Hey guys! Thanks for all the great reviews! I will try to update this as much as possible, but I know you all know that there will be circumstances and I won't update as fast. Bear with me, I WILL get this done! (At least, I really hope so)
Also, I realized that the excerpt where the wall falls towards Roran is in the beginning of the book. That's my mistake, but I thought it out and I think that it would fit better if it was further on in the story. Also, that means I'm going to move King Cat further back in the book. I'm sorry, but I would have to do some flashbacks to introduce plotlines, and I hate doing that. Plus, I could add a little of my own embellishments to the story.
Dagibsta: Yeah, I noticed that it was a little forced. Unfortunately, I am not good at writing Saphira like CP does, what with all the hyphens and everything. I think I had the same problems in this chapter. Hey, I tried, right?
Disclaimer: I don't own any recognizable parts of the Inheritance Cycle.
Chapter 3
Saphira was the first one awake in the morning. She yawned, stretched, and then turned her head to look at her partner-of-mind-and-heart and the elf princess with him. What she saw amused her greatly. During the night, Eragon and Arya had managed to close the distance between them, so that Arya slept peacefully with her head against Eragon's chest. Saphira lay there, content to let them wake up and find out what they had inadvertently done overnight. She figured that Arya would be either angry or embarrassed, while Eragon would be just embarrassed.
Saphira basked in the sunlight filtering into the clearing, letting the early morning sun bounce off of her body. Her scales were shining beautifully, hence the name Bjartskular, or Brightscales, that the elves had given to her. She thought, and not for the first time, that she was the most beautiful creature in all of Alagaësia. After all, a dragon was the most majestic creature in the world, and since she was a female, she was more striking than the males.
Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard Arya awake first. She yawned and stretched like Saphira, and then froze. When she had stretched, she had felt Eragon behind her. Quickly, she jumped six feet away from Eragon, who blissfully continued sleeping. Arya looked up and saw Saphira watching her.
Casting her thoughts out to the elf, Saphira said mischievously "Did you sleep well, Arya?"
Arya's cheeks reddened at her tone. "You saw me?" she asked, even though she knew the answer.
"Yes. You looked very comfortable resting against Eragon."
Arya groaned, then thought "Please don't tell him about this. I don't want to get his feelings up right now. I don't know what my feelings are for him yet, but when I figure them out, I will be sure to tell him."
Saphira said "I won't tell Eragon, but you would be wise as to spend some of what little spare time you have trying to figure your feelings out. I know what Eragon feels through our connection. His feelings for you have not changed; if anything, they may have become stronger in the past year. However, he has come to peace with the fact that chasing after you is folly, and would rather keep your friendship than try to pursue you. Therefore, he will wait, even if it's a thousand years, until you come to terms with your feelings and let him know what they truly are."
"Thank you, Saphira. I will heed your advice," Arya responded. "Although the depth of his feelings frightens me a little, I am glad to hear that Eragon will not chase after me, as I would just be a distraction to him."
Saphira emitted a low growl from her throat. "You are being a distraction right now, as he spends a good portion of his waking—and sleeping—hours trying to keep you out of his mind. You will always be a distraction to him during war, and the only way to keep him from thinking about you is to completely break his heart and flee somewhere where he will not find you. And I, as his dragon, will not let happen. Be comfortable with the fact that you are what you are to him."
"I will," Arya reassured. At that moment, Eragon woke up.
Eragon shifted in his sleep, and then opened his eyes. He dimly heard Saphira talking in his head through their link, but she fell silent as he stood up shakily. He could feel her amusement at something, but she kept that part from reaching him. Eragon realized that Arya was standing next to Saphira. He turned towards her and saw an emotion on the previously unreadable mask, one that seemed to be embarrassment or shame. As quickly as he saw it, it was gone. Eragon grabbed Saphira's saddle and put it on top of her, jumped on, and felt Arya climb on behind him not a second later.
"Are you ready?" he asked her.
"Yes," she replied, again putting her arm around his waist, albeit this time a little hesitantly. As Saphira flew towards Gil'ead, Eragon briefly thought of the events of the previous night. Then he turned his mind to what had occurred that morning. He had never seen Arya look that way before.
"Saphira?" Eragon asked.
"Yes, little one?"
"What were you and Arya talking about this morning?"
