Arya's eyes darkened. "I have better things to be done than go tramping across the land with Eragon into an obvious trap."
Nasuada's right eye brow rose. "Oh? What do you have to be done that is more important that taking out one of our most powerful advisories? Please tell me, Wise Elf."
Arya's hand tightened in what must have been unimaginable force and her voice was low and threatening. "Do not mock me, human."
Nasuada raised her hands. "I meant for there to be no offense. Only that Murtagh and Thorn are far more important than most anything else I can think at the moment; save for Galbatorix. So then, it seems best to send the three mightiest beings in the Varden to do away with them."
Arya looked up at the sky for a moment, reminding Eragon of how Oromis would often look into the distance during their conversations. Then she sighed and said, "I shall do my best to do as you say. However, do not misunderstand me, Nasuada. I do this not out of reverence for your position; my own far exceeds it, but to protect Eragon and Saphira." Turning her back she ran back to the camp, so lithe and fast Eragon would not have noticed her before the Agaeti Blodhren.
Nasuada dipped her head and then, seeming to notice that Arya no longer stood before her, turned and returned to the Varden's camp. Eragon remained on the hill, looking out at the massive army of the Empire. Blodhgarm stood four yards away, respectively remaining quiet. A slight breeze came in from the west and lifted his hair up and down. "What am I going to do, Blodhgarm?"
The sleek black-clue elf lifted his head and let the wind run through his mane. "Defeat the Empire, of course, Shadeslayer. Without the red dragon and his rider the Empire's army you see now should fall without too much trouble."
"No, I meant..." He stopped. The question he meant to ask was one Blodhgarm had no way of answering. "Why has this curse been laid on me?"
Blodhgarm lowered and tilted his head to the side, giving him the almost perfect image of a confused wolf. The only flaw was his elven body. Then he stepped closer to Eragon and placed a paw on his shoulder. "When I was but five years old, when my father had been slain in the war with Galbatorix, I asked The Mourning Sage why the curse of war had been placed on such a young child as myself. Oromis-elda looked down on me as he would look down with pity on an orphaned bird and he told me that a curse is no more than a blessing in disguise. I took those words and I used them to train myself, making myself into the master of magic I am today. Perhaps Osthato Chetowä meant for me to tell you this when he gave me that advice." Then he stepped away.
Go and talk with her, was what Saphira said when he returned to his tent.
What? Why?
If she is to fight Murtagh and Thorn with us we must cooperate. If she is as irritated with you as an eagle is with a pigeon it will have adverse effects on our performance in battle.
Yes, but Nasuada is the one who instigated that irritation, not me. Why should I have to be the one to fix it? Saphira tightened her eye at him.
You are a Rider, Eragon. If we succeed in killing Galbatorix you will likely spend a good few hundred years solving problems that other people made for themselves. Go. I will be awaiting you when you return.
Eragon shook his head and said, Fine. But if she puts a blade in my gut I will blame you. Saphira chuckled.
I'll keep that in mind, little one.
Eragon struck out into the camp. It was still mid afternoon and the sun bet down on the Varden's camp like a wave of heat. Arya's tent was set in the opposite quadrant of the camp as his own. Before his transformation in Ellesmera walking across such a distance in the heat would have had him sweating and panting for breath, but now it only slightly tired him.
Arya's tent was deep green, almost as green as her eyes. As Eragon stepped up to the entrance he sensed the residue of magic in the air. Following it to its source he found a medium sized structure behind Arya's tent that reminded him of a smaller version of the elves public baths. Heat infused his face as he came to that conclusion. He slowly stepped into the small building, which had obviously been created a short while ago with the ad of magic, stepping so softly that not even an elf could hear his foot steps.
As he entered into the structure proper he saw that a door closed in the insides, so that warmth would not leave the room. As low as possible he whispered, "Huildr," so that the air outside would not alert Arya of his presence when he opened the inner door. He knew that an elf's senses were so keen that even the smallest shift in temperature could set them off. The door opened without hinges, guided and held only with magic, as he pushed on it. Inside it was dark and his eyes took several moments to adjust to the lighting, which was hardly more than what was coming in through the door. As his eyes adjusted his breath caught in his throat.
