Hi everyone, welcome to my story. I am new at this, but I love to share my ideas of the Post Rider War Alagaësia with you.

TWENTY-TWO YEARS AFTER THE WAR

Díanel Baldorson is tasked with delivering Fírnen's new armor from his father's forge to Ellesméra. A dragoness hatches there for him and he travels to the Dragon Island in the east to live and train with the few other dragon riders.

After Díanel arrived on the island, Murtagh contacts Eragon and calls for help, just before he faints due to an unknown threat. Riders are send to Ellesméra to investigate from there. Thorn arrives there without Murtagh and tells of a unknown threat in the North. One of Saphira's ancestors contacted Murtagh which led him to the threat, but is Saphira's ancestor really bad?

What evil has Kialandí left behind in the North?

Will the new Riders be strong enough to face this threat? And will Eragon find a way to return to Alagaësia? Will our Riders, old and young, find the love they sought for so long?

Read it in Kialandi's Legacy!

Díanel replaced the restored wheel as the guards lifted the carriage. The last rays of sunlight were piercing the many high trees that formed Dú Weldenvarden. "Alright lads, let's set up camp and we'll continue tomorrow. We'll move at first light so we can finally reach that blasted elven city." He told his group of companions.

"I wish you would not speak in such a manner of our beloved capital, sir Díanel." Díanel turned his head towards the elven guide, who accompanied them since Ceunon. "I'm sorry Aryntil, you know I have great respect for the elves and the beauty they create. It is just that this journey made me grumpy beyond measure due to all the misfortune that we had. In fact, I do look forward to see the elves dance and hear them sing as beautiful as the sound of a fair maiden's laughter, which pleasant sounds have been too long from my ears."

This made some of his men snicker. It was true that they had known a great deal of misfortune on their journey. As soon as the snow on the roads made way for the first flowers to bloom, they departed from Carvahall to Ceunon, the most northern human trade city. Since the fall of Galbatorix many elves resided in Ceunon too. When had just they left the mountains of the Spine they got assaulted by a terrible spring storm. The roads turned muddy and some became blocked by fallen trees. It delayed them for a week. And so they arrived later in Ceunon than they had planned.

A day was spend there to replenish their supplies and find a guide to navigate them through Ellesméra. A week later a day outside Osilon, one of their horses injured his leg by stepping into a rabbit's hole. Unfortunately enough, their guide was one of the few elves in existence who could not heal a horse's leg. So they let their guide return to Osilon on foot to buy a new horse. And now one of the carriages had a broken wheel.

If everything had went well, they would already be halfway back to Carvahall and arrive in time for the summer fair, which attracted visitors from all races and all cities. Including the prettiest girls Alagaësia had to offer, but now it wasn't so sure if they would make it, which greatly demotivated the locals from Carvahall.

Carvahall flourished under the rule of Roran Stronghammer. Soon after the Rider's war came a group consisting of thirty elven scholars who were interested in human culture and leadership and found residence in Carvahall, the birthplace of many new-age heroes. There were urgals who wanted to pay tribute to the mighty Roran Stronghammer, the only human to best an urgal in hand to hand combat. Dwarves that had build a mine in the Spine were also bringing welfare to Carvahall. The Spine was apparently richly favoured with gemstones and silver ores.

Because of the variety of the inhabitants and trades, more and more people came to visit and some choose to stay. Carvahall was no longer a town which was overlooked by Galbatorix, it now was a vast growing city and a cultural centre for all races.

A couple of months ago, Díanel's father, Baldor Horstson was summoned into the halls of lord Roran. This happened frequently as Baldor and Albreich were the house smiths of the Palancar lordship and childhood friends of Roran. But this time Díanel's father came back with exciting news. The elven queen herself was in the Palancar castle. Well not physical, but on the mirror or something. Baldor couldn't really describe it out of excitement. But not much later queen Arya and her impressive green dragon Fírnen arrived in their small city, together with a group of elves who came to see the fabled Carvahall.

Baldor and Albreich, who took over their fathers work after he passed away, were asked to create a new dragon armor, since Fírnen didn't really grow in a fast pace anymore, now that he was already twenty-two winters old. The elven smith, Rhunön, moved to the east to live with Eragon and the dragons, and for some reason queen Arya didn't want to go there for an armor. But that didn't matter at all to them.

After Fírnen was measured and the design was determined, queen Arya and Fírnen left again. For months Baldor and Albreich worked on the dragon armor, together with Díanel and their two apprentices, an elf and a dwarf. Now that it was all finished, Díanel was in charge of delivering the armor to the queen in Ellesméra.

