The Return of the Guardian

Chapter 2

Lena woke up with a groan. This cannot be happening. She sat up and observed her surrounding's better. The sun was out, so she could see things that she had missed during the night. The two men were talking, well more like whispering, but stopped when they noticed her awake.

"Glad to see that you are awake. I have been discussing with Eragon about what is to be done with you, and we agree that we will have you travel with us." Eragon smiled down at her as the old man talked.

Lena nodded her head, to indicate that she was listening. When he finished, she said, "Sir, I appreciate what you have done for me, but I do not wish to travel with you. I just want to go home."

Brom sighed. "I am afraid that your request will be hard to fulfill. You see, I do not know where the portal is that brought you here. Lena, you need to know something, but before I explain, maybe you should eat something. I am sure you must be hungry."

"Fine, what do you have to eat?"Looking around, she did not see much food. Eragon grabbed a pack and took out some beef jerky, bread, and cheese. He handed then to Lena along with a water skin. "Oh no, that's all right," she said, refusing the water. She opened up her bag and pulled out a bottle of water. "I might as well finish this up first." Eragon stared at the strange bottle.

"You must tell us about your world, I am very curious."

"Perhaps, but right now I need to know where I am, and what I am doing here." Lena took a bite out of the bread. It was hard and bland, but it was either eat it or starve. The cheese was worse than the bread, but the jerky was good. While she was eating, Brom began to explain to her where she was at. He took out a map and pointed to their location along the lake.

"We were supposed to travel into Dras Leona today, but obviously plans have changed." He then began to tell her why they were traveling. When Saphira was mentioned, her jaw dropped.

"Whoa! Slow down. You mean to tell me that there are dragons in this world?" Lena could not believe what she was hearing.

Brom laughed and nodded at Eragon. Saphira soared above the, circling around the camp. Finding a decent place to land, she began to dive towards the ground. Lena watched as the dragon swooped put of the dive and clamped her feet in the dirt with a perfect landing. "She is magnificent!" Lena exclaimed.

Saphira gazed at the girl with her orb like eyes. "Saphira says hello." Eragon said.

"Saphira can talk?" Lena asked, confused.

"Sort of. We can communicate with each other with our minds."

"Wow." That was all she could say to that. She took a drink from her water bottle. When she finished she said, "So, let me get this straight. He," she pointed at Eragon, "is a Dragon Rider and the three of you have been traveling across the land to hunt down these creatures that you call the Ra'zac. Your King is a Dragon Rider as well, but his original dragon was killed, so he ended up forcing another dragon to serve him. You believe that this King has formed some sort of alliance with the Ra'zac, and even the Urgals, and that they would do anything to capture Eragon and Saphira."

They nodded. "Right, well good luck to you guys, but where do I fit into all of this?" Her head hurt as a headache began to pound inside her skull. She rummaged through her bag and took out a small jar filled with white pills. The men eyed her curiously. "What? It's for my headache. I always have to come prepared." She popped two pills in her mouth and finished off the rest of her water.

Brom recollected his thoughts and said, "Anyways, I believe that you might be part of an ancient prophesy."

Lena almost choked on her water. "What?"

"It has long been foretold that there would be a girl from a strange land, called Earth, who would come to be in Alagaesia. Many believe that she would come at a time when Alagaesia is in great need, and that she would help rid the land of some growing evil."

Lena scoffed. "Do you know how cheesy that sounds?" When they gave her a blank stare, uncertain what her question meant, she was forced to rephrase. "I meant o say that it sounds so cliché. There are so many tales about stories like this, and they all end the same. The prophesized person would save the day and everyone lives happily ever after. Ugh, gag me now."

"This is not some story Lena, this is our lives. This is our home…"

"Your home, not mine." Lena said.

Brom was starting to get irritated, so Eragon took over. "You are right, but, you were sent here for a reason. Please, you have to at least try to help."

Lena stood up. She was shorter than Eragon, but she still spoke as if she towered over him. "I know very little about this land, how can I possibly help you? You have a dragon, I don't. You have sword, and other weapons, I don't. You…" She was about to make another point, but was cut off.

"Yes, but you have something that none of us have."

Lena stared at him. "And that is?"

"Knowledge about your world. There must be something that you know from your world that can be used to benefit us." Eragon pointed at her backpack. "Take a look at what you have compared to our meager traveling gear. Do not tell me that there is nothing that can be used to help our cause in there."

"Okay, fine." She grabbed her pack and opened it up. From her pack she pulled a few granola bar wrappers, empty water bottles, some shells, sea glass, a sweatshirt, and a hair tie. "You see, nothing in here that is useful."

Brom rubbed his temples. "There was also that medication that you took, and, is there something in your pocket?" Lena acknowledged the medication, and then shoved her hand in her pocket to reveal her cell phone.

"This is probably the only useful thing that I have, but it is worthless here. I have no reception."

"What exactly is it?" Eragon asked.

"It's called a cell phone. It is a communication device. From this phone, I can call my friends, text, take pictures and videos, and even surf the internet. It also can be used as an MP3 player." She had a purple Blackberry Curve from Sprint. She gave it to Eragon to look at. "Press the black button in the center." He pressed it and the backlight turned on to show the menu. She had a picture of a cookie as her background image.

"This is fascinating. Do you know how this works?"

Lena laughed. "If you think that you can replicate a device like this here, you have got to be joking." She took a deep breath to calm herself down from her outburst. "Look, as much as I would like to help, I really can't. You might as well help me find that portal."

"The portal is invisible; it is not something that you can physically see. Also, it is rumored that the portal is never in the same spot twice, and, if it could be found, the chances of it being open is slim. No, you are better off traveling with us."

"This is a living nightmare." She sat down on the ground, hugging her legs to her chest. For the first time since her arrival, she was trying to refrain from crying. "I just want to go home."

"Come with us, and fulfill your duty. I am sure that along the way, you will learn what it is that you need to do here. Once you are done, I have reason to believe that you will be able to go back home."

"Sounds almost like Chronicles of Narnia." She said to herself. "I guess I have no choice, but" she motioned at her attire, "I kind of stand out. If I am this prophesied girl, and you three are fugitives, don't you think I ought to look like a woman from this land?"

Brom smiled. "I was just about to mention your clothing. I already figured out a way to get you some clothes. You will stay here with Eragon and Saphira. I will make my way to Dras Leona, buy you a dress, and come back."

"Sounds good to me, although, wouldn't the guard wonder why you keep coming and going?" Lena asked.

"Leave that to me." Brom said, saddling his horse. "I better be off. I cannot guarantee that I will be back by nightfall. If that is the case, you should assume that I rented out a room and will then join you tomorrow. If I am not back by tomorrow afternoon, I am probably captured, or worse."

"Very comforting to know." Lena said, waving him goodbye. When the man was out of sight, she turned towards Eragon, "So, exactly how did you save me from those wolves?"