Chapter 53 – Bad Blood

The day had started so promising, why did it all have to go so wrong? It seemed before that they would be able to sort everything out without spilling any blood, but now he had Moonlight unsheathed and was running as fast as he could after the elf Niduen into the woods. In hindsight, maybe he should have waited until he caught up with her to unsheathe his sword because the blade kept banging against the trees along the way.

"Wait!" He shouted. "Just give it to me and I won't hurt you!"

Niduen's black hair covered her face when she turned to look at him. She had the same hair as Arya and Islanzadí. Maybe it was a family trait, passed through generations. A very beautiful trait, he added mentally, which was a complete distraction from his task. He forced himself to concentrate and speed up.

He still had a strand of her raven hair in his hand when she moved out of bed, leaving him behind as she got dressed. It was night outside the old hut.

"This changes nothing between us," Arya whispered without turning back.

He suspected that even after what Rhünon had told her, that their relationship had little to nothing to do with the betrayal against her crown, she would still hold on to her pride.

"Why did you come here then? You told me what the old smith said. I thought it meant that you still want to be with me."

Arya threw him a sarcastic look.

"Not wanting to be with you doesn't mean that I don't want you," she said with a seductive flair in her voice.

It made him angry, how much she could mess with his emotions. Eragon got out of bed to hold her by the arm just as she finished tying the laces of her tunic.

"I made a mistake. Now I know it. But how could I know? As far as I knew, I was the one causing all this mess. I was the one putting your life in danger."

Her eyes shimmered, and he thought he saw a glimpse of possibility of a reunion, but it vanished as she raised her chin.

"You did not make a mistake. You were right, our relationship is a liability. Even if it's not the reason for the betrayal against me, it's still a leverage anyone with foul intentions can use against us."

Eragon shook his head liberating her arm. He brushed his hair with his fingers and suddenly felt exposed in front of her. Fetching his pants, he could only think of how much of a mess it all became.

"So you came here to satisfy your urges and nothing more?"

He heard her sighing as she walked to the door.

"I came here to ask you to fight by my side tomorrow. I know you are preoccupied with retrieving the Eldunarí and the egg, but I would like to know if, when the time comes, if the time comes, you will draw Moonlight against my enemies."

"You know I will," he whispered more to himself than her, but the message was clear. Then he walked to stand right in front of her. "When have I not?"

His tone was sad, but if it worked to plead to her emotions, he never knew. She tipped her head lightly and pressed two fingers on her lips in a quiet goodbye.

When he considered the day to be promising, it had nothing to do with their encounter the night before, but with the way Alanna had conducted the negotiations on Arya's behalf. When Arya went to find the twins, Alanna and Dusan, in their home, she didn't expect to find not only one ally but two. Dusan had taken his time in house arrest to rethink his life as a mercenary. Eragon doubted it was all by his own volition, still, it was a good thing that his sister was a positive influence on him. He was a valuable sword to have by one's side after all.

Arya discovered by their telling that Alanna had great prestige among her supporters only because she was prone to start the riots, something the others were reluctant to do, so set in their ways. Dusan, still unable to get out of the house under Arya's command, was a great asset too, as he received the injured and took care of them while his sister fought the opposition.

Being the twins good soldiers, Arya freed Dusan from his penitence and sent them on a mission through the night, to set a meeting with the leaders of her opposition, where they could discuss the possibility of an agreement. And so they did. Words of Arya's return made the forest come alive, making its inhabitants feel the anticipation in their bones.

Very early in the morning, Eragon left Saphira and Fírnen behind and headed to the Tialdarí Hall.

I don't like this, complained Saphira.

"Me neither, but we don't want to get ahead of ourselves. You heard Arya last night, she wants to negotiate first."Eragon said while attaching Moonlight to his belt.

She can negotiate with us by her side. Fírnen sounded grumpy.

"That's what she decided, and we will respect her decision. Imagine the kind of negotiation we will have if two dragons are there, showing their teeth to the other party."

Fírnen blew a cloud of smoke in his face but didn't say anything.

He walked to Saphira where Glaedr's Eldunarí was wrapped inside a pouch attached to her saddle. "Master," he called, retrieving it from there.

"Yes, Eragon."

"Will you try to contact the other Eldunarí?."

"It is too dangerous."

"I need to know where to find them. Exactly."

Glaedr silenced for an instant, as Eragon felt him retreat from his mind, then said, "They're in the Hall."

"But exactly where in the hall?"

"They don't know. I didn't stay there to look further. It's a place unknown to them. They also feel foggy, incoherent. We will have to find them when we get there."

