Chapter XXXVII
To Aroughs
Disclaimer: See Chapter One
Dawn came bright and chill, and saw a sight Alagaësia had not witnessed for over a hundred years:
No less than eight dragons soaring in the chill light.
One and all among their passengers,- be they Riders, captains, lieutenants, midwingmen, ground crew, ensigns or cadets,- were clothed warmly against the chill wind whipped up by the dragons' passing.
Out front, leading the other seven flew Saphira.
And on her back Eragon quietly sat in silent embarrassment, cut off from all on his crew but Theresa, who Saphira had allowed magnanimously to ride with Eragon as a favour to Admiral Lenton and Obversaria.
It raised eyebrows among the crews, though they refrained from commenting on it.
Now as the sun rose, Eragon glanced back at Theresa.
She met his gaze evenly, though a little wide-eyed and pale.
With one hand, she placed a finger to her temple, and Eragon touched her mind.
You don't know how much this means to me, not telling the others. She said, though there was an undercurrent of unease to the comment.
Do you feel up to some more advanced flying? Asked Eragon.
He felt her uncertainty as she hesitated.
We won't let you fall Theresa. Assured Saphira encouragingly.
Theresa hesitated a moment more, then:
Okay. She said with conviction.
Hold onto me. Warned Eragon, as Saphira angled herself higher up above the formation.
Eragon passed on to Noelfavrel to relay to the others to keep the same heading as Saphira continued to ascend.
Ready? Asked Eragon.
As ready as I'll ever be. Replied Theresa grimly, and her grip around Eragon's waist tightened.
Without further ado, Saphira rolled right over, before going into a steep dive.
Breathe. Eragon told Theresa, feeling the giddy exhilaration he always did when he and Saphira did this. Don't go for anything too fancy Saphira, we do have an impressionable audience here as well. Eragon reminded, though he got no response. She was too intent on the rapidly approaching ground.
A moment later, and a bare hundred feet from the ground, Saphira snapped open her wings, and suddenly they were spiralling back into the lead of the formation.
That was… Theresa trailed off as she tried to put her feelings into words.
Eragon could feel she was as exhilarated by the experience as he was.
Tomorrow maybe, or the day after, would you care to ride Saphira on your own if she'll let you? Asked Eragon, and felt Theresa's startlement.
You'd do that for me? She said in awe.
One way or the other you'll end up the captain of a dragon Theresa. Saphira admonished. And what sort of captain would fear heights and flying with a dragon? This is as much to help you as it is a favour to your father. She added.
That night, they made camp by the Jiet river.
After posting a watch, the crew disposed themselves for the night to those chores necessary.
Eragon found himself cleaning and polishing his pistols by Saphira as she dozed when Gideon deposited himself beside Eragon, looking preoccupied.
'Something on your mind?' Asked Eragon.
Gideon was silent for a while as Eragon continued cleaning the pistols.
'Sorry about the other day.' He said at last.
'You've nothing to apologise for, I believe you when you say that you only meant to play a joke on Murray.' Eragon admonished.
Gideon sighed, though it didn't sound to Eragon like one of relief.
'Anything else you wish to say?' Eragon asked.
'Not really.' Gideon replied uncommunicatively.
They were quiet a few moments more before Eragon discerned what was on Gideon's mind.
'You're mulling over the unlikelihood of your ever getting a dragon of your own.' Eragon stated.
Gideon shrugged noncommittally.
'One of the reasons I kept Levitas company at Loch Laggan, I could pretend I had a dragon to care for, and I could let him know that there're actually people who do care about him.' He admitted.
Eragon couldn't help but smile dryly.
'Any aviator from your world, with the possible exception of Jack, would try and have you thrown out of the Corp for that.' He observed.
'But you won't,' stated Gideon with complete certainty.
'No, I won't.' Eragon admitted. 'And I did mean what I said about seeing to it that everyone on mine and Saphira's crew end up Captains in their own right.'
Gideon nodded.
'Will we be expected to fight?' Asked Gideon, oddly, sounding not in the least apprehensive about the possibility.
'Jörmundur is a good man, I think he'll appreciate that not everyone who comes with this formation comes to fight, though I doubt he'd stop you if you wanted to.' Replied Eragon.
Gideon nodded, and stood to leave.
'And Gideon,' Eragon said firmly, causing the younger man to turn. 'If you do wish to fight, stick close to Noelfavrel or one of the others; Lone wolf stuff would just get you surrounded and killed, and I don't want to be having to replace you.'
'Yes sir.' Gideon replied, snapping a casual salute.
The next day proceeded almost exactly like the previous day, until early afternoon when the formation found themselves flying over a bog.
