AN: By the way, we are both WoW players, so good reference. :P We have decided that we agreed that there needed to be more Arya/Eragon interaction, so look forward to that in this chapter. Umm…Oh! Saphira wanted a couple of her own to be wild, for selfish reasons. But yeah! I want least forty reviews before the next chapter will be written. :P You are welcome to PM me if you have any questions or suggestions. Enjoy!
Saphira and Fírnen got there rather quickly, a large buck hanging limply from one of Fírnen's claws. Several large cracks had appeared along the length of the eggs during the wait, and, as if they sensed their parents near, the two baby dragons burst forward from their eggs as the eggshells exploded. Eragon muttered a spell that would protect him and Arya from the debris.
Eragon gazed eagerly upon the younglings. The male shone like the sun, his scales nearly blinding in the sunlight. He was stout, like his father, and his fangs curled over his chin like tiny shards of glass. He squeaked, sensing food nearby, and hopped on his feet towards the buck that Fírnen laid down on the ground. While he dug in, his sister shook a piece of her egg from her head. Her scales shined a bright fuchsia at the base, fading to a pale pink at the tips. She was slimmer and would be longer than she was big, unlike her brother, and her eyes were large and blue. Eragon, with a start, observed the fact that long whiskers protruded from her snout, and they flowed through the air as the breeze picked up. She hiccupped and then whimpered, loping over to the buck and digging into the deer as well.
You did well with them. Eragon could sense a hint of pride the colored Saphira's mood at his words, and he grinned, rather pleased with himself. Fírnen prodded the yellow male with his large nose, and the dragon growled, batting at the father with its tiny paw, much like a distressed cat would do. The sight brought a chuckle to Eragon's lips.
Arya, who had been quiet for the past few minutes, stepped forward to get a better view. Both hatchings snapped their heads up at her approach and gave her an eerie hiss, causing Arya to take a few steps back.
"They're beautiful, although they seem a lot more aggressive than how Fírnen did when he was younger." Arya stated, watching with displeasure as the hatchlings tore into the carcass.
That caused Eragon to chuckle. "That they do. They will probably keep getting more aggressive. You seem to dislike watching them eat," Eragon observed, "Would you like to go on a walk with me while they finish up?"
Arya, who had had her usual blank expression allowed a smile to spread across her face. "I would like that very much Eragon. Lead the way."
Eragon then stood up and headed toward the door, holding it open for Arya as she passed. He had expected the usual "I'm not a helpless human I can hold the door" card, but was surprised when it did not come. He then led them down a dirt trail, wondering how he missed it before they found the four island inhabitants.
He stole a glance at Arya and was surprised to see her staring back at him. He decided it wise not to just stand there and thought of something to say.
"Arya, I've been…"
"Eragon, I have…"
Surprised that they had both spoken at the same time he decided it best to be courteous and allow Arya to speak first. "Go ahead and say what is on your mind, Arya." He gave her an encouraging smile in an attempt to woo her into confiding in him.
"Very well. I just wanted to tell you I have wanted to talk to you for a while now about the day you first saw Fírnen. I know what I told you, but I just wanted to make sure that you knew who you were waiting for." Arya hesitated briefly, her eyes trailing to the ground before rising back up to meet Eragon's.
"I am not the strong elf you see me as, I am half broken on the inside, mostly because of a lot of my close ones death's and from Gil'ead. You deserve a person better than me, more sure of themselves and someone who is not broken."
Eragon was stunned. He couldn't believe she thought that about herself. He needed to say something instead of standing there and gaping at her. "Arya, you must understand. You are not what you think of yourself. You are a beautiful, intelligent elven queen that I have come to admire. Bad things have happened to you, that I cannot deny, but you have had the strength where others have not had it. You never gave up, and you were the one who helped me not give up even when I lost most of my hope."
He looked over at Arya and could see that her eyes held something that he could not recognize but it was gone in a flash. They continued to walk to the meadow where Eragon had dueled Surion for the first time. Once the entered the meadow the continued walking and happened to stand in front a patch of flowers. But they weren't ordinary flowers; they were almost exact replicas of the one Faolin had given Arya all those years ago.
He turned to see Arya's eyes holding tears. He could only guess at what was going through her head so he did the only natural thing he could do to comfort her without overly doing it. He put a hand on her shoulder and whispered. "I'm sorry Arya."
Arya turned to look at him in his eyes and saw that her face was layered with sadness, but what happened next he wasn't expecting. She jumped forward and pulled him into an embrace with she quietly cried into his chest.
Careful not to disturb her he gently rubbed her back while she wept. They stood like that for a while; Eragon trying to comfort her while Arya accepted the comfort. She gently lifted he head off his shoulder and looked him in the eye. He saw a fierceness there, and Eragon admired her beauty, even with her tear-stained cheeks.
"Thank you for being a friend when I wasn't Eragon. I'm sorry you have to see me in this state." Arya adverted her gaze to the ground at her feet.
