Chapter One
A Hero's Return
The sun shown brightly upon the banks of the Edda River, reflecting off of the water and turning the forest into a hall of gemstones.
The only sounds were the trickling of water and the call of a lone bird. Suddenly, a roar parted the stillness, and over the trees, silhouetted against the rising sun, was a dragon. Her scales gleamed in every shade of blue, and this coupled with the birth of the sun created a sight of unequaled magnificence.
Upon the dragon's back sat a Rider. He was dressed in black robes befitting the darkest of occasions, yet the expression upon his face was of the purest joy.
Speaking with both his mind and his voice, the Rider proclaimed, "We did it Saphira!" The dragon, for Saphira was her name, replied with a jubilant mental shout, we are home.
The pair followed the Edda until the small outpost of Hedarth was visible. Not wishing to be seen just yet, they traveled south, following the Az Ragni River. They traveled this path for days, happy to take their time and enjoying not having to rush.
Within four days time, they beheld the Dwarven city of Tarnag. The city was perched upon the banks of the Az Ragni, and in the failing light of sunset the city appeared to be made of gold.
Upon closer inspection, Saphira said, "There seems to be some sort of gathering near the keep. Shall we go down?" The Rider agreed. Saphira descended down towards the figures, the wind rippling the great membranes of her wings. She might well have appeared as a falling star to a faraway observer.
With a crash of thunder she landed upon the stone courtyard. The dwarves-that is, the ones that weren't knocked down by the shockwave-quickly scrambled to safety. A line of Dwarven warriors formed in front of Saphira and the Rider, barking questions in the Dwarven language, ready to defend the city against the new threat.
Upon Saphira's back, the Rider carefully stood up, then jumped off of her back and landed with cat-like grace. His movements seemed effortless, and in fact they were. His face was covered by a cowl, which further enhanced the suspicious feelings of the dwarves arrayed against him.
The Rider walked confidently towards the wall of warriors, and as he did a shaft of light from the dying sun struck the scabbard of his sword. The scabbard was of the same color as the dragon Saphira, but it also seemed to have an iridescent quality.
As the Rider neared the lead dwarf, a loud order rang out in the courtyard. The line of dwarves split, and through the crowd came the Dwarven king. His armor shown as brightly as the sun, and its grandeur was eclipsed only by the dragon calmly sitting in front of him.
The king slowly approached the shrouded Rider, his hand never leaving the hilt of his hammer. Stopping less than three feet in front of the stranger he issued a simple challenge, "Who are you?"
The Rider did not immediately respond, and instead drew back his hood. What had originally appeared a man now revealed itself as an elf, or rather, something in between.
Recognition dawned on the dwarf king's face, and a smile spread across both of their faces as the Rider said, "Hello Orik."
"Eragon!" shouted King Orik, and at the same time he strode forward and embraced his old friend with a mighty handshake. Eragon laughed at the surprise evident upon his Orik's face.
"I never expected to see the two of you again! What brings you back to us now? Is something wrong? I-" Eragon interrupted, "No Orik, everything is fine. It's great to see you again."
Seeming somewhat dazed, Orik turned to Saphira and honored her with a deep bow. He said, "Greetings Brightscales! It seems that you have grown even more since last we met." The comment pleased her immensely, as she was very proud of her appearance.
Saphira lowered her head so she could gaze at Orik with one ice-blue eye. Well met King Orik.
The king of the dwarves then took a step back and said to them both, "I have many questions for you, but that can wait. Mine foster brother has returned, and we shall feast in celebration!"
Orik led them to a great hall, a place Eragon had been only once before, on his first visit to Ellesméra, so long ago. Unlike Tronjheim, Tarnag had not been built to accommodate any race other than dwarves. Thus, the hall was far too small for Saphira, so Orik ordered several dwarves to move a large table outside into the courtyard. Saphira lay down with her head near the table so that she could participate in conversation.
As he seated himself, it occurred to Eragon that Ûndin, grimstborith of the clan Ragni Hefthyn, was missing. To Eragon's inquiry, Orik said, "Aye, Ûndin is out on an expedition to one of our mines. It seems there may have been some sort of trouble there. He is expected to return two days hence."
