Book 3: Seduction
Chapter 1: Shock and Reunion
She watched Eragon with his sword of flames with a feeling of dread. Impossible. How could Eragon be the Carrier? Eragon noticed her and
Brisingr stopped flaming. He frowned and put it back into his sheath, and walked over to her. He laid a hand on her shoulder and said, "Arya?
What's wrong?" She jerked at his sudden touch. Her mind repeated the prophecy over and over, trying to figure out how Eragon could be the
Carrier of the Flames. "Eragon, Bla....Bladgen says that you are the Carrier of the Flames of Pain." Eragon looked surprised and almost horrified.
"What? That's impossible! I would never harm you!" Arya looked out the window and pointed at Blagden. Eragon walked to the window also and
raised a hand at the white bird. He scowled as he was dragged back through the air. He landed in Eragon's hand and pecked at him. "Alright
white bird, talk!" Blagden stopped and cackled. "White and gold are as one!" Eragon squeezed the bird. "I didn't ask for riddles. Explain
Solembum's riddle." The bird pecked him again and this time Eragon let go of most of him, but kept a firm grip on his leg so that he could not fly
off. Blagden pecked at his fingers for a few seconds then looked up at the waiting pair. He waved his wings in the air. "One held one, and two
also held one." Eragon shook the bird. "Information Blagden. That's what will get you out." The bird closed his eyes for a moment and moved a
wing over his beck. Then slowly his eyes opened and he cawed. "So I say, so the White Death says. I am the White Death and...." Then his
spine went rigid and he sat motionless. Arya laid a hand on Eragon's shoulder. "He's seeing into the future." Eragon glared at the bird until it
shook himself and straightened. Like a priest slowly starting a talk to thousands the bird coughed once His eyes sparkled a bright silver as he
said, "Prior to all immersing peace, one will join four, two will find two, and two will break away from two and the Carrier of the Flames of Pain
and the Ice of Fury will burn and freeze." The bird, the White Death, cawed and reached his neck to the sky and shouted, "Wyrda!" Eragon let
go of his leg and he flew off. Eragon turned to Arya and hugged her. "We need to talk to Oromis about this." Arya slowly nodded with her head
buried in his chest. Together they went to the old elves home, not noticing that Kroger and K'eray followed. At the base of the thousand foot
high cliff Eragon said, "Lift Arya and I to the top." He didn't say this in the Ancient Language, but in his own language. Still the magic lifted him
and Arya to the top of the mountain. Glaedr sat beside Oromis's hut, gently licking a bumpy golden rock with such tenderness Eragon stretched
out his mind an investigated what the item was. An Eldunari! Glaedr looked up as the two came into complete view and snorted twisting his
head to the entrance to the hut. Oromis calmly walked out of his hut and spotted the two. He motioned with one hand and Eragon started
forward. Oromis spoke in the Ancient Language and made a stool for Arya and got the two he and Eragon always sat in.
"Eragon. I am glad to see you, and of course I know you were here." He gestured with a hand at Arya. "You're choice to take Eragon, and
Faola's to take Murtagh as mates have roused the elves in outrage. They believe that humans are trying to corrupt our kind. I tried to explain
that this is nonsense but they did not listen." Eragon would have waited until the elf fell into the peaceful quiet but they had to leave that day
and the sun was quickly lowering to the sunset. "Master we need to speak with you on a very important subject. Oromis nodded as if that were
bluntly obvious, which technically it was. "What matter do you seek guidance in?" Eragon began to explain what was going on, but Arya
interrupted him. "Swear in the Ancient Language that you won't share this with anyone." Oromis dipped his head. "I swear it." Arya nodded,
satisfied. Eragon explained what was and what had happened. When he was done Oromis leaned back in his chair. "One will join four. That
must mean that you can expect company on your way back to the Varden. If you, Arya, K'eray, and Kroger are all going that adds up to four.
