Disclaimer: I don't own Eragon or anything associated with the Inheritance Cycle.
Claimer: I, SussieKitten, own this plot and the story. Borrow or steal my plot, my original characters (Aksel) or story and I will report you. I also own my version of Saphira/Thorn's human appearances.
Warnings: Slash/Shōnen-ai – meaning mild guy x guy action. Femslash/Shōjo-ai – meaning mild girl x girl action. Swearing or strong language. Mentions of drinking If any of this disturbs you, click on the "back" button. I won't tolerate any flames.
A/N A huge thanks to everyone who reviewed and to those that still reads this story. I know it's been ages since I updated, but I really struggled with this chapter.
A little warning. I took a lot of artistic liberties in this chapter. Since Eragon's original travels were on horseback, and I'm basing this story on a modern day universe, there are roads and therefore cars. Things tend to go a bit faster then. So therefore I estimated how far it was between certain villages and guessed how long it would take to drive there based on personal experience. It's probably all wrong, but whatever, it's my fic, right?
Also, this chapter is unbeta'ed. Hopefully it's still readable, especially since FFnet has decided to screw with my formating again. :sigh:
::
NOW I'VE SEEN IT ALL
Part Three; Where Did You Hear That?
The month passed relatively quickly. Before Eragon had time to blink, it was just a week before the trip down to Surda. Upon realising this, he forced himself to go and make sure he had asked for a vacation with his boss. That conversation had been one of the most horrific ones in his life. Only the Sex Ed. back in high school had been worse, and that was just because he hadn't been forced to watch some woman give birth.
It still made him wonder if the adults hadn't been trying to kill their sexual appetite. That or turn the guys gay. If he hadn't been gay before watching it, Eragon had a slight suspicion that seeing it would have turned him off girls right away.
But now with just a week to go and a stern glare from his boss that told him he had indeed asked for a week off to travel back and forth, Eragon found that things were looking up. Work wasn't as troublesome anymore. It would never cease to be terrifying, though. Mrs. Magii was, hands down, the most horrifying woman he had ever met, and he had seen Saphira in the morning when someone -aka, Aksel- had eaten up her favourite cereal by mistake.
That memory still made him shiver in fright. He hadn't known a spatula could be used to do that. He was sure Aksel still had scars, mental or otherwise, from the incident. And he had never touched her cereal again.
Even though going to work was had become less of an ache, he still treasured his lunch hour.
He had always been a routine guy, so when the clock struck twelve, Eragon did as he always did. He grabbed his bag and jacket, exchanged hellos with the girl that worked with him at the register as she came back from her lunch. Eragon never stuck around to chat, though. He then exited the library and walked down the street. There was a Subway just around the corner where he ate lunch twice a week. He packed his own lunch the other times and ate wherever he wanted. He ate at the park during the summer. When it became colder, he stayed inside the library and ate in the employees lounge.
Eragon smiled slightly as he walked down the street. The weather was warm, but there was a slight breeze that made it comfortable. He had avoided his boss' wrath all morning and hadn't been involved in a freak accident yet. All in all, it was shaping up to be a good day.
The brunet walked inside and was pleasantly surprised when there were only two people in front of the register. He was quite hungry.
Five minutes later, he was sitting at a table by the window eating one of his favourite sandwiches. He leaned back in his chair and looked out at the people walking down the street. He enjoyed watching people. He amused himself with wondering what was going through their minds, what they did for a living and who or what they were going to.
Like, for instance, the woman that was doing her make-up as she walked past him. She had to be in a hurry since she couldn't have done that earlier, or stop to do it in some public bathroom. She quickly left his mind when a guy walked past, however. His hair looked identical to some anime character Eragon couldn't remember the name of. Eragon hadn't known that was physically possible until that guy had come along.
He was so busy staring after the guy that he didn't notice someone sit down at his table.
He shook his head and went to take another bite out of his sandwich. It was then he noticed the company. He froze.
"Hello Eragon," the blond said with a smirk.
It was official. The Gods hated him.
"Hey," he mumbled and took another bite. Somehow it didn't taste as good anymore. Damn them for making his favourite sandwich taste dull.
"Do you mind if we sit?" Tornac continued.
That question was rather pointless, seeing as they were already sitting, but Eragon kept himself from mentioning it. Eragon had chosen a table with only two chairs, but somehow Murtagh had grabbed a chair and put it down without making a noise. He now sat at the free edge of the table which was opposite the window. That left Tornac, who Eragon noticed had taken a seat opposite himself.
Eragon bit back a sigh and shrugged. "Sure."
"If you don't want us here, we can leave," Murtagh said. He had been resting his arm against the back of his chair. Upon speaking, he let it fall and looked ready to get up.
"No," Eragon was quick to say. What was up with him? So they had had a one-night stand. So what? He didn't have to be a total bastard because of it. "It's fine, really."
Murtagh relaxed and Tornac's grin widened.
"So, what's new with you?"
Murtagh face-palmed. He shot Tornac a vaguely irritated look. "Seriously?" he said dryly.
"What?" Tornac looked at him innocently. "It's a normal and perfectly innocent question."
