Disclaimer: I still do not own the Inheritance Cycle. The entire franchise belongs to its rightful owners – Christopher Paolini, Random House (publishing company, I believe), certain movie studios and a video game company the latter two of which I am much too lazy to be bothered with looking up. No disrespect or copyright infringement is intended. This is merely written to kill time on my part and give you guys something (hopefully) fun and enjoyable to read in your spare time.
Author's Note: Wow! I feel so honoured that I got twelve reviews even if half of them were anonymous. I naturally prefer signed reviews but nameless reviews are not discouraged. Likewise, I was relieved that I didn't get a load of hate-mail from AxE fans as I originally thought I would because of the fact that Eragon and Arya initially hate each other's guts in this fic. Don't worry though as they will fall for each other eventually but not right away. That much I promise!
Anyhow, enough rambling. I don't really have anything else to say other then thank you for the reviews and that I feel like such a nerd writing this chapter on New Year's Day. But it's still a weak end giving me some more spare time to fill. Thus, I decided to write this chapter while it was still fresh in my mind and you all seemed to like the fanfic so I hope this lives up to your expectations. So now without any further ado, allow me to present you with the second chapter of "An Arranged Marriage!"
Chapter 2: A Tentative Truce
Eragon stood frozen from shock and disbelief as he stared into the now, all-too-familiar emerald green eyes of his elvish nemesis, Arya Drottningu. Covered from head to toe in blood, sweat, and grime, the Crown Prince was not feeling so regal now as his chest heaved from excursion, his adrenalin rush slowly fading. His tousled brown hair was thoroughly matted and tangled, and a faint, repugnant smell wafted up his nostrils. All in all, Eragon was a wreck.
Why did he have to bump into his nemesis now of all times? Why did fate seem to hate him so? Heaving a sigh, Eragon closed his eyes and took in a deep breath struggling to calm himself. When he reluctantly opened his eyes, he realised that Arya was still in front of him and this wasn't all just a bad dream. Noticing that the Urgal dagger was still tucked neatly under his throat and that Saphira was nowhere in sight, Eragon decided to play it safe and answer the question she asked him with one of his own. Trying his best to exude a relaxed and confident image, he gave the elf a cocky smile and shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly.
"I could ask you the same thing," He drawled.
Arya's eyes flashed and the dagger pressed tighter under his chin, making him stifle a shudder against the cold feel of iron.
"My purpose out here in the forest is none of your business," Arya hissed. "Now I ask you again, why are you out here in the wilderness and not back home in your palace with your mother and father?"
If it weren't for the fact that the elf spoke so sophisticatedly and in such a calm and smooth tone, Eragon could have sworn that was meant to be an insult and he would have been offended. But right now, he was simply too tired after fighting and felt like a mess. He just wanted to clean up, go back home, and forget this ever happened.
"Since you insist," Eragon sighed. "I came out here with Saphira for some peace and quiet, and to calm my frazzled nerves."
Arya arched an eyebrow inquisitively, prompting him to explain further. Blood rushed to his cheeks and Eragon squirmed when he realised what he'd have to say.
"I just returned from my training at the Vroengard to the palace," Eragon began, scowling as frustration resurfaced. "When my parents informed me of our arranged marriage. Surely you have heard of the intended alliance between both our parents to make peace between the elves and humans against some impending doom?"
That seemed to touch a nerve, for Arya flinched and glared daggers at him making Eragon smirk broadly.
"I see you have," He chuckled. "And my initial theory was correct in that you are not pleased with the engagement either. Well, at least I shall have my revenge that way."
"Or I could just slit your throat and end the alliance all together," Arya growled.
Eragon winced as he saw her eyes filled with fury and her lips tight with barely controlled rage.
"True," Eragon reluctantly admitted. "But then you would get cheated of your vengeance for you would merely be doing me the favour of preventing me from having to suffer marriage to you."
He basked in glee inwardly when Arya sucked in a deep breath, evidently trying her best to remain calm.
"Well then it seems we have reached a stalemate," The elf stated sullenly.
That statement threw Eragon off-guard. He had braced himself for another retort. Then again, he had rescued the elf from a horrible fate with the Urgals so he supposed that helped win her over a bit. Still, the young Dragon Rider wondered why she was even being chased in the first place. Arya was decades of years older than him and far more efficient at magic and swordplay. Even unarmed, she was much stronger than a human and an adept warrior.
