Chapter 14. Arya's arrival into the camp of the Varden, plus, she encounters Angels and Solembum in the most interesting way.
CP owns Eragon. So, let's get onto the story, shall we?
Arya wound her way past Furnost, entering Surda through the eastern side of the lake called Tudosten. Arya would have stopped in the deep forest near the lake, for she was weary, but as it was, she only took a few pieces of dried fruit and parts of bread, and continued on in haste. She avoided Petrovya, as well as every other place where there were people. All they saw was a woman running by and then she disappeared.
She finally entered the camp of the Varden army, which had the Suran army with it as well, but no dwarves. "Blasted, no dwarves!" Arya thought mentally, but she kept her peace as a group of Surdan soldiers demanded to know who she was, and what she was doing there. Arya simply pulled back her raven colored hair to reveal the pointy ears, which marked her as an elf.
"Arya Svit-kona," the commander of the soldiers apologized, and bowed. She asked where she could find Nasuda's pavilion. When she received the answer, she made haste to get to it. When she arrived, Nasuda and Jormandur were the only ones in the room, leaning over a map of the Burning Plains, where shortly the outcome of their battle would be decided, one way or another. "Good," Arya thought, "Their spies have uncovered Galbatoriz's subterfuge, even though I already knew as much, it is nice to see it confirmed."
Nasuda looked up, her face betraying the weariness she felt. "Arya!" she exclaimed, "You've returned." She dismissed Jormandur with a single wave, and approached Arya, putting her hand on her shoulder. "We did not know whether you would come," she said warmly.
"I scryed you from Ellesmera," Arya explained, "and found the Varden preparing for war. So I came, as soon as our Blood-Oath Celebration finished." She anticipated Nasuda's next question, and answered, "I found out on my journey here that Galbatorix's army was not near Gil'ead as we elves had originally thought, so I scryed several locations until I found them." Nasuda nodded. "Know this, as well, Queen Islanzadi has pledged the full support of the elves, however, since when I left we thought the army was near Gil'ead, none of the elves will be here in time to help us in the battle to come. Queen Islanzadi has declared her vow of joining with the Varden, and is preparing to send the finest magicians here to help the Varden, and Eragon and Saphira will be here before the army's clash."
Nasuada looked relieved. "I am glad to hear of it," she stated, with much happiness in her voice.
"Where are the dwarves?" Arya asked.
"Late, because we found out the King's army is in the Burning Plains too late for us to send for them in time," Nasuda answered.
"So they are on the way," Arya commented. "Listen, I found out something else on the way, that might correspond with a vision I had in Ellesmera."
"Can it wait?" Nasuda asked, "I must tend to Orrin and his blasted dukes, and you look tired."
"I have pushed myself to get here, so, yes, I am tired," Arya admitted, guessing she must appear very tired, if Nasuda picked up on the fact.
"I'll have food sent here for you," Nasuda said, "just rest here until I return."
Arya nodded, and said ruefully, "I guess there have been no problems with your leadership, given the presence of Jormandur here looking over the map with you, but the Surdans, they can't be too happy with you bringing all the people of the Varden?"
Nasuda smiled. "I'll explain later, but we have the advantage now in money, I offered to lend him some," Nasuda said mischievously. Arya wearily smiled, exhausted. Nasuda left the room. Arya sat down on the enormous chair, finally getting comfortable, and was just about to lie her head back when she saw the pavilion door open. She looked up, expecting to find a human, but instead had to look down as Solembum made his entrance into the room.
"Hello, Solembum," Arya said mentally, though she did not expect a response, as he had never spoken to her before.
He jumped up lazily onto the arm of the chair, and surprisingly answered her, "Hello, Arya, whether Svit-kona applies to you I have yet to determine. Does Eragon trust you enough to share the prophecy that I told him with you at the Menoa Tree?" She sighed, knowing that Solembum did not speak lightly, and right now was not the most convenient time for her.
"Yes, he did, but only because of where we were and the words were so important he felt he could not bear the burden alone," Arya answered Solembum,"However, I could only ponder the meaning of those words, for they Eragon will not truly know them until the time is right. I took those words of grave importance, and have not shared them with anyone else, nor do I intend to."
