A Change
The sun glared down on the beautiful city of Teirm, with a gentle current wafting in from the West. The entire city was abuzz as the inhabitants milled about excitedly, as hundreds of visitors flocked in from all cross Alagaesia. The annual yearly Hatching Ceremony was to start today, and to continue on throughout the rest of the week. The honor of such an event being bestowed on their city had driven the people of Teirm to celebration in abundance with festivities being found in every square.
Eragon found the entire place fascinating with its beautiful towering walls surrounding the city, the numerous soldiers that could be seen patrolling everywhere, and just the massive crowds. He'd overheard that the city of Teirm had never been taken by an outside force from a bard and he had to admit, he could believe it. Eragon had never seen such a grand place before, and although he'd already been living in the city for a little over two months, the same feeling of awe overtook him everytime he stepped out of their lodgings.
Exiting one of the wealthier areas of the city, he passed through one of the internal walls heading towards the ends of the city. Despite this area being considerably poorer, the crowds did not thin and the festivities only increased. Ignoring it all, Eragon headed towards an inn that looked like it'd seen better days, The Green Chestnut.
Creaking the door open, Eragon quickly acknowledged Gareth the innkeeper, who only looked at him in disdain. Smiling internally, Eragon quickly strolled past him heading towards his room on the second floor. Inside he found Murtagh and Roran playing cards boredly at a table as they made small talk.
"I can't believe that Gareth still hates us even though we've been staying here for a month." Eragon said, as he sat down at the table.
"Eh he's just a stiff, just annoyed that he hasn't been able to profit off of us as we've been sharing a room." Murtagh replied as he placed another card on the table. "You make contact?"
Eragon nodded slowly, as he poured himself some water from a jug.
"Well, get on with it." Roran said, as glanced up from his cards.
Eragon took a long hearty gulp from his mug, ending it with a loud exaggerated sigh in satisfaction.
"You could wait a second, it's bloody hot out." Eragon finally protested, eliciting an eye roll from his cousin. "Yes I made contact. Twitch says we're meeting in an hour at that big square where they were preparing all that stuff."
Murtagh smirked at his brother, taking his eyes off his cards. "You're very specific aren't you."
Roran chuckled a bit, while Eragon just waved off the remark. "Don't worry, I've memorized the way there. Besides none of you wanted to go so don't complain."
"How will we proceed, you see how large this gathering is? It's larger than I've ever imagined, the amount of guards that are out currently is scary enough. Imagine how many will be guarding that specific square?" Murtagh asked, looking at Eragon.
"I don't know. Twitch says they got a plan for everything and just told me, and you lot as well, to stick to our roles and everything will go on smoothly."
"Personally I don't like this, nor do I trust Twitch. We have enough money to be settled for life… remind me why we are preparing at all for something that could have us all potentially be dead in an hour?" Roran suddenly exclaimed. "Murtagh was right with the amount of security. This looks like a lost cause, I mean come on? When The Hand literally told us this, we scoffed at it."
"Well it's a little bit too late to be having second thoughts." Eragon responded with a grim look. "We all agreed to this, so we're going to go through with it. Plus we've all met the boss. You really wanna double cross him? His presence alone makes me go numb. Plus plus, we were told to do this by him, and I know for a fact that none of us want to double cross him."
The room went silent as the trio looked at each other in silence, as the game went on.
"We're insane for this." Roran suddenly stated firmly. The brothers only nodded in agreement, as they continued to kill the hour.
Eragon was entirely lost in thought as he remembered the past four months, and the craziness of it all. So much had happened in such a short amount of time and through it all, he was surprised that Roran, Murtagh, and himself were even alive. His gaze slowly shifted absentmindedly to the chain hanging around his neck that dipped under his tunic. Hidden beneath it was the ring. He still remembered the night he'd first laid eyes on it along with the commotion Murtagh and Roran had made when they'd realized they were all rich, and then the immediate sadness that had followed. With that sadness, the scarring memory of the way Eragon had received that inheritance was also brought back. That jarring night had been the catalyst to where all three of them now sat. In a cramped dark room, in a shifty inn, in Teirm.
The sound of a loud ringing bell shocked Eragon out of his melancholic thoughts, and sprung the three boys into action. Abandoning the game of cards on the table, all three of them went to their own pack. Eragon took out three throwing daggers hiding two in his boots and put one on his belt, which was quickly followed by the sheath of a common sword. He then took out a rusty chainmail shirt putting it on along with leather braces for his forearms. Then to top it off, he concealed himself with a dark black cloak. He then abandoned his pack looking up to see both his brother and cousin decked in almost similar fits.
"If we don't die from this, we'll definitely be killed by the heat." Eragon said, trying to ease the tension.