She could have easily beaten the Urgals or least found a way to escape them. Something must have been on her mind to distract her so otherwise he would not have the hero card to play. Eragon frowned thoughtfully as he puzzled over the mystery. Was it the stupid wedding that put Arya into this state? He never knew that elves would lose control so much. They usually guarded their emotions exceptionally. Something big must have happened to bring her to this state. But what was it?
"If you do not mind me asking, princess," Eragon said reluctantly. "Why are you out here? Having rescued you from the Urgals, I do believe it is my right to know."
Arya glared at him but finally lowered her dagger. Eragon let his shoulders sag in relief but kept his body stance ready for a fight at a moment's notice, should the elf feel the need to disembowel him or some such reaction take place. Much to Eragon's surprise, the elf's face softened and she actually seemed to visibly relax as well.
"I suppose," She admitted. "But never call me princess. That is a title I hate."
"Really?" Eragon asked slowly with a sly grin. "But princess sounds like such a pretty title when annexed to your name."
Arya looked stunned for a moment but then glared when she realised he was mocking her.
"I am warning you, manling," Arya said steely. "Do not tempt my wrath or the full fury of the elves shall be thrust upon you."
Eragon rolled his eyes but nodded.
"Fine, fine," He said, waving his hand dismissively. "I shall not call you that again, but at least tell me why you are out here. It seems a strange coincidence that I bump into and rescue the very thing, no person, that I was running away from in the first place."
Arya sighed and nodded her head slightly.
"Very well," She said. "As much as I hate to admit it, I was on my way with an elvish envoy to Ilerea."
Eragon's eyebrows shot up at the implications and Arya nodded sourly much to his amusement.
"But then the envoy fell prey to an ambush by the Urgals," Arya continued, her fists clenching and her voice growing grave. "My father was coming with me for the wedding as my mother had to stay behind to rule the elves in his absence. Then the elvish guards were attacked by the Urgals who were lead by a Shade. My father forced me to escape and ride for Ilerea where I was to report this to the king.
"I managed to watch the ambush for a few moments. All I saw was many elves falling prey to the ambush and the Shade personally attack my father. I know not what happened hence and was afraid for my life so I took one of the horses and escaped. After a few hours I thought I was safe but then the Urgals followed me. With the ambush still fresh in my mind, I was ready to face my end when you showed up and here we are."
And with that, Arya fell silent leaving Eragon shuffling awkwardly on his feet. If it had been anyone else telling him a story like that, he would have accused them of lying but Arya's tale did hold some merit. That would explain why she made a mad dash for freedom instead of trying to fight back. Upon second thoughts, he recalled that his father had told him an envoy with Arya and King Evandar, of the elves, would arrive in three days time backing up the elf's story again.
What's more, elves were known for rarely lying. True they were masters at deceit and often spoke in riddles, but Eragon simply knew that the princess would never lie about something so serious. Certainly not now. There was their mutual hatred for each other to consider but why would Arya go through such great lengths to end their arranged marriage? It was just illogical and that argument was full of holes.
The more he thought about it, Eragon suddenly felt much more depressed than he had been. Saphira still hadn't shown up and he was worried. Perhaps she was taking care of the Shade or had gone back to Ilerea to call for reinforcements. Whatever the case, he needed to find out what had happened to her and that would mean he needed to reach some sort of agreement with the elf. He hated himself for even considering it but after what happened, he could not deny the fact that they had to work together.
"Interesting tale," Eragon said emotionlessly. "You could very well be lying through your teeth, but I am too tired to care right now. So for the time being, I suggest we make a temporary truce, a peace pact if you will. After I find out where Saphira is, we can seek out what happened to your father and return to Ilerea or your home. Saphira can fly from above and help out when needed. Agreed?"
Her jaw clenched in obvious lack of enthusiasm for Eragon's impromptu plan, the elf princess stuck out her hand to shake on the truce. Shaking off any doubts of his own, Eragon clasped her hand and shook it marvelling momentarily at how soft and warm it felt. It was actually pleasant to hold, or would have been had she been any other woman. Giving himself a mental shake, Eragon ended the awkward moment and pulled his hand away, letting both his hands fall to the side.
