It was time to settle the debate once and for all, do dragons really speak? I still maintained that they could speak but only telepathically. The others were insisting that dragons were not capable of rational thought let alone speech. The only logical way to settle the debate I argued was to actually speak to the dragon that was currently in camp, Saphira. For some reason the others had balked at actually going up to a dragon and asking her if she could talk. I had announced that if the others were such pansies then fine, I would go ask her myself. The others had laughed at me and called me crazy and told me that I would never go through with it. Of course this had made me even more determined.

I waited until I knew for sure that Nasuada had called Eragon in so he could give her a report and then I calmly made my way to where Saphira was. Was I nervous? Yes. Excited? Also a yes. I had a small blank stack of papers stitched together in a makeshift book clutched in my hands for note taking purposes. As I got closer I could see the sunlight reflecting off her blue scales and throwing an arc of light around her body. I approached with my head held high and tried not to show any fear. I stopped in front of her with my book clutched to my chest for psychological comfort and then stopped. I decided to just get it over with and go with the direct approach.

"Hello." I said with more confidence than I currently had at the moment. But if Court had taught me anything it was how to fake confidence, otherwise the vultures would descend and pick you clean. I had seen it happen to a few others, it was never a pretty sight.

One blue eye opened and looked at me with lazy curiosity.

"My name is Raisa and I have a question for you."

Both eyes were open now and looking at me with considerably more interest than a few seconds before.

"This is going to sound impertinent but I swear that I don't mean for it to sound that way it's just that there is no polite way to phrase this question."

She blew a puff of smoke and I got the impression that she was saying, well get on with it then.

"Can you speak? Telepathically I mean. Because if you could talk out loud I would have known about it as soon as it happened and there are some people who under the impression that you are a dumb animal and I said that it was a stupid assumption to make because of the bond between Rider and dragon and why would there be a bond if you couldn't communicate in some way?" I took in a deep breath in at the end of my long rambling question as I had not really stopped to breathe.

She blinked slowly and I got the impression that she was amused.

"Oh, and I give you permission to speak directly to my mind to answer my question and if you don't I guess that's my answer." I said with a shrug.

I can speak young one. I could hear the amusement in her voice.

"I knew it!" My voice was triumphant. I then settled myself down on the ground and made good use of a nearby rock for a hard writing surface. I had many more questions I wanted to ask her.

"Do you shed your skin like a snake?"

No. she sounded offended that I was comparing her to a snake of all creatures.

"Well it is an honest question! Your scales look very snake like but prettier and shinier." I offered. "Next question, how do you see? Your eyes are slitted like a cat's eye, does that mean you have better night vision than a human?"

Yes, I have far better vision than a human at night and during the day. Your eyesight is…limited.

And so the questions went one. I paid attention not only to her words but also to her facial expressions. Or what I could discern of her facial expressions. My writing became progressively messier as I hurried to get all of the information down. I looked up at the sun and nearly jumped in surprise. It was later than I thought.

"I have to go, otherwise I am going to be late." I explained as I stood up and shook the dirt from my skirt.

Young one, you may come back tomorrow if you wish.

"I will be back." I promised and merrily went on my way practically buzzing with excitement. My sister Isodele would be especially excited by this information. She had been sentenced to bed rest after making a miraculous recovery from a thought to be fatal illness. She was mostly better now and going out of her mind with boredom. She had read all of the books we had brought with us and had resorted to counting the individual threads in the tent she was so bored.

"Issy, you'll never guess what happened!"

She was sitting propped up with a few spare pillows when she turned her head to look at me.

"Well, guess." I said with a laugh as I plopped down on a nearby stool.

"The king asked you to marry him?"

"A real guess Issy, not a fairytale."

"I don't know, why you don't you tell me?" She had a gentle smile on her face.

"I talked with Saphira!"

"The dragon?" She gasped.

"No, the princess! Of course the dragon."

"She can talk? I knew it! Tell me everything." She demanded.

I got comfortable and told her the whole story concluding with "And she said I could come back tomorrow!"

"Oh that is so exciting, I have so many questions."

"I know, and I remember you pestering father for answers when your tutors only explained that there had once been dragons."

They were extremely unclear. They didn't even talk about their culture or their political structure which is important when trying to understand a society."

"I believe you scared away those particular tutors with all of your questions." I teased.

She scowled. "I can't help it if they are not used to girls asking questions."

"Our father is a scholar Issy, he raised us very differently from the other Nobles."

She rolled her eyes once and changed the subject. Night came and I went to bed excited for the next day, I finally had something exciting to look forward to.

