Chapter 40!
Jeez that is weird to think about!
I know I say this every time I post but thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed the story. It really does mean a lot to see your thoughts and predictions after every chapter. So, thank you all for the support.
I am really looking forward to the next few chapters. They have been in my head for over three months and I can finally get them down in the story! I really do think you guys will enjoy.
Thisonebetternotbetaken-Thanks for the review and kind words!
As always enjoy and let me know your thoughts.
Chapter 40 is here
Arya's POV
It was the darkest part of the night as Arya moved slowly through the forest. She stopped to listen to the forest around them. Few sounds betrayed the dozens of elves that moved in the trees around her. In fact, there was no sound at all. The forest had gone quiet and Arya knew they were close to their target.
Despite the importance of the mission Arya's thoughts continued to drift to her conversation with Eragon and the dilemma that faced her. She could see Eragon several feet in front of her as he moved through the trees. Arya couldn't see his face in the darkness that surrounded them, but she could see his shoulders were slumped slightly and he moved in a mindless way that told her she was not the only one who was deep in thought.
"How much more can I put you through?" She wondered sadly as she watched Eragon's dark outline moving in the night.
Arya wanted nothing more than to refuse the throne. She despised the job and the politics surrounding it. More than that she wasn't sure she could bare another long separation from Eragon, not after they had become mates. She wasn't even sure their relationship would survive yet another setback.
"Bah, you two-legs are so confusing! You know what you want; why do you refuse yourself time and time again?" Firnen asked her
"It is not that simple Firnen"
She glanced down at the yawe tattoo that poked through the straps of her armor. The mark was a symbol of her commitment to her people. A visible promise to all that she would do whatever was needed for the elven race. If they asked her to be Queen again, she could not refuse them.
Firnen read her train of thought and responded
"It is that simple. It is you who is making it complicated. This is not a magical contract! You are not forced to do anything!"
Arya sensed his frustration begin to melt and he spoke in a calmer tone
"I will not tell you what to do but I only ask this. Make sure you make the right decisions for the right reasons"
Firnen faded somewhat from her mind.
Arya sighed and for the first time she questioned her decision to devote her life to her people. She had never felt so cornered by her own decisions than she did now.
A tap on her shoulder made her jump slightly but it was just Kayla. She was Arya's second in command and had gone ahead to do a final sweep of the area. She held a finger to her lips in a gesture to remain quiet.
"The clearing is just beyond the creek. I have ordered a small number of our forces to surround the outside of the clearing. If he tried to escape during the fight, we shall know."
She couldn't help but be impressed with Kayla. It was not easy to regain respect after her mistakes in the past, but it was clear she had done so.
"Well done; how many guards did you see around the outside of the building?"
"I counted twelve guards scattered throughout the area in groups of three"
Arya nodded as she stared off into the distance
Kayla clearly noticed her distracted nature as she asked
"Are you alright?"
Arya gave her an unconvincing smile and nodded. Kayla looked skeptical and followed her gaze to Eragon who was speaking softly with Folir a dozen meters away. She turned back to Arya and spoke softly so that anyone else around them wouldn't hear.
"Do not worry about what will come Arya. The future will forever be a mystery and if you do not focus here and now, you will have no future to worry about." She said it kindly but sternly.
This was something Arya had grown to admire about Kayla. She was formal only when necessary and even though Arya was the queen once again, Kayla always told her the truth even if she didn't want to hear it.
Kayla began to move away before turning back
"I will remain with you when the attack starts. I don't think Eragon would ever forgive me if anything happened to you" She said with a small laugh
Arya felt her spirits lift at this and she smiled a genuine smile now
"No, I don't think he would" She said with a chuckle
Kayla nodded and turned to leave before turning back once again.
All will work out as it should" She said as she gave her a reassuring smile.
Kayla turned and hurried off, whispering orders to several elves as she did so. Arya couldn't help but smile at she watched the elves begin to follow her commands without hesitation.
Arya continued to move through the forest. She did her best to follow Kayla's advice (Although she wondered if Kayla knew more than she let on considering the timing of her words).
Arya finally spotted an opening in the foliage ahead of her. She crouched down lower and slowly made her way to the edge of the clearing. The building was outlined by the faint light of the moon and Arya could see several of the guards moving near the entrance to the building.
Arya scanned the outermost edges of the clearing and confirmed that their forces were in the correct position. Arya glanced behind her and she could see a group of twenty or so elven warriors. Their faces were hidden in shadow and their weapons were drawn and ready.
Kayla emerged from the foliage and crouched next to Arya. Kayla's bow was notched and ready to fire.
"We await your signal" She said to her
Eragon moved to her other side with Folir several feet behind him.