After camp was set up, they ate the last of their dried and salted meat, together with some nuts and vegetables that Aryntil had 'received' from the various flora by somehow singing to it. Díanel was not really interested in magic. He believed that to achieve things in life you had to work hard for it. As he was thought by the elder people of Carvahall. The old war-heroes never got in over their heads. They just returned to their daily lives after they had returned from the war.

Díanel's group listened to Aryntil playing his flute before he told them the story of the Menoa tree, the oldest tree in all of Dú Weldenvarden. After this they went to sleep.

Díanel slept under the open sky, as he always did as long as the weather permitted it. He was laying on his back, watching the stars through the tree tops. He never had his fill from gazing at the little twilights. He was fascinated by all the pale silver lights, decorating the dark blue sky. It was a moonless night so the stars shone extra bright.

A big winged shadow flew across his sight. Could it have been Fírnen? It was the only dragon he had ever seen and he was impressed by the beauty and size of this majestic creature. It had not deemed him worthy enough to talk to him, but still the experienced painted his dreams almost every night. He looked forward to see him again, and having the honor to present his new-forged armor to him. Thinking of how it would be tomorrow, he fell asleep with dragons on his mind.

Before noon Díanel and his group arrived on the outskirts of Ellesméra, and Gilderien the Wise appeared out of thin air before them. Aryntil had told them about the protector of the city and so they had anticipated him. When he appeared Aryntil said some things in the ancient language and so the group was allowed to pass without further ado.

After walking for about ten more minutes the group reached a big open clearing. There were some elves gathered here who all seemed to wait for something. Díanel could hear some noise coming from afar, but he couldn't really figure out what is was. He focused on the elves in front on him and asked Aryntil what was going on. "Wait for it." was his only response.

The noise grew louder and Díanel slowly moved his hand to his hip, were his blade was hanging. When the noise became even louder he realized that is was the flapping sound of big and strong wings. As he had heard a few times before in Carvahall.

Díanel let himself fall to one knee and looked down at the grass. He noticed his men doing the same. He felt the wind pull on his hair, which was tied in a warriors braid. He couldn't resist the urge to look up and he felt a big awe when he gazed upon the mighty green dragon.

When the heavy dragon landed the earth trembled. Fírnen was as big as a merchants house and more even more beautiful than he remembered from the few times he had seen him. He folded his wings and moved his head, with two tusks sticking over his slightly opened mouth, close to Díanel. Díanel quickly averted his head and looked down again, his heart beating with an almost inhuman speed in his chest.

Don't be shy hatchling. You may appreciate my beauty if you like. Díanel was confused and it took him a second to realize that it was Fírnen speaking in his mind. His voice was heavy but rhythmical. Díanel looked up in a large eye with the shade of a pine tree. I heard you came to bring me something to protect me. Will I still be admired for my beauty when I wear it, little human? "Yes, you would be pretty even when wearing rags, oh mighty sky-conqueror." "Fírnen, stop pestering or respected guest. Rise, Díanel Baldorson, rise and find yourself welcome in the capital of the elves." Díanel looked up at the queen, noticing her pale skin and raven black hair. She was beautiful, even among the elves. Or at least, he thought so. He watched her as she gracefully jumped of Fírnen's back. She was wearing a leather outfit, which consisted of brown and green shades. On her back was a large cape, made of the feathers of swans, as it seemed. A silver circlet encrusted with emeralds rested upon her brow.

Díanel rose and exchanged the formal elven greetings which he learned back in Carvahall to prepare him for this journey. He could see a glint of surprise in the queens eyes. "I see you have taken the effort to get yourself customary with our ways, know that it is deeply appreciated. Let's walk to my halls together."

Díanel walked with the queen and her dragon for almost half an hour. The rest of the company and the gathered elves followed them closely. As they walked through the outskirts elven city, Díanel noticed that the houses were built in the trees. No, the trees formed the houses. The queen explained that the elves sang to the trees to form them, just like Aryntil sang to them for fruits and nuts. The queen continued explaining that many of the houses in the outskirts of the city were empty, since the elves suffered many deaths during the Fall and became largely infertile after, because their race was connected to the fate of the dragons. During the Rider's war, many more elves, including her mother, found death claiming them.
Now that the dragon race was restoring, the elves became more fertile again. They had six children in the last ten years. This compared to two children born in the fifty years before the Rider's war.

