Eragon slammed Brisingr onto the head of the man that was about to stab him with a long sword. Kaona danced past him, took the blade of the

man she had just killed by punching his throat, and cut her way through eleven more men; all of which she did with her eyes closed. Her skill,

grace and speed matched and even surpassed the prowess of Oromis. She could hit a man in the right temple with a knife from two hundred

feet away, only by smell and sound. Eragon was forced to stop as four hundred and fifty elves started blasting magic into the courtyard. His

wards would have been able to block the magical balls of energy but he wanted to save his arcane defenses for Gailbatorix. They would be well

needed. As Eragon cast out his mind for the evil king, he felt the minds of thousands. Truly it seemed every man woman and child was in the

capital city. Eragon slashed downward as a young man tried to cut him with the sharp tip of an ax. The man crumpled into an unmoving mass at

Eragon's feet. Not giving himself the time needed to think about how he had just took a live Eragon jumped over the lifeless body. His armor

slowed him down slightly but not to the degree that he would be at risk of injury. Seven blurs of multi colored fur ran past him into the courtyard,

the werecat's, and began to pile on one man after another, killing them in the process. Eragon smiled. The attack was going at planned. He

looked up at the highest tower in the castle that dominated Uru'bean, but saw no one. Where is that raving king? Eragon was forced to drop his

wonderings as an arrow shot towards him. He reached up and hit the middle of it with his arm, snapping it in half. Eragon's nerves stood on end,

he could not relax, even as the elves started driving the king's forced back. A hand grabbed his shoulder. He did not think, he spun and was

about to strike at whoever it was that had gripped him, when he saw that it was a young boy of no more then ten. He lowered Brisingr. "Ar-are

you the mighty one we've heard of? Shadeslayer? The one that's going to kill Gailbatorix?" Eragon nodded, feeling sort detached. "I am." The

boy suddenly rushed at him and hugged his leg, crying. Eragon did not know quite what to do. Before he could do anything a girl of perhaps

fifteen stepped out and picked the boy up. "Please forgive him, Dragon Rider." She seemed genuinely concerned that Eragon were going to

maim the boy for touching him. Eragon looked past her as something moved. A man was walking up to the boy and girl, sword raised. Eragon

yelled and ran past the two freighted children, twisting and lunching to stab the man through the head. The girl looked back and looked ready to

scream. Eragon turned. "You'd better get out of here." The girl nodded and ran off, casting fearful glances at everyone. Saphira crashed through

a building and saw Eragon. I can't find Gailbatorix anywhere. Eragon lunged and hit a man under his chin. Nor can I. What if he left the city? Saphira

shook her head. Impossible. The Varden are on the right entrance and exit to the city, and the elves are on the left. He couldn't have gotten out by

ground, and I haven't seen Shruikan so he couldn't have left by air. Eragon jumped back as she burned the man in front of him. What about

underground? He could have a tunnel or some such. Saphira thought over that but then shook her head again.

Where would the tunnel be? The ground would be bulging in the area around the tunnel as a result of the poles and what not used to hold the dirt and

earth up. Eragon nodded. That made sense. Then where? She slashed at a solider with her claws and then stamped a foot on the ground. I don't

know. Eragon patted her tail as he jumped over it. Don't worry. We'll figure it out. Saphira bounded off into the depths of the city. Watching her

leave him was like watching an old friend die. For hours it seemed he swung and ducked and stabbed in what seemed like an endless amount of

time. The day slipped into night, as the Varden continued to press the army of Gailbatorix back. Finally Eragon had to stop and catch his breath.

He guessed the that his total killing number now equaled up close to a thousand. Eragon heard a small and nearly inaudible twang off in the

distance. He ducked and spun as a dart shot over his head, hitting a solider in the head on accident. He looked at the place of origin and saw, to

his surprise and some what delight, Gailbatorix. The mad man was dressed in his black armor from head to toe, and he had his Rider's sword

buckled on his waist. The man dropped the bow he had just shot from. It was like no bow Eragon had ever seen. Instead of curving downward

to the string, this one was made from a red wood, and it curved down like normal, and then went off into a curve, before going down into the

rest of the curve. Eragon jumped forward, slashing completely through the solider that stood in his way. As he ran after the evil king he got an

insight of just how miserable a place Uru'bean was. True, in the castle that was Gailbatorix's it was a grand place (he had spent two weeks

there) but beyond that it was a place of misery and sorrow. Eragon ran up the flight of stairs into the room that he knew his ancient foe waited.

Gailbatorix was not there. Little one. I just saw Gailbatorix run across a bridge outside the room you're in! Eragon took a step forward, but stopped

as he saw motion in the corner of his right eye. He stopped and looked down across the room. Standing there was an elegantly dressed woman.