"You are not made of stone, Arya. It is alright to mourn for those we hold dear to our heart. I don't even want to imagine what my life would be without you." Eragon was rewarded when she gave him a quick smile.
Arya, who seemed to get a little over her sadness, looked Eragon in the eye. Green met Brown and the smile grew.
"Thank you again Eragon, we should probably head back, it is getting late." Arya started to turn and walk back but was stopped by Eragon softly grabbing her arm.
"Arya, I just wanted to let you know. I will wait for you whether it takes a month, a year, or even a century. You are the only one I love or will ever love, besides Saphira and Fírnen that is." Eragon was expecting rejection, as he had received all those times before, but he grew joyful as she seemed to get more relaxed at his words.
After a few seconds of standing there she whispered, "Come on, we will talk later I hope." And with that she turned a walked back towards their tree house with Eragon slightly behind her. He couldn't help but wear a giant grin on his face the way back.
As soon as the pair got back, they were surprised to see the inside of their tree house severely damaged. Arya's room was all but trashed and he sighed in relief that they both stored their stuff in Eragon's closet. The only things from Arya's possession that were damaged were here extra clothing that looked like that had been used in a game of tug of war between two creatures with razor sharp teeth.
"Oh my…" were the only words he heard Arya mutter before she gave a soft chuckle. He just hoped Surion wouldn't be angered by the state of his home. He sought Saphira's mind until he found her with three other creatures with similar mind structures.
Saphira! What happened to our tree house?
Hey, it's not our fault we were only gone for 5 minutes at the most to get more food.
Well, thanks to you Arya's room is destroyed and all of her clothes are torn to shreds. Eragon knew he shouldn't vent his anger on Saphira like that but he couldn't help it.
Look at it this way little one. You and Arya now have to share a room. Saphira amusingly pointed out. And she can just go without clothes and be naked.
Eragon tried his best to keep the redness off his face and not think of Arya without clothes. He could tell he only half succeeded when Arya looked at him with a questioning air about her.
"What is wrong Eragon? Saphira say something to you?" Arya had a smile on his face and he guess that Saphira probably talked with Arya as well.
After a few moments Eragon found his voice. "It's nothing Arya, although where will you sleep now we can't repair your room and Surion won't be back tonight in order to do it? If you so wish you can take my bed, I can sleep on the floor."
Arya regarded Eragon with an entertained expression. He was glad that she wasn't troubled by the situation they were in. "Nonsense Eragon, I will take the floor as I would hate to take your bed from you."
Disappointed that Arya didn't accept he gestured toward the bed, he said, "I insist. It's a big day tomorrow and I have been getting more sleep than you in the past few days." Eragon tried his best to show determination on his face, just to prove to Arya that he wasn't taking a "no" for an answer.
They stood like that for a while until Arya finally broke the silence. "Well, it is a big bed. Two people could easily fit on it and it's not like we would be compressed together."
When Arya was finished speaking, she stared intently at him. It took him a moment or two to come to the conclusion that she was being dead serious. He remained silent while he tried to figure the best way to respond to her. "Are you sure Arya?" He decided it would be best to put her into the position of choosing so to not offend her.
"I'm quite sure Eragon it's not as if anything's going to happen. I am not going to harass you while we sleep." She said it in a joking tone but blood colored his cheeks red and he seemed embarrassed at the thought.
All his brain could think of to say was something simple. "Very well. Have you informed Fírnen and Saphira that we are going to retire for the night?" Eragon thought it best to keep a conversation going in order to try and forget the embarrassing situation they were in.
"Yes. She said they might stay the night in the forest. Surion assured her it was quite safe for four dragons. Do you mind turning around for a moment?" Eragon quickly turned around and let Arya put on some lighter clothes that happened to be out of her nearly-destroyed room. Eragon refrained from the urge to take a peek, and then turned around when Arya told him that he was free to look.
Taking off Brisingr and his belt he placed them on his nightstand. After that with a quick movement he took off shirt. He wouldn't dare take off any more clothing right then, so he quietly got into the bed. After a moment the sheets opened up and Arya climbed in as well making the bed heat up, or maybe it was just Eragon's face. This was the first time he shared a bed with a woman, and never in his wildest dreams had he thought he would be sharing it with the Elven Queen. Roran would be proud. Eragon smirked at the thought.
After a moment he heard a faint, "Goodnight, Eragon," and wondered if he had actually heard it. He mumbled a good night and drifted off into waking dreams, where Arya had been more than willing in opening up to him, and a faint smile pricked his lips as he slept.
AN: Whaaaaat do you guys think? Huh….huh? *nudgenudge* ;) I rather like it. We figured that we would add a little humor to things, but we didn't want them completely opening up to each other all at once. We mostly did this chapter as a request for one of our reviewers, but the next chapter WILL be them returning to Ellesméra. REVIEWWWWW!