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I want to apologize on how long it took for me to write this chapter. No the story is not dead.

I have been dealing with some very bad emotional garbage IRL;. combined with an abusive alcoholic mother. Seasonal depression, all starting well before October 17. I want to thank all my subscribers Old and New for hanging in there with me while I deal with RL garbage, which is still very much going on, so it has put a severe dampen on my creativity for this story. My mother is of the opinion that I should be at her beck and call. And that anything she wants me to do I should do so with happy happy joy joy attitude and the slightest hint I don't want to do what she wants is taken with offense and rage.

And I am sorry but the above was the biggest issue. But also I couldn't figure out how or what to Write for this chapter. I think I have broken the Writer's block.

Rise of the dragons

Chapter 23

Boiling Point

With the approach of the Bloodoath Celebration. Leonde had become incredibly withdrawn, which was a good thing. Considering what happened with Vanir three weeks prior, The loss of the Elder Scrolls, and effectively trapping him in their world. Leonde's attitude had gone from improving to fairly terrible and short tempered when dealing with the Elves. Thankfully he had sequestered himself outside of the city, gathering his supplies and belongings up and relocating outside the City in the deeper forest.

Worse of all his lessons directed to Murtagh and Eragon had been much harsher more brutal. Using the situation in the Soul Cairn as an example of him being manipulated by the elves. For right now Eragon and Murtagh were being trained by Leonde, Vanir having lost his sight, his ability to touch minds, even his magic was gone due to his reading of the Elder scroll. The Lessons were one of Combat, Solving riddles, puzzles. Leonde had also been doing his best to isolate Murtagh and Eragon from the elves even Arya and Oromis. And the fact that Arya, Oromis and Leonde had had a private conversation a few days later.

Saphira, Thorn and Firnen had been relatively silent on it. They had been having their own Lessons with Odahviing, While Glaedr had been teaching them of the academic nature of being dragons Odahviing had been teaching them of the more physical aspects, combat in general. None of their injuries had been crippling but all three had come back covered in new scratches and wounds. More than once all three had limped back. And right now Eragon was tending to Firnen's wounds. Murtagh was tending to Saphira, and Arya to Thorn.

"I wish Odahviing wouldn't be so brutal!" Eragon growled through his teeth. Everything about Leonde's training had gotten much harsher and more brutal and it was all geared at forcing eragon to rely entirely on himself, the training was worse than when he was paired with Vanir. He could faintly feel Saphira's concern as Firnen snapped his jaws at him causing Eragon to recoil. The Emerald green Dragon growled deeply as he said,

/~Galbatorix will kill me over Thorn, because I am bonded to Arya~/ Looking to him with those amber eyes Firnen said in a softer voice,

/~The pain we suffer now will save our lives in the battle to come. Teaching us how to handle and deal with it. We have yet to face Leonde and Odahviing together in combat. That is when the real pain shall come.~/ And with it Eragon shuttered as he could feel Firnen wince some as he used one of the healing spells that Leonde had taught him to knit his scales back together as it left no blemish on his beautiful green form. When next the dragons returned from combat training they would use spells Oromis taught them.

Finally with their dragons healed and relaxing they stretched out as they had chosen not to spend the night in Ellsemera, while the bed was comfortable and such. Eragon had wanted to speak to his brother and Arya alone. "I don't know what to do about Leonde." Eragon said.

"I can understand him being angry at what Vanir did. What I don't understand is why he got upset about me following your advice to stick together in the Soul Cairn. Granted without Durnehviir's warning we would have all gone into that area and gotten trapped. But I don't understand why he seems to think you manipulated me into sticking together? After seeing what was down there... I didn't want to separate."

Slumping against a tree all eyes were on him. "From what I understand from Vanir. Leonde did not have any companions when he set out on his adventures alone. I think he's trying to educate and teach you to do this on your own."

"Well I can't!" Eragon said Sharply to Arya. More sharply than he intended. "Arya I'm sorry he's just got me so frustrated. I did not mean"

Lifting her hand she waved him off. As Murtagh spoke "Like it or not you will be one of Ajihad's generals. You swore an oath of Fealty to Ajihad. Which means he has power over you and you have to do what he commands of you regardless."

"And you owe King Hrothgar your loyalty as well. Maybe he's attempting to make you as independent as possible so that when we return to aid the Varden you will choose to ignore the oaths you made to both. Make you turn against them should we succeed in defeating and slaying Galbatorix."

After she had said those words Eragon looked at her in disbelief, "After all he's told us about it being important to keep one's word of honor."