Arya reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder. He turned his head to her and for just a moment the emotionless mask he had worn since their conversation dropped. In that brief moment Arya felt Eragon's concern for her as well as his guilt and the emotional turmoil that brewed within him. Arya softly squeezed his shoulder and he nodded to her before his face returned to a stoic expression.
Arya turned back to Kayla and gave her a short nod. Kayla drew back her bow and aimed it high into the sky. She held the bow drawn as Arya took a deep breath before uttering one single word.
"Brisingr"
The arrow erupted into flame and Kayla released it into the dark sky. The arrow soared high as it arced over the clearing and the red and orange glow became clearly visible against the dark sky.
War cries could be heard around the clearing as dozens of elves emerged from the trees and charged the building from three sides. Arya sensed her soldiers shifting in anticipation as they watched their brethren move toward the building. Arya held her hand up to signal to her group to remain patient.
Arya watched as Dathedr's guards drew their swords and faced the incoming army. A bell began to ring from the building and several more groups of guards emerged from the building.
Arya watched as the two sides collided and screams came from the wounded and killed. Finally convinced that no more reinforcements were coming to Dathedr's aid, Arya drew her sword and the elves around her shouted as they ran to join the frey.
Arya felt her heart pump faster and her adrenaline begin to rise as they grew nearer to the fight.
"There are few things more exhilarating than battle" She thought to Firnen
She never heard his response as her group clashed into the developing battle.
The battle was chaotic as she joined the fight. There was no organization to the fight as elves on both sides fought all around her. The first enemy Arya encountered was a living elf in a mask. She drew back her bow and fired at Arya, but Arya's guards were prepared. One of them slashed the arrow out of the air and Kayla rolled under the elves' guard and decapitated her with a swing of her sword.
Arya nodded to Kayla who bent down and picked up the mask that had fallen from the dead elf. It was the very same mask that the assassins had worn the night that Arya had been attacked. They shared a look before moving forward and pushing closer to the palace. Two more masked elves fell to Arya's guards in a similar manner. It was clear they were not willing to lose another queen in battle and they guarded Arya fiercely.
Arya caught glimpses of Eragon throughout the fight and couldn't help but admire how much he had grown since the last time they had fought together. Every swing of Brisingr brought death to another opponent.
As the fight continued the guards around Arya began to fall. Two of her guards fell to arrows from the roof of the building and another was injured when a seemingly dead enemy reached up and stabbed him in the leg. Arya was able to kill the undead before it could finish the guard and she sent another guard to carry him to the outskirts of the battle where he could be healed.
This left Arya with two remaining guards along with Kayla and occasionally Eragon to protect her flanks. Although Arya was stricken by her guards' fate, she was glad to have a more personal role in the fight.
Arya and Kayla began to develop a rhythm as the fight went on. They fought back to back as a half dozen enemies moved forward to engage them. It seemed plenty of enemies wanted a chance to kill the elven queen and multiple times Arya was only saved from a sword or arrow by Kayla's blade deflecting the weapon.
Time seemed slow as her body slashed and dodged instinctively. Arya accumulated several minor cuts and bruises as they all did but her wards protected her from the worst of the attacks.
At some point in the fighting Arya was crouched down behind a fallen tree as arrows rained from the top of the building. Archers were making it difficult to get close to the entrance to the building. Arya counted several elves with bows and arrows on the roof top above them.
Arya turned to Kayla beside her and pointed to the soldiers on the roof. Kayla seemed to get the message and Arya heard her faintly mutter a spell
"Frethya Edtha"
Kayla's body suddenly disappeared, and Arya heard her faint footsteps fade in the distance.
A moment later Eragon took the place of Kayla as he crouched next to her. Arya was glad to see that he was relatively unscathed as he looked up at her.
"These archers need to be taken care of!" He shouted over the sounds of fighting around them
Arya didn't respond and instead pointed up to the roof of the building. Eragon looked up as an archer on the roof suddenly fell as if his throat was slashed. The other archer stumbled back in shock before the archer was suddenly thrown off the roof violently and Arya heard a faint scream over sound of the battle before they hit the ground and went silent.
Eragon turned back to her.
"Kayla?" He guessed shrewdly
She nodded and used the lull to assess the battle around them. Fighting still remained fierce around the main entrance of building but it was clear that the defenders of the palace were badly outnumbered. The fallen and injured on both sides lay strown about the clearing but Arya could still see no sign of Dathedr.
"Where is Folir!" She shouted to him
He pointed to the nearest skirmish about thirty yards away and Arya could just make out Folir and two other elves locked in a fight with two guards. It was clear the guards would lose and even as she watched Arya saw Folir shout something and one of the opponents flew back into the wall of the building and the other elves made quick work of the other guard.
