Here is my next chapter. It is LONG. I mean, 3500 words long LONG.
-----
Chapter 3: Your Training Begins Now
Velinor was lying down. The trip from EllesmÈra to Vroengard was a two-day trip, and since Oridia had not eaten breakfast that morning, they had to land so that she could rest comfortably. Gariva was tired as well. She was large enough to carry multiple people for more than a day, but she also needed to eat and rest. She wouldn't tell Velinor why, but she just said that it was necessary for her to stop for the day. Velinor agreed, seeing as Gariva couldn't fly any farther and Oridia couldn't stay awake much longer. Her hatchling seemed to be tired as well, but from what eluded Velinor. They landed in a clearing that Gariva spotted. The clearing was large enough to accommodate Gariva, Velinor, Oridia, the hatchling, and several other elves if they were present.
When they landed, Velinor decided to provide a little entertainment. He pulled out his reed pipe and began to play a soothing melody. The song started softly and peacefully, spreading happiness and calm through Oridia. Suddenly, the music shifted. Instead of being the calm sound that was being played a moment ago, the song became erratic, but still coherent. The music reminded Oridia of the buzz of a bee. As the song went on, the mood of the music shifted through many varied emotions. Sometimes, the music was slow, somber, and depressing. At other times, the music filled Oridia with pure joy. At these times, all she wanted to do was dance to the beautiful composition. Oridia's hatchling swayed his head and hummed in accordance with the song. Gariva also hummed, but her humming was much deeper than the hatchling's.
Velinor began to play a new sound, one Oridia hadn't heard before. The music that was being played seemed to embody a power far beyond her own. The notes seemed to roar like a dragon, then sing like an elf. For some reason, the music seemed to remind Oridia of Du Fyrn Skulblaka, the elves' war with the dragons. As the music continued, the sound grew in power and strength. Then, suddenly, the music ceased its war-like mood, and was replaced with the same sound that the piece started off with. When the last note died away, Oridia just stared at Velinor, dumbstruck with the complexity and beauty of the music she had just heard.
“That was beautiful, Velinor-elda. When did you create such a piece?” Oridia asked after several minutes.
“I wrote it for the most recent Agaet“ Blˆdhren, which I believe was forty years ago. I am actually amazed I could play it as well as I did. It has been five-and-thirty years since I had played this piece last.” Velinor replied.
“It was amazing! What was your inspiration?” Oridia responded.
“It was Du Fyrn Skulblaka. You probably thought of the war with the dragons during the piece, did you not?”
“Yes, I did. If that part was inspired by Du Fyrn Skulblaka, what about the other parts?”
“They were just tid bits of music I've thought of over the years. I thought that they would be a good way to lead into the final piece.
“I think that we should rest for now. We can discuss the finer aspects of art and music while we fly to Doru Araeba.” Velinor said. With that, Oridia reluctantly lied down on the cold, hard ground.
“I don't think that you will need to lie on the ground, Oridia.” Velinor commented.
“Where shall I lay, Velinor-elda? I've brought nothing to lie down on.” Oridia asked.
“Gariva shall be our pillow and tent. Just lie down on her stomach. She shall protect us from the elements and any enemies.” Gariva, who was listening, lifted the wing closest to the two elves in response. Oridia decided to listen to Velinor, who was probably much more experienced than her in this field.
Oridia was so tired, she barely could stay awake while she walked over to Gariva. When she was safely under the wing, she collapsed on Gariva's underside. Velinor just sighed, and laid down on Gariva's underside as well. The hatchling quickly followed his partner and just sat on the ground next to her. He hummed softly as he fell asleep. Within minutes of everyone falling asleep, Gariva lowered her wing, forming a living tent around the elves and hatchling. She curled her head and tail around that lowered wing as a protective measure, and then she too fell asleep.
--
Oridia awoke to see a sky of green. It took her a few moments to realize that she was staring at Gariva's wing. Velinor wasn't under the wing, but the hatchling was. She wondered what she should call him, and yet she didn't have any idea. Tenatively, she lowered the protection around her mind so that she could reach out towards the hatchling's mind.