Saphira mentally sighed. "I'm afraid that you are going to have to wait until Arya deems it the right time to tell you. I told her that I would not tell you without her permission."
"Knowing the elves, it could take her centuries to tell me," Eragon grumbled.
"If she has not told you by the time you kill Galbatorix, I'll force her to tell you."
Eragon laughed. "No one, not even Arya, would be able to argue with you, Saphira," he said.
Arya's presence slowly entered their mind. "How long until we reach Gil'ead?" she asked, not bothering to verbalize it, knowing that the wind would carry the question behind her anyway.
"We should be there by late morning," Eragon replied, and Arya's mind retreated.
"That was odd," Eragon commented. "Although I'm sure she's acting this way because of the event that happened this morning that the two of you won't share." The only response was Saphira's throaty laughter.
Two hours later, Gil'ead came into view. The city was surrounded by the sprawling mass of the elven army, hunkered down in their tents so as to not disturb the daily lives of the civilians. Eragon felt Arya shudder behind him, as she was no doubt reliving the events that occurred to her here. Eragon himself shivered, as he remembered the last time he had seen the city from this angle.
Little-stinging-hornet-arrows bounced off his belly as he rose above the scattered wood-caves of the two-legs-round-ears. The air was smooth and firm beneath his wings, perfect for the flying he would need to do. On his back, the saddle rubbed against scales as Oromis altered his position.
Glaedr flicked his tongue out and tasted the enticing aroma of burnt-wood-cooked-meat-spilled-blood. He had been to this place many times before. In his youth, it had been known by a different name than Gil'ead, and then the only inhabitants had been the somber-laughing-quick-tongued-elves and the friends of elves. His previous visits had always been pleasant, but it pained him to remember the two nest-mates who had died here, slain by the twisted-mind-Forsworn.
The lazy-one-eye-sun hovered just above the horizon. To the north, the big-water-Isenstar was a rippling sheet of polished silver. Below, the herd of pointed-ears commanded by Islanzadí was arrayed around the broken-anthill-city. Their armor glittered like crushed ice. A pall of blue smoke lay over the whole area, thick as cold morning mist.
Eragon let the memory go and cast his mind out around him in all directions. He felt Saphira, Arya, and a dim presence that he established was Glaedr's Eldunarí. He pushed him mind further down, towards the city, and was rewarded when he found Queen Islanzadí.
She lowered the walls around her consciousness enough to allow him to speak to her. "Atra esterní ono thelduin, Islanzadí Dröttning."
"Atra du evarínya ono varda, Eragon Shadeslayer," she replied curtly.
"Un se mor'ranr lifa unin hjarta onr. Saphira is coming in to land, Your Majesty. Is there a specified area for her?"
"Yes. It is in the northeast, between the city and the lake."
Eragon sent her his thanks and withdrew from her mind. He directed Saphira to the indicated spot in the maze of tents below them. When she landed, Eragon noticed a sapphire blue tent pitched next to an emerald green one. Apparently, Islanzadí had been notified that Nasuada had wanted he and Arya to stay as close to each other as possible during their trip. He grimaced and dropped down to the ground, Arya following him. She murmured something to him about not wanting to be disturbed and immediately walked into her tent, not bothering to acknowledge any of the elves that had surrounded them. Eragon watched her go.
This is going to be tough on her, he realized. He had but one memory of her torture in Gil'ead, and that was already gnawing at him. Arya, however, had around a hundred in her mind, all forcing themselves upon her when she least wanted it. Eragon shook his head, greeted the elves as a whole, and then walked into his own tent to prepare to meet Queen Islanzadí.
After pulling on a sapphire blue tunic, he shaved with magic and ran his fingers through his hair, trying to tame it. Finally, he decided he was presentable and walked through the elves' camp until he reached their headquarters. He was immediately recognized and allowed entrance into Islanzadí's tent.
"Greetings, Shadeslayer," Islanzadí said, skipping over the formal greetings.
"Greetings, Islanzadí Dröttning," Eragon replied.
Islanzadí frowned then, noticing an absence in the room. "And where is Arya?" she asked.
"She is in her tent, and she told me that she does not want to be disturbed at the moment," Eragon answered, noticing the scowl that came across Islanzadí's slanted features. "I am under the impression that she will arrive soon."