"You trained him well" Arya complimented Eragon
Eragon nodded and responded sadly
"I did; But I worry about him once this is over"
Arya was about to respond when she heard footsteps from directly in front of her and Kayla appeared. For a moment Arya didn't recognize her. Her face was covered in blood, one of her eyes was swollen shut and she was breathing heavily, but she turned to them and gasped out
"Roof is clear"
Arya nodded and started to ask
"Are you alr-"
"I'm fine" She said shortly as she straightened and caught her breath.
Arya decided to take her word for it; They had more pressing matters to attend to.
Eragon pointed to the doors of the palace and shouted something. Arya didn't hear him over the sound of the battle, but she looked at the doors.
The fighting was most intense at the foot of the entrance to the palace. A dozen guards were fiercely fighting to hold their ground against a group of elves. Numerous other skirmishes were continuing all around them. Eragon shouted again and Arya finally caught what he said.
"We need to push for the doors!"
Eragon and Folir leapt over the fallen tree and Arya joined them. They began to make their way toward the doors to the palace. Several guards tried to intercept them as they ran but they were quickly cut down by Eragon and Folir.
Arya was nearing the doors when an explosion knocked her back several feet. She lay groaning for a moment and her vison flickered. Kayla's blood-soaked face entered her vison and pulled her to her feet.
"We need to keep moving!" She shouted desperately to her as she forced Arya to move toward the doors.
Arya wasn't sure the exact reason that Kayla sounded so desperate until she glanced up. One of the massive pine trees that grew into part of the palace had been damaged in the explosion. The massive tree was beginning to slowly tip towards the entrance to the palace. Even over the sounds of battle Arya could hear branches snapping as it tipped farther and farther towards them.
Arya and Kayla ignored the fighting around them and sprinted towards the palace doors. Ahead Arya could see the fight at the doors was nearing its end. The doors now stood open and a group of elves along with Eragon and Folir were slowly pushing the last few defenders back into the palace.
A shadow washed over them, and Arya glanced up. The tree was beginning to fall toward them and Arya could feel pine needles falling onto them as they ran.
They were only a few yards from the entrance when Arya looked back at Kayla who was a short distance behind her. Kayla's injuries, both from the battle and the fall, had slowed her down and as a result Arya would make it, but Kayla wouldn't.
In desperation Arya shouted
"Ganga"
Arya and Kayla were suddenly thrown forward into the palace. As she hit the hard-wooden ground of the palace she heard a deafening boom from outside and another shockwave throw her into the adjacent wall.
Arya hit the wall hard and felt her shoulder explode in agony. For a moment she lay on the wood, too stunned to move. Arya finally forced herself to stand and look around. Elves all around her were getting to their feet. Eragon and Folir had already stood and killed the final few guards before they could recover.
Folir hurried over to her and spoke quickly
"Are you hurt?"
He caught sight of her shoulder which stuck out at an odd angle.
"Let me heal you." He said softly
"I will not let you tire yourself anymore." She told him sternly
Folir shook his head
"It wasn't a request" He said fiercely "Not when you are about to fight such a monster"
Folir shuddered slightly at the mention of Dathedr
Arya couldn't help but see some truth in his words as he began speaking quickly in the ancient language and Arya gasped softly as she felt the magic flow over her.
Arya felt a spasm of pain as a pop of her shoulder told her it had returned to its correct position. Despite her protests Arya felt herself relax as her many cuts were healed.
"Thank you" Arya said quietly when he had finished
He nodded darkly and for just a brief moment Arya saw a ghost of a smile on his face
Folir moved away and Arya turned to look at Kayla who was being checked by another elf. Kayla seemed relatively unharmed besides the blood that continued to ooze from the cut on her head. Kayla nodded to her in thanks and she returned the gesture.
Arya gingerly moved to the entrance to the building. The doors had been blown off their hinges and lay on the ground several feet away. The massive tree lay only a few yards from the building. The tree would slow down reinforcements that tried to enter the building, but Arya wasn't worried. There was more than one way inside after all.
Kayla moved over to her, her wound on her head was now healed although her face was still covered in blood.
"The throne room is on the left. We need to get going if we are to catch Dathedr"
Arya nodded but she was quite sure Dathedr would be there no matter how long they took.
Arya quickly counted and found they had twenty-eight elves with them. She hoped it would be enough.
Kayla began yelling out orders as Arya turned away.
Arya walked to the hallway where Eragon stood as he checked his bag. On his left was a hallway that led to the throne room and to the right was a set of stairs that descended below the building.
