"Mom? What are you doing?" Nolfavrell asked his mother, who was packing food and clothes into a small bag.

"Packing." Came her curt reply.

"Well, for what?" Nolfavrell continued, "You're not going back to Surda with the other women and children, are you?" He looked worried. "Are you?"

She stood up and looked at him with a forlorn sort of smile. She stepped towards him and put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm going to be gone for a few days." She put a hand up in response to his cry of protest. "Listen, I don't want you to be alone, but I need you to take care of your brothers and sisters, you are getting older with each day Nolfavrell, and with that comes responsibility." She paused and said, "Do not lose hope, for if you lose hope, everyone will lose hope." She walked back to her bag and said, "Why don't you go talk to Roran, and see what you can do for him." She turned back to her back and began packing again.

"But Mom…"

"NOW, Nolfavrell."

And without another word, he walked away.

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The Bonds of Humanity

Chapter Four: Allen

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"Where am I?" Allen thought in his mind.

All around him was blackness, he couldn't open his eyes. He wasn't sure if he was blind, or just couldn't move them. Heck, he couldn't even feel his eyes. It was a strange sensation, he wasn't sure if he was dead or not, he figured he should have seen some sort of white tunnel type of thing, but you couldn't have everything.

It was very silent, all he could hear was his own thoughts and the images that were projected into his mind. He wondered what had happened in the bathroom, all he could remember was that he was crying, and then, nothing. He vaguely remembered that he fell on the ground, but that was it.

Wait…

Was that a voice? He could barely make out someone talking, and, something that sounded like movement. He strained to hear, hoping that this would bring him back to the land of the living. He could hear footsteps now, and, the rustling of something, like a plant. All of a sudden, his sense of smell came back, he could hear something being ground up, with the smell of some sort of pollen. He also heard a tune being hummed by a woman's voice.

He was so focused on his hearing and smelling that he didn't realize that he could vaguely make out the light that was coming in through his eyelids. He could also feel the rough surface he was lying upon now, slowly, the light shining through his eyelids became greater, and he strained to open his eyes. He actually managed a grunt because the effort was so Herculean.

He heard a female voice say, "Ah, he's waking." This was the final bit of motivation he needed, he finally managed to open his eyes, and the first thing he saw was a large cat with fangs laying on his chest.

There was an awkward sort of silence.

"Don't worry about Solembum, he won't bite." The female voice said. He could barely move his neck, so he couldn't tell who was speaking.

"Whe- wh- re-" Allen tried to speak, but his mouth hadn't fully recovered.

"And if you want to know…" Said the female voice. "My name, is Angela." She said, coming into Allen's view. Allen saw through bleary eyes a female with dark, curly hair. Who was short in stature, looked in her 30's, and was holding a toad in her hand.

"Whe-re am-" Allen tried to speak again, with limited success.

"Where you are?" Angela asked. "In Alagaesia silly. Now, if I were you, I wouldn't attempt to speak for the next few minutes, you'll only wear yourself out." He opened his mouth, but Angela put her hand to his mouth to keep him from talking, "Now, let me tell you something, you have been unconscious for at least 13 hours. We… found you 13 hours ago, I have been nursing you back to health since then."

She ran a hand through her hair tiredly, then spoke. "I will have to go tell my… leaders." She spoke this last word with a particular distaste. "They will speak with you in several minutes. I will take my leave now that you are up, but before I go I will give you a potion to help you perk up. While I'm gone, Solembum will watch over you."

Allen didn't get how a strange-looking cat could 'watch over him' but because he couldn't speak, he played along. He watched this, Angela, get something from a large bowl, and saw her mix whatever was in the bowl in a glass of water. She walked towards him, and opened his mouth with her hands while saying 'open up' and poured the potion down his throat.

He nearly gagged on the stuff, not only was the stuff as bitter as unsweetened cocoa powder, the water was also extremely hot. He thought his throat was burning. He tried to cough it up, but to late, it was down his throat already. "I'm glad you like it." she said, and then she was out the door.

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Allen lay there, looking at the ceiling, for several minutes. He didn't know where he was, who had just taken care of him, how long he had been gone, what just happened and why he was here. He was very nervous, he didn't know how he got to his Alagaesia in the first place, he didn't even know where it was. He supposed it could have been some sort of backwoods island in the pacific, but that didn't explain how he got there. He had also noticed that all of his clothes were bundled up on the floor, which was just plain embarrassing.

"Don't be so embarrassed." Came a voice from his mind.

Either he was going insane, or, he didn't know what.

"You're not going insane." Said the voice in his mind.

"Who are you?" He called out into his mind, not expecting a reply.

"Solembum."

"Wha?"

