Author's note: Yay! I got my first review for my first fanfic ever yesterday, and it is a good one! I'm happy, oh yes I am :p . In the last chapter I don't know if everyone understood some of historical and cultural references: Custelo was for Locuste, a famous poisoner during the Roman Empire, and concerning the title of the fic, well, I'm a big fan of Arch Enemy and the title of their song did fit the plot pretty well, so… :p Now, I'm writing this to inform that my holidays are almost over, and after, I'll have to work VERY hard (if someone knows what is the "prépa" in France x) ), and considering this, and the others hobbies I have, I'll write only one or two hours a week, if not less, so you will not often have a new chapter, for this I'm sorry On the holidays it may be more often. But rest assured, I'll finish this if I can ^^.
Well, time for the new chapter! Merci à vous et bonne lecture!
Chapter 1: Doru Baeraa
"Faster, Dellienà! You are an elf, you are supposed to be faster and far superior to a human with your sword! Meclanor, it is good, but it could be far better! Remember what we learnt! See what you are looking at! Guess where will go her next blow, and prepare yourself to block or dodge it!"
The one who was speaking seemed to be an elf, with his pointed hears and slanted eyebrow, but he had a body which was not totally similar to those of the Fair Folk. While elves were usually slender even if extremely powerful, the man had a quite muscular body, looking much more like the body of a human than the one of an elf. He was dressed with a blue shirt and leather pants and boots, and at his waist he had a blue sword, with a sapphire embedded in the hilt. His hands were in front of him and on his left palm a silvery mark could be seen: this man was a Dragon Rider.
Eragon Shadeslayer was looking at the fight between a female elf and a male human, and that sight reminded him of a similar situation he found himself in, twenty years ago, in the dwarven city of Tronjheim, in the crater of Farthen Dûr. Though, he refused to keep thinking of it, since it reminded him of her. In twenty years, he had never been able to let her go, not that he tried very much.
Oh, my poor Little One, a voice in his mind said, and a wave of compassion came from the entity. Why do you keep dwelling on it? It's been twenty years! And it may be a hundred or a thousand years more until you see her again in person, if ever you see her! Why can't you move on? Why don't you want to move on?
I don't know Saphira, he replied, and you, did you move on from Firnen? Do you really think it is just that simple? If you remember well she was and still is a central part of my true name! Against his own will, anger started to flare in him
She didn't reply, and he felt the grief of the loss through his bond with his dragon.
I'm sorry Saphira, I didn't mean to be harsh, he said.
Don't worry Little One, was her reply, after all those years it is still hard to let go those who were so dear to us.
It had been twenty years. Twenty years since he left. Three weeks after his departure on the Talita, Eragon and the twenty-three elves who accompanied him met the end of the Edda River, and they arrived in the sea. Not knowing what they would find beyond this huge area of water, not knowing if they would find something, and after how much time they could possibly find it, they decided to land, and to search the perfect place on foot. Another reason to that decision is that they had to be able to come back in Alagaësia quickly should the need arise, and where they were now was already too far for many of the elves. They walked for only a week to the North before they discovered a magnificent place. Coming from the South of what was now known as Doru Baeraa, they arrived in a plain which was surrounded by a beautiful forest at the West and mountain range in the East. The perfect place to train Riders.
The Elves had named the forest Du Weldennuanen, or The Beautiful Forest, and the mountain range had been named Du Fells Varden, or The Warden Mountains, as they were so high (higher than those in the Spine) that they blocked the clouds coming from the sea, and the land was neither too humid nor too dry to live. The height of the mountains prevented as well possible foes from attacking them from the sea. The forest was smaller by far than Du Weldenvarden, and was not constituted of pines but of millenary oaks, and it was as beautiful as the most wonderful places in Ellesméra, which is why the forest was given this name.
During their first years in the area, Eragon, Saphira and the elves did explore their surroundings, and they found out a little clearing, where the most wonderful and unknown flowers were growing. One of the species of flowers did produce a powder similar to pollen, but with a golden color, and during the night, the flower blew that powder. Because of that phenomenon, every morning, and during the day, the glade appeared to be under a golden rain, which gave the place a surreal beauty.
In that clearing, they made another discover. Every tree, every flower, every square inch of grass did smell a divine scent, different for each person. To Eragon, the clearing had a delicate perfume of pine needles. That particular clearing became the favourite resting and meditation place of the Lead Rider. It was called Du Äenora clayrdër vanyal, The Large magical clearing.
