"It was the cantaloupes! It's always the cantaloupes!" Angela exclaimed shrilly from behind Nasuada. Nasuada whipped around in surprise.
"Angela! What are you doing here?" Nasuada replied. Nasuada had not seen that strange, little herbalist since the fall twenty years ago. She had disappeared the moment the war had ended, as if into thin air. Nasuada was surprised to see that even after twenty years, Angela didn't look a day over nine-and-twenty. Until that very moment, Nasuada hadn't even known that Angela was on the ship.
"Oh this and that…" Angela responded vaguely with a toothy smile. Solembum rubbed against Angela's legs besides her. He seemed to be amused by the entire situation. Nasuada folded her arms over he chest and watched Angela suspiciously.
"Pish-posh. Don't give me that look; you couldn't really expect me to stay behind. I like to be around when thing are happening." Angela stated matter-of-factly.
"How long until we arrive?" a cool voice from behind Nasuada crooned. Nasuada turned around to see a thin, gangly young woman. The woman's raven hair fell to shoulder length, with bangs covering her pale brow. She was dressed unusually for a woman. She had leggings and a shirt instead of a dress. Over her clothing was black leather armor. At her side hung a thin, black sword.
The woman turned to face Nasuada. Those unforgettable purple eyes sparked a tidal wave of memories.
"Elva!" Nasuada exclaimed, "How did you get here?"
Elva shrugged nonchalantly. "Angela found me a few weeks ago, asked if I was up for a trip. I decided why not."
Nasuada let out an exasperated huff, unsure how to handle these change of events. She did think that Elva or Angela proved a danger to this visit. The location of New Vroengard was one of the most well kept secrets in Alagaësia. Despite the flighty and undependable nature the two woman tended to have, Nasuada was pretty sure she could trust them. She had no choice but to trust them at this point. They had nearly arrived.
"Nasuada, you can trust us," Elva said in a quiet voice, gazing thoughtfully at the queen, "We have no intention of giving away New Vroengard's location. Both Angela and myself understand how important it is to let Eragon, the dragons, and the new riders have all the space and secrecy they need. We're on your side."
Nasuada let out a breath, the young woman's words striking every single thought of worry that had crossed her mind. Nasuada shook her head, recognizing Elva exercising her precise art of persuasion.
"Fine," Nasuada finally sighed, "We should land in about fifteen minutes."
The trip thus far had been uneventful. The passengers included Roran, Katrina, and their family, King Orik along with his guards, Nasuada and her guards, Murtagh, Thorn, the captain, and crew of the ship, and the recently discovered Elva and Angela. It was a small party. This was Nasuada's first venture to New Vroengard. Eragon had sent her numerous fairths and letters, giving Nasuada an idea of what to expect. Murtagh had served as an ambassador of sorts between the kingdom and the riders. He spent most of his time in Alagaësia, however he made a trip out to New Vroengard about once every two years or when a dragon hatched for a new rider. Then Murtagh would serve as an escort for the new rider and dragon, bringing them here.
Nasuada watched Angela and Elva walk together down the deck. She was surprised to see them stop midway along the ship. Besides them was a small boy, squatting on the deck. He seemed to be studying the grain of the wood below him. A small ginger girl was whispering something in his ear. Nasuada was even more surprised when Elva sat down besides the boy. She believed the child was Roran's youngest son, but she couldn't be certain. She had never seen the young girl before. Nasuada felt a sense of unease creep upon her, wondering what else about this trip she did not know.
Above her a gust of wind blew through her hair. She looked up to see Thorn flying alongside the boat. Murtagh slid his legs out of the saddle and with a tremendous leap, cleared the space between Thorn and the boat. He landed on the deck with a soft thud. With two long strides he crossed over to Nasuada.
He slipped his warm, callused hand into Nasuada's.
"Take a deep breathe, it's all going to be okay, " Murtagh murmured soothingly. Nasuada let out a small smile. Murtagh's ability to perceive Nasuada's feelings so well from mere facial expression was nearly as accurate as Elva's gift. Nasuada nodded.
With a soft bump, the hull of the boat scraped against the bottom of the lake.
"Queen Nasuada, " the captain addressed Nasuada, "We need to anchor the ship here, it's too shallow closer to shore. Shall I prepare a rowboat?"
"No need, Captain Matthews," Nasuada replied, "There is no point to going up on the shore. The only way to the center of the island is by flight, according to Eragon. He should come meet us any minute now."
