It was hard for Arlen to keep up with Alaric as they ran down the polished brown stone hallways of the citadel. He assumed Alaric knew where he was going, but he had no way to be sure. They left behind dead or wounded soldiers, though they were not responsible for their hurts. They followed Eragon, who probably had more a hand in their pain than anyone else.

Arlen did not know how he would fight Eragon, but he hoped he wouldn't have to. Hopefully Queen Arya would defeat him or Murtagh or even Alaric before Arlen had to fight him. As much as he wanted to keep Alagaësia safe for his family back home, he did not think that even he could defeat Eragon, what with his magic and superior swordsmanship. He truly believed that if Alaric lost to Eragon, then all he, a man of Cathalorn, would do was become like the men they passed—broken and beaten.

As much as he wanted to give in to fear, he couldn't. Too much was at stake for him to give up now. He had to do this not only for Cathalorn but also for every family who had lost a son or would lose a son because of Eragon's actions today. If he could, he would fight for justice and protect Alagaësia from this menace, but he sincerely hoped he didn't get the chance to and someone else would take the responsibility.

Arlen wondered who he feared more: Eragon or Tyra? While Eragon was one of the most powerful beings in Alagaësia, Tyra actually made him a little more on edge. She knew she was evil, being a Shade and all, and that clarity might give her an edge. He also knew how dangerous Tyra was and experienced it firsthand. Her swordsmanship might have been sloppy, but her mental prowess was not to be underestimated. Eragon could claim all of her strength and more, but it would still seem distant to him as he had never experience them himself. He supposed that on this day he would find out how dangerous Eragon was and had become.

Alaric led him to two massive, grandly made doors that had been burst open by some force—probably magic—and their splinters laid scattered on the ground. Within the shadowy chamber he could see a throne, so he assumed it was the throne room, but no one sat on it. In fact there was no one he could see in that room that matched Queen Nasuada's description. The people inside were, in fact, more powerful than even the High Queen of the Empire. Inside Eragon Kingslayer, Queen Arya, and Murtagh the Traitor stood equally distant from each other with their swords raised to each other.

Arlen followed Alaric's lead and watched from them from the wreckage of the doors. One did not want to become underfoot in a duel such as this with such powerful combatants. For now they would watch and wait.

Eragon spoke, his voice carrying through the room to where Arlen and Alaric watched whether he wanted it to or not. He voice betrayed his anger, and his words betrayed what direction it was in. "I thought you were my friends; my family!"

"As did I, brother," Murtagh replied coolly. "But you have done what I did not think you capable of. You have become the very thing you sought to destroy, that enslaved me and tortured Arya."

"Fool!" Eragon shot back. "I have done what was necessary to maintain the respect we need to protect Alagaësia. Everything was for a reason."

"But as you may have learned, intention and action are two very different things," Arya stated. "Your intentions do not matter when you inflict pain and suffering on a person or persons. The path you have chosen was the wrong one, and your reasons were twisted by Shruikan to suit that path."

Before Arlen could ask Alaric about Shruikan, Eragon yelled, "What I did was necessary!"

"As Galbatorix said as he burned villages and slaughtered families," Murtagh said. "It being necessary does not make it right."

While they may have been trying to talk him down, they were failing miserably at it. Murtagh's last comment prompted a scream of rage from Eragon as he swung his blue sword at the man who legend said was his half-brother. Murtagh blocked and Arya took the opportunity to swing her green blade at Eragon's back. But faster than almost anything Arlen had seen, Eragon disengaged his blue sword from Murtagh's red one and blocked Arya's. And just as Murtagh attempted to strike Eragon's unprotected side, he drew a white blade from a sheath Arlen had not seen and parried the red blade. Eragon disengaged from both of them and stepped back, holding two swords in his hands.

Alaric seemed surprised with Eragon. Arlen looked to the Rider chief who quickly explained his surprise. "That is Islingr, sword of Vrael and Eragon I before him, both of them leaders of the old Order of Dragon Riders." Arlen did not know who these people he spoke of were, but then he said, "And was named Vrangr when Galbatorix wielded it."

As Arlen understood the sword's origins, Eragon used it to attack Murtagh. He lunged the stark white blade at his half-brother, who parried it with his own sword. While Arya tried to take advantage of this, he attempt was blocked by Eragon's blue Brisingr. Then it became too fast for Arlen to make out what they were doing.

The duel became faster and faster, with strikes, parries, blocks, and bashes going by faster than Arlen could really track. How they comprehended such a duel was beyond him as they were just a blue, red, green, and white blur to him with the wielders blending into the shadows of the room. Swords clanged together into such a tempo that even the fastest drummers would be loath to keep up. Their duel was spectacular if difficult to see.

