Review Responses:
Quintain, Apprentice of Alduin: Fixed the misspelling.
EldarHunter: It depends upon various factors. Early decisions that are made by Eragon will still be the same, as his character hasn't been changed yet, and events outside of the control of characters will still occur (ex. Battle under Farthen Dur). Later on, once Eragon's character has changed and the events outside of control have passed, it's going to be 2 things that write the story. First is how characters would react. Second is Angela's prophecy, and possibly that one dream. Might take in suggestions I like from reviews, if I can get permission from the person who came up with the idea.
Teo, Svana, and Dark and Brooding arrived at the location Teo had detailed the directions to. As Red Sword and Silent Blue landed, Teo mentally gave a prayer of thanks to Nocturnal that the location was a clearing in a forest. If necessary, he and Svana would be able to disappear quickly.
Teo then addressed the cave people. "While I most certainly can keep referring to you by the nicknames I have given you, the lady would probably prefer to know you by your actual names. So, what are they?"
"...nicknames?" asked Red Sword.
"Yes, Red Sword. Now are you, Dark and Broody, and Silent Blue going to give us your names?"
Red Sword turned to Silent Blue and appeared to have a mental conversation. It lasted just long enough that Teo began to suspect that it actually was one, when Red Sword started to speak. "My name is Ber-"
Teo cut off Red Sword. "No its not. I can already see fourteen signs that you are uncomfortable with that name. Maybe one or two would make sense, since you apparently don't trust us, but having fourteen? You are most certainly lying."
"You could be a spy," Red Sword said with suspicion.
"And you just confirmed my suspicions. Anyway, why would a spy tell someone their actual name?"
"How do I know that was your actual name? I have not heard of any like it before."
Teo responded with a sarcastic tone. "It's almost as if we came from a far off area through a magical gateway. Too bad that didn't actually happen, right? Oh, wait, it did."
Red Sword fell into a dumbfounded silence, which made Teo continue. "Now are you going to tell us your actual names, or not?"
Red Sword went back to his conversation with Silent Blue, so Teo decided to turn to Broody. "Since I'm apparently getting nowhere with him, what's yours?"
After a few moments of hesitation, Broody replied with, "my name is Murtagh."
"Was that so hard?" Teo rhetorically asked, before tuning to the slightly shocked Red Sword. "Now are you going to tell me yours, or are we just going to have to continue the little song and dance?"
As Red Sword remained silent for a few seconds beyond Teo's patience, he turned to Silent Blue. "Are you going to tell me yours?"
He felt another presence beginning to show up in the corner of his mind a few seconds after Silent Blue had looked at Red Sword, who gave off a shocked expression. Teo had his mental defenses rise quickly, and he reached for his daggers as Svana reached for her sword, both looking in every direction. "Alright, who's trying to get in my mind?" they said simultaneously.
Silent Blue and Red Sword looked at each other for a couple seconds, then Red Sword said in confusion, gesturing to the dragon, "She was."
Out of the corner of his eye, Teo saw Svana raise her eyebrow slightly for a couple seconds. Teo lowered his defenses to the point that he could hear the dragon, and decided to let Svana speak, as she knew the language better than he did. "Zu'u los krosis, Dovah. Zu'u lost zent hi wah hind wah zulvoth naal lor. Fahvos dreh hi unad wah nuft lor sinon do tinvaak?"
The dragon looked as quizzical as a dragon could look, confusing Teo. "Do you recognize it?" Red Sword Guy asked Silent Blue.
'No, but it seems to resonate deep within for some reason,' the presence in Teo's mind stated, shocking both him and Svana.
Svana recovered faster, and began to laugh. "Ful, Losei Dovahkiin? Zu'u koraav nid nol dov do hi. You do not even know our tongue, do you? Such arrogance, to dare take for yourself the name Dovah," she said, partially laughing the whole way through. "Words that were once said to me so, so long ago. How ironic that I come across a Dovah who does not know the language." She was lost in thought for a few seconds. "What do you call yourself then, if you do not know your kind's language?"
'The name I take for myself, as you so put it, is Saphira.' The dragon, Saphira responded mentally.
"Where are others of your kind?"
'Do you ask so that you may kill them after I reveal the information?' Saphira responded, with anger. 'I know that the armor you wear is made of the scales of dragons!'
Teo saw anger rise in Svana, before resignation took over. She said, "At one point, when I was younger, that may have been true, but two things changed me from doing that. First was when my teacher, Paartharnax had been slain by an order of dragonslayers after I had refused their request to kill him." Svana paused for a second, and Teo noticed tears begining to rise as she recalled the event. He placed his arm on her shoulder to give a mild comfort to her, which she accepted. She then continued, "After that point, only those who attacked me were the ones I fought. But once I had met...him..." her voice rose in anger at the mention of Miraak, and Teo took over. "Through events that occurred due a Deadric Lord, she met the one who could be considered the first of her kind. One who had given into bloodlust. In one fight, he had taken down a great deal of dragons at once, and, as she told me after it had occurred, had claimed souls of dragons as his to heal himself in their battle."
