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Florina sat on the grass in her garden meditating. Kuldra was there as well, curled around her as she calmed herself. The queen was frustrated. None of the elves had broken. They were still hiding something. Murtagh was with Alia now. He had volunteered to try to break into their minds as torture had not loosened their tongues. She doubted he would be successful. The elves were skilled in guarding their minds, even in a weakened state. But still, she would let him try. He was trained by her father, a master of mind breaking. Florina took a deep breath, exhaling it slowly. She took another. What is it the elves are trying to hide? This question had been bothering her for weeks, since the Yazuac debacle. Another was what Arya was doing. The elven queen had shielded herself from scrying years ago, when Florina first rose to power.

She was standing in the middle of a bloody battlefield. Dead elves surrounded her, Riders and non-Riders. Even Rhunön was among the dead. Eragon was nowhere to be seen, just the Riders. Her Riders circled overhead, looking for a place to land to get to their queen. They had all come out victorious. The elves had marched from their forest to meet them. It had been their mistake. Out in the open, the dragons had room to maneuver as opposed to the cover of the forests. Florina looked around for Arya. She and her dragon had fled with the retreat. Kuldra had wanted to give chase, but Florina had been in the midst of her own battle to keep from being captured again. Murtagh was in the sky. He had been fighting Garrow whom the elves had called for help. Elva was not present either.

Florina looked at the dead at her feet. One elf and two half elves. All three had black hair. The half elves had been Riders, their dragons were by Kuldra. They had tried taking the two of them back into the forests of the elves. It was a foolish move on their parts. Florina had been trained to fend off many attackers. She had taught much of the same to Eragon when she fought with him in Tronjhiem. The dead at her feet had all the same features as well. The dark hair, angular faces, and sea-green eyes. All family. The mother of the half elves must have been a Rider before her father rose to power and she was killed during the coup. She kicked them over as Kuldra walked up to her from the bodies of the silver and bronze dragons, the dragons of the two half elves. Neither said a word as Florina reached down and took the elf's blade from his hand. It was gold, but not a Rider's blade. The silver on the hilt was wrought in a vine pattern that cupped around the hand when someone held it, guarding it from blades that ran the length of the sword. A single vein of silver wrapped around the part of the blade close to the hilt. Florina looked at the dead elf and back at the sword. It was her sword, the one she had made when hers broke when fighting an elf in pretend defense of the Riders' honor. With a shrug, she dropped it next to the dead and climbed into Kuldra's saddle. They had other battles to fight. But the idea that her captor used her old sword bothered her and she couldn't place why.

"Florina!" Florina's eyes snapped open as Murtagh's voice rang through her mind. Kuldra shifted slightly, sensing the change in her Rider. But she was also aware of the vision that she had just had. It had been many years since she had had one, the last being a few years after the war ended. Kuldra couldn't remember the vision as Florina had only shared bits and pieces of the vision and didn't remember it fully herself, as if the true meaning was being hidden from her.

Kuldra didn't move as Florina stood and looked at the castle. By the way her Rider was standing, what she had just learned was not good news. Florina began pacing and Kuldra could tell she was trying to figure out what to do. Moments later, Murtagh arrived. This surprised Kuldra as she had thought that he had already told her something.

"What did you find?" Florina asked, still pacing. "Have you found what they were hiding?"

"I have." Murtagh answered his sister, though, at the moment, she was his queen. She would always be his queen first.

"And?"

"There was a fourth member of their group." Florina stopped and looked at him. He stepped back a step at the fire flaring to life in her eyes. "Garrow had sent a group of four elves to Arya to bolster her forces."

"There was a fourth elf. I should have known. They would have sent at least one to report on us to Arya. They took the villagers for information. Well, since we don't know what information was given, we'll just have to be careful. What else did you learn?"

"These four elves may have acted alone, but they sent one of their number to Arya knowing that it lessened their chances of winning a fight against you. This elf reported to Arya that your vulnerability is your people. That is dangerous information for an enemy to have."

