A Dreamer's Truth
Saphira snarled, fire spewing from her jaw. Eragon was going off on a dangerous mission and she was requested to stay behind. Eragon is my Rider and I should be accompanying him!
Eragon cringed at the venom in her voice. Nasuada rubbed her temples and sighed heavily. "I am sorry Saphira, but I do not see how Eragon can complete the task at hand if you went with him. Eragon has had extensive training, and I believe that he can complete this mission without you." Nasuada was sending Eragon into the Empire to assassinate the woman named Maerwyn, who is also known as The Black Hand. Just like Eragon's mother, Maerwyn has been working for the Empire-the King to be exact. She may not be as powerful as Murtagh and Thorn, but she was just as cunning, agile, and advanced in weaponry. Trained at a young age and a daughter to one of the Forsworn, she has become another weapon for the King.
Eragon patted Saphira's thigh. I hate leaving you behind, you know that. At the same time, I do believe Nasuada to be right; I need to do this alone in order for our plan to work.
The words stung Saphira's ears, but she made no further retort. She silently stood there fuming while Nasuada and Eragon discussed the finishing touches for their plan. When the conversation ended, Eragon walked back to his tent, Saphira at his side. At dawn the next day, Eragon left the Varden.
Eragon observed the mansion in front of him. He was disguised to look like a peasant in order to conceal his true identity. Taking a deep breath, he walked up to the iron cast door and knocked. Within a couple of minutes, the door opened revealing a young servant girl with long brown hair and hazel eyes. "May I help you?" she asked.
"Good day, madam, I am Sorren son of Deneth. I believe your mistress is expecting me?"
At the mention of his name, her eyes opened wide. "Oh yes, of course. Please, come inside." Eragon stepped through the door and into a vast entranceway. Above their heads there hung a glistening chandelier that emphasized the mistress's wealth. "I regret to inform you that my mistress is away at the moment, but I can at least get you settled in and when she returns, I shall let her know that you have arrived. Eragon nodded his head and allowed the woman to lead him to his chambers.
"This is your room. It isn't much, but I hope that you will be comfortable enough."She said, opening a door. The room was small and consisted of a bed, a nightstand, a trunk to hold his belongings, a mirror, and a window that overlooked the stables.
"The room is fine, thanks." He walked through the door and placed his pack on the bed.
Behind him he heard the servant say, "I will let you get settled in. If you wish for a bath, the washroom is at the end of the hall and to the left. When my mistress comes back, I shall come and get you." When she left, Eragon closed and locked the door. He then opened his pack and took out a bowl, poured water into it from his canteen, and recited a spell. Within moments, the image of Nasuada appeared.
"I got inside easily enough, but I have yet to pass inspection from the mistress," he said.
Nasuada nodded. "I am sure you will be fine; you know how to guard your mind."
"Aye. I will try to report back to you tonight. If something should go awry and I cannot report back, do not panic. Only if you do not hear from me by tomorrow evening should you send Arya to come and get me."
"I pray I will not be driven to such matters."
"Likewise. Well, I need to be going." Nasuada said her goodbye and the water returned to normal. Eragon unlocked the door and unpacked a few miscellaneous items. He did not bring his sword, Brisingr, with him, but he did bring a dagger. When he had finished unpacking, he decided to wash up.
A knock at the door awoke him. Opening the door, he noticed that it was the young servant girl. "I assume that the mistress is home?"
With a warm smile the girl answered with a yes. "Please, come with me; I will take you to her." Eragon followed her yet again. She led him to the other side of the manor where Maerwyn's study was located. She knocked once, and when they were permitted entrance, announced his presence. "Madame Maerwyn, this is Sorren son of Deneth. He is the one who answered your ad for a new gardener." The woman behind a desk looked up. She looked only a few years older than him and had the same eye color as the servant girl, but her hair was lighter and had a reddish tint.
"Thank you, Elena. You may leave us." Elena curtsied and left Eragon alone with Maerwyn. Eragon approached the table and sat in a chair as instructed. "So, you are Sorren?" she asked, staring at him with a quizzical look.
"That is correct." Eragon said, looking back at her without faltering.
