The Guest
Thunder rumbled across the cold grey sky, as heavy gales barraged the side of the Seven Sheaves. It was late in the evening, and the air inside was stuffy and warm. An aroma of greasy smoke mixed with mead drifted through the tavern, as Morn busied himself with cleaning the bar. The night had been quiet with the exception of a few drunks drowning their sorrows, and complaining about the weather. Morn was just preparing to retire for the night, when the front door abruptly burst open.
A chilly current greedily swept in, dragging with it, an exhausted traveler.
All eyes turned to the newcomer, as they quickly shut the door, before removing their riding gloves. Morn studied the traveler warily, spotting a fancy scabbard poking out from underneath their cloak. Carvahall didn't get many visitors, and they especially didn't come during this time of the year.
The Broddring Empire had long forgotten this area of Alaegasia, so any armed man was treated with the same caution one treated a magician.
With their riding gloves removed, the traveler dropped their hood to reveal the sharp face of a middle aged man. His hair was graying and he had piercing eyes, which swiftly scanned the room before resting on Morn.
Tensing under the man's gaze, Morn quietly grabbed hold of a knife under the counter. He then nodded politely in acknowledgment, as the man drew near.
Grunting, the stranger took a seat at the bar before removing his cloak, dropping it onto the seat next to him.
"Could I get some mead and a hot meal?"
"Yes to the mead, but kitchen's closed. I can pull some leftovers together if that fancies you though?" Morn asked, taking a mug out and filling it.
"Sounds good…" the man replied, pausing to watch Morn, before adding, "...you can drop the knife, if you want."
Morn glanced at the stranger carefully, before placing the mead in front of him.
"Don't get many travelers round here, occupational hazard."
The man let loose an amused grunt. "I'm not here to cause trouble."
"Could've fooled me." Morn replied eyeing the traveler's sword. The man followed his gaze, letting a small smile adorn his face.
"Is it so unusual for a traveler to be armed? Especially being so close to the Spine?"
Morn nodded his head. "It is when one's traveling here at this time of the year. Especially since that sword aint look like no regular sword."
"You're quite attentive, I see." The man said smiling. "Name's Tornac."
"Morn, what business you got in these parts?"
Tornac paused to sip his mead before replying, "I'm looking for someone."
Morn perked up in interest. He, like any tavern owner, enjoyed any sort of story from his customers. "You work for the empire? You tracking someone?"
Another amused grunt came from Tornac. "Definitely not, but I have been traveling many months in search of this man."
Confusion filled Morn's face as he stared at Tornac. "Who're you looking for then? Maybe I can help."
"A man by the name of Garrow. You know where I can find him?" Tornac replied.
Surprise covered Morn's face before being quickly replaced by curiosity. Garrow was a simple farmer, who lived on the very outskirts of Carvahall. What could've caused this man to travel for months to find him? It wasn't as if Garrow was a noble or criminal, Morn thought. "Why you looking for Garrow?"
Tornac gazed at Morn blankly, "Does it matter?"
"I ain't gonna trust no outsider, and potentially put a good man in harm's way, so yeah it does."
Tornac sighed, taking another sip of his mead. "I made a promise, and I'm trying to complete it. I cannot say more."
"What type of promise?"
"A promise I cannot speak of, but if it enlightens you, I'll let you know that this promise was made out of generosity."
Morn continued to scrutinize Tornac, but the man was unreadable. His face betrayed nothing, making Morn sigh in resignation. "I'll tell you where to find Garrow… but I got some conditions."
"What type of conditions?" Tornac asked, raising an eyebrow.
"You gotta leave your sword and horse here. That way, if you're lying… well you'll be easier to capture I figure."
Tornac's eyes twinkled a bit, and he leaned back in his chair. "Fine."
"Y-you're not gonna argue with me?" Morn asked in disbelief.
"No. It'd be folly of me to argue back on such simple conditions, especially when I've spent so long trying to find this man. Plus I respect an honest man looking out for a comrade."
Morn let a small smile grace himself, as he watched Tornac unbuckle the sheath of his hand-and-a-half sword, and pass it over the counter. An ounce of newfound respect starting to form towards the interesting man, as he'd been expecting Tornac to protest. "I'll be locking the stables tonight, but I give my word, that upon your return I will give you this back," he said referring to the weapon, "and your horse. You won't be reaching him tonight due to the weather, but Garrow lives on a farm a couple miles down the road."
"Thank you, Morn." Tornac said. "I was wondering if you had a spare room for the night as well? The thought of camping out tonight is not very comforting."
