Chapter 52 – Wyrda!
Arya and Elva sneaked through the trees of Du Weldenvarden unnoticed. On two occasions they were spotted by the guards. One of them, sympathetic to Arya's ruling, pretended he did not see them, the other… Well, Arya would simply say she was happy that Elva was on her side.
The division of opinions they experienced even before their arrival in Ellesméra was a good indicator of what they would face next.
"I'm glad you're here," Arya whispered after Elva left the guard astounded by the things she said in his ear, painful things, maddening things.
Eragon and the dragons had another difficult task. They were set to make their way to the Crags of Tel'naeír. The magical barriers protecting Du Weldenvarden wouldn't be a problem to the trio, since they were long time friends of the forest, and Arya supposed that her enemies wouldn't be strong enough to change that. She hoped. The challenge was to fly unnoticed. She knew Eragon and Saphira had crossed the Empire in times of war, so she was confident they would make it in safety.
Elva passed her hand in front of the guard's eyes to see if he would react to the outside world anytime soon and moved forward without acknowledging what Arya had said. They were only a mile away from Ellesméra, and the trees already seemed sparser than before, and a few habitations could be seen on the trees. Arya pulled her hood closer to her face and advanced with caution. It was late at the night, but she could not trust the darkness to hide her from the elven eyesight.
The days they had spent flying to Du Weldenvarden were anything but calm. She had to deal with her heartbreak and the betrayal of her closest advisor. After Däthedr's disappearance, she was ready to move forward, but Eragon stood right in front of her when she meant to mount on Fírnen's saddle to tell her that he would go after him if she wished. He would search through the entire Alagaësia if needed, just to bring him to justice. Arya dismissed his proposition. No, we have more important things to do, she said. In her mind, the words of Angela's prophecy challenged her to change fate, but she didn't. Her traitor would never be judged and punished. She was starting to believe that.
Passing all the magical barriers was easy for Arya, for no one knew them like she did, being some of them her own creation. Soon, they were inside the city limits of Ellesméra, treading carefully in the direction of the old smith's house, the place where she knew Vanir would seek refuge.
Arya knew that, very often, Rhunön would keep her opinion private, but right then she wished the smith would say something that would shed a light on her endeavor.
The old elf was sitting in the dark outside her workshop on a metal armchair. It was late at night when they arrived. The foliage of the nearby tree partially covered her face, but Arya could see her inspecting eyes. Without a word, she rose from her chair and got inside. Arya and Elva followed.
Inside the house, Arya watched as Rhunön lit the candles she had on the kitchen counter and the side tables with a quick hand motion. She went to the windows to close the curtains and give the guests their privacy.
"Rhunön-Elda, thank you for your assistance."
The smith sat on a stool by the fireplace and poked the logs to revive the flames.
"Did I have any choice? That annoying bird of yours kept pecking on my windows day and night, telling riddles after riddles. I had to get him inside."
"Blagden? He's here?" Arya removed her hood and sat on the couch. The warmth from the fire was very much welcome. Elva kept her distance, watching the outside through the kitchen window.
"Not now. He left with the boy you sent about an hour ago. They go out every night. The boy says they've been scouting, as you ordered."
"What have they found out until now?"
Rhunön scoffed.
"I do not ask, your majesty. I feed the bird and the boy and give them a roof to lie under. The rest is none of my business."
Arya accepted her answer and remained in silence for the next minutes. It was hard to be way from Fírnen, she felt vulnerable without him, but she understood he could not follow her there. Instead, he stayed hidden in the crags, where she hoped he would stay away from the inhabitants, only waiting for the right moment to come and fight if necessary.
"Rhunön-Elda, may I ask you something while we wait?"
She grunted a permission, so Arya moved to the edge of the couch to stare at her.
"Why?"
Arya's voice was so filled with emotion that it caught Elva's attention, who came a few steps closer to stand with her arms crossed leaning against a pillar. Arya did not know how much of the Ancient Language Elva could understand, but she suspected it was enough for her to follow the conversation without great problems.
Rhunön breathed heavily.
"You must not take it personally," she said without looking back at Arya. But then she made a hand gesture to erase her words. "Forget that. You should take it personally. The coup is in motion for centuries, ever since our people became friendly with humans and the other races." She stood up and went to the kitchen to make them supper.
"I remember," she continued, "many years ago, before you were even an idea, your father had just become king, there was this chattering about how the chance of taking the power had come. They thought your father could be easily manipulated, and in a way he was. He was not one to shy away from a conflict, always standing for what he believed, which was seen as an opportunity to move the pieces on the board by those who wished to rise to power."