"Not the time Eragon. Now this might be the last time we all see each other in a group for a while... or at all. We all know the plan and the danger that's involved, but like Eragon mentioned prior. We all signed up for it knowing the risks. If by some miracle this succeeds or it all goes to shit, then we reconvene at Jeod's. You should know the rest."
Eragon and Roran both nodded palely at Murtagh.
"How's the arm Roran?"
"Practically brand new."
"Eragon you ready?"
"Yeah. How about you?"
"I'm good. Remember to stay sharp. I love you both."
Eragon and Roran both nodded affirmatively at Murtagh, before each clasped each other on the arm and headed out of the inn.
Once outside, all three put up the hoods of their cloaks, allowing Eragon to take the lead, guiding them towards the square he'd described an hour ago. No one talked as they pushed and shoved past the thousands of people joyfully celebrating. The general attitude of the city was a complete contrast to the trio as they all marched single file towards their destination.
Passing through the internal wall separating the ends from the middle class, another that separated the middle from the wealthy, and spending fifteen minutes passing through the maze of the city, they finally reached the square.
Eragon was sweating profusely by then from the excess layers he wore, and his discomfort combined with his anxiety was making him irritable. Looking around the square, he motioned to Murtagh and Roran that this was the location. Both nodded and Roran immediately separated, giving them both a look. Eragon and Murtagh both nodded back at him as they watched him disappear into the throngs of people.
This specific square was the most populated the brothers had seen so far as hundreds of people were seen huddled together forming a square around a massive wooden platform in the center. More and more people were still joining the massive crowd every second, and the two brothers were quickly enveloped in the sea of people.
Squeezing and shoving, the pair both reached the front of the gatherers, which earned them a fair amount of rude remarks and scowls. Upon now having a clear view of the courtyard, Murtagh whispered into his ear, "Did Twitch tell you what the signal was?"
Eragon just shook his head and Murtagh nodded before giving his brother a similar look Roran had given them. He then left his brother disappearing into the crowd surrounding them. Left alone, Eragon tried to relax his nerves.
He blocked out all the excess chatter from the surrounding people and tried to find a way to focus. Allowing his practiced eyes to gaze around the courtyard he spotted around forty figures dressed in similar garbs to him. This is gonna be massive, he thought nervously. Continuing to survey the square, Eragon observed four roads linked to the courtyard, with one being closed off. Huge houses and buildings pinned them in on all four sides.
Along the wooden platform, thirty city guards surrounded the perimeter. Aligning the buildings surrounding the courtyard in general were about seventy five, and to top it off, along the roofs of the buildings surrounding them, about forty archers could be seen patrolling.
Eragon did not like the odds of this. He felt ensnared in a trap and just prayed that Twitch had foreseen the huge amount of security and had contingencies for it. If not, all of them would be peppered with arrows before anything could occur.
Suddenly a large part of the crowd facing the enclosed road erupted in cheers. Curious, along with the rest of the people around him, Eragon tried to make out what was causing the commotion.
His curiosity was quickly sated though, as he quickly counted another fifteen guards parading towards the wooden platform, escorting eight riders.
The added number of guards made Eragon uneasy but not intimidated. No, what intimidated him was the look of the riders. Teirm's soldier's armour shone brightly under the midday sun, but the rider's armour shone brighter than diamonds. They're posture and the auror they gave off as well, was one of importance and self assurance. It was extremely unnerving and Eragon wondered if Murtagh and Roran were sharing the same daunting feelings he was.
Shaking himself out of his thoughts, Eragon refocused again and ignored the horrible feeling he felt in the bottom of his stomach. There was no turning back now.
The guards lead the riders up the wooden platform, before fanning out to allow room for the riders to be in the center. Every single rider dismounted their horses as six of the eight slowly surrounded the other two, adding another line of protection. One of the two riders then removed the hood they were wearing to reveal the handsome face of a young man.
He looked like he was in his early twenties and had glistening long white hair. His eyes were a light grey and he was carrying an ornate wooden box, about a foot long, and half a foot wide. Eragon ignored his previous observations about the man as he became transfixed onto the box. That was one of their targets.
The white haired man, then slowly raised the box and opened it to reveal a beautiful maroon red stone. The whole crowd cheered in excitement as they watched. Eragon himself gasped in awe, the color of the stone made every red he'd seen in his life seem dull. The colors of brightest rubies, richest roses, and even darkest blood paled in comparison to the color of the stone, and Eragon felt privileged to have even laid his eyes on it. He felt as if he was seeing the true color of red for the first time and was entranced.
He was cut out of it though when the second rider lowered their hood to reveal… a girl? Eragon was in shock, nowhere in their plans had a girl been expected. That shock quickly turned into another emotion he couldn't really recognize, as he studied the girl quickly.
