Alagaësia's New Dragon
By Commentaholic
A/N: Sorry for taking so long to add to this story, even though it's been only one and a half days since my last submission. Perhaps I'm spoiling you readers with this rapid submission pace. Anyway, after writing a chapter that I wasn't exactly happy with, I decided to scrap it and write a different one, saving the major plot event in that chapter for later. It's probably too early for that thing to have happened, anyway. I figured I should submit another chapter, due to my story being shunted down the recent updates list in the Inheritance Cycle genre.
Thanks to my dad, I finally realized what you all meant when you said that Brom was very OOC. According to my dad, I really dropped the ball by making Brom attack and subdue Glaurung in Chapter One. He told me that Brom would likely be more respectful of a new dragon. I was a little put off by this. I mean, Brom, despite his high regard for dragons, would still be very, very suspicious of a random dragon that appears in his campsite. I attempt to explain this, rectifying my mistake, in this chapter. -bows- Many apologies for my fit of not-understanding!
Many thanks to all of you readers who have made creating this story so exciting. Arty, Mordris, Sinitar, Jaredin Snow, and a few others. The ones I mention are not all, but are the ones who have contributed the most.
Story Stats so far for November (as of November 5, 2010):
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Now you see why I'm so excited about this!
Chapter Three: A Red Day Dawns, and Lightning Cracks the Sky
The dawn arrived in an unusual blaze of blood-red clouds. Feathery bands of white, red-tinged vapor drifted in the heavens, reflecting the strangely eerie light of the rising sun. Glaurung awoke as the sun rose in the heavens, rising carefully from Saphira's side as not to wake her, and padded over to the center of the clearing. He launched himself into the air and soared over the forest, searching for prey.
Glaurung soon spotted a deer bounding through the forest. Swooping down upon the unsuspecting doe, he speared it with his claws and plunged his head down to rip its throat apart, ending the prey's suffering. As he dined on the creature's flesh, his thoughts turned to his former life.
When he had been yanked from his world and into Alagaësia, he had left behind people who would wonder where he had gone. His readers would go without a further update of The Fall of Lord Kelvyn, Velvet's story left unfinished.
Strangely enough, his thoughts went to his family after he had finished pondering his fanfiction crowd. They would look for him, of course, perhaps finding empty clothes on the cold sidewalk; an iTouch laying on the ground, screen cracked, reflecting the sky above. They would mourn for his disappearance, but in time, would move on, carrying a burden in their hearts. His brother would likely finish the book that they had been planning, dedicating the work to Brand, who had inspired it.
Glaurung felt a sudden pang of loneliness and homesickness. Unless Glaedr and Oromis could find a way to send him back, he would never see his family again, nor his best friend, Evan.
Amber eyes closed while Glaurung's mind recalled his many memories of their friendship that had lasted their entire lives.
Half an hour later, he took to the air again, pursuing a terrified deer that had stumbled across him.
Saphira woke, immediately noticing the absence of Glaurung's warm body. She raised her head to look around for the golden dragon. Not finding him, Saphira rose to her feet, stretched, and yawned. Glaurung must have gone hunting. She turned to the two bundles where the humans slept.
The rising red sun had painted the sky an unusual crimson hue, the red colors dulled by Saphira's color-selective vision. Clouds dotted the horizon, looking like so many airborne rubies. The sun's red light was cast across the campsite in bright scarlet bands, interrupted at intervals by long shadows cast by the tall trees.
Eragon, it is time to wake up, little one, Saphira said.
"Already?" Eragon mumbled groggily, rubbing his eyes. His hair was in disarray and his clothes were wrinkled.
Indeed, little one. In fact, we have slept too long. It is early, yet we should resume our journey now so as to get a good start.
Eragon woke Brom, who was much less of a morning person. The old storyteller looked around, noticing Glaurung's absence like Saphira.
"Where's your golden friend?" he asked Eragon and Saphira. Eragon shrugged.
"I'm pretty sure that he's just off on a short flight." Eragon said, knowing that Brom was really asking if Glaurung had abandoned them.
I agree, Saphira said, If my habits are anything to judge by, he's likely off hunting.
As if to confirm her guess, Glaurung's gleaming form appeared in the air over the treetops to the east, a deer dangling from his mouth. He landed rather awkwardly, but managed to keep his large bulk from making contact with the ground and cause a most embarasing moment.
Very good, Glaurung. That was a much better landing than last time. I suppose the taste of dirt in your mouth is quite the teacher, Saphira said, chuckling in her mind. A successful hunt, I hope?
