It was the middle of the afternoon when the Varden was finally visible from the ground, a continent of tents and humans amid the sea around it, the island of the Urgals' camp beside it, all nestled in the crook of the Jiet River. Two of the many patrols spotted them and sounded horns, galloping at full speed towards them as the three in the air dove down towards the army, a few skeletons on Blasters rising up to meet them as a larger winged one rose up from the tents, heading over.

Endogeny started panting with excitement, frothing as Eragon laughed.
"We made it! Murtagh, Thorn, hundreds of soldiers, Galbatorix's pet magicians, the Ra'zac- none of them could catch us. Ha! How's that for taunting the king? This'll tweak his beard for sure when he hears of it."

"He'll be twice as dangerous then." Arya replied cautiously.
"I know." His grin widened. "Maybe he'll get so angry, he'll forget to pay his troops and they will all throw away their uniforms and join the Varden."

"You are in fine fettle today."
"And why shouldn't I be?" Eragon answered, bouncing in place as he called to Saphira. Endogeny circled him and Arya excitedly, Toby suddenly appearing above them and dropping onto their back. The amalgam didn't so much as flinch, only turning to sniff at him with loud huffs that blew his fur around.

The dog hopped off and bounded around them as the group waited, yipping once as Error appeared with a louder than usual glitch. "Welcome back." He addressed the Rider and elf, then facing the others.
"Toby."

The dog slowed down, gazing up at the god of destruction with one paw hanging in the air, panting and displaying a huge dog smile as his tail wagged furiously. Endogeny chose that moment to lurch forward, sniffing Error wildly, only jolt back in surprise with a bark.

He peered at them cautiously, the dog amalgamate cocking their head to the side, ears flopping around. They pawed at his shirt, the glitch backing away. "Don't touch me. Please."
There was a pause as they seemed to speak internally.
"I know."

As soon as he said that, Endogeny leapt up and down, barking excitedly. Error just rolled his eyelights, looking away. "Don't make a scene about it." He grumbled, avoiding the dog amalgam.
"What is it?" Eragon asked.
"They know about Fresh, is all." He muttered irritably.
"How?"
"They can smell him."

There was a pause, Eragon smiling while still looking confused, then studying the sky in search of Saphira.

All of a sudden, said dragon erupted from the clouds above them, roaring joyously as she circled down to land, spewing flames in a trail behind her, becoming a gleaming gem of blue beneath their vibrant radiance in the process.
The horses that had been pounding full speed towards them shied, neighing in terror as the riders struggled with reining them in, charging the other way.

"I had hoped we could enter the camp without attracting undue attention, but I suppose I should have realized we could not be unobtrusive with Saphira around. A dragon is hard to ignore." Arya said while watching the sight, Endogeny paralyzed with awe.
I heard that. Said dragon spoke while opening her wings to slow her fall and landing with a tremendous crash, ecstatic to see Eragon once more as he grinned at her.

I can be stealthy if I want. She tilted her head to the side, tail swishing not unlike a cat's as she continued. But I don't want to be stealthy today! Today I am a dragon, not a frightened pigeon trying to avoid being seen by a hunting falcon.

Eragon ran over to her, bounding up from her leg to shoulder and finally to the spot between her shoulders, where he hugged her neck, smiling contentedly. The dragon hummed as GB finally swooped over them, landing behind her after Blue vaulted off of him and landed with a roll, pretending he didn't stop his fall with a brief use of blue magic.

In the pause while they all regarded each other, Arya finally greeted Saphira, the dragon reaching over and touching her about to the elf's forehead, speaking a blessing.
Greetings, älfa-kona. Welcome, and may the wind rise under your wings. She said with a certain warmth not heard often in her voice.
I am grateful to you for helping Eragon and the Twins to return without harm. If he had been captured, I do not know what I would have done!

"Your gratitude means much to me." The elf responded, bowing. "As for what you would have done if Galbatorix had seized Eragon, why, you would have rescued him, and I would have accompanied you, even if it was to Urû'baen itself."

Yes, I like to think I would have rescued you, Eragon. She said, turning to gaze at her Rider fondly.
But I worry that I would have surrendered to the Empire in order to save you, no matter the consequences for Alagaësia.

As GB came up and touched his snout to the side of her head, Saphira shook herself out of her thoughts, regarding him before continuing.
Ah, these are pointless meanderings. You are here and safe, and that is the true shape of the world. To while away the day contemplating evils that might have been is to poison the happiness we already have….

