Chapter 44: Arya Encamps with the Varden Army; Two Elves Arrive


Note: While Arya thinks about what she went through with the draumr kópa, she will not react like a human. She will react like an elf. Guilt is something foreign to her, the shame she feels is solidly at the forefront.

CP owns Eragon.


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Arya had told Jórmundur the information she gained by talking with Lagow and Nuala. He just shook his head, then asked how soon the Varden army needed to move so they would be in position for the Empire's troops.

"For now, put the army on alert, but do nothing else," Arya instructed him. "I must consult with Lagow and Luala."

"What about Nasuada?" Jórmundur asked.

"I have already sent word to her assessing the situation," Arya replied. "She will trust me to do what is right." The wind blew the flap of the pavilion, and beyond Arya could see the Varden's army, resting in the afternoon sun. Jórmundur bowed and left.

Arya sighed. She considered why Galbatorix had his army gather near Furnost. Of course, they could attack either way, but surely he would suspect the Varden had spies in Furnost. Galbatorix was not a stupid man, insane though he might be. When Lagow reported a small segment of the Empire's army elite gathered just outside Furnost, at first she had accepted it at face value. However, as she traveled closer and closer to the Varden's army, it no longer seemed right. She could not pinpoint what the answer was, but she knew it did not add up. "I will question Lagow and Nuala as soon as they arrive," Arya thought.

She stood, walked over to the table and crumbled dried nettle leaves into a cup of water. She said, "Boil," and the water did as she commanded. The flap flew back and forth with the breeze, so she set her tea down, walked over to the flap and deftly secured the tent piece on one side. Arya walked back over, picked up her tea, and then walked back to the chair with the ottoman, and deftly placed her feet up.

Now, she could only wait. Her mind went back to the draumr kópa and she mused on the subject. Usually, she would initiate the dream stare, calculating the exact time she needed or wanted to spend in that state. But a dream stare Arya did not commence, plus the reactions she experienced while in the draumr kópa took her completely off guard.

Why, she wondered, would she experience the different people, elf and human alike, blaming her for acting or reacting a certain way, when she could honestly say she did nothing wrong? Arya had the one experience with guilt, and if she were human, perhaps she would feel guilty according to what she saw, but she was an elf. Her mother blaming her for taking the yawë did not make any sense. That much was true, although Arya knew what she did when she accepted the bond of trust. Accepting it had offered her a chance to redeem herself from shame caused when Islanzadí, of her blood, pulled the elves back to Du Weldenvarden after her father was brutally killed at Ilirea.

Perhaps the different people being in the dream stare was because of the overall fact of torture by Durza, which ran as an undercurrent throughout course of the dream stare. "Yes, that must be it!" she exclaimed. First, she saw Fäolin, Glenwing, and ultimately herself, then immediately after she experienced the Raz'acs. She then encountered both Islanzadí, Eragon and Saphira, accusing her of actions, which she knew were right. But if that were true, then would it mean she had not fully dealt with her captivity and torture?

She doubted so, however she must reexamine herself on the matter. Maybe she hadn't dealt with it fully after all. Or perhaps she had dealt with the capture and torture, but not with Islanzadí's reaction. She had accepted Islanzadí's apology, because she had to, but her mother's conduct in retreating to the forest still aggravated her. Arya also could not yet forgive Islanzadí for the seventy years she had to endure banishment from her presence. The wound was still fresh, and Arya could not say how long it would take her to recover, if she ever did.

Arya felt keenly as she always had the sense of shame that drove her to do what she did, knowing that for every gain she made, extraordinary or mundane, for the Varden, the dwarves, the humans and now for the dragons, she took one more step toward overcoming the shame.

The only part of the draumr kópa that made sense was when she experienced what Saphira had. "'Oaths betrayed, souls killed! Blood everywhere. Murderers!'" Arya repeated what Saphira had said, with an accompanying dread that soon overtook everything. "But why did she say 'oaths betrayed"?" Arya questioned, and found she had no answer that would logically lead to those words. "Of course, Saphira is a dragon, not an elf, so there is a possibility she took the sense of evil and spit out what she could as far as being a dragon!" Arya speculated. Whatever the reason, feeling the intense pain associated with the elven spellcasters, she needed above all else, to go and find out what had happened to them!

She drank her tea, even as she pondered the problem she had with the draumr kópa. Arya had become so accustomed to using the dream stare, starting when she first learned how to use magic, and had mastered it by the age of five. Now, because of the problem she was unable to use it, and that left her worn out. It was imperative Arya learned how to control the dream stare! She could not accomplish what was necessary if she could not find a way to control it.