"Nothing you ever say is innocent or normal."
Tornac almost looked proud.
Eragon took a small bite and tried not to look too awkward.
"That aside," Murtagh shot Tornac a last look before turning to Eragon, "how are you?"
"And that's not the same that I said, just with different words?" Tornac was given an elbow to the ribs rather than an answer. Tornac rubbed the area with an actual pout on his lips.
Eragon tried not to laugh. "I'm fine. Nothing new has happened recently." And he felt no sudden urge to tell them about his upcoming trip to Surda, so he left that out.
Tornac crocked an eyebrow. Apparently the elbow hadn't hurt as much as he had made it look, because he looked just fine now. "No boyfriend?"
Eragon forced down a blush. "No."
"They don't know what they're missing," Tornac winked at him. Murtagh rolled his eyes at this. "Then again, no one could ever live up to our standards, so maybe -" he was cut off by another elbow to the ribs.
"Tornac," Murtagh said sharply.
"I forget why I'm with you. You always abuse me," the blond shot him a look.
Murtagh actually smirked. "You weren't complaining last night."
Tornac slowly raised an eyebrow. "Not the kind of abuse I was talking about, but at least you answered my question."
Murtagh chuckled.
Eragon took a sip of his water bottle and pretended not to just have had a flashback of the other two making out. It was not fair that he was getting hard again when the other two looked so calm and collected.
"So, no boyfriend," Tornac said and leaned back in his seat. "That gives you plenty of time for -"
A sharp look from Murtagh cut him off.
"What? I was going to say 'studying'," Tornac said with something that looked very much like a pout.
Murtagh did not look convinced.
"I was!"
"It's in the middle of the summer, Tornac," Murtagh drawled.
"So?"
Eragon couldn't help it; he laughed.
The other two were silent for a few seconds before erupting in laughter as well. Eragon didn't care what they must have looked like to others; he was having a surprisingly good time. And right then, as he felt the awkwardness between them start to fade, that was all that mattered.
::Seen It All::
The rest of the week passed surprisingly quickly. It seemed like Eragon had been sitting with Murtagh and Tornac for lunch one second, then the next Saphira was pulling him out of his bed and nagging at him for not being able to get up on time or even alone.
Thankfully he had packed the day before, so Eragon just had to get up and get dressed before they could leave.
Eragon tried to stifle a yawn as he walked down the stairs. He failed of course. He wasn't sure why, but he was really tired. It was probably a good thing. He wasn't a big fan of driving by car, especially not when the trip was going to last for several hours. Maybe he could fall asleep and wake up to suddenly find himself in Surda?
Aksel and Saphira would most likely moan at him for being such a party-pooper, but so be it. He liked to sleep, damnit. It certainly didn't help that it was currently six o'clock either.
"- and Vanir are most likely already at the car waiting for us. You really need to learn how to operate your alarm clock."
Saphira's voice had been a sort of background noise since they had exited his apartment, but now it jumped right into frequency. Say what now?
"Vanir?" he said confusedly.
Saphira looked at him. She crocked an eyebrow. "Yes, Vanir. Aksel's boyfriend. He's coming. We talked about this a week ago, remember?"
Truthfully, Eragon couldn't remember such a conversation taking place. If it had happened right after his lunch with Murtagh and Tornac, that might explain why.
Saphira rolled her eyes. "Aksel finally told Vanir where he was going -you know how he can be- and Vanir promptly told him that he was coming along. I don't blame him," she snorted. "Aksel flirts like crazy. It's in his nature. And he always thinks that it's harmless. But some people might not see it that way and -"
"I get it," Eragon said, cutting her off. "Vanir wants to make sure no one takes advantage of him."
Saphira smiled. "Exactly. Thankfully the reservations were for two double rooms, so you and I can share."
"Uh, yeah, definitely. I'm not going to stay with a guy I hardly know and I'm not staying with Aksel when I know he'll most likely be pulling his boyfriend over to have sex at 3 in the morning."
Saphira let out a soft giggle. "Exactly. So we probably need to come up with a sort of code so I know when to stay out of the room."
Eragon was confused for about five seconds before he realised what she meant. He blushed. "I'm not coming along to get laid," he said sourly.
"Of course not, but we know what happened the last time you weren't looking for a shag," she said, and to Eragon's horror she was actually smirking.
"I hate you." He glared at her and stomped off towards her car.
Saphira only laughed.
As Saphira had said, Aksel and Vanir were already at her car. She unlocked it and the four of them put their bags into the trunk. Afterwards it was only natural that Saphira got in the driver's seat and that Eragon sat down beside her. The couple sat in the back.
Eragon hoped that Aksel wouldn't get any 'ideas' during the trip. He was in no mood to listen to Aksel's stifled giggles and...well, whatever sounds Vanir would be making.
Eragon effectively killed the blush that was trying to break out and turned his attention to the radio. Saphira, Aksel and he had very similar taste, though Aksel could actually listen to techno while Saphira listened to pop and love songs. Eragon stayed on the rock, side of their playlists. He was gay, but he wasn't that gay.
