FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Brand at first thought that there was something wrong with the sky. His vision was covered entirely with blue traced with darker blue lines that jagged around in random directions. Sitting up, he felt his head bang against something hard and something snorted next to him. Rubbing his head, Brand looked over to see Saphira begin to open her eyes. She looked towards Brand and yawned, revealing the long fangs that inhabited her carnivorous mouth.

Good morning Brand. She greeted him, removing her wing that lay above her head as well as Brands entire body. He blinked, rubbing his eyes when the sun suddenly blazed into them painfully, trying to help them adjust quicker but only seemed to make it worse. Did you sleep well?

Brand did not answer her for a moment, before nodding slowly. "If you meant if I'm feeling better from the night before..." He slowly said, standing up and stretching as he gave out a rather loud yawn. "..Then yes, I am feeling better, to say the least." He turned to look up at her.

"Right well, I'm off." Brand suddenly waved at Saphira, who merely blinked as the human casually began to walk off toward Dras-Leona. Without thinking, she darted forward and stopped him.

At least let me bring you back Brand. She offered. Brand stopped and blinked this time.

"Uhhh...Why?" He asked which in turn caused Saphira to blink back at him.

Saphira shooked her head, bemused that the human had just asked her why of all things. Did you seriously ask why? She looked back down at him to see Brand shrug. I offered because I wish to bring you home. Is that not what friends do?

Brands eyes suddenly lost all emotion. "Friends...?" He barely whispered, suddenly shaking his head like he just had a flashback. "No, I'm the last man you want to befriend Saphira." He began to walk around the dragon, only to feel her grab him from the collar of his shirt and spun her head around to place him down in the saddle Eragon often used.

I do not care if you don't want to. I will give you a ride... Saphira darted forward, flapping her wings several times as she ran. Soon she was airborne, Brand yelping as the ground suddenly disappeared from under the dragons claws. ...Because you are my friend and I shall treat you as one!

"Damn it dragon!" He cried, struggling against the wind to buckle himself into the saddle. "Why are you so damn stubborn?! Friends do not do these kinds of things!" Once seated comfortably, Brand leaned forward and held tightly both to the saddle and to Saphira, grasping one of her horns in his hands. Suddenly, the dragons neck began to rumble as she laughed.

So you admit that we are friends! Saphira called out happily, giving out a roar that scared several wild deer far below. You should feel honoured at riding with me! Does the wind not feel good as it blows through your hair?

Brand only snorted at her, turning his gaze to look down towards the ground. Suddenly he felt sick. "G-Gods! Saphira! P-Put me down!" He begged. He felt Saphira dip her wings, slowly turning towards his home.

_And if I choose not to?_She replied with another question. Brand gaged once more, the sounds of his discomfort unheard of due to the steady flap of her wings and the wind that blew across his face.

"Y-You don't understand! I have a h-horrible case of mo-" The rest was drowned out as Brand suddenly wretched hard, leaning far over to the side as he began to vomit. He tried his best to not get any on Saphira, but it proved futile to him as some of the mess splattered on some of her iridescent blue scales.

Saphira gave out a startled cry and began to dip down towards the ground. Brand! You have motion sickness? Brand wretched once more as Saphira landed hard on the ground, causing him to bounce as he scrambled to get off of her back. Once unstrapped, Brand fell to the ground and continued to puke until nothing came out of his body. Still shuddering, he collapsed onto the ground, shaking uncontrollable as he tried to regain his composure.

Brand suddenly felt himself hoisted to his knees by strong hands and he looked up to see Eragon staring back at him. He heard him whisper in a few words of the ancient language and Brands sickness suddenly disappeared. Muttering his thanks, Brand stood shakily up. While the magic eased his sickness, it did not help with his weak knees and he fell down onto his rear with a thud.

"What happened?" Eragon asked Brand, a look of strong worry on his face. "Brand, tell me. Were the two of you attacked? Brand shook his head, raising his hand only to let it fall weakly. Both looked up to ook at SAphira when she answered him, her face appearing to be on the verge of tears.