He accepted the challenge still ruminating on that. Creating a pocket to guard the Eldunarí behind his head, Eragon said goodbye to his master so he could close his mind for the moment.

"We will call for you when necessary," he said to the dragons.

Fírnen turned away, still bitter. But Saphira nodded, blinking an eye to him.

Go in safety, little one. But I still don't like it.

He smiled and started to walk away, always keeping the hood of his cloak hiding his face. It was not the time yet to let the world know he was back in Alagaësia.

Walking through the trees of Ellesméra felt tense and magical at the same time. The elves joined him on the way to the Hall, and he realized that they were friendly to Arya's cause. They were all singing battle songs, in loyalty to the crown, making his fingers and toes tingle with excitement. The crowd became bigger as he approached his destination, making it difficult for him to advance. Some elves who danced and marched at the same time made it all even harder.

Eragon tried his best to keep walking, excusing himself as he went. Soon he realized that the crowd wasn't there purposelessly, they were shielding the city against those who wished to take Arya's throne. There was a bubble in the middle of Ellesméra. It looked like a bubble, a thin layer covering the palace, encompassing the ones favorable to the opposition. It was like they were trapped inside that dome emanating from the voices that chanted. The noise was deafening and entrancing.

"Hey!" Eragon felt his shoulder being poked. "Follow me," Elva said, breaking his numbness.

Her meaningful whispers toward the people were enough to open space through the crowd, as they advanced to the front. There, Arya stood with a stern stance, surrounded by Vanir, Alanna, and Dusan. Blagden rested on her shoulder. In front of them, the dome separated them from a line of guards, but they weren't Arya's guards. They kept her out of her own home.

"Where is your guard?" He asked above the chattering and the chanting.

Arya didn't answer with words, but her eyes glanced to the right then to the left, where elves in helmets and armor adorned in green leaves tried to appease and organize the population, that was ready for another riot. It made Eragon think that Arya wished to keep her subjects in safety as much as she could. But they were so many, what was she afraid of? Lord Falael's supporters were not as numerous, and they were trying their best to fight the magical dome, without much success. Again, what was Arya fearing so much?

He also wondered what they were waiting for.

Looking around, he was able to recognize some familiar faces. Lifaen and Nari, Laufin, and Uthinarë. Eragon wished to reveal himself to go talk to them after so long, but he held himself. Their voices were strong, sounding above everyone else's, showing how loyal they were to their queen. The rightful queen.

His attention went back to the Hall just as a soldier came from the palace to let Arya inside. The guard insisted, through the light magical layer, that she would go alone, but she refused. He went back inside. When he reappeared, it was to tell her that she was allowed to bring only one of her allies with her. Only one, he emphasized. She looked back to where Eragon stood and met his eyes under the hood. He nodded and followed her inside, remembering to keep his mind shut.

Eragon felt good that he was the one going with her, but he didn't quite agree with her choice. Elva could be more useful in a situation like that, but Elva didn't have some Eldunarí to retrieve, he did.

The building was as he remembered except for the fact that now it seemed like some military headquarters. Soldiers with lances marched to the edge of the dome, and Eragon could discern a symbol engraved in their armor. He suspected it was Lord Falael's house crest.

Arya and Eragon were led inside the throne room. He glanced at Arya to see her clench her fists to the sight of the usurper. The white raven agitated his wings and flew to a high spot over the window to their right.

Lord Falael was seated where Arya was supposed to be. It brought rage to her, he could tell by the way she skipped any formalities and spat an angry greeting.

"Warming the seat for me, Falael?"

An unsure smile twitched on the corners of his lips, and Eragon thought that maybe he was not the one to worry about.

When Eragon was a boy, he used to gather around Brom, the village storyteller, with the other children to hear him tell the most amazing stories. Very often he would enchant the little ones with stories about the beautiful elves and how their wisdom and magic graced the land. Growing up with that image made him blind to the flaws they might have at first. He was inclined to think the elves were the closest to perfection that nature was capable of creating, and that had been unfair to Arya, buried under the weight of his expectations. Eragon was no longer a boy, he could very clearly see that all races were equally blessed and cursed. There were good and bad in which of them. What he had before his own eyes was a good example of that.

Lord Falael, as if he was feeling the seat burning his bottom, got up at once. Quick on his feet, he approached Arya. She saw Eragon give a step closer to her.

