It is definitely something we will have to do more often.'

I agreed then said, 'We must also take more time to simply fly together.'

Instead of answering, Vascar silently agreed and angled down towards the Eragonian Training Center. In the open space next to the large building, I spotted the massive golden dragon and lifted my hand in greeting. Glaedr snorted, flames shooting out his massive nostrils. We landed next to him, and immediately the difference in sizes between the dragons became apparent. Vascar may have grown large amounts these past seven months, but Glaedr was still three times his size.

'Ah young ones, I see you are eager to begin today's lesson, as you should be. We will actually be departing for Oromis and I's personal quarters before we begin the lesson.'

'When will we be departing?' I asked, unable to contain my giddy joy.

Glaedr did not answer, but instead turned and walked towards the wall of the training center. He then extended his neck and pushed his head into the hole in the wall. He was motionless for a moment, but soon pulled back and retracted his head from the opening.

On his snout sat Oromis, and as we caught sight of him, he said with a chuckle, "We leave now."

With a few graceful leaps, Oromis alighted himself from Glaedr's nose to the hollow in his neck where an ornate saddle sat. He moved with grace and poise that betrayed his inhuman abilities.

'Do you think I will ever be that graceful?' I asked Vascsr in awe.

'Sometimes Talia you are as clueless as a rabbit. You already are able to move with the grace of an elf. Sure, it is not as pronounced as Oromis, but it is still noticeable to others around you,' Vascar huffed.

I smiled, 'And you are the fiercest dragon in all of Alagaesia. All who see you tremble in fear and prepare to plead for mercy.'

Despite his attempts to conceal it, my compliment caused his already overlarge pride to increase even more. I laughed, rubbing my hand along the scales of his neck. There shimmering orange color flashed in the morning sunlight, making it appear as if each scale contained its own smoldering fire. They were mesmerizingly bright, and I could not help staring at the entrancing beauty. 

Vascar's strange laugh caught me off guard and snapped me out of my admiring trance. 'There is nothing more elegant than a dragon's scales,' he bragged, 'no jewel nor metal can hope to compare with their brilliance.'

I smiled and was about to respond, but was distracted by the massive form of Glaedr bounding forward two leaps before taking off into the sky. Vascar, a single step behind, soon followed, and with his smaller and sleeker form, we were soon able to catch up with the larger dragon. With each flap, the orange membranes in his wings grew taught and captured the air, propelling us forward with great speed. Intending to show off, Vascar preformed subtle aerial moves around Glaedr as they flew, executing small loops and quick spins so as not to appear too obvious, yet still present his abilities to our masters. I could not contain my amusement and was soon smiling like a moon-addled fool, reveling in the joy of flying with the partner of my heart.

'This is what it means to be a rider,' I commented to Vascar, my heart throbbing with love and pure happiness.

Vascar turned his head to look at me, despite our continued forward motion. I laughed and touched his snout, pressing my palm onto the place I had first touched him, and so received the Gedway Ignasia. The place our bond had began. 

He blew warm air into my face and blinked his massive eyelids with a sharp 'snick'. I could not tear my gaze from him, the closest being I had in my life. My other half. 

After a moment that seemed like a lifetime, Vascar turned his head back around and descended towards Oromis and Glaedr's personal quarters. But, I did not focus on that, all my mind contained were the thoughts of how lucky I was to be bonded with Vascar. 

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AN: NOT THE MOST EXCITING CHAPTER, BUT AS THE CHAPTER TITLE EXPLAINED, THIS IS NECESSARY FOR DEVELOPMENT. AND AGAIN I AM TERRIBLY SORRY FOR THE LONG WAIT, AND I HAVE DECIDED TO SPLIT THE CHAPTER I HAD PLANNED IN HALF SO AS TO GET THE UPDATE OUT SOONER. I WILL START THE NEXT UPDATE TOMORROW MORNING, AND IT WILL CONTAIN THE MORE EXCITING ASPECTS I PLANNED TO GO WITH THIS ONE. BUT, UNTIL THEN ENJOY THE FILLER CHAPTER, A LITTLE TALIA/VASCAR BONDING :) AND PLEASE KEEP...

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~Britt