"Very well, Shadeslayer. You know that today at sunset we will perform the funeral of Oromis and Glaedr, the last of the Old Order of the Dragon Riders. As Oromis's pupil, you will be expected to speak on his behalf," Islanzadí said.
"I do, and I have started to prepare a speech that will honor Oromis and Glaedr, knowing that they have not given their lives in vain."
"Then you may go and finish what preparations need to be made for yourself."
Eragon turned around to exit the tent and almost walked into Arya, who was walking in. "My apologies, Arya Dröttningu," he said, then continued out of the tent, leaving the two to talk in privacy.
He sensed Saphira dozing on the ground next to his tent and realized that he had forgotten to take her saddle off. Eragon quickly ran through the camp until he reached her and took it off. She remained lying down on the ground, although she sent him a thought of gratitude. Eragon entered his tent and worked on his speech until it was ready. Noticing that it was almost sundown, he grabbed the bag containing Glaedr's Eldunarí and walked out to Saphira.
Oromis and Glaedr lay side by side where they had fallen, to the northwest of the city, as Glaedr was too big to be moved except by magic. Tears welled up in Eragon's eyes when they approached the majestic dragon and his Rider. He noticed Queen Islanzadí, Arya, Lord Däthedr, Vanir, and a few other elves he recognized gathered near the bodies and he headed in their direction.
All the elves were silent when Queen Islanzadí began her speech. She praised Oromis for his valor, wisdom, and honor, and Glaedr for his strength, speed, and tenacity. She knew that they would be happy that they had died trying their hardest to defeat the dark king. After she finished, the elves applauded and Arya stepped up to the podium. She spoke for a little while, then stepped down. Other elves came and went. Finally, it was Eragon's turn.
He stepped up to the podium and addressed the gathered crowd. "Elves of Du Weldenvarden, we are gathered here today to mourn the death of Oromis, he who was known as the Mourning Sage and the Cripple who is Whole, and Glaedr, the dragon of the gold scales. As mine and Saphira's mentors, they taught us everything we needed to know about being a true Dragon Rider. They put their faith in us to end this conflict once and for all and establish peace in Alagaësia." He paused, then resumed.
"Oromis and Glaedr were strong, wise, and above all caring. Oromis was always there to help me, no matter what the situation was. While they may have had their physical difficulties, they did not let said difficulties stop them from achieving what they truly desired. They died in battle honorably, although it took an underhanded blow from Galbatorix to kill them. As it is, I would not be standing here right now if it wasn't for their tutelage. It was truly an honor to be their pupils." He turned towards the two of them, laying peacefully on the ground.
"Thank you, Oromis and Glaedr, for everything you have done for us, the elves, and all of the free people of Alagaësia. You will be truly missed."
Silence reigned for a minute, until a long, low note wafted from the crowd. It was immediately picked up by many others, creating a mournful tune. Words were sung in the ancient language, and Eragon's skin prickled as he listened. While he did not understand all of the words, he realized that it was a song that described the end of something old and the beginning of something new. Eragon could feel an indescribable emotion and an immeasurable amount of energy flow into him from Saphira. She stood up, pointed her snout at the gold dragon and Rider, and said "My gift to you."
When she touched her snout to the two, the ground began to dissolve underneath them. Soon, the ground had swallowed them up. Suddenly, the ground began to shake, and something appeared out of nowhere, flashing a brilliant light. When the light dimmed, everybody gasped in awe and wonder at what was wrought.
It was a huge golden statue depicting Glaedr, with Oromis on his back standing on the Crags of Tel'naeír. Their eyes practically shone with wisdom, and Oromis was smiling gently. Eragon just stood there, not believing what he saw with his eyes. "Saphira, that is amazing!" he said to her. "How did you manage to do that?"
"I don't know," she replied. "I could feel the emotions in the air, and I knew what I wanted to do. A surge of energy came to me and I just did it without thinking."
Eragon thought for a second. "Just like Isidar Mithrim," he said.
"Exactly."
Then, the setting sun cast its light directly on the statue, which reflected the light even more brilliantly. Glaedr practically looked like he was going to spread his wings and fly out of the statue. A loud roar was heard, and a powerful mental voice emanated from the air.