"Then if you would excuse me, I must find out what has happened to Saphira," Eragon said.
Arya merely nodded, her face returning to a mask of impassiveness. On her, Eragon preferred it to the steely glare that would otherwise be directed at him. Swearing under his breath, he stumbled a few paces away for some semblance of privacy and sank to his knees breathing deeply as he did so.
Saphira? Eragon asked. Where are you?
Worry seeped into Eragon's mind when he heard nothing and felt nothing. Coming to think of it, the whole woods were awfully quiet. It was much too unnatural for him, and made him shudder in fear. Not wanting to give into defeat though, he tried again.
SAPHIRA! He roared this time.
Still nothing. Eragon groaned and clenched his fist as he felt a sinking feeling of dread well up within him. Saphira was out of reach for some reason but perhaps he could scry her location. Reluctantly opening his eyes, he stood up and marched over to the beach. Arya followed behind him with a questioning look in her eyes but was otherwise silent, thankfully. Eragon didn't think he could handle another snide remark from that obnoxious elf at the moment.
Taking a deep breath, he knelt down before the black waves that lapped carelessly against the silver shores. Although it came out as more harsh than he intended, Eragon chanted the spell to scry his dragon. Arya knelt beside him a couple feet off and glanced curiously in the scrying pool that formed in swirls in the waves.
At first, nothing happened and Eragon was getting seriously worried. Everything was pitch black just like the waves which was a sign meaning that someone had put up a ward preventing Saphira from being scryed or that she had dead. But she was not dead. She couldn't be. Eragon would have gone insane if she was. Then again, perhaps she had died for Eragon would never normally make a peace pact with the elf he hated the most in the world. What was happening to him?
At long last, an image flickered into being and Eragon started to see a man appear in the scrying pool from the chest up. Upon hearing a sharp intake of breath, Eragon glanced over his shoulder to see Arya's face white with shock and her emerald green eyes filling with rage.
Thankfully, the look was directed to the scrying pool and not to Eragon. Looking back at this person, Eragon was puzzled to see that it was a man with sickly pale skin, blood-red eyes, and flaming purple hair. The man grinned evilly at Eragon, revealing all his teeth to be filed into perfectly triangular points. He wore a black robe and was in some kind of stone room lit up by torches.
"Greetings, Prince Eragon, Princess Arya," The man said with a nod to each of them.
But even if his voice hadn't been dripping with sarcasm, Eragon could have easily tell he was only feigning a polite attitude to antagonize them.
"What a pleasant surprise," The strange-looking man continued, his eyes bright with a fierce glee. "Although I must say that while I was not expecting you so soon, it is awful nice to see you at last. King Evandar and Saphira have told me a lot about you two."
"What?" Eragon exclaimed incredulously. "What could you possibly mean? Saphira was with me. She did not go to rescue King Evandar! Or..."
"Or did she?" The pale man asked rhetorically in a mocking tone of voice. "You can ask her for yourself if you wish."
So saying, the man stepped out of the scrying vision and Eragon's heart lurched as he saw Saphira. She was in the far back of the room which was oddly angled to fit the line of sight in the scrying chamber. Eragon was horrified to see that she was utterly tired and looked exceptionally week. Several ugly burns and blood-stained gashes marred her stunning azure scales and she was chained to the wall by several chains and collars, all of which glowed with an eerie green tint.
Eragon, Saphira croaked, her voice barely audible.
Saphira! Eragon rejoiced. What has happened to you? Are you alright?
I am so sorry, Little One, Saphira said hoarsely. I meant to wait for you at the beach but something made me fly a few miles north while you were fighting and I caught sight of the ambush. There was a wide clearing that flanked each side of the road the elvish envoy was following. I tried to help but...
Hush, Saph, Eragon said sadly, his eyes stinging with tears. This is all my fault. I should never have run away like that. Now you are captured and...
A harsh, maniacal laughter rippled out of the scrying pool making Eragon's blood boil.
"What have you done with her you bastard?" Eragon shouted as the devilish man reappeared, blocking Saphira.
"Only locked her up for her own safety, the feisty creature," The man said waving his hand dismissively. "And Arya, I would let you have some daddy time but I am running out of time on my own. Being a Shade is hard work you know and when duty calls a man must adhere to it."
