AN I haven't said this before but obviously I don't own Inheritance Cycle or Lord of the Rings. All characters, places, names belong to Paolini and Tolkien respectively.

Chapter 9

Helm's Deep was a hive of activity when dawn arrived. Final preparations were being made for the journey to Edoras. Supplies and belongings were gathered, donkeys and oxen hooked up to carts loaded with food. Some would also carry the elderly and the injured.

Two hours after the morning sun had risen, the last wagons trundled out the gates. The large column of people moving through the valley was flanked on either side by the armed Rohirrim, ready to lay down their lives to protect their people. At the head of the snaking column was Theoden, leading the small group that would soon change their course for Orthanc. Flying overhead was Saphira, high enough to see for miles in every direction.

Riding beside Theoden was a woman Eragon didn't recognise. She had a striking face, and fair hair like many of Rohan's people. Eragon directed his horse closer to Aragorn.

"Who is that woman speaking with the king?" he asked. "They seem close."

"They are," Aragorn replied. "That is Eowyn, sister to Eomer, and the King's niece. Her parents were killed many years ago by orcs. Theoden took her and her brother in. He is like a father to them both." He paused. "She is a strong, admirable woman. She will rule in Theoden's stead until he returns."

Eragon was surprised. "I did not know women were seen as equals to men in this land."

Aragorn sighed. "They are not, at least in the world of men. Eowyn is an exception. She is loved by the people of Rohan, and by Theoden himself. She is the daughter he never had. Among the elves it is different. Men and women are treated equally, and all have the same rights."

Theoden rode back to them from the front. "Well Gandalf, I've sent my fastest riders out to every village within thirty leagues of here. Anyone who can, will come to Edoras two days after the full moon, so we must return before then."

"Do not worry, Theoden," Gandalf admonished. "Our small group will travel quickly. But let us be off! We have many miles to cover, and a rogue wizard to see at the end of them! Run, Shadowfax, run!" he whispered to his horse. The white stallion took off like he had been struck by lightning, streaking away across the plains. The rest of the party urged their horses forward, galloping to try and catch the wizard and his steed.

For hours the horses ran across the plains, their endurance incredible for non-magical creatures. Eventually though, they needed to rest. Gandalf came back to the main group, Shadowfax seemingly unaffected by the long run compared to the other horses, whose sides were heaving.

They stopped by a river to let the horses have a drink. Legolas pulled what looked like a bunch of leaves from his bag. In fact, the leaves were just holding some kind of food together. Legolas broke the food into pieces, and gave a small bit to each of them.

Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli and Gandalf all tucked in, finishing their snack in a bite. Eragon, Theoden and Eomer, however, examined this new food before they ate it. Eragon had never seen anything like it. It looked some kind of bread, the width of his thumb. It was slightly spongey and it smelled wonderful.

"What is this?" he asked.

"It is called lembas," Legolas answered. "It is an elven waybread, given to us by the elves of Lothlorien. One bite can sustain a man for many hours. Try it," he added with a grin.

Eragon took a small bite, chewed and swallowed. It was delicious! The lembas tasted like it was freshly baked, reminding him of the bread his Aunt Marian used to make the bread. He quickly ate the remainder, and sure enough he soon felt as if he had just eaten a full meal.

"We will not need to stop again until tonight," said Gandalf.

They gathered up the horses again and continued on their way, albeit at a slower pace than in the morning. They rode until it was fully dark, then they made camp on the banks of the river. Saphira glided down to the ground, landing on the perimeter with a thump. She had a dead deer in her claws.

I thought you might be hungry. I caught this for you when I went hunting earlier.

"Thank you, Saphira," Gimli said eagerly. "This lembas is all well and good for keeping you going, but there's nothing like a bit of meat in the belly to make a dwarf happy!"

While Eragon skinned and butchered the deer, Gimli and Aragorn gathered firewood and rocks, and, as per Eragon's request, a large, flat stone and wood to make a spit.

When all the firewood was gathered, Eragon set it out in a rectangular shape. On one side he piled it up so that the fire would lick the meat on the spit, and on the other side he placed the rocks on top of the wood, with the large flat stone over those rocks. Then he stood back, and said "Brisingr." Blue flames sprung into existence, eagerly consuming the wood. Eragon controlled the flames and made them hotter, heating the stones.

After Eragon had removed all the meat from the deer, he took a little pouch from the saddlebags. Inside it were herbs and salt he used to rub into the deer to give it flavour. He skewered the leg meat with sharp sticks and broke the rib cage in half. Laying the skewers between two forked branches stuck in the ground so the meat hung over the fire, Eragon then placed the two halves of the rib cage on top of the skewers, so they acted like a rack. The juices from the ribs dripped down on the meat below, making sure no flavour was lost.