Solembum seemed satisfied with her answer, but he probed her further, "When you were last at Darthen Fur, Eragon made some unusual choices as to his political alliances. Do you agree with his choices?"
"Yes," Arya answered, wondering where he decided to take this.
"Do you know why he made the right choices? Was it luck, fate, or something more?"
Arya considered for a moment. She finally said slowly, "I thought at one time Eragon went by instinct, however, the only time we use our instincts are when we are babes, and when we have to fight. So, I must conclude that his heart is telling him to do the right thing, even though his mind does not fully understand."
Solembum leaped onto her legs with his bottom feet, while his top feet rested on her chest. He looked into her eyes with a lazy glance, and asked, "Of all the twenty and three years you carried the dragon egg back and forth between the Varden and the elves, why did Saphira not hatch for anyone that touched her egg, yet did hatch for a farm boy from nowhere?"
Arya frowned. She said with her mind slowly again, "I first thought Saphira chose him because of being free of the political machinations, however, upon further reflection, she was not aware of them, until she came in contact with them. As such, I can conclude Saphira hatched for him because his heart was pure, and he would never betray good for evil."
"Hmmm…you might just be worthy of the title Svit-kona," Solembum said, "Maud thinks highly of you, though I had my doubts considering how long it took you to figure out what she told you the last time you were in Ellesmera."
Now, Arya became irritated. "You were not there, and thus do not know what was going on at the time," she mentally told him.
Solembum licked his paw for a moment, then placed it back down on her shoulder. "That is true, although let me say this, and we shall see whether you are worthy of the title Svit-kona," he said mentally, "When I first met Eragon, he held onto a stick even though I told him not to, and a shock of electricity threw him to the floor. Even then, I had to warn him to let go. The stick did not compare with something as unique as myself."
"He probably did not let go of the stick because he met you, a werecat. After all, a farm boy like him had only heard vague stories of your existence," Arya responded, defending Eragon. That pleased Solembum no end.
"That is true," Solembum agreed, "He told me he did not know I was real. I informed him that knowing is independent of being, and though I did not know he existed before he disturbed my nap, that did not mean he was not real, even though I had no knowledge of him."
"Knowing is independent of being, and far more important," Arya said, "For instance, I was once a babe, getting my nourishment from my mother. I did not know anything, now I know a little about the world, however, if I had never been, all the knowledge in the world would not have done me any good, because without me first being I would not have had the chance to find out any of it. Therefore, being is independent from knowing, and far more important."
Solembum blinked, before commenting, "You are worthy of the title 'Svit-kona', for an elf that is." He then raised his other paw to her other shoulder, and leaned in, looking her right in the eye, staring ardently at her emerald eyes. "It is important you know this, Arya Svit-kona, you have had a difficult past, however, not all of it has been resolved." Arya started to say, "I know…" but Solembum cut her off, and said intensely, "You do not know there is one situation from the past, which will come up again in your future. You must then find the strength to deal with it, or all will be lost, at least what concerns you most deeply."
Arya just looked at him, as he turned, jumped down, and went over to the pavilion door, where Angela stood, watching them. Solembum started purring, and rubbed up against her legs, before continuing out the waving door.
Angela had a trey devoid of any animal flesh, but full of fruits and some vegetables. "I brought your food," Angela said, "actually, I wasn't going to be the one who brought it into you, one of the servants was, but I had to follow Solembum, and the only way to do that was to relieve the servant girl of this tray of food. Do you care where I set it down? Over on the table, or down here on the floor?" Angela said the last part in jest because she realized Arya had not really listened to her. The elf looked up at her, trying to wrap her head around what Angela had just said, even though Solembum's words hung in the air.
"Oh, just out it over
there on the table, next to the map," Arya said absentmindedly,
still thinking about what Solembum had said to her. "My mother?"
she thought, because that was all she could think about that could
affect her, although she had no clue what he meant by, "'or all
will be lost, at least what concerns you most deeply.' My father? Him I cared about most deeply."
