HEEEEEYYY! ... seems that last chapter got some thing building and showing what is possibly going to happen... Seems that the relationship between Eragon and Saphira has begun... slightly...

Looks like the future holds something quite terrible for our hero's... but what could it possibly be?

... Barzul (Ill fate) ...

Dawn came rather quickly and woke Saphira from a rather peaceful sleep and an interesting dream. She opened her eyes and blinked slightly. She looked to where Eragon was nestled against her side and was glad that he was still safe. She twisted her head around and nuzzled his chest and licked his cheek. He only shifted slightly at the contact.

Saphira smiled at this before looking around. They were in a cave and a waterfall could be heard close by as the falling water crashed against the stones. As for the cave itself, it was empty, there was nothing in it at all. Yet she distinctly remembered there being an old man in this very cave and there being a stone table, books, and several other things in the cave as well. She would have started panicking had it not been for one thing... or person. She looked at Eragon again and he was STILL asleep. She shook her head and nudged the side of his head.

"Wake my mate... " Saphira said staring down at Eragon.

No sooner had she said it he opened his eyes and was staring into hers. He laid there on his back staring into Saphira's deep sapphire eyes and seemed to be lost as he continued to stare. As he did he saw the same glint in her eyes as he had when they arrived on the beach. He couldn't figure out what it meant, but at the moment he felt a surge, of what could only be explained as fire, through his body as he stroked the side of her face. He also scratched the ridge above her right eye and only smiled as he heard her make a sound that he had never heard from her before. It was much like the sound of purring combined with a content growl.

When he stopped she smiled and nuzzled his chest again before resting her head gently on his chest. Eragon smiled yet was curious as to why she was acting so strange suddenly. He shook his head slightly and closed his eyes for a bit to figure out what was going on when something came to his mind.

"Saphira... Would you like it if I were to end up becoming a dragon?" Eragon said aloud not realizing what he had just said.

Saphira opened her eyes and stared at Eragon for a moment as if contemplating her answer, with a smile she licked his face and answered him.

"Yes, and I would grant you such permission if need be." Saphira smiled more and nuzzled the side of his face.

For some reason Saphira's answer made him happy and he smiled even more so as he returned the gesture of affection. He then got to his feet and hugged her neck for a moment and said, "We should get going the others might be worried about us."

"I was thinking that we could explore this new land for a bit while they catch up. Don't worry we can inform Glaedr and the others what we are doing." Saphira told Eragon as she too got to her feet. "Tell me Eragon. What are your feelings towards me?"

Saphira's sudden question almost caught Eragon off guard and he nearly faltered in his step as he walked to the entrance of the cave. "Well, Saphira, To say 'I love you' wouldn't be enough to say how much you mean to me or how much I care about you."

Eragon's answer was true but it confused Saphira a bit as they left the cave. Eragon got on Saphira's back and with a powerful thrust of her wings she leaped into the air and they began flying over the landscape finding valley's, forests, hills, and plains. In the far distance they could see mountains rising to the heavens. As they continued their flight they watched as the land flowed from plains to hills to a vast forest that had a river flowing through it. This land was vastly different than Alagaesia. Where as Alagaesia was mostly plains and hills this land had an elegant mix of different terrain types.

It was all quite beautiful to them and Saphira was enjoying it just as much as Eragon was. They were happy and were quite convinced.

"This is where we belong. Here in this new land living free to do as we desire with nothing to trouble us." Eragon said to which he got agreement from Saphira

"This land is beautiful. I feel as though this is where we are meant to be. As if we were meant to be here from the very beginning." Saphira said as she banked hard to the left causing Eragon to hold on tighter, to which he let out a joyous laugh.

"Sometimes I wish I could fly as you do." Eragon said with a smile while laying against Saphira's neck so as to cut down the wind battering against his face.

"I wish it too sometimes." Saphira said as she felt her heart suddenly jolt with pure joy. Her desire for Eragon to be her mate was becoming greater but she would have to wait until he became a full dragon. Then and only then would she express her feelings to him and wait for his response. She would hope that he would return her feelings and judging from the way he had been acting of late she was certain that he would return them ten fold.