Nodding, Morn turned around, then back to Tornac holding a key. "It'll be five crowns per night. Follow the stairs up, and it's the second door on the left. Now I'll go get those leftovers you wanted."
"Thanks again." Tornac replied, watching the tavern keeper move towards, what he presumed was the kitchen.
When Morn was out of sight, Tornac withdrew a small silver token from his pocket. Engraved upon this token was a black hand that appeared to be reaching out for some unbeknownst object. Etched underneath the symbol were the words, Svartr Lam.
Fidgeting with it, Tornac smiled. At last, the promise I made all those years ago will be completed, he thought.
Hearing footsteps he quickly pocketed the item, as he saw Morn returning from the kitchens. Thanking the tavern keeper, as he placed a plate of food before him, Tornac proceeded to then quickly eat, pay, and then retire to his room.
Once inside he collapsed onto the lumpy mattress sighing loudly. He then sat up removing two daggers, a variety of poisons, and a small rolled up piece of parchment from inside his tunic.
A small smile spread across Tornac's face as he thought about Morn's admirable attempt to keep Garrow safe. It was a nice, but utterly hopeless sentiment to think that to keep one safe from him, all they had to do was take his weapon.
Amused by his thoughts, Tornac prepared for bed before finally falling asleep. Outside the wind continued to howl, as the Seven Sheaves swayed lightly in the wind.
The following morning, Tornac arose with the sun. The wind had died a bit from the night prior, and the valley was bathed in golden light. It was a beautiful sight, as the whole town sleepily arose for the day. Opening the door of the tavern, Tornac inhaled the fresh crisp air.
Wrapping his traveling cloak around his thin frame, he set off down the road that led out of Carvahall. According to Morn, the walk would take close to an hour to Garrow's farm on foot and half that time by horse.
As he neared the edge of the town, he started to regret agreeing to Morn's conditions. He was getting older and his horse would've saved him a great deal of energy. Still if a small walk was all that stood in his way of Garrow, then Tornac would suck it up. He'd come too far for anything to stop him now.
After little over an hour of following Morn's directions, the cobblestone road quickly turned to dirt, as Tornac reached the edge of a small farm. It was a quaint little place, with a small house and sizable barn surrounded by crop fields. The whole area resonated an aura of tranquility that made one feel at peace.
The calls of livestock mixed with the smell of fresh hay brought old memories rushing to the front of Tornac's mind. He himself had been raised on a farm similar to this, and being here brought back a sense of normalcy. A feeling he hadn't felt for a very long time. Smiling to himself, he resumed his pace towards the humble house.
Approaching the front door, he hesitated, before knocking. Adrenaline pumping through his veins, he waited with only the sounds of the farm to pacify him.
After a minute or two, the front door swung open for Tornac to be greeted by a boy. He looked to be eleven or twelve, with intense brown eyes, brown hair, and a handsome face.
Shocked, Tornac only stared at the boy for a few moments, before gaining his bearings.
"Hi, my name's Tornac, what's yours?"
The boy regarded him with suspicion before responding, "Name's Eragon."
"You have a very interesting name there Eragon. Is your father home?"
Eragon shook his head, with a look of unhappiness flashing across his face. "No but my Uncle is. He's in the barn with my brother and cousin. Why do you ask?"
"I've been looking for him for a while. Do you think you could lead me to him?" Tornac asked.
Eragon nodded leaving the house, beckoning for him to follow. As they covered the short distance to the barn, Tornac continued to observe Eragon. It was very rare for someone to be named after the first rider, and all those that had been, all grew up to be significant figures. He wondered if the boy in front of him would grow up to be one of those people.
Lost in his thoughts, Tornac jumped a bit when Eragon called out loudly for his uncle.
Waiting a few minutes, a man emerged followed closely by two boys. Both boys looked older than Eragon by at least a year, with one being taller than the other.
The tall one had dark brown hair, gray eyes, and a strikingly handsome face. Out of the two, he resembled Eragon the most.
The second boy was built more, with light brown hair, gray eyes, and also had a handsome face. He resembled the man that he followed out of the barn. The man that Tornac had been waiting so long to finally meet.
Studying him, Garrow had a kind face, with graying brown hair, and gray eyes. He was lean but muscular, with a glint of mistrust in his eyes as he stared at Tornac.
"Eragon, who have you brought with you?"
"His name is Tornac, he says he's been looking for you." Eragon responded.
Garrow grunted, as he scrutinized the man with his nephew.