The song that came on now was one he actually liked. Eragon had already noticed that Saphira had plugged in her iPod and knew that there would be songs he'd have to suffer through later. They had already agreed to bring all of their iPods and a few selective CDs so they wouldn't have to listen to the same songs over and over.
Eragon vaguely wondered if Vanir had gotten that message and what sort of music he listened to. For a minute he entertained the idea of Vanir listening to opera and musicals and had to stifle a laugh. If Vanir actually listened to that, Eragon wouldn't be surprised. He could already hear Vanir lecture them about the intellectual stimulation you would get from listening to opera.
A few minutes into the drive and Eragon was surprised to notice how willing Vanir actually was to talk. Saphira easily engaged him in conversation about the ancient history of Alagaësia and Surda, of all things. Vanir was apparently a major in their local ancient history. Eragon would never have guessed that Aksel would go for a type like that.
Eragon tried to listen in, because history was always something he had found fascinating, but soon enough he was drifting off.
::Seen It All::
Strangely enough, Eragon apparently wasn't the only one that was tired. Though, when he thought about it, it wasn't that much of a surprise. They had been on the road at six in the morning, and since Vanir no doubt spent the night at Aksel's place, who knew how much sleep they had gotten. Eragon wasn't going to think about that too much, however. Thinking about Aksel having sex was like thinking about Saphira having sex. They were all like siblings, and you just didn't think about siblings having sex.
In the back, Aksel had fallen asleep a few minutes ago with his head resting on Vanir's shoulder. Eragon had looked back when Aksel had fallen silent and the sight that met him had shocked him.
He had seen Aksel asleep before, so that part wasn't as shocking. Aksel looked very normal in his sleep. It was almost hard to believe that he was a complete psycho while awake. No, what had shocked him was the look on Vanir's face.
As Eragon watched, Vanir put an arm around Aksel and adjusted how the blond lay on him, obviously to make it more comfortable for the sleeping part. He brushed a stray lock of hair out of Aksel's eyes, then leaned back in his own seat and just watched the blond.
Aksel of course had to ruin it all by letting out a loud snore. But there was only a slight flash of irritation in Vanir's eyes before he went back to watching Aksel almost fondly.
Eragon looked over at Saphira and saw the same look on her face. She was as shocked as him. They shared a private smile before looking in their separate directions. And as Eragon watched the scenery fly by, he couldn't help but to feel happy for Aksel. He most certainly deserved this.
::Seen It All::
It was now two hours into their trip and they were making their first stop just outside of Gil'ead. Eragon had slept for the first hour and a half and had woken up to Aksel falling asleep. Eragon was surprised he hadn't woken up when Aksel had been awake, but Saphira had explained to him that Aksel had been very considerate and had spoken in a soft voice.
Eragon considered that a small miracle in itself.
Sometime when he had been asleep, Saphira had switched from her iPod to the usual breakfast chatter that was on the radio. So when they rolled to a stop at a drive-by, a band that Eragon was sure he knew the name of was playing softly.
"As long as we check in before four, we're good, so we're in no hurry," Saphira said and turned off the engine.
As it was just past eight o'clock, Eragon had to agree. They had already driven about a quarter of the way there.
Vanir shook Aksel awake as Eragon and Saphira stepped outside. Eragon chuckled at Aksel's startled cry of "HOLY MANGO JUICE!"
"Sometimes I wonder where he comes up with those," Eragon said to Saphira.
The other giggled. "Me too."
They all went inside the drive-by after Saphira locked the car. They were all seated at a booth ten minutes later with their breakfasts in front of them. Vanir and Aksel sat at one end of the table while Saphira and Eragon sat at the other.
There weren't many people there at this time of the day, but Eragon had spotted a family sitting in the other corner of the drive-by and a couple of truck-drivers sitting close to the exit. Other than that, it was very deserted. Eragon didn't mind that at all, especially not when Aksel seemed to have woken up completely and was telling a story animatedly. Saphira had probably heard it before, but she was laughing nonetheless.
Eragon tuned in just in time to hear the end of Aksel's story.
"And that's why you gotta love Japan. They come up with the craziest stuff."
Eragon was confused. He couldn't remember a story about some sort of Japanese invention or concept that made Saphira giggle like that.
"What did I miss?" he asked.
"Trust me, you don't want to know," Vanir drawled, which only made Saphira giggle harder.
Everything progressed relatively normal from there on. Because it was such a long way to Surda, they planned to stop by a few sights as well as somewhere to get lunch. Aksel went to the bathroom again while Saphira was still finishing off her toast. Eragon and Vanir had already finished eating.
"I really want to stop by the Burning Plains. It's supposed to be really powerful," she said.
"What it stands for is more powerful than the sight itself," Vanir said then, never once looking away from whatever he was looking at. His gaze had been firmly planted at something on the other side of the window.
"I'll be the judge of that," Saphira said and brushed off her hands after the last bit of the toast was consumed.
Aksel came back from the bathroom then. He immediately went back to absently sipping his drink. When Eragon thought about it, it really was no wonder Aksel had to make so many bathroom stops. He certainly drank enough.
"Are we ready to go, then?" Vanir asked and got up.
"I'll just make a quick pit stop at the bathroom," Saphira said and grabbed her bag.
