Chapter 36: Radiance

"No! You cannot ask me to do this! I cannot, I shall not!" Eragon yelled with such suffering that Saphira was deeply hurt. His face was red-as-small-round-fruits, wet as one-who-had-just-swam. Underneath his eyes formed dark-gray-purple-restless-patches, for he had not slept for days.

It must be done Eragon, Glaedr said to him. Many of the other Eldunarya dragons supported him with similar sayings like For the good of our lands or Countless would be saved or You are able.

Upon a grass-filled-hill they all sat, Firnen and Saphira both looked upon Eragon. The Eldunarya floated about hidden-in-the-air-by-magic, everyone did what they could to calm-and-persuade him. It was only a few hours earlier in which he was able to speak, for he had wept the entire night. And so far no argument of theirs was sufficient enough to change his thoughts on the problem.

Eragon,Firnen said to him, yet Eragon simply stared at his crossed legs in an uncaring expression. Nonetheless, Saphira could tell that Eragon would listen, perhaps not as well as he would normally, but Firnen had his attention.

Arya herself told me before she, Firnen shuddered and found himself struggling to finish his thought. Before it happened, she told me to do my very best to kill her afterwards, a couple-tiny-droplets fell from his eyes. I have done all I can, I beg you to do the same.

"You ask the impossible!" Eragon said loudly, now looking upon Firnen. "I will kill Kaxon, you cannot ask me to kill her, I simply cannot. You don't understa-" Saphira interrupted him by slamming her arm upon the ground next to him, a snarl forming upon her face.

Eragon we all understand your pain! Firnen and the Eldunarya have all lost their riders, is that not a greater loss than yours?Eragon flinched as she said this, and then turned his head to Saphira, shuddering as he always did since last night. He looked upon her with an expression crazed with-grief-and-depression.

"Yet did any of them have to kill their rider?" he asked Saphira crazily, to which she inched backwards a tad, surprised by this comment. She had always known that Eragon loved Arya as much as he had loved her, but she never thought him impulsive enough to say such things at this time. "None of them ever had to kill their partners, they were lucky to-"

DO NOT INSULT OUR PAIN HATCHLING! Umaroth roared mentally so loud everyone jumped with shock. He continued saying It matters not who killed our riders, they are gone from us and that is the end of it. Such things have happened and they will happen again, this has become the fate of the rider order.His thoughts ended, Umaroth's conscience retreated back into the dark-recesses-of-his-soul as he no doubt mourned for Vrael.

Now for the first time since the start of their talks Eragon did not argue back. Instead he lowered his head once more, sadness threatening to overtake him. Saphira knew the extent of his pain, how could she not? Through their connection she fully sensed the dark-intense-despair he experienced as he began to quietly whimper. In fact she would be lying if she said that she didn't shed-small-tear-droplets during some of these times. Seeing her rider in such pain-and-agony tore at her heart-and-soul, she never wished to see anyone suffer so, much less her partner. For a moment or two he quietly wept, Saphira somewhat sharing his sadness, unwilling to fully envelope her mind into his during this time of despair.

She then expected someone else to speak further of the matter, and in a way, Valdr did. So old was he that he was unfamiliar with the use of two-leg-language. His way of communicating along with the other wild dragons was with imagery-parables-and-stories. Within a moment or two his old-and-wise-thoughts intermingled with them all.

In their minds came an image of a magnificent-and-healthy-forest, much like Du Weldenvarden itself. At the center of the image lay a huge-thick-pine-tree, much taller-and-stronger than the others around it. The huge-thick-pine-tree lay at the center of the vision, perhaps thousands of her needles bursting throughout her branches. An innumerous amount of her pine needles likewise lay upon the grounds, all of which spread the huge-giant-tree's somehow familiar scent.

Birds chirped, deer pranced and peaceful-soft-winds flew about the area. Blissfully and joyfully they all ate from the fruits of the trees and the grass of the ground. Each bird settling in their nests, others flew free; none of the beasts having a care in the world. But in a moment, all of that instantly changed.