By now, the patrol arrived, slowing to a stop thirty yards off due to the frightened steeds as they asked if they could escort them to Nasuada.
They accepted, one dismounting so that Arya could ride.

With this, they all started off, Saphira setting the pace for them all with a slow crawl so that she and Eragon could enjoy each other's company. Error seemed disinterested in this, choosing to teleport himself, Endogeny and Toby off to who knows where, leaving Blue and GB to chat with the others, Saphira, Eragon and Arya.

For the most part, the dragon and Rider chose to keep to themselves, talking privately. This left Arya, who herself spoke little. The pair didn't really mind, GB choosing to remain silent as well while Blue went on about developments that had happened during Eragon's absence, the human listening with a slight smile as a crowd began to gather around them.

The crowd just continued to swell with more and more followers, growing into quite the impressive din as they walked. Blue decided to stop talking when it got uncomfortably loud, so much so that even his own loud voice was faint amid the noise.

A few minutes later, Eragon hurriedly made himself as presentable as he could, not long after which twelve elves arrived and introduced themselves, Blödhgarm still being the most notable out of them due to his oddly monstrous appearance. They asked to assume their positions as his guardians as well, Blue unable to resist beaming as Eragon and Saphira gave their permission.

"Blödhgarm-vodhr," Eragon then started. "Did I perchance see you at the Agaetí Blödhren?"
The elf smiled. "I believe you met my cousin Liotha. We share a most striking resemblance, although her fur is brown and flecked, whereas mine is a dark blue."
"I would have sworn it was you."

"Unfortunately, I was otherwise engaged at the time and was unable to attend the celebration. Perhaps I shall have the opportunity when next the occasion comes, a hundred years from now."

They continued on to the tents, to which what appeared to be half the Varden showed up to crowd around the dragons, all shouting to be heard over one another, calling out names such as "Argetlam", "Shadeslayer", even "Bane of the Ra'zac"- to which Eragon was beyond pleased to hear.

Other than that, all manner of people cried out to him, asking how he was, where he'd been, offer him gold, jewelry, money, or beg for help and healing or mending, really, anything. From someone who was dying to something as petty as fixing a tool.
With all of this, Eragon hesitantly spoke to the masses, answering questions, declining offers, and politely refusing assistance due to being unable to help them all.

But when the people of Carvahall emerged from the tents, Eragon hopped off of Saphira and greeted them directly, glad to see them once again as he laughed at jokes only they had the context of.
One woman, tough and yet unbroken, approached and thanked him respectfully, only for the crowd to pull them apart before he could respond.
The strange thing about it was the look on his face after, something of disgust and self-loathing.

Then Roran appeared, Katrina at his side. The cousins hugged roughly, having a brief discussion before Blue finally pushed his way through, grinning. Only those that knew him well could recognize how forced it was, the cheerful one greeting the couple kindly before Eragon kissed them both upon the brow, giving the two his blessings, to which Roran offered his own, Eragon nodding in return.

With this, they continued on, leaving Roran and Katrina behind as they approached the red pavilion that was the command center of the army, to which they arrived, Nasuada waiting in a bright, shimmering emerald dress, Nightmare and Dream having split apart at last to stand at her right, Orrin on the left with his usual ungodly number of nobles accompanying him, far outnumbering the amount of the Wyrdaí Islingrya standing to her left, all of them surrounded by guards.

After everyone had presented themselves to one another and been welcomed, Nasuada spoke up to the crowd.
"Aye, Galbatorix may have a Rider and dragon who fight for him even as Eragon, Saphira, Blue and GB fight for us. He may have an army so large that it darkens the land. And he may be adept at strange and terrible magics, abominations of the spellcaster's art. But for all his wicked power, he could not stop Eragon, Saphira and our very own allied gods of other worlds from invading his realm and and killing four of his most favored servants, nor Eragon from crossing the Empire with impunity. The pretender's arm has grown weak indeed when he cannot defend his borders, nor protect his foul agents within their hidden fortress."

The crowd roared, so incredibly loud that several skeletons cringed at the noise, Blue's grin growing ever more forced as a slight whine escaped him.

As it grew tolerable again, Orrin greeted Eragon as well, his speech drawing far less of a response than the leader of the Varden. With this, Blue also politely addressed the crowd, glancing at Eragon as the crowd called back with a roar somewhere between the level of Orrin's speech and Nasuada's, when all he had done was mention how all races within Alagaësia, no matter what flag or kingdom they answered to, had united in the Varden to overthrow a dark, evil tyrant, even gods.

To this, it came Eragon's turn to address the raving masses.
He froze.

Well shit, looks like he has stage fright.