The city fell shortly after the Varden infiltrated the walls and their only three sorcerers had been slain. Eragon was glad when, shortly after his encounter with Arya, Saphira swooped in and he was able to spend the rest of the fight on her back. Now, he was able to think out his conflicting thoughts, only having to make a few more kills. He had been a monster bent on revenge, and now looking back, it worried him greatly.

Once the city was taken, and the prisoners taken into custody, Eragon had to come off Saphira's back and contribute to the work to prepare the city. Nasuada had already told him his job in the efforts long before. He would walk among the men as they worked, maybe stop and exchange a few words, to lift the moral of everyone working. He was also to help out a little bit here and there to show everyone that he was working too in order to make everyone work harder and faster knowing their rider was putting in his effort.

It was when he was removing leftover rubble that she came. Eragon was becoming frustrated as he tried to make a particularly large piece of stone, and that wasn't the reason he was frustrated. He couldn't believe he had let himself go and forgotten his moral and consciousness for that span of time. How many lives could have been saved if he had allowed them to surrender? And at the touch of a hand on his shoulder, he was snapped back into his mind and staring into the bright purple eyes of a small girl.

"Elva", he says quietly, unconsciously placing his mental barriers up around his mind.

"Hello Eragon", she says, not showing any emotions to betray her motives for seeking him out. This did nothing but make him more cautious.

"What can I do for you?", he asks after she says nothing more. Her sly smile is what he gets in return before she answers.

"Nothing. The question is, what can I do for you?"

This brings him up short, but he doesn't get to answer as she continues.

"I can tell how you are feeling Eragon. You all off people should know this, and how it affects me. Not only does it affect me, it affects you and, in turn, the whole Varden. I have no real love for anyone here, but if we are going to win this war, the Varden needs you fighting the empire, not yourself."

He had expected her words to make everything he was worrying about go away, but was surprised and shocked to find that they had little effect on him. At his puzzled expression Elva laughs a cold laugh that should never come out of the mouth of one so small.

"You think I am going to solve all your problems? No, I pointed you in the right direction now you can figure it out for yourself. Even though it kills me not to help you, it's worth it to watch you struggle."

And with that she flips her raven black hair and stalks away, he cold laugh still hanging in the air around him. Eragon turns to go back to his work, when he is face to face with another pair of strange colored eyes. Silver this time.

'I must learn to keep a better eye on her', Leora says following Elva's every move until she is out of sight.

Chuckling darkly, Eragon mumbles, 'if I had a crown for every time I heard that....'

'What did she want?', she asks crouching down.

Sighing, he recounts his short, yet affecting conversation with Elva. Every word seemed to stick in his mind, as if hiding a deeper meaning in each letter. Leora says nothing until Eragon finishes with his story, to which she replies with a frustrated growl, her eyes swimming with different emotions.

'She's right about the Varden needing you, but something about that whole encounter makes my scales itch and I can't figure out why.... Just keep your eyes open because something isn't right here', Leora says ominously.

'What do you expect my to do? Walk around blind?', he teases, his previous attitude starting to return to pester her.

She does not seem even the slight bit amused as she fixes him with a look that would cause most to run away. 'I'm serious Eragon', she says in a worried voice, 'I can't place why I am feeling this way but it cannot be good. Something is going on that you, and possibly Saphira and I, should be worried about. Just be careful.'

'You've been talking to Saphira too much', Eragon replies, trying for one last time to lighten the mood.

It seems to work a little as she shoots out a puff of smoke, but her comment takes him off guard, 'she's kept you alive though, hasn't she?'

'Aye, I guess she has', he says, climbing onto her back, deciding to move to another place of the city to put in his effort.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

AN: HI GUYS IM SORRY FOR THE SHORT CHAPTER, I USUALLY TRY TO MAKE IT DOUBLE THIS SIZE, BUT I AM HAVING A BIT OF WRITERS BLOCK ON THIS STORY AT THE MOMENT SO I DECIDED TO PUBLISH A HALF IMPORTANT HALF FILLER CHAPTER INSTEAD OF SKIPPING OVER THIS STORY IN THE SCEDULE!!!!!!! PLEASE, IF YOU WANT MORE EXCITING AND LONGER CHAPTERS.......

READ/COMMENT/VOTE!!!!!

THANKA YOUUU

~Bert

P.s. Up to 1.23K reads! Just wanted to thank everyone so much for the support of comments and votes. I can't tell you how much this means to me..... I really can't :) sooooo thank you, thank you, thank you! I know this is getting long but I just feel like this doesn't show how appreciative I am of all your guys support of me doing what I love! So thanks for EVERYTHING!!!!!!!! Keep reading/commenting/voting! Thanks.... Again :D