Hi! Haven't seen you all for some time :D So, I can't be bothered writing a long AN (usually I do it so I can rant lol, which is something I'm really good at) so I'll just make it brief. I was going to post this in the morning so that it'd stay in the new chapter list longer, but ah well, I have enough on my alerts list to make up enough reviewers hehe.
Okay the title kind of just gives it all away haha, but congrats to …… for managing to guess the answer to the cliffhanger, although it does seem obvious to me now.
BTW, I am SUCH a fandom whore, I'll admit that's why I haven't been posting much and cuz I've been procrastinating. Visit Fullmetal Alchemist; it's really worthwhile, really cool fics (which have almost perfect spelling and punctuation and everything staring pointedly at Eragon fandom which made me fall in love with it. Also Alex Rider, Kim Possible, Underworld, Harry Potter.
Disclaimer: All hamsters used for my diabolical writing experiments belong to Chris P. He came up with the idea of Eragon, published the idea, copyrighted the idea, and now, we fanfiction writers of Alagaesia are here to steal the idea for our own twisted purposes.
Chapter Seven : My Legacy
Eragon simply shrugged, looking like he didn't believe her.
Arya changed tact, "Why did you say she was weak and her body was not as strong as normal?"
Eragon's eyes squeezed shut, "she had just…"
--
"Yes?"
"She had just given birth to our first child." He said quietly, his head slowly tilted up tentatively to see her reaction.
Arya sat completely still, a look resembling very much alike shock flashed across her face before quickly rearranging into a expression of understanding. Eragon was not fooled so easily, her eyes were still unnaturally wide and there was a small, almost unnoticable crease above her brow.
He took a deep breath and plunged on.
"His name…his name was Thane." Eragon looked like he was in the process of asphyxiating, taking shallow breaths, and pressed his words out with difficulty. It seemed to Arya like he was forcing himself to tell her about him. His love for the boy was clear in his eyes.
"That is a very strong name." Arya commented, her heart giving a wrench when she thought about herself and Faolin. The thought of a child had only briefly crossed their minds. They had naively assumed there would be still so much time for such things after their duties. How wrong she - they - had been.
"He was a delightful little boy. He gave Nia and I such great happiness in times of anxiety and strain, when our duties were overwhelming, kind of like," he paused, thinking, "Like a breath of pure, fresh air from the Beors."
Just as he said that, it seemed as if the forest was listening also, for a cool gust of icy air blew into their faces.
"Our pride and joy. We were very proud of him." Eragon said. He beamed for a moment, his straight white teeth flashing in the dappled green and golden light.
"Where is he now?" Arya asked tentatively. She quickly regretted her words afterward, mentally berating herself for her lack of tact.
Eragon's smile wiped off abruptly, and his head dropped onto his chest again as it had when he was recounting his life with Nia. His fingers fiddled with the bark on the wood near his leg, and he shifted: the trunk was extremely unforgiving, and his back was growing stiff.
"He is passed." He said forlornly.
She waited.
"He had grown up to be a worthy young man, even though he had lost his mother at an early age. He was built nicely, good looks-or so from the reaction of females in the village, blond with amber-brown eyes, with a gentle and caring character, girls swarmed around him, he was always courteous to them and everyone around him." Eragon laughed, "Perhaps I am overexaggerating; he had his faults, like everyone else, but his charm and mischievousness just made me forget about those."
Although it did not seem right in the situation, Arya allowed her to let out a soft genuine laugh at his words.
"He was defending a girl from our village one day, maybe," Eragon grinned, "maybe the one that he was shy upon, I never really managed to wrestle the truth from him, from a burly male fellow who seemed intent on pursuing her despite her resistance and handled her roughly."
Arya could not imagine the serious Eragon trying to pry with such comedy into his son's life, and the Eragon he described was evidently different from this one in the present.
"Thane did not tolerate this behaviour and he stepped in. He had inherited my swordsmanship, and also his mother's magical healing skills. He thought he had everything under control, but what he didn't see was the other man that sneaked up behind he and the girl." He sighed, shaking his head, "It had been one of lessons I had been pressing on him, to always to aware of our surroundings, even though he had, it wasn't enough."
