Remembering the times she ran from him, he prepared himself for her abrupt departure. Instead, she suddenly relaxed, and he gasped in surprise as she wrapped her arms around his torso and began to cry.
Eragon was astonished, but held her close, her face pressed up against his chest. Arya's sobs wracked through her body and through his by extension. Her shoulders shook as she gasped for air, and tears poured down her cheeks. Other than the gasps, she made no noise at all, so different from the mourning he was used to seeing in Carvahall and among the women of the Varden. He'd seen Arya cry before, but never so desperately.
Saphira was equally as surprised that Eragon had elicited such a reaction from Arya. She knew the extent of Arya's emotional state, but she hadn't expected the elf to react with tears of such abandon.
What should I do? Eragon asked Saphira desperately. Why is she crying?
Saphira reminded herself that in the past she had been able to explain Arya's behavior by guessing her emotions, so she shouldn't be annoyed at Eragon's question. I do not know, little one. I am not quite sure that she understands. Just keep holding her.
Rolling his eyes at this lack of help, Eragon returned his attention to Arya. He continued to hold her, occasionally whispering words of comfort or stroking her back. After a quarter of an hour or so, his legs began to tire, causing him to realize that he was holding the majority of Arya's body weight. She might be light, but standing in one place for so long without moving was more than he could handle, so he assisted her to the ground.
Their new position was slightly more awkward, but Eragon managed to make it seem natural. He sat on the ground with his back against the lone log among the stumps, while Arya was draped across his lap. Her arms were still wrapped around his torso and his around hers, but her head now rested on his shoulder.
Arya continued to sob into Eragon, and he reflected that his tunic was becoming rather wet from her tears. Now that he was relatively comfortable, he resigned himself to his confusion and waited for her to stop crying.
Saphira was right to guess that Arya didn't know exactly why she was so upset. She cried for all she had lost and all the evil that had be done to her. She cried because it had been so long since anyone had held her. She cried because she never thought anyone would love her if she told them of her rape and how it affected her. She cried in confusion, anger, sadness, a bit of happiness, but mostly she cried because she was afraid. Arya was afraid of what Eragon might do to her, but she was also afraid that some of what she was feeling could be desire.
It took another three quarters of an hour before Arya's tears abated. During this time, Saphira stayed away, afraid to interrupt them with her presence. Eragon and Saphira were concerned because neither one of them had ever seen anyone cry so hard for such an extended period of time. As the last of her tears traced their way down her face, Arya dried her eyes and took a steadying breath.
"Better?" Eragon asked, smiling at her.
"No," she responded, hurriedly pushing away his arms and standing up, "I am going to be sick." Crying for so long had upset her stomach.
Arya ran away from the circle of stumps, bent over, and began to throw up. Eragon followed her, held her hair with one hand, and rubbed her back with the other until she was finished. She stood up and wiped her mouth. Wordlessly, Eragon handed her his water skin so she could rinse her mouth.
After she was finished, she handed his water skin back to him and stood looking anywhere but at Eragon. He knew she was embarrassed by what had occurred, even if he didn't know why she had been upset. Reaching out his hand, he stroked her cheek, hoping to get her to look at him. When this failed, he enveloped her in his arms and held her close. He heard her small breath of surprise, but she returned his hug.
They stood like this for a time before Saphira prompted Eragon, reminding him of the late hour. He sighed and loosened his grasp on Arya so he could look at her. She appeared to be half asleep, exhausted from the long day and lengthy cry, but she met his gaze.
What do I do, Saphira? Eragon asked in desperation for the second time that night. I can't leave her alone, but she'll be horrified if I offer to stay with her.
Saphira thought for a moment before saying, I have an idea. Stay where you are. I need to take care of the elven spellcasters, but I will meet you there.
"It's getting late and Saphira's coming to meet us," Eragon said to Arya, explaining the reason for the shift in their position.
Arya merely nodded, clearly not feeling the need to explain her tears. Her heart sped up at the thought of the sleeping arrangements for the night. She was terrified of spending the night with Eragon even if they did nothing more than sleep, but a tiny fragment of her was intrigued by the idea.
Within a minute, Saphira made an appearance at the top of the hill, gliding effortlessly to the ground. Eragon grabbed Arya's hand and together they walked over to her.
Arya looked at Eragon unsurely, not knowing what conversation had occurred between Saphira and him, but he merely led her to his dragon's side and motioned for her to lie down. Too tired to argue or even to figure out if she should argue, Arya acquiesced.
After she got situated, her side pressing up against Saphira's, she lay still and looked up at Eragon, wondering what he was going to do. Instead of lying down beside her, he sat down by Arya's head and gently stroked the soft skin on her face. None of them spoke a word, and soon the elf had fallen into her waking dreams.
When Eragon was sure she was asleep, he stood up and walked over to Saphira's head. She obligingly draped a wing over the sleeping elf. Eragon lay down next to where Saphira's head rested, close to her front legs. She could sense his concern and said, I am sure everything will be okay, Eragon. She did not run, nor did she seem upset by anything you did.
He knew logically that his dragon was right, but it was more difficult to convince his heart. I guess I know that. I just can't help thinking that if I hadn't kissed her, she wouldn't have started crying, Eragon said to Saphira.
Saphira thought for a moment before she replied, Perhaps not, but it will not do to worry about what might have been. You acted in the way you thought best and nothing terrible happened. Rejoice in that knowledge and do not dwell in your fears.
Eragon was relieved, but he still had one concern that had been plaguing him since he kissed Arya. Saphira could sense it in his mind and her body began softly rumbling in laughter. He knew he wasn't the most experienced kisser, only kissing one or two girls before Arya. Though he knew it was ridiculous, he was afraid that his kissing ability was partially responsible for her tears.
Little one, you are more vain than I realized. Relax for I am sure the way you kissed her had nothing to do with why she cried, Saphira told him, letting out a snort of amusement before falling silent.
Appeased, Eragon rolled onto his side and fell asleep next to his dragon.
A/N: This is part 2 of chapter 10. It should have gone with what I posted last weekend, but I knew I wouldn't have time to finish this part until now. You have my apologies.
