A/n: So I know I said updates were going to come faster…but there have been some personal problems I don't wish to disclose that have interfered with my writing. But all is well and I hope you enjoy!
Unexpected Company
Eragon heard her rise out of the bed before the sun's light penetrated the heavy curtains. He stayed still as he heard Aris slip on her dress and move to the vanity beside the door. With a grumble he stretched his back and sat up in bed, running his hands through his messy hair.
"G'morning." Eragon yawned.
"Good morning." She replied between brush strokes.
"Is there a reason you got up while the sun still slumbers?" He stood and walked towards the night table in the corner, splashing water on his face.
"I could sleep no longer." He moved to lean against the vanity beside her as he dried his face with a dry rag. Flipping the cloth over his shoulder he combed his hair back with his fingers and tied it with its customary piece of leather. He then crossed his arms over his chest and watched her as she nimbly pinned her hair up off of her neck in a style far more complex than he would ever attempt to reconstruct, even with his excellent memory.
"How'd you learn to do that?" He tipped his head at her.
"Nasuada and I, when we were very young, used to play as if we were noble women. We would dress up in our finest dresses and slippers, have a servant style our hair, and then ride castle horses around the courtyard before taking tea. That was far before we realized how disgusting the nobles of the empire were, but regardless, I remember how we used to have our hair done." Aris pulled a tendril out from the front and wrapped it around her finger, releasing it after a few minutes and letting it fall into a spiral curl against her cheek.
"Mm." Eragon acknowledged. He headed to the bags and pulled out a few pieces of bread and dried fruit. As he drew back his knuckles brushed the edge of her small bag along with the paper of a scroll. With a frown he pulled it out and weighed it in his hand, "A bit light for any truly diverting reading." His jaw tightened.
She turned to look at him and her expression became drawn. "Indeed. That is our key into the operation. I hope."
"Right…and you were planning on telling me when?" His voice was controlled.
Aris' gaze dropped to the floor, "I guess I don't exactly know. Don't mistake my meaning; it is no secret, I merely had not thought about it." She turned back toward the mirror. "Finish lacing this for me and I'll explain." She gestured at the back of her dress. Keeping his expression neutral as he tried to lace her dress over the skin of her back as quickly as possible he waited for her to begin.
"I'm sure you're quite aware of the fact that I hated the slavers immensely. I despised the weakness lack of magic left me with and spent a great deal of time plotting ways to kill them without harming myself if I ever became strong enough to fight past the magic. By the time I was in my fifteenth year I had created several spells that, if spoken by the correct person, would wreak havoc among troops without ever being traced." She stood and moved to her bags, "You can read them if you'd like." She pulled several necklaces from her bag before selecting a ruby embedded gold chain. She turned to watch him as he unfurled the scroll and began to quickly read.
After a few moments he nodded, "I see…these are quite ingenious…what did you mean by the 'right person'?"
"Well, based on how those are phrased, if you spoke them as they are then you would invoke the effects upon our true allies, not the Empire troops."
"That in and of itself is a problem." He frowned, "These sound as if they would be helpful and beneficial to whoever spoke them, but the slight altering in the grammar is what makes them dangerous…what if someone picks up on that?"
She nodded and sighed, "I know, it is a risk, but I don't believe anyone working for the empire will have enough knowledge of the ancient language to notice."
"Izlanzadi said that they had gained knowledge of elven weaponry, which means there could be an elf somewhere in the operation." He rolled the scroll up and crossed his arms across his chest.
Aris bit her lower lip for a moment, "It's possible, unlikely but possible…if it comes to that we will simply have to act as if we know nothing of it either."
Eragon forced his gaze away from her lip and to the floor as he refocused, "They won't recognize us?"
She shrugged, "We can alter our appearances further if necessary. But, to be honest I doubt there is treachery among the elves, nobody has forgotten the horrible events that surround the riders of old."
"I have to agree…it seems more likely that someone came across a piece of elven history." He looked up at Aris as she made a contemptuous noise in her throat.
