Chapter Two
I shook my head as twelve Riders chanted the spell to resize the landing room for Saphira. This will most likely last another five hundred years. I watched through the wide window as the sun set. The spell-weavers finished just as the stars claimed the sky.
"Go rest." I commanded softly. They nodded and left.
"Yes, Ebrithil." they replied just as softly. The exhaustion had settled in from the massive spell that took them the majority of the afternoon to complete. I turned to the abashed dragoness.
"What have I told you about assuming you can fit anywhere, Big One?" I asked bemused. She snorted at me in annoyance.
Be quiet, Little One, go and rest in your roost. Leave me be. She huffed in embarrassment. I chuckled softly, but left her to rest myself. I made my way up the stone stairwell slowly. I pushed through the large door with dragons carved into it with precious gems serving as their scales. There were three of them. Saphira, Fírnen, and Thorn. Saphira and Fírnen were intertwined in the center of the door, their gem-scales gleaming in the torch light, and Thorn curved at the top of the rounded door staring at me with his intense red eyes.
I sighed as thoughts of my elder brother plagued me. the last I saw Thorn and Murtagh was when they left Alegæsia nearly six hundred years ago. I wonder if they were still alive.
I entered the large kitchen and dining room. It was plane with white marble cabinets, table, and chairs, with one long stone counter along the wall beside the door. Several indentions in the stone served for cooking, baking, and boiling my food whenever I ate in. a flask of faelnirv hung on the wall beside the fairth of my mother, and the fairth of my father. above them was a shelf with more fairths of those that memories I held close to my heart.
Orik, wielding his axe in one hand, and holding a sloshing mug of mead in the other, his wife scolding him in the background. Arya, lying on her back in the meadow while Fírnen loomed over her curiously. Oromir riding Glaedr, the first time I had seen them in person. Nasuada, sitting in her throne, to her left sat Elva stroking a plump, pale orange werecat. Angela and Solembum, Angela was casting a fortune, and Solembum was watching me with intense amber eyes that shone her lazy curiousness. Murtagh sitting atop Thorn with Zar'roc drawn; his eyes solemn and sorrowful. Roran and Katrina with their baby girl, Ismira. Uncle Garrow staring out into the fields of golden wheat. I smiled at the bittersweet memories those pictures held.
I passed through the living room that held a shelf full of books and scrolls and a few trinkets I collected over the years. A simple sofa stood before the massive stone hearth. I then entered my sleeping quarters. I closed the door and quickly changed into more comfortable clothing to sleep in. Tomorrow I must deal with Heidi. If we can even get her up here.
I sighed contentedly as I woke from my restful dreams. I sat up and pushed myself out of the comfortable bed that still beckoned me. I changed into my riding trousers and a fresh grey-blue tunic. I jerked my feet into my boots, and I buckled the blue belt around my waist and sheathed Brisingr in the scabbard. The belt was a handsome dark brown with five glistening sapphires embedded in it. Each deep blue gem, the sam hue as Saphira's eyes, were alive with energy that had been stored over centuries; rarely being used.
It was the same with Aren. The blue gem seemed to glow with the energy I had stowed in it for all these years. The last time I had used any of the energy from the ring was during the war against Galbatorix.
I quickly supressed the memories of that time of my life and moved with a purpose through my quarters. I let the faelnirv pour down my throat, burning it with an intense pleasure. I ate a handful of plump gooseberries. As I passed the mirror beside my door I caught a glance of my appearance. My chin had a slight shadow of stubble growing. As the years had progressed the facial hair seemed to slow the growing process, so that every other month I had to magically shave.
I mutter the incantation and deissentigrated the stiff hair. I nodded in acceptance of my appearance, and pulled my door open to find Blödhgarm waiting for me on the other side of the large, wooden door.
"I see you are ready for today, Eragon-Vinr." Blödhgarm said as I stood before him. I cocked a brow.
"Let's just get Heidi to her new residence, Blödhgarm-Vinr." I replied impassively. He nodded curtly and we made our way to the landing flask where Saphira waited for us.
We climbed into the saddle and strapped ourselves in before she pushed off the edge of the cliff and plunged head-first towards the Dragon Isles. Then, as we grew closer to Stydja-baen* she spread her wings out and glided over the stretching branches of the tall trees. We soon came to the small clearing in the center of Stydja-baen. The home of Riders; from apprentices, to full-fledged riders, to teachers and trainers.
We dismounted and watched as Saphira left to help round up Heidi's grey dragon.
"Well, Eragon, we're here." Blödhgarm said. I nodded in agreement as we started down the path that led us to Heidi's lair. I stepped up to the door of the treehouse and rapped my knuckles on the firm wood. Silence was my answer. I licked my lips in anticipation. I wrapped my slim fingers around the handle and turned it ever so slowly.
Surprisingly it was unlocked. I glanced at Blödhgarm before we entered the home. It was dark, and stuffy. The air was stale from lack of cleaning. In fact, the entire home was...bare, save for the thick layers of dust coating the furniture. I frowned in confusion. Does the child even eat? Will we find her alive?
I truly hoped that there was more than a shell of a body waiting for us in the bedroom. We walked swiftly up the stairs and into the private rooms.
We were greeted with the relieving sight of Heidi standing in the middle of the room. She didn't move, even as I touched her shoulder worriedly. She just stare off into the air with a sad gaze. I reached out with my mind, letting it brush against hers. She flinched slightly, but no change came.
"What do we do, Blödhgarm? Remove her by force?" I asked. The elf's face was studious as he thought over the qualm of Heidi's health, physical and mental.
"For now, Eragon, I believe that is all we can do in the process of helping her." he said with a forlorn sigh.
So, here's my next chapter. Sorry it took so long. But I had to write it...then re-write it...then spell-check and all...now I have to write this AN and the mini-gloss for all the terms.
Okay, I'll do author's note first: OMG! Freakdogsflare is going to take over writing the Huntresses of Alegæsia! I'm so excited!
Okay, now for the mini-gloss!
Stydja-baen- I had to do a lot of research for this one, it was one of my many delays, sorry! It translates as Rest Place, but it really means Place of Rest. It is basically the neighborhood for Dragon Riders.
If you don't know what faelnirv or fairth is, then you are dumb because they are (in order of listing) elven wine and magical pictures. They were both used in IC, Eragon drank faelnirv at the Blood-Oath Celebration, and he received a fairth of his mother, and he also made one of Arya, which she then shattered.
Please review! I cannot believe the amount of people who reviewed for my FIRST chapter! EIGHT! O.O and eight favorites, and eighteen followers, and 2328 visitors! If I could get even more reviews for this chapter, I will post Chapter Three as soon as possible!