The next three weeks were some of the strangest of my life. I had my lessons, visited with my sister, and then depending on what Nasuada's maid Farica said about Eragon's whereabouts, went to visit with Saphira. Our conversations slowly morphed form me asking her a question and her answering it, to games of riddles and just simply talking to each other. It was during week two that one particular conversation firmly divided my life into the before and after, though I did not know it at the time.

There are people who are looking at you strangely for seemingly carrying on a conversation with yourself.

"Who cares if they stare?"

We would have more privacy if you did not speak out loud.

"What should I do instead? I don't have a single drop of magic in me, isn't that required for mind to mind conversations?"

Only one needs magic for it to work.

"What are you suggesting?"

I can teach you to speak with me mind to mind.

"Well how does that work?"

Instead of speaking with your mouth, speak with your mind and direct your thought to me.

I gave her a blank look in response.

Open your mind more and push the thought my way.

Push the thought her way? Hello? I thought tentatively.

I can hear you.

This is amazing! I could feel more of her emotions when I communicated this way. It was hard at first but as the weeks went on I became much better at it and could communicate with her at longer distances.

After the first few days Saphira switched to a nocturnal schedule because of scouting missions. So I began to visit her an hour or so before dusk and then left. For the first week, I bought it and then I became suspicious. How many times does it take to scout the same piece of land? With careful questioning of Farica and gentle prodding of Saphira, combined with the gossip I heard floating around, a picture began to form. An Urgal leader had left around the same time as these nocturnal scouting missions had started and then reappeared about a week and a half later. Eragon had only been spotted briefly when he and Saphira left and when they came back. He didn't visit his cousin anymore or talk with Nasuada regularly. I was frowning on my way to meet with Saphira, puzzling over the information. I kept turning it over in my mind and I felt like I was missing something, something that would make everything make sense. I shrugged it off and celebrated the fact that my sister had been up and walking for a whole hour.

Saphira. I greeted her, My sister is up and walking again! The healers had to force her to lay down again.

That is good news Raisa.

She was happy for me but there was an undercurrent of moodiness that I had noticed for these last three weeks. Since she did not have a cycle like a human women, I was at a loss to describe it when I had an epiphany. The mental bond between dragon and Rider was strong and if it was severed by distance, it made them twitchy for lack of a better word. They did not like not knowing the well-being of their Rider. Then I began to piece together the Urgal's sudden departure and arrival. Why no one had actually talked to Eragon or really seen him in weeks.

Saphira. I began hesitantly. Is Eragon really here? Or has he left?

She looked at me sharply and suddenly I remembered that Saphira is very much a dragon and behaves differently than a human.

No, he is not.

Where is he?

There was silence.

You don't have to tell me, I'm just glad I figured out why you have been so moody lately.

I have not been moody! A dragon does not get moody.

I laughed and switched topics. A few days later Saphira just left with no explanation. I hunted down Farica to get some answers from her. With some reluctance she told me, reasoning that it couldn't hurt anything if I knew since it had already happened. Of course it had to be dwarven politics. Over a week passed before Saphira and Eragon got back and in that time Issy was walking around and now riding a horse.

There was a celebration in honor of the new Dwarf king and I could practically smell the alcohol in the air. I slipped out at the first opportunity, with my hand on my dagger just in case. All seemed to be clear and I relaxed slightly before I heard lumbering footsteps behind me. I started to walk faster and altered my path so I would run into Saphira, hopefully a dragon would scare them off. If a dragon did not, then they were stupid and probably drunk. My hand tightened around the hilt as I heard three pairs of footsteps and loud laughter. I relaxed some but continued to walk.

"What's the hurry sweetheart?" I turned to face the men and could smell the alcohol on their breath.

"Leave me alone." I warned.

"Ah you don't mean that." The other said with a leer and took a step closer.

I searched for Saphira's conscious and called for help. I pulled out my dagger and held it in a defensive position. "Stay back." I hissed.

They laughed and stumbled forward. "I'm warning you."

"She's got fire in her, I like that."

That did it. I slashed and left a nice clean deep slice from the corner of his eye to the edge of his jaw.

"You little!" They lunged as one and I was extremely lucky that they were drunk, otherwise I would not have stood a chance.

My hand was slippery with blood now and I took a step back and collided with someone. I jumped forward and to the side. There was a fourth one? He grabbed my wrist and whispered gently "Easy." He released me and made quick work of the three men. I squinted in the dark to try to make out the face of my rescuer.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes. But who…" I trailed off as he stepped closer and I was able to make out his face. "Eragon."

"Yes, and you must be Raisa."

And that was how I officially met Eragon Shadeslayer.

A/N This was originally intended as a one-shot but if I get enough people wanting me to continue this I could turn it into a multi-chapter story.