The edge of town was a flurry of activity, the jangles of moving carts mingling with the combined roar of hundreds of excited voices. A smile twitched onto her face, a quick twerk of the lips as she quickened her pace as warm rays of sun peaked through the thin clouds above them, helping chase away the chill of the breeze that swept from the mountains and played with her long skirt. She felt a certain joy that had evaded her for the last few months, and with its return she felt almost giddy with excitement. The happiness was infectious, even the wind had contracted it as it whipped along causing the leaves in the streets to dance in its embrace. The melodious tinkling of wind chimes brought an even wider smile to her face as she entered the large field on the edge of town and she hefted her basket up to a more comfortable place on her hip. A burst of sound erupted behind her and, in alarm; she turned her head to face it. The lines of worry vanished; however, as she recognized the excited squealing of children as they chased each other into the trading grounds. One of them bumped against her basket and she called out in mock disturbance as they giggled and squealed their apologies before disappearing behind a cart filled with various leather thongs and strips.
"Channon!" She turned towards the call, thin lips pulling up in a smile as she recognized the familiar tenor of her brother's voice.
"Arthin!" His brown eyes glinted with mischief as they neared and hers, matching in color, narrowed playfully.
"It's been too long, sister. This caravan seemed to have slowed over these seasons."
He embraced her in a hug, warmly embracing the family he had missed dearly on his journey.
"I know you Athin," she chastised playfully as she drew back. "If it were up to you your travels would never end, your horse would never rest as you press forward into your next epic adventure." She used elaborate hand gestures, mimicking a cherished memory of their childhood as she laughed, his full tones mixing with hers for the moment.
"Aye, and epic they have been." He lifted the wicker lid to her basket and exclaimed gleefully. "So much! How have you managed such a crop from this worn dirt?!"
She smiled, cherishing the moment when she could finally share with someone her secret that had been discovered in the eve of spring.
"Tea." She smirked, the wry play of her lips goading him to respond.
"You jest."
"No, I speak the truth!" She gestured at the basket. "I spilled three kettles of tea in one area of my crop two springs ago." She began, laughing at his confused expression. "And that batch grew the largest ears of corn I had yet to see. So the first day after the thaw a poured tea across my lands." She lifted the basket lid again and pulled a ripe tomato from the interior. "And lo!"
He cracked a larger smile; teeth exposed as he snatched the fruit from her and stole a bite.
"You!" She snarled playfully. "Arthin, you are lucky to be my kin, otherwise your cheek would have met the soul of my sandal!" She playfully pointed a finger at his face, which had just filled with his smile even more from her threat; a dribble of juice ran down his cheek before he hurriedly wiped it with his sleeve.
They shared another laugh before he wrapped an arm around her shoulder.
"Come, I have much to tell you while you sell your herbal goods."
The crunching of gravel approached and then, after a quick span of time, faded, the marching battalion passing through the wide street below the open window. The sound did not go unnoticed by the stooped figure at the desk, aged fingers brushing through course brown hair that was speckled with harsh grey that exposed his age. He heaved a sigh, exasperation evident in its length and volume, before standing to quickly slide the glass pane shut. The force of the action led to a sudden flurry of scratching noises beside him as a pile of scrolls fell to the floor.
Jeod repeated his actions, running his fingers through his hair and sighing, before stooping down to rifle the pile into a rough stack before returning to work. Map after map was filed into the stack, old parchments filled with broken promises gazed upon once again before being buried.
He paused however, eyes scanning over a certain map that matched the one he had been studying before his outburst. He slowly made his way back to his desk, subconsciously winding through the various piles of books and scrolls before placing himself down before his desk. The images were the same, exactly the same, and yet, it drew his attention still. He felt the thrill of discovery lingering tentatively out of his grasp, frustration threatened to return, having succeeded before in his annoyance towards the distractions, but he suppressed it, gazing still at the two almost identical maps of the King's city.
"Uru'Bean" he read aloud, disdain evident in his voice as he felt the filthy name hang in the air. Any mention of it in these times was soon followed by a worried silence or hastened change in topic, no one wished to dwell on the fortified city that housed the feared Galbatorix and his dreaded black dragon.
His eyes snapped back to the word, comparing the two titles scrutinizing before excitement took grasp over his features. He flipped the parchment over, glancing at a number in the top corner that had been scrawled in his spidery handwriting.
"1,207" He rushed over, eyes sweeping over a row of almost identical leather bound books. Each bore the same title, but differed in age and wear. After a few seconds he found the one he had been searching for a wretched it from the shelf. Thumbing through the pages, Jeod almost seemed to vibrate with excitement as he rushed through differing scenarios in his head. He reached the page that corresponded with the number on the map.
"1207
Map discovered in the home of a merchant in Gil'lead. He claimed at first to have come across it in his travels. I soon found that it had been given to him by his mother who was once a maidservant in the King's Castle. After further goading Thermic revealed that she had stolen it from a general whom she had an affair with. It took much pushing to get him to move on in his drunken stupor but he finally opened up to tell me that she had given it to him on his death bed, whispering the words. "It keeps a dreadful secret" in his ear. He claims to have not know what she meant by the fact, but suspects that she had eavesdropped on her liaison while in a meeting of sorts.
Schemes and trickery wound themselves around in his brain as he returned to his seat before the two maps and began the task of decoding whatever message they held.
"You know…" She stated, pouring the steaming liquid into two clay mugs. The steam rushed up onto her face, merely faint warmth as it dissipated into the air.
Her brother watched the sunset from the main room, a smile on his lips as the horizon slowly darkened into another night. She approached; smile matching his before she placed the mug before him on the iron table. As she sat down she continued:
"I don't understand how you can expect me to believe you."
He turned from the window and stooped to reach for the tea before him.
"Aye, I don't either, but what I say is true."
It was so hard for her to wrap her head around, mind struggling to imagine such a sight.
"Oh Arthin, are they as beautiful as old Brecrov used to tell us?" She felt as a child; wonder filling her mind as she gazed at her older sibling. He struggled, a strange frown on his face as he contemplated what to say. She felt anxious, hope filling her just by the mere thought of their existence.
"I.." he stammered. "I attempt to find the words that can explain them. Brecrov…. Did not do them justice."
He looked up at her face.
"Oh Channon, to see her fly above us, blue as a precious stone and casting a faint shadow as the sun graced itself to flow through her wings…." He cracked a smile, and yet, it was hued with a somber attitude that she had rarely seen before his adulthood.
"The Dragon is a hope, sister. She and her rider are a way to escape the war." Channon suppressed a flinch at the word. That word was not thrown around lightly in the village, for the very memory brought pain and worry to those who had lost or were awaiting the return of a husband, brother, or son.
Arthin watched his sister scrutinizing, wondering how she could cope with an empty house. They both knew what he had said was treachery, knew that if any news came to the Empire that he would be sentenced to some unholy punishment, but that seemed not to matter. His Brother-in-law was out fighting against that 'hope', forced into leaving his forge and family behind so as to fight a war he didn't believe in. It was not right, and it troubled Arthin to see his sister as perturbed.
"You should have seen Shale!" He exclaimed, continuing on as if the long silence between them hadn't existed. "He cowered like a rat before a terrier!"
She cracked a reluctant smile, thankful towards the change of direction
"You still ride that old mule?!"
He chuckled before mocking affrontation.
"She takes me wherever I need!"
"If you wish to get there in twice the time!"
Conversation followed in this manner well into the night, the two siblings enjoying the company of each other as they ignored their cold mugs.