"I think I'll do the same," Eragon got up as well.
"Hey, why don't we all do the same?" Aksel got up and pulled at Vanir's arm.
"You were just in there, Aksel," Saphira said a little hesitantly.
"Yeah, well, I gotta go again."
Eragon face-palmed.
A couple of minutes later, Eragon was stepping out of the drive-by. He could see that Saphira was already sitting in the car, and he had exited at the same time as Vanir. They both made their way over to the car.
Eragon slipped into the passenger seat and prepared to wait a while. God only knew how long Aksel was going to take. Sometimes it took him two seconds, sometimes ten minutes.
He just finished that train of thought when he saw a familiar blond blur run out of the building. Eragon blinked.
Aksel was in the car and had buckled up before Eragon even had time to ask him what was going on.
"Drive!" he hissed at Saphira. He was sweating a bit. Eragon wondered what the hell was going on to make him act like this.
Saphira only blinked at him. "Aksel? What's -"
"Don't ask! Just drive!"
"You better listen to him," Vanir said very seriously.
Eragon checked to see what Vanir was looking at. He saw two truck-drivers walk out of the drive-by just then. They both looked pissed.
Saphira needed no further encouragement. She started the car and drove off in a hurry.
No one spoke until they had driven for five solid minutes.
"Aksel, what did you do?" Saphira asked, looking at him through the rear-view mirror.
Aksel sweatdropped. "Nothing. I mean, it wasn't a big thing. A really small thing, really. I don't see why they had to get all touchy-feely about it."
"Aksel," she said sternly.
Eragon turned around and looked at his male best friend. Vanir was looking at Aksel as well.
"...I may have joked about them overcompensating by drivin' those big trucks of theirs?" Aksel rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.
Ten seconds of silence, then...
"AKSEL!"
::Seen It All::
After making sure that there were no bulldozing trucks following them, the rest of the ride continued on a much lighter note. Eragon really had to wonder about Aksel sometimes, though. You did not mess with truck-drivers. Honestly.
They made a quick stop at Gil'ead to look at the beautiful Isenstar Lake. The fear of the truck-drivers had dissipated by then. They didn't stay long since they still had quite a few miles to put behind them, and carried on after a brief fifteen minute break.
From then on, they only stopped if anyone -namely Aksel- needed to go to the bathroom again. Saphira had been smart enough to take her camera out of her bags. Therefore, if the scenery was nice, Saphira and Eragon would switch between taking pictures with her camera while they waited to continue on.
Eragon really hoped that she had also brought another memory card. Because from the way they seemed to be snapping picture after picture, the current card would get used up before they even reached their hotel.
The next couple of hours were filled with car games as well as music. Apparently Aksel had slept enough and was easily bored. Then again, what else was new?
After a couple of rounds of twenty questions and I Spy, which got rather boring, Saphira suggested another game they could try. Saphira, being the avid Friends fan that she was, suggested a game she remembered from a couple of episodes.
"We can do it like truth or dare. Only one person asks, and, well, we can try to answer at the same time. If that becomes too chaotic, then we'll switch to just one person answering," she suggested. "It's very simple, really."
Aksel turned around from the passenger seat to look at her better. Vanir had taken over for Saphira as the driver about a half-hour ago when they had been only a few miles away from Bullridge. Their next stop was going to be in Uru'baen for lunch, which was about an hour and half away from their current location.
"You're supposed to clear your head and say the first thing that comes to mind. For instance," Saphira thought for a few seconds, "Which do you prefer – cats or dogs?" she said an example. "Then you have to answer one of those two alternatives."
"We can ask whatever, right?" Aksel asked.
She nodded.
Aksel grinned widely.
Eragon had a feeling that they had unleashed a monster.
He was proven right when it was Aksel's turn to ask a couple of minutes later. So far, the questions had been easy and innocent enough, such as which song they hated the most (curtsey of Eragon), who they'd rather be stuck in a room with (curtsey of Saphira) and which family member they'd punch if they had the chance (surprisingly, this came from Vanir).
Then came Aksel's question.
"Which trait would you rather have in your partner – a big dick or skills in bed?"
They all glared at him.
"What?" he practically whined. "It's a legitimate question."
"Pick a new one, Aksel," Saphira said sternly.
"You're no fun," he stuck his tongue out at her. "It's not like it's a horribly question."
"But are you sure you want to ask that with your boyfriend sitting right beside you?" Eragon had to ask.
Aksel actually grinned. "Sure. I even know what he'd answer."
Eragon couldn't see Vanir's face, but something told him it was filled with disbelief.
"Humour me," Vanir drawled.
"Skills of course, even though I have both," the blond male answered unashamed.
"Aksel!" Saphira put her hands over her ears. "Too much information!"
Aksel just continued to grin.
They moved along and didn't let Aksel ask another question for at least fifteen minutes. But then even Vanir was feeling a little guilty, or so Eragon thought, because it was him that passed his turn over to Aksel.
Of course, that was also a mistake, seeing as Aksel's next question was no better than the first.
"Who would you rather sleep with – Senator King or professor Shade?"
"NO!"