She had angular features with almond, vibrant green eyes, long raven-black hair, a slender face, and tawny skin. All in all she was the most stunningly beautiful person Eragon had ever laid eyes on.
He begrudgingly looked away from her, and focused on what she was carrying. Like the white haired man, the girl carried an ornate box, and following her companion, she lifted the box and opened it. Inside was a blue stone and Eragon felt a sensation he'd never felt in his whole life. It wasn't an emotion or even feeling. It was something indescribable and Eragon knew it was stemming from the stone.
The stone, like the other, was the same in almost every way with its smooth shiny complexion and sizing. The only difference was that instead of being red, it was blue, and like the other stone, this made Eragon feel as if he'd been living in a world of black and white. How every blue he'd seen before was just a lie, a filler to something that no one should ever be privileged to see. This blue made even nature's natural beauty dim for the stone's color was more beautiful than the blue of the sky, and the blue of the ocean. It was absolutely stunning.
Eventually Eragon tore his eyes from the stone, along with the girl, and observed that people all along the crowd were starting to form a long line. Curious, Eragon watched as one of the riders stepped forwards, said something incomprehensible, and suddenly a voice filled the air.
"Welcome people of Alagaesia to Teirm for this year's Hatching Ceremony! It is with the utmost joy that I can say that the Ceremony can begin… Now!"
As the rider finished his short announcement a bright green light was launched into the sky that exploded in a beautiful display that every person in the city would be able to see. Laughter and shouts of joy could be heard all throughout the city which was deafening for a few minutes as the light slowly disappeared. Once the last bit of light had dissipated, the rider motioned for the first person in the line to step forwards towards the white haired man and girl.
It was a man who looked to be a nobleman based on the clothes he was wearing. He quickly walked up the wooden platform, before reaching the rider, who then gave the man directions in what to do. Eragon watched puzzled as the man walked towards the riders with the boxes, bowed quickly, and then tentatively held out his hand to the stone.
The whole crowd grew silent as the man slowly lowered his hand onto the red stone. Waiting a few seconds he withdrew his hand with a look of disappointment, and then moved onto the blue stone, where he repeated the same motion. More disappointment filled the noble's face as again nothing happened. The noble dejectedly bowed again before the white haired man and the girl, before slowly making his way down the platform, just as the rider beckoned for the next person in line to step up. The crowd regained its festivity after the noble's attempt, but would again quiet each time a new person touched the stones.
Eragon's curiosity was piqued as he wondered what exactly the nobleman had been hoping for. He also unknowingly secretly wished that he could abandon his position in the crowd and join the growing line to test himself as well.
In a blink of an eye though, everything turned belly up.
An arrow whizzed over the heads of the crowd to impale one of the city's guards in the head, erupting a spurt of blood. Time seemed to still in the courtyard, as the man collapsed in a pool of his own blood. A second then passed before the crowd quickly turned to chaos as every person in the square started to try and escape the scene.
Eragon, shocked, quickly looked to the roofs where he saw half the city guards lowering their crossbows and firing. Confused Eragon scanned the roofs until he realized what had occurred. Smiling grimly he thought, Twitch you son of a bitch.
Somehow the Hand had infiltrated Teirm's militia, as Eragon saw a bunch of corpses randomly laying scattered over the roofs looking like porcupines.
Turning his gaze back to the courtyard, he saw as all around him people were running too and fro, all trying to escape the carnage. Bolt after bolt rained down onto the city guards with deadly accuracy, taking them out, one by one.
Eragon felt bile rise up in him though as he would also see a stray bolt hit a civilian killing them instantly. It was brutal and Eragon hated that he was even associated with it, but he couldn't dwell on it. This had been the job he had signed up for, and he believed in it.
Unsheathing his sword, Eragon used the commotion and chaos of the fleeing crowd to sneak up on one of the Teirm's guards and quickly cut him down. He did the same for two more, before the guards could understand what was going on. All around him, the forty or so figures Eragon had spotted earlier, were doing the same eliminating the guards nearest them.
Catching onto what was happening though, the guards quickly became alert and the next guard Eragon faced put up more of a fight. The guard had a spear, and thrust it at Eragon who spun out of the way. The guard seeing he'd missed, quickly double backed swinging the weapon again at Eragon, who again dodged very nimbly. Becoming frustrated the guard turned towards Eragon again and charged him. Eragon quickly side stepped this, while also slicing the guard's side as he ran past.
Not allowing the guard even a chance to look at his wound, Eragon followed the man's follow through and pounced, stabbing his sword into the man's back.
