Hey guys! I received a LOT of attention on my first chapter, much more than I anticipated! As such, you guys have given me a strong motivation to get these chapters out for you guys to read and review!

In this chapter:

I lay out the beginning of the book starting with the construction of the new home. I have not named it yet, so if you guys want to, feel free to offer a name in your reviews!

Thanks to everyone who reviewed!:)

These were the longest years of his life, Eragon recalled. The pain of leaving his companions had lingered with Eragon for the next hundred leagues as the white ship gently glided along the nameless river, leaving Alagaësia and everything he knew behind. For a while nothing was said between Eragon, Saphira, and the other elves; everyone was busy grasping the fact that their world was gone forever.
No, not forever, Eragon had told himself, though this seemed futile. Angela's predictions had been true every time, and he did not think it would be wrong now. Still, he could not, would not, accept the fact that he would never see his companions again in person.
And the tears streamed down.

Finally, after an expanse of time, his grief gradually subsided, leaving behind only a dull ache deep within his chest. Allowing himself to examine his surroundings, Eragon had observed that the Talíta was perhaps the best ship he had ever been on, perhaps the best ever made. It seemed to move of its own accord, always seeking the smoothest waters and never once coming in contact with the banks of shore, which constantly varied in width. Whenever Saphira had landed on board to rest her wings, the ship did not so much as shudder and not did the wood planks, cleverly woven and carved with vague script of the Liduen Kvaedhí.

The plants and wildlife here were still reminiscent of those in Alagaësia, but gradually, as the leagues passed by, they seemed to alter ever so slightly, with the plants growing ever wilder, and the bird cries louder and harsher. Once, as they slowed to navigate a bend in the river, Eragon saw a large bird with iridescent maroon wings with a silvery beak perched on a barren tree, its trunk scarred from an ancient fire. The bird did not seem to notice the ship, but as Eragon passed it, the bird suddenly turned in his direction and gave a shrill raahk before taking flight, its wings expanding far larger than any bird Eragon had seen in Alagaësia.

The leagues continued to pass. The landscape had changed as well, from plains to gentle hills to mountains growing ever larger, though they were nowhere near the size of the Beors. The sight gave Eragon hope, as he knew that for a permanent establishment of the Riders the landscape would have to take into account dragons twice the size of Saphira, and a number of them as well. The real problem though, Eragon had realized, was that it would have to be a place that would be far and daunting enough to discourage those who wish harm upon the Eldunarí or the eggs, yet close enough that any Riders from Alagaësia could travel between lands with relative convenience.

Just as Eragon had thought they had ventured too far away, Saphira called,
Little One, I can see a valley up ahead that looks promising.
We'll be there, and let's hope it's suitable enough, Eragon replied.
As the boat glided along, the ever-rising peaks of the mountains around them had given way to a large valley, with a ring of mountains forming a giant crownlike shape. On the left side of the river Eragon saw a great expanse of forest, which thinned as it rose up the mountainside. To the right of the river there were a smaller assortment of trees, but what was most noticeable was the fact that there was a giant outcrop of rock jutting out on the sides of the mountains, almost as if another mountain was growing out of the sides of the others. Below this protrusion were multiple piles of rocks and boulders varying in size from a horse to ones as big as Saphira herself. It was, Eragon had thought, the perfect location for the home of the Dragon Riders. The elves had thought likewise, murmuring their agreements as the boat slowed to a halt near a flat beach covered in minuscule black and grey pebbles. Reaching shore with a soft crunch, the boat did not so much as wobble as the elves had disembarked and began placing wards around the area in case of danger. Meanwhile, Eragon and Cuaroc unloaded some of the supplies they had brought along, including building tools, foods and drinks stored in barrels, their personal packs of belongings, and finally the most precious of the cargo, stored in locked chests with a whole host of wards woven by the elves. Instructing Cuaroc to carry most of the heavier items, including the eggs and Eldunarí, Eragon brought the other bags, chests, and barrels, one in each hand. Once the elves were satisfied with the groups safety, and all of the supplies on shore, could the group begin.
Thus the building of the new home of the Dragon Riders had begun.