Without warning and seemingly from nothing, the giant-center-pine-tree burst into all-consuming-flames. The blaze was wild and untamed, spreading like a festering disease throughout the tree's entire frame. In mere seconds her branches began to fall, her entire structure creaked and fell apart under the fire's might. Soon the fire spread further, burning-and-destroying the woods with unstoppable power. The simple-four-legged-creatures and feathered-flyers-smaller-than-Saphira's-claws scattered with panic. Emblazed-branches-and-bark fell from the mighty-yet-disintegrating-pine-tree. Faster and faster she crumbled and weakened, each flaming, falling stick adding to the carnage that already spread throughout the woodlands.

But then instantly from the dark-and-smoke-filled-skies came showers-upon-showers of rain. Like cornered-snakes the flames recoiled from the might of the downpour-of-blessed-waters. The flames shrunk quickly in size as they retreated to nothingness, desperate to escape from the unstoppable rain. Throughout all of this the darkest-and-blackest-of-smoke covered the entire vision, though the happenings of nature continued. Sounds of the dying flames, like the sizzling-of-boiling-waters, was the only notable thing to be observed. Till in time the flood-from-the-sky ended right as they had finished killing the blazing-deadly-fires.

And then gradually the dark-and-black-smoke cleared itself for them all to see once more. It was a scene of unbelievable death and carnage, the magnificent-giant-center-pine-tree now barely stood. Her entire structure was blackened, charred with so much force that she was but a shadow of the size she once was. The surrounding forest was in much worse condition however. Piles-of-gray-ash lay still around the center-giant-pine-tree; the bones-and-skeletal-remains of various creatures lay at random among the area. Lastly, ash-and-smoke flew about on the gentle-and-smooth-winds, yet there was something else that flew with the ash-and-smoke.

Hardly noticeable were they because of their tiny-diminutive-size, but they could not be ignored, for they were the only source of life there. Flying peacefully through the air were seeds of all kinds-of-plants-and-trees, seeking for fine soil to grow. One by one each of the seeds buried themselves into the ground in the area, some next to the giant-center-dead-pine-tree, others much further away. Once all were snug in the earth, time seemingly moved at an impossibly-fast-rate, from each of the seeds grew new life. From the ground sprouted newborn plants everywhere, each growing rapidly, the tree-seed-plants only taking moments to reach the height of a two-leg. And still they flourished, expanding in size, thickening their bark, leaves or thistles sprouting from each and every ones' branches. Grass was the first to return to its former state, next were the smaller plants such as the shrubbery, flowers and bushes. The trees continued to grow, some even merging with the giant-dead-center-pine-tree, sharing their life with hers.

Everything peacefully returned to the way they once were before the cursed-death-fires razed everything. Small-four-legs and feathered-tiny-fliers eagerly migrated to the woods in vast numbers. The deer and other such creatures gracefully ate at the fruits of the plants, the grass of the ground, sometimes even the leaves of the trees. Birds began to build their nests, settling into the newfound trees as they had longed to do since they initially hatched.

And in the middle still lay the center-giant-pine-tree, now no longer as dead and charred as she once was. Miraculously it seemed as if none of her roots were damaged in the blaze, and so she of course had begun to heal herself. From her branches grew pure-emerald-thistles-of-pine, spreading once more her oddly familiar scent throughout the forest. She shared her life with other forms of creatures as well; many plants grew from her roots and the birds nested within her. All was as it was before; the forest was restored since the blazing-death-fires had reduced it to ashes.

Saphira blinked a few times as the vision left her mind, slightly smiling to herself at what they had been shown. It was clear what it was Valdr had showed them, his vision was a tale of what the war was; a massive and surprising slaughter like the fires of that forest. The finally of the vision was what they all strived for, prosperity-and-peace for all in the Empire and the lands beyond.

Let us make this a realityFirnen said to them all as Saphira brought her attention to Eragon. And what she saw amazed her; no longer was he crying, but no longer was he even frowning! A wide and exited smile instead spread over his face, bright-lights-shining in his eyes. Such was a look she knew-all-too well, an expression that immediately brought a wave-of-warm-feelings to herself as well.