Eragon's mind reeled. A Shade?
Glancing over wearily at Arya he saw that she was frozen in shock and anger, her fists clenched and body taught, again.
"Why are you doing this?" Eragon asked, directing his attention back to the Shade. "Who are you anyway? Don't you know that pissing off the heirs of the two most powerful kingdoms in the realm is a very bad idea?"
"Not so actually," The Shade chuckled. "You are wrong there."
"How?" Eragon growled, sick and tired of the Shade's games.
"It's very simple really," The Shade said. "Once the elf queen learns that her husband has died at the hands of you, she will withdraw her daughter and might even attack the Empire. In the meanwhile, you will be shamed and most likely made an outcast for what you have done. To avoid an execution, you shall run away and live as an outlaw hunted down for the treason you committed. Or you could do it the easy way."
"And that is?" Eragon hissed, fighting a losing war to remain calm.
"You and the elf journey to the location I give you and swear an oath in the Ancient Language to tell no one of what happened," The Shade explained calmly. "Once you get there, you shall hand over control of your bond with Saphira to me, effectively making me her Rider. Subsequently, you will be driven insane and might even attack your precious betrothed. Then the elf queen will still end the alliance and it will all be for naught. Either way, I shall win."
"Why are you doing this?" Eragon ground out.
"Simple," The Shade said dismissively. "There are a few people I wish to gain revenge over and I have always wanted to be a Dragon Rider. That is all you need to know. So shall we do it the easy way or the hard way?"
"One moment please," Eragon muttered.
"Of course," The Shade said easily. "Take all the time in the world."
Swearing an oath under his breath, Eragon turned to Arya who had regained her mask of impassiveness once again. She seemed to be deep in thought and turned to Eragon as he looked at her, quickly casting a ward so that they could speak unheard of by their enemy.
"Well?" He asked testily. "What should we do? Do we have any hope of going against the Shade's wishes?"
"No," Arya said. "And even if we told someone, he would find out and murder my father and your dragon. I know of Shades. They are very sly and cunning. For him to have captured a dragon so easily and the king of the elves on top of that, he must be very powerful indeed. So no, we must do as he wishes. Besides, if we go to the location he spoke of perhaps we can rescue my father and your dragon."
"True," Eragon agreed. "But my parents will be worried sick about me as would yours. For all we know, the alliance has already been terminated and our races are at war with each other."
"Even for humans I doubt your parents are that foolish," Arya said snarkily, making Eragon bristle. "And I know my mother would not jump to conclusions so easily. It is a shame we cannot contact them or else we could have come up with a better plan."
"Fine," Eragon sighed. "So we do it the easy way."
"Agreed," Arya said with a bob of her head.
Shaking his head, Eragon candled the silencing spell and returned to the Shade who was still waiting for them in the scrying pool. Upon seeing Eragon again his face split into a toothy grin.
"So have you decided?" He sneered.
"Yes," Eragon said. "We will meet you at a location of your choice and I shall hand over control over Saphira's bond to you once I get there."
The Shade's grin got wider if at all possible.
"Swear it," The Shade barked.
Eragon hated himself from that moment on but he reluctantly complied and felt like a traitor already when the oath was finished.
"Very good," The Shade crooned. "It looks as if even the reckless prince of the Empire can be trained to follow orders. Very good. And now, the location. Meet me at Sharktooth Island, just off the coast. I shall be waiting for you and have all the time in the world to do so."
"Sharktooth Island?" Eragon asked in confusion. "Why there? That's just a fishing village."
"No more questions," The Shade spat. "Too much time has been wasted already. I must go now, prince. Do give my regards to your lady love and do not try to trick me out of your oath. I am a master of deceit."
And with that ominous warning, the Shade snapped his fingers and even before Eragon could so much as blink, the spell ended in a flash leaving him alone with Arya and ten times more angry than before.
To Be Continued...
A/N: Ta-da! Chapter 2 as promised. I was actually surprised with myself since I didn't expect to write this chapter, but look what happened anyway? Well, moving on how was the update? Was it okay or too painful to read? This was more of a filler chapter but action is going to happen soon, so do stay tuned as I have several more chapters planned out for this fanfic. Once again, I thank you for your reviews and comments or PM's (if you prefer the latter) are always appreciated.
Thanks for reading!