As they continued their flight they flew over a lake to which Saphira got a mischievous smile on her face as she banked hard to turn around. They were nearing the lake again and she dove for it but slowed down enough before just splashing down into the lake. Eragon gasped as the cold water hit him but he managed to get air into his lungs before he went under water. Saphira rose to the surface of the lake so that Eragon could get a decent breath of air.

"Thanks. I needed that." Eragon said with a smile. "and so did you considering how fast you aimed for the lake."

Saphira playfully growled at Eragon before gripping the back of his shirt with her teeth as she gently tossed him into the water. He rose back up sputtering and wiped the water from his face and laughed. He was grinning from ear to ear it seemed as Saphira faked being offended. To which he splashed her with water causing her to shield her face. She retaliated by splashing water back at Eragon with her wings. He dove under the water to evade.

"That's cheating." Saphira said as if to accuse him.

"It's not cheating if there were no rules placed." Eragon countered. Saphira had to agree as there had been no rules set prior to.

As Eragon was under the water though he saw something shimmer at the bottom of the lake. As he looked he knew that he could not swim all the way down to get it. Instead he swam back to the surface of the lake and emerged from beneath the water. He looked to where he saw the object and spoke the right words in the ancient language so that the object would rise to his hand.

The object rose up from the bottom of the lake and into Eragons hand. He looked at it with curiosity. The object was a gold ring, but the design of it was unusual. It was two dragon, one silver, the other sapphire with their tails intertwined together. There was something else more unusual about the ring aside from the design, it looked to be two different rings put together. This was not what interested him. What interested him was the fact that both dragons were missing something. That something was the jewel that would have rested in the spot where their hearts would have been.

He contemplated the ring further before Saphira came over to investigate what he was looking at. Once she saw the ring she almost froze as her heart skipped a beat. The ring was a beautiful object that seemed untainted by anything but it was missing the single important object that would bind it for good. The jewel that would set at the heart of both dragons.

A moment later Eragon put the ring away in one of his pockets. Before he turned around though Saphira had already dove beneath the water and was already about to "attack" and "attack" she did. She rose up fast enough that the water swelled pushing Eragon to the side but when she rose he got splashed by a wave of water as it crashed over him.

When he cleared his vision he saw Saphira swim away from him in such a manner that his breath caught for a moment before he began swimming towards her. He was not sure what was going on with him but at the moment. He wanted to find out but he figured that Saphira would reveal it to him some time or another. Upon getting on her back he shook his head just as she flapped her wings a few times to rise from the lake and into the air. The wind whipped past them swiftly as they returned to the cave they had stayed in the night before.

It was here that they told the Eldunari about what they were doing.

"Glaedr-elda, Tell blodgharm and the others that we are exploring the new land during the time it will take for the ship to arrive." Eragon said

"I shall do so Eragon-Shadeslayer." Glaedr said. It was quite simple but there was a separate conversation going on afterwards.

Saphira was talking with the Eldunari about her dreams, about the prophecy in the book, and about her growing love towards Eragon.

"Be cautious young one. His feelings may not be the same. We will not stop you from pursuing him but be fore warned that he may not return your feelings." Glaedr said with wisdom filling his words.

"I understand and I shall be careful." Saphira said before laying down next to Eragon. She hummed lightly to her self and wondered what she could do to show more of her affection towards Eragon. She laid her head down next to his as she draped her wing over him and began to drift off to sleep. As she did she began humming a small tune that was actually quite important to her. The tune expressed both cherished love as well as a deep longing. It was a tune that was meant to pierce to the heart of the one to whom it was sung to.

As she was about to close her eyes she saw a tear glisten on Eragon's cheek. She looked at the glimmering drop of water and finally closed her eyes only to hear the song suddenly echo back to her but only with Eragon's tone. She was stunned at this and figured that he did not realize what he was doing. She only smiled as she listened to the song before drifting off to sleep. Her heart was racing as she understood the deeper meaning of the echoed tune.

Eragon desired to be a dragon for a reason unknown to him but it also echoed that he wanted for Saphira to be happy. She smiled deeply and pleasantly before sleep over took her.

Done with this chapter... finally... sorry I may not be living up to expectations at all... my muse for writing is slowly coming back to me (agonizingly slow but still) Hope you readers liked this chapter... It was slow *very slow* but focused on the relationship that is building between Saphira and Eragon...