Chapter 11! This story is moving along nicely. I hope to have finished Chapter 15 by the time school starts on August 15. However, from that point on I think I'm only going to be able to update two or three times a week, as I chose to kill myself with my schedule. (4 junior-level honors classes, of which 3 are AP level–ugh! Not to mention I'm also playing golf for my high school team Tuesday through Friday.) By the time I am finished with my story and the real Inheritance comes out in November, this should be around 35 chapters and 100,000 words long, although I may have to shorten it if I'm strained on time.
SimplySupreme, it's OK, you don't need to apologize. It's nice to hear from you again, although I feel for you. I just left 110 degree heat in Peoria and went up north to Flagstaff. High of 85 degrees!
Redstar47, I realize that Murtagh and Thorn were sent to guard Gil'ead, but with the injury Thorn received from Glaedr they would not have been able to defend themselves from the elves. Therefore, Galbatorix called them back so that he would not lose his Rider to the elves.
Dagibsta, I'll take into account your suggestion. I hope that the rest of my readers can help as well.
If anybody out there has a name for the green dragon other than Eridor, which is what I was originally going to use, then let me know. Yes, it's cliché, but it is CP we are talking about. I mean, he did kind of rip off Star Wars and Lord of the Rings (just saying!), so clichés are expected. I expect him to use Eridor for the green dragon's name. However, I may not go that route. We'll see. Anyway, give me some names and I'll decide whether or not to use them.
Restrained Freedom, I'm sorry to say that I didn't think about that, as I was trying to keep Murtagh on the inside until the very end. However, I'm going to cover up my lack of thoroughness in my thoughts by saying that the strongest part of Murtagh's oaths to Galbatorix was that Murtagh could not leave Urû'baen without the king's explicit permission. Therefore, as he was still partially bound to Galbatorix, said oaths did not permit him to leave the capital.
Whew, that's a lot of reviews to reply to! Still, it means that a lot of you guys like this story! Thank you so much!
Disclaimer: I don't own any recognizable parts of the Inheritance Cycle.
Chapter 11
Eragon shifted on his cot, trying to sleep, but again and again his thoughts wandered back to the pact between the werecats and the Varden. He had been present the day before when Trianna and Carn had completely checked Grimrr Halfpaw's mind and declared him safe. The remaining werecats that had been with him had been found harmless as well, and the entire werecat force had been welcomed into the Varden with open arms. Eragon was surprised at how small in number the werecats were. There were only around two hundred of them ready to fight, with another one hundred and fifty that were young, old, sick, or nursing. Still, their ferocity astonished Eragon, as a single werecat could take out five regular soldiers with ease using only a dagger, teeth, and claws. Only the elves surpassed them in fighting ability.
Belatona had been defended with relative ease after the disposal of the soldiers who felt no pain. King Orrin and his cavalry had easily disposed of the contingent of Galbatorix's regular troops that had tried to regain access to the city, and the citizens of Belatona had, with a few exceptions, pledged their services wholeheartedly to the Varden. The only plan the Varden had for the winter was to hunker down and stay protected inside the cities, half of the men in Belatona and the other half in Feinster. When spring arrived, the troops stationed in Feinster would rejoin the main force in Belatona, and together they would march on Dras-Leona with the elves and the dwarves. After Dras-Leona, they would march on Urû'baen and Eragon would kill the king or die trying.
Eragon stirred again, and then gave up on sleep and left his tent. The sun was just appearing in the east, sending its rays across the land. He walked past a sleeping Saphira and exited the camp, not really paying attention to where he was heading. Soon, he realized that he had arrived at the place the Jiet River met Leona Lake. A small cliff overhung the source of the river, and Eragon made his way over to it and sat down. He had not had a chance to truly be at peace since Saphira hatched, but he was grateful for times like these when he could relax for a short time.
A slight wind rustled the grass around him as Saphira alighted on the rock next to him. She also looked out over the scenery. After a while, she spoke.
"This is a beautiful place."
"Aye." Eragon replied. "I could stay here a while."
