After dashing out of Oromis's study, my heart was pounding. Vascar caught up with me moments later and we walked in to the main entrance together. Over in the corner I noticed Brom leaning up against his dragon Saphira and made my way towards him. I should probably get to know him better since we are going to be classmates from her on out.

He noticed me coming after I was about halfway across the hall. I could see his eyes drilling into mine, showing once more the calculating look and the feeling of precision radiating off of him. Once I had made it over him though, the look vanished and was replaced by one of normal curiosity.

"Hello", he said extending his hand to shake, but the strangest thing was his hand was not sideways, but instead his palm was facing up, showing the Gëdway Ignasia glittering in the middles of his hand. Grabbing his hand awkwardly, he shakes my hand lightly, then lifts it up to his mouth and kisses it softly. My face grows hot until I see that his expression is exactly the same. Was that not a romantic gesture to him?

Brom chuckles when he notices my reaction, then says, "I see you are caught unaware by my gesture. But do not fret, in my hometown this is how all men greet women. It is nothing romantic, just an old custom of respect."

"Oh", I say slightly louder. I did not know what else to say, so instead I asked, "where do you come from?"

"Kuasta", he says, his smile broadening somewhat. I had heard little about the secluded coastal town since I had been born, so I didn't know what to say.

"So", he says noticing my dilemma, "how many people have you met here in Ilirea so far?"

"Well, obviously you and Oromis. But I have also met Alaric, Draumrhjarta, Leilani, Glaedr, Lokor, and Morzan."

Something seemed to flash in Brom's eyes when I had said Morzan's name. But it was gone so quickly I could have been imagining it.

"Ah, Morzan... Between you and me, he may be strong of body... But he tends to be weaker of the mind", and after he finishes, Brom quickly looks around, as if making sure Morzan could not hear. And this time, I did not imagine it.

Letting the boldness get the better of me, I ask, "why do you act like that around him? As if he is your supe-"

But I never get to finish, as Saphira cuts me off with a sharp growl and Brom's eyes go wide, looking somewhere over my right shoulder. Quickly whipping around, I see Morzan and Dagshúro striding towards us. Gratitude to Saphira wells up inside me for giving the warning that they were coming. If I had finished what I was going to say, well, let's just say Morzan would not have liked it.

As Morzan and his red dragon get closer, I feel Vascar tense up slightly. 'Easy', I say to try to calm him, but it does nothing.

Finally he reaches us, and first looking at Brom, then me, he says, "ah, young Talia. We finally can meet properly", stretching his hand out to shake mine.

For reasons unknown to me, after hearing his first sentence, no matter how smooth and unnerving his voice was, I was irritated with him to no end.

As I stretched my hand out to his, I said, "first off, I'm not that much younger than you, and second we've already been introduced."

Something in his eyes seemed to flash, and there was no doubt in my mind that he was annoyed I did not submit to him. Finally after a moment of silence he says, "how old are you then?"

"Fifteen", I say confidently, but falter after a triumphant gleam leaps into his eyes.

"Fifteen.... Well Talia, to me that is younger for I am sixteen."

"That's only one year!"

"One more than you. But, it is not your age that I consider when I call you young, it is your training years. I have been here for three years. I have more experience than you could ever imagine."

And with that he gives my hand a bone jarring squeeze, as if testing my strength. Keeping a straight face, I squeeze back, trying to show I would not back down to brute strength. After a few moments, he finally let's go, and steps back. Tossing a look at Brom, he says cockily to me, but also with a strange, almost threatening sound, "well Talia, I'm glad we could officially meet, I'll be sure to keep my eye on you. Good luck", then climbs up the side of Dagshúro and launches out of the entrance hall, into the open ceiling above where dragons were dipping and diving in the air above.

As I go to turn back to Brom, I am hit by a powerful gust of wind as Saphira hurtles towards the opening as well, as if following Morzan and Dagshúro. It was curious indeed.

"I just don't get it Vascar", I mumble, looking down at Vascar by my ankles. Looking up at me with those piercing blue eyes, he just quickly shakes his head, at as much of a loss as I.

Turning and walking out of the doors of the Eragonian Training Center, I decide to pay a visit to someone who had some major explaining to do.

~*~

Her house was very close to mine, seeing as there wasn't many places you could house a dragon. Walking up to her front door, I knock loudly, and wait slightly impatiently for her to answer. When Leilani finally pulls open the door, she notices the look on my face and smiles slightly apologetically.

"I know, I know, I should have told you. But I was forbidden. I knew you would find out when we arrived so I did not think it would be that big of a deal."

"It's not that big of a deal, I just can't believe it!", I say excitedly. Maybe I would be able to get along with one rider. Everyone else I've met has been either just plain rude, an elder, or unknown.