His companion nodded, "That takes time and experience, I sense presences around you while in battle or distraction. It was one that I learned the hard way, as did you as I remember from our sparring."
Eragon agreed quietly.
"The girl didn't realize either, until the intruder swept past her and plunged his knife into Thane's back. It was a fatal wound and he bled terribly. He told me it didn't hurt when I got to him after disposing of both other men in my anger and despair. I spent several agonizing minutes with him before he eased into the void to join his mother. He was only seventeen." Eragon wiped his eyes with the back of his hand.
"I buried him next to his mother."
"I am sorry," Arya said compassionately, "I really am."
Eragon shook his head and looked away. "Don't be."
"You will see them one day again, Eragon." Arya said.
He nodded, but felt better after he revealed his story. It felt like he was not only one who felt their deaths, it was as if Arya also seemed to care for him and for his Nia and Thane.
Almost as an afterthought he added for himself, he said, "Nia…she was just so… she was a faithful, loyal companion and lover."
Arya looked at her hands, "As was Faolin to me."
Just as she felt shameful tears blurring the side of her vision, she was engulfed in a comfortable, reassuring warmth. Her head turned, and she almost fell off the branch in surprise when she came nose to nose with Eragon, who was suddenly sitting very close to her. His arms encircled her waist hesitantly and the tears overwhelmed her even more.
His grip tightened even more so and she felt his body quivering against hers.
She looked at him again, he was crying unashamedly. Her heart unconsciously warmed at the sight, at the realization that he understood her, felt what she was feeling.
The tears fell in a steady stream and slowly, they came closer and closer, until her forehead was pressed against his hard chest and his was resting atop her head. She gripped his shirt almost savagely as both let loose the long suppressed emotions in an explosion of feeling. They wept for hours, crying and sobbing, clutching each other for dear life.
--
They returned to Carvahall just as the sun set fully, walking in the dark amber shadows of the village. The couple had spent the remainder of the day getting to know each other more deeply, since what they had just confessed was what had kept them apart from the beings around them.
Both had been wary of making friends and letting people get too close, thinking that they would not understand their grief and by them getting close would mean that they had to explain and reveal, reliving the darkness and their losses; Faolin, Nia, Thane, that kept their demeanor detached and somber day to day.
When they reached the front door in a comfortable silence between them, they were surprised to see Sean, Roran's son, waiting on the front step for them, peering through the coloured glass on the door to see if anybody were present at their home.
"Good evening." Eragon said, stopping a few paces from him.
Sean jumped, and turned quickly. When he saw Eragon, he managed a short bow, "Master Eragon."
He inclined a head towards Arya, "Lady."
"How many times have I asked you to call me Eragon, Sean?" Eragon said, a little amused and exasperated.
Sean smiled cheekily, "Habits, manners and past lessons die hard and are hard to unlearn, uncle Eragon… father sent me to remind you that tonight there is a village feast, the whole town is gathering. He said that you would most likely forget."
Eragon scowled, Roran knew him too well, no surprise after so many years as brothers.
"Very well, we will be there. Thank you, Sean." He said.
Sean bowed once more with a grin and left to complete his other errands.
Eragon turned to Arya, after watching him depart, "Do you wish to go?"
She nodded, "Of course." She found the communal dinners very friendly and welcoming, and had been to a few ever since she arrived at Carvahall.
"I will meet you down here shortly then." Eragon said, and both of them hurried upstairs to change and refresh.
Not for the first time, as he strode out of the room, he noted that Arya had finished and made an appearance at the same time as him, as she appeared by his side and they walked to the door together.
The air was crisp, and as they inhaled, frozen icicles of the dark evening air attacked their lungs.
Eragon looked up and chuckled in spite of himself; Carvahall had built a merry, cackling and very hungry fire at their meeting point that could be seen climbing higher and higher over the houses that were a safe distance away from it, sending a familiar golden yellow sheen of light over the rooftops.
It didn't take long to arrive at the center of the village where most had already arrived; any stranger or fool could find it even without the conspicuous signal of grey smoke, the large plume swirling in the dark navy of the sky, creating mysterious shapes that transfixed his attention for some time, seeing the noise and commotion the revellers were making.
The two were greeted with gusto, enthusiasm and warm embracing; Eragon's back was pounded hard by the other men, people smiling at Arya as if she had grown up with them.