"Unfortunately, no such luxury exists for us. We have always been on the move since I hatched," Saphira remarked.
"Soon, we'll put an end to this war, and we'll have all the time in the world to settle down and do whatever we want," Eragon said firmly. Saphira did not respond, and the two lapsed into a comfortable silence, the only noise being the flowing water of the Jiet River.
Suddenly, Saphira lifted her head and growled slightly, before resting her head in her paws again. "We have a visitor," she said, sounding a little amused.
Eragon turned his head and saw a young girl walking up to him. He frowned, wondering what a little girl was doing outside the camp, before noticing the sharp fangs and small claws she possessed. Recognizing the female werecat that he had seen a few times before, he nodded to her and made room for her on the rock. However, she transformed back into her cat shape and curled up a few feet from Eragon.
"Hello, Eragon and Saphira," the werecat said, beginning to lick one of her paws.
"Hello," Eragon replied, wondering what her name was.
"I have many names, some of which are unknown to any human, but you can call me Askid." Eragon realized with a jolt that he was still in connection with the werecat, and she had read his thoughts.
"Why is it that werecats seem to have so many names? Solembum, Maud, and King Halfpaw have mentioned that you all have many names, but mostly answer to just one. What do the other names entail?" he asked.
Askid immediately froze and looked at Eragon with a hard look in her eyes. "You, of all people, should be one to respect privacy. This is a closely guarded secret among the werecats, and extremely lucky you shall be if one ever deems you fit to know any of our secrets. Do not ask that question again to any of us."
Eragon was startled at the intensity of her response, and he did not reply to her, although he was even more curious than before. However, after a few minutes she mentally sighed and said "Know this if you must. Our names are similar in nature to that of the elves." She did not speak again on the subject.
Eragon sat in silence again, until he finally gathered up the courage to ask the question which had bothered him since he had met Grimrr Halfpaw. "What is King Halfpaw's disagreement with Angela about?" he asked hesitantly, not wanting to face Askid's wrath if it was an unmentionable subject.
To his surprise, she seemed to be laughing uncontrollably at the mention of Angela. "She beat him in a match of riddles, something which had never happened before. She told a riddle about a bird, and the answer insulted King Halfpaw. Some of the werecats were furious that she would have the audacity to perform such an act, but the rest, including myself, saw her as a person clever and wise to be able to beat our king."
Saphira rustled and said, "I always liked a good game of riddles."
Askid turned to her. "All dragons and werecats inherently possess the wit and knowledge required to create and decipher formidable riddles, while humans, elves, and dwarves have to learn it. However, I find it tedious to do so with other werecats all the time, and humans, other than Angela, are boring. Would you like to challenge me, Saphira?"
"Indeed I would," Saphira responded.
Eragon stood up and began to walk away, saying, "With what you just told me, I probably would lose my mind listening to you two. I'm going to go for a walk down the river."
"Be safe," Saphira warned.
"I will," Eragon said. Then, Askid turned to him and looked at him for a few seconds. Unnerved, Eragon asked, "What?"
"The person whom you seek will come to you, and the knowledge you shall need will be imparted upon you in due time. Do not try to force the matters, as that could backfire and hurt you. Be patient and wait for what you desire, and everything will work out in the end," she said, before turning back to Saphira.
Puzzled, Eragon continued on his way. No matter how hard he tried, he could not decipher what Askid had told him. He did realize that it was similar, in a way, to Solembum's prophecy. However, since Askid was a bit younger than he was, her pieces of foresight were probably more vague than Solembum's. He came to a bend in the river that meandered its way through a small copse of trees.
Eragon sat down and began to meditate. He pushed his mind out in all directions and encompassed all of the life forms in the immediate vicinity. His mind touched the slow, wandering thoughts of the trees, as well as the frisky, jumping thoughts of the animals. Then, he came upon a presence that was far too big to be an animal. He gently sent a probe towards it. He recognized the consciousness and pulled back, somewhat ashamed. Sitting completely still, he waited for his visitor to arrive.