The Mountains, in the East, were almost bare, without any vegetation higher than the half of their height, but the fauna was extremely important. In the lower part of the mountains, were the vegetation were dense enough to shelter a lot of different species, there were a lot of known animals, like deer, or even wild cows, which had greatly amused Saphira and Eragon. Other unknown animals could be found also, and about them even the Eldunarya were unable to help in the task of knowing what they were. Once, they saw an extremely tall animal, which was at least fifteen feet high, and was of a white-yellow colour with big brown spots all over it. As impressive as the Galbanaka, or Longneck, as they called it, was, it was an herbivore, and according to Saphira, its meat was delicious, "even more than deer's flesh, if it is possible". Eragon chose to believe her instead of accepting the piece of meat she was giving him.
On the higher parts of the mountains, though, no life existed, except for few chamois and ibexes. The snow never fell on this side of the mountain, but when they tried to explore the mountain range, they understood why no animal or vegetal species had lived here. In addition to the fact that the wall of the mountain was very steep, and without any track to follow, the temperature often dropped drastically under the freezing point during the night and during the day, it was not really better.
Then, between these two natural wonders, stood a wonder born from the work of Eragon and the elves: Doru Baeraa. During five years, they worked relentlessly, singing wood and stone to meet in a perfect harmony. The result was two breath-taking pieces of architecture. First, the library: After the death of Galbatorix, a huge part of the knowledge from the Riders of Old, considered to be lost, had been recovered from the ruins of the castle of Illirea, and were now conserved in the new home of the Riders. Each room was large enough to contain two or three dragons as tall as Belgabad, and the front door was wide enough to allow two dragon of the size of Shruikan to walk abreast. The building was made of wood and stone, which were sung together in intricate patterns. According to all the residents of Doru Baeraa, the library was by far superior in beauty than anything in Alagaësia, and could only be rivalled by the other building of the settlement: the Castle. The complex beauty of the structure could only be appreciated from above, on dragon back: The building was made of four concentric circles, one for each race of the pact with the dragons, and the centre of the circles was a tower, reserved for the three Elder Riders and the Elves. For now, Eragon was the only Elder to live here, and the only Elder to have seen that place.
The circles and the tower were joined together by bridges, and they were arranged so that it looked like a spiral staircase. Each part of the building had a magically colored roof, shining like dragon scales. The roof of the tower had three colors: red, green and blue, for Thorn, Firnen and Saphira. The first circle, reserved for the Urgals, had an orange roof, representing the fire which flooded in their blood. The second circle, for the Dwarves, had a dark brown roof, showing their closeness to earth and stone. The Human circle, the third, had its roof of an iron grey color, standing for their ambition and the power of their industries. The last, and largest ring was reserved for the elves, and the elven Riders were sheltered under a green roof, symbol of their love of the forest.
Even if the students were separated in function of their race during the night, in their rooms, since a Kull Rider couldn't sleep in a dwarf's of human's bed, during the day, a true spirit of camaraderie did reign between the Riders and discrimination was totally inexistent. Even the elves, after a few years spent with merry dwarves, noisy urgals, and passionate humans, had abandoned their emotionless state and became good and joyous companions. Blödgharm became the closest friend and adviser Eragon ever had. Well, the closest male friend, since he already had someone else to call his best friend.
The place were now stood Doru Baeraa had obviously been inhabited by people millennia ago, according to the presence of magic in the forest, and they had discovered while roaming the land the remains of what appeared to be a great city. In the old ruins they discovered a structure which looked like the Rock of Kuthian, and they decided to stock the Eldunarya and the eggs in a vault which they dug in the ground: the New Vault of Souls.
The old city, which didn't have a known or given name, was where the wild dragons had been first released, when they hatched two weeks after their arrival. Twenty years after they were now more than two hundred, against only five bonded dragons, not counting Saphira, Thorn and Firnen.
Given the traces of magic in the old city and the surroundings of Doru Baeraa, including the forest and the mountains, the former inhabitants of the places must have been extremely powerful. Some of the elves and Eldunarya even spoke of the probability that this city was an outpost of the Grey Folk, for it was the only race they knew that existed and used magic in those times.
Leaving his thoughts, Eragon saw that the duel between his two pupils was now about to end.
"Dead", said the elf called Dellienà, her purple sword Domia a few inches away of the neck of her sparring partner.
That reminds me of someone long ago, he said to Saphira.
Indeed, Little One, she replied, amusement flowing through their bond, the little difference is just that Arya didn't have a Rider sword named "Domination" with her. I find it sad sometimes that you didn't have the inspiration this young elf had when you named your sword. Her rumbling laughter echoed through the sparring grounds.
