Among friends:
Eragon arrived at the kitchen when Katrina and Roran were just making breakfast. Fifteen minutes later Arya arrived and they all ate together. Roran gave Eragon a smug smile and a kissing motion when Arya and Katrina's heads were turned and Eragon was left with a dumb expression and no explanation when they turned back.
He was going to get him for that.
They spent the reminder of the meal talking and discussing the upcoming party. It was to take place in sunset so Eragon and Arya, who were ordered to enjoy the time and not help, had a few good hours to spend in quiet.
After the food was gone they both decided to take a walk since their dragons hadn't come back yet. Arya was very eager to see Eragon's old home and for him to show her around and Eragon agreed and directed her first in the direction of their old farm.
Eragon didn't know what to expect to see. He didn't know if the farm was rebuilt or was left in its ruins.
Arya must have felt his distress and fear for she reached out with her hand to his and squeezed it encouragingly and gave him a warm smile. He smiled back, feeling a bit better, but the dread came back when they approached the last bend in the road before the house came into view.
When it did Eragon didn't know what to think.
The house was not the ruin it was when he left but neither was it as it was before the Raz'zac came. It was a hybrid of the two and, on the whole, Eragon liked it. You could still see the general structure of the house, where all the rooms where and even their function through some pieces of furniture that survived, but you could also see that the house no longer housed anyone. There were several holes in the walls, some charred wood here and there and broken beams and furniture scattered all around.
Arya looked uncertainly at Eragon, not knowing how he would react to the sight of his ruined childhood home.
"Eragon?" came her soft whisper and brought him back to the road he was standing on.
"Come" he said enthusiastically and pulled her by the hand all the way to the house some two hundred meters away.
Eragon spent the following hour recounting stories from his childhood to an attentive Arya who was a great listener and knew just what questions to ask. Arya enjoyed listening to Eragon and smiled all the while when he told her about his childhood.
"It seems that you were even worst at attracting trouble when you were younger" Arya said after Eragon finished telling her about the time he was trapped with the animals in the barn when wolves came and Garrow took Roran to the village.
"You've no idea!" Eragon said and sounded half proud. "Uncle Garrow said that I can't leave alone until I was old enough to fight off wild animals after that."
"And what happened after that?" Arya had a feeling that it wasn't the end of the story.
"The wolves came crashing into my window a week later" Eragon said with a smile and Arya laughed hard. "It was then that Garrow got me my bow and taught me how to use it. He insisted that I carry it with me almost everywhere I go."
When they were done at the house Eragon lead Arya into the spine on a path he remembered like the back of his hand, even after all those years.
When they reached their destination Eragon wasn't surprised to see the two dragons standing there talking, he sensed them there and he assumed Arya did too although he didn't think she knew why the dragons where there.
Eragon looked at the ground and saw a small nest-like pile of branches with the remainder of a wool blanket.
Arya looked curiously at the nest that was obviously no bird's nest. She looked at Eragon questioningly and he pointed in Saphira's direction.
"That was your first home?" she asked the sapphire dragon.
'Indeed it was. And it was a good home.' She seemed lost in memory.
They sat both sat down against a rather large tree and the dragons curled up next to them. Arya held Eragon's hand in both her hands in her lap and rested her head on his shoulder while he rested his head on hers.
They spent the rest of the afternoon there in quiet except for the occasional story told by Arya. When there was just a little more than half an hour to sundown they got up and climbed onto their dragons' backs and flew back to Carvahall.
They said their temporary goodbyes when they arrived as Arya went to her room to change her clothes and wash up and Eragon went to his room to do the same.
Eragon entered his room feeling lighter than he'd felt for almost an entire year and stood in place grinning to himself at the memory of the past few hours.
'You should start getting ready' Saphira said in his head. 'You only have about twenty minutes or so and you stink.'
'You sound a little too amused about that' Eragon said but didn't argue and took off his cloths to wash up.
'It's just funny, that's all.'
'What is?' he asked suspiciously.
'You. You're just like the young youth I hatched for, before the war and the responsibilities. All happy and foolish at having talked to the pretty girl.'
Eragon's ears reddened at her words and he fell silent. Saphira laughed her rumbling laughter and shook her head at her rider's embarrassment.
'I don't smell that bad' Eragon said after smelling himself. 'I bet that the villagers won't even notice.'
'That may be true but I'm sure that Arya will, and that you would rather avoid that.'
'Right. Thanks!' he hadn't thought of that.
'Anytime little one.'
Fifteen minutes later Eragon was walking to the many tables outside the house and marveling at the beauty of the scene.
It was as if there never was a war and Carvahall was never destroyed. It was exactly like the many celebrations that Eragon remembered from when he was younger. The villagers called to him when they noticed him and in just a few short seconds he was surrounded by all of his childhood friends.
About five minutes of laughing and shouting later, Arya arrived and Eragon excused himself to greet her.