Stay alert for an attack of some kind." Then he closed his eyes and his voice lowered. "As for the two will find two and two will break away from
two, I haven't a clue. The Carrier of Flames. Eragon you have a sword of flames and you carry it. This makes you a suspect for the Carrier of
Flames. The Ice of Fury." Oromis frowned as if concentrating. Then his eyes flashed open and then closed half way. "Eragon. Your sword is not
the first to burst into it's name, at the spoken word of it's name. Arvindr. The sword I mentioned to you for a sword, before Brisingr. Arvindr in
the Ancient Language means Ice. Arvindr was the first property of the elf Nealie. He helped make it. Thereafter he said it's name and it burst it
ice, sharp enough to cut through anything. The ice it put out was known as the Ice of Fury. You have to identify this Carrier and keep him away
from Brisingr and Arvindr. If he gets them Blagden's original prediction will be fulfilled. I will have the sword sent to me here, and then send it to
you with magic for safe keeping." Eragon nodded. It sounded like a good plan. Oromis lowered his head. "Go now. You have all the advice I can
give you, and you must be off to the Varden."
Two hours later Eragon, Arya, K'eray, and unfortunately, Kroger set out for the Varden. With a few words from Eragon they made twice the
progress they would normally and as a result left the forest behind in less then a day. The traveled that day, into the night, and onto the next
day. At noon the second day K'eray had had enough. She stopped and pushed Arya to a distance. "I'm tired. My feet hurt awfully. And I haven't
even gotten to talk to...." She slapped her hand over her mouth as before. Arya nodded, although she was panting. "Let's stop at the nearest
city." As it turned out Gilead was the closest city. Arya told Eragon and they headed around the giant lake that guarded the city. They arrived at
early dusk. Once there Eragon had bad memories of the place. He even thought that he might have seen the same jail he had been imprisoned
in. He looked at Arya and saw a flick of fear in her eyes. They bought a room at the same place that Eragon and Brom had stayed at, so many
months ago. When they got to their room, which thankfully was not the same one, it only had two beds in it. Kroger and K'eray walked in and
set their bags down with sighs of relief. Kroger looked at the two beds and then at the three others in the room. "Alright, Eragon and K'eray will
share a bed, and Arya and I will share one." Without even thinking Eragon drew Brisingr out a half inch and then lowered it again. Kroger looked
at him. "I...I thought I saw someone outside the window." Kroger turned around and looked at the window and then walked over to it and
started to work the knob that would open it. Meanwhile K'eray slowly inched towards the restroom. "Yes well I....need to go....clean myself up."
She slipped into the room and Arya heard her whispering the words of scrying. She looked at Eragon in horror. Under her breath she whispered,
"You aren't going to let him sleep in the same bed as me, are you. I'm struggling to let him sleep in the same room." Eragon laid a hand on the
small of her back. "Of course not." He stood up straight and said, "Kroger, something just occurred to me." The elf looked up and said, "What
would that be?"
"Well it seems to me that Arya and I are capably of guarding ourselves if we're attacked in the night, but K'eray would easily be killed or
captured. Since you are the most powerful elf, save for the queen, doesn't it make more sense to sleep close to her?" Kroger looked slightly
surprised, and disappointed, at his reason. She snorted and then said, "Fine. I will sleep in the same bed as K'eray." Eragon's shape wavered
and in a split fraction of a tenth of a second he stood in front of Kroger, holding Brisingr to his neck. He leaned his head close to Kroger's and
whispered so quietly Arya or K'eray could not hear, "I know what you did to Arya. She told me. And so help me if your hand falls on K'eray's body
I swear you will regret it for as long as you live." Then his form wavered again and he was again standing next to Arya. He put a hand on her
arm and whispered in her ear, "Come one. We have better things to do then talk to this rapist." Arya nodded and turned with him. They left the
inn and went through town, and found a cheap restaurant. They went in an ordered, right after they each cast spells to turn their features
human. While they waited they talked. "So what did you say to Kroger?" Eragon sniffed the air as a waitress walked past with a pile of steaming
meat. "I told him that you told me what he did to you and that if he even so much as let a hand touch K'eray in the same way, he would regret it
for the rest of his live." Arya smiled at the news. "Good, I was slightly worried about the possibility that he might be tempted." Eragon nodded.
That same thing had occurred to him. "I can't believe that you managed to stay strong throw what he did." Arya raised her chin in obvious pride.
"For 15 years or the 700 times he did it?" Eragon laughed. "Both really. I…." He was cut off as an astonished gasp came from his right. He looked
over and saw a semi tall blonde woman. Memories shot into his mind, memories from Carvahall, when he was coming up and wondering how he
would marry, and looking at that same blonde hair. "Megan!?!?!"