Chapter Fourteen: The Dreamers' March
Christopher had just gotten up for the fifth time that day when the horn sounded. Immediately, Saphira stood from where she was laying, and Eragon flung himself onto her. Christopher, still bruised and battered, followed him, just a little slower, only pausing to grab Bid'Daum. Together, the four of them flew to the palace, where the horn had sounded.
Unlike the last time, the majority of the army was away on missions, so the palace was surprisingly empty. When they had all gathered together in front of the throne, the queen stood, with an empty look in her eye.
She cleared her throat and everyone was silenced. "Unfortunately, due to injuries unseen, Solomon is now unable to continue his command. As such, a new leader of the squadron is needed."
A rustle swept over the crowd, only to disappear as soon as it had appeared when the queen continued to speak. "As most of the commanders are away at the front, I believe the choice is clear." A dark figure detached himself from the edge of the room and joined Arya by her throne. "I would like to present to you Samuel, my second son, and the new leader of Solomon's squad." The crowd erupted into cheers, while Samuel just looked uncomfortable. Seeing that he was busy, Christopher made to leave, until Samuel caught his eye and gestured for him to come up.
Quickly moving to avoid the line that would soon be leading up to the throne, Christopher went up to Samuel and gave him a questioning look. Speaking quietly so that no one else could hear, Samuel whispered, "Meet me outside when this is over." Nodding, Christopher moved out of the way and left the palace.
He walked over to Saphira, sat next to her, and started scratching her underneath her jaw. He jumped with surprise when she started humming, vibrating him and the ground around them. Turning so that one of her eyes was fixed on him, she snorted with laughter. In the back of his mind, Christopher could hear Bid'Daum and Saphira speaking to each other, and although the individual words were blocked from him, he understood that they were laughing at him. He turned his head away, in an attempt to hide his embarrassment, but the two of them sensed it, and invited him into their conversation.
You can look away all you like, Saphira scolded, but emotions are not hidden so easily. Have your lessons taught you nothing, or are you so focused on honing your body that you have forgotten about your mind?
I... uh...
Peace Saphira, Bid'Daum chimed in. The youngling advances quickly in his training. He learns and applies his lessons well. He will be ready.
Bid'Daum's praise both surprised and elated Christopher. Lately his only words had been either to admonish or to instruct. He tried not to let his thoughts through the mental link, but was only partially successful.
Be careful with your praise, Bid'Daum, or his head may end up too big for his helmet. They shared a mental laugh at this, while Christopher removed himself from their link.
Once his eyes has focused, he saw Samuel walking towards him. Before Christopher could stand up, Samuel gestured to a small clearing not far from them. Nodding, Christopher sat until Samuel was out of sight, then stood and went to the clearing. Looking around to make sure no one was within earshot, Christopher waited until Samuel emerged from behind a tree to his right.
"Now what's with all the sneaking around, Samuel? It's getting suspicious."
Samuel glanced over his shoulder. "You have to understand, what's about to happen is one of the biggest secrets in our races history. Or so everyone says."
"What is going on?" Christopher started to get nervous. "I'm serious."
"Relax. It's really very simple." Samuel smiled. "You're being mobilized."
"What?"
"Like I said, you're being mobilized. I'm your new commander."
"What?"
"Well officially anyways. In all reality, you're now leading our best soldiers in a series of raids along the border of the Hadarac Desert. The remaining Urgal warriors are gathering in a last attempt to push the humans from their lands. Of course, they can't win, but we can't seem to convince them of that. Now Urgal raiders are the only thing that keep the bulk of the human forces away from our southern borders. Should they fall, the humans can attack us from either the south or the west. Our forces are too small to contend with this, so our only hope is the reinforce them and hope for the best. Make sense?"
Christopher stood there for a second before replying. "So my first assignment is to lead an army of our best fighters on another suicide mission that will most likely end in failure?"
Samuel blinked several times. 'Well, in a nutshell, yes."
"Wonderful. When do I leave?"
"Tomorrow. Crack of dawn"
Christopher groaned. "I hate waking up early."
Laughing, Samuel patted him on the back. "Better sleep good tonight. It's probably the last time you'll have the chance."
That night, Christopher kept tossing and turning, unable to sleep. It wasn't until Bid'Daum reached out and soothed his thoughts that he was able to fall into his waking nightmares.
The desert air was warm and dry to the taste. The sands shifted to the slightest motion. The only scent was that of death and decay. The sun was in the middle of the sky, beating down on the two armies that had clashed on the sand. In the middle of the battle, two warriors stood opposite each other. Around them was quiet as the whole field stopped to watch the two. As the winds began to pick up, one warrior charged the other, swinging his sword towards his opponent. When a quick move, the other raised his shield. With the two instruments of war colliding, a monstrous roar was heard over the clash. A shadow overtook the armies, and the one warrior looked up. Taking advantage of his oppenent's distraction, the other attacked, stabbing the blade through the warrior's heart...