"Good morning, Arya," he said, not bothering to open his eyes. He felt the ground shift as she sat down beside him.
"Good morning, Eragon," she replied in a voice devoid of any emotion. Eragon sighed, wondering what was on her mind.
"What can I do for you this fine morning?" he asked, duplicating the voice she had used.
"I came out here for some peace and quiet, to escape the cacophony of the city. I assume you have done the same thing?"
"Actually, I could not sleep, so at dawn I wandered around outside the city and ended up slightly north of here, where the Jiet River flows out of Leona Lake. Saphira and Askid joined me, but as they are currently in a battle of riddles, I left to preserve the sanity of my mind."
Arya laughed at his last comment, then asked "Askid?"
"A female werecat that I have met before. She gave me some advice, but I could not understand it." He paused. "Did I ever tell you that when Solembum told me the prophecy about the Menoa Tree and the Vault of Souls, Angela predicted my future for me?"
Arya thought for a couple of seconds, then answered, "I do not remember. If you have, I have forgotten."
"When I visited Teirm with Brom," Eragon began, "I met Angela the first time. Her herb shop was next door to Jeod's house. When I entered her shop, Solembum spoke to me." He paused, then continued sheepishly. "I thought he was a regular cat, and Saphira was talking to me. It was only when a wooden rod shocked me that I realized he was a werecat." Arya laughed.
Eragon smiled. "Angela came out of the back of the shop and asked me if I wanted my fortune told, as she offered it to anybody Solembum spoke to. One of whom was my mother. Angela cast the knucklebones of a dragon and was able to tell me a few things. I would live a long life, and I would have to make many choices, although only one would bring me happiness. Someone near me would die, and a betrayal would come within my family. All of these things have happened. I am a Rider, therefore I will live long. Brom died next to me, and Murtagh betrayed me by joining Galbatorix." He mumbled a few more words under his breath.
"What was that?" Arya asked.
"She told me two more things. I would have an epic romance, strong enough to outlast empires, with someone from noble birth, who was powerful, wise, and beautiful beyond compare. She did not know whether it would end happily, though. And I would have to leave Alagaësia, never to return," Eragon finished.
Arya mulled over this for a long time. Eragon waited patiently, thinking, What if she figures out she could be the person mentioned in the epic romance? He was torn from his thoughts when Arya spoke.
"I would not worry too much about what Angela has foreseen. What is supposed to happen, will happen. You will have no say in the matter, except for the choices you make to bring you happiness."
He smiled sadly. "That's exactly what Oromis told me when I mentioned it to him in Ellesméra."
"However, I do have one question. Who do you think the woman in your future is?"
Eragon was about to say "you" when an explosion suddenly rocked the ground close to them as a bright red light blinded them. Eragon's skin prickled, and Arya's look of shock showed that she knew what had happened. Somebody had teleported something to them.
Eragon jumped up and ran towards the cluster of burning trees, Arya following right behind him. He pushed his way through the trees and reached the clearing, but stopped so abruptly that Arya ran into him.
In the middle of the charred, blackened clearing was the one thing that Eragon never expected to see: the green dragon egg. Looking down on it, he experienced a feeling of déjà vu. It was eerily similar to the time he found Saphira's egg in the Spine. Arya gasped behind him.
"Is that…?" she asked.
"Yes. It's the last dragon egg." Eragon said.
He carefully walked towards the egg. When he reached it, he cast a spell to see if there were any wards on it. There were none. However, he did notice a piece of parchment attached to the egg by a string. He picked it up. It was a note written in the ancient language that said
Eragon,
I found a way to get this to you. The oaths on me have weakened. I cannot leave yet, but I will aid you as much as I can, brother.
Murtagh
P.S.: You've seen this color before. Match it, and you will find the Rider.
Eragon couldn't believe it. He wordlessly showed the note to Arya, and her eyes widened in disbelief as well. At that moment, Eragon saw it. He looked at her eyes, and then back to the egg nestled in his arms. They were the exact same color. He thought back to the time he had seen Arya perform magic. It had a green hue to it, the same green as her eyes.
