A/N: I've had this going in my head for a while. CP seriously needs to fix that ending of Inheritance. This was a major pain in the butt to write, because my laptop died on me while I was in the middle of writing this, so I had to look up all the freaking words, phrases, names, and accents again! Yeah, not fun. But, I'm rather happy with the results, except I think I could have used a little more work on the ending, but I didn't know what else to do, so, review, please!

Beyond the Sea

"Arya Dröttning?" Eärendur, one of my advisors queried, entering the room. "Forgive me, but the new Dragon Rider has landed. Even as I speak, Däthedr escorts Idril, House of Laforo, and her dragon, Nienna, to Tialdarí Hall."

This news was barely strong enough to draw me out of my reverie. Ever since Eragon left Alagaësia two hundred years ago to what would become the island city of Antaure, I had become detached from everything except the Riders. Only Fírnen knew how I felt, since he had lost Saphira when I had lost Eragon. Both of us felt as though we had an emptiness in our hearts. With this new Rider, we could finally receive news regarding the first Rider and dragon of our order. I followed Eärendur down to the throne room, but I was like a ghost the entire way.

Idril and Nienna were already waiting for me. Idril was a beautiful maiden. Her skin was tanner than most elves and she had long blond hair than went to the middle of her back and her black eyes seemed to pierce the souls of all she gazed upon. Her dragon, Nienna, was of a vibrant purple color and slightly smaller than Fírnen.

I touched the first and middle fingers of my right hand to my lips, a guarantee that I would not lie to her during our conversation. "Atra esterní ono thelduin, Idril Shur'tugal." Idril, being a Dragon Rider was of a higher stature than even me, a queen, and it was custom for those of the lower stature to begin the greeting.

Idril repeated the hand gesture, vowing not to lie to me. "Mor'ranr lifa unin hjarta onr." She continued the greeting. Her voice rang pure against the walls of the hall.

The third line of the greeting was optional, but I decided to use it this time. "Un du evarinya ono varda." I finished. I then switched to the common language for our conversation. "Welcome to Ellesméra, Idril Shur'tugal and Nienna Bjartskular. It is an honor to finally meet you in person."

"The honor is ours, Arya Dröttning." Idril responded. A glint appeared in her eyes before she continued. "I, too, have been looking forward to our first meeting. We have heard much about you from our teachers."

"If I may ask, who were your teachers?" I asked, hope rising unbidden in my heart.

A proud smile appeared on her face to accompany the glint in her eyes, and both Rider and dragon seemed to stand up taller. "We were trained by none other than the legendary Eragon Shadeslayer and Saphira Brightscales themselves."

My heart seemed to leap in my chest. Finally, a Rider who had been trained by him! "How does he fare?" I queried.

Idril's smile disappeared, but it was Nienna who answered. "Alas, Arya-Eragon's-friend, he has fallen ill."

Idril continued sadly, "Nothing can help him. Blödhgarm says that Eragon suffers from the worst: a broken heart."

I clutched my heart. Eragon was suffering, and possibly dying, from a broken heart? Was that what ailed me?

After choosing an instructor for Idril and Nienna, I called a council. "Two hundred years ago, after the fall of the Black King, you decided to name me queen due to the death of my mother, Queen Islanzadí. At first, I refused because of Fírnen, but you insisted. I felt at first that I was not the right person, but I agreed to take the throne at your insistence." I reached up and took the diadem off my head. "Now, I see that I never was the right person. And not because I am a Dragon Rider, but because I am torn, and have been, ever since I learned that Eragon would be leaving Alagaësia forever. The elves need a ruler whose heart is not in two places and breaking because of the separation."

Däthedr stood up. "Arya Dröttning," he said. "If you feel you must leave, then we shall not stop you from abdicating, and we shall choose another to rule. You have done more than enough for all of Alagaësia."