Eventually the three ended their duel with Eragon stepping back and Arya and Murtagh on their knees. They did not seem to be physically wounded, but from the way they held their head he could tell they were under mental attack. The attack did not seem to hinder Eragon though, even though Arlen figured he was the one attacking. Alaric muttered under his breath, "Eldunarya no doubt."

Arlen didn't ask what Alaric meant by that as he was too busy watching Eragon's next move. He marched over to Murtagh and struck him on the head with Islingr's clear pommel. Murtagh collapsed to the ground unconscious and a roar sounded through the room. From the shadows a great red fire came forth towards Eragon. He could see that Thorn was the originator of that fire. With a few words by Eragon that Arlen could not make out, the fire stopped and Thorn collapsed. With a strike of Brisingr's pommel to the back of Arya's head, all of Eragon's opponents were defeated.

All were defeated except Alaric and Arlen. Alaric stepped forth out of the ruins of the doors and marched towards Eragon, drawing his short, red-gold arming sword with his left hand. Eragon scoffed at him. "You think you can defeat me where they could not?"

"I think therefor I do," Alaric replied, and swung his blade down at Eragon's head. Eragon raised Brisingr to defend and lunged with Islingr to attack. Alaric had anticipated that though and batted it away with a clank to his right bracer. He then punched Eragon in the gut once and then another time in his throat, knocking the wind out of him.

Eragon staggered back, and while he tried to speak, no words came out. Alaric stepped towards Eragon and anticipated that he would strike with Islingr. But while the senior Rider did swing Islingr, Alaric did not parry or block the sword. He struck Eragon's hand, slashing it and making him shriek in pain. As Eragon dropped the ancient sword, Alaric said, "So you can speak after all."

Eragon snarled and said, "Punching me with that arm must have hurt. How much pain are you willing to endure for victory?"

"As much as it takes," Alaric replied. He thrusted his blade at Eragon, but Brisingr was longer and struck the Rider chief's left shoulder before the red-gold sword could find its mark. Alaric yelled as the blue blade pierced his flesh. Eragon then kicked him in the stomach, withdrawing Brisingr, and he fell over. He landed with a thud as his sword clanged on the ground some feet from his grasp.

Eragon strode over to Alaric and knelt down next time him, sword ready to plunge into the Rider chief's chest. Arlen wanted to charge him, but his legs wouldn't let him. He tried to convince himself there was nothing to fear, but every argument fell short as Eragon was too powerful. Eragon just said one thing to Alaric while he was on the ground, "Too bad you lost your arm or else you might have been a better fighter."

Alaric laughed and in a pair of quick motions he drew one his daggers from behind his back with his right hand and stabbed Eragon in the shoulder. Eragon yelled and fell back. As he staggered up he drew the dagger out and tried to speak a spell, but nothing happened. Eragon gazed in disbelief at his wound as Alaric managed to get to his feet, another dagger in his hand.

"I dipped these in a special poison just for you," Alaric said. He kept his distance from Eragon, holding the dagger like he was going to throw it. Arlen had forgotten about those. "They take away a person's magic and slowly sap their strength as they slip into unconsciousness. It's a useful tool, though I haven't had much chance to use it. I got it from a mutual friend of ours."

Eragon sneered at Alaric and asked, "Who?"

Alaric grinned and said, "The same one who you should get a refund from on that reading of the future." Arlen didn't know who he spoke of, but decided not to think about it and just watch.

As blood dripped from their wounds, the two men stood with ready arms and stern faces. Alaric threw the dagger at Eragon, who batted it away with Brisingr. Alaric then dashed to his sword and picked it up with his right hand. Eragon leapt to Alaric and battered away at him. He swung and lunged his sword at Alaric many times, and while the Rider chief managed to defend himself against most of them, he was backing up into a wall. While Eragon was getting slower from the poison, he was still faster and stronger than Alaric.

Eragon with a single mighty strike knocked Alaric's sword out of his hand, sending it flying across the room. He then stabbed Alaric in the right shoulder and withdrew it as he screamed. Eragon then bashed him across the face with his pommel and cross guard, knocking him to the ground in a daze. "I'll deal with you later," Eragon said venomously. "I want to know where you got those blades, but it can wait. I have a queen to remove first."

Eragon marched away from the broken Alaric. As soon as he disappeared, Arlen dared to step out. He ran over to Alaric and asked, "Are you alright?"

"No," Alaric groaned. "But you can't do anything for me. Fight Eragon. Make sure he doesn't get to Nasuada. You're our last hope."

Arlen took up the mantle of saving everyone yet again, but this time it was heavier. While Eragon was weakened and without his magic, he still might have retained his mental powers. Besides, he was still an incredible menace that had to be dealt with. While he did not want to go one, there would be no going back if he didn't. He raced after Eragon with only Mor'ranr to give him hope that he might win this bout.