I see the city, another few hours flight southwest. Saphira said, angling towards the small irregular blur of the city Eragon could just see on the horizon.
The sun was setting when the formation found themselves making a final approach to the Varden's camp, which hemmed the city in on three sides, while the fourth was open to the sea, in which fishing boats were visible, in complete contrast and defiance of the besieging Varden.
Upon seeing the city, Saphira stopped and hovered in place, bugling a resounding challenge for the dwellers of the city to hear, a call that Galzra, Jinx, Rosarias, Victoriatus, Mortarius, Vindexia and Noctus answered, bellowing their own clarion calls.
Dimly, Eragon could hear a cheer from the mass of tents ringing the city.
Eragon? Asked one of the elves, who Eragon recognised as Blödhgarm.
Aye. Eragon replied. The formation the British promised us has come as well, to gain some experience in the brand of war we fight. He added.
At last, some good news. Blödhgarm replied, with something approaching relief. A wing of these Frank dragons arrived last week, and it's all we've been able to do to keep them from using those bombs on us at their leisure.
How many in this wing? Asked Saphira.
We've counted five: One as big as the lead of this formation of Nasuada's, two roughly your size and two roughly the size of the small purple one flying abreast with you. Blödhgarm replied after a moment.
That will not be an obstacle. Saphira promised with complete certainty.
Further need for telepathy was removed as Saphira and the rest of the formation swept down to a cleared field just outside the encampment's rear defences.
They didn't have to wait long for Jörmundur to appear, along with Blödhgarm and the five elves who'd accompanied him.
One and all they looked tired and worn.
'You've got a good sense of timing Eragon,' said Jörmundur with a tired smile. 'We're getting desperately low on supplies, and we've had to abandon the siege equipment we were using to keep those fishing boats in port, not to mention that those Frank dragons have been terrorising us night and day for the past week.'
'You forgot that winter is nearly here,' commented Eragon, stepping forward and clasping forearms with Jörmundur. 'So Nasuada sent me along to help break the siege, Captain Scandland's formation also came along to gain some experience in our methods of warfare for when they enter into this war officially.'
As Eragon said this, Captain Clark and Scandland approached.
Jörmundur made no comment on Scandland, though he gave the two of them an interested appraisal.
'Which of you two would be Scandland?' He asked.
'That would be me,' Scandland said, stepping forward. 'Captain Gloria Scandland, on Rosarias,' indicating the dragoness in question, who dipped her head politely, before snaking her head forward to regard Jörmundur curiously.
Jörmundur, for his part looked away from the wide-eyed stare, but didn't recoil.
'Rosarias, give the man some breathing room, we won't be here long, but we'll be seeing our share of him,' said Scandland with stern affection.
Rosarias backed away a little, reproachfully, before regarding Jörmundur once again.
'A pleasure to meet you sir,' she said, startling him, before withdrawing her head again to rear back on her haunches to try and take a better look at Aroughs.
'They speak?' Asked Jörmundur in clear startlement.
'Yes, our dragons do speak vocally sir,' said Clark, 'Captain Richard Clark, on Victoriatus, at your service sir, I'm currently in command of this formation until Captain Scandland is ready to take on the role.'
'You're all very welcome, with your arrival, I think we just might be able to breach their thrice damned defences at last, come, I'll lead you to where your dragons may rest, Nasuada contacted us but we weren't properly expecting you all until sometime tomorrow, so it might be a little tight…' With this Jörmundur set off at a brisk pace into the camp.
Obviously a thoroughfare had been prepared, because there was enough room for Rosarias, the largest of the formation to walk without knocking anything over, though the stray piece of clothing suggested this had been done in a hurry.
After a few minutes walk they arrived in a large clearing in the tent-city, screened from the city by a large tor, with a copse of trees at the summit and down the sides.
Five minutes of confusion later and the dragons were unpacked and out of harness, and it was obvious that it'd be a rather cramped night.
'Sorry for the tight squeeze,' Jörmundur said afterward.
'Nothin' to apologise for, any camp back in our world, we'd be set up a mile off with nothin' but hard tack to chew on and malnourished stock for our dragons,' said Jack.
Introductions proceeded, though it was to the startlement of Jörmundur and the elves to see Noelfavrel as Galzra's rider.
After the camp was set up, Blödhgarm lead Eragon, Noelfavrel, the Captains and the dragons to Jörmundur's command post; it had been a pavilion, until the arrival of the formation.
'Is it just me, or is he being a little oversolicitous towards us?' Asked Jinx in the dragon-equivalent of a conspiratorial whisper.