Indeed, Glaurung said wryly, taking a few steps closer to Saphira. As for the hunt, it did go well. There was plenty of prey in that area, so I decided to bring this one back to you, he continued, his golden eyes analyzing Saphira for a bit before he cast his gaze downwards, placing the stiff deer on the ground. Releasing the deer from the strong grip exerted by his jaws, Glaurung licked his bloodied muzzle a couple of times to clear the viscous red liquid.
Before he was able to finish and move off, Saphira darted her head forward , gently brushing her snout against the smooth golden scales. Glaurung flinched, then pulled back in surprise, interrupting the contact.
Saphira blinked once, a hint of surprise present in her deep sapphire eyes. I did not expect you to hunt for me, Glaurung, This is very nice of you, she said as she sniffed the deer a few times before picking it into her jaws, dragging it closer to her. Then, she placed her forepaw on it and tore into the corpse, blood gushing from the flesh as it was ripped open.
Did I miss anything important? Glaurung said, turning his gaze from Saphira to Brom and Eragon.
"No, you didn't miss anything. We were actually about to pack up and continue our journey." Eragon said.
And where are we headed? asked Glaurung.
"Well, Brom says that he found the trail of the Ra'zac heading towards a small settlement called Yazuac, which lies about four days east of here. There is a problem, though. In order to reach the settlement, we must cross a massive barren wasteland.
We can just fly there, it'll be faster. Saphira said
"You'll be spotted, though." Eragon said worriedly.
There will be no place to hide in the wasteland, anyway. We'll be much better off flying, Glaurung explained. Saphira nodded in agreement.
"What about Cadoc and Snowfire? We can't just abandon them." Eragon said.
"We'll be riding the horses while the dragons fly overhead," Brom said, finally entering the conversation after packing up their bedrolls. "As much as I hate to admit it, Glaurung's right. There will be little to no cover on the plain, and so any attempts at stealth will be pointless."
He threw their water skins to Eragon. "Fill these up. Even with the dragons' mobility, we'll still be hard-pressed to cross the plains with what little we can carry.
As Eragon headed into the woods towards the stream, he felt the ache from the previous night's sparring session throb in his arms. His legs, arms, and torso all felt the pain of the many bruises that Brom had left. Even though the sticks were unable to cause any serious injury, they caused pain nonetheless.
Eragon arrived at the stream after a few minutes, filled the water skins, then returned to the camp to find Brom glaring into Glaurung's calm amber gaze while Saphira looked on from the sidelines. Tension was heavy in the air. Eragon sighed, what now? he thought.
"What's going on here?" he asked.
Brom spoke, his eyes never leaving Glaurung's passive gaze, "Glaurung here was just trying to convince me to wait two more days. He says a very strong storm's coming, but I disagree. There isn't a single indication that anything larger than a gust of wind will cross our path."
You must believe me, Glaurung said, blinking once, calmly looking back at Brom's distrusting glare, the storm will cause pain to all concerned.
"If it's so important, tell me how you know this!" Brom retorted.
I told you mere moments ago, so you cannot have forgotten. How I know is my secret to possess, until I deem it necessary to reveal to anyone. said Glaurung.
"Well, if you can't provide a good reason, we're going anyway."
On your own head be it. I warned you, and that is all I can do if you will not listen. Glaurung said, rising to his feet. I am going to go get a drink from the stream. Feel free to start without me, I will catch up.
With this, Glaurung launched himself into the air, angling off into the sky in the direction of the stream.
"Brom, why do you seek quarrels with him?" Eragon asked Brom once the golden dragon had disappeared from sight beyond the treetops of their clearing.
"Because as far as we know, he could be a spy. It is common knowledge of those who resist the King's rule that all surviving dragon eggs are in Uru'baen, under heavy guard by Galbatorix's deadliest warriors. A dragon does not simply...turn up."
"But what about his arrival in a burst of flames?" Eragon said, bringing up the event as an attempt to make Brom's words unreasonable.
"Saphira's egg did the same, did it not? There are ways of moving things long distances, Eragon." Brom said, putting his hand on Eragon's shoulder, "Listen, Eragon... All I am asking is that you show some caution when trusting Glaurung. He is a stranger to us. Despite Saphira's confidence, my senses tell me that Glaurung is not all that he appears to be."