Angela sighed. "I guess Solembum must have decided to talk to you because he talked to Eragon, and you have been closer to him than anyone," Angela said. Arya looked up at her, wondering what to say. "I would ask if you wanted me to do a fortune-telling for you, except I know what your answer would be, elves don't like to have their fortune told, or so I hear. You don't believe in anything, and so would not like your fortune told."
"Yes, we do," Arya said absentmindedly, "we believe in fate."
"Oh, so you do believe in something, wonderful," Angela said dryly.
"Why is that so wonderful?" Arya asked, confused.
"Oh, nothing really, I just never met an elf who admitted to believing in anything, that's all," Angela stated.
"Then you don't know very many elves," Arya stated, then sighed, "or else a dwarf called me out on the whole situation."
"A dwarf? That's marvelous. Solembum has told me for a long time he wondered if the name 'Svit-kona' really did apply to you," Angela said, with a smile on her face. "Who, pray tell, was it?"
"Orik, and he got me in Ellesmera," Arya commented, allowing herself amusement.
"And you allow yourself to be corrected, even though you have believed that you didn't believe in anything for most of your adult life?" Angela asked.
"Yes," Arya stated, "as we say; if the plant has flowers, do not call it a bush, and if it has a trunk, branches and leaves, do not call it a flower, for it is a tree."
"And you are a tree?" Angela asked.
"Why do you ask? Are trees the next thing you must prove is something else, like toads, which despite your saying they are frogs, are in fact, toads?"
"Oh, just don't tell anyone who believes in magic," Angela responded wryly, "It'll be our secret."
Arya smiled. "I will not," she stated, "To anyone else a toad is really a frog."
"Well, I must go, Solembum will get away from me if I don't," Angela said.
"Solembum talked to me because Eragon shared the two prophecies he received from the werecat," Arya stated.
"That's news to me," Angela commented.
"What, that Solembum gave Eragon prophecies, or that Eragon would share them with me?" Arya asked.
"No, I knew about the two prophecies, I just didn't realize Eragon trusted you so much he would share them with you," Angela responded.
"Eragon needed someone to confide in," Arya said quietly. Her face betrayed irritation at Angela reminding her of the Menoa Tree.
"Eragon is a special man," Angela said.
"Eragon is a special boy, or rather, young man," Arya quietly corrected her, putting the emphasis on young.
Angela quickly got the picture, Eragon had done something, which made Arya upset, probably confessing his undying love for her, and so changed the subject. "Well, I just wonder if you are as irritated with me as Brom used to get, because of my frivolous attitude toward magic," she stated.
Arya looked at Angela and smiled at her. "No," she replied, "you are a special person when it comes to magic. You have the skill to back up what you claim, unlike the 'Du Vrangr Gata', which correctly pronounced in the ancient language is 'Du Gata Vrangr'. Their mistake only belies the ignorance in their beliefs. As for your claim of being mainly a healer, I do not put any pretense into believing that is what you do, though you are well-skilled at that aspect. Besides, if you weren't adept at magic why would the Twins be so afraid of you? No, I do not define your attitude toward magic as frivolous, nor do I share Brom's opinion. I am an elf, magic runs through my very being, he was a human, transformed into using magic by the bonding he had with his dragon. I understand precisely what I do not understand as far as magic goes, and that is quite a lot."
Angela laughed, as if to say, "thank you", and "I'm glad you noticed", all at the same time. She walked over to the flapping door of the pavilion. "I guess Solembum was right in saying you are worthy of the title of 'Svit-kona'. Until now, unconvinced he was, as was I. And I know he told you something significant, although I don't know, or care to, what it was. Good-bye, Arya Svit-kona." She went out the door, leaving Arya to sit in her chair and think for a while, before she ever thought about the tray of food waiting for her on the table.
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I appreciate reviews. Next, Arya has a meeting with Nasuda, Jormundur, and King Orrin, as well as a few other people, to go over some battle plans. Before the meeting starts, Arya tells Masuda what she learned from the Raz'ac.