Eragon greeted Katrina, Roran, their family, and young children that rushed to him. He picked them up easily, one in each arm, laughing, recieving and giving tight embraces.
The long tables in the around middle of the clearing was laden with rich food, steaming and freshly baked, poached, boiled, cooked and roasted.
Eragon set their deftly made but delectable, even by his standards, contribution on the edge of the table, where it balanced precariously.
When everybody was in attendance, they all took seats and dug into the food with exclamations, satisfied grunts and compliments on the cooking. Arya sat next to Eragon, both at the middle of the table and he watched her eat daintily for a moment before choosing his own non meats and starting his own dinner. They engaged in several conversations throughout the courses, nobody was left out, could not be, as even the quietest introverts were swept up the liveliness and energy of this common coming together.
Very soon all were full, their stomachs contented.
After the dinner, pairs and groups retired on mats of hay, loosed dirt covered ground, cosy heaps of dry grass and straw bundles in a loose circle around the bonfire; some leaning on others, sitting, lying on stomachs, lovers in close proximity, young children fast asleep, Eragon smiled fondly as he watched Sean's woman seat herself between his legs, resting against his chest.
There was endless entertainment long into the night, people got up to perform singing, dancing, stories and roasted marshmallows passed all round, altogether with the shared wineskin.
As it grew further towards midnight, he saw numerous parents taking their children, most of them younglings, babies and toddlers home, gently cradling their heads against their fathers shoulders or nestled contentedly, still sunk in a unconscious state of sleep, against their mother's bosoms, some of the adults returning to the still crowded ring of villagers. He smiled as he saw some elderly asleep in the pleasant warmth of the still strong fire, some older children using each other as pillows as they slumbered on amidst the talking. Eragon snorted when his elven hearing sensed one of the more amorous couples making love a few meters away, isolated and hidden in the forest, unheard because of the relative loudness of the main group, and soon he picked up a few more pairs just huddled together, scattered around the outer ring of the area.
Eragon swayed, satisfyingly warm, his mind lightheaded from all his laughter throughout the night, his stomach aching with every chortle, his mouth was dry with the taste of many a kind of alcohol: gin, rum, and his ongoing favourite, Morn's special brew from his older stock, matured in his fine wooden barrels.
He was pleased to see even Arya loosened, consuming moderate amounts of the booze, joining in the laughter and listening to the stories. The homely feeling of the comany seemed to have surrounded her also, for her eyes glinted an emerald-amber shade and as she laughed, her teeth flashed brightly.
It was deeply late in the night, and very early morning, when the congregation of adults and few children dwindled, and the remaining villagers headed for their homes after having bade everyone farewell.
Arya and Eragon stumbled, somehow still with some grace and dignity, into their abode.
Mumbling their goodnights, they collapsed, fully exhausted, into bed.
Well- thank God that we've finished with all the major angsty parts! The story will roll on more smoothly and we'll will actually be getting somewhere!! Thanks for bearing with me!
And all praise the wonders of acupuncture, it makes you really high from the nerves which in turn makes me hyper which in turn makes me bother to write which in turn gives all of you your next chappie!! No matter how much everyone says it doesn't hurt, it did somewhat for mine (sprained my ankle at the end of last year and although it doesn't hurt that much, it's like weak and after soccer hurts slightly), for a few minutes, and man let me tell you how bizarre it is seeing needles sticking into your leg and ankle randomly. The asian lady was like "Do you need any more for your….blah blah" and I was like, hastily (and desperately), "NO no, it's fine, I have enough holes in me already" lol, kind of ironic since I'm asian-turned-kiwi, well anyway, I don't even know why I'm telling you this, so skip this paragraph unless you want to hear about my shopping spree today!
Since I have been soooo interesting (I should seriously write a blog since I'm so cynical at times)….REVIEWWWWWW.
Let me make this clear lol: I . AM . NOT . ABOVE . BEGGING . But you loyal readers wouldn't make me do that though :-)
Even if this chappie was boring, please review so that I can post the next chapter, I get tired of waiting. BTW, the last response to chapter six was really encouraging, thanks to all 18 reviewers!!
REVIEW! REVIEW!