Arya sat up, and putting her cup of tea down, moved the corner of the rug to expose dirt underneath. She bent down and dug a shallow hole, about twelve inches across by four inches deep. "Reisa du adurna," she commanded, and the hole filled up with water. Arya stopped for a few minutes. What if she could not enter the dream stare? Or, worse, what if she had the same experience as before, when it took the actions of three dwarves to pull her out of it?

No, she had to try! Arya slowly said, "Draumr kópa." At first nothing happened, but then slowly the water began to move, turning dark gray. She concentrated on Jeod Longshanks, figuring he would most likely not have protective wards around him. A figure shaded light gray began to appear, Arya pressed onward because she could finally make some progress. Unexpectedly the water swirled faster, the figure disappeared and blackness overcame all gray.

Suddenly, she caught a feedback loop from the dream stare she had just tried to initiate, which bore into the inner part of her mind. Placing both hands on her head, Arya unsuccessfully tried to stop the draumr kópa. She felt caught. All the parts of her mind were on the verge of breaking into small parts, a void that she would not come out of. Arya battled the dream stare for a few minutes, and then focused on seeing her line, emerald green, in the dark space. She saw it in the distance, and focused on the emerald line until it grew and became closer. Now, Arya imagined a fixed entry and exit point where as she moved closer the draumr kópa released its hold on her.

Instantly, Arya was thrust back toward the chair, and barely managed to catch herself on the ottoman. She cursed then and had to release the water back into the ground, and the magic faded away. She pushed the dirt back in place as best she could, and then by a quick kick laid the rug back over where she had dug. She retrieved her cup of tea, which unfortunately cooled off a bit. Arya had no sooner reclined in her chair when a horn went off in the Varden camp.

"Nuala and Lagow," Arya stated as she got up, threw the flap of the pavilion open and walked out to greet the elves. She saw a group congregating and went to it. As she drew near, she could see Lagow and Nuala, who had a falcon on her gloved hand. Jórmundur barked, and the crowd parted to allow Arya access to the elves.

Arya walked up to them, and all three of them put two fingers on their lips. Lagow spoke first. "Atra esterní ono thelduin."

Arya responded, "Mor'ranr lífa unin hjartaonr."

"Un du evarínya ono varda," Lagow gave the expected finish.

Arya started to ask about the falcon, when Trianna butted in. "I am Trianna, of the Du Vrangr Gata. We have many things, which we know, and many, which we do not. But we are servants of the Varden, and look forward to your instructing us in the ancient language." Arya frowned. She had not briefed Lagow or Nuala on the Du Vrangr Gata.

Nuala studied Trianna for a moment. "I believe you are using the ancient language incorrectly," she stated softly. "You should call yourselves 'Du Gata Vrangr'." Trianna's face turned bright red. Internally, Arya laughed. Leave it to Nuala, an expert at Liduen Kvaedhí to point out the fault to her without being judgmental.

"Uh…" Trianna stumbled on her words. Arya caught the look of anger in her eyes, and would have to instruct Nuala and Lagow how to handle the human magicians, giving them a bare minimum, while appearing to work beside them.

"Come, Lagow and Nuala," Arya said. "Join me in my pavilion. We have much to talk about." Nuala bowed and both her and Lagow followed Arya to the pavilion. Arya could hear Trianna complaining to Jórmundur as they went inside. "Atra nosu waíse vardo fra eld hórnya," Arya cast the ward so she could speak freely with the other two elves. "Would you like some tea?" Arya asked. Lagow and Nuala assented.

"We tried to contact you," Nuala said as Arya prepared the tea. "However, we could not. Either you were not there or something untoward was happening."

Arya scowled. "I am having trouble with the draumr kópa," she informed them. "I told you how I broke into Du Weldenvarden?" They both nodded. "That was the price. I do not know if I will ever be able to do something so natural that even a five-year-old elf could do."

"It must irritate you," Lagow said.

"To no end," Arya responded. "I do require any help you might give, but not now. I must hear the report on the status of the other spellcasters."

"We received this falcon just as we crossed into Surda," Nuala stated. "He is a messenger from one of the groups of three spellweavers, who came to us after flying to another group of spellweavers."

"Then you have news," Arya asked anxiously. Perhaps she had been wrong.

"Aye. The first group followed the Empire's army as it fled to Urû'baen," Nuala answered. "A good portion broke off from the rest and went various ways. They were conscripts. The group, led by Arûrand, stayed near the capital to see what Galbatorix would do with his troops, and specifically how and where he would deploy them next. However, Arûrand informed us, by this falcon to the group led by Níthëar, they have yet to go anywhere else. Níthëar sent the falcon to us because we were closer to you. His group followed another elite force, tracking them until it became clear they headed to Dras-Leona. They are following a circuitous route, which will take them near Furnost. From there, they will come into Surda."