What do you have in mind partner-of-my-heart-and-mind?she asked him in an exited-and-curious tone.

"I am thinking," he said with a strangely giddy voice. "We may just be able to save Arya!"

What?shouted nearly every other dragon-and-Eldunari in the area. Especially Firnen, who roared loudly in reaction to his claim.

What you are proposing is impossible Eragon! Glaedr said to him. I don't know if it was Valdr's story or some epiphany you just had that gave you the thought, but what you speak of is inconceivable!

This is true, Umaroth said. The soul of a being all but dies when their body is consumed by evil spirits. Never before has anyone been able to restore one who has become a shade throughout history. It is a hopeless prospect!
Valdr gave a second, but brief image to everyone's mind, probably in response to Eragon's statement. It was simply an image of Eragon, specifically his head. At the top of his scalp was a major gashing wound that was certainly life threatening, but no blood came from the wound's opening. Not blood, but countless-tiny-pebbles-and-stones flooded out of the Valdr-image-Eragon's head. Right after this the image Valdr sent them all faded, and Saphira had figured out its meaning much faster than the first vision.

Rocks for brains!she couldn't help but think to herself as she chuckled the only way she could. Firnen could not help but laugh himself, for the prospect of such an ancient dragon insulting anyone like this was great!

Though soon Glaedr cut through the laughter saying And tell us hatchling, how do you plan to restore Arya?With a smile, Eragon spoke to them of an outlandish plan, mostly having to do with the true-name-of-the-ancient-language. Though surprisingly he did still speak of having to still stab Ashuna's heart for this to work. Overall it was a ridiculous idea, one that Saphira doubted could ever work, but Firnen seemed to disagree. At the end of the plan Firnen let out a great roar-of-triumph-and-victory-and-joy. Saphira then hoped for just a moment that Eragon's crazy idea may just work after all.

Groggy and weary, Murtagh snapped his eyes open in response to a loud yet noticeably glad roar. He was curious as to why one of the dragons would roar like that, especially now of all times. With this in mind he decided immediately to investigate what it was that caused this exclamation.

At first all that could be seen were walls and ceilings of ruby red scales, all forming a small dome encasing him. The air was cozy and warm; the grass he lay upon was soft and smelled fresh with dew. Slowly he motioned his head to his right, blades of grass gently sliding along the back of his neck and hair. And there she was, the most beautiful woman of all, the greatest of queens, the one he loved more than any save for Thorn.

Nasuada

She laid upon the grass much like him, her body and head facing the crimson ceiling. Nasuada was still as she peacefully slept, gently breathing inwards and outwards, her stomach routinely rising and lowering. He was surprised that she had not awoken from the great roar that took place; it may be that she was simply a heavy sleeper. Unclothed she rested, the entirety of herself revealed to Murtagh. Seeing her in this state for Murtagh was exhilarating, much like how he would feel before jumping into an intense fight. Her body curved smoothly like a winding trail, her very form being comparable to the sculptures Galbatorix had once kept. Intricate and perfect she was, so much so that Murtagh could stare upon her for days on end.

He lowered his eyebrows and closed his eyes once more, She would want none of that!So as not to wake her, Murtagh sat up and looked upon the grass around him. For a moment he couldn't help but to chuckle softly at the scene before him. Strewn about in random clusters were his clothing and those of Nasuada. So erratic and unkempt were they that Murtagh could not help but be reminded of his times as a lad in Galbatorix's court. Much times whenever he would change he would cast off his dirty tunics and trousers upon the floor. Later some maid or servant would clean the mess as they always did, but of course this didn't occur now.

Putting away these silly thoughts, Murtagh got up and quietly incanted spells of cleansing for himself, Nasuada and their strewn clothing. As he did this he could feel all kinds of unpleasant grime, blood, dirt and sweat vanish from his body. Much was the same for Nasuada and the randomly placed attire of the two. In mere moments all was cleansed, leaving Murtagh feeling refreshed as he briefly again looked upon Nasuada. For the briefest of moments he could not help but think that all was as it should be. Though a second later he swerved his head from her and refocused on preparing himself for the task at hand.