Arya's going to be the next Rider! he said. Do I tell her, or do I simply ask her to carry the egg until we "find" its Rider? He cast out his mind. "Saphira! Murtagh sent us the last dragon egg!"
A response was not long in coming. "What? How do you know he isn't trying to deceive us?" she roared in his head.
"Murtagh wrote a message to us in the ancient language. I know that doesn't necessarily mean he cannot lie, but he is trying to prove we can trust him. Besides, he knows who the next Rider will be!" Eragon exclaimed
"Who is it?" Saphira asked incredulously.
Eragon decided to tease her. "You do know what color the last egg was, right?"
"Yes, green."
"And who do we know that is associated to the color green?"
"I don't know…wait, is it Arya?"
"Yes!" Eragon shouted in his mind. "Do we tell her, or should we let her carry it and it hatches for her then?"
"I believe we should tell her, as she would not like it if you held information like that from her."
Eragon turned to Arya. She was looking at the egg with nothing short of wonder in her eyes. In an awestruck voice she said, "Eragon, we have the last egg. We can try to find the Rider amongst the Varden or the elves. We have the ability to even out the odds in the battle against Galbatorix!"
Eragon stepped up to her and looked her in the eye. "Arya, there was a message on the egg. It was from Murtagh, and he told me that the Rider matched the color of the egg. Saphira and I discussed this for a while, and we have come to a conclusion. We believe the next Rider will be you." At Arya's astounded exclamation Eragon continued. "Let me continue. Your eyes, as well as your magic, match the color of the egg almost exactly. That seems to match what happened with Murtagh and myself with our parents. Brom's magic were blue, as well as his dragon, and that was passed on to me. Morzan's magic was red, like his dragon, and Murtagh inherited that. Therefore, we can assume that someone with green magic would become the next Rider."
"What if the next Rider is a human with no magical experience at all, like you were?" Arya asked coldly.
"I wouldn't know, but there does need to be an elven Rider, as Murtagh and I are both humans." Eragon chuckled a little.
Arya thought for a long time. Finally, she said, "I do not believe the egg will hatch for me, as I am over one hundred years old, but I will continue my duty as the egg courier. If the egg does hatch for me, I will be honored." She gingerly took the egg from Eragon as Saphira landed next to them.
"Can I see the egg?" she asked. Arya held it up for Saphira to see. Her blue eyes blinked and she didn't say anything to the two as they climbed up on top of Saphira as they headed back to the Varden.
"Do you think we should tell Nasuada?" Eragon asked Arya.
"Not yet. If the egg does hatch for me soon, then we can tell her. If not, then we'll tell her and try to find the new Rider. How long did it take Saphira to hatch for you?"
"Two weeks," Eragon answered, "but I don't think that was normal. I was not in possession of Saphira the entire time." He remembered trying to sell her egg to the traders. He shivered, wondering why he would have ever done that. "I think, however, that we can monitor the dragon's thoughts as it is subjected to people, and see if it can find its Rider." As he spoke, he expanded his mind to the egg. The feelings of the dragon inside overwhelmed him. He extracted his mind and said, "Arya, he knows he is in the presence of his Rider. There is no doubt it will be you."
Well, did you guys like it? I tried to add a little more ExA in there, because the egg hatching soon that will not allow them to be together for a while. You know, because relationships between master and student are not allowed. I really don't know how long it took for dragon eggs to hatch when the Riders were around, but I knew it wasn't the two weeks it took for Saphira to hatch, nor the almost instantaneous hatching that most stories have. Also, I loved the new werecat, even though she's stereotypically mysterious. Do you like her name? I made it up on the spot. And then the egg. Typical Murtagh, he's short and right to the point, even in his messages. Obviously, he knew where he could send the egg so that it would not be "helping" the Varden. Next chapter we get a long-awaited point of view, one that CP needs to put in Inheritance, and probably will.This POV I may or may not have trouble with, because I am of the opposite gender. Oh, well. I'll try my best.
Rock on!
ROK