"I'm glad", she says with a subtle smile. Then, moving aside, she says, "would you like to come in?"

"Sure", I say, walking in with Vascar at my heels.

Her place was exactly like mine, except laying in the hollow bowl next to the bed was a magnificent purple dragon.

Lifting up its head, a slight nudge hits my mind, and a female voice says, 'hello Talia, I am glad to hear yours and Leilani's journey went smoothly. I am Valeska, bonded partner of Leilani.'

'It's an honor to meet you', I say slightly nervously. Dragons seemed to have that type of effect on me.

She does not respond, but instead blinks her eyes and lays her head down next to her legs once more.

"Can I get you anything?", Leilani asks from behind me, "water, anything to eat?"

"No, I should be fine, but a scrap of meat for Vascar would be appreciated", I say politely.

She just smiles, nods her head, and says, "of course" before going to her pack laying on the floor and pulls out a strip of beef jerkey. Vascar's head perks up and his tongue flicks out of his mouth as he smells the jerky. Through our mental link I can feel his excitement at such a delectable treat. He snaps it up eagerly as she hands it to him, but at the same time, takes care not to catch one of her fingers in the process. When he had gobbled up the whole piece, Leilani takes a second to scratch his neck, making Vascar hum with pleasure. I couldn't help but laugh.

"Such a sweet thing", she mumbles when she stands back up, then continues to me, "have you started your training yet?"

"Partly", I reply, telling her everything that I had done today, then I ask, "how long have you been here, and who is your master?"

She smiles then says, "I have been I rider for the past 8 months. My master is Seraphina and her dragon is Sari."

"What color is her dragon?", I ask, not knowing the names of all the elders yet.

"A dark purple."

"Oh, so Seraphina is the tough looking elf with the black hair, right?"

"That's right", Leilani says with a hint of a smile, and beside her Valeska snorts, smoke roiling out her nose in the process, "tough is a good way to describe her."

"How would you describe her?", I ask curiously.

Leilani takes a second to answer, looks thoughtfully off to the side, before answering, "Seraphina is fierce, she does not take kindly to slacking or defiance of any kind. She is strict, powerful, and a very good master."

"She sounds interesting", I say honestly.

"She is."

"Are you her only student or are there more?", I ask curiously.

"There are many more. You must be something special for Oromis to choose you. He rarely chooses students, and when he does.... Well to prove my point, look at all the students here! And only three of them are trained by Oromis", she says looking out the window. Me special? What could Oromis see in me on my first day?

We talked for about an hour more before Vascar and I decided to walk back up the street to our place. It was getting dark and even though I only had to go up the street and turn one corner, I would still be able to get lost knowing my luck.

The streets were just starting to get dark and no one seemed to be out. Vascar trotted down by my ankles, nipping playfully at the back of my leather boots. Turning around to keep my eye on the mischievous dragon nipping at my heels, I start running backwards while skipping my feet all around to keep them away from Vascar, laughing all the while.

But then, all of a sudden Vascar stops in his tracks, and me, not expecting it, stumble several more steps backwards before finally stopping by colliding with something tall and completely solid. The first thing I notice after I hit is a loud breathing somewhere behind me. After what seemed like forever, but was only a couple seconds, I turn around to see what something I had ran into.

In front of me stood the most handsome man I had ever seen. His skin was as tan as copper with pitch black hair, a sharp face, and toned muscles. His shoulders seemed broader than any I'd ever seen before and on his chin he had a slight goatee growing in.

"I-I-I'm so sorry. I didn't mean- wasn't watching-" I stutter but he cuts me off with a chuckle.

"Do not worry about it, I always enjoy a pleasant shock", he says in a voice so rich and incredibly attractive I could be content to listen to him for eternities on end and drown in his words, "May I ask your name?"

"Talia, and my dragon Vascar", I say softly while gesturing at Vascar by my heels.

Grabbing my hand, he brings it up to his lips and brushes it gently, his deep black eyes never leaving mine the whole time, and I could tell this was something more than Brom's gesture.

"It is truly a pleasure Talia, this is my dragon Jarnunvösk", he says also gesturing behind him, and I notice for the first time, a dark forest green dragon, the same one I saw earlier today out on the field with Lokor. It was taller and broader then Dagshúro but just by a few feet, then he continued saying, "and my name is Galbatorix."

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

AN: OOOOOOOH UH-OH DID I CATCH ANYONE BY SURPRISE? ANYONE AT ALL? I HOPE SO BECAUSE I LOVED WRITING THIS CHAPTER :) I LOVE DESCRIBING GALBATORIX AND I HAVE THIS VISION OF HIM IN MY HEAD AND I HOPE I CAN SHOW IT TO YOU <3 SO PLEASE.......

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THANKA YOUUU

~Bert