"What do you mean by 'her kind'?" asked Murtagh.
"Dragonborn." Teo said, to their confusion. He continued, pointing to Red Sword, "Tell me his name, and I might explain further."
Red Sword replied, "My name is Eragon."
Teo slightly leaned towards him and said, "Now was that so hard?" As the boy began to speak, Teo cut him off, "Don't answer that, it was rhetorical."
"That's not what I was going to say," Eragon responded. "I was going to ask what you meant by Dragonborn."
"Ah."
Svana cut him off and said, "A dragonborn is a mortal born with the soul of a Dovah, or dragon if you want it in this language."
"How is such a thing possible?" Murtagh and Eragon asked near simultaneously, to Teo's amusement.
"We'll answer that when you answer our next question," Teo said. "Where are we? And no, I don't mean just our location. I want to know the history, political climate, and the such."
"Why would..." Eragon began.
"Because of the possibly interdimensional gateway?"
Eragon appeared to mentally kick himself, apparently having forgotten that. Granted, he himself would likely the same reaction if someone asked him about those details of Tamriel. Or maybe, might not. He had met the several thousand year old Serana, after all, and had to explain what had passed in the time she was locked in there.
Eragon began to explain what Teo asked for. Occasionally having interruptions by Saphira and Murtagh to correct some points. Interestingly, while the former had mostly the same story as the boy, the latter had, at some times, a vastly different understanding. At some points, the two almost came to blows when discussing Galbatorix's rebellion and the Varden. As if they had each learned their history by people who were on opposite sides of the conflict. As Murtagh gave an account more in line with someone who was in grudging favor towards the rebellion, and against the Varden, Teo concluded that he was likely a disgraced son of a nobleman, or someone who had grown disgusted with the way his father was treating him and left. Maybe both.
As for the others, they both appeared to be within a Dragon-Rider bond, as the boy had described the riders as having, as the level of variance was low when there was one, more as if correcting memory. Both also carried an air of sadness with them. Must've lost the person that had taught them about most of these things. With how much more angered he appeared to get at the times they almost came to blows, it appears that he believed what that mentor said utterly, or had witnessed something that set him against the Empire before the mentor showed up and fanned the fires. Either way, might want to get him to a point where he doesn't latch onto the first thing he hears and believe in it utterly. Probably need to hold off on teaching him any magic he, Teo, knew.
When they finished explaining, Eragon asked, "I've explained what you wanted, but if you didn't know that, then were are you from?"
Hmph. More perceptive than I thought, but less smart tha- Teo thought until his thoughts switched gears. He heard movement. A glance at Svana had them both go back to back. "See anything?"
"Wha-" Eragon began to say.
"Wasn't talking to you." Teo snapped.
Teo heard Svana whisper the first word of Aura Whisper, before she said, "A unit is surrounding us."
As soon as she said that, slightly over three dozen soldiers entered the clearing. Must not have been as easy an escape as expected. Either the Aedra let them notice us because of me, or the Deadra got them to notice us because of her. Either way...
The apparent leader of the group began speaking towards Eragon, something about bringing him back to the King, who was visiting the city of Dras Leona. Alright then, decision time. We've only followed these people because it was more convenient so far. But now we have another option. Could with the empires forces. Larger force and more likely to be able to open a connection back to Tamriel. Or we could stick with this kid and maybe move down the path to those 'Varden' people or that 'Surda' nation. Would be less likely to get a connection back to Tamriel, and they are most likely smaller, though I could wind up being surprised...
Teo whispered to Svana, "Easy or Hard?"
Svana whispered back with a smirk, "Fun."
Teo smirked and replied, "There are times I forget why we got married. This is not one of them." He looked over at the leader of the soldiers. "Hey leader guy is that a knife heading for your face?" he rapidly shouted as he telekinetically launched one of his knives towards the soldier. The Leader turned just as it came in range, causing the dagger to strike him directly in the eye, killing him on the spot. Teo pulled the knife back as one of the soldiers charged him, using the knife in his offhand to block the blade. While he blocked, Svana took the opportunity and stabbed the soldier through the neck with Chillrend.
The rest of the soldiers, Eragon, and Saphira snapped out of the daze they were in a second later.. Murtagh had begun to move near as soon as the leader had been killed, and had shot another of the soldiers in the shoulder. Teo remarked on the situation. "Outnumbered near seven to one and surrounded. I feel sorry for them."
So that's the second chapter. How badly did I screw up? Also, who's perspective do you want for the next chapter?
Untranslated Dragon Translated. I do not claim accuracy, as I used one online translator from...somewhere. I forget where right now:
"Zu'u los krosis, Dovah. Zu'u lost zent hi wah hind wah zulvoth naal lor. Fahvos dreh hi unad wah nuft lor sinon do tinvaak?": "I am sorry, Dragon. I was not expecting you to wish to communicate by thought. Why do you choose to use thought instead of speech?"