Tears of the Wronged
An Inheritance Fanfic
Note: based after Brisingr
Thirteen: The Children Of The Future
"You're having twins?!" Arya asked surprised.
Everyone had returned to Nasauda's pavilion, Angela stood by the tent flap and Elva crowded Nasauda, far away from Keridyn.
"Yes." Keridyn asked with a smile and a light laugh. "A boy and a girl."
"Do you know how far along you are?" Nasauda asked.
"No I-"
"She's about a third of the way there." Angela suddenly said. "She's beginning to show now if I'm right." She said cocking her head and looking at Keridyn closely.
"I have enough of this with Roran and Katrina." Eragon said.
Arya and Nasauda laughed. "Your cousin is going to be a good father, Eragon, we all know that." Nasauda told him.
Keridyn smiled.
"Keridyn, what are their names?" Elva asked suddenly turning to her.
Keridyn was caught by surprise. "Well, I was thinking of Leoton for the boy and Bryndis for the girl."
"Leoton?" Arya asked. "Wasn't that the name of Tarshan's son?"
Keridyn nodded her head.
Arya smiled as well.
"Could I be let in this secretive circle?" Nasaud asked.
Keridyn laughed openly for the first time. "Tarshan was an old friend of mine in Ellesmera. Before Evandar left with his army and I with him, Tarshan's mate bore him a son. He was also a good friend of Arya's." Keridyn told them. "He died in the battle of Illrea."
"Ah." Nasauda stood and paced a few steps. "Well, how do you think we should tell people of your presense?" She asked turning to Keridyn.
"I say tell them the entire truth." Eragon interrupted.
Keridyn sighed. "Eragon is right." She said. "There is enough dishonesty within the Empire, tell them the truth."
Nasauda's eyebrows were in her forehead. "You're certain of this?"
Keridyn nodded. "Begin a rumor, then at the end of the week have and assembly."
You've put some thought to this over the last two weeks haven't you?" Arya asked.
Keridyn smiled.
Then, another memory burst through everyone's minds, leaving them all breathless.
Keridyn was four, fighting Arya. Arya was much older, perhaps by ten years, an obvious disadvantage to Keridyn. But Keridyn fought Arya off fairly well for someone of her age.
"Why are you doing this?" Keridyn asked once, dodging her kick.
"Because I want to." Arya replied through gritted teeth, as she repeatedly attacked.
Keridyn shoved her off, a remarkable feat. "I have done nothing to you. Justify yourself. If you have no reason for attacking your own flesh and blood then this is merely a waste of my time." She said, allowing Arya to hit her once more before retreating, limping, some distance away.
Vrael came around the corner.
Keridyn bumped into him, then noticing the person in front of her, kneeled on the floor. "Forgive me, Rider Vrael."
Vrael looked from Keridyn to Arya once. Then he laughed.
Arya's eyebrows furrowed at the sound.
"What seems to be so funny, Lord Vrael?" Arya asked serious.
Vrael took a breath before helping Keridyn to her feet.
"I am laughing because the victor of you little scramble is not who you think it to be, Arya Drottingu." Vrael said as he helped Keridyn stand.
Then Arya noticed that Keridyn may have bore more bruises, but she herself bore none, Keridyn had not fought back to hurt her, she had only defended herself.
"Now, tell me what this is about young Keridyn." Vrael said kneeling so that he was level with the young girl's gaze.
"I do not know, fully." Keridyn replied. "Arya simply began to attack me, you would have to ask her for a full reason."
"Ah." Vrael said turning to Arya. "Well, do you have an explanation for attacking your own cousin?" He asked her.
Arya stood there in a confused fury. "How can you not know? How can you stand there next to her and not be filled with fury over the indecency of her mother's actions?"
"Because I have not judged her prematurely." Vrael replied straight faced.
Arya took a step back from the tone in Vrael's voice.
"She is a remarkable person when you get to know her, Arya." He told her as he stood and carried Keridyn with him. "She is nowhere near the person the entire elven race thinks her to be." He turned. "If I were you I would beg her forgivness, for if you had not noticed, she defended herself from you, yet did not lay a finger on you in hate."
Everyone in the pavilion looked at Keridyn and Arya when the flashback had ended and was surprised to find Keridyn sitting on the floor.
"You hated her?" Eragon asked stunned.
Arya nodded slowly.
"Every elf in the nation hated me if they found out who I was. The only ones who never did were my mother, Evandar, Vrael, and Oromis. Islanzadi even tried to reprimand my mother for her foolishness." Keridyn told her. Then she turned to Eragon suddenly.
"What?" He asked.