I smiled at him. "I am glad that you feel that way, Lord Däthedr." I told him. "And that is part of the reason why I wish you to take the throne." There were shouts of agreement from all the elven lords seated at the council at my announcement. The council quickly adjourned, and I retired to my chambers. I stood in front of the large mirror used for scrying. "Draumr kópa." I whispered, letting an image of King Galain, the human king and descendant of Nasuada, fill my mind. As the image appeared in the mirror, I whispered the following words that would allow us to speak through the mirror.

"King Galain?" I queried. I saw him jump slightly at the sound of my voice, before turning to the mirror that hung in his throne room.

"Arya Dröttning." he acknowledged.

"No longer." I informed him. "I have abdicated the throne to Lord Däthedr and will soon be leaving Alagaësia with Fírnen to follow Eragon Shadeslayer to Antaure. Both he and I suffer from broken hearts, and I mean to remedy that by going to him and staying by his side for the remainder of our lives."

Galain bowed. "You shall be missed then, Arya Shadeslayer. But I know that there will be no stopping you."

"Thank you for understanding, King Galain." I said, before releasing the spell and the mirror once again reflected my own face. In this reflection, I thought that I looked as though a burden was being removed from my shoulders, even if it was still present.

I went on to contact Orik, king of the dwarves, King Ithric, ruler of Surda, and Nar Azgor, leader of the Urgals, and told them about my abdication and intentions to leave. Azgor was, surprisingly, reluctant to let me leave, but after I explained that my heart left me no option, he slowly agreed. Ithric was indifferent to my departure, but Orik was more amicable to my decision. "Give mine regards to Eragon, the brother-of-mine-heart."

"Rest assured that I shall, Orik Könungr." I smiled before releasing the spell.

I went to where Fírnen waited for me daily, the Crags of Tel'naeír, and fetched his saddle. "Little one," Fírnen's voice sounded in my mind as I fastened the straps, "you seem happier than I've ever seen you. What is the reason for that?"

"We're leaving." I told him. "We're leaving and not coming back, because we're going to Eragon and Saphira." Fírnen let out a bugle of excitement when he learned that he would be seeing his mate again soon.

We flew to the banks of the Edda River, where the Talíta was waiting to depart, the last of the new Riders and their hatchlings having just finished boarding.

One of the elven children recognized me. He touched the first two fingers of his right hand to his lips. "Atra esterní ono thelduin, Arya Dröttning." he greeted me.

I smiled at him and touched the first two fingers of my right hand to my lips. "Mor'ranr lifa unin hjarta onr." I continued. "But I am not longer Dröttning. I have abdicated the throne and both Fírnen and I mean to accompany this ship to Antaure, but we shall be staying there."

The three weeks it took to get to the island were the longest weeks of my life. But finally, the island city of Antaure was in sight. It took my breath away at first. Eragon had done a splendid job of making it resemble Ellesméra, yet I could see traces of Vroengard in the city before me as well.

As Fírnen leaped into the air, a sheet of sapphire blue fire streaked across the sun. Fírnen answered with his own spurt of emerald green fire. Within seconds, Saphira dove out of the sky. I noticed, with a pang of sorrow in my heart, that she did not carry Eragon.

"It gives me great pleasure to see you again, Arya-Eragon's-love." Saphira projected her thoughts to me. I smiled sadly. So Eragon did still love me, even after two hundred years of separation?

"How is he?" I asked. "Idril reported that he had taken ill."

I could detect Saphira's sadness even before she spoke. "He grows steadily worse. Blödhgarm says it's only a matter of time."

I didn't need to ask what was only a matter of time. "Take me to him." I begged the blue dragon. She agreed heartily and Fírnen followed her to one of the highest towers in the city, which she identified as the healer's residence.

Blödhgarm stood guard at the outside door. He started when he saw me, and then made to begin the traditional greeting, but I held up my hand to stop him.

"I have abdicated the throne to Lord Däthedr and have come to stay." I told him. "Part of the reason for my decision was Idril's news of Eragon's sudden illness. I must see him."

Blödhgarm slightly inclined his head and said nothing more than to tell me where Eragon could be found.

I rushed up the tower steps and into the room where Eragon lay unconscious. Healers were attempting to revive him, but to no avail, and for a moment, I feared the worst. I requested that they leave us for a while and, after some arguing, they left. I crossed over to Eragon's still form and gently lifted him slightly.