"It's possible." Murtagh said, "As it stands he has no way to return home he knows of. Why would he care about oaths he's given to people in distant lands he can't return to. Why shouldn't he want the Throne in Uru'Baen? He said conquest was in his blood."

The question struck Eragon dumbfounded. leaving him confused and almost outraged. And thinking about it more and more Made Eragon more and more angry, for once he wanted straight answers from Leonde. Turning to walk over to Saphira who seemed surprised.

/~Where are we going?~/

"To see Leonde, I want answers." Months of frustration and anger boiling to the surface, having to deal with the haughty elves in training. Their mocking tones, and Leonde's attitude.

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Having gathered his armor and weapons Eragon was astride Saphira as the pair landed near the Menoa Tree. He knew Leonde was in the City speaking about the Bloodoath Ceremony. Approaching one of the elves he asked, "Leonde where is he?" The look he gave the elf surprised him as the Elf said

"Speaking with the Queen. Near where he was residing but..." The elf said. As Eragon turned so rudely away from him causing several of the elves to take notice.

And with that Eragon turned and walked away actually lifting the securing strap on his sword and holding his shield tightly. Marching through the forest city with Saphira behind him, he was unaware of several dozen elves were following behind them at a distance.

Upon reaching the area Leonde was standing with the Elf Queen Islanzadí and a few of the Elf lords, Dathedr stood surprised by her side as Eragon called out. "Leonde!" Eragon's tone of voice was one of direct challenge.

Dressed in his Daedric Armor, Leonde turned slowly as he looked upon Eragon. The Dragonborn lifted an eyebrow clearly unimpressed with his tone of voice. "What do you want boy?" Leonde hadn't called him that since Farthen Dur, and it only made Eragon incensed even more. And Eragon realized he was also sick of Leonde's general attitude.

"I want answers on what your trying to achieve with our training!"

Right now Eragon was Oblivious to the fact he had an audience. As the Queen and her advisor began stepping back. As Leonde looked down at him unimpressed he said. ",What do you think your doing, acting like a little child throwing a temper tantrum? You expect me to give you answers you are not ready for?"

"I am not acting like a child. I am acting like someone who is fed up with your attitude. Someone who is demanding answers, I want to know why you are so adamant on me relying only on myself in this war. Saphira and I can't defeat Galbatorix on our own. Yet when I decided to agree with Arya. You claimed I was being manipulated by her." He said.

"And you were. Maybe one of the reasons I sent you down there child... was to show you what you could really do! To push you to your limits because I had faith that if you encountered something beyond your skills you would have enough commonsense to withdraw, and search out a solution. But what did the almighty elven princess do?" The words were spoken with a sneer at Arya.

"Yes and we decided that sticking together and learning team work was better at that time!" Eragon said stepping forward. For once in his life Eragon was genuinely mad.

"Now I see it." Leonde said mockingly. "Oh is what you want is to always rely on someone else? To be Ajihad's puppet, to be King Hrothgar's puppet? With them having your oath of fealty, what if they order you that the new order of riders are to have no power of their own. You go and do what they say? To be their slave, have you heard nothing of what I have tried to teach you?"

Eragon was doing his best to keep his temper under control, "The Riders were a power until themselves, Heeding no law but their own. That was once of their faults, one of their undoings! And if it is decided the Riders are to heed and obey and operate within the laws of Local governments. I'll do my best to make sure the Riders comply, if we can't be more than puppets on their strings then the Riders will leave Alagaesia! If I have to break my oaths of fealty I will!"

"Oh is that your plan? Rather than try and establish your order, you'll run away like a coward who ran-away after his uncle was killed?" Leonde said.

In that moment Eragon's temper snapped. Being called a coward who ran away from his uncle's death by Leonde was enough to make Eragon snap and draw his blade. The very blade that Leonde forged for him as he Lunged at the Dragon born. Three words left his mouth, speed, strength, shield." A simple spell he had made that allowing him to channel his magic into those areas. By the time he reached Leonde he already had out his twin swords. As Leonde lashed out, Eragon used his shield to deflect Leonde's right sword down and away using it to push the blade to the ground as he used his blade Brisingr to deflect the edge of Leonde's left sword. as the pair clashed with a shower of sparks.

Eragon knew Leonde was toying with him. He could summon the Thu'um instantly and end this fight. But he was determined to defeat Eragon physical to force him to acknowledged him as his superior! Eragon might loose, but he was going to make Leonde bleed before it was over. And as he had his opening, Eragon lunged forward and head butted Leonde in the face right on his nose as he heard it break under the force of the strike. It resulted in blood pouring from the wound as Leonde looked at him surprised as what appeared to be a number of emotions flashed on his face. And then Leonde snarled at him as he stepped back and began his counter assault.