All is not as it should be,he thought. With purpose he gathered his attire from the random places where they lay and dressed quickly. Soon enough he was fit with a standard black tunic and leather black trousers. If he chose he could have also donned his plate armor, but decided against it at this time. He would not need such protection yet, or at least he hoped he did not.

Now situated and prepared, Murtagh for the last time looked upon the beauty and perfection that was Nasuada. For a moment he sighed as he took in who she was once more, and then slowly he got down on his knees next to her. At first he considered simply leaving without waking Nasuada, he couldn't see how anyone would wish to disturb her blissful sleep. But he knew that leaving her unnoticed would be improper and disrespectful.

And so as softly yet with noticeable volume, he said to her "Nasuada."

Her eyes snapped open immediately when he said this, both looking precious and pristine, like polished dark gems. At first they displayed an air of confusion, as if she had forgotten all that had happened. Murtagh didn't blame her for this, after all, how often did she awake from underneath a collection of red scales and wings? Though her confusion was clearly visible, it lasted only for an instant before recognition flooded her face. Nasuada turned her head towards Murtagh and once more their gazes locked onto each other. Smiles quickly formed upon both of their faces, expressing the passions they shared.

"Murtagh," she said back to him in quiet awe, perhaps barely louder than a whisper. A few more moments passed where Murtagh forgot all about what he was to do. Once more he was entranced by her beauty, the very essence of who Nasuada was. Yet in the back of his mind Murtagh knew that he needed to get moving with the mission at hand. The longer they all took, the more lives would be lost in the Empire and its surrounding lands. With this in mind his expression became a one of interest as he spoke to her.

"One of the dragons has cried out, though judging by the tone, he or she sounded glad. No matter the case, I wish to know why of all times. Hopefully it is good news, if any can be found in this situation."

Her face similarly with one of intrigue, Nasuada said "Aye, you are correct. Let us be off then" she finished while starting to dress herself. A second or two passed as Murtagh dropped his gaze and stared at the ground as she continued to prepare. Not because he was trying to maintain decency, that sort of thing had only just expired. Instead he looked upon the grass by his feet, struggling to tell her what else that needed to be said. Till at last, when she was nearly finished he stood up and brought his gaze towards her again.

"It is still unsafe in these lands; you and the other helpless ones must be taken to Mirandel."

She then looked upon him with an annoyed look saying "There is no reason we should leave so soon. Yes it is dangerous, but the shades and elves know not where we are. Cannot a few hours be spared?"

"I think not," he replied with a sympathetic look. "The elves are powerful, the shades even moreso. Who is to say they wouldn't find us? They are probably frantically searching for us now. Nasuada, they endager us more than even Galbatorix did!" Putting on the last of her dark violet uniform, she turned to Murtagh still with a stern expression.

"For the time being none of you will be leaving to fight, why then could we not stay until you begin your hunt?"

"You all need to leave these lands, don't you understand this?" Murtagh responded with force and exhasperation.

"I understand perfectly that we would be safe with more bodyguards for the time being. More adept and professional than the Nighthawks wouldn't you say?" she finished with a half serious, half loose smile.

Carefully Murtagh analyzed her argument. For one, Katrnina, Elva, the children and herself could not simply stay with the dragons and riders during their search. Eventually when they would find the shades, they would have to use every ounce of energy and effort to focus entirely on the fight. Otherwise they would not be able to slay a single one of them, much less them all. If the helpless were to stay with the riders and dragons, they would have to be protected within in the heat of battle. In short, the helpless ones would be a distraction and would greatly reduce the chances of victory against the shades.