Eragon nodded, not really agreeing, but willing to placate the old man. Glaurung hadn't done anything to deserve Brom's suspicion other than merely appearing out of nowhere. Sure that was a bit weird, but you could hardly blame him for it.
Glaurung swooped to the left to get a better angle towards the stream. As he neared the winding trail of rushing water, he saw a glint of metal among the trees and looped back to drop down behind a thicket of bushes. He peeked his head around the edge of the thicket, looking for the intruder. A man had knelt by the riverbank and was filling his water skin from the flowing water. The man wore armor on his torso and none on his leather-clad legs. The armor was dented, but in good condition. Across the man's back was a naked blade, the sun reflecting off its long steel edge like fire. A blacksmith's hammer hung from his belt. As the youngman straightened, Glaurung pulled farther behind the bushes, but still kept an eye looking around the edge.
The young man stood, shoulder-length brown hair falling back to reveal a kind face with cool blue eyes, which contained wisdom beyond his years as well as signs of experiencing great loss. Glaurung was stuck. He couldn't take off without the young man noticing, so he had to wait it out. He just hoped that he could find his friends' trail afterwards if he was stuck here a while.
Maybe if I sneak back into the forest, I can find another place to take off.
Glaurung inched backwards. He was almost into the treeline when he heard a twig snap under his claw.
Jaredin Snow looked up at the sound of a twig snapping, and grasped the handle of his blade, Fal'Sira. He slid it from his back and held it ready, listening carefully for another sound. He heard the rustle of leaves behind a small thicket across the stream. He took a running jump and cleared the stream. He crouched and inched around the side of the bush, holding his sword before him. Whatever was there was not going to get the jump on him. He leapt around the bush, saw a flash of gold, and then went blind as a massive cloud of smoke enveloped him. He swung Fal'Sira wildly, and felt it connect with something. A pained roar shook the air. He heard the ground shudder, a rustle of wings, then silence. Jaredin stumbled out of the cloud of smoke, coughing. He looked skyward, but saw nothing. Whatever it was had fled in a hurry.
Jaredin looked at the ground to find massive scores in the dirt, as if the ground had been slashed open by massive claws. Beside the marks was a few drops of blood and a couple of golden scales.
Glaurung caught up to the others about half an hour later. They had halted for a few minutes of rest before starting the long trek across the barren wastes.
Saphira rose to greet him. Where have you been? she asked in a worried tone.
Something came up, but I dealt with it. A human was at the stream, but I think I got away without him seeing me.
Really? Then what's that? Saphira pointed her snout at a gash on his flank. Glaurung looked back at it.
He must've got in a lucky swing when I blew smoke at him. Glaurung licked at the wound, then stared stupidly at his tongue. Why did I just do that?
It's instinct, of course, Saphira replied, even though the question was more directed at himself than anyone else.
"We ready over here?" Brom said, walking up.
Indeed, I'm ready when you are.
The next few hours were complete hell on Eragon's skin. The sun shone mercilessly down on Brom and Eragon, who rode on horseback as the dragons circled overhead. Eragon's dry lips cracked and seeped beads of blood. Dark clouds gathered on the horizon.
"We have to get to shelter!" Eragon yelled to Brom over the roar of the wind. The gale tore at their clothes, making their cloaks billow around them fiercely.
"What shelter?" Brom yelled back. "We'll have to camp in the open, despite the wind!"
They managed to find a shallow ditch, and set up camp in it. Eragon uprooted some scrub brush and tried to set fire to it, but the wind kept dousing the flame with its violent gusts. Brom knelt over the brush and looked at it critically. He shifted some of the branches, then struck the tinderbox, sending a shower of sparks upon the plants. Smoke curled from the pile of branches, but nothing more. Brom's luck was no better than Eragon's.
"Brisingr!" he swore angrily, striking the flint once more. Flames sprang from the dry wood, and Brom stepped back with a satisfied expression. "There we go, it must have been smoldering inside."
They sparred with mock swords while their food cooked over the sheltered flame. Fatigue made the sparring session harder than the ones that had come before, so the session was brief. After they had eaten, they lay next to Saphira and Glaurung, who were huddling together, sheltering themselves behind the dragons' massive forms.
The morning after, Eragon woke well rested. This, combined with the wind becoming calm, left him in a good mood. These feelings of joy were brief, and the high spirits were dampened when Eragon saw that the sky ahead of them was dark with thunderheads.
Brom grimaced at the clouds, "Normally, I wouldn't go into a storm like that," he glanced at Glaurung, who was looking at him with what passed for a smug grin. "But we're in for a battering no matter what we do, so we might as well get as far as we can before it hits."