Keridyn shook her head. "It's nothing." She said standing. "So what's this about some people named Roran and Katrina?"
Eragon smiled. "Roran is my cousin, and Katrina is his wife." He told her. "Katrina is as of yet, quite pregnant."
"Ah." Keridyn said.
"Keridyn," Elva called.
They all looked at her.
"Do you love Murtagh enough to give your life in exchange for his?" She asked calmly.
Keridyn's eyes went wide. "What do you-"
"I asked the question precisely how I meant it." Elva said.
Keridyn regarded the girl carefully.
After a tense moment, Elva spoke with a slight smile. "Of course."
This left everyone else in a state of confusion.
Elva laughed slightly after anther moment before retreating into her hidden panel behind Nasauda's large chair.
"What was that all about?" Eragon asked.
"Believe me, you do not wish to know." Keridyn said.
After a few hours of deciding military tactics and how they would move on to the next town Keridyn spoke to Eragon.
"Would you take me on a tour of the Varden camp?" She asked.
Eragon was surprised that she was asking him. "Uh- certainly."
"Be careful, here." Nasauda said handing Keridyn a pair of black gloves.
"Thanks." Keridyn said as she pulled the gloves on and rolled down the sleeves of her maroon tunic.
"That color suits you much better than the white you usually favor." Elva commented.
Eragon shook his head at the mysterious girl as he and Keridyn walked out of the pavilion. Nasauda's guards nodded to them as Eragon's surrounded them.
"Blödgharm?" Keridyn asked as she saw him.
"Ah." Blödgharm said as he saw her. "So, the rumor is true, a Rider has been found. Though, I must say, I did not expect it to be you Keridyn."
"You two know eachother?" Eragon asked.
"Yes, actually." Blödgharm replied. "Keridyn asked me once how she could change her appearance. I am glad though that she did not do so at the time. Forgive me for asking, Keridyn, but did the King do all that to you?"
"Indeed." Keridyn said in a deep tone. "But I would rather have lost my life honorably than have been imprisoned in the fashion that I was."
Blödgharm nodded his head and said not another word to them.
"This is the infirmary." Eragon told her as they passed a rather large tent.
Keridyn stopped. Then she approached the tent slowly.
She heard many moans of pain, and felt that the overall energy of the place was rather depressing.
She entered slowly, looking at the healers that scuttled about.
There were many wounded, even after such a time. Keridyn looked around, walking around cots and looking at the people in them, with mixed feelings.
One man grabbed her hand as he walked.
Keridyn looked down at the man with teary eyes. His eye had been lost, he sat up weakly and his legs had been severed by an enemy sword. Blood still faintly stained the bandages.
"My Lady, you and I are just the same." He told her pointing to his face.
Keridyn smiled slightly. "Mine was lost a long time ago." She told him.
"Don't matter, we are still the same." He said. "Both in appearance and heart."
"What do you mean by that?" She asked.
"We all fight for one cause." He replied with a wheeze. "We all fight for our freedom, to rid ourselves of the injustice done to us by a madman who isn't worthy of carrying a title such as King of this land."
Keridyn smiled. "You have no idea just how mad the King truly is." She said sitting down on the foot of the cot.
"And you do?" The man asked, dubious.
"I have a fairly clear idea." Keridyn said nodding. "The King is mad enough to destroy everything he once believed in with his whole heart. He is mad enough to murder the woman whom he loved enough to die for. He has lost his sense of justice enough to condemn innocent men to death. And-" Keridyn stopped to wipe away her tears. "And he has lost himself to where he would torture his own child for believing in what he himself once did." She got up suddenly and walked to the door, leaving the man staring after her.
"It takes great courage to cry in front of a man, my Lady." He called after her.
Eragon stood there motionless for a moment, watching Keridyn compose herself.
"That was well said." He told her.
"I didn't mean to do that. It just seemed right to say it that way." She replied.
Eragon smiled. "It doesn't matter to me, it just depends on how it will affect you later. Say what comes to you mind, with all your heart, and make sure you mean everything when you say it."
Keridyn looked at him suddenly again as she had before.
"What is it?" He asked.
"N-nothing." Keridyn told him.
"Keridyn, you did that earlier, what is it?" He insisted.
Keridyn smiled deeply. "It was really just nothing, when you say things like that you really remind me of Vrael."Keridyn laughed a bit. "But you're more like your father than you think, believe me."
Eragon smiled and put his hand on Keridyn's shoulder. "Thank you."
Keridyn smiled and they continued down the lanes of tents.
Thanks for the names guys! I decided to go with Bryndis as suggested by 1pepsi1obsessed .
Bryndis~ (Brin-diss)
Leoton~(Lee-ton)