And yet, Murtagh knew that Nasuada's argument had some logic to it. It was true that if Katrina, Elva, Nasuada and the children left, they would only have two bodyguards. Mathias and Kes'thara, which would of course, leave them all more vulnerable to an elven attack. Murtagh was uncertain whether they would survive or not during their journey eastwards. Though, if everyone was to be ambushed right now, the helpless would be much more easily protected simply because there would be six riders and dragons.

Murtagh's original plan now seemed rather shakey and not necessarily the best course of action. He tried to think up a rebuttal against Nasuada's reasoning, but came up with none. Tightening his face slightly in annoyance, he swallowed his pride and spoke to her.

"Very well. You all will stay until we begin our search, but not a moment more."

"That is all I ask" she said to him with a slight smile, an expression that he found himself instinctively mimicking. He then quickly brought up his face, now looking towards the red ceiling of Thorn's scales.

Thorn!he thought loudly. Immediately the entirety of the crimson scales around them flinched as the dragon awoke. Next came a loud and all too familiar sound to Murtagh, though it made Nasuada jump as she heard it. A sound of Thorn not roaring, but yawning greatly, the exhaustive sound bouncing about the air as diminishing echoes.

Yes small one? he asked Murtagh with a weary thought. I assume you desire to leave the shelter I have provided you?

You assume correctly my brotherMurtagh replied to him gladly. A moment later the wing and collection of scales moved around them. In no time at all an opening between part of Thorn's wing and a bit of one of his legs was revealed to them. Bright sunlight flashed through the opening, momentarily blinding Murtagh, forcing him to squint. Though instead of bringing a hand to his eyes, he cast a spell to reduce the sunlight's intensity. Its effect was immediate; Murtagh blinked his eyes a couple times to make sure the spell worked properly. After finding no ill happenings of the magic, he gave one brief look to Nasuada. She had a hand upon her face, shielding her eyes from the light still, unaware of what it was Murtagh had done.

"It's alright," Murtagh said as he gently cupped her small hand in his, slowly lowering it to her side. Nasuada then opened fully refocused her attention on the opening before them, realizing what it is he had done.

"Thank you" she said softly, but gratefully as she began to walk towards the opening, Murtagh soundlessly following. A fresh and soft breeze met their faces as they walked out of the living crimson dome. Once more Nasuada and he were upon the plains, rolling and flowing in all directions seemingly to infinity. Before them, perhaps a few hundred feet apart from each other lay the four other dragons. All rested as a cat would, their tails and limbs hidden beneath their curled up bodies. Their bellies expanded and shrunk in size regularly as they breathed seemingly in a chorus together. When combined, their breathing sounded similar to slow, relaxed winds that would flow through a dense city. None of the riders or any of the others could be seen; most likely they were all resting underneath the wings or limbs of the dragons. And because he and Nasuada were the only ones awake, Murtagh assumed that the other riders had casted spells to ensure no sounds would disturb their rest. This would explain why the roaring did not wake anyone but himself. Either that or all the riders and helpless were deep sleepers like Nasuada, a possibility he doubted. And because all the new dragons were still sleeping he knew that it was either Firnen or Saphira that had awoken him.

Done thinking of these things, Murtagh took a quick breath as he turned about, eager to speak to Thorn before heading to Eragon and the others. And there he was, magnificent as ever with his flaming ruby scales. Thorn looked upon Murtagh with his massive head, this time not with his usual fierce expression. Now he looked upon Murtagh and Nasuada with a broad smile, no doubt because of the bond Murtagh and she now shared. Though Murtagh could not help but chuckle as he thought of what Thorn did during Eragon's time with Arya.

You didn't watch us last night did you?he asked the red dragon suspiciously.

Why would I need to do that? the dragon affirmed. I could just find out the specifics of the event through your memories. Not that I would want to, for you two were sober and did not speak. Because of this I see no point in knowing the details of your times.

"You are a sick dragon you know that?" Murtagh said with with a laugh, Thorn joining him with mighty chuckles of his own.

In any case, Thorn said to both he and Nasuada now. It is good to see you have both stretced your wings as one.

Nasuada smiled, "You have my thanks Thorn."