"It is dangerous information, Murtagh." Florina turned to look at the castle and the dragons that were flying around it. No more had hatched in the last five years which gave her somewhat seasoned Riders. It helped that she had sent her spies into the forest. They had yet to get word to her, but then again, Arya had resurrected the spells that protected Du Weldenvarden. There was only one thing to do. And she had to do it soon or risk the same happening to her.

"What do you think, Kuldra?"

"I think that it is time we take matters into our own hands." The gold dragon replied, getting to her feet. "We've been idle too long. The incident at Yazuac proved that they are willing to move against us. We cannot give them another opportunity." Florina nodded and turned to Murtagh.

"Assemble the Riders. It is time we go to war." Murtagh bowed and left. Florina hopped onto Kuldra and they flew around the castle, spewing fire and calling the Rider's to war.

Angela tried not to shiver as she met the eyes of the woman she had known since she was a child. She didn't see any sign that she recognized her as a friend. There was no emotion at all in her dark eyes. Next to her stood Murtagh to her right and Prince Edan to her left. The rest of the hall was lined with many other Riders and their dragons, all watching her as she and Solembum's son approached the throne and the woman seated upon it. All were dressed for war.

It was strange to see Florina sitting on the throne. She remembered the young woman saying that she would never take the throne. That she was not meant for it. But right now, Florina looked like she was born to sit on the throne. Before coming to the castle, Angela had spoken to the people in the city and was shocked at how happy they were that Florina was now queen instead of Nadara. There were signs everywhere that the people were prospering under the new rule.

Angela made it to the foot of the dais and knelt. Usually, she wouldn't kneel to anyone except maybe the dragons. But the coldness in her friend's eyes was enough to convince her to kneel, if only to spare her life.

"You may rise." Murtagh's voice cut through the stillness and Angela rose. "What is your business here?"

"I have come to offer my services to her majesty, Queen Florina, Rider of Kuldra Goldscales and Queen of the Empire of Alagaësia." The words spilled from Angela's mouth and they left a bitter taste in her mouth. They were words that should never have been used to describe the young woman before her, a young woman whom had had so much light and love in her life before the blood magic took control of her. But she was here for a purpose and she would not be swayed.

"I remember you, Witch." Florina's voice had an edge to it that Angela had never heard before and she began to fear for her life. "You nursed me to health when I had been injured in Tronjhiem."

"You were hit on the back of the head with an Urgal club, Majesty. The Varden wished you, Eragon, Murtagh, and Queen Arya healed."

"The elf did not need much healing. As I recall, only Eragon and I were unconscious for several days." Florina reached out to Murtagh. "Why don't I remember you being there?"

"Your father bid me not reveal myself as I was only supposed to rendezvous with the Twins and return. When the attack failed, they had to spirit me away in order to protect you. They were not happy that you were there. They believed that you had been sent to check up on them."

"I understand." Florina turned back to the witch, Angela, before her. "What services do you hope to offer me, Witch?" She demanded.

"Healing services."

"We can heal ourselves. And I do not need to have the brains of my people addled with your magic of fortune telling." Florina signaled to two Riders who stepped forward on either side of Angela. "Take her to the gates of Ilirea and release her."

"She can be of use, Majesty." Edan spoke up. "She is close with the queen of the elves and with Eragon." Florina looked at him.

"Explain. How can she help me find out what I don't already know about my half-brother and his dearest love?" Edan opened his mouth and closed it. "Exactly. She can't. I was their prisoner for two hundred years, Edan. I know them better than anyone. Even better than Angela here. But she may yet be useful." Florina nodded and the Riders escorted her deeper into the castle. Angela feared for her life. Florina was becoming her father in some ways and was not like him in most and that made her dangerous. No one would be able to guess what she would do.

Florina watched the retreating form of the witch between the two Riders. She was here for a reason. She guessed that reason had to do with some new plan Arya and Eragon had come up with. She would find out what it was once she turned the witch to see things her way. Angela had already been in the city. She had seen their happiness. It didn't take a genius to figure out that the rest of the Empire was happy.

Pushing those thoughts from her mind, she stood and led the way to the dragon hold. It was time for war.

So, this is the last chapter of this fic. I will be starting another one that focuses on the war so be on the lookout for Riders' War. Thank you for reading and please review!