"Eragon," I murmured before whispering his true name, the one he told me before we parted ways. His name had not changed, even over two hundred years, and he shivered slightly. That little tremor that ran through his body gave me hope. "Eragon, I'm here." I whispered. "I'll never leave you again." Tears began to make their way down my cheeks, a rarity, since elves tended not to show their emotions. "I now see how foolish I was by refusing to come with you at first. But now I'm here, Eragon. I'm here. Please wake up. Please. Wiol eka."

My consciousness was slipping. It had been slipping every day for two hundred years, ever since Fírnen swooped down to pick up Arya and carry her back to the Alagaësian shore of the Edda River. I knew that I would never see her again, and my heart had broken. Idril had reminded me slightly of Arya; the two had looked nothing alike, but they had the same fire and spirit. The reminder had driven me over the edge, and when Idril prepared to depart, the separation began slowly killing me. I knew that nothing the healers, or Saphira, could do would be able to repair a broken heart. It was only a matter of time before I entered the void.

I had no idea how much time had passed. It could have been days, weeks, or years even, but, after some time, I felt a tremor run through me, a tremor that could only be caused by the utterance of my true name.

Suddenly, I felt myself coming back. Someone was speaking to me, a woman. She sounded as though she were crying. "... I'm here, Eragon." she was saying. "I'm here. Please wake up. Please. Wiol eka."

After a moment, I realized that I recognized that voice. It was Arya! My heart began to heal and the hurt I had harbored for two hundred years started to ebb.

I moved my head and I heard Arya gasp. "Eragon?" she asked, hope coloring her voice.

I felt my strength coming back to me and I managed to whisper "Wiol ono," before finally opening my eyes after so long.

Arya was watching me anxiously. Her green eyes bore into my brown ones, and her raven hair fell over her face like a curtain, secluding us from the world. I noticed that my upper half was slightly raised, and eventually I realized that that was because she was holding me and I blushed slightly.

"Eragon!" she gasped, a smile lighting up her angular features. How often I had seen that smile in my mind, another painful reminder of what I had left behind in Alagaësia.

"Arya?" I asked in disbelief. "Is it really you?"

Her smile grew even wider, if that was even possible. She helped me stand, all the while keeping her emerald gaze trained on me. "I'm really here, Eragon." She murmured. "And this time, I will stay with you."

"Eragon!" Saphira's voice suddenly tore through my mind and I winced.

"Saphira..." I groaned quietly, much to hers and Arya's amusement.

"Can you blame me?" Saphira asked. "Everyone feared that you would pass into the void."

"She's right, Eragon." Arya told me. "When I arrived, you were so still, I feared I had come too late."

I shuddered. "You almost did." I told her. "I was seconds away from entering the void."

Arya gently turned my head and held it there, forcing me to look into the emerald depths of her eyes. The smile was gone, and there was a look of utmost seriousness on her face. "I'm not leaving you ever again." She promised me. "I now see what a fool I was to accept the throne. I've abdicated to Lord Däthedr so that I could stay. I did that because I realize now what I refused to allow myself to acknowledge two hundred years ago... I love you, Eragon Shadeslayer."

Arya froze me in place with her words. She truly did feel the same way towards me as I felt towards her?

I recovered from my shock quickly and gently wrapped my arms around her waist. "I love you, too, Arya Svit-kona. I always have."

Arya's smile returned and I decided to do the one thing I should have done before we parted on the boat: I leaned down and kissed her. She seemed to have been expecting that, because she deepened the kiss, eagerly accepting and returning my feelings for her.

They remained forever beyond the Alagaësian shore. Both of them refused to leave the other ever again, and when a mysterious illness caused Eragon and Saphira to pass into the void nine hundred years after their reunion, Arya's and Fírnen's hearts shattered so violently that they followed immediately after, and even on the plains of the afterlife, beyond any sea, they remained eternally happy.

A/N: Okay, so what did you think? Not entirely terrible, was it?