The calm lasted until they reached the storm front. As they entered the storm's shadow, Eragon looked up to find it curved in intricate arcs. Returning his gaze to the ground before him, he spotted what seemed to be a ripple of air ahead of them. And it was heading for them fast. Eragon had a terrible feeling of foreboding as he and Brom hunched their shoulders, bracing themselves for the wind's impact. Eragon suddenly remembered the dragons and twisted in his saddle, mental words already shouting a warning that only had time to begin forming on his lips: Saphira, Glaurung, LAND!
Glaurung was already in motion, having suddenly remembered what had been about to happen. He had siezed Saphira with his front claws and dove, pulling her down next to him. She struggled against him at this sudden indignation as they streaked towards the ground, but once she heard Eragon's mental scream, she went still, doing all she could to speed up the dive.
Brom's face paled, and they watched as Glaurung and Saphira barely managed to reach the ground before the tsunami of wind struck. Saphira made to extend her wings to balance herself, but Glaurung growled and pinned her wings to her side and pulled them both to the ground. The wave of wind blew past the dragons in a hurricane of dirt, rocks and blades of grass. Glaurung kept Saphira down on the ground until the wind subsided, then released her.
That's one problem avoided, thought Glaurung.
Lightning crackled across the sky and thunder rolled as they continued on, the dragons now on foot to avoid another wind-related catastrophe. Saphira cringed as a particularly large bolt of lightning forked through the sky nearby. She moved closer to Glaurung, who seemed unphased by the display of light and noise. In fact, his eyes almost seemed to leap with excitement with each flash of light and each rumble of thunder.
How can you watch that terrible light and not be afraid? Saphira said, cringing again as another bolt flashed.
In my homeland, lightning is not feared, but welcomed. We learned long ago how to harness it's power and use it for our own purposes.
Saphira pondered this new information that Glaurung had unwittingly let slip. It was another puzzle piece as to who he really was, but there was still many pieces to be found.
A loud rumble of thunder broke through her thoughts, making her cower against Glaurung's side again, shaking uncontrollably. He draped his wing over her side, and she stopped shaking.
The next day passed without incident, other than a rather large amount of whining from Eragon, who had gotten it into his head that he was bored.
Glaurung and Saphira had been about to nod off to sleep when Brom beckoned to Glaurung from across the camp. Glaurung rose and went to him while Saphira drifted off to sleep.
Yes? What can I help you with? Glaurung asked. Brom did not often speak directly with him, so this must be important.
"Tomorrow we reach Yazuac. I want to get the lay of the land first, meet the people. I can't do that with you two flying around like fools." He looked at Eragon, who lay slumbering in his bedroll, occasionally mumbling unintelligible words.
So what do you need us to do? Glaurung asked.
"I need you to keep Saphira safe. Hide over at the bend in the Ninor River unless we call for you."
Glaurung nodded, but felt as though he was forgetting something important. It was really bugging him. Brom.
"Yes, Glaurung? What is it?"
I have a bad feeling about Yazuac.
"Another one of your 'premonitions?'"
Indeed.
"Well, keep them to yourself. I don't need you worrying Eragon or Saphira."
He turned away from Glaurung and sank to his own bedroll. Glaurung returned to Saphira, still troubled, but tired. Perhaps the next day would bring a clearer idea of what was wrong, and what he could do about it.
A/N: Well, how'd it go? I await eagerly for any opinions. I hope that you guys like reading this as much as I enjoy writing it. I'd give you an update as to how many hits there are, but today's hits were not recorded at all. Something was wrong with the traffic tab, and literally would not record any hits by anyone till about 10 minutes ago. I can't tell you how scared I was. I mean, 150 hits one day, 135 the next, then NOTHING!
Anyway, can you spot the music reference in this chapter?
The improved "Breakfast in Bed" scene, as some of you are calling it, was written by Mordris and edited by me. But most of the credit goes to him. He sent it to me after finding that part rather unbelievable. For those of you who are coming in after this update, just forget that an earlier version ever existed.
A bit of clarification: each dividing line indicates either a change in point of view, or a time lapse. I'll be attempting to lessen such occasions, but will inevitably require some. I may have made Brom a little more like he is in the book at the very end, kinda shattering my old image of him, but I'm trying to drag him back to PaoliniLand.
Again, many thanks to all of you who inspire me, review for me, and even talk to me!
~Commentaholic~