"Which leaves plenty of room for misinterpretation and error." A small, and oddly devious, smile tugged at her lips.
"We should be off," He hefted his bag and hers, but paused by the door. "How are you planning on using this to get in?" He shoved the scroll back into her small bag.
"A family heirloom passed down from generation to generation, which supposedly helped soldiers survive against the elves in battle, et cetera, et cetera. We heard of the operation and immediately set out to see if it or our magical skills could be of any assistance." She took the bag from him and slung it over her shoulder.
"Sounds fine to me." He nodded and opened the door, "After you, my dear."
She rolled her eyes, and walked out the door, then continued down the stairs to the inn's stables. After spending half the day following false leads and running into dead ends the pair finally came upon what looked to be the correct direction. As he'd done all day, Eragon stood slightly in front of Aris as he knocked on the door to the very basic barracks. It opened slowly after a few moments of tense silence and a man who looked to be slightly older than Orin stepped into the sunlight.
His piercing blue eyes looked both of them up and down, "Can I help you?"
"We're looking for…" Eragon made a show of looking over his shoulder before dropping his voice to a hushed whisper, "älf freohr."
Aris fought the urge to roll her eyes at the name that had been bestowed upon the weapon. After a long morning of tedious, vague questioning Aris and Eragon had finally come upon a drunken military official who let the name slip. She had choked back a laugh as each person they came upon after that attempted to pronounce the elvin words. The humor faded quickly as they discovered that nobody who spoke it knew what the words meant, Aris' ire grew as once again the Empire's peoples demonstrated their blind obedience to their king and his advisors.
But a light went on in the eyes of the man that stood before them as he recognized the name. "Ah, and who are you?" A small shiver shot up her spine as his gaze lingered on her.
"Lord Garrow and Lady Marian of Kuasta." Eragon tipped his head politely.
"Mhmm…and how did you learn of älf freohr?" He crossed his arms over his barrel chest it what was meant to be an intimidating manner.
"Rumors have traveled down the coast. We have something that might be…useful." Eragon motioned to Aris and she stepped forward.
Speaking softly in what she hoped was a shy timid tone she pulled the scroll from her bag, "It is a family heirloom, only if you will take us to the operation will I allow it to be seen…it would be dangerous in the wrong hands."
The cold azure eyes locked on hers but Aris refused to be stared down, "Ok I'll bite…for now. We can always erase any information you learn later." Aris battled against the impulse to glance at Eragon and see if he wanted to laugh at this guy as much as she did. She supposed that in a regular situation, and to an average human, his hulking build and cold gaze would be terrifying. And to someone who wouldn't know any better his threats would seem chilling. But to her, his threats were empty, although she had a sneaking suspicion that perhaps the experiences of her youth had had some effect on her judgment.
"So you know where to take us?" Eragon spoke with a convincing sense of relief.
The blonde bulk of a man gestured for them to follow as he shut the door behind them, "I am General Tyrone, second in command in this operation. I'll take you to Commander Ronthar, and he can decide what to do with you. They led their horses by the reins as they followed the man out the city gates. They continued over a small ridge to the east and then into a large swath of tall pines that extended for several leagues north. The sentries were easy to spot as they traveled further and further into the consuming darkness of the forest. Finally the small group came upon a line of torches; it led directly into a camp of large canvas tents that were horribly familiar to Aris. Eragon gently took her hand as her shoulders tensed.
They stopped before a large tent and Tyrone gestured at them to step forward as he held the flap of the tent back. They tethered their horses to a stake in the ground then walked slowly forward into the canvas house. "Commander, I have a few more…benefactors."
A black haired man, striped with lighter grays stood from behind a table. "Who?" His voice was unsettling and his murky black eyes surveyed Eragon and Aris.
"Lord Garrow and Lady Marian of Kuasta. They say they've got something that will help." Tyrone answered.
