"Tell me what you know of the mind, or to be more specific, speaking and interacting with the mind" Oromis said, sitting down across the table from me. I shifted slightly, unsure of how to best answer his question.

"I've spoken to Vascar before, and I've spoken to other beings on scarce occasions, but they have always initiated the contact first. The only being I've been able to contact first is Vascar, but that's because we are bonded dragon and rider. Other than that I am not sure."

Oromis clasped his hands in front of him, "And, do you believe it is possible to initiate contact with other entities besides Vascar?"

I paused for a moment. "I guess so. I mean, if they can create a connection with me, then shouldn't I be able to do the same in return?"

Oromis smiled, allowing his feline features to appear fierce yet still regal. "Indeed you should. By proposing that one opinion, Talia, you are farther than most any of my students have been at this point in their training."

I allowed a feeling of immense pride to wash over myself before focusing once more on Oromis. Vascar radiated similar pleasure at my forthcomings.

"Now, I want you to try and initiate a conversation with myself. Reach out to my mind as you would Vascar's."

Unconsciously, I closed my eyes. When trying to connect with Vascar's mind, it always seemed so easy, so natural. We were a bonded pair. But with Oromis, I hadn't a clue how to find his mind. Nonetheless, I strained my thoughts and clenched my muscles to try and extend my being towards his.

I sat like that for a few moments until Oromis interrupted me. Not that I minded, I was not achieving any success with the methods I was using.

"Do not stress your body and consciousness so much," he said in a calm voice. I nodded and tried again, reaching out to where I suspected Oromis to be. I gently stretched my being out, as I would to contact Vascar, but nothing seemed to work.

Finally, my excitement peaked as I felt the brush of a mind against my own. I was overjoyed with success until Oromis spoke to me, saying, 'I have initiated this contact with you Talia, I want you to imitate it with me now.'

All my joy seeped away as I realized I had not succeeded in reaching out to Oromis's mind, but instead that he had reached out to mine. Nonetheless, as Oromis pulled away, I studied intently how his consciousness moved. It was almost as if a probe of thought had propelled its way from his mind, I once more began to push at my mind, focusing on that idea.

Oromis did not interupt this time, for which I was glad. I could feel the limits of my mind pushing against me, but I did not stop. Instead I pushed harder, putting will power into the task instead of brute strength. When I finally broke through, it was as if an invisible barrier had shattered like glass and I was suddenly exposed to the world. I quailed back into my mind for an instant, shock radiating throughout my thoughts, before once more plunging out into the openess and reaching into Oromis's mind.

His pleasure and satisfaction was obvious as I made contact with him. Instead of speaking though, an image of Glaedr flashed through his mind. It took me a moment to decifer what he was trying to say, but I soon realized what he was trying to convey. Pulling away from his mind, I directed my thoughts outside to where I knew the large gold dragon was sitting.

When my mind molded with his, Glaedr's deep voice rumbled through my mind, saying, 'Well done young one. You are sharp of eye in your observations, which is the cause of your success. Being observant to your surroundings is most important in any task. Do well to remember that in all aspects of life.'

'Thank you Ebrithl,' I said before pulling my conscience away from the elder dragon. I kept my mind linked with only Vascar, prefering his familiar touch.

As I returned to my mind, I realized that the barrier around my mind had collapsed and I was free to extend my mind into the world as much as I pleased. It was as if I had broken the seal of my mind, and could now access other's thoughts with as much simplicy as it took to lift a finger. But, by destroying the coccoon around my mind, I felt exposed to the outside, as if I was bare to any who wished to see my thoughts. Despite the weak structure of my mental limits, it still provided me with a feeling of safety and protection, no matter how feeble. I shivered unconsciously, catching the attention of Oromis.

"It is strange, is it not, to feel open to the world. As if any being could invade your mind at any time they pleased."

"I feel as if I am in danger," I admitted sheepishly, "as if anyone could take advantage of my mind at any moment."

"And they could," Oromis said ominously, "within a second, anyone at this moment could enter your mind and take over your limbs, voice, and even look into your memories. Any information you have inside your head would be visible to anyone who would take the effort and look."

"Then why did you have me break the temporary barrier around my mind? It could have kept me safe from-"

"Talia, you were no safer then as you are now. You were less safe, actually. The same amount of protection resides around your mind as it did before, that is to say nothing, but now you are not ignorant to the fact. This ignorance alone put you in more danger than anything else. The previous blockage of your mind stopped you from reaching out, but it did not stop others form reaching in. That is why I have decided it is time to instruct you in the art of defense."

"Defense of what?"

"Your mind."

I paused, unable to believe the fact that I could shut someone out of my mind. It seemed to abnormal. But, then again, I was a dragon rider, when was anything normal?

"How do I do this, Master?"

Oromis smiled, then said, "Reach out to my mind once more, Talia. Tell me what you can sense."

I nodded my head and did what he asked. But, this time, when I touched his consciousness, I did not feel his emotions, nor his thoughts. Instead, all I gleamed was an impenetrable barrier and a haunting melody coursing throughout. Knowing it was futile to try and gain access, I pulled away from his mind and gave him a questioning thought.