Suddenly the scene changed. Once again Christopher found himself in the human capital. Only this time, he was in the throne room. The king was on the throne, talking with some other human. Christopher's eyes, however, were fixed on the young lady behind the throne. Once again, he found himself looking at the princess of the empire. Busy as she was, she didn't notice him standing there, and it seemed like no one else in the room could see him. He stood there, waiting for several seconds until the princess finally saw him. Surprised, she stood with her mouth slightly open, catching the gaze of the man in front of the king. She quickly closed her mouth, and the man returned to talking to the king.
"... and yet again you've proven that even a king can be the thickest person around. The Urgals won't go down as easily as you think. And if they survive, then the other races will start to fight too. The dwarves, the werecats, and maybe even the dragons. Do you really think that you can handle fighting against all five races. Even Galbatorix could not stand against their combined might. What makes you think you can? You have to try for peace while we are still ahead."
The king took awhile before answering. "I'm well aware of the Urgals' prowess in battle. That's why I have sent an extra legion of men behind the original attack force. The elves will also no doubt send troops to defend their southern borders. This way, we take out two enemies with one stroke. This victory will ensure that not only are the Urgals wiped from existence, but that the elves will never attack our borders again. Allowing us the chance to attack their homeland directly. This war will end sooner than you expect, brother. And as for Galbatorix, he was arrogant. He refused to wipe out his enemies when he had the chance, and he paid the price. I am not so foolish."
"Debatable," the man muttered.
Sarah stifled a laugh, and Christopher smiled. She saw him, and flashed him a quick smile back, once again drawing the man's attention. The conversation with the king, however, quickly took it away from her.
"Whatever you may think, the plan will work. The Urgals will be wiped out, the elves beaten back into their forest, and no other races will dare attack us again. This battle will mark the beginning of the end for our enemies. No one can stop us now."
The man appeared to be nervous about something. "You actually plan on wiping out an entire race?! You can't just do that. You have no right..."
"I have no right? I am king of these lands. I have a right to ensure the safety of my people. That is my goal, and it should be yours. These savages are a threat to our way of life. We cannot allow that threat to stand. If you will not stand with me, then at least stand out of my way."
Before the conversation could continue, another man walked into the room. He was dressed in robes, and appeared to be sweating profusely. He walked forward and bowed to the king. "I bring word, Sire, about the matter you had me attend to."
The king's eyes widened. "Very well. Sarah, brother, I would ask that you leave us for the time being. I'm afraid this matter requires my complete attention." Sarah walked down and, taking the first man's arm, walked out of the room.
Christopher stood where he was, wanting to listen to what the matter was, but found the walls around him moving so that he was outside the room with her yet again.
Sarah looked out the window and noticed how dark it had gotten. "I should probably get to bed. Good night uncle."
The man bent down and kissed the top of her head. "Good night Sarah." He walked off, seemingly focused on something else.
Christopher followed Sarah to his bedroom. He sat on a stool next to her bed as she closed the door and turned to face him. "What are you doing here again? Is this going to happen often?"
Christopher shrugged. "Beats me. I'm just along for the ride." He smiled again, and then just looked uncomfortable. "You know I have to tell my people about the trap right? I can't just let them walk into that trap. Especially since I'll be with them." He stopped talking, silently berating himself for saying that to the enemy's daughter.
Sarah watched him for some time before responding. "If you do that, then my people will be at risk. My uncle was right about the other races joining the fight. If the elves win this battle, then everyone here will be in danger."
To both his and her surprise, Christopher's face became sorrowful. "I know, and I'm sorry. But if I don't, then all my men will be walking into a trap. Again. I can't just let them die when I have the power to stop it." He clenched his fist. "I can't fail again."
Sarah moved over to him and put an arm over his shoulder. Moved by his sudden display of emotion, she kissed his cheek. "Tell your people. Warn them. Win this battle. Turn the tide." Christopher looked at her, shocked. He watched as she walked over to her dresser and took out what looked like a handkerchief. She tied it around his belt, and kissed his cheek again. "I don't know if you'll keep this when you wake up, but take it. Fight brave, sir knight. And don't you dare die on me."
Looking down, Christopher saw that he was beginning to disappear. He reached up, and moved his lips towards hers. Before they could touch, however, the dream ended, and Christopher once again found himself on his bed. Although this time, he knew exactly what he had to do.