Blödhgarm chuckled heartily.
'I think he might be a little bit intimidated,' he said, 'either that, or he's trying to make a good impression on you all as to our hospitality.'
'He could've given us a barren, poky little hole in the ground a quarter of the size of what he's given us, on the front lines and painted a bullseye there, and we'd still have had worse lodgings.' Clark said. 'No, short of a covert I've not had better accommodation in the field, and in some instances what your commander has given us beats a covert.'
'You'd do well to remember that neither I, nor the elves under my command are under Jörmundur's command; we aid the Varden, but we answer only to Eragon and Queen Islanzadì. In that order.' Blödhgarm replied briskly.
'We can't delay our final assault.' Jörmundur said after the meeting had gotten past the logistics of feeding eight dragons, six of which were still growing, and had apatites to match.
'I think it best if we,-'Clark motioned to himself, Jack, Scandland, Grimmer, Sturn and Macintyre,- 'dealt with the enemy formation, that will leave Galzra and Saphira to deal with the troops on the ground and support your assault.'
'That won't be necessary.' Blödhgarm said, 'I and my spell casters will relax our watch tonight, and when they begin their assault you can take them by surprise; if you either wound them enough that they'll be forced to retreat, or force them to land so we can capture them, you and your crews can support the assault directly.'
This was followed by silence.
'Rosy and I can take out the defenders on the walls…' Scandland said at last.
'Same with Victoriatus and I.' Clark said.
'If you can take a square or two quickly, Mort and I can ferry troops around the city, but we won't be able to do much else, the streets are too cramped for us to land anywhere else.' Sturn said thoughtfully. 'And Mac and Vindexia can help there too.' He added.
Jack grinned in anticipation, and elbowed Grimmer in the ribs.
'The fighting is all ours then, Jinx and Noctus can fit on the streets easy.'
'Each to his own,' Jörmundur broke in, 'but what about your crews?' He asked.
'Ours can stay with us,' said Clark briskly, motioning once more to him and Scandland. 'Rosarias and Victoriatus are too big to land in the city comfortably at any rate, not without destroying a few buildings.'
'My boy's 'll stay with Jinx 'n' I,' Jack said breezily, 'we'll fly 'round and make nuisances of ourselves.'
Sturn shrugged.
'It isn't exactly cramped on Mort's back so there shouldn't be a problem with keeping my crew on, and thus Mac shouldn't have any trouble either.' He said, shooting Macintyre a dirty look when the man went to protest.
'Mine and Saphira's crew will disperse among the crews of the others; Saphira has made quite clear we're fighting as shur'tugal in this one.' Eragon said. 'And Noelfavrel, if Gideon decides to fight, he'll be with you and Galzra, as much so he can look out for you, as you can make sure he doesn't get himself killed.'
Noelfavrel nodded in acknowledgement.
'After this is over, we can either march back to the Varden, leaving just enough of our troops to keep the city in order, or we can leave some of the troops and use the Charm of Crossing to bring our men through to England, and from there straight to Fienster and save the march.' He said.
Eragon looked at the young man in approval.
'That hadn't even occurred to me, an excellent idea.' He replied.
Noelfavrel beamed with pleasure at the complement.
'Some of Du Vrangr Gata's mages must remain with our garrison here at any rate, so we they can even perform the charm, a neat solution.' Admitted Jörmundur.
'Alright, we'd best go get set then; Lord knows we won't have much time to prepare.' Scandland said, already standing.
*Phew...*
This was a hard chapter to write, and I'm sure you can guess why.
Alternate storyline, no framework in the IC to work on ,(yet) and more OCs than you can shake a stick at.
Hence, the long wait.
Actually, considering how much the Temeraire storyline is going to change, I think it might be better if I go back to updating when I finish a chapter instead of the once-a-week thing I was doing.
Plus, end-of-year exams this term, so I'll have a heap of homework.
Rest assured though, I'll (try) and get back to once-a-week as fast as possible when I canonically get to ToJ.
I'll also note that although Inheritance will undoubtedly influence this fic to some extent, I'm not going to go back and alter it to suit that storyline.
However, I've got a funny feeling I'll end up doing some stuff regardless. (The Vault of Souls for instance...whatever it actually turns out to be...)
Anyway, Acknowledgement time:
For Favourite Authoring: Forsaken By All.
For Story Alerting: Forsaken By All, YoukinaAmonYoukai.
For the Favourite Author add: Forsaken By All.
And finally, for Reviewing: Forsaken By All, Hideout Writer, JAtkins, Twitchel.
Thank you one and all!
'til next time, (may that time come soon...)
No One-liners.