"What do you mean? Was he manipulated?"
"You all were!" Rhunön said and laughed in a raspy sound. "Your mother at least knew she was in the hands of vultures. You and your father are so much alike, I wonder how it would be if you had spent more time with him. If you want to know, I think you were foolish to take the crown. But I suppose it's a family burden for you all to carry."
Talking about her parents was as painful as always, but knowing they had been pawns in the same game she saw herself losing was almost too much.
"What did they do to him?"
"The same they did to Islanzadí. They took his intensity and instigated him to enter conflicts in the hopes he would start a bigger war. One that would force the elves to take the power and rule on all the other creatures. It was without success, as you know. He died and then we were too weak to march to the gates of Urû'baen and fight the mad king as your mother would have done. So, they manipulated Islanzadí to make her stay hidden in the forest until our people were strong enough to fight. They didn't want revenge like her, they wanted power. That's why they waited."
That last part Arya already knew, but it surprised her anyway to think that there was so much of her own people's politics she did not know.
"Who are they, Rhunön-Elda? Who am I fighting against?"
Again, the old smith gave a mocking laugh. "You sit at a table alongside them almost every day and you still have to ask?"
"My council, I know that. But who? All of them?"
Rhunön shrugged. "Does it matter?" She poured the tea in three cups and dragged two of them to Arya and Elva, then went to slice some carrots. Arya grabbed hers, but Elva did not move from the pillar she leaned on.
"It does matter. I need to put names and faces to my enemies. I know Däthedr and Niduen are two of them."
"That I do not know. Maybe the boy brings you this sort of information. But there's one thing I know and I want you to listen very carefully, your majesty." Arya stepped closer to her. "I might not know who your enemy is, but I know who is not: your people." She raised a finger to Arya and said the words very slowly, "Rule to the common people and you will rule forever. Rule to interests of a few and you shall see doom. And remember this: not all adversaries are your enemies and not all allies are your friends. I guess the last part you are discovering for yourself."
Arya was already seeing doom, but something in the smith's words made her hopeful that all was not lost. She remembered the prophecy told by Angela once more and how Arya was set to be bound by the interests of others and that commitment was the only way to live. She had already committed to life beside Eragon in the future – even if that seemed like a dream now –, and her duty as a Rider was all about commitment. But her role as queen asked more of her every day, making her hostage of a war she did not agree with, the desire for power of a few lords and ladies, and the demands of an ancient society. It seemed that the more she committed more she lost her true self, something she had always found impossible to happen. How could the prophecy be true?
"I will take your words as my north, Rhunön-Elda." The old elf bent her head but silenced.
Elva opened her mouth to speak but closed it again. Then she tried once more, measuring her words, testing her fluency in the Ancient Language.
"So… The coup… was motivated by the wish of ruling upon all the other races?"
Rhunön looked at Elva as she was seeing her for the first time. She inspected the Gedwëy Ignasia Elva had on her forehead with a lot of interest.
"Yes."
"Why do they use Arya's relationship with Eragon as a reason for it?"
The old smith shrugged.
"They cannot say that the reason is their hate toward other races, can they? How they would get the support they need?"
Elva stepped closer to the smith, as trying to read her, and Arya feared she would do just that.
"What support?"
Arya could see the discomfort in Rhunön's stance.
"Someone powerful would be my guess. And you can stop your attempt of manipulating my emotions, child. I know everything about the likes of you, I'm shielded."
By the frustration in Elva's features, Arya suspected that Rhunön really was shielded, but what she meant with the likes of you she didn't know. Elva had always been considered to be unique.
Not long after that, Vanir entered followed by Blagden, that flew around the room twice before taking his place on Arya's shoulder. The white raven refused to leave Ellesméra ever since the first Games in Mount Arngor, but Arya was happy to see that his fidelity was still hers.
"Your majesty! May good fortune rule over you." He greeted her. "It's good to see you safe and well. I bring news."
Arya sat to listen to the news he brought, but Rhunön kept her distance, distracted by her cooking, not wanting to actively participate in the meeting. Vanir told Arya that after what was left of her army came back to Du Weldenvarden, the word of the coup started to spread. The people took the streets of Ellesméra, coming from all over the forest. They camped outside the Tialdarí Hall, claiming that they would only leave when their rightful queen sat on her throne again. The problem was that another portion of the people sided with her opposition, scared that their queen was just a subordinated of the Head Rider, a human, and easily manipulated. At that part, she traded looks with Elva, who shook her head and went to sit by the fire. If they only knew…
Eragon's sacrifice seemed justified now.