They went back to twenty questions after that, much to Aksel's disappointment. That was, until he realised he could still have his fun this way, just in a different way.
There was no doubt about it. Aksel was incorrigible.
::Seen It All::
They left Uru'baen around one o'clock after eating lunch there at a small, but comfy diner. Thankfully, their lunch hadn't been as adventurous as their breakfast, but Vanir hadn't let Aksel go to the bathroom alone just to be sure.
From there on, they drove further south. An hour and a lot of embarrassing sing-alongs later, and they arrived at Furnost. They stopped there to take a quick look at the Tüdosten Lake. They made the stop there a bit longer than they stopped at the Isenstar Lake to take a quick look at the border of the Hadarac Desert.
Eragon quickly decided that he was never going for a safari in the desert, because just by standing on the border and taking pictures, he could already tell that it was hot as hell in there. But pictures were still taken, and as with the other times they had stopped, some of them were of the landscape while others were silly or just regular group-shots.
After about an hour, they left Fornost and drove on. At all of their stops, Vanir had served as their own personal tour guide, proving to them that he was indeed a History major and enthusiast. And despite what Eragon had feared in the beginning, Vanir found a way to make the history interesting rather than dull. Even Aksel had been paying attention. Vanir told them about the Isenstar and Tüdosten Lake, a few fun-facts about a couple of the cities they passed through, the Hadarac Desert and the Beor Mountains.
Eragon would never forget the mountains. Even though they would be visible probably even from Surda, he would never forget the first real sight he had of them. They really were tall.
They only had one more stop before they reached the border. From then on, they planned to drive straight to the hotel. They planned to visit Aberon, the capital of Surda, on the way home. There was no reason to drive past the hotel to get to Aberon just to see it now when they could wait until the weekend was over.
The Burning Plains was the last stop they made. From Fornost, they had driven west and down towards the border. They planned to drive across the border and to the city of Cithri after looking at the Plains. But since there was no big city near the Plains, just a couple of tourist shops and diners, they had to take care of themselves.
Like Vanir had said, the Plains were indeed a powerful sight. They stepped out of the car and looked down at the smouldering grounds before them.
"Wow," Saphira breathed.
"Though there is no active volcano nearby that we can see, these grounds are a sure enough sign that there have been and probably still is volcanic activity beneath the surface," Vanir said, already going into Historian mode.
Saphira brought out her camera and started to snap pictures. Eragon stayed close to her. Aksel stayed close to Vanir, but they were all pretty close together. Vanir's voice carried easily between them.
Eragon's eyes were glued on the sight. The Plains were literally smouldering. As they watched, a wall of flames rose up from a crack in the ground. Eragon heard the other gasp, and was sure he did so himself.
"There is said to have been carried out many battles on these grounds," Vanir continued. "The old folklore tells of a battle that happened here between Dragon Riders; some good, some evil. It says that the dragons breathed so much fire that burned everything around them and burrowed down beneath the earth, and that it is that fire that keeps these Plains burning to this day."
"I love how you know folklore stuff like that," Aksel said very fondly.
Eragon found himself looking over at the two.
Vanir was looking down at Aksel, even though there were only a few centimetres difference in their heights. He had a cool, yet relaxed look on his face. "I did study this, you know," he drawled.
Aksel grinned. "I know."
The brunet looked away before he could see them kiss. Oh yeah, there was no way he was getting a room next to those two.
::Seen It All::
It didn't take them long to get across the border, and from then on, it was only an hour and a half to Reavstone, the city they were going to stay in.
The last part of the drive was subdued compared to the other parts. Saphira switched places again with Vanir when they crossed the border, and from then on, they just chatted. More often than not, they just listened to the music of whatever iPod was currently playing.
Eragon was glad the sing-along had ceased, though. There were so many songs he was never going to look at the same way again, and it was all thanks to Saphira and Aksel. He believed Vanir shared his sentiment, as the older man hadn't sung along much either, apart from the few times Aksel had literally forced him to.
After travelling for almost nine hours, they finally reached Reavstone. While it was not the capital of Surda, Reavstone still got its fair amount of tourists. It was the largest city close to the ocean and lots of people came there during the summer to walk along the beach and dive into the crystal clear water. And when the end of July approached and the summer was at its peak, teenagers and young adults came from all over. They came to drink until they got alcohol-poisoning, party until they couldn't stand up straight anymore and have lots of sex with total strangers. A typical vacation, in other words.
"Here it is," Saphira said as they got out of the car. "il Munamin."
Eragon looked up at the hotel. It was a rather ordinary looking. Eragon guessed it had about six floors and it was painted in a warm, sandy colour. The lobby had large windows that invited everyone to look inside. The other windows were considerably smaller.
Eragon turned around and looked at the view. The road was the only thing between the hotel and the sea. The beach was crawling with people. There were several bars and restaurants next to the hotel and according to the hotel's website; there was an indoor and outdoor pool as well as a few sports courts.
The brunet doubted they would run out of things to do, especially since there was a local market that was up every night as well as the sites of the actual city.