"I have spent much of my time reflecting on Galbatorix's army outside Furnost," Arya said. "I think the army is there more as a distraction than to fight. I only say this because the Varden have spies in Furnost. If they were going to attack, then we can assume that our spies would have notified us. So, we should proceed with caution, and send only basic levels of soldiers to the outskirts of Petrovya and to the Surdan land between Cithrí and Lake Tudostem."

"A wise precaution," Lagow attested. "Do you need to get permission from Nasuada?"

"Nay, I do not," Arya responded. "However, I take responsibility for my action."

Nuala stated, "The Varden are wise to have you as the elven ambassador." Arya nodded in consent.

She hesitated for a moment. "Did you hear from the group led by Kílethlí that went to spy on Galbatorix's forces near Melian?" Arya asked, anxiety entering her heart. Lagow flashed a look of concern.

Nuala quietly stated, "Nay, we have not heard from them. We believe they are in trouble. Do you think the Dragon Rider whom is loyal to Galbatorix went after them?"

"We call him the 'Red Rider' because of his ruby dragon," Arya answered. "No, I do not believe he is the one responsible. Eragon said with the help of the elven spellweavers, he could defeat the Rider. However, he could have betrayed them. I mean presented himself as a friend and then turned on them. Saphira said, as part of her reaction, 'Oaths betrayed'. She could mean that."

As soon as the words left her mouth, Arya knew Saphira did not speak of Murtagh and Thorn. No, the danger to the elves was of a different kind. Lagow and Nuala both had looks of concern. Suddenly, a strong wind blew the flap of the pavilion, and it carried a whiff of malevolent evil. Arya's breath caught in her throat. The same terror, which had possessed her in the draumr kópa, now gripped her heart again. Arya could see the effect on Lagow and Nuala.

"I must go!" Arya cried.

"What about the draumr kópa?" Nuala asked.

"There is no time!" Arya answered. "I can break the stare, however, I cannot initiate one. But I must go! I felt the same fear as Saphira did as it concerns the spellweavers. I only hope I am wrong! I must instruct Jórmundur about how he should move parts of the army. Nuala, Trianna reacted negatively to your correction of their use of the ancient language."

"They are using the term wrong," Nuala stated. "If they want to use part of the ancient language, then they should at least use the correct word order." Arya nodded, and thought how Nuala's comment would offend almost any human or dwarf, even though she stated a fact without prejudice, at least as far as elves went.

"However, I can see where the humans would think of the elves as arrogant," Arya mused inwardly. She would not have noticed at any other time before she started spending time with Eragon. Now, she was aware of exactly what made elves seem high-and-mighty, even if they did not intend for it to be that way.

Outwardly, Arya said, "You will find most of the magicians of Du Vrangr Gata lack even a basic understanding of how grammareye works. Trianna, their leader, is not lacking in her understanding. However, she uses magic in a way I am uncomfortable with, and she does not lack ambition. Be careful in what you reveal to them. Remind Trianna you are here to fight with Eragon and Saphira. You also must place at least two of you around Nasuada. I cannot take time now to explain it, but there is a girl named Elva. Eragon blessed her using the word 'skölir' instead of 'sköliro'." Both Lagow and Nuala raised their eyebrows in surprise. "Do not worry, for Saphira marked her with the gedwëy ignasia, and Eragon with the help of Lifaen and Narí, cast a ward that provides a 'counterweight'. Therefore, we have lowered the risk that she would take somebody's place in dying."

Arya saw it would take Lagow and Nuala some time digesting that. "Is she ever going to be free of the curse?" Nuala asked.

"Oromis taught Eragon how to reverse what he spoke over her," Arya answered. "However, Eragon has pledged to rescue his cousin's fiancé from the Raz'ac. Lifaen and Narí will accompany him to Helgrind, for surely Galbatorix has set a trap. But, Eragon cannot reverse what he did, unwittingly to Elva, because she protects Nasuada. The Red Rider killed Hrothgar, and we cannot lose Nasuada now." Lagow and Nuala both understood.

As Arya walked outside to instruct Jórmundur on how to move the Varden's army, the dread that filled her heart almost exploded, and she felt as keenly as Saphira had something was terribly wrong with the elven spellweavers. As she spoke with Jórmundur on how to move parts of the army, she even felt like half of her was someplace else. As she ran out of the camp, and left the Varden army she could feel the maleficent sweeping past on the wind. A thought went through her head, "What if I am not strong enough to fight this baneful evil?"


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