"Hmm. Well, you do not look like much, so I hope you are a good as you say you are. You are to keep my gardens free from weeds, protected from insects and rodents, and to plant and harvest accordingly. All the tools you will need are in the shed. You are also responsible for operating the fountains. From time to time, I might ask you to perform duties that are not related to gardening, so keep that in mind."
"When you are not working, you may do as you wish as long as you do not disturb any of my other servants. There are, however, some places that are forbidden. My bedroom, my study, and the entire west wing are places that you are not permitted to go. Only a few servants are allowed in those areas to clean, is that understood?"
"Yes, mistress." He said, averting his eyes.
"Good. Now, run along, I have work to be done, and you have a garden to maintain." Eragon left the study feeling satisfied. She didn't even bother probing my mind! For the rest of the day, he was outside enjoying the fresh air while he pulled weeds from the gardens. The manual labor brought back memories of working on his Uncle's farm.
For the next few weeks, he maintained a similar schedule. Each morning he would wake up, stretch, and eat breakfast. After eating, he worked in the garden until lunch. The afternoon was spent exploring the manor as well as the city in which the manor resided, which was Belatona. He would return to gardening in the early evening when air was not as hot and work until dark. He would then eat some dinner, wash up, and prepare himself for bed.
His duty was to assassinate Maerwyn after he had gained enough information regarding the Empire's plans to destroy the Varden. In order to do so, he had managed to befriend the other workers, including Elena. He learned that Elena had been working for Maerwyn the longest, and because of this, she would be the best source to glean information from. Of course, his methods of extracting information did not come from asking her questions directly, rather he observed her from a distance. The first thing he found out about her is that she was one of the servants who had been granted permission to clean in the forbidden rooms. Eragon also discovered that the workers did not know that Maerwyn was The Black Hand. They only knew that she had a close relationship to the King, but as far as her work, they were left in the dark.
One rainy evening, Elena had ventured to clean some of the rooms in the west wing. Maerwyn was absent that night. Nothing unusual occurred in the first few rooms that she had clean. In the last room, Elena spotted a strangely shaped object sitting on a decorated table. From past experience, she knew that the object was recently placed in the room. Curious, Elena walked up to the table after she had lit the room. The object was oval shaped and was concealed under a piece of cloth. As a servant, she felt that whatever was hiding under the cloth was precious to her owner and that she should not touch the object. However, some hidden force propelled her grab the cloth and pull it off.
A polished green stone gleamed in the dim light. The sight was breathtaking and even hypnotic. If she had been in her normal mindset, she would have walked away, but alas, she was not. With her index finger, she touched the stone. It was cool and very smooth. She picked up the stone and began to focus on the intricate design that stretched across its body. It was much lighter than she had expected; in fact everything about the stone made her believe that perhaps it was not even a stone at all. After a few minutes, she put the stone back on the table and covered it. She cleaned the room and left, heading towards the servant's quarters.
Eragon was sitting in the servant's quarters drinking some beer when Elena entered. The rain outside could barely be heard from all the noise in the room. The chef named Maurice had just changed the topic of conversation to the Varden. With his ears perked, Eragon listened to what he had to say about them.
Elena sat in a chair next to Eragon. Rolling her eyes at Maurice she said, "Oh be quiet you old windbag; unless you have actually been to the Varden, how do you know goes on?" Elena was right; early on in the conversation, Eragon had deemed the chef an ill source of information regarding the topic at hand.
"Elena, I have been around much longer than you have. I have seen things that you haven't, so of the two of us, I think that I have more authority." Maurice bellowed.
Eragon finally felt obliged to make a comment, "Yes, you may be older and have had more life experiences, but exactly what goes on inside the Varden still remains a mystery to all of us living in the Empire. If you happen to have a credible source for your information, then by all means, present it to us. Otherwise, your tales regarding the topic will be viewed as rumors and fanciful stories."
Many of the servants around him nodded in agreement forcing the chef to stand down. "I do not disagree with your statement Sorren, but pray tell, what is your opinion of Eragon and Saphira who support the Varden's efforts? Do you think that they stand a chance against the King, Murtagh and Thorn, and the recently unleashed Black Hand?"
