FSE

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Fírnen stood as noble like as he could as he inspected himself in the mirror, he had spent most of the morning bathing in the stream then polishing his scales. He turned his head this way and that trying to find his best angle but it was all for naught. Sighing he walked away from the mirror, wings drooping slightly and proceeded to flop down on a collection of furs.

The hatch to Arya and his home in the trees opened to reveal the new elf queen climbing through with a collection of scrolls dropping some onto the floor as she closed the hatch

"It's ok, dont get up" she remarked glaring at her dragon. "I know my mother was always busy with ruling but I never anticipated how much paperwork there would be... and today of all days"

"So I was thinking, Maybe it might be best if you met with Eragon and Saphira by yourself" murmured Fírnen through their bond.

"Mhmm" muttered Arya, not really paying attention to her dragon as she set down her scrolls and pulled out a quill.

"I was thinking maybe when I'm a bit bigger, or stronger"

"Mhmm, I understand" Arya said still deep in a scroll.

Noticing that his rider was no longer paying attention he sighed, "I was thinking of maybe when there are other dragons around, like when the eggs they found hatch and grow up. Or like, when the Hadarac desert freezes over"

"mhm, that would be something... Oh by the way, don't forget we are meeting Eragon and Saphira soon, did you polish your scales like I asked"

"Oh yes, I am so excited!" he exclaimed dripping with sarcasm.

Arya finally sensing something was off turned in her chair, "What's wrong Fírnen? I thought you would be excited to meet her, you can basically recite any poem of her by line."

"Its just..... Nothing" he says turning his head to face the window.

Sensing his confliction through their bond, Ayra walked over to him and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Fírnen, You are a fine young dragon, you are smart, resourceful and funny. Saphira is just as wise as she is strong and -"

"Thats what I'm afraid of! All the stories say she is wise and strong, how she out ran the ra'zac as a hatchling, defeated half an army and then battled Thorn on the burning planes, And lets not mention you know... fighting the Mad King and his dragon, even defeated Durza all while being younger than I am now!"

Arya could feel his emotions burning him up. "Fírnen, my Fírnen. What Saphira did for the Varden is historic, worthy of every inch of parchment that the stories are written on. But remember, she is still a dragon, with feelings and fears"

"pfft.... what could a dragon liker her have to fear?"

"Being alone Fírnen. Being alone"

This gave Fírnen pause his head turning back to meet Ayra's Gaze. "Fírnen, After what she has been through, Don't you think she could probably do with a friend? I have spent time with her in the camps between battles when she thinks no one is looking."

"What did you see Arya?"

"When she is ready she may tell you, but remember Fírnen. Not all wounds can be healed with magic, some take time... And some don't at all"

Fírnen felt through their bond brief memories of Arya and Faolin and the pain Arya felt when she lost him.

Trying to change the topic slightly, "...So what should I talk to her about?"

"She is a dragon Fírnen. isn't it obvious? Talk about her, Dragons love it when others talk about them" she says tickling under his jawline

"Pfft, now your just making fun of us" standing up from her to evade her tickling hands

"Oh ok, I still remember seeing you puff up when that bard wrote a sonnet about "The Green Stalker." you were strutting around for weeks"

"Thats not fair I was a lot younger then, it was nice having someone tell a story about me rather than the war"

"My point exactly, You will do fine Fírnen. Just be yourself, there is no one better at being him." she said, leaning against his chest and wrapping her arms around his neck. "and besides, if she doesn't like you she will have to deal with me"

Fírnen wrapped a paw around her pulling her into a hug "Thanks Arya, that means a lot"

"We should probably get going, we are already late" said Arya, extracting herself from his paw. "What! Late? now? I thought we were meeting them in the afternoon!" Said Fírnen getting up onto his feet quickly, his nerves getting then better of him.

"It is the afternoon silly, You cant spend all morning in the stream and then complain that you are running out of daylight!" she said grinning, clearly enjoying his nervous panic.

