That night, Ryan lay in his bed.
They were sent to what was essentially a small hut.
He stared at the thatched ceiling.
The memories of the trial filled his head.
"Ryan?"
He sat up and looked at Eragon.
"I am awake. Do you need something?"
The Draconian sat on the edge of his bed, he was looking straight at Ryan.
"Thank you for today. Eena, Grizzly, and Bell always made me feel welcome."
He stood up and knelt next to Ryan's bed so they could be eye-to-eye.
"You were the first to…"
He paused.
His shaking voice was all that Ryan needed to know.
Ryan placed a hand on his blue friend's shoulder.
"Eragon, I only did what you would have done."
Eragon started laughing.
"Dude, what cheesy movie did you get that from?"
Ryan smiled.
"Get some sleep, and don't worry, I won't lose."
Eragon looked over to the entrance for a moment.
He got up and stuck his head out the door.
When he came back to Ryan, he whispered.
"What is going to happen now stays between us."
A frowning Ryan asked, "What are you talking-"
Eragon stuffed a piece of the blanket into Ryan's mouth.
"This is going to suck, but it will be worth it."
Eragon's scales began glowing.
He made small roaring sounds.
His face was close to Ryan's.
What he saw was blue glowing smoke slowly flowing from Eragon's mouth.
The smoke, which seemed to have a mind of its own, flowed into Ryan's nostrils.
The second he took a breath, it felt as if his chest was on fire.
As the burning intensified, he started hearing Eragon's voice in the roaring.
"Unto thee who is my most trusted. Thee whose life is just as important as my own."
Ryan tried to fight Eragon off of him.
He failed.
More words filled his head.
"I bestow upon thee the power of my heart. The heart that would not beat without thee."
Ryan felt the strength leave his body.
Consciousness was the second to leave.
He then heard the last words from Eragon.
"My life is connected to thee. As such, I shall give my life that was saved by thee."
He passed out.
All he saw was darkness for a moment.
He then saw a powerful blue light illuminate the void.
What he saw next was a figure that looked like Eragon.
The difference was that he was larger with massive wings.
The figure knelt before him.
"He lives."
Ryan then jolted awake.
Eragon was pacing in front of his bed.
He heard the Draconians' roars, but he understood them.
"Oh shit. Oh shit."
"Eragon, what did you do to me?"
As Ryan got out of bed, he felt more energised than normal.
To his surprise, small imperceptible movements on Eragon's face were obvious to him.
He could understand Eragon's relief.
"I gave you a piece of my soul as a thank you."
Ryan's jaw dropped.
"Why didn't you tell me first?"
"I was afraid you would say no, and this will help you in your fight."
Ryan took a deep breath to collect his thoughts.
"How will this help me?"
"I gave you a piece of my healing power, so that if you get hurt, you can have some of my power to heal yourself."
The Draconian had the most hopeful look on his face.
Ryan smiled at his friend.
"That wasn't all you gave me. I can understand your roars, and I saw a vision."
Eragon froze.
He looked confused.
"What did you see?"
"A blue Draconian like you, but he was bigger and had wings."
He saw a look of pure sadness on Eragon's face.
"The figure said, 'He lives', and then the vision ended. Who was that?"
"Probably my dad, I haven't seen him in twenty years."
Ryan sat on the side of his bed.
"Do you want to go back? We can talk to the others, and if the portal goes to your world, you could reunite with your family"
Eragon smiled.
"I don't know if I want to go back. I have you guys, and I don't know if I would fit in back home."
Ryan nodded.
"Let us go back to sleep, and thank you for the gift."
Eragon nodded.
"Good night, buddy."
The next morning, when they woke, Ryan felt like a new person.
As he stretched, he noticed all the scars on his arms were gone.
He went to the bathroom and inspected his body in the mirror.
The small scars were gone.
The big scars on his back were faded to the point where he had to look for them.
He got dressed and tied his hair into a high bun.
He saw Eragon sitting on the bed.
He looked exhausted.
"Good morning," Ryan pulled up his sleeve to present his arm, "did you do this?"
The Draconian stretched, "Yip, there was a lot to fix."
Ryan frowned, "Isn't it supposed to be painful?"
