Two of a Kind

“You did this!” I say, pointing to Claydon. He smirks.

“Yes, I did. I told you to concentrate. Now you have no choice!” He says, walking towards me.

“H.....how did you block my dragon from my head?” I ask, completely confused.

“How am I blocking him? Did you really think the king would have you be trained by just a regular human?” Claydon asks, stopping.

“W.....who are you?” I ask, slightly scared.

“I'm Claydon, Claydon Galbatorixsson.” He says with a smirk.

“H....how! The king doesn't have a son!” I snarl.

“He only has one....me.” Claydon says, looking into my eyes. I take a step back, shaking my head.

“You bastard! You lead me to believe that you were a normal guy!” I say, staring at him.

“I am normal! My father's no worse than yours!” I stop from turning away from him, and stare at him.

“What do you mean, my father?! You know who it is!?” I say, accusingly. He merely watches me.

“Yes, I do. No, I won't tell you.” Claydon says.

“B....but why?” I say, almost desperately.

“Because you're not ready to know. When the time comes, I will tell you.” He says in a no questioning voice. I clamp my jaw together.

“What's so special about my father?” I ask, confused and angry.

“Don't worry about it now.” He says, throwing my blade at me. I catch it reflexively, and continue to stare at him.

“Why shouldn't I worry about something both you and your father have mentioned to me?” I ask, watching him. He rests his hands behind his head.

“Well....my father doesn't always think before he talks.” Claydon says, watching me. I blow my bangs out of my face.

“Fine.” I say, rolling my eyes. “You win.” I shrug, and watch as Claydon smiles.

“Then let us continue with our training!” He says. I grin.

“Whatever you say!” I say as I once again take a defensive stance.

We train until the sun starts going down, and we're both breathing hard.

“That......was......fun!” I say with a huge grin on my face. Claydon smiles as well.

“I couldn't agree.....more! It's been a while since I.....had someone worth fighting!” He says as he digs his blade into the dirt. I grin in pride.

“Good to know!” I say as I drop to the ground. He laughs as he walks up to me.

“Don't get too cocky!” He says, looking down at me. “Time to get up. We need to get inside before it gets too dark.” Claydon says as he grabs my hand. He pulls me to my feet.

“Why's.....that?” I ask, confused. He looks at the sky for a moment.

“Never know what could come.” He says as he looks back at me. He walks towards the door. I shrug before following him. Just before I get to the door, I remember.

“Where's Adrik?” I ask, looking around. I jump when something lands on my shoulder.

*Right here!* I hear Adrik's voice proudly announce in my head. I smile as I look at him.

“Where have you been this whole time?” I ask. Adrik looks over towards the wall.

*I was looking at something strange over there.* He says, still watching the wall. I look over there, and gasp when I see a symbol on the wall. I jump when I feel someone touch my shoulder.

“What's wrong?” Claydon asks, sounding confused. I look at him.

“What is that?” I ask, pointing towards the wall. He looks at it, and shrugs.

“It's a mark of one of my father's old buddies...why?” He looks at me. “Does it have some meaning to you?” He asks. I look between the mark and Claydon.

“I'm not.....sure....” I say, trying to scrap anything I can remember from my memory.

“Well, you think about it....but in the meantime, I think we should really head inside.” Claydon says, gesturing towards the doors that are a mere two feet away. I shrug, and walk ahead on him through the door.

“What should I do now?” I ask Claydon as we walk down the corridor. He sighs.

“You have to go back to your room. My father's being a little paranoid of you being out on your own.” Claydon says, looking at me with apologetic eyes. I smile.

“Don't worry about it. I was going to say that I'm kind of tired after everything today anyway.” I say, waving at him as I walk towards my room. I walk inside, and sigh as I flop onto my bed.

*Are you all right?* Adrik asks. I look at him with sad eyes.

“I've been trying to figure out what that was on the wall...” I say, but go quiet when I hear someone waking by.