"But I was thinking I was going to-"

"Fírnen. Stop. Breathe, listen to me. We are going to get your saddle on. Then we are going to go out that window and fly to the meeting spot. Then you are going to land, Not fly away. and meet Saphira. Do you understand"

The list of a plan helped calm his emotions. "Right, Breathe, Saddle, Fly, Land. I can do that, I've done that many times, its easy. Just Fly, Saddle, Land and... Just meet a great big dragoness who has been left waiting who only defeated the mad king and his dragon who doesn't really know that your coming and almost every dragon she has ever met has been trying to kill or capture her did I forget breathing when was that meant to happen--"

Arya slapped his saddle over his shoulders which broke his spiral, the soft fur lined straps providing some security. Arya sensing this didn't hesitate in wrapping the straps around his legs and chest, she could see his chest rising and falling with each panicked breath but noticing his breaths slow down as she tightened his straps. "Just like you said, Saddle, Fly, Land. You can do that"

Fírnen was still staring off out of the opening of the tree house, nostrils flaring with each breath as Arya pulled herself up into the saddle. "Saddle, Fly, Land. I can do that" he repeated to himself as he leapt out the opening green wings spread wide powering them through the air.

The wind passing over his body and the comforting grip of his saddle cleared his mind, skimming the treetops was one of his favorite activities growing up and now was no exception. He started to relax and enjoy the thrill of the branches flying past him, he was in control of the direction he took, he was the one that dictated the speed. Taking a deep breath he could smell the pine trees, the pollen of the flowers and the smell of home. He could see a storm building in the distance but it wouldn't hit until the late afternoon. This was his forest, he knew it better than the back of his paw. When he was younger there were dangers, but now he was stronger and more fierce than anything that lived in HIS forest.

They made good time on their flight however they were already quite a bit later than was arranged. As Fírnen and Arya approached the clearing they could see that Saphira and Eragon were already waiting. Fírnen inhaled and let out his most draconic roar heralding their arrival, birds flew from the trees and Fírnen circled the clearing flaring his wings to slow down. Arya noticed that he spent a bit longer than usual flaring his wings was slowing down too quickly. She knew that he was trying to show off. "Dont stick the landing Fírnen" chuckled Arya. He quickly adjusted his wings, dropping a few feet and landed heavier than he would have liked, his chest touching the ground. Arya quickly dismounted at the lowest point, hoping that her grace could make it look like they planned the heavy landing.

He tried to look majestic while Arya un-tied the straps on his saddle but could help but notice the piercing blue eyes staring at him from across the clearing. Once his harness fell to the ground he did his best to hide his fear but he could hear his heart rapidly beating in his chest, without the tension of his saddle he felt exposed. He felt Aryas hand on his shoulder "Remember, no one is as good at being Fírnen than you. Let me talk to them first and then I will wave you over"

Looking at Saphira the stories did not do her justice, Her blue scales shimmered in the sunlight, her horns elegantly curved, she held herself with confidence and grace, every part of her body was toned, sharp and hardened by war. While Fírnen thought there was nothing in this forest that could hurt him, he KNEW there was nothing that could hurt her. He tried to distract himself by focusing on Arya talk to Eragon. They seemed to talk forever all while Fírnen could feel Saphira's eyes burning into his very soul, eventually Arya turned and waved him over. "Chest out, chin to the horizon" he thought to himself as he tried to walk as confidently as possible across the field towards them.

Saphira watched as Fírnen approached, her Eyes Studying him carefully. She could sense his nerves and could feel her own tensions building in response. As Fírnen drew closer, Saphira snorted in greeting, her tail flicking behind her. Fírnen felt a surge of anxiety wash over him, unsure how to respond. He had never encountered another dragon before and was unsure of the proper etiquette.

When he had joined the group Eragon introduced himself but Fírnen was only paying half attention to him. Saphira stood up, her size significantly larger than Fírnen's and started to circle Fírnen. He noticed her muscles shifting under her scales, her claws razor sharp, her scales were a brilliant blue but now could notice chips and fractures in some, reminders of battles hard won. Her tail was long slender and memorizing, her wings large and powerful, they didnt just move the air they commanded it to do her will.

She circled around him slowly, taking in every detail of his green scales and the way his wings folded neatly against his body.

As she examined him, she noticed the smoothness of his scales, which lacked the scars and battle marks that adorned her own. She also observed that his horns were note as pronounced as hers, and his claws were shorter and less curved.

Saphira felt a sense of uncertainty wash over her as she continued her inspection. Although Fírnen was only a few inches smaller than her, She wondered if he had the strength and courage to face an prey that fought back. She couldn't sense the same strength and experience in him that she had gained through own own trials and battles.

