DISCLAIMER: The only thing I own is my imagination.
The library's brown door opened before Eragon could knock.
Magister Cognitios stood behind, bent slightly forward wearing robes of deepest black and his usual amiable smile. The student bowed deeply murmuring a greeting and the duo moved inside towards the private study cabins with companionable silence.
The library looked the same as always, imposing. Shelves ran along on both sides, stretching across the entire length of the wall and reaching towards the ceiling, the books were lined neatly with their spines facing out and the marble floor barely made no sound as they walked upon it. The library had several sections but the bones of its architecture remained the same, white marble floor contrasted with brown shelves and desks and light provided by ceiling lanterns or man sized glass windows.
Once seated in the warm cabin with a round mahogany desk in between the two, Magister Cognitios chuckled softly, "So you finally decided to match my hair." indicating at his own winter white head. Eragon smiled grimly at his teacher, his hands calmly placed upon his lap with his calloused palms facing down.
Looking carefully at his teacher's lined face, the wrinkles were even more prominent in the warm orange glow of the lantern, Eragon spoke slowly holding the wise man's gaze "Fate's hand."
The usually bright eyes turned morose, "Perhaps. Perhaps not."
Rubbing his frail hands together Magister Cognitios spoke "Since you have come looking for me child, I will not hesitate to impart you today's lesson as well. Fate is like the strange, unpopular bar filled with odd little waiters who bring you things you never asked for and don't always like. But as any polite customer would, we can do nothing but accept them."
Eragon nodded solemnly "I know what you speak of Master, but why must I endure everything fate throws at me?"
"Because my child, no one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path."
"Because my child, you spin your own yarn of fate and you solely are responsible for where it takes you."
Eragon blinked before hesitatingly speaking "That doesn't make any sense, Master."
Magister Cognitios chuckled, "Of course it doesn't you fool. Fate, Destiny, What is written in the Stars, God's will, Meant to be. All these are what wise men fear above all. For the wise men know not if these exist."
He breathed in deeply "Maybe you were an instrument of fate meant to do away with those men. Maybe those men were instruments of fate meant to transform you. Maybe it was fate that Helen touched her dragon's egg. Maybe it was fate that we met.
Or perhaps it was just The King's doing. Perhaps Helen's own heart was responsible for Saphira to break her egg. Perhaps those men died and you chose to see their deaths as your fault. Perhaps it was just your will that made you kill those men."
The teacher let silence prevail for a moment, letting his pupil absorb what all had been said. "Does fate exist? Alas, I do not know Eragon. But your choices and yours only, lead you to your final destination."
Smilingly, Magister Cognitios gripped his favorite albeit confused student's arm. "All will be well Eragon; you have started to see the world for what it is."
With a wink, the old man moved out of the cabin into the sunlight.
Eragon was just leaving Helen's room after having talked to her for over an hour, the blonde girl had chatted merrily about everything under the sun quite oblivious to her brother's hidden melancholy.
As he stepped out and was closing the door behind him, the room next to Helen's opened silently and out stepped the neighbor, Arya. Not in the right mood to talk or engage in complex pleasantries of the elves, Eragon merely bowed in her direction and turned to walk away from the gallery.
"Eragon." her accented voice carried over the corridor, making his deceitful feet turn towards her before he could even come to a halt.
"Atra esternà ono thelduin." May good fortune rule over you. He recited mechanically not bothering to establish eye contact.
"Atra du evarÃnya ono varda." May the stars watch over you. Came the reply.
"Mor'ranr lifa unin hjarta onr." May peace live in your heart. He finished.
The elf spoke immediately "Come walk with me."
Taken aback by the abruptness of it all Eragon stood dumb, his vast intellect unable to process the elf's mercurial change in behavior. Was everything well? Arya walked past leaving him no choice but to snap out of his revery and follow in her wake as she led him to an archway of sorts designed with beautiful metalwork. Some green ceramic vines dotted with red berries grew around the arch, from which hung a wooden inscription-
'Among my friends of root and wand, amid each green leaf and delicate petal, there are the dancing birds and the squirrels that dart. It is as if the song, the scurries and the subtle movements of flora are their voice, the song of the garden is for those who listen with more than their ears.'
