Eragon was in the middle of a familiar patch of trees on the edge of Du Weldenvarden. Why it was familiar, he did not know until he saw the three pure white Elven steeds.
On the first horse was an elf with pointed ears and elegantly slanted eyebrows. Her build was slim but strong, like a rapier. A powerful bow was slung on her back. A sword pressed against her side opposite a quiver of arrows fletched with swan feathers.
The last rider had the same fair face and angled features as the other. He carried a long spear in his right hand and a white dagger at his belt. A helm of extraordinary craftsmanship, wrought with amber and gold, rested on his head.
Between these two rode a raven-haired elf man, Eragon himself, who surveyed his surroundings with poise. Framed by short black locks, his deep blue eyes shone with a driving force. At his side was a blue sword, and on his back a long bow with a quiver. Eragon carried in his lap a pouch that he frequently looked at, as if to reassure himself that it was still there.
"The egg." Eragon thought.
Eragon moved towards the riders, knowing this was a dream and he would not be able to interact with them in any way but needing to get closer. For her. Faelwen. It felt like it had been a lifetime since he had seen her. As he drew near her horse he let his eyes roam her face. Her silver eyes flashed in the moonlight. Her dark hair hung around her heart shaped face exactly as it had that night. A stab of pain began in his heart, and shot through his veins.
"Faelwen. I miss you so much." He whispered as she passed him by. He knew what was coming next. The ambush. He could not watch again as she fell. He could not watch again as his best friend, Glenwing, fell. He woke as he saw from the corner of his eye the flash of blue signaling he had sent the egg away.
Eragon laid there, willing the tears away. He had sworn that night that he would make Durza pay for what he took from him. Speaking of Durza, Eragon could hear him down the hall talking to someone, probably a soldier of the Empire. The shade's voice drew closer to Eragon's cell.
"Well, hello again Eragon. Are you ready to divulge your secrets to me today? To tell me where you sent that blasted egg?" Durza's voice was sickly sweet like he was trying to play nice. Ha! As if a shade could ever be anything other than evil, especially one who works for the black king.
The shade's words did give Eragon a small piece of hope though. He had obviously sent the egg somewhere safe, or at least somewhere that the king could not find it.
"Never." Eragon replied.
"Fine. I'll just have to force it out of you." Durza flashed his pointed teeth in an imitation of a smile.
"What makes you think today is going to be any different than any other day?" Eragon sneered, before the shade backhanded him across the face. He could taste the blood welling up in his mouth, before he spit at Durza's feet.
"Let's go, boy. I have a lot of fun planned for us today."
Eragon's resolve never wavered as he was tortured within an inch of his life, only to be healed, and the torture to begin anew. It went on like this for hours upon hours. The shade getting more and more desperate as Eragon refused to answer the questions he asked, as he blocked all mental attacks with Faelwen's face. There was a commotion upstairs in the cells.
"Take him back to his cell. It seems as if we have another joining us today." Durza was frustrated with his lack of progress, and you could hear the anger in his voice as he disappeared upstairs.
"I wonder who the new prisoner is." Eragon thought as the guards dragged him back to his cell from the dungeon his tortures took place in.
As he passed a cell that had been empty until just now, Eragon felt a familiar presence watching him but for the life of him he could not figure out why it was familiar. He turned his head to see if he could catch a glimpse of the person watching him, and his bright blue eyes alighted upon eyes so dark green they seemed almost black set in a feminine heart shaped face. Long chestnut hair framed the pale face of the young girl, who looked no older than sixteen years of age. Young even by human standards. Surprise flitted across the humans face as she took in his elven appearance. Then, they could no longer see each other as Eragon was taken to his cell.
"Why did she seem so familiar? I have never seen her before in my life." Eragon wondered as he was thrown into his familiar cell. His enhanced hearing picked up Durza's voice as the shade and some guards walked by his cell paying Eragon no attention.
"The king has ordered me to bring him the elf by the end of the week. It seems as if His majesty is not happy with the elf refusing to give up his secrets to me." His voice faded as he moved away from Eragon's cell.
"I am to be presented to the king within the week? This is not good. I must escape, but how?" Eragon desperately thought.
Just as he thought that, he heard a distant set of footsteps, wait make that two sets of footsteps. The sound was originating towards the front of the prison. As he listened further, two thuds were heard, one right after the other. Eragon knew that sound well. It was the sound of a body dropping to the ground, dead. Eragon barely even dared to breath as he listened for what would happen next. He heard a deep voice whisper, "jierda," and the protest of metal as it was torn apart.