"How did you do that? I could not sense your thoughts. I mean, I could still recognize your consciousness, but that was all."

"What did you hear during the brief contact?"

I quickly explained to him the melody and words I had gleaned from his mind, feeling foolish to consider them as much as I did. But, my observations did not displease him; in fact, it seemed to be what he was hoping for.

"And do you have any idea how I was able to block you from my mind? Or why you heard the words you did?" Oromis asked, looking at me with amused eyes.

Sadly, I hadn't a clue how he had done it. I shook my head, my desire to learn peaking my interest even more.

"To block someone from your mind," Oromis began, "you must think of only one thing so fullheartedly that it is all someone else sees."

I nodded, understanding only slightly, but deciding to try my best anyways. Squeezing my eyes shut, I tried to think of only one thing. But, I couldn't decide what to focus on. Peeking my eyes open, I glanced around for an object, and ended up deciding on a blank piece of parchment on the desk in front of me. Shutting my eyes once more, I concentrated on its shape, its texture, and its color. Finally, when I was sure I had taken in as much as I could about the piece of paper, I nodded my head once to let Oromis know I was ready.

His mind hammered into mine like an angry dragon, within seconds, my resistance had crumbled and my mind had laid bare for him to take control of once more, but he didn't. Instead, he pulled away back to his own mind, allowing me to release the breath trapped in my chest and to open my eyes.

"An admirable first attempt," Oromis remarked, "but, when you try again, I recommend choosing something you are more familiar with. Something you know inside and out. You must be able to devote all of your attention to this object in order for me to not break through."

I nodded, my mind already searching for another thing to concentrate on. I looked around Oromis's study, not really sure what I knew a lot about. Until my eyes passed over the large orange dragon lounging in the corner.

Once more I slowed my thoughts, allowing only one topic to grace my mind. Vascar. I thought of his scales, his voice, his eye, even his smell. I imagined his thoughts, his sarcastic responses, and his love. I did this until my mind was filled with only Vascar and nothing else. I remembered the day he hatched for me, and his first words. I began to feel the wind in my hair from our first flight. I felt his powerful wings pushing against gravity.

I must have nodded without realizing it, for I soon felt the touch of Oromis's mind trying to breach my defenses. But, I tried not to focus on it. I needed to think of only Vascar. Of how he blew puffs of air into my face.

But Oromis kept up his attack, which began to worry me. And, the second I allowed my thoughts to wander to this, he took the advantage and slipped past my shield. I lasted longer than I did the first time, but it was still a pitiful defense in my opinion.

But, Oromis seemed to be pleased despite my failures. I looked to him in confusion, but he smiled nonetheless.

"Perfection cannot be achieved after only two attempts, Talia," he said, "It comes from years of hard work. But, your defenses were exceptional for only your second try. It is smart to choose something you know a lot about, and memories are a very useful tool in concentrating. I would even wager that you could hold off an average magician if you could keep up that amount of concentration."

I nodded, allowing pride to bloom within my chest, shutting out my previous shame to my failures.

"But," Oromis continued, "the only way to improve is to address the faults. In your latest attempt, you kept up an unwavering stream of single-minded thoughts for the most part, but you soon allowed your mind to stray to me and my actions. You cannot allow this to happen. In order for you to shut someone out of your mind, you must shut out the world and focus on only that one topic. Even if someone is battering on your mind, or battering on your body, you cannot allow this to interfere with your concentration. For if you do, you will not prevail. Understand?"

"Yes Ebrithl."

"Now try again."

And so it went. Each time I thought of Vascar, and with each attempt the time it took for Oromis to break my defenses increased. Between each "mind-breaking" session, I would reach out to Vascar's mind and see how his training with Glaedr was going. He, also, was practicing mental defense. And, he was a lot better at it then I was.

'Being a dragon, I am full of mental strength,' he teased, 'but you have a lot of dragon-like qualities so I'm sure you will improve quickly. That is evident in the progress you have made in the past hour.'

'Yeah and my mind is aching because of it,' I complained, my hand subconsciously going to my temple, 'I don't know how much longer I can keep this up.'

Yet, despite my exhaustion, I was able to continue practicing until the sun had reached its peak in the sky. It was then that Oromis ceased his battering of my mind and allowed me to rest. Laying down my head on the table in front of me, I allowed my eyes to drift shut for a moment, letting my mind go completely blank and my thoughts to flow freely. When I opened my eyes again, a glass of water sat in front of me, a droplet of condensation dripping down the side.

"Thank you," I mumbled, sitting up to take a sip of the cool water.

"You are welcome," Oromis responded, sitting back down in the seat across from me, "and I must compliment you, Talia, for you did remarkably well today. And, now that you have learned the basics of mental defense, I can teach you an easier way to focus your concentration on a single topic. I did not inform you of this before, for I wished for you to learn concentration the hard way first."

"What is this trick master?"

He smiled, "not so much a trick, but a technique, Talia. What you must do is repeat a line or phrase in your mind. This will require the utmost amount of concentration to remember the words, leaving no chance for someone to break into your mind."

"What phrase or line must I use, Ebrithl?"