"You appear strong and capable Fírnen" she said carefully. "But I sense a fear and doubt in you which if you are to survive a fight, you must learn to bury"

"I may lack the experience in battle that you have earned Saphira Elder, but I can only hope that I can learn from you. It is an honour to be in your presence, the stories the elves sing of you do not do you justice" he said respectfully bowing, Missing Saphiras jaw clenching.

"Well then, Lets see if your bones are of iron and you have fire in your blood!" Saphira then let out a deafening roar of challenge, signaling the beginning of her test. Flaring her wings she launched into the air with Fírnen closely behind her. Once at a safe height Saphira quickly turned and swooped down towards Fírnen, claws extended and teeth bared.

Fírnen responded quickly, dodging her attack with lightning-fast reflexes. immediately he knew that he was not going to win, he pushed his doubt down inside as best he could and tried to think critically about the situation. He was smaller and lighter than Saphira, so he was more agile, and he tried used his agility to his advantage, darting and weaving in and out of Saphira's reach. This bought him time to think of ways he could strike her back, unfortunately for him Saphira was stronger allowing her to pull very fast turns which meant whenever he tried to chase her she could bank so hard that she ended up behind him forcing him to spiral and loose altitude to evade, She was also incredibly fast in a straight line, every time Fírnen had recovered altitude from one attack he found her preparing for another.

The fight lasted for many minutes, with Saphira getting many hits on Fírnen each one hurting his pride more than his body, while he struggled to land even one on her. He was outmatched in strength, and he knew it, but he refused to back down. He was determined to prove himself, even if it meant taking a few blows. He felt that he was tiring, but she showed no signs of letting up.

Saphira grew more and more frustrated with Fírnen. She had expected him to be stronger and more skilled. but he seemed to be struggling to keep pace with her, she had even left herself open for an attack or two but he didn't seem to notice the opportunities. "Is this really the best that you can do?" she asked as she raced from below him forcing him to tuck a wing in she deliberately missed a strike. As she gained altitude over him she was resigned to the fact that he was no match for her in the sky. Feeling the familiar anger and frustration well up in her she turned and dove straight at him. This time however he was to tired to evade as she had expected, instead he tucked his wings in and dove ahead of her. He could see the forest coming towards them and decided he would try something else to get the upper hand. Taking a deep breath he then tried to breath the largest jet of green flame ahead of him and started to spin. He could feel Saphira gaining on him and her snapping at his tail but he heard her cough, his flame having the desired effect. Saphira loosing focus on his tail realized that she could no longer see ahead of her due to the smoke from his flame. Only a green glow coming from the other side of the smoke haze.

Saphira looked ahead she could just make out his tail tip through the smoke and made some calculations in her head. "Clever, but you failed to realize something. I know how big you are" with a quick flap of her wings she raced to where she thought he his neck should be and snapped with her jaw, unfortunately for Fírnen her calculations were correct, also unfortunately for Fírnen he had rolled over in his spin. Saphiras jaws clamped down not on the hard scales of his neck but the softer scales of his throat. He screamed in agony as he felt her teeth prick into his throat and felt his airway being restricted, with claws extended latched onto her in any way he could, his instincts kicking in and trying to do as much damage as he could. As his flame stopped Saphira quickly realized the multiple errors she had made. She immediately released his throat, looking ahead she could see the ground rapidly approaching. Spreading her wings she tried to disengage with Fírnen, however she felt his claws hooked into her hind legs and chest throwing off her balance. "LET GO! YOU STUPID HATCHLING" she screamed through her mind. She could see the fear and despair in his eyes, he was not acting rationally and was not going to let go. Flaring her wings as wide as she could she tried to slow down, the rapid descent putting excessive strain on her wings, to the point that she felt that her wing membranes may tear. As the trees rushed up to meet them she realized that she couldn't slow them both down fast enough. Angling herself towards a clearing she hoped that the soft ground maybe better than the hard trees, unfortunately with the added weight of Fírnen still latched onto her legs and chest she wasn't going to make it. Looking down at Fírnen she could see he had closed his eyes in fear, blood dripping out of the wounds she had caused him. As they were about to make contact with the treeline Saphira tucked a wing in, spinning them around so she went through the branches of the trees back first, protecting him in her embrace. She felt the stinging of the branches as they whipped her back and wings then suddenly she felt an incredible pain in one of her wings as it struck a tree. They continued to fall until impacting on the ground, Saphira flinched as she felt Fírnen bounce out of her grasp, his claws rending her scales as they ripped out. They both rolled a few times across the clearing before coming to a stop.