As soon as the words left Nasuada's mouth, a great gust of wind assailed the boat. She lifted her eyes to the sky to see a great, sapphire dragon flying towards them. On the dragon's back sat a friend of old.
Let's go give them a proper welcome Eragon thought to Saphira. The sun was high in the sky by this point. It was almost noon. After seeing the boat this morning, Eragon and Saphira had flown back to the valley to make sure all the preparations were in order.
Studies had been disrupted in order to prepare for the company. They rarely received visitors, making this a very special occasion. By seven thirty the entire valley was awake and busily readying rooms and preparing food for the feast that was to take place that evening. When Eragon was satisfied that everything was taken care of, he and Saphira flew back to cliffs.
You're excited Saphira noted with a rumbly chuckle.
It's been so long…. How could you expect me not to be? Eragon responded. With that Saphira leapt off the cliff. She tilted forward and dove towards the ground. They free fell for about five seconds before Saphira extended her wings fifty feet from the ground. The air caught under them with a heavy snap before Saphira began to fly forward. They approached the boat that was anchored about seventy-five feet from the shore.
As they flew nearer, Eragon heard shouts of welcome from the ship. Thorn was circling above them in the air. Finally they flew right up next to the boat. Eragon unfastened his legs from the saddle. He then leaped across the gap between Saphira and the boat in one fluid motion.
Before him stood Nasuada, Murtagh, Roran, and Orik. Eragon slowly scrutinized each of them carefully. Nasuada had aged well. Despite her being almost forty years old, she did not look quite her age. Her dark skin showed few wrinkles, her body remained lean and muscled. Her eyes revealed her true age, wisdom and experience shining within. She watched Eragon carefully.
Murtagh stood beside Nasuada, his hand intertwined in hers. His appearance was more expected, as Eragon saw him relatively often, in comparison to the others. His expression was guarded as Eragon noticed how little space there was between Murtagh and Nasuada.
Orik stood besides Murtagh. He did not look much different than he had twenty years ago. This was expected as dwarves live very long lives. The one noticeable thing that had changed was Orik's demeanor. He held his head a little higher. His body language seemed more rigid and stately.
Finally he turned to his cousin. Roran looked much older, Eragon realized. There were lines on his face and patches of gray in his hair.
No one said anything. There was a good fifteen seconds of silence before Roran finally shuffled forward to Eragon.
"Brother, I—" Eragon started, but then Roran pulled him into a rough hug. The rest of Eragon's phrase was lost. The boat around them cheered.
"I've missed you, Eragon," Roran finally said, letting go of Eragon and ruffling his hair. Eragon cracked a smile.
"And you, Roran," Eragon responded warmly. He then turned to Nasuada and Murtagh. Nasuada had a large grin on her face.
"You don't look like you've aged a day," Nasuada teased, taking a step forward. Nasuada then without warning wrapped Eragon into a friendly hug. Eragon smiled as she let go.
"Okay, let me through," Orik grumbled, making his way to Eragon, before exclaiming a cheerful cry of "Brother!" Orik then shook Eragon's hand, pulling him into a half hug. Eragon stooped over to make up for the height difference. Twenty years may have passed but Eragon felt the comfort of friendship still existed between him and the group of people around him.
Eragon then went on to serve as the link between Saphira and everyone else as they exchanged various greetings.
"So when do we get to see this island you have told us so much about?" Roran said lightly to Eragon.
"We can start ferrying people across the mountains soon," Eragon started, "We're just waiting for—"
Eragon didn't get the chance to finish his thought. At that moment a cheerful roar resounded. Everyone looked towards the source of the noise.
Descending towards the boat was an emerald dragon and his fair, elven rider.
A/N Hello lovely readers!
I apologize that this chapter is relatively short. This week has been crazy and I haven't had a lot of time to write. I know details about people (like Elva, Angela, Orik, etc.) and what they have been up to have been vague thus far but do not fret. I haven't forgotten about them, I shall cover it all in time.
A special thanks to all those who reviewed last chapter. I'm always hesitant about adding in an OC. The feedback I got was both helpful and encouraging.
For those who care, I'm thinking Friday/Saturday will be the day I update this story every week.
I'd love to know what you think! Feel free to leave a review. Thanks! Bae
Update as of 11/14/12: I apologize for briefly disappearing. Things in real life have gotten crazy. Do not worry, I promise I am coming back. I also had a little bit of a writer's block but now have it all worked out now. Within about a week and a half I should have it updated with at least one if not two chapters. You guys are awesome. ~Bae