You know, you need a name, little one, Oridia projected into the little dragon's mind. However, Oridia didn't use words. She knew that the dragon didn't know how to speak yet. Instead, she projected the impression of a name, what it mean and symbolized. The hatchling cocked his head, both eyes opening lazily. A feeling of lethargy was felt by Oridia. She wondered what she should name him. She also wondered how she would tell ask the dragon his name, for she could not project an impression of a name. She believed that the only way to ask the dragon his name was with words.
Is your name Jura? To Oridia's surprise, the dragon shook his head.
What about Hirador? Fundor? Ohen? Galzra? With each name, the dragon shook his head in disapproval. Oridia went through a list of many dragon names, some of which belonged to dragons past, but some she thought of by herself.
What about Siberys? The dragon didn't shake his head this time. Instead, he just looked like he was thinking about the name. He let the name bounce around in his head, and then nodded his head.
Satisfied, Oridia tapped Gariva's underside. The green dragon stirred, and lifted her wing so that Oridia and Siberys could get up and walk around. They found Velinor sitting in the clearing, tending a pot filled with a simmering stew.
“Good morning! I thought that, since you had not had breakfast the previous morning, I would make something.” Velinor said in a cheerful manner.
“Thank you, Velinor-elda.” Oridia replied.
“You don't have to call me 'Velinor-elda.' Velinor will be fine. I'm not too much older than you, you know. I'm only one hundred and fifty years old.” Velinor requested.
“Well, you are still a Dragon Rider, while I am only an apprentice.”
“True, but soon you will be a Dragon Rider, too. Lets not waste time on such frivolous topics. We shall eat and then be off.”
Oridia accepted the bowl that Velinor handed to her, and used the ladle that Velinor brought with him to get some soup. She took a spoon, again brought by Velinor, and tasted the stew. It was delicious, considering it was made on such short notice.
“What is Vroengard like, Velinor? I want to know where I shall train.” Oridia asked.
“The island,” he said, “is like a harbor. There are lines of ridges that shoot out from the center of the island, and there is a valley between each adjacent ridge. The valleys are great for relaxation. They are also good for flying practice, for they provide stretches of open sky for all the dragons on the island. Plus, the valleys have a variety trees where we grow our food, as well as game for our dragons to feast off of.
“Doru Araeba is an amazing city. There are no real buildings in Vroengard. We have platforms that our dragons fly us to. For those who don't have dragons capable of transportation, there are stairs. We don't believe in putting roofs on our buildings.”
“What if it rains? Wouldn't these platforms be drenched?” Oridia asked.
“Not at all. We have a variety of wards to shield us from the elements. Sometimes, though, we lower the wards. It feels good to have it rain on your face. The only building with a roof is the library, which is vast. In fact, the reason why the library has a roof is that it takes up an entire level. Around Doru Araeba, there is a wall of stone. This wall of stone stretches about a league from the center of Doru Araeba to the edge of the ring. The ridges emanate from this ring and others, but the inner ring is where our library is. We have the roof high enough for dragons to comfortably fit inside, the walls and shelves wide enough for dragons and their riders to comfortably walk through, and many caves on the upper levels of the library for riders and their dragons to read in comfort. Our library has books and scrolls from every culture in Alaga”sia, including the dwarves.”
“This must be a wonderful place to live, Velinor. You never mentioned where dragons and riders slept, though. Where is that?”
“We riders sleep with our dragons in caves that dot the inner ring. We don't usually sleep in the library, so we had caves carved into the inner ring above and below the library so that dragons could comfortably sleep with their riders. This city was made specifically for dragons and their riders. It is not like the dwarves' cities, the humans' cities, or the elves' cities. You could say that Doru Araeba is the only dragon city in Alaga”sia.”
“By the way, I wasn't thinking about this before, but my hatchling now has a name. His name is Siberys.” Oridia said.
“A good name for a male dragon. I hope that he bears his name well. For when we get to Doru Araeba, you shall go before the Council of Elders to be tried. What I did was nothing. They shall examine you on every subject imaginable. They will extract everything you know. Don't worry. You won't lose your knowledge. They will want to know which master you should be paired with, and finding out what you know and don't know is one of the best ways of doing such.”
“How long does it usually take Velinor?”
“A long time. Usually most of the morning. For me, it took until noon before I finished, and it started at daybreak. It usually depends on how much you know. The more you know, the longer it takes.”
I wonder how long it will take me, Oridia thought to herself.