Fírnen was up first, noticing the large blue dragon slowly rising to her feat, one wing drooping un-naturally low on the ground. He knew that he had made a grave mistake by not letting go. she turned to him, eyes staring into him making him feel like prey. "YOU FOOL!, WHY DIDNT YOU JUST LET GO!" she roared through their link. "You could have killed us both with your idiotic, stupid, foolish, -gah". she snapped her mouth closed and paced around the clearing trying to control her breathing.

Fírnen hung his head in shame, feeling a deep sense of regret for his actions. He had not meant to cause harm, but he had let his fear get the better of him as a result her wing was damaged and was bleeding from where his claws had latched on. "I'm sorry Saphira, I got scared-"

"SCARED! DRAGONS DO NOT GET SCARED! WE ARE THE APEX PREDITORS, WE OWN THE SKY, WE OWN THE NIGHT, PREY GET SCARED, WHAT ARE YOU? PREY?" She snorted disapprovingly and continued pacing. "Now we are lost in this cursed forest with a wing that wont work, How is it that I can go through an entire war against the kings whole empire, his dragon, Thorn and the Ra'zac and not injure a wing. But one little play fight against a hatchling and now loook at me" Saphira continued to pace her balance off due to her unresponsive wing which was being dragged on the ground. She stubbed her hurt wing on a boulder and yowled. Turning to the boulder she released a torrent of flame, trying to vent her frustrations at it. The rock started to glow red and then white before it turned into slag and was slung across the clearing. Clamping her jaws shut she let out a grunt. Turning back to Fírnen she could see that he looked terrified, he had put himself so a large oak tree was between him and her. Sighing she closed her eyes and took a deep breath "be a calm morning stream, don't make ripples you cant control" she thought to herself trying to compose herself but failed to shut him out of her mind.

"Its a lake" muttered Fírnen through their bond.

Saphiras eyes snapped open and stared at him "what did you say?"

"Its a lake, you said "be a calm morning stream" but its "be a calm morning lake, dont make ripples you cant control"

Saphria paused nostrils still flaring, her blue eyes bearing down into his amber ones until he looked down at his feet. "Fírnen, your right yes." Saphira admitted calming down. "But a word of advice, Dont correct a dragoness with semantics" she chuckled which helped put him at ease. "its ok you can come out from behind that tree, it wouldn't protect you anyway" She smiled.

"Can I take a look at your wing?" he asked as he approached her. She extended it as far as she could and he looked over it with a critical eye, nuzzling each part of it from her shoulder to the tips. Saphria felt un-easy having another dragon touch her. "Its not broken" he concluded "but your in no state to fly. There is a storm coming, if we walked I dont think we would be able to make it back before it hit. I could fly ahead but I'm not sure if I would make it back in time either.

Not wanting to explain the situation to Eragon just yet she sighed "So I guess we should find shelter then".

Fírnen looked around the clearing to get his bearings, "I know of a decent cave not far from here. Its only a short walk and after everything that has happened today I don't want you to get wet." he said, perhaps this could be his chance to show her how useful he could be.

Saphira chuckled inside thinking about what he said without realizing. "Sure Fírnen, lead on" As she started to walk she flinched as he wing dragged on the ground.

"Saphira, please let me help. Put your wing on my back, I dont want you hurting it further"

Saphira gingerly let him under her wing and gasped as he took the weight of it, it wasn't comfortable but was a lot better than dragging it. They slowly made their way from the clearing towards a ridgeline nearby. "How is your neck?"

"Its fine, it would take a bit more to then that to hurt me" he said trying to sound brave

"uh-huh" Saphira mused. "So tell me Fírnen, is this a normal plan that drakes do to bring a ness back to their cave?"

Fírnen stumbled slightly cheeks going a tint of red. "uh-um, no that wasn't what, I. Uh. I swear I had no intentions of-"

"Its ok, im only teasing." Saphira chuckled

They continued for a while before Fírnen retorted "Although when everyone was saying you may take me under your wing, I didn't know this is what they meant"

Saphira snorted a laugh "No Fírnen, I dont think this is what they meant either."

As they continued they could hear the sounds of thunder and rain approaching, Fírnen reassured her that they were not far away. Saphira was curious as to what another dragons cave may include.

To be continued...

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