They checked in before Aksel could run off, as he had looked sorely tempted to do. The rooms they got were on the same floor and opposite each other. Eragon quickly claimed the bed next to the window. He knew the sounds from outside would penetrate the room anyway, but he liked to be closer to a fresh breeze when he was trying to sleep.
After getting settled, they agreed to take the afternoon off and do whatever they wanted and meet up in the lobby later to go to dinner. Even though the meals were already paid for, they all agreed that they could check out the local restaurants in case the hotel's menu was too dull.
"So, what are you going to do?" Saphira said as she came out of the bathroom. Her hands were expertly pulling her hair back into a high ponytail.
Eragon pushed himself up to a sitting positing and looked at her from his place on the bed. Even though he had slept during the ride over, that was hours ago, and sitting in a car for hours at an end had always made him tired. "I think I'll take a nap."
"Make sure you don't sleep too long, ok? Or you won't be able to sleep tonight."
"Yes, mother."
Saphira rolled her eyes. She put on her sandals and grabbed her bag. "I'll be down by the pool if you want to join me later."
"The pool? You looking to hook up?" Eragon asked teasingly.
She shook her head. "Unlike you, Eragon, people don't stare at me all day because I'm cute," she paused. "No, that's a lie. I'm beyond cute. But I'm taken, and I'll make sure the scumbags here know it," she winked at Eragon.
Eragon blinked. "...And how do you plan to do that?"
She smirked and lifted her right hand and wiggled her fingers. There was a ring there that Eragon knew she had gotten on her sweet sixteen, but from afar it looked like a wedding ring.
"You're going to break a lot of hearts, Saphira, including your boyfriend's."
Her blue eyes twinkled as she laughed. "I'll see you later, Eragon," she waved and left.
Eragon let himself fall back on the bed. He kicked off his shoes and curled up on top of the covers. He had already taken off the bedspread, so it was just a soft pillow and a thin sheet under him. He sighed and closed his eyes. He was asleep within minutes.
::Seen It All::
Eragon was only allowed about two hours of delicious sleep before he was viciously shaken awake and dragged down to the pool. Apparently two hours were a lot. What did Saphira know? It had felt like mere minutes! And he was still tired, damnit!
"Come on and liven up, would you? You don't have to look like it's a death sentence being here."
Eragon just scowled at her and looked away.
Despite the beach being so close, the pool was by no means deserted. There were mostly young adults lounging about. A family could be spotted here and there, but they seemed to stick to the kiddie pool. Eragon suspected that the other families with children were at the beach.
Music was flowing out of some overhead speakers that Eragon hadn't yet been able to locate. So far there had only been pop melodies about summer love or love in general and spicy dance songs. If any techno beats started up, Eragon was fleeing to his room, damn Saphira's wrath.
"Oh, stop sulking."
Eragon looked over at the young woman that claimed to be his friend. "I'm not sulking."
Saphira looked back at him and crocked an eyebrow. Eragon could see the disbelieving look in her eyes through the light blue tint of her sunglasses. "Of course not. You're pouting."
Eragon felt the beginning of a pout start to make its way onto his lips and quickly pressed them together in a straight line. "I'm not," he mumbled, not even daring to open his mouth. So, of course, what he really ended up saying sounded something like "emnok".
Saphira let out giggle. "You're too cute sometimes."
Eragon was severely tempted to throw his sun lotion at her. But Saphira was a very scary woman when angered, so he just reminded himself that he quite liked his balls intact which effectively killed the urge to throw anything at her.
How he had ended up with such a sadistic girl as his best friend was beyond him.
"So, how did the fair maiden manage without a companion to keep her safe?" Eragon drawled a few minutes later.
It was boring just lying around in the sun. He had no idea how Saphira did it. Then again, she was reading a magazine, though Eragon wondered how she managed to concentrate. The pool was quite noisy.
"Just fine, good sir," she smirked at him. "You shouldn't worry about the fair, yet taken maiden. You should worry about your own innocence."
Eragon blushed and scowled at her. "I'm hardly innocent."
"Sex has nothing to do with innocence," Saphira told him. "Who is more innocent – the one who has had sex but is still able to blush when embarrassed, or the one who is still a virgin who cannot even get embarrassed?"
Eragon blinked. "That's deep, Saph."
Saphira pushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "I actually enjoyed the philosophy course I took."
"That's because you got the cool teacher," Eragon drawled.
She giggled. "True," she put down her magazine. "But I stand by what I said. You're the one that should watch out. A couple of guys have checked you out already."
"...I don't believe you."
"You never do," she winked at him. "And where did that get you, hm?"
Eragon was a bit confused, and judging by the smirk on Saphira's face, she could see his confusion.
"It got you into a threesome," she said smugly.
Eragon spluttered and blushed.
"So, maybe you shouldn't believe me or any of your other friends again," she continued. "Apparently that's very good for your sex-life."
"Saphira!"
She giggled again.
It was official; she was never going to let him live down Murtagh and Tornac.
They hung out by the pool for another hour, during which Saphira claimed at least four more guys checked him out. Eragon didn't believe her for a second. Why? Because the guys she pointed to -discreetly, thankfully- were far too hot to go for him.
Of course, he had said the same about Tornac and Murtagh, but as soon as he thought of that, Eragon quickly stopped thinking and went back to ignoring his friend.