"Brom? Murtagh?" He heard the girl he had seen earlier whisper.
"Brom? The Brom?" Eragon wondered.
"Come, girl. We need to leave quickly. We haven't the time to idly chat." He heard a gruff voice whisper curtly.
"There is elf here, Brom. We must help him." The girl whispered furiously.
"An elf, you say?" Brom mused.
Then Eragon felt a mind brush his own. Feeling no malevolent desires he let the stranger in.
"Arya was telling the truth then. You are indeed an elf." The man spoke in the Ancient Language inside of Eragon's mind.
"That I am, Brom." Eragon had discovered that it was in fact the same Brom from long ago.
"We are coming to let you out." Brom suddenly withdrew from his mind as if he had never been there to begin with.
The next thing Eragon heard was Brom muttering the same spell he had used on the girls cell door, outside his cell door. The metal groaned loudly as it was torn apart.
"Hurry," was the only Brom said to him as the door was removed. Eragon didn't hesitate to do as the old man said rushing to join the three people standing there. They were heading towards the front door of the prison where Eragon could see the two guards that had stood there lying lifeless on the ground.
"Thank you for the help in escaping, but I will not be coming with you. There is something I must do." Eragon murmured quietly to Brom as they reached the doors.
"What do you mean?" The girl, Arya, asked him. He pierced her with his gaze, curious as to who she was but not showing it. He was an elf after all.
"What could be so important that you would abandon your duty, Eragon?" So Brom did recognize him even if it had been years since they had last seen each other.
"I had forgotten how rude you can be, Brom. It is nice change from the usual personalities I am around." Eragon spoke with a slight smile on his angled face.
"You did not answer my question, elf." Brom responded.
"I am going to take back what is mine from that despicable shade." He growled in response. Durza had something of his, and he wanted it back. He would stop at nothing to get it back.
"What, exactly, is it that you are going to take back from me?" He turned to see Durza standing at the other end of the hallway.
"I'm going to take back what is mine."
"Eragon, take this." Murtagh handed him a ruby red blade. He nodded his thanks to the young man.
Eragon charged the shade, whipping his blade towards torso. Durza was almost too late to block the red blade, but unfortunately he managed to get his sword up in time. No, not his sword. Eragon's own blade was being used against him. Eragon felt a deep rage well up inside of him, and he had no desire to hold it back. Brisingr, his own blade, was being wielded by another. Eragon furiously attacked the shade but every move he made was blocked. Although Durza never managed to get a strike of his own in, Eragon did not manage to injure him more than a scratch or two. Eragon was beginning to get frustrated, when from nowhere an arrow sprouted from Durza's forehead. The shade dropped the sapphire blade to the ground as he screamed in agony, and disappeared.
The elf turned around and wordlessly handed the red blade back to Murtagh thanking him for the assistance.
Then Eragon grabbed his sword from the dirt, and went in search of the scabbard. He found it, and his bow and quiver of arrows in the guard room on the top floor. As he made his way back towards the front door of the structure he noticed that Brom and the others were still there, looking like they were waiting on him.
Not one of them spoke as they hurriedly left the prison in Gil'ead. The group led Eragon to a clearing far enough away from the town to be secluded, but not too far away to make rescue too difficult. Brom gestured for them all to sit as he went to check on the horses, and their stuff.
As he sat there he took the chance to observe the two humans before him. He had already had a brief moment to study Arya in the prison, but Murtagh was another story. The son of Morzan, sat tall and proud, like he had not a care in the world. He had dark hair, that framed a strong face. Deep grey eyes peered out in curiosity at Eragon. While he was not as fair as an elf, he was no doubt a handsome human man. Eragon was sure he had his fair share of women that wanted him. Brom soon joined them, and he was the first to speak.
"What happened to you, Eragon?" He asked gruffly.
Eragon recounted the details of the ambush, and his imprisonment. Then asked a question of his own.
"Where are you all headed?"
"The Varden. We have something important to deliver." Brom responded. He picked up a bundle of cloth that he had brought with him from the horses. He began to unravel the bundle to reveal a large green stone like object.
"The egg." Eragon whispered in astonishment. It is safe.
A/N: Well that was chapter two of this story. What did you guys think?
-TheUnicorn