Tornac stood his ground while reaching into his pocket to produce the silver token, watching as a number of emotions covered Garrow's face. First confusion, then recognition, then fear, and finally suspicion.
"Eragon come here. Help Murtagh and Roran in the barn. I'll entertain our guest in the house." Garrow barked, as he started to march towards the house.
Tornac followed the man, as Eragon followed Garrow's orders.
Once inside, Garrow quickly spun around with a small hunting knife.
"Who are you? What do you want?"
"Like Eragon said, my name's Tornac, and I just want to talk for now." Tornac said, raising his hands in surrender.
"Then talk quickly. I don't want anything to do with you. I've seen that token only once before and know it means danger." Garrow growled.
"Okay," Tornac said, lowering his hands, "I'm only here to complete a promise I made, with that promise being made to your sister, Selena."
Garrow didn't look convinced, still holding the knife up. "You lie."
Pursing his lips, Tornac slowly took out the rolled piece of parchment from his cloak, handing it over to Garrow.
Warily, Garrow took the parchment before unrolling and reading it. After a moment's time, he handed the paper back, before lowering his knife.
"Explain."
Nodding, Tornac leaned against a wall before beginning his story. "A couple of years ago Selena came to me begging for a favor. I agreed to it, and she made me swear to it in the ancient language. She then handed me this message before swiftly departing."
"What was the favor?" Garrow asked.
"It was to protect you and your family. Selena thought that you might be in danger, and if you aren't yet, you could be in the future." Tornac explained.
Garrow frowned at the last part, but said nothing.
"You don't seem shocked that your lives could be in danger." Tornac added, observing the man's reaction.
"Selena hinted at it when I last saw her, which was nearly eleven years ago, so I'm not surprised. I am curious about one thing though. Why would you agree to this? Me and my family are strangers to you. Why commit yourself to us? You owe us nothing."
"That is true, but Selena was a close friend of mine. She knew I needed a place to escape from certain… affairs. Carvahall works as that ideal place, so it's mutually beneficial. Plus I owe Selena many favors."
Garrow nodded, "Do you know where she is now?"
"No. The last time I saw her was the night she asked for me to come here. I'm sorry" Tornac replied solemnly, as the conversation lapsed into silence.
It resumed with Garrow sighing. "I didn't think you'd know, but one could hope. It's been hard raising three boys, and I guess I thought that she'd eventually return." He said gazing out one of the windows in the house. "You're not the father are you?"
"Pardon?" Tornac asked puzzled.
"The father of Eragon and Murtagh?… You didn't know Selena had two sons?" Garrow asked bewildered.
"No… she kept her private life very secretive. But no, I'm most certainly not their father." Tornac replied, still shocked by the revelation.
"Sorry, I just had to ask" Garrow stated sheepishly.
"It's fine, I understand how it looks." Tornac replied, as the house again fell into awkward silence.
"So, what are your plans now then?... If you're looking for work, we could always use an extra pair of hands on the farm? It's not a very glamorous way to occupy your time here, but you could room in the barn?" Garrow offered.
"That sounds actually perfect, thank you. I grew up on a farm, so hard labor is not new to me." Tornac replied, smiling, "Plus it'll give me time to prep you and your boys."
Garrow scowled, "What do you mean prep us?"
"I mean, I will teach you the basics on how to defend yourself mentally, and physically if any danger does come knocking."
Scratching his beard Garrow, frowned. "So the danger is almost imminent by the way you're talking?"
"Not imminent, just a high percentage. Selena… from what I heard, wronged some people. Some very important people. People that have been searching nonstop for her in these past years." Tornac replied, fidgeting with his silver token.
Garrow nodded absently as his eyes found themselves entranced by an object he'd wondered about for years. "What does that stand for?"
"Pardon?" Tornac asked, confused.
"Your token, actually wait one second," Garrow responded, disappearing and returning with a lavish pouch. "This was what my sister left her sons. Me and my… wife," Garrow said pausing briefly, as a look of sorrow flashed across his face, "were planning on showing them their inheritance when Eragon was near manhood."
Tornac nodded in acknowledgment, as Garrow opened the pouch continuing on, "She left a number of items I'm unfamiliar with. All I know is that the items seem important, but I ain't got a clue to what they are." He said, as he took out a smaller pouch from the big one.
"The token you got there, Selena left three similar ones behind." Garrow stated, as he opened the pouch to produce the three said coins.
Tornac looked each one over, cooly, processing his thoughts.
"You wanna know what they symbolize?"
"Yes. I've never seen a currency look like this before, nor have I seen another one of these before you showed yours." Garrow responded.
