A/N: This is a one-shot of Angela and Eragon in Teirm. Let me know what you think. :)
Many years ago she had learnt how to move through a crowd unseen, the skill was useful for many applications, the least of all smuggling frogs into the city in times of plague. The foolish 'healers' insisted that the frogs were indeed toads, and dangerous to people's health. As such, Angela was cautious with the exotic herbs she carried in her bag as she weaved through the crowds of Teirm, the occasional rich fool nodding in thanks to her, his arm round the newest slim blonde human. She snorted to herself, as she stepped into her shop, home and laboratory, looking up at the brown haired young boy inside. He was strangely familiar, yet she could not identify it.
He is curious, although largely dim-witted. Curious, but dim. The familiar pur of her companion brushed against her mind, leaving furry entrails traipsed across her thoughts.
The cloth bag she had filled with the coastal flora now seemed largely irrelevant to the herbalist. Solembum rarely spoke to strangers, the last time was a dull memory of sadness and determination. Looking slightly alarmed, all for show of course, for very few startled her, she spoke to the brown eyed boy simply. Stating the obvious was a natural conversation starter.
"He says you talked with him."
Eyebrows matching the tone of the eyes raised, hiding under a messy fringe. "You can talk with him, too?" the youth replied.
Yes, a bit slow. But then, most are. She said to Solembum, tossing her brown locks lightly.
He has potential. Try him.
"Of course, but that doesn't mean he'll say anything back." she said as she leapt deftly past all the displays in the store.
That wouldn't be necessary if you cleaned up. Solembum purred.
But then I wouldn't get the joy of watching the noblemen stumble their way around, proving to be anything but noble. So uncoordinated.
As she maneuvered around the counter, she looked at the boy more closely. Yes, something was familiar about him. As if a mix of faces from the past. A puzzle to be solved later.
"He likes you. That's unusual. Most of the time Solembum doesn't show himself to customers. In fact, he says you show some promise, given a few years work."
Twisting my words again Angela? The werecat hissed in her mind, to which she shrugged.
"Thanks." drawled the boy. And there it was, the hint of a voice, although she could not place it. Whoever it was that the boy reminded her of, they had not used that tone frequently in her presence.
"Its a compliment, coming from him. You're only the third person to come in here who has been able to speak with him. The first was a woman, many years ago, the second was a blind beggar; and now you."
Why bother talking to any of the others, I would just be bored by it.
Yes yes, you could at least try being polite.
And scare away customers, attracting the attention of the king?
If it was anyone but the king who came after us, I wouldn't mind. Except for the inconvenience. Angela pursed her lips mentally, before continuing aloud to the questioning gaze of the boy, gathering her thoughts
"But I don't want to run a store just so I can prattle on. Is there anything you want? Or did you only come in to look?" Angela knew the answer before asking, the child clearly had no money, and he seemed too honest to steal willingly. Not that it would be an issue, werecats could be quite persuasive when they tried. However it would seem rude and may just scare him away if she revealed how perceptive she was.
"Just to look," he said, confirming her thoughts. "Besides, I don't really need any herbs."
Angela scoffed quietly, although his assumption was reasonable. Too many came in assuming the plants were for sale, and were the focus of the store. Not one person had tried to help her find if lily pads were the same as -
Focus, else he'll walk away with his secrets.
Ooh, I love a good secret, she replied enthusiastically to the red-eyed creature, smiling to the boy warmly. A secret in the right context could be worth more than any sale.
"That's not all I do. The rich fool lords pay me for love potions and the like. I never claim that they work, but for some reason they keep coming back."
If at first you don't succeed. Solembum grinned
"But I don't think you need those chicaneries." Angela continued, ignoring Solembum. "Would you like your fortune told? I do that too, for all the rich fool ladies."
Riches and fools she thought to herself, how often the terms come hand in hand.
Not surprising her, the young boy, who could only have been in his mid teens, laughed at her with amusement, the carefree sound exemplifying his young age. "No, I'm afraid my fortune is pretty much unreadable. And I don't have any money."
As open minded as young humans could be, fortune telling was mythical and rare even amongst bigger towns, not that Teirm was large compared to Ili-Urubaen, she corrected. And this boy was clearly from a much quieter life than the bustling life of the city. His underlying muscles, although innocuous, spoke of a life on a farm. That and the scars covering his arms, mishaps from his work, she mused.