They went back to the room and changed. Eragon noted that Saphira kept the ring on her finger. She really had to like Thorn, Eragon mused.
They met Aksel and Vanir in the lobby as agreed. Aksel had a very satisfied look on his face that Eragon tried to ignore. He didn't even have to guess what the two had been up to. And quite frankly, that was more than Eragon needed to know.
From there on, they went hunting for a decent restaurant. As they walked, they made note of a few local sites that they could check out after dinner or some other day.
"Look there, boys!" Saphira said just as they were about to turn and head back to the hotel. "We should check that out tomorrow."
Eragon looked where she was pointing. It was a bar. Go figure.
"Do we have to?" he asked.
Saphira sent him a look. "It's just a bar, Eragon. It's not going to bite."
"If he doesn't wanna go to a bar, can we go to a club?" Aksel suggested innocently.
"NO!"
Saphira let out a soft giggle.
"No. We'll go to a bar, but not a club," Vanir said and that was the end of that discussion.
Eragon would have preferred it if they hadn't visited a bar at all, but apparently his vote didn't count.
From there on, they went back to the hotel. There had been a restaurant there they had walked past that looked promising.
"There's a bar here too," Vanir commented. "We might as well just go there."
Eragon looked, and to his dismay there was indeed a bar right next to the hotel. Figures. Now there was no way he was getting away.
Damnit.
::Seen It All::
Because the bar didn't open until nine pm., and having gone to bed early, the group had a lot of hours to kill before nightfall. Due to the beautiful weather, they decided to walk around town and get to know it a bit better.
That was how the foursome found themselves walking along the beach promenade. The waves weren't very strong, but the salty smell of the ocean and the soft breeze reminded them of where they were. The laughter of children echoed from the beach below them as they walked down the wooden promenade.
"It's really nice here, isn't it?" Saphira said and brushed away some hair from her face.
Eragon was glad he had shorter hair. Saphira's longer strands, which were allowed to flow freely today, kept getting into her face whenever a gush of wind flew past them.
"It's quite different from the beaches in Alagaësia," Vanir agreed. "Alagaësia is more occupied with fishing than Surda is, though I'm sure there are a few smaller villages along the coastline that has nice beaches."
"You're sure?" Aksel echoed. "And here I thought ya knew everything."
Vanir rolled his eyes.
"Fine then," Aksel huffed, and Eragon actually found himself staring at his friend in shock. "We're through."
Vanir blinked, but otherwise didn't show his feeling about the situation.
"You weren't the guy I thought you were. Leading me on like that, Vane," Aksel shook his head and turned away. "Go off and find some other guy to whisk off your feet with your so-called geography and history knowledge!" Aksel put one of his hands on the lower part of his forehead and partly over his eyes; as if to block out the world around him. The other was arm was held straight, the palm open in a motion to keep Vanir at a distance. "I wash my hands off you!"
Saphira was shaking in silent laughter, and Eragon knew why this time. With this much drama going on, it was obvious Aksel wasn't being serious. He sighed. Aksel could be such a drama queen.
By the look on Vanir's face, he had now come to the same conclusion. He rolled his eyes again and easily snuck past Aksel's arm and pulled Aksel to him. Aksel did not remove the hand over his eyes. Vanir snorted, leaned down and kissed the blond passionately.
Saphira outright giggled at this. Eragon felt himself blush in embarrassment. There had been enough people looking at them during Aksel's little performance. Now people were outright staring at the couple.
After about a minute, Vanir finally pulled back. Despite the shortness of the kiss, both of their lips were slightly red. Vanir looked smug while Aksel looked a little dazed.
"Alright, fine," Aksel said and pushed away from him. "I'll keep you, you fraud. But only because you can do illegal things with your tongue."
Vanir smirked.
"Alright, you two. Let's move on before we attract an even bigger crowd." Saphira giggled again and started to walk.
Eragon was right behind her. If the other two suddenly decided that making out was more fun than walking around with him and Saphira, then he wasn't going to be there to watch the show.
Surprisingly enough, the couple decided to come along. Then again, they had a lot of time later to...well, Eragon wasn't going to finish that train of thought. He wasn't fond of blushing in public.
They found a restaurant overlooking a really beautiful part of the coastline and had lunch there. Vanir explained that the small, island-like formations they out on the ocean were actually reefs.
"That is where the name of this city comes from," he continued. "The reefs almost look like rocks, hence the name Reavestone."
Aksel looked at him. "...Ok, so you aren't a total fraud," he said and grinned.
Vanir crocked an eyebrow, but said nothing.
After lunch, they checked out a few attractions. The first stop was the oldest church in Surda, which was actually close to the coast. Eragon had really liked the church, which, despite the salty ocean air, had been preserved beautifully. He loved old stone churches. The group had poked around looking at old headstones before going to the aquarium.
The aquarium was huge. The brochures claimed that it was the largest one in Surda, and Eragon didn't doubt that for one minute. He hadn't seen the largest one in Alagaësia, but somehow he doubted that it was as big as this one.