Golden bands hung on her waist, and she wore a dress of the finest make. Without warning the woman ran to him and embraced him. Eragon

was slightly taken aback. The woman drew away and then hugged him again. "My son." Lightning shot down Eragon's back. Only then did he

recognize her from the farth Oromis had shown him in Ellesmera. "Mother?" She drew away again and looked at him with sparkling eyes. Her

eyes finally rested on his pointed ears. She took a step back and her face darkened with confusion. "What-" He stopped her with an upraised

hand. "I'm sorry, I have to catch Gailbatorix. Know this though: Eka aí fricai un Shur'tugal." Selene's eyes widened with shook. "You're a-"

Eragon saw another flicker of motion. Gailbatorix had just slashed through a man in the courtyard below. Eragon jumped the full length of the

room, kicked open the window and landed on the ground outside. In less then two seconds he was cut through the place where Gailbatorix

would have been had he not stopped at the exact last moment.

Eragon did not hesitate, or think. He cut and slashed like a frenzied mad man. He knew that if he were to kill Gailbatorix he could not let him

have time to think, like Vrael did. Gailbatorix raised a hand and barked a word, alien to Eragon, and Eragon was flung against a wall. He

staggered up right just in time to see Saphira dive at Gailbatorix, distracting him so that Eragon could regain his thinking. Eragon joined minds

with Saphira. Shall we finish this, Friend of my Heart and Soul? She growled at Gailbatorix. Let us finish this, and him! They melded their minds, nay

their souls until they were more one then they ever had been before. Once Eragon lifted his arm to swing Brisingr, and Saphira foot moved in the

manner he had wanted his arm to act. It was as if they're very bodies were one and the same. They beat at Gailbatorix for well over an hour. His

armor was of an alien make, and Eragon began to wonder if they would ever get through it. Eragon stopped for a single moment as Saphira

lunged at Gailbatorix. The world slowed for Eragon. He watched in slow motion as Gailbatorix's sword moved at Saphira's neck and then strike

and cut through her scaly armor, followed by a burst of blood. Saphira collapsed. Eragon screamed. He jumped at Gailbatorix, holding nothing in

reserve. He swung his sword like it was a blade of grass, though burned like a branch in a fire. Eragon had not said its name, nor called upon

magic to light it, yet it burned with the white hot flames of the sun. Gailbatorix was caught off guard, and as he was pulling away he tripped over

the arm of a dead man. He fell back and his sword was flung fifteen feet away. Eragon's blazing sword landed in front of Gailbatorix's neck. They

both panted for air. Eragon stared in fury at Gailbatorix, while Gailbatorix looked fearful. "Eragon, you-you wouldn't kill your uncle, would you?"

Eragon stood up straight and said, "Hundreds, thousands have died for this moment. Die, you malformed lowlife villain." Eragon pushed forward

with his sword and stabbed Gailbatorix through his skull. The flames of Brisingr burned like Gridor breathing fire and Gailbatorix fell, dead. Eragon

fell to his knees. Dawn crept up onto the land, and the whole city stopped fighting. The solders' stopped, and looked at Eragon. There was a

moment of complete silence, and then the every man began cheering. Eragon looked up at the sky. "It's over. It's all over." Eragon's mind clicked

back to Saphira. He jumped up and frantically scrambling to Saphira. He dropped Brisingr and looked at her. True madness gripped his heart. Her

sides did not move, nor did her heart beat. She was dead.

Eragon backed up, horrified. "Saphira, NO!" Madness, true madness, took its icy grip on him. "I can't go on without you!" Brom, his father,

walked up to Eragon, a triumphant smile on his face. "Eragon we-" As he spotted Saphira he stopped. A look of pure horror ran across his face

and he dropped to his knees. "No. No. No, not again! Please, not again!" Eragon watched out of the corner of his eye. He did not care. Saphira

was gone, and he did not care about anything anymore! Eragon sensed a deep, swirling pool of magic coming from his father. He looked at him

and saw him lay a hand on Saphira's heart and Saphira's head. "Eka taka ono iet líf!" (I give you my life!) Eragon raised a hand, but was too

late. Brom fell backward and Saphira's cut sealed up and she began breathing once more. Little one? Eragon jumped up and hugged her. Though

he had not been more then a few feet away from her, it felt like he was just returning to her after the trip to Fiom. Eragon stood up and walked

down the lane that came out of the courtyard. A boy, no older then five, walked up to him. His cloths looked like someone and laid them in the

path of a group of horse riding men and let them walk all over it. "Gailbatorix, i-is he going to kill us?" Eragon knelt and laid a hand on him. His

cloths began to mend and in five seconds he wore what the cloths would have looked like in their original state. "No. Gailbatorix is dead." The

boy's eyes sparkled and he jumped up and down. "He is? No more of him?" Eragon smiled. "No more of him." The boy ran off with excitement.

Eragon went to the tip of the castle and looked off at the rising sun. Here marks the end of my quest. Gailbatorix is dead and we are free.