Arya knew that recognizing Däthedr, Niduen and Falael as her traitors wasn't enough. She could believe that Däthedr was a soulless creature, or that Falael was a dumb puppet. But Niduen would never betray her. Even with the feud between them, Niduen was very proud of her house, and would never drag its name through the mud like that. Something bigger than her was happening, and Arya suspected that it wasn't a coincidence that her throne was stolen from her just as two other battles were being fought in Alagaësia.

Arya felt Eragon's apprehension emanating from his body as he stood by her side. A glance confirmed he had his jaw clenched as he looked to the elven lord who called himself king.

"Sooner or later you will have to conform to the new configuration of our world, Lady Arya," Falael said, and her name sounded bitter in his tongue.

"The day is today, that your little game ends. I am the queen, no one else."

A quick smile made his lips curve and then they were as serious as before.

Lord Falael stepped down the two steps of the dais that held the throne but didn't come too close to Arya.

"I believe you don't have a clear idea of the situation. You have been accused of favoring the humans and putting the wishes of the order above ours." He opened his arms and looked around as he was contemplating the whole Du Weldenvarden. "Our law is clear. No one is bigger than our sovereignty, not even you, my lady. And now, I am the king."

"Not by popular demand."

"You were not chosen by popular demand either. We, the council, put you there." He pointed at the throne. "We have all the right to get you out."

Arya walked toward him and felt Eragon following closely. She got so close to Lord Falael that she could smell his scent of wild strawberries. The smell was too sweet, as the fruits had been in the sun for too long on a hot day. Her voice was nothing more than a whisper when she spoke.

"You know that's not true. The public opinion helped to make me queen. And my law will descent upon you, like a summer storm."

Her demands had made braver men tremble in the past, and Lord Falael was not an exception, but his morale was raised when like shadows more of his guards entered the room and positioned themselves behind him, joining the pair that was already there. They were ten elves, male and female, all ready for battle. They certainly thought they could stop Arya and her mysterious companion, but she knew they weren't enough. Between her and Eragon, the whole army would be necessary to keep them from getting to their goal.

Still, she didn't wish to draw elven blood unnecessarily, so she stepped back.

"I believe I didn't explain myself, my lord, and we started with the wrong foot. I wish to negotiate. Find middle ground."

Falael moved after an instant and got back to the throne, where he sat with his guards forming a semicircle behind him on the dais. Then, he signaled to one of them, who left the room in a hurry.

"If it's a negotiation you want, we will need a council meeting."

More reinforcements, great! She thought, wishing Fírnen was there.

Arya instructed him and Saphira to stay away during the negotiation, for she didn't want to achieve her goal by intimidation, at least not at first. Unleashing a dragon's power on her subjects, even if they were traitors, only meant she was just like the tyrant she fought so hard to destroy. No, she would use reason.

They stood there in silence, as the other members of the council were called. Falael tried to discern who was that under the hood that hid Eragon, without success. He alternated his look between Arya and Eragon, with a creased forehead.

Niduen was the last to walk in the room, looking nothing like herself. She had her eyes looking down, and her hair, abnormally loose, hanging over her face. Before Arya, all the other members of the council formed two rows on each side, between her and Falael, forming a corridor. Arya could discern her traitors from her supporters by their outfits – those who helped on the coup bore the black and golden armor with Falael's crest engraved in the breastplate; the others wore regular clothes, except they looked rugged and dirty, like the ones prisoners have. So Falael kept hostages, that's inexcusable!

The traitors were the majority. The exception was Niduen, who wore the finest tunic Arya had ever seen her wearing. She looked impeccable except for her wild hair falling on her face. She carried a leather bag against her chest. Her figure was of a madwoman. Arya wondered what had happened to her.

Eragon approached Arya and glued his lips on her ear so he could speak to her without being heard since they were keeping their mind safely closed.

"The Eldunarí are with Niduen, Glaedr sensed it," he said barely moving his lips. "Leave her to me."

Arya nodded discreetly, and he got back to his place by her side.

"Welcome all!" Falael started, and after a pause, he said with humor in his voice, "Lady Arya wishes to negotiate." His allies laughed with malice. "We should grant her the chance to make us a proposition even when we all know that she is no longer fit to rule, being so manipulated by her mate."

They all stared at her. She saw the sarcasm pouring out of those judging eyes. It made her almost regret choosing peace over war. The ones who were sympathetic to her looked at her with desperate hope, and it only made her want to draw Támerlein against Falael even more.

Looking from one familiar face to another, Arya took a deep breath and spoke.

"You broke several laws of our code. Treason being the main one," she counted on her fingers. "You all liberated a prisoner and put him on the throne, invaded my home, held hostages. Crimes punishable by death."