"How are you feeling?" she asked as they leisurely walked on a path made of smooth white stones. These were the gardens just below his room and were surprisingly empty at high noon.
Eragon looked at his companion out of the corner of his eye wondering what had caused this quantum leap in her nature. Elves were remembered as the most sophisticated of species in all of Alagaesia, taking years and sometimes even decades of dancing around to finally say what was going on inside their multi-faceted brains. Arya mostly stuck to that notion. Hearing a personal enquiry leave her mouth bordered on nigh impossible but the kind of bluntness she displayed today rivaled that of Lord Barst's himself.
Secretly worried this could be a repeat performance of that scandalous night he replied,
"Not well. The world refuses to reveal its workings to me and recent incidents have left me even more befuddled than before." He hesitated, his Adam's apple bobbing visibly "I have bathed in blood just for the sake of pride and now I have earned nothing but a gaping hole in my soul which can not be filled by my guilt alone." He was looking down at his feet; his white hair in full show, falling over his eyes.
Eragon was an excellent liar. Having had so many lessons with King and Magister Cognitios had taught him several things needed to be skilled at deceit. It was just stage acting and mental fortitude combined, and he was particularly gifted at these. It wasn't the most virtuous of skill but was helpful nonetheless and had served to make him escape unpleasant questions prying into business that wasn't theirs.
"You don't need to lie to me" Arya said matter-of-factly making Eragon break his stride, stopping him comically. "You can merely ignore the question if you don't want to answer it but do not tell me things which you assume will appease me."
The boy took in a long breath, held it for a moment and then released it slowly. So she was in complete control of her senses " My apologies, Arya. I feel better now. At first I was disoriented but now I have come to terms with it." His short, truthful reply came.
Arya simply nodded.
After they had walked for a quarter of an hour in utter silence, Eragon's hands fidgeted uncomfortably "Is there anything else you wished to talk about?"
The she-elf gave him a long glance "What did the king have to say about this?" gesturing towards his hair.
Eragon shrugged nonchalantly and Arya nodded her understanding. She looked up at the sun, stopped and stated she had some premade appointments before walking off briskly, her straight hair moving side to side hypnotically.
The day passed surprisingly quickly and before he knew it Eragon was fast asleep.
The next morning he woke up early, and had just finished bathing when someone knocked at his door. Hastily shouting "Wait then" he padded furiously at himself with a towel before quickly wearing a loose fitting tunic and grey dyed pants. A messenger boy waited for him on the other side, handing him a folded letter; the boy bowed low and Eragon waved him away, closing the door quickly behind his back.
It was a letter from Lord Barst, there was no lesson scheduled for today and he was free to do whatever he wished to. Putting the letter underneath a heavy book place atop his polished desk, Eragon decided to go outside the castle and wander the streets of Urubaen. It had been a while since he had roamed the streets aimlessly and wished to relive the bittersweet memories of his childhood.
And so he walked along the streets, treading their entire lengths; looking for some remnant of his earlier days. Wagons and farmers' carts vied for space on the cobbled streets. Ambitious beggars were laying claim to the busiest corners of the market while shopkeepers hung out their shingles and threw wide their shutters. Eragon counted some 7 inns open for business and at least double the number of shops on a single street,
He rode through the streets of the city
Down from his hill on high
O' er the winds and the steps and the cobble
He rode to woman's sigh
His ears picked up the voice over idle chatter, moving briskly he turned a corner and came upon a ragged bard. The man's clothes at one time had been richly dyed but now were leeched of color and threadbare, hanging on his bony frame. He wore no boots and sported thick soles, the kind which develop from walking miles and miles on the roughest of land,
For she was his secret treasure
She was his shame and his bliss
And a chain and a keep are nothing
Compared to a woman's kiss
Only now did Eragon notice the lute which accompanied the man's voice. His tone was deep and sonorous while that of his lute was flitting and melodious. He sat upon some wooden crates singing a song of sorrow and heavy heart. He noticed me staring and sang louder allowing his voice to drift on the wind. I walked to him pulled by an invisible string of symphony that drifted from his lips.