She looked absolutely stunning. Her raven hair was flowing elegantly down her neck and onto her shoulders. She was wearing simple green tunic and trousers and her eyes were sparkling in the torchlight.
'I think your judgment might be influenced when it comes to her' Saphira said. 'I agree that for a two-legs she does look better than most, but I just don't see what you see.'
'Then it's a good thing that it's me who's her mate and not you, is it?'
'I suppose so' she said and blew a small cloud of smoke into the air. Eragon smiled and shook his head at her jealousy. He sent her a great feeling of affection and love and she hummed happily in response, satisfied that her rider hadn't lost interest in her.
By that time they were only a few paces away and Arya saved Eragon the confusion and uncertainty when she dropped the formal greetings and simply greeted him, like the friends they were.
"You look fine enough" she said teasing after he greeted her in return.
"In my defense, it's hard to look better than fine next to you, me queen" he added in an undertone that no one but her heard. No one, except Roran and maybe Katrina, knew just how much she was his queen.
"I suppose you're right." Arya smiled amused.
They walked back to all the gathered people holding hands. They earned some whispers and some second glances but they didn't care. They knew they could count on the villagers to keep it to themselves.
They joined a conversation with Horst and Elain as they waited for everyone to arrive. When they did Roran got up on one of the tables and called to everyone's attention.
"Dear friends!" his voice boomed. "I want to thank you all in behalf of Katrina, Ismira and I for being here to celebrate with us!" The villagers roared in response. Eragon watched as his brother talked. It seems he's still the village's leader he mused. He looked around and was more than surprised to see Arya roar with the villagers. When the crowd quieted Arya saw his questioning look and merely shrugged her shoulders and turned her attention back to Roran who continued his little speech.
"We have done a lot in the past year and have many reasons to celebrate! So let us be done with the talking and start with the eating and drinking!" and with that he walked off the table to the sound of great cheering and people moving around to bring the food and drinks.
Eragon and Arya helped fetch all the food as Saphira and Firnen rolled the barrels of mead closer to the tables, but not without setting aside one for each of them.
After all the food was out, everyone started taking their seats and eating. Eragon and Arya found themselves in a table with Katrina, Roran and Ismira, Horst and his family and a few others.
The mood was pleasant and Eragon found himself exchanging stories and recalling childhood memories with old friends. Next to him Arya was also talking to everyone around. It seemed that she befriended more than just Roran and Katrina.
'I seem to remember a certain promise you made to me Stronghammer' Saphira said to everyone a few minutes into the celebration.
"And don't think that I forgot Brightscalse!" he said regaining himself much faster than everyone else who'd never heard Saphira stalk in their heads before. He walked inside with three more villagers, who were unaware of what was happening, and walked back out with two full deer in their hands. They walked towards the dragons, the villagers looking a bit frightened, and laid them down, one in front of each.
"To your health Saphira and Firnen!" Roran said and walked back to his table.
'Thank you Roran Stronghammer' Saphira said eagerly and hungrily.
Firnen looked questioningly at Saphira. Eragon felt her answer his question with her memory of the first time she tasted his meat. Firnen was eager after that and they both dug into the deer. Eragon felt Saphira's pleasure through their bond and closed himself to her a little bit, he didn't want to feel that.
"The dragons are having fun" he observed.
"Indeed they are. What about you? Are you having fun?"
"Of course I am! I'm with family and friends and I'm home again! What could possibly make me unhappy?"
"I know what you mean. It's been too long since I've been free of politics completely."
"Then you should come to our island some time. Clear your head completely of all the troubles of the land! I promise that you will not have to worry about anything except for what you would like to eat and what part of our island to see next."
"That is a tempting offer" she said and sounded sincere. "I will have to find a time to come by but I think it won't be anytime soon. I just started to get things moving and I want to use the momentum while I've still got it.
"Don't worry" she said when she saw his features drop a bit with disappointment. "I will come. Just not in the close future. Ten years, maybe more." As she said that she grabbed his hand under the table.
"I will hold you to that" he said after a while and smiled at her. She smiled back at him and once again he was lost in her beauty, just like he was all those years ago when he first dreamed of her.
The rest of the evening came and went, filled with drinks, food and marry hearts.
A few hours before the break of dawn the party dissipated and everyone stumbled back to their homes. Eragon went to his chambers and noticed that Saphira and Firnen, who left a few hours earlier, had yet to return. He sat on his bed for a few moments, thinking about the previous day, before he took his clothes off and drifted to sleep.
AN:
Hey you guy! Hope you enjoyed this chapter…
Please review more! I really want to know what you think, good/bad/indifferent… whatever!
Those of you who want some Murtagh… he's coming next chapter!
Also… if you've got some ideas for names for dwarves, Urgals, dragons, elves or even humans, and you're willing to share them with me I'd appreciate it! I'm going to need some for the next stories and I suck at thinking up names…