You could read his palms, the right one might be... Enlightening Solembum said to her intrigue. The werecat knew that reading palms was an imprecise skill, as fraught with error as it was with accuracy. The elves held it in far too high esteem.
Looking towards Solembum, she considered her options, "I think..." she said, before catching his gaze - which had flashed to the crystal ball - and laughing softly at his innocence. "Thats only for show anyway - it doesn't do anything." Not strictly true, but it's best we leave that untouched. "But I do have.." she trailed off, turning lightly, energy filling her steps as she called back to the intriguing figure at her desk. "Wait here, I'll be right back."
No plants hung from the walls in her room at the back, however the small enclosure was scattered with objects from her travels, many that she would not part with for the richest treasures.
A wooden statue of a dragon sat on her cot, a masterpiece she had finished just the night before. She had amazed even herself at the detail she had been able to carve into the majestic creature.
"Even he would be impressed with that, distract him from his question for a second." she reflected sadly, remembering a time long ago, when two had been three, high in a decrepit elven tower.
Blinking rapidly at the memory, Angela turned to a wall laden with bottles ranging in sizes. "Now where are they?"
Best not keep him waiting too long. He'll do something foolish and hurt himself. Solembum called from the other room.
Moving aside a mortar filled with a black grain, ensuring to keep it away from the single candle in the room, she smiled as she saw the bones engraved with the intricate runes.
"Abominable, maiming such a majestic beast, though the animal who wrought the deed were suitably punished like the other twelve cast to the void." she muttered to herself as she palmed the runes, sweeping dust and other filaments off her hands.
As she felt for the leather pouch the knuckles were supposed to live in - Like I have time to stay organized - she twirled the bones in her hand, counting them by their individual feel and roughness.
Seven? That wasn't right.
"Barzul" she said, employing the dwarven curse. Hrothgar would not mind her use of it, and if he did, too bad. The dwarves were too protective of their unique use of traditions and customs.
Under the scrolls. Solembum purred.
How did you know that? She quipped.
I know a great many things Angela, not all of which I share immediately. The werecat replied determinedly.
She stepped over a large pot sitting on the floor, green ooze dripping down the side, and rifled through the letters she had accumulated over the years. Each were important in their own right. One from him, asking her to return, to help him on his quest. How does he know where I am all the time? She wondered idly, as she flicked past the yawe in the corner of another scroll. Such fools, what will it do to hide away from the world. Islanzadi should be wiser than that, given her age. Ah, here it is. Angela flicked her head forward to make sure she had not mistaken the rustle of the bone as it rolled away from between the coils of an unopened emissary. Humming to herself she placed the final rune in the bag, and retrieved a velvet cloth from the floor, muttering a word to remove the creases and dust.
Hurrying back to the front of the store, she panted slightly as the dust tickled her throat, setting the leather pouch on the counter. "I haven't used these for so long, I almost forgot where they were."
You did forget. Solembum rolled his ruby red eyes at her, to which she shushed him mentally.
"Now, sit across from me and I'll show you why I went to all this trouble." and we shall see what is of such interest in your fate.
The young man reached around for a stool and sat silently. With a dramatic flourish, she laid a thick cloth on the worn counter, pouring the handful of bones onto it, wondering what they would reveal. For there was little doubt the young man would accept her offer, as Solembum had noted, he was curious. Far too curious for her to allow him to walk away without a reading of is fate.
Brushing the runes gently with her own knuckles, she spoke with certainty, "These are the knuckle bones of a dragon."
Anger flashes in the brown eyes opposite her. Most curious.
"Don't ask where I got them; it is a secret I won't reveal." and a nasty tale at that. Oromis would not be pleased for me to share that tale.
"Unlike tea leaves, crystal balls, or even diving cards, these have true power. They do not lie, though understanding what they say is... complicated."
Yes, the poor fellow who confused the fang for the branch certainly did not appreciate his beheading at the hand of Barst. Solembum said dryly.
"If you wish, I will cast and read them for you, But understand that to know ones fate can be a terrible thing. You must be sure of your decision." she watched carefully as emotions flashes across the mans eyes, betraying the battle between curiosity and dread. Only a fool would have the truth laid out to them plainly without considering the consequences.
"Why do you offer this?" he asked suddenly.
"Because of Solembum" she said plainly.