Eragon then turned his attention to the now blisteringly hot rock. On it he placed some of the organs from the deer – the kidneys, liver, heart and lungs. They sizzled on the make-shift pan, the delicious smells wafting tantalisingly around the camp. Next Eragon cooked some thinly sliced strips of meat. They were finished quickly, and quickly devoured by everyone there. The excess meat Eragon cut into strips and dried with a spell, storing it in his pack for the next day's ride.

Finally, the meat on the spit was finished cooking. Everyone used their own knife to carve off what they wanted, and soon there was nothing left.

"You are full of surprises, Eragon," Gandalf said. "A Dragon Rider, a healer, a swordsman, and also a master cook!"

They all laughed, even Saphira.

"My Aunt taught me how to cook when I was young. She said that every man should know how to cook his own dinner, and not just let his wife do it for him!" Eragon's smile faded slightly, "She was right. And I had a lot of time to practise my skills when I was running from the Empire."

And so Eragon began to tell stories of his life in Alagaesia.

Upon request from Gimli, Eragon told the group more about Tronjheim, from the Star Rose to Vol Turin, the different clans to the gods. Legolas was more interested in Du Weldenvarden and Ellesmera, while Aragorn wanted to know more about Nasuada and how she led the Varden. Gandalf absorbed it all quietly, but took great amusement from Eragon's stories about Angela and Solembum, the old man laughing louder than all of his younger companions.

Eragon had an idea. "Let me show you. Let me show you some of my memories. Open your minds and do not try to fight it."

He recalled everything he wanted to show them. The leaders of Alagaesia, his family, Tronjheim, Ellesmera, Uru'baen, Teirm, some of the battles he had fought in and more. Saphira had dozed off to sleep behind them, and only the sound of the nearby river could be heard.

Slowly, Eragon eased them out of his memories.

For a while, there was silence in the camp, Eragon's companions trying to absorb what they had just seen.

An owl hooting in the distance stirred them from their thoughts.

"Incredible," murmured Aragorn. "In some ways your land seems similar to ours, but in others they could not be more different. Teirm is very like Gondor. It too is a tiered city."

"Aye," said Gimli, "and I have never seen such mountains as the Beors! Even the smallest must be three times taller than Erebor! And the city beneath! It is a work of beauty itself! And the Star-Rose…" Gimli trailed off, lost for words.

Legolas picked up the conversation. "Du Weldenvarden is a magnificent forest. To be so big that even a dragon high in the sky cannot see its end is impressive indeed. I wish I could walk through those ancient trunks myself," he said rather wistfully.

"The Varden's leader, Nasuada you say her name is. She is a very talented woman. Without her, the Varden would never have succeeded. To lead an army and sustain a homeless army and people is no small feat. Not only that, but not once did you lose a battle under her guidance. She will make a great Queen," Theoden finished.

Eomer, who had kept mostly quiet, now piped up. "Your cousin, Roran, seems like a hero from the old stories. To lead your village across a mountain range to protect them and then fight against monsters from a nightmare to get his lady back is something from the songs. He is very clever as well. Never would I have thought of creating a battering ram out of barges to break into a city."

"Angela is certainly an unusual woman," chuckled Gandalf. "Her wit is as sharp as her tongue, as is her mind. She must be very interesting company!"

Eragon laughed at all their responses, feeling a sense of pride at their approval of his land and his friends and family. "Tomorrow, you will have to tell me more about Middle Earth. I am sure there is more to it than war and death."

"There certainly is, my friend," said Aragorn, "but you are right. Tomorrow is the time for those stories. Now, we should rest. We have another long day of riding ahead of us."

They all tiredly mumbled their agreement. Eragon made his way over to Saphira, lying against her warm belly. Just as his consciousness started to drift away into the realms of dreams, he sensed a leathery blue wing come down, keeping him safe.

They rode hard the next day, but Saphira lazily kept pace overhead, soaking up the sun.

Late in the afternoon, they came upon the fords where Eragon and Saphira had first seen the orcs.

"The Fords of Isen," Theoden said grimly, dismounting from his horse. The rest followed suit.

They gathered the bodies of the fallen riders to bury, bringing them one side of the river. Saphira dug a large hole with her paws, scooping the earth to the side. They gently placed the bodies in, Saphira covering them over. Eragon smoothed the ground into a mound. Eomer gathered the spears of the fallen warriors, then put them point down in the earth around the mound, like sentinels guarding the bodies. Legolas took out a seed from his pack, planting it atop the small hill. Channelling energy into it, Eragon grew the seed like he had in Helm's Deep. Soon, there was a fifteen foot rowan tree standing proudly on the mound, marking the spot forevermore.