"It could be anything," he responded, "but, you need to be familiar with the piece and be able to recall it within a moments notice. For when you are in the heat of battle, you will not have time to search and scavenge for your prose."

Once more, I nodded, feeling that if I continued to do so my head would fall off of my shoulders. 

"When should I have this prose learned by?" I asked, already trying to think of a piece I could use.

Oromis spread his hands wide. "Whenever you would like. The safest answer would be 'the sooner the better,' but I would also take the guess that you will not be needing this defense anytime in the near future. This lesson is one I take care to teach my students early, so they have as much time as possible to master the technique before they will need it."

"When will I need it, master?"

He laughed, "Once again, you ask me a question I cannot give an exact answer to. I would take the guess, based off my personal experiences, that you will not need to defend your mind until after you have completed your training and are sent off into Alagaesia to protect the people. But, of course, these are simply my own experiences, and you may need mental defenses sooner than I did. Let us hope not, but it is possible."

"Yes master."

Seeming pleased, he stood from the table and walked behind the chair. "Before we move on to more familiar topics, Talia, I must warn you. The mind is a sanctuary to most people. It is their private thoughts and memories, and you will do well to not reach into ones mind unless it is of the utmost urgency or unless they give you permission. Do you understand the importance of this?"

"I do Ebrithl."

"I hope so, for it is a very dishonorable thing to participate in," Oromis said, walking away from the table towards the weapon wall. There, he picked the sword I normally practiced with and brought it back to where I sat. Taking a last sip of the water, I set the glass down onto the wooden table and took my stance in the center of the room, standing on one edge of the large golden circle in the ground.

After handing me the sword with its protective barrier around it, Oromis also strode to the other side of the circle and held out his golden sword. All my exhaustion seemed to disappear instantaneously as I regarded the lithe elf across from me. Sword fighting was something I excelled in. I had yet to beat Oromis at his full strength, but that did not stop me from trying to best him.

We regarded each other with a tense silence, each trying to find the others weakness. I waited patiently for an opening as we began to circle each other. I was a fierce feline, preparing to pounce when my prey gave me the chance. But as, my foot shuffled a little too far away from my body, Oromis took the opportunity and darted forward. With a feint to my right, I pulled my foot back underneath me and dashed to the opposite direction. Oromis dashed past me, but faster than I could blink, he was in front of me again, swinging his sword down at me in a deadly arc. I brought up my own sword to deflect his sword, marvelling at how much I had improved in my speed and accuracy. The golden blade caught and the silver one and glanced to the side. This gave me the time I needed to turn around his figure and end up behind the quick elf. I brought my sword down onto his side, hoping to catch the elf by the waist, but his arm reached around and parried the blow. His force was so strong that I felt my sword launch my arm to the side, leaving my torso unprotected. Spinning around, he landed three consecutive taps on my sides before dashing back in order to reestablish his position. Shaking my head, I brought my sword back in front of me, already feeling the effect of the bruises on my sides. I ran forward, hoping to catch him by surprise. And, it worked to an extent. By attacking first, I put him on the defense, but he knew how to counteract my attack. With the flick of his sword, my own arm swung to the right. Seeing the oppurturnity, he placed his blade on the front of my chest, the tip pointing straight towards my heart. But, his moment was short lived as I brought my own sword around and placed it on his neck, just above the shoulder. His smile of victory faltered, then grew with a different emotion. 

It was pride. And not self-pride.

"Well done, Talia," he said as I pulled my blunted sword away from his throat, "I believe we will call this one a draw?"

"I agree, Ebrithl," I replied breathlessly, looking to my side for the glass of water that I planned to drink as he too pulled his sword back from my chest. 

"You have improved greatly in the way of the sword, Talia. Soon, even I will not be able to best you."

I beamed, my heart glowing with happiness at my talent. Vascar also purred in my mind at my improvement. 

'At this rate,' Vascar commented, 'We will be full riders in no time at all.' 

'Aye,' I agreed. And he was right. Time had a way of speeding up when life was prosperous. And, for Vascar and I, happiness was like a blazing flame, but flames that burned brightly could never last. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

AN: ALRIGHT, THIS IS FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO READ THE AN'S. I HAVE TWO QUESTIONS FOR YOU, PLEASE ANSWER IN THE COMMENTS BELOW.

1. Who in BTF is your favorite character (and, if you are feeling up to it, why?)

2. What character would you like to see more of in the story?

IF YOU COULD LET ME KNOW THE ANSWERS TO THIS BELOW, IT WOULD MEAN A LOT TO ME! AND SORRY FOR THE BORING CHAPTER :P YOU GUYS WAITED SO LONG FOR A FILLER CHAPTER. ALSO, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL THE READS, COMMENTS, AND VOTES! BTF HAS REACHED 25K READS AND IT MEANS THE WORLD TO ME. AND, IM VERY SORRY ON THE WAIT FOR AN UPDATE, IVE BEEN PRETTY BUSY. NEXT I MUST UPDATE TG SO THE WAIT MIGHT BE A LITTLE BIT AGAIN. SO PLEASE...

READ/COMMENT/VOTE (TO HELP PASS THE WAITING TIME!)

THANKA YOUUU

~Britt