They spent a lot of time looking at the displays and even managed to catch a show or two. By the time they were done sight-seeing for the day, it was seven p.m. They all agreed to eat dinner and head to the bar afterwards.
Well, the other three agreed to head to the bar after dinner. Eragon was forced to tag along.
The dinner seemed to be over in the blink of an eye, because Eragon suddenly found himself being led into the bar next to the Hotel. The Hotel had a bar too, of course, but Saphira and Aksel had insisted on this one so they could mingle and get a feeling of the night life in Surda.
Eragon concluded that it was a nice enough place. It looked clean enough and actually had a decent seating area that most people seemed to ignore. They all seemed to favour of dancing to some eighties rock tune instead of lounging around.
The bar itself actually had three floors, from what Eragon could see, though the basement seemed to be sealed off for some reason.
While the first floor had a serving area, the other three seemed to want to check the entire place out and walked upstairs. Eragon had to follow to keep his arm from being ripped out of the socket, thanks to Saphira's tight grip on his wrist.
Upstairs there was another serving and another seating area. The speakers were blasting techno beats. While this seemed to wake Aksel up, Eragon saw Saphira and Vanir agree nonverbally to go back downstairs.
They got drinks first -Eragon being the only one ordering a non-alcoholic one- before looking for a place to sit. The seating area was practically deserted, so they found a little round table easily enough. The chairs were actually quite comfy, making Eragon wonder why no one seemed to be sitting in them.
There were no flashy lights in the bar, and the volume was loud, but not so loud that Eragon knew he'd get a headache or still be able to hear ringing a week later.
The brunet noticed that Aksel still looked a little put out that they were sitting downstairs.
"I'll accompany you upstairs later," Vanir promised.
The look Aksel sent Vanir nearly made Eragon gag. It was almost sickening how in love they acted sometimes.
Eragon sent Saphira a hopeless look. He saw her shoulders shake as she giggled more than he heard the sound.
For a while, they just sat there and discussed the things they had seen and done that day. It soon became clear that Aksel was getting restless. Vanir finished his drink and got up. "Come on."
Aksel practically leaped out of his seat and dragged Vanir upstairs.
Saphira giggled softly.
"It was doomed to happen," Eragon snorted into his water.
"True," Saphira agreed and pushed a piece of hair out of her eyes.
The two friends fell silent and watched the other occupants for a while.
"So," Saphira said eventually. Eragon had lean closer and to strain himself a bit to hear her over the music. "Do you see anyone cute in here?"
Eragon blushed. Of course Saphira wanted to talk about boys.
"No," he answered firmly.
Saphira smirked.
Eragon muttered darkly under his breath and sipped his water. Unwillingly, he felt his eyes wander around in the room. It was hard to see who was who on the dance floor, though Eragon couldn't help but to notice the Elvis wannabe rubbing up against...someone else. It was hard to see if they were male or female.
Eragon also noticed a couple of predators. He called them that because they were looking around, obviously cruising for a victim to lure away somewhere and sex up. He made a mental note to stay away from them. Not that he had anything against sex, but the predators he could see were all...no. Just no. Guys with hair chests, gold chains and oiled back hair were people that Eragon refused to get within ten feet of. The same could be said for guys that were obviously twenty years his senior, not to mention thirty.
He shuddered to himself. It was so typical that the only good-looking people he ever saw were clearly already taken.
Like the couple making their way towards the bar-desk. Both were tall, very attractive and obviously together. Their hands were clasped together as the lighter haired one led the way.
Eragon frowned. Something about them seemed eerily familiar. He felt like he had seen them before.
The dark haired one leaned against the counter and ordered. His boyfriend twirled a lock of dark hair around his finger. The other looked at him and crocked an eyebrow. The blond smirked and kissed him.
"Oh my God," Saphira gasped. Eragon looked at her. She was looking at the bar-desk too. "Is that Murtagh and Tornac?"
And as the two look over and spotted them, Eragon felt his insides freeze. Their faces immediately clicked in his mind. He felt more stupid than he had ever felt in his life.
Because there they were, the banes of his existence, and they were making their way over. And Eragon hadn't fucking recognised them.
A/N I apologise if the road trip part seemed a bit long to you readers. But you see, in order to make the chapter flow the way I wanted it to, I needed to push in an X-something page road trip. I'm even happy with the way it turned out. For while the story is about Eragon, Murtagh and Tornac, Eragon is in the centre, and his life isn't just concentrated around those two hotties. So even if you were bored out of your minds after reading the road-trip, believe me when I say this; without it, the chapter would have been choppy. I really needed it to make it flow better.
I researched the Burning Plains to death, but nothing could tell me where these Plains are actually located. All I could find was that it was somewhere along the border between Alagaesia and Surda and that the later battle between Eragon and Murtagh took place further down the river. So I took some creative liberty and placed it to the west of the Tüdosten Lake. If that is wrong, then blah, so what. At least I tried.
I also took a lot of artistic liberties with Reavestone. I doubt there are any reefs there, but hey, it's my story, right? il Munamin is therefore, as you probably expect, a totally made up place.
That is all for now. Hopefully I can have the next chapter out a little quicker than this one. Hope you enjoyed it.