Originally "How I Cope" This is an expansion with maybe four chapters dealing with capture, temptation, enduring, rescue, and healing. This story is a tribute to "Mutilation" by cyansapphire and "Secrecy" by justtestingmyboundaries. Thanks to both of you for inspiring me!
Disclaimer: I don't own the Inheritance Cycle or "Short Change Hero"
Musings of a Rider
Chapter 1: Lost in Thought
The dust whipped around the young man's ankles. It spoke of a rare sandstorm that would emerge the depths of the Hardarac Desert. Another freak of nature that had been recorded only twice in the written history of Alagaësia. But this was a turbulent time in history, and even the nature reflected the radical changes that Alagaësia would suffer. One way or another, the very foundations of the earth would be shaken, so it was not surprising that unusual natural phenomenon had befallen Alagaësia.
I can't see where you comin' from
But I know just what you runnin' from:
The young man paused and turned his head towards Uru'bean. The city was already engulfed in the storm. The outline grew hazier, but he knew it was there, waiting. And he was there; the black king himself. Was he on some balcony, looking down at the little ant that was Eragon? Would Murtagh be with him, receiving strict orders for his capture?
And what matters ain't the "who's baddest" but
The ones who stop you fallin' from your ladder, baby
Was he strong enough to face, not just his half-brother, but the king as well? He had to be. He had come too far, with the hopes and dreams of the people who desired to be free of the king's iron fist. Still, Eragon took comfort in the knowledge that he would not be alone when he faced him. Saphira, Nasuada, Roran, Orik, and Ayra would be with him, fighting alongside him. He could do this, with his surrogate family behind him.
And you feel like you feelin' now
And doin' things just to please your crowd,
When I love you like the way I love you,
And I suffer, but I ain't gonna cut you 'cause
A family? He could delude himself with this comforting illusion, but sooner or later he would face the truth. He was a weapon, not a person to them.
This ain't no place for no hero.
This ain't no place for no better man.
This ain't no place for no hero
To call "home."
He had no home, nothing to go back to when the war ended. Win or lose, he was on his own now.
This ain't no place for no hero.
This ain't no place for no better man.
This ain't no place for no hero
To call "home."
Only Saphira knew the real him. He would be remembered as a Rider, not a person. No one had tried to look past the title, had seen the fear that had coiled around his heart like a snake.
Every time I close my eyes, I think,
I think about you inside,
And your mother, givin' up on askin' why -
Why you lie, and you cheat, and you try to make
A fool outta she...
Least of all the woman he loved. He wished Ayra would even try to get to know him. He was the active member in their…relationship. If he had not tried, he doubted she would even know that he existed. But although his mind told him to cut his losses and leave, his heart dug in its heels in to keep him pining for the elven princess.
I can't see where you comin' from,
But I know just what you're runnin' from.
Why did any of this matter anyway? He was going to die tomorrow, win or lose. Eragon had made sure of that. A single spell would convert his life energy into a massive explosion. If he had constructed the spell right, he doubted that any ward could survive the release of pure energy. This was to be his backup plan, but lately, it seemed the best way to end the war. Even if that failed, he would be free.
And what matters ain't the "who's baddest," but the
Ones who stop you fallin' from your ladder, 'cause
He heard the creeping footsteps, the beat of wings directly above him. He could probably outrun them, but why bother? He would be right next to the king if he was captured, no need to waste innocent lives.
This ain't no place for no hero.
This ain't no place for no better man.
This ain't no place for no hero
To call "home."