Eragon had his back to her as she stopped behind him. His bag was now wrapped around his back and his sword was at his waist.
"I always hate leaving you" He said softly
Arya sighed
"I know, but it won't be for long"
Eragon turned toward her
"You don't know that" He said softly
He paused and a forced smile shot across his face
"But I hope you are right"
Arya moved forward and placed her head against his.
"As do I" She whispered to him as they embraced tightly
Footsteps forced them to pull apart and Arya saw Folir and Kayla approach them.
"Arya, we are ready" Kayla said softly
Behind her, the elves had drawn their weapons and stood several yards behind them.
Arya nodded and raised her sword to the left. The elves silently moved past her and Arya began to follow them down the dark hallway.
Arya glanced back as she moved and saw Eragon and Folir watching them. As she watched, she saw Eragon take a step in their direction. She could see the battle on his face as she shook her head faintly at him. She saw him hesitantly turn away from her and when she looked back again, they were gone.
The group ran into several guards, but they were quickly cut down before they could even call for help. Arya found it odd that there were so few guards as the last line of defense although as she thought about it more maybe it wasn't so odd. Dathedr was always a wildcard in every sense of the word.
The doors to the throne room lay wide open. Arya and Kayla shared a look at this but they were so close to their target Arya refused to back down now.
With a yell the group of elves rushed into the throne room. The room was large, but it was dwarfed by the size of other throne rooms she had been in. Arya could see the marble ceiling and pillars upon the wooden floor and at the center of the room was a familiar wooden throne with a familiar elf sitting upon it.
Arya and Kayla moved forward cautiously. Dathedr smiled at them and simply said
"You have finally come"
His voice sent shivers down Arya's spine. It sounded like Dathedr's voice but there was an undertone that sounded unnatural, like a scrape of metal on metal.
He looked around and sighed as though disappointed
"I had hoped that Kingskiller would be joining us. But it seems he is occupied"
Dathedr smiled coldly at her and Arya got the sinking feeling that he knew exactly where Eragon was.
Dathedr reached down behind his throne and Arya felt the tension in the room peak. Dathedr pulled out a small black object that Arya immediately recognized. Arya felt the blood leave her face as she stared at the dragon egg in Dathedr's hand.
"Yes" Dathedr said with a smile "He is looking for this isn't he?"
Arya didn't answer. She was thinking fast
Dathedr placed the egg upon the armrest of his chair. He drew his sword and lay it next to the egg in a clear threat.
"Now, let us speak civilly"
Arya began to speak but Kayla cut her off
"I will not be civilly to a shade! To a murder who regrets nothing and regards no one as their friend!"
Kayla glared at him
"I saw what you did to that dragon! What you did to Folir!"
Kayla shook her head and drew her sword
"The only thing you will get from me is a quick death"
Dathedr laughed at her
"Kayla Ufrisdaughter, you cannot stop yourself from betraying others can you? First you betray your family, then you betray the riders, then you betray me."
Dathedr glared at Kayla for a moment before continuing
"Of course" He chuckled darkly "It isn't all your fault"
A menacing smile crossed his face as he continued
"Betrayal is in your blood"
Kayla stumbled back as though she had been punched. She suddenly looked terrified and lost. Her sword hung limply at her side.
Arya didn't know what Dathedr was referring to, but she didn't have time to ponder it.
"Enough of this!" She said angrily as she spoke for the first time
Dathedr regarded her with a wide grin
"What's wrong Shadeslayer" He smiled "Don't you enjoy hearing about your allies past? It really is fascinating"
Arya glared at him
"No more games" She said slowly and angrily
Dathedr watched her intently. His eyes never blinked, and he suddenly smiled
"Very well, No more games"
His skin began to fade to an ashen color and his hair grew longer to a blood red hue. His eyes changed colors. The brown with maroon and gold specks became maroon with gold and brown specks.
The façade was gone as his true form emerged. The shade smiled at her as his transformation was complete.
"I am glad to finally meet you face to face, Arya Islanzadisdaughter"
His eyes glinted maliciously in the flickering light of the fire.
"Dreams never seem to do the real thing justice"
Translations-
Frethya Edtha- Hide me
Part 1 of the finale is done! I hope you guys enjoyed it!
Let me know what your predictions are! I am curious to see if anyone can guess anything correctly!
On a side note I really should stop trying to give myself deadlines because the universe refuses to give me time to complete them lol. I promise that no chapter will take longer than a week but other than that I am not going to give a day because of how rarely I can actually stick to it.
Finals week is coming soon so if I am updating slower than usual that is the reason.
As always stay safe and I will see you next time
Lawld01