As they waited for the food to be brought forth, Eragon said, "It seems odd to find you so far away from Tronjheim." Orik grunted, "Odd that I'm here? Of all the people I expected to see in Tarnag, I never thought it would be the two of you!"
Orik was about to say more, but at that moment the doors of the hall burst open and out filed a line of dwarves carrying various plates and bowls. Meat of all kinds was the predominant fare, but vegetables and nuts were also present.
At the head of the procession were six dwarves carrying one of the most prized Dwarven delicacies, a roasted Nagra. The Nagran were enormous wild boars that roamed the Beor Mountains.
Eragon smiled as he saw two large barrels being rolled into the courtyard. He knew what it was for even before Orik said, "I have not forgotten your love of mead, Saphira." Saphira acknowledged Orik's generosity with a puff of smoke.
After the feast had been laid out, one of the attendants carved large portions of the Nagra for Eragon and Orik. Saphira waited until they had been served, and then placed her jeweled head in front of the rest of the Nagra, her intentions perfectly clear.
As was customary, they waited until Orik had taken the first bite. After he swallowed the succulent meat, Orik proclaimed, "Ilf gauhnith!" This tradition had arisen from a time when a host tasted his food first to assure his guests that it was free of poison.
Now they all began to eat. The Nagra tasted of honey and herbs. As Eragon savored the taste upon his tongue he commented to Saphira, This is far removed from the meager meals we have prepared lately eh? She snorted with amusement and replied, It is nice to see that foolish notion of not eating meat fall away. You tear into your meal as I would a plump deer.
As they continued to eat, Eragon developed a deep sense of contentment. He was home. He felt a sudden longing for the days ahead, when he would meet all his friends, and his cousin Roran. But most of all, Eragon thought of Arya. She had not left his mind since leaving Alagaësia, and he had not been able to contact her due to both her wards and the fact that his enchanted mirror had been broken.
Eragon was desperate to see her, but he did not want to embarrass himself by plying Orik with questions. Still, it was hard not to dash from the hall and run all the way to Ellesméra. He tried to distract himself by concentrating on his meal.
They all kept a respectful silence during the meal, and it was late into the night before they had finished. Eragon remembered how different his last visit here was. The dwarves of Tarnag had been enraged by Eragon's acceptance into Dûrgrimst Ingentium. Eragon was had been practically forced to leave, and he was unsure if he could expect the same reaction if the citizens of Tarnag discovered that he had returned.
The conclusion of the feast found Saphira stretched across the courtyard, next to the splintered remains of the spit that had once held the Nagra, and also the two empty barrels that had previously contained a substantial amount of mead. Orik was leisurely reclined in his chair, plucking at his beard, while Eragon stared into his cup of mead.
The peaceful silence continued until Orik said, "Well then, lets hear what's become of you since last we spoke, Eragon."
For a moment Eragon continued to stare into his mead, then he leaned back and began his story.
"After we left Hedarth, we stayed upon the Edda for eight days. The land changed to lush forests, very much like the ones of Du Weldenvarden. We met no trouble, and in fact encountered neither man nor urgal."
"On our eighth day upon the river, Elsrith, one of the elves that accompanied us, spotted a mountain on the eastern side of the river. It seemed odd to find a mountain, as up until that point the land had remained flat. Saphira and I agreed that we should investigate."
"We left the boat behind then, and trekked on toward the mountain." Eragon paused for a moment to collect his thoughts. "On the second day we reached the base of the mountain. It equaled all but the largest of the Beors in size. The slopes were made up of black, glassy rock and it resembled the mountains of Vroengard."
"As we approached it in the fading light, I knew at once that it was the place we had been searching for. Saphira and I went up first to make sure it was safe. When we arrived at the peak, we were surprised to see that it was hollow, rather like a bowl. The hole extended not more than one hundred feet down, but the entire hollow was filled with caves, and in some places, where water had collected, plants had started to grow."