"Yes, but you are part Draconian now."
"How does this work? Can I also heal others like you can?"
Eragon laughed.
"No, I can just heal you from a distance now."
Ryan nodded.
The two then played some games for a while until there was a knock at the door.
When Ryan opened the door, he saw Eena, Grizzly and Bell.
Eena spoke first.
"Good morning. Did you boys have a good night?"
Eragon answered, "It was great. How was yours?"
His voice sounded cheerful, but Ryan couldn't help but see the worry etched on his face.
Ryan then remembered where he was.
He looked back at the trio.
"Good morning, everyone."
Grizzly nodded and spoke, "Do you want to come with us? Eena and Aleksandar are going back to the guild."
At his words, Ryan's stomach fell to the floor.
He spoke before he could catch himself.
"Do you really have to leave so soon?"
She gave him a sad smile.
"Yes, I could only see you because I was here on business. I am glad that I got to see all of you."
Ryan nodded as they got ready to follow her out.
On the way through the Viking streets, all of the inhabitants made sure to walk on the other side of the street.
As if she could feel his anger, Eena spoke.
"Ryan. You were really brave during the trial."
With a smile, he looked down.
He did move forward so that he could walk by her side.
"It was nothing. Eragon is my friend."
She let out a loud laugh.
"If that is how you act for your friends, I'd like to be one too."
Without hesitation, he said, "Of course, all of you are my friends."
She bent down and hugged him.
"You are such a good boy. I really hate those people and what they did."
At the end, he could hear the tears in her voice.
As she let go, he received a nod and a smile from Grizzly.
He took a drag from his cigarette.
"You did a really good job. Not just for Eragon."
The rest of the walk to the docks was mostly in silence.
When the airship came into view, Aleksandat was standing next to the ship.
As they met up with the Vampire, he looked directly at Ryan.
He bowed deeply in front of the young man.
"You have exceeded my expectations, Ryan."
Ryan felt a dryness in his throat.
"I didn't do anything special."
"That is where you are wrong. You showed great courage and honour. Many would not stand up for a friend."
Ryan smiled as he felt his face burn.
"I wish we could stay longer, but alas, we must be gone. I wish both of you good fortune in your battles."
Aleksandar gave them another deep bow.
After their farewells, Eena and Aleksandar boarded their ship and flew away.
The original four were left on the docks.
Grizzly turned to Ryan.
"Bjorn gave us access to their training hall. You can go and train there if you get antsy."
Ryan nodded.
"Thank you, Grizzly."
Grizzly smiled and gave him a light punch on the shoulder.
"Good luck, kid."
"I will need all the luck I can get."
Grizzly gave him a salute and left.
Ryan then heard a low roar from Eragon.
"Ask Bell if she wants lunch."
She looked at Eragon, "What was that?"
"Nothing, I had something in my throat."
Ryan took a deep breath and checked his watch.
"Isabelle, it is afternoon. Would you two like to get some lunch?"
"I would love to, but I don't think you two are allowed anywhere."
Eragon shrugged.
"Me maybe, but Ryan is under the Jarl's protection."
Bell looked up at Eragon.
"If that is the case, I don't want to go."
He then quickly said.
"Why don't you guys go and bring me back something? I don't mind, I'll just play some games and take a nap."
She frowned at him and slowly nodded.
"Come on, Ryan, let's get something."
As they walked to the nearest restaurant, Ryan felt butterflies in his stomach.
He still remembered the smug look on Eragon's face.
Bell snapped him out of his musings.
"How are things with Eragon? He didn't sound like himself."
Ryan swallowed hard.
"He might just be worried. The trial was yesterday."
She nodded.
"About that. How did you manage to speak to them like that?"
"I don't know what to tell you. When Eragon was threatened, I just could not stay silent."
She smiled.
"Ryan, can I ask you a favour?"
Ryan nodded.
His heart started beating faster.
"I saw the way you fight. Can you teach me some moves?"
She raised her fists and punched the air a few times.
Ryan smiled.
"Of course. I do have access to the training hall, and tomorrow morning I will teach you."
They then bought way more food than the two of them could eat.
At the hut, they shared their feast with Eragon and played games all afternoon.
They had many laughs and fights.