I was flying...with him on my back when he....he... Saphira whispered, suddenly bursting into tears as she placed her head down on the ground as she wailed. Brand I'm so sorry! I didn't know you had motion sickness! I swear it!

Eragon stared at his partner in shock. He had never seen her cry like this save for when he was on the verge on extreme danger or a good friend has died, but to see her cry for someone she had only met days ago for something like motion sickness? Never!

Eragon felt Brand lift himself up next to him, and he looked at Brand to see him hold his hand up towards Saphira. "I-It's not your fault Saphira." He whispered sweetly and gently to the sobbing dragon, taking a step towards her only to fall to his knee. "It's my fault. I should have told you when I had the chance." He looked down to the ground at his feet and slowly took a deep breath.

"Forgive me, my friend."

Saphira stopped crying, looking up with wet eyes towards Brand. His head was bowed low as he held his hand to his chest. She gave a sniff before replying.

I will forgive you...but only if you forgive me. Saphira said quietly, seeing Brand look up at her in surprise. Brand stared at her for a long moment, and then finally nodded.

"I...I..." He muttered, shaking his head slowly. "I forgive you Saphira."

Saphira gave him a small smile when Eragon suddenly interrupted the scene. "Uhh Brand?" He suddenly coughed, standing next to Brand. "Shall I bring you home?"

As he said this, Eragon sent another question to Saphira. What in the world is going on here Saphira?!_He yelled. _Are you...Are you falling for him? Eragon suddenly felt her pull away from their mental contact, only to answer his question while he helped Brand towards his home. Saphira! You're the last female of your race! How could you even think of falling for one such as him? You barely even know him, let alone all the things you would throw away should you be with him!

Saphira did not follow the two men as they made their way deeper into the city. She instead flew towards where she and Eragon slept together. I...I did not mean to... She whispered sadly towards him. Eragon was now at Brands home and was helping him up some stairs towards the room. He is just so...so... Ugh! I don't even know why I have fallen for him! Is it the way he looks at me? The way he acts towards me? The way he acts like I'm his equal? I don't know!

She suddenly whimpered, not wanting to speak the next few words. I love him... and I don't even know who he is...

Eragon shook his head as he suddenly laid Brand down in his bed and he turned to leave. He stopped, however, when Brand grabbed suddenly grabbed his wrist. Turning to look back at Brand, Eragon stopped when he saw tears streaming down his face.

"I-I heard it all..." He whispered sadly. "I love her as much as she loves me, and I can't explain it. I highly agree with you." He turned to look back out the window. "There is too much at stake with her survival. No matter how much we love each other, we will never be together." Eragon looked at him wide eyed as Brand suddenly laughed.

"Maybe that is one thing that spurs our love, the sheer forbiddance of it." He whispered before looking bake up at Eragon. "Promise me that you will not tell her anything I have said here Eragon. Swear it in the ancient Language."

Eragon nodded slowly and whispered the words. "(I swear to never tell Saphira of this moment.)" Brand felt a shudder course through his very being, indicating that the ancient language had taken effect.

"I swear not to tell Saphira of this moment Brand." His swore, this time in common. Eragon turned to leave but stopped at the door. "What will you do now Brand?"

Brand turned to look away. "I don't know..."

Eragon did not react at first, but then sighed. "You know that if she does not mate with a male dragon, the dragon race will go extinct." Brand did not reply and Eragon began to leave. "Whatever you do, make sure you do the right thing."

Brand sat there in his bed until he heard the door from the front entrance close and he slowly closed his eyes in turn. Tears welled up once more. "Damn it all..." He sobbed as he tearfully cried into the pillow. Soon he fell asleep.

_____________________________________________________________________

Brand awoke to find that darkness had fallen throughout his room. Gazing over towards the wwindow, he saw that the sun was setting. He had slept through most of the night. Crawling out of bed, Brand shambled down the stairs and turned into his bedroom here he grabbed his journal. Sitting down at the desk, he lit a small candle and lit it. In the dim light, Brand began to write into the journal.

Today I have come to realize that Saphira has fallen in love with me. Though I would have normally turned her away, I have also learned that I have fallen for her as well. This love is not one that would be blessed, but cursed as I myself have come to be. I cannot allow her to be with me, for I fear that it will only spell the end of the race of dragons.