"What is it?" His gaze settled on Aris for an answer as she clutched the scroll tightly, "Don't be frightened woman. If you are loyal to the Empire then we are all friends here." He lifted his eyebrow and looked pointedly at Aris and Eragon's joined hands.
She inhaled shakily and stepped forward hesitantly, "I come from a long line of powerful magicians, my ancestors were involved in battles during the downfall of the Riders. This scroll was recovered and passed down through the generations, hoping that someday our family could have revenge upon those who killed our relatives and friends. My husband and I heard of a secret operation and immediately set out to lend our assistance. I possess a certain modicum of magical talent, and I believe this scroll will help quite nicely. It can help boost the magical ability and strength of your magicians and sorcerers. It can strengthen troops to the point that they are nearly undefeatable, at least that's what we gathered, I do not pretend to understand all of it." She shrugged sheepishly.
He held his hand out for the scroll and she carefully placed it in his upturned palm after a moment of hesitation. He unfurled it and scanned it briefly, "It looks very authentic, and why wasn't this turned in long before now?"
"My father wanted to, but he fell very ill before he ever had the chance, when I married my husband it was several months before my widowed mother allowed me to show him the scroll. When he did see it, we had no idea as to who we might hand it to with confidence that it would benefit a worthy cause." She spoke quietly and kept her eyes trained shyly on her clasped hands in front of her.
"And you've decided I'm trustworthy?" he queried.
"My brother was recently murdered in a Varden raid, I am impatient for vengeance." She allowed her tone to become bitter.
"And your husband?" He looked at Eragon.
"My father is a merchant; there have been many times that we were attacked without cause by those vagrants." Eragon said.
"Good to see that some people have kept their sense about them." The commander nodded, he suddenly directed the conversation over their shoulders at the silent Tyrone, "Bring in Talia, immediately."
"Yes, sir." Tyrone bowed his head and ducked quickly under the tents flap.
Eragon and Aris exchanged wary looks; both knowing what was likely to come next. Within moments a copiously curved woman sauntered in. She twisted a brown spiral of hair around her finger as she curtsied to Ronthar, "You desired me?" Her words carried an apparent double meaning.
"I need to verify that our two guests are safe to welcome." Ronthar's eyes wandered unabashedly over her generous form.
For the first time the middle aged woman turned her attention to them, her eyes settling decidedly on Eragon, a mischievous gleam in her dark brown eyes. "I'd be happy to help." She smirked, sauntering to stand in front of Eragon, her legs pressed to his knees where he sat. "Hi there, don't worry, it won't hurt too much. Besides, you look like you could handle a little rough treatment."
Eragon's eyebrows shot into his hair in surprise but otherwise made no comment, deciding to focus on storing memories behind the barrier Saphira had created as soon as he had relayed their situation. He was carefully aligning all memories of being on Joed's ship, as well as playing in his childhood. He cushioned those with a few imagined memories of a wedding and life with Aris.
Aris on the other hand was fuming. She'd been caught off guard by the woman's blatant flirting and then further surprised by the instant, and powerful, fury that rose in her throat at the woman's forwardness. She'd forced herself to swallow it and not confront the woman but she was further insulted by Eragon's silence, he was supposed to be her husband! She held her tongue as a noblewoman in the empire would be expected to but she would talk to him later. She distracted herself, averting her eyes as well, by concocting memories that would pass as plausible to the woman's mental search.
When she had them in place she looked over at Eragon only to be instantly enraged again. The woman was practically in his lap! Her palms were on his forehead, her fingers buried in his hair and she was leaning over him, almost straddling his knees as she searched his mind. If Eragon opened his eyes he'd get an eyeful of her chest. Her nostrils flared but she maintained as much composure as she could.
Finally she pulled back, dragging her fingers and absurdly long fingernails across his cheeks as she removed her hands, "All clear on this one Commander." She winked and shot him a flirty grin. "Now, who's this?"
"His wife." Aris' voice was the closest it had been to a snarl in years.