Now, thirty years since that fateful departure of Alagaësia, the building had progressed considerably, but was still not finished. It was not entirely difficult to carve out the rock or carry boulders up mountainsides, Eragon discovered; rather, it was the scale of the whole operation, with simple doorways the size of city gates, ceilings more than a hundred feet high, and paths that could fit fifteen wagons side by side at their narrowest.

The elves assisted in the building process, although they deferred to Eragon's wishes in constructing a particular building or wall. Still it was not without influence; many of the intricacies, particularly any calligraphy done on walls or doorways had an elven flair to it. Indeed, they and the dragons seemed pleased that Eragon wanted to include aspects from every race in this new home, to reflect the fact that all races could now be Dragon Riders. So the massive scale of the buildings had dwarven structures in mind, and while they held a rough simplicity reminiscent of human buildings (for Eragon was by no means a master architect), there was definitely an elven design for the details. Thus the outer gates were very similar to the ones at Teirm, an elven design used by humans, the central hall resembled Tronjheim in miniature, and the organized grid-like layout was inspired by his hometown Carvahall, which particularly made Eragon proud. The smaller buildings were an amalgam of the races, with an elven grace mixed with dwarf solidity framed by a human simplicity.

Luckily for Eragon, one of the elves had experience with the art of stone-crafting, and so was invariably helpful when carving out the mountainside and shaping boulders into pieces fit for assembly. Even Saphira helped, when she was not ferrying boulders around from the bottom of the mountainside up to the cliff, she would breathe fire on rocks, melting them into malleable glowing lumps that the elves could shape more easily. Additionally, on the outer edges of the walls, the flames served as a mortar for the granite bricks, melting and fusing them together permanently, as well as smoothing the faces into an unclimbable barrier.

The construction was not without problems however. The group could not agree whether to bore deeper into the mountainside or to focus building the stronghold higher up instead. In the end it was Glaedr who had to intervene, booming,
Enough of this bickering, and let us do both!

It should be noted that the group suddenly reached an agreement after this incensed interruption.

The majority of the buildings had been constructed frame wise, but the finer details of interior layout and design were as yet incomplete. However Eragon and the elves had used the main hall as their camp when night fell and through the thirty years they had completed its interior. The thick walls provided excellent insulation during the cold winter months, while staying cool under the baking glare of the sun during summer. The hugeness of the ceilings and hallways left a foreboding mood when not lit by sunlight, so the group installed multiple Erisdar along the walls that had been given to them by the dwarves. Eragon was continually awed by the adeptness the elves had with this field, something he had not anticipated. After Saphira brought fallen trees to the stronghold, the elves sung the wood into fantastic yet fully functional structures to be installed in the hall, with richly decorated doors, tables and chairs, as well as a rudimentary armory, with wooden swords and shields that resembled their metal counterparts, along with racks to hold more weapons in the future.

The area where Eragon offered the most help was in the construction of the vault that would hold the eggs, Eldunarí, as well as the Rider's swords and other valuable items. Recessed into the side of the mountain, it was layered with numerous enchantments and wards that took Eragon an entire day to complete. Taking inspiration from the Vault of Souls on Vroengard, Eragon and the elves built a semicircular array of shelves on which the Eldunarí would be placed, as well as another semicircle to hold the dragon eggs. Between the two shelves was a stone seat where Cuaroc would stay watching over the eggs. On one side of the Vault, Eragon hung up the various swords of the Riders, while on the other he placed the various books, scrolls, and artifacts that had been rescued from Urû'baen.

It would be, Eragon reflected, another thirty years at least before the entirety of the stronghold would be finished, a challenge to be sure, but a comforting confirmation that yes, the age of dragons has returned at last.

I hope that was good enough for you guys, if it wasn't the smoothest it's because I only had time to do a rough edit before uploading since the reception was so warm!

Let me know if you want more polished writing, which may take longer, or if you would rather I just upload it ASAP.

See you in the next chapter!

~Argetsverd