Vanir told that it was not unusual to see conflict breaking at least twice a day in front of the Hall. Several people had been injured and killed since the coup.
At that point, Arya did not know who was the one occupying her throne in her absence.
"Niduen?" She asked with fear in her heart.
Vanir shook his head and to her relief, he said, "Lord Falael." Arya let go of the air she had been holding. It would be easier to watch his head rolling down the steps to the throne room. "Niduen isn't seen since the night of the invasion."
"How about Dusan?" Elva asked. "If Falael was released, then Dusan might know something about it since he was working for him."
Arya looked at Vanir, "Do you know anything about it?"
He shook his head. "I do not, but I have seen Alanna walking in the crowd among your supporters. She even started one of the fights I mentioned. I should visit her."
It seemed promising, so Arya agreed, but she wanted to do it herself.
"In the morning, Elva and I will go see Alanna and Dusan, if he's still there. You will go to the Crags of Tel'naeír. Eragon, Saphira, and Fírnen are supposed to be there. Go see if they arrived in safety. Bring me news here at sunset."
In her corner, Rhunön clicked her tongue in dissatisfaction.
"You must know there is probably a trap waiting for you somewhere in this forest."
"The Tialdarí Hall is mine, I will never abandon it, and the fact that a stranger is occupying my ancestral home is at least disturbing, Rhunön-Elda. I must go, even if I fall into a trap."
The old elf raised her shoulders in surrender and silenced.
Arya still had time to rest for the night before confronting her opposition, so she lay down on the bed Rhunön offered her, thinking of how disconnected she felt without Fírnen by her side.
Saphira and Fírnen were so high that Eragon had a hard time breathing. The cold was maddening, but he stayed strong as his travel companion scouted for enemies down below. Du Weldenvarden was a green carpet, only dragon eyes could pierce through it.
The crags are there, Fírnen said imprinting the image in their minds.
Scout the surroundings with your mind, Saphira. But be careful, Eragon instructed.
Saphira opened her consciousness to see what was there, but she could only find animals and nothing more. The signs they gave her indicated that the crags hadn't seen intelligent life for a long time.
We're safe, she declared.
The descent was fast and rough, but it wasn't all unpleasant to be greeted with better air.
Do you think they know about us already? Fírnen asked as Eragon jumped down from Saphira's back.
"Maybe. With all the protections the forest has, they must've known we crossed its limits. I doubt they will come looking for us though."
Why?
Eragon smiled and pointed at the pair of dragons.
"Who would want to fight you two? I wouldn't."
It doesn't guarantee we're safe, Fírnen said and stretched his wings in a careless demeanor, very opposite the tension he had in his words.
"Safety is never guaranteed. We will have to settle for this."
Arriving in the crags brought to Eragon and Saphira a deep nostalgia. They had the involuntary feeling that Oromis and Glaedr would come to greet them any second. Eragon breathed in deeply to let out his grief that even after all those years was still strong inside of him.
He walked to the old hut that was Oromis' to find it different somehow. Nothing drastic, but little changes challenged the memory of the old master. There were new curtains on the windows and a painting hanging by the bookshelf. Eragon could recognize Renir's paintings anywhere. It was his work of art. Avelina must have brought with her when she left Arngor.
There was a light layer of dust covering the furniture, as expected. Arya was the one tending for that place, and she had been gone for weeks. There was a little bit of her there too, he could tell.
Are you all right, little one?
Saphira peeked through the door, watching as he started the fire to warm the little house.
"Aye. A bit nostalgic, I guess."
Me too.
He was so immersed in his memories when Glaedr spoke in his mind that he dropped the poker on the stone floor, making it clink loudly.
Finally! I am at home.
Those words moved Eragon. He wasn't expecting to feel sadness that night, only expectation of a fight soon.
Ending the spell that protected the Eldunarí in time and space, Eragon reached for Glaedr's heart of hearts and walked outside with it. The cold air made his hands shiver a little, so he grabbed the Eldunarí firmly until he reached a high spot where he could see the water and the trees painting the perfect image he had in his memory.
I have one more request for you and Saphira, now that we are here.
Of course, master. Anything.
Give me your word that you will do exactly as I say.