The woman's eyes widened in false innocence and she released a girlish giggle, "Whoops! I'm sorry, but don't mind little old me, I don't mean any harm honey."
Aris took a deep calming breath, "Of course not." She spoke carefully; she knew it would not benefit anybody to anger the top people of the operation already. She threw up a barrier in the back of her mind and scattered her newly formed memories in preparation when suddenly a massive but familiar presence invaded.
'Let me guard the memories, she will sense your barrier but not mine.' Saphira's voice echoed.
Aris willingly surrendered the barrier to Saphira just as the woman's hands gripped at her scalp. She was sure she hadn't harmed Eragon at all but her fingernails were biting into her skin, probably drawing blood in more than one place. It took all Aris' strength to refrain from driving mental attacks at the woman's invading presence. Painful nostalgia hit her hard and panic threatened to overwhelm her at the mere memory of losing control over her mind. She battled with the memory, forcing it back towards the barrier and pushing it in, diving in to take cover in the process.
'Calm yourself little one, this woman hasn't the strength to best one of your power. You are stronger than you were at seven, and Eragon would not allow it.' Saphira shushed her from with in the block, soothing her with gently words of reassurance and encouragement.
Aris was composed internally when the woman pulled back and nervously awaited the judgment. She sincerely hoped she hadn't sabotaged the entire mission because she had lost control of her nerves.
"She's clean." The woman's tone seemed disappointed but Aris didn't care, she merely repressed a sigh of relief and answered Eragon's grin with a small smile.
'Thank you Saphira.' She expressed as much warm gratitude as she could through their mental link.
'Of course little one.' With that Saphira pulled back and Aris' returned her barriers to her mind.
"Thank you Talia that will be all." Ronthar dismissed the woman and she sashayed out with a flutter of her fingers at Eragon. He then redirected his attention at them, "Very well welcome to älf freohr, which means elf death in case you were curious. General Tyrone will take you to a room that will be yours, but first he will escort you to the holding area where you may select servants for the duration of the operation."
Aris blanched as the Commander's words filtered through her mind. As he always seemed to Eragon caught it and firmly grasped her hand once more, rubbing reassuring circles on the back with his thumb. "You okay? Did that woman hurt you?" He asked quietly as they ducked out of the tent.
Aris shook her head, "She was to busy thinking about what she might like to do to you." She muttered.
Eragon quickly covered a choking laugh with a cough, "Is that jealousy?"
"No!" She hissed defiantly, "It was merely rude, I am supposed to be your wife and the blatantly insulted me."
Eragon grinned, slightly triumphant as the truth shined through Aris adamant denial. With a good natured shake of his head he leaned close to her ear and whispered, "Didn't I ever tell you? I prefer more of a challenging woman. And blue eyes are more of my thing." He lifted their joined hands and kissed her fingers gently.
Aris flushed deeply, he was flirting with her! But the pleasant distraction he had provided from Ronthar's words was quickly cut short as they were led into yet another large tent. Aris' grip became bruising as they stepped inside. Sitting in rows there were people of all ages, dressed in rags, bent over bowls of some sort of stew, eating ravenously.
"These are the slaves; you can choose one to serve you." Tyrone said in a bored tone.
"W-who are they?" Aris asked sickly.
"Captured rebels and insurgents. Some are from within the Empire who resisted laws or orders; others have been captured from battles or raids against the Varden." He shrugged.
Eragon leaned towards her and whispered, "I know you don't like this, but we can save one of them from torture."
She nodded. "A child," she murmured back. With a light tug on her hand he led her down the rows, keeping his expression apathetic as he surveyed the 'wares'.
Aris felt the gaze upon her long before she looked and barely restrained a gasp when she did. A small blonde figure was kneeling with a bowl sitting ignored in her lap as she watched Aris and Eragon intensely. As Aris turned to her, the girl's eyes widened and a grin split across her face. Aris squeezed Eragon's hand and tilted her head in the girl's direction.