He looked at the cat sitting on his chest, it was looking straight at him. He noticed intelligence behind it eyes this time. It yawned and walked across the bed.

"I, as you so previously thought, am not a cat, I am a werecat." Solembum said.

"What, is a werecat?" Allen asked Solembum.

"We were-cats are an elusive species. We watch events from afar, and never take part in them. We know many things, as I know much about you, Allen. Does that answer your question?"

"Partly, but I would still like to know-" Allen began to say.

"It is not my place to tell you such things like how you came here. But know only this, when you meet a new person, don't be so afraid to be friends with them. People are not so evil, though they may seem evil at times. With each bond you create with a person, a better, wiser, and smarter person you become." Solembum said.

"I don't understand."

"You will." Solembum said, as Angela returned along with one other person. It was a human, but for some reason, he looked like one of those movie stars that you saw on T.V. With their perfect skin and hair and all that. He looked about 17, so he was only a few years older than himself. Solembum hopped off of Allen's chest to give the unfamiliar people some room.

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Eragon sighed.

When he explained to Roran that they may have to delay their trip to kill the Ra'zac, Roran wasn't very pleased. Roran didn't show it, but Eragon could feel Roran's anger at Eragon in his mind. Eragon bit his lip and thought about what had happened that morning.

The summoning that morning had left him very tired. He would be unable to cure Elva until at least tomorrow. It was dusk now, when Eragon had brought the boy to Angela, she was… surprised to say the least. He didn't know how this would affect their plans of war, but he really needed to talk with the boy, if nothing else. He got up out of his cot and paced about his tent. Angry that he was powerless to do anything.

He turned around to pace back to the other side of the tent, when he saw Angela next to him. He stumbled back in shock, and then said, "Don't do that!"

"Sorry." She said in the most serious voice he had ever heard her say. "But I need to tell you that the Earth Boy is up, I think you should talk to him."

"Why me?" Eragon asked. "Why not Nasuada?"

"I think it would be best if he was with someone close to his own age and gender. You're only about five years older than him. I think it would make him more comfortable if you spoke with him, rather than say… Arya."

Eragon nodded, she had a point. "Very well." He said, I will go speak with the boy.

"Good."

"Want me to come along?" Saphira asked.

"No, I think a dragon may be a bit of a shock to see if you just woken up from a 13 hour coma." Eragon replied.

"Very well."

Eragon then followed Angela out of the door of the tent, and began to walk at a brisk pace towards Angela's tent.

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Allen and Eragon looked at each other.

Eragon looked at Allen. The boy looked to be about 12... Fair hair and skin… he looked quite like a normal boy from Alagaesia, although, he did seem a bit cleaner than the usual person.

They continued to look at one other, neither one of them not knowing what quite to say.

Finally, Angela broke the silence, "Well for heaven's sake, one of you say something, or else we'll be here all night!" She said in an exasperated voice.

Eragon glared at her, then turned his attention back to the boy. He didn't know quite what to say, he new what to say when you talked to kings or dignitaries, but not to a complete stranger to this world. He sighed, then kneeled down on the side of the bed and said, "What is your name?" In a kind voice.

"…Allen." Came the slow reply.

"So… Allen." Eragon said, "First off all, I want you to know that my name is Eragon." Eragon attempted to smile and held his hand out, expecting it to be shaken.

Allen didn't reach out.

Eragon retracted his arm, then spoke, "So, Allen. Do you know where you come from?"

"Of course. I'm from California." Came the reply.

There was a pause, Eragon was expecting to hear the word "Earth" but you never knew… "Tell me Allen, Where is California?"

A beat, then, "The United States."

"And where is the "United States" Allen?" Eragon asked.

"Earth."

Finally Eragon got the answer he was looking for. He looked over at Angela, who was standing in a corner, then turned back to face Allen. "Allen, do you know where you are?" Eragon asked the boy.

Allen looked nervous the moment Eragon asked that question. He began to sweat and he glanced around the room. He finally spoke, "She… says that I am… in… Alagaesia." He gulped. "Where is Alagaesia? Where… Where am I?! I need to know! Please!" Allen's voice rose in fear, he began to lean out of his straw-bed.

Angela rushed forward, she knelt down and tried to restrain Allen. "It's okay Allen. It will be all right." She spoke in a calming voice. Eragon looked at Allen, not knowing what to do. Allen began to thrash around, and was now sweating profusely. Allen blabbered uncontrollably. Eragon just stared at the sight, finally Angela turned around to look at Eragon, "You could HELP!" She yelled.

That was all he needed. Eragon looked around the room, and saw a bowl of water, he got up and rushed towards it. He quickly dipped a rag into the water and ran back to the bed. He put the rag onto Allen's forehead, in an attempt to cool him down. Solembum watched from a corner. Angela got up and scrambled to find some sort of plant that would calm his senses.

