Author's Note: Sorry for the wait I've been very busy with life and it will be some time before I update again. So enjoy!

As the day went on Haldor couldn't help but think about the dragon and how it came to be born. There was something almost mystical about it. Was Eragon's dragon the same way? Or was the black dragon different?

The mark on his hand proved easy to hide, his father gave him a pair of brown gloves, so he soon stopped worrying about the mark. Before long he headed back to the cove, carrying sausages he had pilfered from the cellar. With apprehension, he approached the tunnel.

Is the dragon able to survive outside in winter?

His fears were groundless. When he arrived at the cove the dragon was perched on a branch, gnawing on something between its front legs. It started squeaking excitedly when it saw him. Haldor was pleased to see that it had remained in the cove, away from the reach of large predators.

As soon as he dropped the sausages at the base of the trunk, the dragon glided down. While it voraciously tore apart the food, Eragon examined the shelter. All the meat he had left was gone, but the hut was intact, and tufts of feathers littered the floor.

"So you can hunt on your own, huh? That's a good...boy? girl?"

It struck him that he did not know if the dragon was a he or a she. He lifted and turned it over, ignoring its squeals of displeasure, but was unable to find any distinguishing marks.

It seems like it won't give up any secrets without a struggle.

He spent a long time with the dragon. He set it on his shoulder, and went to explore the woods. The snow-laden trees watched over them like solemn pillars of a great cathedral. In that isolation, Eragon showed the dragon what he knew about the forest, not caring if it understood his meaning. It was the simple act of sharing that mattered. He talked to it continuously. The dragon gazed back at him with bright eyes, drinking in his words. For a while he just sat with it resting in his arms and watched it with wonder, still stunned by recent events.

Haldor wondered if Eragon's egg had hatched as well and if he was going through the same thing.

"Huh wouldn't that be a site to behold? Eragon and a baby dragon." He chuckled. The black dragon tilted its' head in confusion.

Haldor shook his head and put the dragon back into it's nest. He started for home at sunset, conscious of two hard green eyes drilling into his back, indignant at being left behind.

That night he agonized about all the things that could happen to a small and unprotected animal. Thoughts of ice storms and vicious animals tormented him. It took hours for him to find sleep. His dreams were of foxes and black wolves tearing at the dragon with bloody teeth.

A few moments before the sunrise glow, Haldor ran from the house with food and scraps of cloth, extra insulation for the shelter. He found the dragon awake and safe, watching the sunrise from high in the tree. He fervently thanked all the gods, known and unknown. The dragon came down to the ground as he approached and leapt into his arms, huddling close to his chest. The cold had not harmed it, but it seemed frightened. A puff of dark smoke blew out of its nostrils. He stroked it comfortingly and sat with his back to the rowan, murmuring softly. He kept still as the dragon buried its head in his coat. After a while it crawled out of his embrace and onto his shoulder. He fed it, then wrapped the new rags around the hut. They played together for a time, but Haldor had to return to the house before long.

A smooth routine was quickly established. Every morning Haldor ran out to the tree and gave the dragon breakfast before hurrying back. During the day he attacked his chores until they were finished and he could visit the dragon again. Both his mother and brothers noted his behavior and asked why he spent so much time outside. Haldor just shrugged and started checking to make sure he was not followed to the tree.

After the first few days he stopped worrying that a mishap would befall the dragon. Its growth was explosive; it would soon be safe from most dangers. The dragon doubled in size in the first week. Four days later it was as high as his knee. It could no longer fit inside the nest in the tree, so Haldor was forced to build a hidden shelter on the ground. The task took him two days, with the help of his father, who lent him supplies.

When the dragon was two weeks old, Haldor was compelled to let it roam free outside the cove because it needed so much food. The first time he let it out, only the force of his will kept it from following him back to the village. Every time it tried, he pushed it away with his mind until it learned to avoid the path to the village altogether.

And he impressed on the dragon the importance of hunting only in the Spine, where there was less chance of being seen. Farmers would notice if game started disappearing from Palancar Valley. It made him feel both safer and uneasy when the dragon was so far away.