But there were many elves who left the forest to study other cultures or simply to explore Alagaësia. So the population in Ellesméra and the other cities remained small.

Díanel was deeply impressed by the city. There was a magical atmosphere that made his blood sing. He noticed deer, rabbits and even an boar happily running around in the city. It was a beautiful sight, enhanced by the variety of colored flowers and bushes.
There were elves randomly sitting in trees or next to streams of water, doing seemly useless stuff. They were painting, singing, writing and reading. But he didn't see any laborers, farmers or other craftsmen.

Shyly he asked the queen if they shouldn't be working. The queen explained that due to their magic abilities the elves didn't have to work to survive or make a living. Elves were just doing what they liked and tried to improve in their non-magic abilities as best as they could.

When they finally arrived in the center of the city, Díanel noticed a small well. It was about thirty feet from side to side. In the middle was a small island with a fountain in the very middle. This fountain created a wall of water drops on the edges of the small island. Surrounding the fountain were three stones in the shape of ovals placed on pedestals made of rocks and covered with grass and flowers. The stones were each a different color: there was a large white one, one was the warm orange color of molten steel and the last one was silver, like the starlight on a clear night sky. Díanel knew what this were, he had seen similar of them before in Carvahall, it were dragon eggs. There were five elves singing to the eggs.

He halted and gazed upon them. A small smile formed upon the queen's lips, the first one he saw from her. "If you want to, you can try and touch them tomorrow". This announcement excited Díanel. "Thank you, your grace. But don't you have choosing ceremonies, like the humans and urgals?" "No, we give everyone the opportunity to spend as much time with the eggs as the like. I disagree with Eragon in his way of distributing the eggs. I believe that they should be freely available to all those willing to touch them. Not bounded by race. We should trust the judgement of the dragons. As elves we want to restore the dragon order, which is a bigger priority than gaining power or influence to our own kind. We should no longer be divided into races. Members of all races are welcome to touch the eggs, though that information is not widely known. We are just starting to adapt to the other races and my people are still very much on their own. It takes time to disregard the old ways of my people and not all agree with me on matters regarding the other races.
I created a pilgrimage to the center of Ellesméra, where as you can see the three eggs given to the elves are placed. I hope to attract more isolated elves and tell them stories of the world beyond Du Weldenvarden, so that they might discover it for themselves.
The water is magically enhanced with help of Fírnen, so that only those that have pure intentions can cross it. And as an extra security measurement, the eggs can only be removed by me, or one of the ambassadors of the dragon island."

"This carries so much more meaning than the way the humans organize it. This takes an effort from the ones willing to become a rider. In the human way we have ten seconds to touch an egg and at the end of the day the eggs move on to the next town. But I guess the human population is too big to organize it like you do. I am honored to be given the chance to touch the eggs tomorrow."

They chatted more about the old ways of the elves and how Arya had seen so many beautiful things outside of the elven forest. Things that changed her view on herself, the elves and the world. She was uncomfortable in the stiff and arrogant ways of the elves and appreciated the open showing of emotions of the other races. During her time outside with the humans and dwarves she always felt like an outsider, but once she took up her mother's mantle, she felt more foreign than ever. She even admitted to Díanel that she wished she could have let go of the elven ways twenty years sooner. A sad tear welled up in her eye, before she changed the subject and asked about Díanel's unusual haircut and his olive colored skin.

Díanel was surprised of how open she suddenly talked about herself and her kin. And of the display of her emotions, before she cleared her outward self of them. He felt sorry for her, to be torn apart between the way she was raised and the way she would want to be, if only the elves let her. He realized that she was waiting for him to talk about his past, so he started telling her.

He told her about his origins. How his father, Baldor, met his mother, Serinel, during the war, shortly after the villagers of Carvahall arrived on the burning plains on a ship called the Dragon Wing. His mother is the third child of a lowly Surdan lord, and her family disapproved of their affections. After the story spread of how Baldor had shot a Lethrblaka during their escape on the Dragon Wing from Teirm, Baldor was accepted to have contact with Serinel. When Baldor and Serinel's father fought alongside in the battle of Uru'bean his father was allowed to marry her.

