Loivissa: Chapter One
Isabelle heaved a brief sigh of relief, but the built up tension still lingered. In her head, she battled with her father, King Galbatorix. Eragon was in the middle of fighting Murtagh, a spar that has been going on for nearly twenty minutes. Sweat beaded their brows, bruises and cuts added to their discomfort. The king wore a smug smile as he watched the young men fight. Isabelle scowled, her head pounding with a severe headache. Her father was relentless and she already lost hope that Eragon could defeat him.
She was not alone. Next to her Arya, Elva, and Nasuada, who was tied to a cold slab of rock, also had looks of hopelessness. Saphira's expression was hard to decipher, but Isabelle thought the dragon may feel the same, though she still supported her Rider.
Eragon suddenly cried out in pain, Murtagh's sword protruding from his side. Isabelle would have gasped if she had control of her body. As quickly as her worry surfaced, it quickly diminished when Eragon plunged Brisingr through Murtagh's stomach.
Thorn growled feeling his Rider's pain. "You couldn't just let me win, could you?" Murtagh said through clenched teeth. Eragon stood silent, thinking how to distract, and hopefully, defeat the king. Several ideas occurred to him, but none would suffice.
Isabelle took a keen interest when Murtagh addressed Eragon again. He mentioned how he was not the same person he once was because he had Thorn. He also mentioned Nasuada, his affections towards her obvious. She wanted to ask Nasuada about it if she ever broke free from her father.
A familiar touch brimmed at the corner of her mind. Eragon? Indeed, Eragon had contacted her. Briefly, he told her of Murtagh's plan, allowing her the chance to prepare for the attack on the King. She was surprised that Murtagh had changed enough of his character to change his true name, allowing him to break free from Galbatorix. With her eyes, she acknowledged and waited anxiously for Murtagh to speak the Word.
Galbatorix stiffened, his face contorted in pain. He lifted his hands up as if to shield himself, but to no avail. Murtagh had the upper hand and began to shout other words in the Ancient Language. The room shook as Shruikan roared. Saphira and Thorn were on his back and neck attempting to distract the mighty beast as Arya grabbed the dauthdaert and ran towards the black dragon.
Isabelle, along with Eragon and Murtagh, took her place before the King and attacked him with magic. The two children who sat next to the throne cowered in fear, their cries hidden by Shruikan's roars. In desperation, and leverage, the King had grabbed them from their home as hostages. For a minute, Isabelle believed that they might win after all. She chanced a glance at Eragon who remained focused on her father. She truly admired his determination, one of the many reasons she was in love with him.
Where it all went wrong no one could say. Suddenly, as if awoken in the middle of the night, Galbatorix bolted upright and towered over them, his eyes burning. With a motion of his hand and a short phrase in the Ancient Language, the three of them were on the floor, dazed and confused. Isabelle cried out as a sharp pain formed at the base of her skull; her father had grabbed her by her hair. Holding her hostage, he looked her in the eyes and said, "Think you can challenge me?"
Trying to be brave, Isabelle did not avert her gaze. To her relief, Galbatroix shifted his eyes to look at Eragon and Murtagh. Still holding his daughter, the King began to mentally attack Eragon. Clutching his head, Eragon began to scream. Tears began to spill down her cheeks as Isabelle watched her lover writhe in pain.
Excruciating minutes passed. "Submit," Galbatorix demanded.
"Never," Eragon would manage to say each time. The king pushed him to the brink of insanity, but Eragon still fought against the tyrant. Tears began to spill from his eyes as well, the floor becoming a salty pool.
Isabelle helplessly watched her father torture Eragon for several more minutes. She could not believe that he had managed to withstand her father so long, but she was grateful. What he endured was for the sake of Alagaesia. When five more minutes passed, she knew that Eragon would never relent; he would rather die than give in to the King.
"Submit!" Galbatorix shouted, becoming irritated.
This time Eragon did not respond verbally. Instead, he reached out with his mind towards Saphira and the Eldunari. He unintentionally drew from their energy and cast a wordless spell on the King—a spell that made the King understand all the wrong he had inflicted on others.
Eragon had intended to communicate with the King, but in doing so, he had found the King's weakness. Galbatorix let go of Isabelle, who immediately ran over to Eragon, to cover his head with his hands. "What have you done?" The mighty king finally looked helpless, a sight that actually frightened Isabelle.
"Eragon what did you do?" she quietly asked.
Eragon explained his spell, a smile crossing his lips as the King continued to scream in pain. Once more, Saphira and Thorn pounced on Shruikan.
"Eragon!" Isabelle shrieked when Galbatorix lashed out at him. Eragon deflected the blow with his sword. The King's blows were clumsy allowing Eragon to strike him several times. Only once did Eragon lose his balance, falling to the ground. Even then, the King did not attempt to take advantage of Eragon's mistake. Instead, he stood, swaying from side to side. Galbatorix shouted incoherent phrases as Eragon's spell continued to torment him.
As Eragon scrambled to his feet, he saw Arya spring forward carrying the dauthdaert. As the lance struck its target, the room violently shook. The pillars began to crack as the black dragon's agonizing cries reverberated around the room. In the middle of the chaos, the King lunged at Eragon, but before he could land a death blow to Eragon, the young Rider shifted and plunged Brisingr into the man's stomach.
"Pain…so much pain. So much grief…make it stop! Make it stop!" The king howled.
"No," Eragon said. Elva and Isabelle joined him. Saphira and Thorn soon joined him as well as Arya, who was unharmed after Shruikan collapsed to the ground.
Galbatorix stared off into the distance, his entire body trembling. Two things seemed to have happened at once. Elva shrieked and fainted and the King shouted, "Waise neiat!" Be not.
In that moment, Eragon had to think fast to save himself and his companions. He called upon the Eldunari and cast another wordless spell, this time of protection. He also cast a spell to drag them over to the dais where Nasuada was still chained. Halfway to their destination, the King vanished, a garish white light encompassing the entire room.
When the light faded and the smoke cleared, Eragon released the spell. A vast crater covered the floor where the king once stood and the entire building was falling apart. They quickly grabbed the two children hiding behind the King's chair and freed Nasuada before climbing on the dragons' backs. They landed in a courtyard as a sense of relief wafting around them. The children's parents were easy to find since they lived a few houses down, the joy upon their faces evident.
Before he did anything else, Eragon looked at Isabelle. Her brunette hair was a mess and a few cuts and bruises covered her skin, but her eyes shone with happiness as she met his gaze. As a broad smile crossed her lips, Isabelle ran towards him. Eragon twirled her around ignoring the looks he received from his other companions.
"You did it, Eragon." She beamed.
"No, we did it." He was always so modest.
Isabelle giggled. "Well regardless, he's gone forever."
Silence enveloped them as they chose to stare into each other's eyes. Then, by mutual consent, they leaned in. Their kiss was full of love and passion transporting them to another world—a world where only they existed. Their kissing deepened and they would have continued longer if Murtagh had not tapped Eragon on the shoulder.
Abruptly, they parted, their cheeks burning as they realized that they were not alone in their passion. "Come, we need to be going." Murtagh said.