He didn't reply. Her name had struck a chord in him like it did every time. Arya… The last time he saw her through scrying, it was six months ago.
During the first ten years after the death of Galbatorix and the departure of Eragon, she reigned over the elves, like her mother had, and she was appreciated by her subjects, and by the four races of Alagaësia who saw in her a monarch more open and accessible than her mother had been. But when the dragons eggs started to hatch, and Riders started to appear, she was the only one who could train them before their journey to Doru Baeraa, and her duties as Queen and Rider were proven to be incompatibles.
Ten years ago, she had scryed Eragon for the first time in all that years, even if they had exchanged letters before, and told him of her intention to give up the crown, leaving the Knotted Throne to the elven lord Dathëdr, who was known as a friend of Arya and favourable to the interactions with other races of Alagaësia. She told him that she took that decision in order to be fully able to train the Riders, but he silently hoped that it was also to be able to see him more often. In this aspect he never grew up, he still was this lovesick fool. This first interview in ten years was terribly painful to him, a pain tainted with a huge relief to see her, and he could tell by watching in her wonderful emerald eyes that she was feeling the same. For more than ten other years now, she trained the new Riders in Alagaësia, and she now had more time to her, therefore she and Eragon scryed each other more often. Though, it did never exceed twice or thrice a year, since both of them still had duties to fulfil. It pained him, and he could tell it pained her as well, that she had never been able to visit Doru Baeraa.
He was awoken from his reverie when a voice reached him.
"Ebrithil, are you alright?" Asked Meclanor, the young human who was sparring against Dellienà. "You seemed to be away".
"What? Who? Where?" he answered, confused "Oh, yes, sorry, I was thinking about past times, young Rider. You two fought very well today, you can be proud of yourselves. Yet, it could be even better, if you apply what we learnt".
They bowed deeply and joined the rank formed by the other new Riders. Eragon looked at them five, their dragons and Saphira above them. Dellienà was the Rider of the purple dragoness Evraya, and Meclanor was the bonded partner of the silver grey dragon Ghastamb. Their fellow riders were another elf, a male, a dwarf warrior from Dûrgrimst Ragni Heftyn, and a Kull woman. Dellienà and Vethneidr, the other elf, were sister and brother, and they looked very much alike with their silver hair, their blue eyes and the perfect face common for the elves. Vethneidr was the rider of Meltienn, who was a wonderful white dragon. While Meltienn and Dellienà were reserved, and slightly arrogant, Vethneidr and Evraya were easy-going, always laughing and joking, and were both necessary to keep the happiness between the Riders. The dwarf, Hrethafgor, was tall for his kind, and his blonde beard was impressive. His grey eyes were always active, looking everywhere, and he was the joking type, just like Thorfanda, his golden dragoness. The Kull was called Anakghfusgha, a name that Eragon found impossible to pronounce, so he decided to call her Ana for short. She was as tall as Nar Gharvzhog, but her face was softer than the face of most Urgralgra males, with blonde hair and yellow eyes. Her black dragon was the mighty Khrufkhog, and even if both of them shared the love of battle which was common to urgals, they were pleasant companions.
Eragon stood in front of his students and said:
"Good. I sparred with Vethneidr two hours ago. Dellienà and Meclanor just sparred now, and I must say you could have won, Meclanor". He paused, looking at the young boy in front of him, with his dark hair, his tanned skin and hazel eyes. "Which leave us for the next fight you two, Hrethafgor and Ana."
Eragon always made these two fight together, since their difference of height and strength forced them to fight the best way possible in order to make the advantages of the other become their weakness. During their first fight, Ana sent Hrethafgor flying twenty feet away because of a blow he tried to block, ten seconds after the beginning of the fight. When the dwarf was healed and ready to fight again, he ran to her, untouched by her enormous blade, since he was little enough to slip past her defenses, and he made her stumble over his feet and fall to the ground in as many seconds. Now, their fights were more even, and they were redoubtable when they didn't fight with each other since they were able to make up with their differences against the others.
But this time, they didn't go far into the fight. Ten minutes after the beginning, Blödgharm ran towards them and said
"Shadeslayer. Atrà esterni ono thelduin"
"Atra du evarinya ono varda. What is the matter, Blödgharm? I didn't see you that much agitated since the war!" Said the Lead Rider, worried at the view of his friend.
"Because a war it might become, Eragon. Arya asked you in the scrying mirror. And she has very troubling news from Alagaësia".