And you are interested in where his future lies. Solembum growled
"He may have been rude" - as usual - "but the fact that he spoke to you makes you special. He is a werecat, after all."
The boy was special before I spoke to him, and will remain special for the entirety of his life.
Always speaking in riddles. She admonished Solembum quietly, her curiosity insatiable.
"I offered to do this for the other two people who talked with him. Only the woman agreed to it. Selena was her name." Recognition flashes across the boys eyes, as they began to fill with salty tears. What is the connection there? She mused as she continued, wanting the teen to understand the weight of his choice,even if it was already made for him.
"Her fortune was bleak and painful. I don't think she believed it - not at first."
Childbirth is indeed painful, especially with the promise of a short life.
"Do you remember anything about her fortune?" the boy asked, his face pale.
Do not share with him her secrets, not yet at least. Solembum said suddenly, his voice changing slightly. She glanced at him, twirling a curl with her finger, unexpectedly nervous. Something of great significance was taking place in her store as she shook her head.
"It was so long ago that the details have melted into the rest of my memory, which isn't as good as it used to be. Besides, I'll not tell you what I do remember. That was for her and her alone. It was sad, though; I've never forgotten the look on her face."
She reflected on that day, as the storm swept from the ocean, drowning Teirm in rain. The woman, with a pained face taking shelter in the warmth of her store. Solembum's angry hissing that subsided as he spoke with the woman. Selena had not been shocked at the presence of a werecat, it appeared as though few things would shock her. Angela frowned at the harsh and cruel life Selena must have led, for such a young woman to be so full of pain.
The young boy creased his face and shut his eyes, the flicker of resemblance still in the lines of his face. "Why do you complain about your memory?" it was not the question she had expected. "You're not old."
If only he knew. Solembum laughed in her mind.
Would you like to spend your life as a stuffed desk decoration? She retorted.
Try it, witch. See who comes off worse.
Allowing a blush to creep into her stature, she smiled kindly at the boy, who had so much to learn of the world. "Im flattered, but don't be deceived; I'm much older than I look. The appearance of youth probably comes from having to eat my own herbs when times are lean." Amongst other reasons, she mused.
Smiling with trepidation, the youth uttered the words that sealed his fate. "Cast the bones for me", he said solemnly.
So be it. She thought, seeking the mental barrier that locked away her power, closing her eyes as she breached the magical walls.
"Manin! Wyrda! Hugin!" she said with force, energy rushing from her as the bones were cast onto the cloth. Once they were still, she looked with awe at the combination of runes.
He did not lie, that will be nigh on indiscernible. Solembum purred as she mused at the closely arranged knuckle-bones.
Leaning forward she examined each rune and combination, beginning with the rune of life, and noting quietly the rarity of the forecast. Long or eternal life. That is a rare trait, even more so in times such as these, with war threatening to break.
Moving her gaze from the single rune, she scowled at the messy jumble, muttering to herself at the complexity of the pile. She examined each rune, looking at the combinations made with the others. The pattern she finally discerned was one that was as unfamiliar to her as the first she had seen. Rumors circled in the land of 'herbalists' that the elven princess had been seen to have the same pattern cast, although Angela doubted the idea. The princess and ambassador was not known for her belief in things such as knuckle-bones.
And so she noted the wandering path, the jagged bolt of lightning, and the elegant ship sailing to the right of the bone, a combination that was certain, yet so ambiguous. Many argued that the eternal departure from the land could be avoided, but she knew of none who had returned to Alagaesia with these bones cast unto their future.
Her thoughts moved on as she smiled at the rose under the crescent moon. Love. The quintessential force in life. It could inspire, destroy, and sustain men and women beyond natural means. Whether love for a cause, or love of another being, Angela could not help but smile at those who were passionate in their living. A romance to outlast empires and eras, this young man was fortunate indeed for few could claim for that joy.
She will be of noble birth, Solembum reminded her, as she had almost missed the detail.
Noble birth. Curious indeed. Angela considered the beings in Alagaesia with noble heritage. None of Broddring lineage were alive, the king's heritage was hardly noble. Ajihad had a daughter, as dark and calculated as he, and then once more Angela's thoughts turned to the elven princess. She too was young in her years, and given the length of the young man's life, was as likely a romantic endeavor as any. He'll have fun if he tries to woo her stony heart, she mused, thinking of all she had heard of Arya Drottningu.