"It seemed the perfect place for the dragons to live, safe at the top of this mountain, which we named Shur'marth. Once we were certain that the area was safe, Saphira flew the elves, eggs, and Eldunarí up to the peak. The next few weeks were spend bringing wood and other supplies up to our new home, a task which would have been impossible without Saphira," Eragon paused to glance in her direction, "And so we began to make Shur'marth our new home."
"The caves were very well suited to the dragons they would soon hold, so it was mostly a matter of building shelter for the elves and myself. On a venture into one of the largest caves, Blödhgarm discovered a room large enough to house all of the eggs and the Eldunarí. The cave was made even more ideal due to the strange warmth emanating from the rock, which provided the Eldunarí with energy, and a degree of comfort to the unborn dragons."
By this time Saphira had drifted off into a light sleep, and Eragon paused to take a drink before continuing, "On our ninth week at Shur'marth the first dragon hatched." Eragon's eyes shown as he remembered the excitement of watching the little silver dragon emerge from its egg. "Over the next month, more of the eggs hatched. In all, Twenty-three dragons hatched, including Valrrum, who bonded to Elánga, one of the elven caretakers."
For the next few hours, Eragon recounted how they had undertaken the tsk of caring for the young dragons and teaching them how to survive. Though Eragon spoke of the difficulty, Orik did not miss the gleam of pride in his eyes.
Finally, as dawn's first light crept over the mountains, Eragon came to the conclusion of his story, "On the second week of our seventh month at Shur'marth, Saphira came to me with an idea." Eragon smiled as he remembered. "I had been talking of Alagaësia a lot at the time, and I guess it was no secret that I missed my home. To be honest, I despaired at the thought of never seeing it again."
"You see, long ago, when I first became a Rider, I was told that my destiny was to leave Alagaësia and to never return. But Saphira suggested something I had never considered. I know the Word, the true name of the ancient language, and I can change things as I see fit. Saphira explained that since this was true, I might be able to use the Word to 'alter' my destiny, so to speak."
Orik, who had been silent thus far, exclaimed, "Is such a thing even possible!"
"Do I not sit before you now?"
Orik thought for a moment and then motioned for Eragon to continue, "So once I had reinvented my destiny, I made preparations for my return to Alagaësia. Blödhgarm is now in charge of overseeing the young dragons, and I will return to check on their progress every few months."
Orik's eyes widened as realization hit him. "So you intend to stay in Alagaësia?" Eragon grinned and said, "Nothing could ever take me away again."
Orik roared with laughter and declared, "This is truly news to warm the heart! I will see to it that word is spread from Aberon to Ceris, that our hero has returned!"
"No!" said Eragon. Stunned, Orik fell silent. Eragon apologized, " I did not mean to sound rude, only I have personal reasons for wanting to keep our arrival a secret."
Orik acquired a knowing look, and with a gleam in his eye he said, "This wouldn't have anything to do with a certain elf, would it?" Eragon felt his cheeks grow hot, but he could not deny the truth in Orik's words. "Have you heard anything of Arya recently?"
Orik reclined further into his chair, and with a smile he said, "No, but, since I know you plan to travel to Ellesméra, I will accompany you."
"It has been long since I strayed from our cities, and going off on an adventure with you may be just what I need!" Orik took a long draught from his tankard. "Besides, last time we had no time to admire the sights of old."
Eragon thought for a moment, and then he said, "I would be honored to have you go with us to Ellesméra. But, from there I plan to fly to Illiria." Orik caught his meaning and nodded saying, "Then after our little jaunt with the elves I shall return to Tronjheim."
A silence fell between them, and after a few moments Orik stood and said, "I have many more questions to ask, but I am weary, and I'm afraid I must retire." Orik clapped his hands and summoned a servant. "He will show you to the bed chambers. We can discuss our departure in the morning." With that, Orik strode from the hall.
"This way, Argetlam," said the dwarf attendant. Eragon hesitated, wondering whether to wake Saphira and tell her where he was going, but she raised her head and said, I heard. Go ahead to the chambers; I will be here in the morning.
Goodnight Saphira.
Goodnight Little One.
Eragon followed the attendant into of the hall and to an empty sleeping chamber. As Eragon drifted into his waking dreams, his last thoughts were of the adventures that would surely take place in the coming days.
END OF CHAPTER ONE