No words could really describe how Eragon felt at that particular moment. It was a legitimate question, but for him, he felt as if this were some kind of test to reveal who he really was. The other aspect of the question lied in which side did he support: the Empire or The Varden. Looking around at the other servants in the room, he took a drink from his mug and relayed an answer that he hoped sounded neutral. "The forces that oppose the Varden are great, but what about their intentions? Many scorn the Varden because their efforts seem to be based off madness. Yet, isn't the King himself mad? What about the world; hasn't the world itself been driven into madness as war has swept across the land? On each side, each individual has a reason; a reason why they are on the side that they are. That holds true for the two Dragon Riders Eragon and Murtagh. They have a reason why they fight, even if their reason is because they have no other choice. To me, they both have a chance to prevail."
As he spoke, he felt Elena's soft gaze upon him. From the moment he met her, he could not escape the feeling that she was one of those people who are more than meets the eye. In fact, he was glad that he had the opportunity to have met her. During his stay at the manor, she is the only real friend he had.
"You have an interesting take on the world, Sorren." Elena smiled. "I actually support the Varden. When I first heard that there was a new rider, I somehow had a feeling that he would find his way to the Varden and help them defeat the King. As crazy as this may sound, I would actually love to escape this manor and travel to the Varden; they could use all the help that they can get."
Her words stunned Eragon. "Really…"
"Aye." Upon meeting his gaze, Elena quickly looked away.
"Well, maybe one day, your dream will become a reality." The manner in which he spoke those words made Elena look at him curiously. "Anyways, I had better be going to bed. Goodnight Elena." He said, getting up to leave.
"Goodnight," she said.
"You like him." Maerwyn's voice said, startling her. Elena immediately turned around to face her mistress. Bowing she said, "Forgive me, I did not know you had returned."
"Come, I need you."
Two weeks passed before Eragon ventured to explore the west wing. Using magic, he was able to unlock the doors. Until he entered the last room, he did not find very much. Opening the door, he saw oval shaped object on the table. Delighted that had had finally found something, he quickly stepped inside. He closed and locked the door behind him before he proceeded to approach the table.
Eragon forced himself not to verbalize his exclamation when he saw the last dragon egg before him. After taking several minutes observing the egg, he set it down to search the rest of the room. Nested inside a book, Eragon found some letters that Maerwyn had received from the King. Most of the letters were old and detailed the missions that she had performed.
Skimming through them, Eragon had almost missed a letter that was dated only a week ago. With interest, Eragon carefully read the letter:
Maerwyn, as always, you have served me with the utmost loyalty. Many of the missions that I have sent you on have not been easy to complete, however, you somehow managed to complete them. I am sorry that you are having trouble with Elena; there was a time when she still had hope, but now it seems that all hope has faded. The only answer I have for you is to get rid of her. I ask you this with a heavy heart, but, I hope that you will understand my reasoning.
I have heard wind that Eragon is not at the Varden, rather, he is off on some mission. I have an inkling that your new gardener is not who he says he is. If this is true, then perhaps he is the one who has been influencing your sister to turn against you. I ask that you carefully observe Sorren and Elena carefully. If you have any doubts about their loyalty towards you, then do not steady your hand. In this day in age, one must not take any chances.
~Galbatorix
Eragon dropped the page when he had finished reading. Sister…Elena is Maerwyns's sister, and Elena doesn't even know it! And, Maerwyn had been told by the King to assassinate her…I have to do something. Eragon picked up the papers and placed them back in the book. He left the room heading for his own, but stopped when he turned a corner and saw Maerwyn. She was walking towards Elena's room, a blade in her hand. No! Eragon thought as he followed the woman.
Maerwyn entered Elena's bedroom unaware that Eragon was behind her. Sleeping soundly, Elena was lying on her back. Maerwyn lifted the dagger above her head ready to plunge it into Elena's chest. Before the blade could strike flesh, Eragon tackled Maerwyn to the ground.