Satisfied now? She asked Solembum dryly, who only purred softly in response.
The last two runes brought more sadness upon the young man, betrayal and death. An unpleasant combination, she thought as she began to explain her findings. She noted his calm acceptance, as opposed to joy, at hearing a long life. He is already aware of that. Most curious.
As she spoke, taking sips from the wine skin, she considered each of his reactions, judging the young man and his future as she revealed mysteries of what was to come.
"You shouldn't fret about what has yet to occur. The only way the future can harm is by causing worry. I guarantee you'll feel better once you're out in the sun." and out of this stuffy store.
"Perhaps" he replied with a grimace. Angela reflected she may have pushed the boy too far, told him too much and she frowned at her decision to cast his bones. Some things were best left unsaid.
"You used words of power." he said quietly.
I told you he was a curious being. Solembum said arrogantly, as her eyes flashed, her mind beginning to piece together the puzzle.
"What I wouldn't give to see how the rest of your life plays out. You can speak to werecats, know of the ancient language, and have a most interesting future. Also few young men with empty pockets and rough traveling clothes can expect to be loved by a noblewoman. Who are you?" or what are you?
"I am Eragon." Ah, that makes sense, Angela thought quietly, a final question slipping from her tongue as she raised her eyebrows.
"Is that who you are or your name?" she said. Does he know the past, that wrought such hope to the elves, and later humans?
"Both." his small smile, and flash of blue eyes giving his secret away. You indeed have a rough life ahead young rider.
"Now I'm all the more interested in seeing how your life will unfold." and we may keep tabs on him just yet Solembum. It would not be good to miss the beginning of a new age. "Who was the ragged man with you yesterday?"
"His name is Brom."
Isn't he dead? They all think he died at the traitors palace. Then again, he always did seem to get out of trouble in the end. To cover her surprise, she began laughing suddenly, doubling over so he could not read the shock in her eyes. Wiping her face with a grin, although her insides were flooding with more questions, she forced out a statement which couldn't have been more accurate. "Oh, that one! I had no idea!"
"What is it?" demanded Eragon, and again she noted the familiar scowl, although now she remembered why it was familiar. Perhaps time with the old man has made him more like Brom. Or...
"No, no, don't be upset. It's only that - well he is known by those in my profession. I'm afraid that the poor man's doom, or future if you will, is something of a joke with us." So successful in everything he ever undertook, yet could never find peace or happiness in the time I knew of him.
"Don't insult him! He's a better man than any you could find!" Eragon snapped to her, and she couldn't help but agree. More than you know young one, more than you know.
"Peace, peace" she said with a grin at his loyalty. "I know that. If we meet again at the right time, I'll be sure to tell you about it. But in the meantime you should -" she paused, as Soldmbum stepped between them, tail flicking from side to side, his back to her. Angela narrowed her eyes, this was not unprecedented for Solembum, but it was rare, and had been important each time before. The air hummed with electricity in the silence between the rider and werecat, before dispersing as he walked away.
Curious, she thought, tilting her head slightly, allowing her coils to blur her face.
"I don't know what he said, and I don't want to know. He spoke to you and only you. Don't tell anyone else." she saw the look on the boys face, and her heart went out to him.
"I think I have to go," he said, his voice quivering win uncertainty. She smiled, trying to convey peace to him, for he would need all he could get in the coming war. For indeed war was coming, rumors of Empire activity on the high seas, Shades and the Ra'zac on the loose, a new rider in the form of a young human boy, it all led the herbalist to the conclusion that war was inevitable. The future was uncertain, but she would monitor the activities of the Varden and the empire, helping whom she felt was best suited to rule, whether that be the dark king or the rebels to the south. She was confident in whom she would support. No king should live forever. She smiled at Eragon.
"If you want to. You are welcome to stay here as long as you like, especially if you buy some of my goods. But go if you wish; I'm sure that we've given you enough to ponder for a while." And vice versa Eragon.
"Yes." he said quickly, stumbling over a plant as he made his way to the door. "Thank you for reading my future." she could not help see the words I think flash across his face as he grimaced slightly.
"You're welcome," she smiled in response as he left. As the door tinkled shut, Angela released the breath she hadn't realised she had been holding.
Curious indeed.
If you enjoyed this one shot, let me know; I might do similar/more and make this a series of short stories.
Also, check out my post-Inheritance fanfiction, Heart of Darkness.