Falael's allies looked at each other still with malice, as they were expecting her to list all their faults, but they also seemed concerned when their eyes crossed with hers.

She continued, "I am not afraid of enforcing the law, but I am also merciful and respectful of elven lives. I request the throne in exchange for milder penalties."

Uncertain sounds of laughter resonated through the room. Some looked at Falael waiting for his decision, others shook their heads and laughed at her. Her allies remained in silence, cornered. They were clearly underfed and tortured, possibly hoping that she would kill the traitors in retaliation to the hard times they had to endure.

Lord Falael rose from the throne and walked down the steps followed by two guards. He moved between the two rows of people to be seven feet away from her.

"If we refuse?"

Arya shrugged as it was so obvious.

"You all die."

A smile appeared on his lips.

"Are you sure you and your friend…" he pointed at Eragon still hidden under his hood. "…can kill us all?"

"She is sure."

Eragon's voice drew all the attention to him as he removed his hood. Falael faltered a little, and the others grabbed their swords instinctively.

"Head Rider Eragon and I aren't alone," Arya said. As if it was under command, Blagden flew from his spot to the big oval windows that surrounded the room behind her back. With his beak, he managed to pull the curtains just enough to reveal the energy dome forming outside. "I believe you care a lot about the public opinion, otherwise you wouldn't have spread rumors about me and him being mates. Luckily for us, they are false, and my people know it."

"You dare say they are not true?" Falael almost spat the words, alternating his look between her and the view to the outside.

"They are not. You received lies as information, my lord," said Eragon, calmly.

Arya hoped he had finally understood why last night she couldn't relent to his request to be together again even when they were so right to each other's arms. It was necessary, just so they could stare into her enemies' eyes and deny them the pleasure to be right. She wanted them to believe they had made a mistake in accusing her of being Eragon's political pawn.

The interim king looked at his feet, trying to find an argument, anything that put him back in advantage. Then he looked at Niduen, she still had her head down as she held on to her bag, where the Eldunarí were being kept.

"You said it was true. That Däthedr told you, coming from her lips. Have you lied to me?"

Niduen shook her head.

"I don't understand."

"Däthedr is a manipulative snake, as you should know by now," Lady Norfina said, one of Arya's allies, her voice coming out weak.

Falael seemed lost.

"It seems you were just a puppet, Falael." Arya came closer to him. "Däthedr used you, as he used all of you. And now you are just a rebel without a cause. Doomed to destruction."

Arya knew it was not entirely true. Falael might have been dumb enough to fall into Däthedr's trap without even doubting his motives, but the others, as Rhunön had pointed out the night before, knew exactly what they were doing. They had been planning the coup for centuries, and as soon as Falael fell they would attack with all they got. And it was exactly what happened.

Falael sat down on the second step of the dais.

"I believe we wronged you unknowingly."

His allies looked ferocious but stayed in place, restless.

"You did, my lord."

"And you are right, the popular opinion will destroy me. They will want my head." He had dreamy eyes, as he was speaking more to himself than to Arya.

"They certainly will."

He stared at her and nodded.

"I will take the deal. The throne for my life. Our lives."

Arya smiled but knew it wasn't over.

"You don't speak for us, Falael!"

"Negotiation is over!"

"Arrest her!"

They all shouted at the same time, making Eragon and Arya back away from the group that closed in.

The guards, waiting for their master's orders, were confused, without knowing what to do. Falael got up and looked at the scene with uncertainty. But Arya wasn't worried about him at that moment, she was more concerned about defending herself against the ones that drew their swords against her.

Eragon was quicker than her. He tossed his cloak to the side and unsheathed Moonlight, ready to fight. In a second, Támerlein was in her hand, and side by side they prepared to face their enemies.

They were seven in total, and they separated to charge at them. The first blow exploded against Támerlein, and Arya's arm trembled by the force it dissipated through it. She traded blows with two enemies at the same time, as she saw in the corner of her eyes as other two fought Eragon. The remaining surrounded the group ready to take the place of those who fell.

The power of a Rider Sword was enough to pierce through any wards in instants, so Arya managed to incapacitate one enemy with a cut on the knee and sliced the other one's throat, that felt like butter under her sword's cut trajectory. Two more took their place and the third one went to heal the injured. It was amazing to Arya how she could at the same time focus on her fight and perceive all the rest – Blagden diving to peck the counselors in their faces and hands, Eragon struggling against his adversaries.