Comprehension dawned on his face, "General Tyrone, are there any we should be wary of?" He gestured blandly to the slaves. As the general turned to scan the rows Aris lifted a finger to her lips, silently communicating that the girl needed to remain silent.
"Not really, some of the men can get a little rowdy. Do you know any gramarye?" The general asked.
Eragon faked a grimace, "My wife more so than me, I've only mastered the bare basics, but I'm quite good with my sword."
"Then you'll be fine. Normally one reprimand is enough to teach them a lesson." He chuckled.
Eragon grinned easily, "Well, I leave the decision up to you, love." He spread his arms wide to Aris, "Anything you'd like."
She forced a small smile, "I'd like her." She pointed at the girl, "She'll be more help and less of a nuisance to have around."
Tyrone lumbered over to the tiny flaxen-haired child, "Good choice, it's always best to break 'em young." He jerked her up by an arm.
"Gently!" Aris squeaked before she could stop herself. "L-less bruises for me to tend to later," she covered quickly.
"Oh don't worry yourself about that, a few bruises won't kill her. We do ask that you keep them in relatively good health, seeing as how we'll be requisitioning them when the weapon is closer to being complete. We trust you to use your good judgment on what 'good shape' is, though." He led the girl over to Eragon.
They left the tent and headed southwest toward Gil'ead again. Aris rode her horse and the girl rode Eragon's as he led them behind Tyrone.
"Aris!" The girl hissed quietly, "I'm so scared, did you come to rescue me?"
"Stay quiet, I'll explain later." Aris murmured. The girl fell obediently silent for the rest of the trip. They entered the city with no trouble this time and continued to its back edge. It was a tall building that retained the look of an old inn.
"Take the horses to the stable, and then deliver the bags to room seventeen," Tyrone directed the stable hand that appeared from around the gray stone corner.
Once inside Tyrone gestured to the squat, flushed woman who bustled in from what appeared to be a kitchen, "Room seventeen to Lord Garrow and Lady Marian." She bowed and hurried to get the keys, "This is an old inn that we commandeered, and all the other nobles are staying here as well. We provide meals and rooms. All we ask of you is to help älf freohr in any way possible, be that through finances, connections, knowledge, or magic. Don't nose around unless we ask for your help and speak of whatever you do know to nobody." He took the keys from the woman as she returned and handed them to Eragon, "Welcome." With that he turned and walked to the heavy oak doors, "Oh and we'll expect you after breakfast to assist our other magic users in determining the authenticity and usefulness of that scroll." He left without waiting for a response.
"Room seventeen is on the second floor sir." The woman spoke quietly.
"Thank you, we'll find it ourselves." He motioned for Aris to follow him up the stairs. She took the girls delicate hand and led her out of the cold dining room.
Their bags were already inside when they opened the creaking door. It was a large room; there was a bed in the corner covered with dark grey linens. There was a bureau, a table and chair along the back wall and a vanity beside the door. An adjoining room meant for servants was connected by a small door.
Aris' finger returned to her lips to silence the girl as Eragon began to mutter under his breath. "There, all secure." He nodded at Aris, and then looked to the girl. "You can talk now."
"Aris!" She threw herself at Aris and buried her face in her stomach. "I was so scared!"
Aris stroked her hair gently, "I know, darling," she soothed, "I know how it is, and you're going to be safe with us." As the girl pulled back Aris knelt in front of her but kept her hands gently on her shoulders for comfort. "We're here undercover, so you have to call us Lord and Lady, I'm not a princess here and Eragon is not a Rider, okay?"
The girl nodded tearfully, "But I can stay with you right?"
"Absolutely," Aris quieted her, "I know it's been scary, and it won't be easy to talk about but," Aris looked up at Eragon with slight apprehension in her eyes, "Can you tell us how you were separated from the rest of Carvahall, Arabella?"
A/n: I am so grateful for all those who reviewed last time, I smiled for at least a week because of them lol, please review again!!!!