Eragon felt strange. Promising something without knowing what it was felt uncomfortable, but it was Glaedr who was asking. He trusted his master with all he got.
I promise to do what you say, master.
Then, when the time comes, I will let you know. For now, let us enjoy the night in the crags.
In the morning, Eragon battled the cold to go sit where Oromis had him meditating once. There he had discovered the subtleness of life, observing the work of ants. Little creatures with big ambition, which was simply to survive. He sat in the woods with his legs crossed but didn't open his mind. The last thing he felt in Du Weldenvarden this time was safe, different from the first time he set foot in the forest. It seemed mysterious to him back then, but somehow it felt like he was right where he should be.
Keeping his mind safely closed, he shut his eyes to listen. First, his ears captured the water falling and running on the riverbed. Then Saphira's and Fírnen's breaths, as they still rested near the hut. The birds, the little rodents. Life all around him. But one thing was out of place.
Eragon opened his eyes and walked toward the rustling of feet treading cautiously through the forest. It was an elf, he was sure, for if he weren't paying close attention, he would never distinguish the soft sound. His hand grabbed Moonlight's hilt firmly, his eyes inspected. He wished to be more silent than the intruder but wasn't sure if he succeeded.
When he sensed the closeness to the unknown figure, Eragon drew his sword and pointed it to the person's chin before they could take another step.
At the end of Moonlight's blade, Eragon saw Vanir's expectant eyes looking back at him.
With a glance, Eragon noticed that the elf had not chosen to draw his sword against him, a good sign, but even then, he wouldn't trust blindly on Arya's supporters anymore. Not after Däthedr.
Vanir noticed Eragon's predicament, so he raised his hands very slowly and said with a friendly voice, "I wouldn't want to cross blades with you anymore, Shadeslayer. You have long surpassed me."
Eragon hesitated to retreat, so Vanir performed the formal greetings, ignoring the sword that threatened his throat. When he finished the first line, Eragon lowered his blade but not entirely so he could respond accordingly. It was a big surprise to see Vanir adding the third line in a great sign of respect.
"Queen Arya sent me here, to see about you and the dragons. She worries."
Still not comfortable in Vanir's presence, Eragon signaled for him to follow him, and they walked together to Oromis' old little house.
"Is she all right?"
"She is. Right now, she must be with Alanna and Dusan. I told her about how Alanna is taking a stand against her traitors. Her Majesty thought it was fitting to go find her."
"Isn't Dusan a traitor himself? Why would she take the risk of trying to find him?"
"To gather more information, I suppose. I believe she has a plan."
Eragon opened the door so Vanir could enter. The warmth there was comforting.
"I know she does," Eragon replied, putting water to boil.
Vanir thanked for the chair Eragon had pulled for him. It was strange to have that elf being so friendly to him after the rough beginning they had years before. They were both young back then, and to be fair, Vanir had always treated him with respect when scrying or visiting him throughout the years. But it was different now. It was almost as if Vanir was relieved for seeing Eragon. Hopeful even.
"Do you know about the plan?"
Eragon sat opposite him at the table to look in his eyes.
"I only know that we have to get inside the Hall as soon as possible. If it's through fighting or negotiating, I don't care. I must go inside."
Vanir furrowed his brow and leaned closer.
"You have other concerns than supporting Queen Arya's cause, don't you?"
Eragon didn't tell him about the Eldunarí or the egg. He looked away, while Vanir still thought about that. After some uncomfortable instants, Vanir stood up.
"I need to head back. Is there anything you would like me to tell her?"
There were many things he would like to tell Arya, none of that was appropriate for the moment. He was still sorry about their separation and her miscarriage. It pained him to think about her without the knowledge that she was his and he was hers.
"Tell her… I will be here. Tomorrow, as we agreed before."
Vanir bent his head and pressed two fingers on his lips before walking out.
Eragon saw through the window as Fírnen stretched his wings, the light going through the thin skin, throwing green sparkles everywhere. It took him back ten years when he saw Arya again after a decade away. He remembered the white raven screaming Wyrda! as they stared at each other.
Look at where destiny brought you. Right back at the start, he thought.
There would be fighting, he could feel it now. The slight tremor he felt before in his hands hadn't stopped, and his dreams last night were wilder than ever. The smell of blood hovered through the air. There would be fighting, he could feel it.
A/N: It's still Thursday where I am. :)
Thank you for all the comments. They make my day and give me a lot of motivation to continue, you have no idea. Thank you!
See you soon!