As if in response to Oridia's thoughts, Velinor replied, “Don't worry about how long it will take you. It is umimportant. I just said how long it took me to give you an idea on how long you will take.”
Oh, good. That makes me feel a lot better, Oridia thought to herself.
“Well, I think that we have wasted enough time talking. We should have done this while in the air Come now. We must take off towards Doru Araeba.” Velinor stated. He proceeded to climb onto Gariva's saddle. Oridia followed. Once Oridia, Siberys, and Velinor were ready to take off, Gariva jumped into the air and flapped her wings. She gained altitude until she was well above the trees. She then angled herself towards the west, and she began moving that way. She was accelerating to a high speed, eager to reach Doru Araeba before sunset.
Before noon, they flew past Osilon. By noon, they were over Ceunon and the North Sea. Oridia marveled at the North Sea, amazed by its size.
“Just you wait, Oridia. Vroengard is surrounded by the true sea. You will see its beauty every day.” Velinor assured Oridia.
“I'll take your word for it, Velinor. I have never seen the sea before. All I have heard are the stories and songs on it.”
“Here is how I would describe the sea; no matter what you say about it, you will always have left out something. The sea is harsh, yet calm. Dangerous, yet beautiful.”
“When will we arrive at Doru Araeba?”
“Today or tomorrow, depending on whether Gariva can get us there in time. Gariva, when do you think we will land on Vroengard?”
I say that we will land tonight. I won't be able to make it to Vroengard before the sun set, but I willl be there shortly after sunset, Gariva replied.
“Well, we must not waste any more time. Let us be off!” Vyelinor said. Gariva, in response, began to flap her wings faster and harder. She began to accelerate again, reaching a faster speed. Oridia began wondering what the people below must think they looked like a green blur shooting across the sky. Within an hour, the other side of the North Sea was in sight. They flew over Palancar Valley, where Galbatorix was defeated by Vrael. From what Oridia heard, the battle was epic, each strike changing the land. The town of Carvahall was destroyed during the duel.
The Spine was the only thing that seperated the group of dragons and riders from the sea. The sun was starting to set when the sea came into view. Oridia gasped at its size. She thought that the North Sea was huge, but that was before she saw the sea. The North Sea's southern shores were constantly in sight when they passed it, but the sea stretched in all directions, showing no signs of ever ending.
“Beautiful, isn't it? That was my first reaction to the sea. It left me at a loss for words.” Velinor said in response to Oridia's expression.
“I've never seen something so large. I mean, the North Sea was large, but this is massive.” Oridia said after a few minutes of speechlessness.
“Gariva, when shall we arrive at Vroengard?” Velinor asked the green dragon.
About another hour. The wind must be with us, Gariva replied. The group was silent for the next hour. Oridia didn't want to talk; she just wanted to marvel at the ocean. Velinor willingly agreed, for he too wanted to stare at the sea.
The sun was low in the sky when Gariva exclaimed, There it is! The island of Vroengard!
Oridia, Velinor, and Siberys all snapped their heads in the direction Gariva gestured at, but all they saw was open sea.
“We don't see anything yet, Gariva. Our eyes aren't as sharp as yours are.” Velinor replied.
Don't worry. You'll soon see it. Just keep looking, Gariva responded. Both elves and dragons kept looking at the sea, and suddenly, an block of land began to sprout up from the horizon. As they flew, the land grew larger and wider. When the shores were in sight, Oridia noticed several specks zooming around the islands. Those are dragons! There must be hundreds of them, she thought to herself.
“There aren't as many dragons as you think you see. After Galbatorix's attempted upheaval, our numbers were weakened, but not irreversibly. We are slowly refilling our ranks.” Velinor explained.
It would have been irreversible if he had succeeded. We wouldn't have been able to rebuild either the Dragon Riders or the dragons, Gariva added on.
The dragons that Oridia saw grew in size as Gariva flew closer to the island. About a quarter of a mile from the island, two dragons began to fly towards Gariva. The dragons were deep red and bright gold, and slightly larger than Gariva.
“Welcome back, Velinor. Tell us, was your trip to EllesmÈra successful?” the rider of the gold dragon asked.
“As a matter of fact, it was Oromis. She is right here.” Velinor replied, gesturing towards Oridia.
Oridia, in response, touched her lips with her two fingers and said, “Atra estern“ ono thelduin.”