The orcs they dragged to the opposite bank, where Saphira burnt them to ashes, armour and all.

That evening Eragon did indeed hear stories of Middle Earth. Gandalf shared with them all the full story of Thorin Oakenshield and his companions, and how they journeyed from the Shire to the Lonely Mountain, with all their adventures in between. Gimli took over from Gandalf, describing how the dwarves had prospered since Dain of the Iron Hills became King. He told them about the city of Dale, and how it had been rebuilt.

Legolas talked about the elves of Mirkwood, while Aragorn spoke about Rivendell and his time in the wilds as a Ranger.

Theoden and Eomer told stories of Rohan, from ruling to training the Rohirrim.

That night, they all went to sleep content, but starting to feel nervous about their destination.

At midday on the third day of their journey, they came to a halt. In front of them was a small forest.

"This should not be here," said Theoden, alarmed. "This road has always been kept clear, how can a forest appear out of nowhere? It is impossible."

"It is not impossible," said Gandalf, cryptically. "We must go through."

Saphira?

He is right, she answered. The quickest way is straight through, and the road appears to come out on the other side. Be careful though Eragon, I can sense hatred in this forest, and unless my eyes deceive me, something seems to be moving in the trees.

I'm always careful Saphira. You should know that by now, he teased.

Very funny, Little One.

"Saphira says the quickest way is straight through, and the road comes out on the other side. There is darkness in these trees though, we must take care."

"Saphira is right," Gandalf said, looking at Eragon. He turned his attention back to the forest in front of them. "Now let us be off, we have no time to waste. And Gimli, please take your hand off your axe. As Eragon said, we must be careful around these trees." Gimli grumbled.

They set off, entering the forest two by two. Eragon urged his horse forward so he was beside Gandalf at the front of their small column.

"Saphira also said that she could see something moving in the trees," Eragon said quietly to Gandalf.

"Saphira has very good eyesight," he replied.

They travelled silently through the forest, following the road. The trees were twisted and close together, their branches blocking out the light. Once or twice Eragon thought he saw eyes in the darkness, but he figured his mind was playing tricks on him. After an hour of slow trotting, they saw light ahead, and they all sped up, eager to be free of the suffocating trees.

Eventually they broke free onto the open plains, everyone feeling relieved, especially Gimli. "Dwarves are not meant to be in forests," he said loudly.

The horses ran until night had fallen. They camped at the foot of the Misty Mountains, which were about the size of the Spine.

That evening, Aragorn told Eragon and Saphira why the war was happening. He told them about Sauron, the Ring, and the Fellowship. He described the journey so far and where the other companions who had left Rivendell were.

When he finished speaking, the Lead Rider and Dragon realised fully how much they needed to help. From what Aragorn had described, this Sauron was far worse than Galbatorix. At least at some point Galbatorix had been a man. Sauron sounded like the embodiment of evil, and he must never be allowed to reach Alagaesia.

Gandalf cleared his throat. "Tomorrow we should reach Isengard. I do not expect that we will be attacked, but nonetheless, we must be vigilant. It would not do for any one of us to be hurt or killed."

"Will you not share with us why you believe we will be safe?" asked Theoden. "As much as I trust you Gandalf, I find it very hard to believe that Saruman would let us enter Isengard unharmed."

"Saruman will have no say in the matter," Gandalf said. "And no, I will not tell you why we will be safe. I would rather see the looks of surprise on your faces. Now, time for bed, I think!"

Four days after they left Helm's Deep, and their destination was at hand. The air around them was full of mist, and the sounds of creaking wood could be heard.

"Eragon, I think it would be best if Saphira landed," Gandalf said.

Did you hear that?

Yes, she said, as she thumped down beside them, startling the horses.

Hilarious Saphira, Eragon said sarcastically. You couldn't be funnier if you tried.

Walking along a cracked stone road, a massive wall loomed out of the mists. Where once there must have stood an iron gate thirty feet tall, now there was a gaping hole in the wall, the gate lying in two crumpled heaps. Stone blocks were lying about in front of them. It looked as if a giant had got bored and decided to destroy the wall, tearing it apart piece by piece.

Gandalf urged Shadowfax forward, through the wreckage of the wall to whatever lay beyond. He was closely followed by Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli, with Theoden and Eomer trotting after them.

Time to meet this Saruman then, Saphira said.

Aye.

Well we'd better get going or they'll think we got lost. Come on!

Together they started forward, the gate big enough for even a dragon to walk to. The dragon and rider entered Isengard, disappearing into the mists.

AN I'm sorry! One day late I know I know please forgive me. Also apologies, it's a bit of a filler chapter but there's a nice bit of dialogue and relationship building. Some unexpected events next chapter! ;) So please leave a review, tell me what you think. Nym