I have decided to leave this city far behind and seek guidance elsewhere. I pray that my actions lead me further down the path of redemption, but hands of fate are cruel and I very much doubt that I will find it.

I will head west, towards my mother's home village. While the village was destroyed centuries ago, the ruins of the place I once called home still stand. Perhaps that is where I will find answers to this curse I bare, and where I will finally can calm my troubled heart.

-Brand Orson.

With a grim determination, Brand closed the book and brought it with him upstairs. Here he turned into his room and began to pack supplies used to travel such as a small tent, matches, clothes, canteens, as well as several other goods. Before leaving his bedroom, Brand reached into a small chest at the foot of his bed and pulled out a small hunting bow and a quiver of arrows while throwing on a traveling cloak. As soon as he closed the chest, he felt an all too familiar presence in his room and smirked.

"Come to say hello and good-bye Angela?" Brand asked, turning to see a young woman with curly brown hair sitting on a chair in his room. She was idly gazing into his journal and he walked over to rip it from her hands. "That's private."

Angela looked up at him as he turned back towards his bed. "Come now Brand, can't you loosen up a little." She chuckled as he placed the journal in his bag, giving a glare in the herbalist's direction. "I mean, we have shared a common past before."

"That was years ago witch." He said distastefully, throwing the sack over his shoulder and walked out the door, hearing the herbalist or witch or whatever she was follow shortly after. "And I don't like when you just pop into my homes without my consent first." Angela only chuckled once more as he went down the stairs two at a time.

"You know you're going to break her heart." She said as he walked into the kitchen, grabbing a nearby stack of matches where a small cat was idly lying next to them.

"Solembum." Greeted Brand quietly towards the were-cat who, in turn, nodded towards Brand. Brand turned back to Angela, brushing past her to go back into the hallway.

Brand walked into the library and threw several books on the ground at the foot of a shelf. "Rather have her with a broken heart then her being with me." He said, quietly lighting one of the matches. "Not after what I have done." He flicked the match onto the books and watched as they caught up.

"You don't know if she would even forgive you Brand. There is still hope." Brand spun about and pointed his finger angrily at her.

"No!" He yelled suddenly, his face beginning to fill with rage. "There is no hope, not after what I did to the riders!" Brand brushed past her once more and into the streets, beginning to walk towards the wall. Angela still followed him, at her heels was Solumbum.

"Did you not already tell about what you did to Galbatorix?" She questioned him. Brand only closed his eyes as he walked into an alleyway.

"Then why do you not stay and try to help?" She pushed, only managing Brand to spin about and look at her angrily.

"Because I did not tell them everything!" He looked down to the ground and felt a single tear go down his face. "And even if she did forgive me of my sins, I cannot be hers nor can she be mine. And don't you ask why Angela, you know the reason." He turned back to the wall and leaped up to the top, stopping there to look back towards the house he once called home go up in flames.

"Then what will you do now?" Angela asked the man above her. "You have nowhere else to go."

Brand shook his head as he looked to the west. "You're wrong Angela." He stood slowly up, gazing at the setting sun. "There is one place I can still go to."

Angela shrugged, shaking her head before finally turning away. "Your old man?" She asked quietly. "Is that really wise? You haven't even spoken to him many years."

Brand merely watched the falmes of his house grow bigger. "It's the only thing I have left to do." He turned back towards the plains. "I need to know how to redeem myself. I have caused too much pain Angela and I need to fix my past." He leaped down, his cloak fluttering around him as he landed on the other side of the wall. "And he is the only one that knows how to fix it..."

Brand began to run across the open field, stopping suddenly at a small hill to gaze back at the city he called home for the last six years. Tears flowed freely from his eyes as he saw a red glow come forth from the city along with thick black smoke. From the red light, Brand could make out the large shape of Saphira, helping the city dwellers put the fires out.

"Good bye, my sweet dragon." Spinning around, Brand continued east. He had a long journey to make. A journey he needed to end as soon as possible

-Chapter three: A silent good-bye: end.