For hands of gold are always cold
But a woman's hands are warm
For hands of gold are always cold
But a woman's hands are warm
And there he stood with sword in hand
The last of Darry's ten
And red the grass beneath his feet
And red his banners bright
And red the glow of setting sun
That bathed him in its light
Come on, come on the great lord called
My sword is hungry still
And with a cry of savage rage
They swarmed across the rill
And with a cry of savage rage
They swarmed across the rill
Eragon stood there transfixed, his eyes unblinkingly staring at the lute, the only audience of this bard.
He rode through the streets of the city
Down from his hill on high
O' er the winds and the steps and the cobble
He rode to woman's sigh
For she was his secret treasure
She was his shame and his bliss
And a chain and a keep are nothing
Compared to a woman's kiss
For hands of gold are always cold
But a woman's hands are warm
For hands of gold are always cold
But a woman's hands are warm
For hands of gold are always cold
But a woman's hands are warm
For hands of gold are always cold
But a woman's hands are warm
Eragon wiped a lone tear as the bard strummed the ending; the lute's last chord reverberating deep in his chest. The song had been irresistibly sweet, yet misery and grief was laced in the words. The melody purred to the soul, piercing through and engulfing his entire being from within.
Tossing a silver coin at the bard he walked ahead, the morning breeze playing with his hair and the music playing with his heart.
A/N: Hi you lovely people. Here's another chapter with a bit more advance in plot :)
Answer to your reviews:
Totem-Mimikyu: When I saw this was updated... Oh no oy. I surprise to be sure, but a welcome one. Loved it. Looking forward to more!
hahaha glad i could pleasantly surprise you. Keep reading!
PhantomLemur3: Love the story. Can't wait to see how it develops.
thanks a lot. Do review this chapter xD
Runereader of the Nightwings: Very glad the story continues! And the battle scene was very very well done! Great job!
Thank you so much! It was my first and it took several attempts before I found the current one bearable. Do keep reading this story
Rogue-eL: I love the fight it was most interesting. Hope you update soon.
thanks for reviewing :) Here's the new chapter. Hope you liked it
D4ni3l: I really liked your new chapter. At first I didn't liked the fightscene because I thought eragon was unnecessarily overpowered, but the writing was OK. In the end I liked the chapter because you portrait eragon as a actual human and I think not many fanfictions go this path. I'm thrilled to see how the relationship between eragon and Arya develops.
Hi! Thanks for your lovely review. Eragon being overpowered is essential for this story's plot. I am glad you liked my characterization of Eragon, do let me know where and how I can improve my writing xD
Oracle of Hylia: Woah, that was awesome in a scary way. Eragon is a total savage. I could almost hear the epic battle music playing. It makes sense that he would have an internal struggle after killing those people, he has a strong conscience. Wonder what Helen and Arya will think of his change.
hahaha glad you liked it. Yeah he is meant to show some growth in the upcoming chapters. Please continue reading this story!
Guest: Badass that is all I need to say.
But really this AU is one of my favs
thanks! Glad my AU has got your attention
Hyperion26: Amazing, I love the fanfiction, this is by far one of my more favorite ones.
thank you so much. It really means a lot!
HI: This was AMAZING!
U need to write another one.
Well here it is ;p
Guest: Love the chapter, hope you update soon!
Here's the update!
Guest: Liking the story so far! But i hope the white hair doesn't stick forever
not to your liking?
Isdrin The Wanderer: Please continue this story! It has, among others, inspired me to write a fanfiction myself.
Wow thanks! Best of luck for your fanfic, I will try to give it a read :)
Eclipse607: It is a really good battle scene, one of the better ones I have read. I really like how you portrayed Eragon, with a sudden realization of ... remorse? So much fun to read. I checked this bookmark by accident and was so surprised to find an update. Amazing work!
Thanks! hahaha happy you did. do keep coming back for more!
Yourbiggestfan: I WANT MORE PLEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSE seriously u have a great story started don't abandon it I have read lots of fanfictions that had a great start but we're abandoned half way through don't do that or I hate u
I'll try not to hahaha I try to get a new chapter out as soon as I get a break from my usual schedule. Thanks for reading!
Guys do keep reviewing the story, it really motivates me as a writer. I love nothing more than to read your reviews! If you can please do share this FanFic with your friends.
Until next time!
The song is from GoT called "HANDS OF GOLD"
