Disclaimer: do not own Eragon or any of its characters

Chap 1

War is an awful thing

Eragon watched silently as his cousin commanded the once pleasant people of plancer valley now half starved and saddened by the aftermath of war. His thoughts drifted to pleasant memories of his former life, him waking up to see garrow smoking his pipe in the corner complaining of eragons laziness. Eragon looking out the window watching the animals pacing around nervously waiting for food. Roran eating breakfast while talking about the day's harvest, and why eragon wasn't doing his chores yet.

As eragon thoughts then turned to the hardships these people have overcome. He thought about the deaths and hardships although he was very proud of his town for the courage they had shown, even though they new all they had to do was give up roran and life would go as normal, but more so proud of his cousin some of the choices he's made may not have been the best but he had lead an entire village through the a forest that even men dare not go within it. He battled in the burning plains even though know one would that cowardly of him.

As his mind swelled with thoughts he almost didn't recognize a familiar presence approach. He turned his head to take in his surroundings candles were light everywhere with men and women chatting and smiling and boasting about there Great War they had won. Men talked of the different ways they disemboweled people and different fighting techniques. There were a few men and women who were like eragon but these people were too old to have fought but must have sneaked in and were the first ones to realize just what a tragedy this was and saw what truly has happened. the small boy Jarsha. He couldn't help but smile as he saw him struggling to get to him, while with a sword almost twice his size slung over his shoulder. Eragon walked over and looked down at him "a little boy should not worry himself with the troubles of war"Eragon said still smiling "Hello again" the little boy said but never letting his eye leave the dragon that watched him, that was happy just because eragon was happy." may I help you" eragon said "yes um lady I mean miss um err naswauda wants to see you" "did she tell you why I'm not quite done talking to my cousin" eragon said while motioning his hand towards rohan who was getting very annoyed that bye the endless wave of varden who were sure he saved there life from the twins. "She wishes to discus plans on your future and about something else that she was very vague and upset about" eragon sighed and looked up at his cousin. Rohan regretfully nodded and said go ahead "while finishing shaking hands with a group of people just to see more coming "well talk later" eragon nodded and walked off with Jarsha.

As eragon walked out of the area with jarsha he stopped and said "aren't you coming" he said contacting sapphire with his mind "no little one I am still very tired you can share with me later" she said. "Alright go ahead and get some sleep".

As jarsha lead him away from the polite conversations and men boasting of victory they came near the edge were the injured were kept. Blood covered the walls with death and suffering varden and soldiers tended to each other. No one was different here no discrimination no hate just pain. "This is the true crime of war" eragon thought to himself. Jarsha seemed pale in the moonlight and quickened his pace fear growing in his eyes. Eragon noticed jarsha shuddering with no longer fear but sadness. "What's wrong" eragon asked not wanting to intrude in his mind to find out. Jarsha looked up tears welling in his eyes "m...my...Parents I haven't seen them since we started fighting" he said "I've been looking for them for a while now I looked everywhere and now ones seen them" "what was there name I might have seen them" hope shown in his face "well my mothers name is sahra and my fathers is harwin. They're both archers for the varden" eragons face turned to horror. While on sapphire he had seen an entire platoon of archers wiped out though chances were they were alive something told him otherwise. Eragon smiled and said, "Yes, I met your father before. I'm sure he's out finding his arrows" jarsha looked up with joy "oh yeah he always gets his arrows those are his lucky ones he's probley out there right now with mom". The little boy bobbed ahead with pure joy.eragon sighed "war is an awful thing" he thought" and walked on.

"Fight fight fight fight"! Voices screamed while hording around two men who were circling each other holding knifes. The voices chanted, the rhythm of the chant was mesmerizing. The man who had a butcher's knife was wearing a blue shirt and the man with a very long hacking knife which could have been mistaken for a dagger paced with a red shirt. The man in red had a calm expression on his face, which probably meant he was a trained solider, though tense, so he didn't make a stupid mistake. The man in the blue clearly at a disadvantage was looking nervously around for the slightest chance of a way to get out of this. Eragon over heard two people talking of the two fighters. "The guy in the red had been dishonored by the blue guy man and had challenged him to a duel" one of the men said. Men paced their feet with the beat waiting until one steps wrong or any motion that would signal an advantage. Eragon was just about to break it up when a strong and familiar voice boomed through the cheers "have you no shame" the voice said. Everyone stopped cheering and turned around except one man who was too caught up in the moment to listen until someone poked him. They all turned and were surprised to see nothing until a voice came "uh hum down here" and there standing nose to knee at the crowed was Orik. "In the name of the gods have you no decency" he boomed "great men have died today, men who gave up there lives so that you fools can fight amongst yourself". Oriks face was red and he showed no sign of stopping "I know little about the ways of men be we dwarves" he said rising his chest "have a little respect. The crowed showed a mix of emotions outrage, acceptance, calmness, and denial. "Why should we listen to a little dwarf who does not mind his own business"? Orik eyes grew bloodshot. He was about to go and fight the man even after his speech. Orik walked up to the crowd searching madly for this man, but as he was about to attack the crowd altogether out of frustration that they were agreeing with whoever made the remark when suddenly a hand appeared on his shoulder. He looked up and was surprised to see Eragon. "Eragon have you heard what th……".Eragon looked down at his face "yes I have heard" he looked at he crowed and said "Daniel come here and apologize to orik here who was just proving a point". A man in the crowd suddenly had a stricken expression on his face he walked up to them looking dazed "my..my..Um shade slayer im im sorry" Eragon raised his hand "do not apologize to me but to him he said pointing to orik. The man had tears streaming down his face out of fear and regret "I'm sorry " he said and ran off. "Orik come Eragon" said bluntly

"I would suggest that later you listen to yourself" eragon said. "Oi" was all orik could get out. After walking a few yards the uneasiness faded and orik calmed "I guess I should but they insulted me even when what I said was true". Eragon sighed "Just can't stay away from a fight can you" he said with a chuckle. "How is hrothgar's burial going" Oriks face darkened "As we speak he is carried furthern dur though it is abandoned he should rest with the dwarfs of his centuries. The dwarf smiled earnestly "I'm still looking forward to our toast to his death" "so am I". They were walking orik noticed a sign that said "any free man willing to help on watch duty tonight come to Fredric. "I think I will at that"Orik said "goodbye Eragon have a nice talk with nauswada.

Even though eragon new the why the vast amount of tents took him at least an hour before he came upon the familiar long tent of naswada. Eragon came to the tents front the guards there had concerned expressions but eragon was too hurried to get back to roran to notice. Eragon opened the flap and was surprised to find naswada alone and more surprising she was sitting at her table with nothing but a blank expression on her face. Eragon ran to her side "what's wrong milady" she stared up at him tears streaking her face "oh eragon it's horrible" she said pointing to a sheet on the floor. Then he saw something he hadn't noticed before. A small body lies on the floor the sheet wrapped around them. Eragon walked over and looked at the face. Sickness pulled at his stomach the face had so many cuts on it, it was impossible to identify it but the hair was that of a girls. He looked to her forehead and though slashed repededly he could just make out that of a gedwey ignasia, "Elva"