*Have you come up with anything?* Adrik asks. I shake my head. *So, what are you planning on doing next?*

“I have absolutely no idea.” I say as I sigh. Adrik jumps onto the bed next to me.

*Do what your instincts are telling you to do!* He commands. I look at him, shocked.

“You sure?” I ask, skeptical. He nods his head. I stand up, grinning. “You're right! I should do what my instincts tell me....only, I have to figure out what that is first...” I say as I plop onto the bed, crossing my legs. Adrik stares at me, confused.

*You have to think for you to understand what your instincts are telling you?* He asks. I look down at him.

“Humans aren't like dragons. We can't just point blank understand stuff.” I explain. He looks at me.

*Really?* He asks. I nod.

“Unfortunately.” I say, shrugging. “If we could, it would make my life so much easier.” I say. He smiles.

*I bet it would.* He says, crawling up next to me. I smile, and slowly drift off to sleep.

Morning comes, and I slowly sit up. I rub my eyes, and stretch.

“Looks like you had a good nights sleep.” I hear a voice say from the door. I quickly look up, and smile when I see Claydon.

“So, what's on the agenda for today?” I ask, sitting on the corner of the bed.

“I have some training for you to go through.” Claydon says, grinning.

A week and a half go by. Claydon had taught me a LOT. We had practiced with the sword a lot as well. Plus, somewhere in that time, I found the time to spend with Adrik. The king had decided to give me more freedom as well.

“So, what's going on?” I ask as I watch another group of the kings guard walk by us.

“War. They're preparing to invade the Varden.” Claydon says with a smile.

“Am I being sent?” I ask, looking at him.

“I'm not sure....I don't think my father's decided yet.” Claydon says.

“Okay....are you going?” I ask, taking a different track. Claydon looks at me.

“Yes, I'm going.” Claydon says. I sigh.

“Hey, can I catch up with you later?” I ask as I drop my hands from behind my head, where they had been the whole time.

“Where are you going?” Claydon questions, looking at me with suspicious eyes.

“Oh......nowhere....” I say, grinning innocently.

“I don't believe you, but sure.” Claydon says as he makes a gesture with his hand. I smile, and kiss his cheek.

“See yuh!” I say as I run off. He stares after me, bewildered.

“She's gotten strange.” Claydon says before he shrugs and walks off.

Meanwhile, I walk through the corridors until I get to the kings thrown room. I push the doors open with more force than necessary, and storm towards the king.

“What are you doing here?” He demands, glaring at me.

“I want to go and fight!” I say, eyes narrowed.

“No!” Galbatorix says, looking away from me.

“Why not?” I ask. He sighs, and looks at me with impatience.

“You aren't skilled enough. You wouldn't be good to anyone but the Varden in your current state.” Galbatorix explains. I take a step back when his eyes get a strange glint in them.

“I can fight!” I shout, glaring at him. He looks at me, calculating.

“Very well. You may go.” Galbatorix says with a grin on his face. I nod, and walk towards the door. “However...” I turn back to look at him. “Adrik must stay here. He is not old enough to fight.” Galbatorix says in a voice that says there's no questioning it. I nod again, and walk out the door.

A few days pass. I'm standing in my room, putting on my battle clothes. I sneer when I have problems with the neck of my armor.

“You ready for your first battle?” Claydon says, coming up behind me. I glance over my shoulder.

“As soon as I get this damn thing strapped on!” I say, sighing. He smiles, and pulls the corners together. He hooks them, and takes a step back.

*I still do not understand why I must not go.* Adrik complains from outside my window.

*You're not ready for battle. You're not strong enough to carry me on your back yet.* I say, glancing towards my window.

“He's still sulking, huh?” Claydon asks, noticing where my attention is. I sigh.

“Yes.” I say. He smiles, and pulls something out of his pocket. He grabs my hands, and places the item in them before removing his hands.