The mental contact he shared with the dragon waxed stronger each day. He found that although it did not comprehend words, he could communicate with it through images or emotions. It was an imprecise method, however, and he was often misunderstood. The range at which they could touch each other's thoughts expanded rapidly. Soon Haldor could contact the dragon anywhere within ten miles. He often did so, and the dragon, in turn, would lightly brush against his mind. These mute conversations filled his working hours. There was always a small part of him connected to the dragon, ignored at times, but never forgotten. When he talked with people, the contact was distracting, like a fly buzzing in his ear.

As the dragon matured, its squeaks deepened to a roar and the humming became a low rumble. When the month ended, Eragon's elbow was level with the dragon's shoulder. In that brief span, it had transformed from a small, weak animal into a powerful beast. Its hard scales were as tough as chain- mail armor, its retractable teeth like daggers.

He discovered many things about the dragon. It liked shiny objects. After he built the dragons dwelling, his hammer glinted in the sun and shone on the ground. The dragon immediately chased after the spot of light relentlessly. When he took the dragon out of the cove to a clearing, it rolled in the grass like a cat or dog would, it sniffed the grass and drooled. Haldor decided to call the grass 'Dragon nip' and used it to keep the dragon from getting to antsy is some cases.

He also found out that the dragon had a sweet spots under its' chin and on the sides of its neck. He had scratched the dragon trying to take off many of its loose scales when suddenly it fell unconscious. This knowledge would be very useful if there were any other rogue dragons out in the world. Haldor kept a journal of his discoveries.

One day Haldor decided to do something unexpected, he traveled to the cove early one morning and summoned the dragon. It padded from the dwelling he built and greeted him with a nuzzle to his belly.

"It's good to see you too." he smiled. The dragon pressed against him mind sending a feeling of curiosity.

"Today we're going to meet someone, someone I think you'll like." Haldor smiled.

While Haldor left the cove through the tunnel the dragon flew over the trees and met him on the other side, since it had grown to big to fit into the tunnel. the dragon padded beside him as they journeyed through the forest. It took a while and the dragon became antsy with their slow pace. it began nudging Haldor's leg roughly. Haldor could feel the irritation of the dragon through their link and tried to calm it down.

"Easy there, we're almost there." Haldor shushed. The dragon blew smoke from it's nostrils and continued walking.

Finally they made it to a small clearing and in the clearing Haldor spotted a shape lying on the ground. Haldor compelled the dragon to stay hidden while he approached the shape on the ground.

Haldor carefully walked to the shape to see that it was none other than Eragon on the ground sky-gazing.

"Well what do we have here?" Haldor shouted.

Eragon got up too quickly and slipped on the snow, making Haldor laugh.

"What the bloody hell Haldor?! You shouldn't sneak up on me like that!" Eragon huffed in anger.

"I know but that would be no fun now, would it?" Haldor chuckled.

"What are you doing out here anyway?" Eragon said wiping the snow off his clothes.

"Same reason you're here."

Eragon looked at Haldor quizzically.

"You mean you brought your-" Eragon said hesitantly.

"Dragon? Yes, yes I did." Haldor finished.

"Where is it?"

Haldor pointed to the forest behind him.

"You want me to call it over?" he asked. Eragon nodded. Haldor reached into his mind and called the dragon to him. Slowly a dark shape came out of the forest and into the clearing. Eragon was just as shocked when his dragon hatched. Haldor's dragon came close to Haldor hiding away from Eragon.

"Hey don't worry this is Eragon, my friend." Haldor assured the dragon. Eragon stepped around to get a better look at the dragon, but its eyes became slits and hissed at him.

"HSSSSS!"

"Whoa that's one nasty dragon!" Eragon said backing away.

"Easy dragon, I told you he's a friend." Haldor used the link to tell the dragon to stay calm. the dragon became less tense and its became orbs again. Eragon slowly walked over and held out his hand to the dragon. The dragon looked at Haldor for confirmation and he nodded.