"Thank you, Eragon Shadeslayer and Saphira Bjartskular, for honoring us with this statue."
Eragon froze, knowing about the Eldunarí. However, the rest of the elves didn't seem to notice, so he realized that he was the only one who heard it.
"Saphira, was that who I thought it was?" he asked excitedly.
"Glaedr has awakened," Saphira replied, just as excited. However, when Eragon looked at the Eldunarí, it looked almost exactly the same. He knew that it was Glaedr that had spoken, but it seemed as if he returned to his thoughts immediately afterward.
"Thank you, Eragon and Saphira, for this extraordinary gift," Islanzadí said, quieting the crowd. "I'm sure Oromis and Glaedr would be proud of you."
Later that night, as Eragon lay in his tent, he could only think about the great gold statue that adorned the final resting spot of his mentors. He and the other elves had placed wards around it in order to preserve it. He fell into his waking dreams, still thinking about Oromis and Glaedr.
The next morning, he awoke to birds singing outside his tent. He threw on a tunic, packed up his bags, and put on Saphira's saddle. He turned around when he heard somebody approach him. To his surprise, he saw it was Arya.
"That was an amazing gift you gave them, Eragon and Saphira. Now they can rest in peace."
"Thank you, Arya. Are you ready to leave?" he asked.
"Yes. I believe that we should leave soon, if we are to get back to the Varden in a timely manner," she responded.
And so, with the farewell calls of the elves, Saphira flew as fast as she could back towards Feinster. They had decided to fly through the night in order to reach the Varden early the next morning. Eragon stayed up through the night with Saphira, watching for anything that could pose a threat to them.
The sun found them the next morning southeast of Belatona and drawing closer to the Varden's camp outside of Feinster. Eragon sat in the saddle, not moving, so as to not disturb the sleeping elf that sat behind him, resting her head on his back. He looked to the east and saw the vast expanses of the Hadarac Desert, then looked to the west and saw the sea. Finally, he looked ahead and could just make out the camp.
Eragon cautiously sent out his mind to Arya. "Wake up, Arya," he said, trying to wake her up gently.
She stirred, then slowly sat up in the saddle. "Where are we?" she asked with her mind.
"We are about fifteen minutes from the Varden," he answered. Sure enough, Saphira started to descend to make her landing in the clearing specifically set aside for them. "Where is Nasuada?" he thought.
"We did not alert her of our presence," Saphira said. She sounded tired. Eragon knew that all she wanted was a nice nap.
"We need to report to Nasuada, Arya," he said out loud. They left Saphira and slowly made their way through the tents to Nasuada's red command tent.
The leader of the current shift of Nighthawks, a young, strong human, banged his shield and announced, "Eragon and Arya Shadeslayer to see you, my Lady." Eragon blushed. Was it just me, or did he announce us like we were married? One look at Arya confirmed his thoughts; her cheeks were red with embarrassment as well.
Nasuada came out of the tent, saying, "Hello, Eragon and Arya. I didn't realize you'd be back so soon."
Eragon smiled, "We felt that we would be more needed here, so we left yesterday morning, flew all night, and got back a few minutes ago. Saphira is resting after the long flight, otherwise she would be here."
"You look like you could use some rest as well, Eragon," Nasuada commented, looking at his drawn face.
"I stayed up through the night to help Saphira," he replied. His eyelids drooped as he fought to stay awake.
"Well, I'll let you get back to your tent. Goodbye, Eragon, I'll see you tomorrow when we commence the march of the Varden's soldiers to Belatona." Nasuada entered her tent and left him and Arya alone.
"I should get some rest," Eragon said, even though it was obvious.
Arya gave him a little smile. "Tomorrow we start the war grind again. Make sure you get enough rest," she said awkwardly.
Eragon grinned. "I will." There they parted, Arya heading to her tent while Eragon walked towards his own. Saphira was already sleeping outside his tent. Eragon dropped into his bed and instantly fell into what his sleep had become, thinking about Oromis, Glaedr, and Arya while his waking dreams played themselves out in front of him.
Ugh, I didn't like that chapter as much as my other ones. And I won't keep writing chapters that start with them waking up and end with them falling asleep. That's just bad writing. I hope that I can update every other day, but I can't guarantee that. Any advice would be helpful.
Rock on!
ROK