The sudden noise awoke Elena. Lighting a candle, she noticed Eragon and her mistress fighting on the floor. "What on earth is going on?" she yelled. The initial scene was scary enough, but when she saw the dagger, her heart pounded in fear.
"This boy," Maerwyn said, "is an imposter. He is actually Eragon and he has come here to assassinate us both. Lucky for us, I found out before he could strike."
"That's a lie!" Eragon spat.
"Is it now?" Maerwyn mocked.
Elena looked at both of them with uncertainty. "Well, part of what Maerwyn said is true. I am Eragon, but I have only come here to assassinate Maerwyn, also known as The Black Hand."
Elena's eyes opened wide. "The Black Hand? What makes you believe that she is The Black Hand?"
Eragon sighed. "I know this is hard for you to grasp, but it's the truth,"
"Maerwyn?" Elena asked meekly, "Is this really true?"
"Yes, it is."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"For your protection."
"Protection? What protection? You just attempted to kill her!" Eragon shouted. "Elena, there is something that you need to know; Maerwyn is your sister."
Elena's jaw dropped. "What?" She looked at Maerwyn who did not deny that fact. "So, it's true, we are sisters?"
"Aye."
"And you tried to kill me?"
"Yes." Eragon said, stepping forward. Behind him, Maerwyn stood fuming. She raised her dagger once more. Eragon whirled around and grabbed her arm, forcing her to drop the weapon. In retaliation, Maerwyn kneed him in the stomach. She then began to recite a spell, but was cut off when Eragon stood up and grabbed her by the throat. He slammed her against the wall, and squeezed her neck.
Maerwyn scratched and squirmed trying to free herself, but Eragon was too strong for her. "Stop! Please Stop!" Elena screamed, tears streaming down her face. Releasing his grip on Maerwyn was not easy, but for Elena's sake, he let go.
Eragon pointed his finger at Maerwyn. "She saved your life, even though you had attempted to kill us both. If you ever loved your sister, you would do well to change your ways."
"Never. You have just shown me that the Varden is just as bloodthirsty as the King, so what difference does it make whose side I am on? If you are too cowardice to strike me down, then that is your problem."
"Elena, I am under orders to kill Maerwyn." Eragon said. Right after, he recited a spell. Maerwyn collapsed to the floor. Elena ran over to where her sister lay. She was about to say something, but he cut her off. "She's not dead; she is just unconscious."
"Why didn't you kill her?"
"Because, it's what she wanted me to do. Look at her. She was unarmed; if I had killed her, I really would be no better than Galbatorix."
"So now what?"
"We leave her here and we head for the Varden."
"Won't you be in trouble for not completing your mission?"
"Probably, but they will be interested to hear that we have another person willing to fight for them; another person who is a daughter to one of the forsworn. I also did find the last dragon egg hidden…" A noise in the hallway diverted his attention. Eragon walked past Elena to peer down the hall.
Without warning, Eragon began to laugh. "Fate really had it in for me this time." A small green dragon popped his head around the corner. Elena stared at the creature.
"He…he hatched for me?"
Smiling Eragon said, "Yes." She kneeled down and stretched her hand towards the dragon. A garish green light filled the room the second they touched. When Elena awoke, she was officially a dragon rider.
Looking at her dragon and then at Eragon, she said, "I now understand why my sister kept the truth hidden to me. She was hoping that the last egg would hatch for me, and even though her haunch was correct, she forgot the part about whose side I would be fighting on. Come, let us head to the Varden."
Epilogue:
Eragon and Saphira trained Elena and her dragon, who she named Kyro. Over time, their friendship grew into something much more beautiful; they had fallen in love. Such an attraction was hard to hide, so the news spread quickly across the land.
Maerwyn was furious when she heard that Elena had become a rider and was supporting the Varden. She felt that all her hard work to have Elena serve her dark purpose was shattered. After pleading with the King, she was permitted to go into battle where she met up with her sister. In a single battle, Elena was forced to slay Maerwyn. The deed sickened her, even though it made the Varden that much closer to defeating the King.
Elena closed her eyes to imagine what the world would be like with Galbatorix dead. In her mind, she pictured herself flying on Kyro. In her mind she was free, and that freedom is what she was fighting for.