Not long after the war Díanel was born. His skin was olive colored, which was usual in the warm lands of Surda and so he inherited it from his mother. His eyes were grey, but when he smiled they had a sparkle which was closer to silver. Those eyes clearly were inherited from his father. Since his coming of age he took the warrior's haircut from the lands where he was born; shaven on the side and a braid on the middle of the back of his head.
After the marriage Baldor became a smith in the household of his new father in law and that is where Díanel grew up. His grandfather died to a sickness in his lungs, and Serinel's oldest brother became the new lord. Baldor and his family often visited Carvahall and his old friends and family. Horst died when Díanel was twelve years old and the three of them moved to the Palancar Valley. Baldor became the new smith in Roran's hold, together with his older brother Albreich. They became some of the best human smiths and even dwarves and elves came to buy their wares. That is how the queen ended up ordering an armor from their smithy.

Díanel and the queen were nearing the Throne room and ended their chat too soon. He felt like there was so much more to Arya than the stories told. The stories always pictured her as a typical elf, captured in duty and formalities. But he got the feeling that she wanted to break free of those bindings. But Díanel was in no position at all to help her, or even mention it.

As they entered the Throne room, queen Arya walked towards the throne, which seemed to consist of the roots of a great old tree. Next to the throne was a cat taking a nap and didn't even seem to wake up from all the commotion. Fírnen took place in the middle of the hall and all the elves and members of Díanel's group who followed them surrounded him.

Arya turned to the gathered crowd and hefted her arms as she called out: "Let us no longer dance around the subject we all look forward to. Díanel, son of the famous Baldor and nephew to the even famous Albreich, step forward." Díanel obeyed and walked past Fírnen, until he was at the bottom of the steps leading to the throne.

"Have you brought with you what I asked of you?" She asked, while she looked straight into his eyes. He felt chills running over his back as he looked away from her almond-shaped green eyes.

"Yes, Arya-Dröttning." He muttered.

"Then please, Díanel-Horstson, release us from our waiting and show us if the tales about the fires of your family's forge are true." She ordered him.

Díanel walked to the first of the six wagons and with a big swing he pulled the covers away. Underneath was a helmet, the size of a three winters old pine tree. It was a deep green, just as Fírnen's scales. In the top-middle was a golden circle, embedded with a big pointed emerald. The edges were also golden, engraved with elven runes. At the sides were small golden wings to enhance the airflow when flying. The nose was shaped to leave the nostrils free. It had no covering for the jaw, so that it would not hinder biting or fire-breathing. The crowd took a deep breath in admiration.

I would be honored if you put this on me, Díanel-Finiarel. Díanel walked towards the huge dragon, as he bowed his head. The crowd again gasped as they did not expect such a gesture from a pride dragon. Díanel's hands thrilled with both excitement and fear as the tension build up in his body. What if the measurements were wrong?
Do not worry little one, even if it does not fit perfectly, the elves can sing it in the right fit in a minute. Díanel didn't really think of this this as a solution, but still the deep voice reassured him.

Díanel and one of his companions placed the helmet carefully over Fírnen's snout and head. They secured the big strap at the top of his neck. "Fírnen Skulblaka, may I ask you to open your mouth?" Díanel asked with a slightly trembling voice.

As Fírnen opened up his mouth, Díanel could see a green fire deep within. He tried not to pay attention to it, and secured the thin braid that held the snout shape of the armor in place. It went between Fírnen's teeth. It was magically enhanced by Arya herself when they discussed the design back in Carvahall. It was made so that it would never take damage from Fírnen's teeth or fire.

Díanel took a step back and waited for Fírnen's response. Fírnen started to shake his head with powerful swings. He crunched the air as if trying to snap a bird, or a larger opponent. During all this Díanel forgot to breathe. Fírnen stopped moving and looked straight at Díanel. The crowd seemed to hold their breath as well, queen Arya stood up from her throne.

Fírnen took a step forward and with speed that didn't match his size, he moved his head a few inches from Díanel's and let out a heavy roar. Thank you Díanel-Finiarel, I like this, would you be so kind to show me the rest?. And again he bowed, almost piercing Díanel with the pointy emerald. The crowd started cheering and Díanel turned to see queen Arya smile and nod approvingly.

The rest of the afternoon was spend putting on the rest of the armor, which was all in the same shade of green with golden accents. Díanel showed queen Arya how the different straps and mechanisms worked, while his companions were putting on the bigger parts of the armor.

When the armor was removed from Fírnen again, everyone present was led to the Great Hall, where a feast was prepared. Díanel was invited to sit at the left side of queen Arya on the raised end of the hall.

I hope you liked the first chapter of Kialandí's legacy. Let me know what you think of it. If you have any questions about myself or my story, feel free to ask.

I'll try to upload two more chapters this week!