"You have many questions, and they're only so many I can answer. Oaths bind me, but I'll answer as best I can to satisfy your curiosity."
Holding up his token for Garrow to see better, Tornac started to explain.
"This token represents an order. One that's been sworn to secrecy, that is only now coming to light… We are called the Black Hand. The etching underneath the symbol says so in the ancient language. Any person of the Black Hand is given such a token to identify one another."
"So you… and my sister were part of this cult?" Garrow asked.
"Yes, and it isn't a cult. It's a militant order, such as the Empire's army. It's how me and Selena met, although she was in a much higher rank than me"
"What's the purpose of this order then? Is it the reason Selena and myself are in danger?"
"Partly, you see I've exiled myself from such order, but my oaths still bind me. So, all I can tell you about the goals was that they were to bring a fall of the Riders." Tornac explained.
A sense of realization came over Garrow, as more and more pieces started to fit into the puzzle, just as more and more new questions arose. Sensing that Tornac was reluctant to talk more of the subject though, he decided to let it go. After all, he was just a simple farmer, and getting caught up in some militant conspiracy opposing the Riders seemed too much.
"Why would Selena leave three tokens for her sons then? I'm assuming it's one per person?"
"Yes one per person. Now for the reason she left three, I'm not sure. All I know is she either stole, or took them from two other members, but why she'd leave em all is a mystery to me." Tornac replied.
"What's your reason to leave this order?" Garrow asked.
"That is a private matter, but I'll let you know that my life was in jeopardy."
Scratching his head a bit ashamed, Garrow apologized. "Sorry, rude of me to press. This is all just-… it's a lot to process."
"It's understandable." Tornac replied.
"When do you plan to start training us then?"
Tornac smiled, with it never reaching his eyes. "Today at dusk. I want to start as soon as possible, as many of the techniques will take many months to learn. Years to master."
"Okay, well then if we're starting today, I should introduce you to Murtagh and Roran. They're probably wondering who you are." Garrow said, as he directed them both out of the house.
"I will need to get the rest of my gear from town, after." Tornac said.
"Okay, you can take our horse." Garrow replied, as the two men walked towards the barn.
Introductions were made quickly with Roran and Murtagh, as Garrow explained that Tornac would be staying for a bit. Eragon was then sent to accompany Tornac back to Carvahall, after the latter explained to Garrow his situation with Morn.
During the short trip Tornac noticed that the fountain of questions trait had been passed from Garrow to Eragon, as the boy probed him the entire way. Despite the small annoyance of it, Tornac found the boy's company to be very entertaining. After traveling and hiding for so many months, it was refreshing to be in the company of another.
When they got back to the farm, dusk was near upon them, and Garrow and the boys were waiting in the barn for them. All the chores for the day had been completed, while Tornac and Eragon had retrieved the gear, meaning it was time for the first lesson to commence.
"I'm sure Garrow has told you all that you could be in danger. So, from here on out, everyday after chores are completed we will meet here for lessons with me. Sometimes it'll be individual, other times in groups. These techniques I will teach, will help you defend yourselves from all enemies. Keep in mind that you are to keep these lessons secret, along with the new skills you will be taught. Do not use them lightly. Am I understood?" Tornac asked.
Four heads dipped in confirmation.
"Good. Every other day I will be teaching swordplay and weapons training." Tornac said, as he pulled two swords out from his saddle, and laid out four daggers, "The other days I will be teaching you how to protect your minds from intruders. This will be the most important skill I teach you, as the mind is a man's only true sanctuary. The goal is that you'll eventually be able to beat me in swordplay while I try and break through your minds. Any questions?"
Tornac smiled, as he saw four eager hands shoot up.
So this is a shortish update, and I know I said updates would be weekly and I massively lied so I apologize. Personal issues have sprung up that I won't go into detail about, but here's like a second prologue/chapter 1? Sorry it's hard to describe, but I have the whole story mapped out. If you have any questions you can PM me or leave a review. Sorry again for the long update wait, as I know from personal experience how much it sucks. Also I know we haven't seen much of the main characters such as Eragon, Murtagh, Saphira, Thorn, Arya, etc. but I'm getting there.
Also if you don't remember or know who Tornac is, he's a canon character and was the surrogate father figure to Murtagh in Urubaen, who was killed. He explains it to Nasuada when she's imprisoned, and Eragon in Eldest.
As the chapters progress, they'll get longer, these are only short due to them setting things up. Anyways please review, as they inspire me the most to complete chapters and continue, and thanks again for reading. Stay safe as well.