Throughout the room steam came up from a pool that was perhaps twenty feet long. In the center of the pool sat Arya. As much as Eragon could see of her she was naked as the day she was born. His heart began to beat faster as he drank in this image of her that he had not even seen a facet of since his flight with Murtagh to the Varden. Arya's dark hair was wet and patched together, draping over her shoulder. Her back was turned to him, but even as he watched she turned, her eyes closed, revealing her perfect form to him. Eragon bit his tongue and tried to make no noise. He prayed to whatever god there might be that she would not see him.
"You have seen this all before, Shadeslayer. Why do you gawk at it now?" Eragon's blood turned to ice. He briefly considered casting a spell to kill him so as to avoid Arya's wrath. Like two vipers slithering out of their den her eyes flashed open and centered on him. "An answer is appropriate in this instance, Eragon Bromson."
His tongue as dry as sand he fumblingly said, "I came...to patch any differences...that your argument with Lady Nasuada..."
Arya nodded. "Yes. Well, I disagree strongly with what Nasuada is choosing, however it is not for me to decide." Eragon waited for her to cast some spell to cause unbelievable pain upon him, but she remained in the water. "A question?" she said, tilting her head.
Eragon rubbed his gedway ignasia. "Well...I am curious why you remain naked before me."
Arya shrugged a shoulder as if his question was barely worth an answer. "Do you want to kiss me, Shadeslayer?" Eragon froze. Arya raised her hand and the water that had been clinging to her skin fell to the pool below. "Come." Drawn by the summons Eragon stepped down into the pool, ignoring its heat, and wadded closer to her. When he came close enough he touched Arya's hand with his own.
Both Eragon and Arya uttered a pained shout and clutched their arms. Eragon's arm felt as if someone had cast fire to it. His blood boiled as if it were a pot of water set on a flame. His gedway ignasia shimmered as brightly as a new day sun and he closed his eyes to hide from the blinding light. As he closed his eyes the image of a red and black colored dragon roaring at him filled his mind and the pain in his arm intensified to the point of incapacitating him. He uttered a cry as the dragon opened his maw and blood mixed with fire pooled out of it, consuming the grass at its feet as soon as the blood fire touched it. In the face of the grass Eragon saw Nasuada, Roran, Saphira, Glaedr, the whole of the Varden, Murtagh, Arya, Orik, and all of the peoples of Alagesia that he had met. Every blade of grass that represented a life that he had known or loved was consumed in the fire. Then the black and red dragon's eyes filled Eragon's mind and he could not open his eyes. In his mind a voice that was deep as it was cruel said so loudly he would have been deafened if it had been outside his mind, THE FUTURE YOU HAVE NOW CHOSSEN, HALF-BREED! THE VARDEN WILL BURN; THE ELVES WILL BURN; THE DWARFS WILL BURN! AND LASTLY, YOUR BELOVED ELF AND DRAGON WILL DIE BEFORE YOU! CONTINUE FIGHTNING ME AND ALL THIS SHALL COME TO PASS!
*gasp* How could you! Not updating for five whole days! What were you thinking? If you must know, my die hard fans(love you), I had to go on vacation to my cousins and he doesn't let me use his computer. I worked till four in the morning trying to keep all the characters in character as much as possible, if you don't think I did that go down one paragraph and read it, so if you see something you don't like don't hesitate to tell me. I'd like to take a quick sec to talk to the people who think I put Arya out of character in this chapter, mentioning no names. Keep reading, because I have a very good reason for doing such. Have a little faith. Is making someone drunk putting them out of character? No it is not (because that gets rid of a lot of stuff that makes a book a book) and therefore what I did is no less putting out of character. Saying no more about it because it's a spoiler; it was not the Arya you read about and love. Huildr: Hold Bet you can't guess who that dragon is! And I only have so much convidence in that because I know and you don't. :) Is it Galbatorix, says that first person to see this chapter. No, it's not. *gasp* What? Who could it be then? Yeah for making people have to think about my story!