The dragon stretched out its head to meet Eragon's hand. Just as they were about to touch a high pitched screech sounded from the sky and Haldor and his dragon were sent flying meters away from Eragon.

Haldor got up and saw a blue dragon a bit bigger than his own guarding Eragon fiercely. His black dragon shook the snow off its body and snarled at the new comer. the blue dragon snarled back and Haldor's dragon attacked flying at high speed tackling the Eragon's dragon with no mercy. the blue dragon bit at the black dragon's claws only to get smacked in the face by a blast of fire. the blue dragon got back onto its feet and lunged at the black dragon, but the black dragon was faster, it sidestepped the lunge and bit the blue dragon on the neck causing it to screech in pain.

"Stop it!" Haldor yelled at his dragon. His dragon hesitated giving Eragon's dragon enough time to kick it away. The black dragon landed in the snow beside Haldor. The blue dragon charged to finish it off but Eragon got in its way.

"That's enough out of you!" He yelled. His dragon blew smoke in his face but it stayed back. Eragon looked to Haldor.

"It is ok?" he asked.

Haldor's dragon stood on its feet and shook off the snow.

"Yeah it seems to be doing fine. Looks like their not to fond of strangers."

"No kidding they were ready to kill each other." Eragon said in disbelief.

Haldor's dragon growled at the blue dragon.

"Hey what did I say? No more of that!" Haldor ordered. His dragon whined but it stayed still.

"So...How have you been?" Haldor asked sheepishly.

"Really? After everything that happened that's all you have to say?" Eragon deadpanned.

"What do you say after something like...this?" Haldor gestured.

"How about sorry?" Eragon replied.

"Sorry? What for?" Haldor asked confused.

"Your dragon hurt my dragon!" Eragon countered.

"Yeah, after it came out of nowhere and attacked mine!" Haldor shot back.

"She was protecting me!"

"Well I guess we'll agree to disagree." Haldor folded his arms.

After a few moments they burst into laughter, both dragons looked at each other with confusion as their respected humans began talking rapidly.

"Wait, Horst knows about this?"

"Yep it turns out I have an ancestor that was a Rider too."

"Does this mean I have an ancestor that was a Rider as well?"

"It's possible, but just think about it, we'll be Dragon Riders! We'll fly across all of Alagaësia, discover new lands!"

"We'll be heroes!"

"That's great and all but what about the king? Surely he'll come after us."

"Then let him come. Together Haldor we can do anything!"

After they finished their celebration they turned around and saw their dragon's nuzzled together looking at them quietly. Haldor looked at the sky and saw that it was getting late.

"We should be heading home, come dragon." Haldor said. the black dragon got up and nuzzled the blue dragon as if saying goodbye.

"Have you come up with a name for yours." Eragon asked. Haldor looked at his dragon and back to Eragon.

"I have something in mind, but I'm not sure if its a boy or girl." Haldor shrugged.

"Same here. I was thinking of asking Brom more questions about the dragons When I come into town tomorrow. Roran is getting a chisel fixed at your place." Eragon explained.

"I'll have a new one ready for him when I get back, hopefully I'll be able to go with you. I want some answers of my own." Haldor replied.

"Alright I'll see you tomorrow." Eragon said waving goodbye

Haldor waved back as he and his dragon disappeared in to the forest. They reached the cove and the dragon breathed fire on the ground as it walked in a circle to lay down with a thump.

Haldor opened his mind, still uncomfortable with the strange sensation, and told the dragon that he was leaving. It snorted with unease. He attempted to soothe it with a calming mental picture, but the dragon whipped its tail, unsatisfied. He rested his hand on its shoulder and tried to radiate peace and serenity. Scales bumped under his fingers as he patted it gently.

A single word rang in his head, deep and clear.

"Haldor."

It was solemn and sad, as if an unbreakable pact were being sealed. He stared at the

dragon and a cold tingle ran down his arm.

"Haldor."

A hard knot formed in his stomach as unfathomable emerald eyes gazed back at him. For

the first time he did not think of the dragon as an animal. It was something else,

something . . . different. He raced home, trying to escape the dragon.

"My dragon."

"Haldor."