Finally she saw it, she reached towards it and sprayed some of the powder onto Allen's face. After a few seconds with little change, Allen finally began to calm down. He stopped thrashing and he didn't look quite as panicked. He was still, for now.

Both Eragon and Angela stood up. They looked over Allen, who was sobbing quietly. They turned to each other, and walked outside of the tent. Angela looked at Eragon and said, "I'm worried. Allen doesn't seem to be coping well with the situation. He may have suffered more than just physical damage when he went through your portal."

"What do you mean?"

"He may have suffered mental damage. But I don't know, I don't have any tools to actually find out." Angela said, exasperated.

"Are you saying that I may have harmed a… a boy's mind? I never meant to-" Eragon said, realizing the full extent of what had happened that morning.

"I said maybe, Eragon." Said Angela, holding her hands up. "I don't know for sure. But the amount of physical damage he suffered is equivalent to what you, Saphira and Arya suffered when you opened the portal."

"What are you saying?"

"I am saying that it wasn't just the people on the Alagaesian side of the portal who had their energy sucked out. The magic took energy out of people on both sides of the portal. Namely Allen."

"So you are saying that my magic may have harmed him. The tablet never said anything about that. I never wanted to hurt anyone innocent…" Eragon said.

"I know you didn't, and It wasn't your fault. You had know way of knowing what would happen when you opened the portal." Angela's look became harder. "But this was the same mistake you made with Elva, I see you haven't learned to know the consequences before you take the action. At least Elva is curable, but Allen may not be." She looked him over for a second, then walked back inside her tent.

Eragon looked back for several seconds, then walked away, alone.

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Allen was crying in his bed. He wanted to go home, he didn't care about Alagaesia at all. He still didn't know what happened. None of his questions had been answered. All he wanted was to be home, safe at home. He wanted to jump out of bed and run away from here. But he knew he couldn't do that. So he retreated into the depths of his mind, to be alone.

"You are never alone." Solembum's voice echoed in his mind.

"Leave me alone!" Allen yelled into his mind. Solembum's mind did not retreat, and Allen still felt Solembum's presence in his mind.

"Even though you want to turn back, you can't do that, those who turn back are the one's who lose. You have to accept what has happened and see what you can do, that is how you win." Solembum said.

"Win what?"

Solembum's voice was silent for a moment, then he said, "Life."

His figure jumped away, and melded with the shadows in the tent. After a second, Angela walked inside and sat on a chair with a huff, she picked up her toad again, and began to pet it. Weird.

Allen's head went up a few inches, "Who are you, really?" He asked.

"I already told you, my name is Angela." She said.

"That's your name, not who you are."

"I'm a witch, I look younger than I actually am. I have just proved that toad's don't exist and that they are only frogs, and I like to be where important events are happening." She looked at him tiredly. "Does that answer your question?"

He was silent, it was a lot of information to swallow.

"Now, because your mind and body weren't up to questioning this evening, the interrogation will have to be made tomorrow." The witch said, holding a hand up to stop Allen's protest, it appeared that he didn't understand why he had to be interrogated. "If I were you, I wouldn't be so anxious. You need your sleep, it is late, and I will we be calling you up at dawn." The witch got up out of chair. "Any questions?" She asked.

Allen nodded his hand, The witch began to walk out, when she had one foot out of the door, she looked back, and said. "If you need any help, just call. I will be in my other tent, this one was for storage, but I had to make room for you. See you tomorrow!" She exclaimed brightly, then she walked out.

The candle flickered out, as though by magic. In the inky blackness, Allen didn't just feel a million thoughts whirl around his mind, he saw them, projected in the darkness. A witch… he thought. How was that possible, it was very hard to go sleep, anxiety, fear, and wonder kept him awake. But slowly his tiredness and the blackness of the night sent him to where dreams come from.

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Chapter four is done! Hurray! I want to thank pretty much everyone! I was planning another with Eragon interacting with Roran and everyone while Allen was unconscious, but then I realized that I didn't have enough have material to turn that into a whole chapter. So I decided to skip right to Allen waking up 13 hours later to speed up the story, in the end I thought that was a better.

To all my Mary-Sue fans: I will updating Mary Sue: A Comedy this weekend, I have a great chapter planned, so it should be very fun to read, except at the very end… coughplottwistcough. Anyways, hope you enjoyed that chapter of "The Bonds of Humanity"

Responses To Reviewer Reviews:

There were no new reviews, that means SOMEONE WILL HAVE TO REVIEW. I'm looking at you, dear reader.

Disclaimer: I don't own Eragon or anything Inheritance related. But I do own Allen, if you steal him, I will sue you with my sue. There you go.