A thrust to the ribs as he brought his right blade up and pushed forward as he swung his left sword for his shoulder, Eragon deflecting the blow to his ribs with his shield and pushing the blade up and over he spun around as Leonde's sword impacted and sent him forward. Rather than try and fight the force of the blow Eragon spin around with the aided force from Leonde's left handed attack, and then swung his right hand and sword back behind him. As Leonde redirected his blades to spin down crossing over then and as Eragon's blade came around and Leo0nde had barely been able to block the blade strike. As his blade was caught in the blade guards of the sword Eragon brought his shield around and as hard as he could used the edge to strike leonde's right gauntlet clad hand.

His had the results of knocking the blade from Leonde's hand as Eragon said, "Away!" Casting a spell directed at Leonde's sword as it was knocked through the air and stabbed deep into a tree. Disarmed of one of his blades Leonde yelped out as he brought back his armored fist and used it to suddenly strike Eragon in the face breaking his nose and cracking his jaw. Eragon wasn't wearing his helmet, which was most likely a bad idea. As he felt the magic on his items start to heal the damage, Leonde redoubled his attack as, he called the power of the Thu'um, "FUS RO" And with it Eragon was knocked back against a tree and as he hit the ground. As he was about to recover he instantly felt a foot on his sword arm holdling his arm down as he looked up to see leonde there blood covering his lips and mouth looking down at him. His sword tip placed right under his chin...

Intense blue eye boring into him as Eragon breathed deeply. Eragon had been beaten... as Leonde said. "Now you are ready for the answer you want. This has been a lesson."

Eragon braced himself for some terrible blow but instead Leonde stepped off his hand pulled his sword back before surprising Eragon with his right hand extended as if to help him up. "The Lesson is standing up to someone in authority when you know they've gone too far. And be willing to accept the consequences of those actions."

Eragon was left dumbfounded... shocked, surprised, "all of this?"

With a nod. Leonde said. "Yes. From the day after I had that private talk with Arya and Oromis. It also included Murtagh, your dragons. Queen Islanzadí, Dathedr. And all of Ellsemera knew about this lesson. Keeping you out of the loop wasn't all that easy Eragon."

Eragon just laid there as his jaw was healed as was his nose and looking at the offered hand. Looking around Eragon could see that the offer was genuine and he reaches out as he clasped Eragon's hand and with ease pulled him up as he just looked around. Offering Eragon a water skin, he took it to wash his face of from his blood as the pair moved over to where Leonde had been sitting down. Eragon stayed to collect himself as Leonde recovered his sword before resheathing both weapons on his back. Once he was more collected, he still felt agitated as Leonde sat down beside him while the elves listened.

"One of the most difficult things can be standing up to someone in authority, more so if that person has authority over you. Like Ajihad, or King Hrothgar. Even when you know they are wrong. After the incident with Vanir and the Elder scroll. Arya, Oromis, Murtagh, Queen Islanzadí approached me to deal with what happened with Vanir. One of their concerns was my attitude, and that I back slide in to my dour attitude. Also Murtagh and Arya held that in all likelihood had you separated in the soul cairn the results would have been disastrous. I personally believe you all would have handled it without too much trouble."

"Oromis told me, after hearing Arya's report on the Soul Cairn. I was starting to overstep my bounds as a teacher, while effective he felt I was pushing you all to hard too fast. They were a lot more diplomatic in their approach, than ours. But that was my goal in this lesson. To make you loose your temper and stand up to me when you knew I had gone too far. If King Hrothgar and Ajihad attempt to use their influence over you to control the future generation of riders. You'll be able to stand up to them. Instead of being cowed by a sense of duty and obligation. The Riders are power, and with you as the effective leader of the Riders. If they control you. They control the riders, as an example, Ajihad could order you in private to support him publicly as the leader of the Dragon Riders for King of Aligaesia once Galbatorix is defeated, unless Oromis steps from the shadows to assume that mantle."

"So the last two weeks pushing me to my limits was all an act?" Eragon said in disbelief.

"Not all of it. I'm still angry at what Vanir did. It was the reason why I moved into the outside forest of Ellsemera, so I could cool my heels out there while I trained you all with Oromis. But now if either Ajihad or King Hrothgar attempt to manipulate the riders through you, he'll be able to confront them about it."

"Without the swordsmanship..."

Leonde nodded as a shudder went through Eragon. "Don't worry the agitation will pass in a few days. I've had Oromis slip an herb into your food that helps cause agitation and heightens aggravations."

Eragon looked at Leonde in shock and disbelief. "You what?" Eragon shouted!

"How else was I going to get you to actually attack me?" Leonde said with an evil smile.