Chapter Two: The Temple Within The Forest

Eragon and Saphira walked cautiously into the cave. Saphira kept herself busy studying her new elven form Eragon granted her.

How do elf, human, and dwarf females get used to these protrusions on their chests? They work against me, throwing off my balance! she protested.

"Well, for one, they were born with them," said Eragon. "You only recently acquired yours, Saphira."

Still. It's rather irritating. And I prefer four legs to two.

The two kept themselves occupied in this fashion to keep their minds off the unnerving qualities of the cave. A number of bats accosted the two, but Saphira easily fried them with her fire breath.

They encountered a long room, seemingly manmade. On the far wall, there was a ledge with vines climbing to the top. There were totem poles dotting a path's boundary. There was also a wooden door at the peak of the ledge.

"This room is obviously manmade," said Eragon. "But why would someone go to the length of creating this temple within the tree it is housed in?"

Perhaps it was made using magical means in order to appease a god. Or maybe it is an act of nature, offered Saphira.

On the vine wall were some odd-looking spiders. They were enormous by Eragon's standards, but he slew them all the same with Zar'roc. He climbed the wall, followed by Saphira, who took longer than he did, as she was still getting accustomed to her new form. Eragon helped her up the last few feet. They approached the door.

"How do you open this door?" asked Eragon. It was a round disk that was merged with the wall.

I could destroy it. Then it would be undeniably open.

Eragon grasped the door and rolled it to his right. It glided along, as if on a track. He and Saphira advanced to the next room. A wooden platform lay in the center of the room, up a short flight of stairs. In the three other sides of the room were ledges, each with a door. Above the gaps between the west and east ledges and the platform were ropes that appeared to have once suspended bridges. The north ledge had more stairs leading to it from the platform.

Eragon could have sworn he saw a man in a green tunic at the east ledge. He ran forward to get a better look, but by the time he arrived, the man was gone.

Saphira looked at him questioningly. What did you see?

"A man in a green tunic."

Really? It seems we are not alone, then.

Eragon jumped from the platform to the east ledge, and Saphira, having well-developed leg muscles, jumped across as well. They advanced through the door and found themselves outside.

The wind had picked up, gusting almost irregularly. There was another bridge-rope that possessed no bridge. Eragon noticed the man in green from before. The man had a green tunic, blonde hair, pointed ears, and a green hat. An elf? wondered Eragon. No, other than the ears, he looks like no elf I've ever seen. He looks nothing like Arya or Oromis.

Whatever he is, he's about to jump, said Saphira.

What? Is he mad?

No. Look. Saphira pointed to four monkeys hanging from the rope. The elf-man, whatever he was, jumped from monkey to monkey, and they helped him swing across.

How did he do that? asked Eragon. How did he get the monkeys to assist him?

I don't know, but we should follow him. Saphira climbed up to the rope and shimmied across.

Eragon tried to avert his eyes from Saphira's bare body crawling along the rope, finding it difficult to restrain his feelings for her, which had been recently inflamed because of her elven form. He climbed onto the rope and crawled across behind her.

Saphira nimbly jumped down, cursing as her breasts jostled with the impact. I see no use for these things! Eragon, when we are done, I would like you to remove them.

"Remove them?? Are you sure?"

Yes. But now is not the time to tarry. Let's move on. Saphira went to the door that the man in green had entered and followed him.

Eragon was dismayed that he would have to address her concern eventually. He shook his head and followed Saphira.

The man in green was confronting a beast. A monkey. No, too large. A gorilla. No, too small. A baboon. Yes, that's correct. Although it had something on its head.

That looks like a huge bug, said Saphira. I believe it's possessing him.

Apparently so… Hey, look what the baboon has in his hand! Eragon pointed to the baboon, or, more specifically, the large, white boomerang in its hand, which glowed with a dark aura.

It's a strange implement. I've never seen anything like it before. Could it be a bludgeoning weapon, like a hammer? A slicing one, like a sword? Or a magical one, like a staff?

I suppose we'll find out, answered Eragon.

The baboon threw the boomerang, slicing two mad plants down from the ceiling, which both attacked the man in green. The man yelped in surprise, and Saphira flamed the two plants.

The man in green looked back at Eragon and Saphira. "Who are you?"

"I am Eragon Shadeslayer, and this is Saphira Brightscales. And you are?"

The man glanced at the baboon to ensure he wasn't being attacked, then answered, "I simply go by the name Link. I have no last name as I have no parents."

Eragon felt a pang of sympathy, as he too did not know his parents; he had grown up in Carvahall with his cousin Roran and uncle Garrow with no mother and father.

"Well met, Link."

"Well met, Eragon and Saphira. Now, can you please help me here? I need to get that boomerang from the baboon."

Eragon was puzzled. "Boomerang? You mean the white thing in its hands?"

"Yes, that."

Eragon drew Zar'roc. "All right. Let's surround him!"

Eragon ran around behind the baboon, and Saphira and Link flanked him such that the angle formed between Eragon, Saphira, and Link was one hundred twenty degrees each. The baboon was as surrounded as it could be by three people. Not knowing whom to turn to, it judged Saphira as the least threatening. A bad mistake.

Saphira unleashed a jet of fire, burning the baboon's large behind. It whirled around to face Saphira and prepared to throw the boomerang at her. Link and Eragon took that opportunity and both stabbed the behind with their swords. The baboon jumped around in pain, and slammed headfirst into the wall. The bug on his head fell off, and when the baboon looked up, he seemed much more docile. He looked at Link, Eragon, and Saphira, then jumped to an opening and left the room.

Link picked up the boomerang that the baboon dropped. Amazingly, it introduced itself as the Fairy of Winds, residing in the Gale Boomerang. Link kept the odd weapon.

"Thank you, Eragon and Saphira. Anyways, where do you two come from? What are you?"

Eragon mentioned, briefly, how he grew up in Carvahall, Saphira's hatching, raising her, leaving with Brom, Brom's death, meeting Murtagh, and all the other points of his life as a Dragon Rider. "Saphira communicates mentally. If you allow her to touch your mind with hers, we can converse."

Link did as he was told and lowered his mind's defenses.

Saphira explained how she was once a dragon, morphed by Eragon's magic that she might fit comfortably in the temple.

Finally, Link explained how he grew up in Ordon Village, how a group of monsters called Moblins kidnapped his friends, how he was dragged into the Twilight Realm, and of his partner, Midna, whom only he could see while in the light realm. He said she was a small imp female deeply acquainted with the Twilight.

"Shall we continue on and rid the Forest Temple of evil?" asked Link.

Eragon raised Zar'roc above his head, and Saphira let out a roar that betrayed her appearance.

"We shall!" Eragon and Link crossed their blades above their heads.