The rider known as Oromis siad, “Don't worry yourselves with pleasantries here, young one. Now tell me, what is your name? And your dragon, what of his name?”
“My name is Oridia, daughter of Arolia. My dragon's name is Siberys.” Oridia replied.
“Well, Oridia, you must be tired from flying all day. You may rest where ever you desire. I believe I haven't introduced myself. My name is Morzan.” The rider on the red dragon said in a kind voice.
“Thank you, Morzan. I shall do that.” Oridia responded. She was tired, and she thought that a rest would be most welcome.
“Come. I shall show you to our dwellings. Jump on.” Oromis said. Oridia transferred herself from Gariva to Oromis's dragon. Siberys followed her, and once he was on the gold dragon, the gold dragon flew off towards Doru Araeba.
“She has promise. With some effort, she shall be a good rider.” Velinor said to Morzan.
“I agree. I wonder who will be her mentor?” Morzan replied.
--
“Here are the sleeping quarters for the new riders. As of now, you are the only one here.” Oromis explained as he and his dragon, Glaedr, flew into the sleeping quarters. What Oridia saw was a circular room with rows of caves that were the perfect size for a rider and their young dragon. Glaedr landed in the room, and Oridia quickly jumped off with Siberys. She chose one of the caves closer to the ground. She found in it a blanket, pillow, and a little depression for Siberys.
“I would rest, if I were you. Tomorrow, you shall be examined and assigned a mentor.” Oromis explained. He and Glaedr soon took off, leaving Oridia to sleep comfortably.
--
“Oridia, it is almost daybreak. Quickly get ready, for at sunrise, your examination shall commence.” Velinor said when he found Oridia's cave. She quickly woke up and found her pack. Velinor waited outside as Oridia got dressed. She put on a dull green tunic. She then walked out of the sleeping quarters with Siberys and mounted Gariva with Velinor.
“I was told that I would take you to the council. We should be there in a few minutes.” Velinor explained as Gariva flew from the sleeping quarters, which were outside the city, towards the city. She flew through the main archway, which was just an arch carved into the rings surrounding the city, and into Doru Araeba.
The city was a huge gathering of giant pillars, each at different heights. Dragons flew from pillar to pillar in the early morning. As Gariva flew past each column, Oridia noticed what was happening at the top of each one. They passed one where there were lines of tables. Elves and humans were feasting together, laughing merrily while telling stories, jokes, and riddles to each other. On another pillar, there were groups of riders dueling with their colored swords. Each slash seemed to leave a trail of light behind it, adding to the beauty of the city.
Finally, Gariva reached the highest pillar. She landed in the center of a ring of dragons, each larger than her. Oridia got off, and Gariva joined the circle, making it a complete ring. Oridia noticed that Morzan and Oromis were part of the ring as well.
“Welcome to your examination, Oridia. I assume Velinor told you about this on your trip here, did he not?” Oromis asked.
“He did.” Oridia replied.
“Then we won't have to spend our time explaining everything.” Morzan said with evident relief. The riders began to ask Oridia questions on various subjects. It started with botany, and then it slowly moved onto art. The sun crawled across the sky as each rider asked a question to Oridia. She responded to each question with either the answer she thought was right or a look of cluelessness on her face. The subjects were many and varied. Oridia was asked about metallurgy, medicine, woodworking, swordplay, and history. Most of the questions revolved around history, but a few were on things Oridia had no idea what the riders meant. The sun was almost above Doru Araeba when the riders stopped asking their flow of questions.
“That is all for now, Oridia. We shall inform you as soon as we have decided on your mentor.” Morzan said. “For now, go and rest. We shall send food and drink to your quarters shortly.”
This time, instead of Velinor or Oromis, Morzan flew Oridia to the sleeping quarters. He and his dragon, Thorn, were kind enough to reassure Oridia that her training would be neither too easy nor too difficult.
“We won't take too long on deciding your mentor. You won't be waiting too long.” Morzan assured Oridia before taking off back to the city.
Food and drink did arrive for Oridia. She drank from the flagon of spring water that she was given and ate the stew that she was given with noticeable hunger. Siberys was also brought some meat to feast upon. Shortly after Oridia had eaten her fill, Morzan showed up again.
“It has been decided that I will be your mentor. We shall start as soon as possilbe.” Morzan said to Oridia.