Eragon didn't have the same luck as her since his sword, despite being the best there was, wasn't as powerful as Támerlein and his old blade, Brisingr. He fought his enemies with great energy, but their wards kept fending his strikes off. It was when the space around her seemed to change and time felt slower. The others felt it too, so they all stopped their advances and looked at him. Eragon had said the Word.

When it all got back to normal, the two counselors he fought fell dead to the ground. One pierced in the heart, and the other decapitated.

Fear was all the rest of them had in their eyes, but it didn't stop them, cornering Arya and Eragon together against a wall. Blagden had been hit by a fist and now lay battered on the ground.

Arya had her right arm touching Eragon's left one, and she didn't even need to look to know he was ready to end that fight. Now, the counselors knew they couldn't count on their wards anymore, they would have to work together and protect each other. The three healthy ones went first, as the one Arya injured in the knee had their backs.

The elf Deulara, one of Arya's biggest opposers during her time as the queen, charged first, leaving the others for Eragon to deal with. She sprinted toward Arya with her sword cutting down on Arya's collarbone. The counselor was fast, but not enough to land the hit. Arya jumped to the side, just as the sword passed by her. It hit the ground making a loud clink. Arya counterattacked with a blow to her chest that made her slide back several feet. It opened a space for Arya to run and charge at full force. In an act of desperation, Deulara opened herself to use magic in hopes to stop Arya. In a second, Arya worked to attack with both her sword and her mind. She created an ice blade that pierced through Deulara's consciousness without mercy, as Támerlein descended to her head.

The attempt on creating a spell that could stop Arya's advance was destroyed along with Deulara's sanity. Her sword deflected Támerlein, but her mental skills were no match to hold a defensive against the ice blade that probed and hurt all sense of self Deulara had. She ended up dropping her sword and getting on her knees, surrendered enough for Arya to finish her.

Támerlein still dripped with hot blood when Arya saw Niduen walking past the guards that surrounded Falael on the dais. They had their swords ready to protect their lord if the fight ever reached him and didn't pay attention to her as she carried the bag away from there. Arya's allies were too weak and afraid to stop her.

"Eragon!" Arya shouted as he fought two enemies now, and the third one fell dead to the side. "Niduen!" Eragon used all his speed to hit them both and make them fall back. "Go, leave them to me."

Without even stopping to consider the options, Eragon ran after Niduen. She was quick on her feet, knowing the grounds like the palm of her hand. She would lead him to stairwells and balconies just to tire him. Then she sprinted through the gardens that looked like a maze of flowers and soldiers. They all imposed resistance to Eragon, who continuously had to fend them off. With time, Niduen managed to create a good distance between them on a game of catch, and it was only when she reached the gates that she stopped. The dome made her stop.

The crowd outside kept chanting the protective spells surrounding the Tialdarí Hall. Eragon approached her and pointed Moonlight to her chest.

"Give me the bag, Niduen," he said a little winded.

She shook her head and her wild hair covered her face even more. Between a strand and another, Eragon could see an expression that he had seen before, he just didn't know where. It was fear trumped by a disregard for one's own safety like she had nothing to lose and was focused on one specific task.

Without saying anything, Niduen closed her eyes and her hands glowed. She lifted one of them and sent Eragon flying back a hundred feet.

There were three things he heard. The first one was a big thud from his head hitting the stone pathway that led to the palace. The second was a deafening roar coming from the crowd. Apparently, they took that aggression as an act of war. And third, it was Glaedr's voice forcing itself through his defenses, Don't let her escape!

Eragon sat on the ground trying to recover from bumping his head so hard. He looked at the gates. They were open, the crowd was pouring into the property, and there was no sign of Niduen.

She broke through the dome and let them in! To throw you off, Eragon. Go after her!

Without a second command, he rose to his feet and started to swim against the current. As they were coming, he wished to go. It was hard at first, but as soon as the population started to recognize the Shadeslayer, a clearing formed around him, and it was much easier for him to advance. It didn't take long until he was running through the forest with Moonlight in his hand, still tinged with blood. That thought he had when he first got the sword from Arya, that the vines engraved on the blade would look like veins dripping blood, resurfaced to him. Moonlight looked terrifying.

But he wished he had sheathed it before starting to run.


A/N: So sorry, guys! Life took unexpected turns and I had to deal with that. I went as fast as I could, but this is a long and important chapter. I hope it turned out okay.

Next chapter is a direct continuation of this. I know, another cliffhanger. But at this point, it's all cliffhangers, there's no escape from them. I'll try my best to post it this weekend to make up for the last two weeks without an update.

See you, and as always, thank you!