Debrief

Author's note:

There were new interesting comments to read during the last chapter, I answer them and bring answers and precisions on the story. As always, I warn readers not to miss the information if they wish to access it. If you have any questions, relevant comments or ideas, I read all the comments and take the time to answer them. With that, I wish you happy reading.

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Arya's POV:

In view of the incident and the general atmosphere, we agreed to postpone the presentation ceremony of the egg to the elves of Ellesméra, we are in our living room with Oromis, Brom, my mother and Dathedr.

My mother sighs while blowing on her tea

"Decidedly the dragon riders are no longer what they used to be. There is not one to recover the other"

Oromis seems stung by the remark and justifies himself.

"I know we have misbehaved my queen but we have to understand each other, we have been waiting for a dragon rider for so long that it is difficult to remain in control when at last we find one but he refuses to join us .

Once being a dragon rider was the greatest honor. We were the greatest warriors and magicians walking this land. We were renowned for our wisdom and no war could be fought because of us and our authority was undisputed.

Eldar is the first to not only refuse to join us but also to be so hostile towards us. Brom continues the fight and suffers the abuse of war on a daily basis even if he has done wrong, his reaction is understandable. »

My mother sighs again and answers. "I understand his reaction and that's why he was not expelled from our land on the spot, but making such big mistakes has a cost. Not to mention the reaction to Brom's actions, he and his faction may no longer be supported by our people. All of Du Weldenvarden will soon know that Brom assaulted their prince and attempted to conscript him. »

I freeze in surprise and look at my mother with eyes that must be popping out of their sockets. As Brom yells as he gets up "The what??? »

My mother laughs softly and says to me, "No my daughter, I didn't give birth while you were away, he's not your brother and I haven't taken on a companion. He is indeed a prince but he was born of a line much older than ours. »

I thought out loud and said "So that's why everyone was so supportive of Eldar! He is a prince in addition to being the companion of a dragon. »

Brom grumbled in response, "Since when do elves put kingship before principle?" He is only an insolent young man who takes advantage of his title of prince and of being linked to a dragon to allow himself to justify his cowardice and remain hidden.

My mother drank her cup and let the silence last as if to see if we had anything else to say.

"You are both wrong. The old princes would not be so respected and appreciated by our people just because of their status. It is true that Egan enjoyed a kind of reverence when we learned that he was a dragon prince. After all we thought the royal family of dragons died out millennia ago and we have great respect for ordinary dragons so it's obvious that Egan had a huge following right away.

However unlike Eldar, Egan is too sociable and he often mixes with ours to observe them, he responds to their greetings and communicates with his methods since they do not know our languages. Like all dragons, he is proud but not arrogant or haughty. He is very jovial and communicates with everyone who comes to him. But for a potential future dragon king, him like Eldar are surprisingly respectful to all as long as no one offends them...

Eldar is also very popular with his people, after all he is a prince! We haven't had a prince for over a millennium. My mother was the only birth of the royal couple at her time and I was in turn the only child my parents had. It seems to have become a tradition because I too only gave birth to a daughter with my late husband.

As I said a title is not enough to earn respect or at least it is not enough to keep that respect. He is the kind of person who has an aura... He has a character and a social behavior very similar to our young children, which would be a very heavy handicap for anyone who does not have their purity of spirit. Due to our longevity and low fertility, we have become social masters. It is imperative that we get along perfectly well and that we live in harmony with each other.

Over time, we have learned to master the field of diplomacy and the art of knowing how to speak with the most respect and cordiality possible in order to avoid any conflict. An elf will do everything he can to avoid a conflict because if there should be a grudge between two individuals, it will possibly last for eternity and will inevitably end in the death of one of them. So they know how to show themselves in a perfectly studied light. Even if an elf makes you jealous or resents you, you wouldn't be able to see it because we avoid any reason that could further deplete our population. This is also why we avoid entering into a frontal war with Galbatorix despite the enormous conflict that exists between us.

If I explain all this it is that this behavior has become a requirement that every elf must master while growing up. Only our youngest children who still have the purity of childhood are exempt. They think only of having fun and marvel at everything. You will never see an elf child bickering with anyone. They are always filled with exhilaration and wonder. It is for this reason that parents do everything they can to keep them in this mentality and this happiness as long as possible. »

My mother looks at me with regret while pronouncing this sentence. She pulls herself together and continues:

"In Eldar's case, it may be because he has always been alone, but he gives off the same impression as our children who are still pure. With the skills we have developed, we are able to analyze behavior in terms of tone, gestures and expression. His demeanor is so outspoken and transparent that it allows any elf to see into him like an open book even when he tries so hard to hide his emotions. »

She laughs saying that and seems to remember other memories.

"He has so far shown no hostility towards anyone except Oromis and Glaedr who have openly offended and attacked him. Now we can add Brom, it's not going to improve his view on dragon riders. However he is on all other occasions benevolent and he shows himself curious about everything as a child would.

His behavior is a breath of fresh air as we currently only have two children with us. His attitude is only accepted because he acts like a young child, he doesn't seem to feel any jealousy or ambition. He showed no interest in finding a mate. He shows no hostility or negative feelings towards those around you and everyone knows it because his emotions are readable by all. Without its parameters, its lack of label would not be accepted.

He is probably the only one since the great war with the dragons has shown such behavior at such an advanced age. Moreover all have heard the tales of his fight with Glaedr and seeing how he behaves, everyone knows that he received no education. To be able to stand up to a dragon and even hurt it at such a young age without having received any training and relying solely on its talent is a feat that has never been done before in our history. The elves are happy to have such a talented prince in this time of war.

Furthermore, I asked that we investigate people's reaction to the fact of not wanting to be affiliated with the dragon riders and not wanting to get involved in this war be investigated.

There are a few unhappy people, but the vast majority are delighted with this decision. Although Eldar has shown impressive talent, he is young and inexperienced. No one is fooled by the outcome if there would be a clash between Galbatorix and Eldar. In the best case, he will die and we would lose the only prince to have been born for far too long in addition to losing the last royal bloodline dragon. In the worst case, they could be subjected to Galbatorix and he would then have enough to have future generations of dragons of royal lineage…"

…

This conclusion generated a long silence as we were all digesting his words and thinking about them.

Brom ends up saying, "That's not the right way to look at it, if the egg that hatches turns out to be a female, then we could have the same talk and keep her safe to ensure the survival of the species. »

Oromis said calmly, "Do you think the survival of the dragon species is less important than one more century of Galbatorix's reign?" »

It was me who answered this time "The answer is going to depend on how strong Galbatorix will gain during this period. If we can't defeat him anymore then there's no point in waiting. If we lose 100 years later then the result won't change and he will have his hands on the dragons. »

"You think in the rush Arya, We could have more dragon riders and fight him in numbers rather than raw talent. In addition, this will allow us to revive the order of the dragon riders in addition to ensuring the survival of the dragons. But this choice is perhaps not ours. We'll see what to do when the new Dragon Rider is ready. »

My mother spoke again: "Before we end this meeting, Arya, I have a task for you. You will have to teach Eldar and Egan our language. I don't have time to do it and you speak the language of Alalëa as well as I do. At the same time, you will get to know him and you will be able to enjoy his company. You can learn from each other. Although Eldar has received no training, he is a formidable magician. The talent he shows in this art surprises even Oromis who has never met someone so talented in magic. »