Indeed, you two are a right match, I would never think to reject this!With a glad expression, Murtagh pointed a finger at Thorn.

"You had best not tell anyone!"

Of course, your affair is safe with me!

"That best be the case" Murtagh said while shaking his finger, then turned to Nasuada once more. "Let us be off to them then."

There is no need, our friends come to usThorn said while pointing behind Murtagh with his huge nose. At once Murtagh and Nasuada turned to look in the shown direction, only to see Saphira, Eragon and Firnen riding towards them with a great pace. Quickly it seemed their forms grew larger and larger as they approached.

"Strange," Nasuada said. "It seems as if Eragon is alright."

After squinting to see him, Murtagh said in amazement "You are right! He weeps no more and looks like a new man!" With the great speed they flew, it was in no time at all that they were just above Murtagh and Nasuada. Only a few more seconds passed before they descended, landing upon the ground with startling force, forming slight holes in the ground where Saphira and Firnen's feet impacted. As fast as could be Eragon unstrapped out of his saddle and jumped off of Saphira, landing upon the ground with a look of great joy. Yet his face was also red as Thorn and wet as a swimmer, so he knew Eragon had wept recently. Such facts brought great curiosity to Murtagh, Nasuada and Thorn.

With a slight laugh Nasuada said "It is good to see you in such light Kingkiller! What has happened these past hours?"

"And who woke me with their roar?" Murtagh teased the dragons. "I assume it was for good reason no?" Eragon grinned as he and the dragons walked towards them, all with looks of hope outlined upon them.

I'm assuming you have a plan in mind no?Thorn asked them all.

"The plan is the same as before," Eragon said to them. "We will go out, find and kill the shades."

For a moment nothing more was said, long enough for Nasuada to say "Is there anything else we should know?" Still with a look of great joy, Eragon told them his entire plan to restore Arya to the way she was. Murtagh of course was doubtful that such a plan could work; it was ridiculous, too preposterous of an idea. But he loved his brother and did not wish to let him down, especially in these times when morale was most important.

And so with effort Murtagh said "I'm sure it will work brother! Your ideas always seem to do they not?"

"Ah I knew you of all would understand!" Eragon said as he slapped Murtagh's side.

"Well of course, it is possible if you think about it" Murtagh affirmed him as best he could. "Can't see how it wouldn't work!"

Nasuada then said to them in a concerned voice "We should think about these things later. You all need some rest before you can go along with this. We cannot have the leaders of the riders flying into battle exhausted now can we?" she finished in a persuasive voice. It was obvious she was trying to extend the amount of time in which she would stay here by prolonging the mission. Though Murtagh could not help but agree with her again, Eragon, Saphira and Firnen needed to be in top condition if they were to fight against shades. Right when she finished speaking Eragon greatly yawned for perhaps the first time Murtagh had ever seen him do so.

"Very well," Eragon said with a now much sleepier voice than before. "You are right" he finished as his eyes noticeably drooped.

Of course she is,Saphira said drowsily as she got down on her side and curled up. Eragon slowly walked towards her and climbed over her limbs. For a few moments he positioned himself comfortably, then buried himself under the membranes of one of her sapphire wings. Firnen then fell upon his side next to Saphira, gently stretching one of his wings and placing it around her side. For a moment or two they both hummed gently and happily as they placed their huge heads against each others'. Both clearly grateful for the change in Eragon and Firnen's mood, yet probably even more for being together once more.

And as their eyes began to shut, Murtagh could not help but compare his situation to theirs. Again he looked upon Nasuada, then she to him, both once more with wide smiles and bright eyes. Yes their situation was very comparable to the Peacewings and Shadeslayers. Though Murtagh knew they were not nearly as lucky as he and Nasuada were. Briefly, he turned to look at Saphira once more, thinking of his brother underneath.

He may be right after all Thorn said to Murtagh. His plan might work, it sounds possible.

For his sake I pray that you are correct Thorn.Murtagh then felt a soft hand grasp his neck, turn his head and pull it down.

I hope that you are correct.