A slight pang of guilt stabbed at Eragon's conscience. Tornac would be ashamed if he knew what Eragon was using his skills for.
Ignoring this Eragon swiveled his head while retrieving his sword from the corpse of the man, and just barely dodged the spear of another guard. Taking out one of his throwing knives, Eragon threw it, with it making contact with the guard's shoulder with a thump.
The man screamed in agony, and again Eragon showed no mercy as he drew his sword through the man's chest and watched as blood trickled down from the wound.
Again Eragon felt bile start to form, but forced it back down. This was no place for him to lose himself to sickness. He'd have time for that later, if he even survived. Quickly glancing one last time at the two corpses of the guards he'd killed, he reviewed the battle.
Almost all the citizens had cleared the square with only a handful left still trying to escape, leaving only the guards, the riders, and Eragon's fellow members.
The group of eight riders had moved off the wooden platform, obviously trying to escape but had been surrounded by Black Hand members. All the rider's mounts had been shot down, and the rest of the twenty five or so guards stood fighting small skirmishes on their own. Bodies littered the courtyard, ones of BH members, guardsman, and even citizens. Cries of the wounded could also be heard through the sounds of metal on metal and the whizz of crossbow bolts continuing to rain down.
Praying that none of those corpses were Roran or Murtagh, Eragon ran towards the nearest skirmish where he saw a BH member struggling against two guards.
Eragon surprised one of the two guards from behind, running him through with his sword, but not before the other guard had skewered the BH member with his spear.
Not even bothering to retrieve the spear from his victim, the guard unsheathed a sword and turned towards Eragon.
Eragon in turn ungutted the man he'd impaled, letting the guard's corpse fall to the ground. The guard looked Eragon up and down, before glancing at his comrade. He then rushed Eragon intending to slash him to bits, to which Eragon was able to parry hurriedly. The blow was strong though, and threw Eragon off balance. The guard, seeing the weakness, continued to hound him with strong, yet reckless blows.
The man's technique wasn't the best and emotions and fatigue was clearly starting to mess with his mind. Being patient, Eragon continued to let his opponent waste his energy as he parried, blocked, and dodged almost all of the blows. He did get a slight knock on his arm, and could feel the warm sticky blood starting to soak his cloak and armour, but continued to prevail.
As a little more time passed, Eragon's prediction came true as the man's blows had become weaker, and his breathing had become heavier and more taxing.
Seizing the opportunity he'd been waiting for, Eragon turned the duel on its head quickly disposing of the fatigued soldier with a few quick blows.
Satisfied with how little energy he'd exerted executing the two guards he once again surveyed the courtyard. A big chunk of the BH members that he'd seen previously had perished, which was a blow but the upside to that was all the soldiers that had been guarding the square were dead. The only ones left were the riders and they were all in duels currently. Only one of them had fallen, and that said the rider's corpse was covered in crossbow bolts and lying in their own blood.
Eragon was slightly impressed at the resilience the rider's were showing, as he saw another BH member fall to ground motionless. He then caught sight of the girl he'd seen previously.
Her face was cold and her bright green eyes were scanning warily. She was clutching the box close to her breast, while a beautifully crafted green blade was dripping with gore. Disappointment filled Eragon's heart as he realized the fate the girl would face, if he were to complete his objective.
Shaking his head, Eragon berated himself. What was he thinking, he'd have time to think of these thoughts and emotions with more depth when he had escaped. Right now the girl was an enemy and in his way from completing his mission.
Hurrying to join the battle, Eragon headed towards the last skirmish in the courtyard. He had forgotten that this battle would have to end quickly. Teirm was a big city and as soon as word reached other factions of guards, hundreds of new soldiers would be racing towards their location. They needed to end this operation now.
Two more of the riders had been brought down, and now the last five stood facing the remains of the Black Hand cell. It was a five v five, and thanking the gods, Eragon recognized Murtagh as one of the survivors. Worryingly though, he didn't see Roran anywhere and prayed that he had already escaped or was one of the archers on the roofs.
Eragon faced off now against the rider that had made the announcement speech, which had started this whole ceremony. The man was a couple inches taller, and his armour was covered in gore diminishing its original shine. Eragon guessed he looked worse ,as he discarded the cloak he'd been wearing. It was already in tatters and doing nothing but slowing him down.
Swiftly taking it off, Eragon was forced to dodge immediately as the rider had not waited. Eragon, annoyed at this, threw the ragged cloak at the guard and rushed him.
The cloth which had been so irritating to Eragon proved quite helpful now, as it blocked the rider's line of sight giving Eragon the advantage. Before the Rider knew it, Eragon was upon him, slicing at the man's abdomen only for his blade to be deflected.
What in the world? Eragon thought, just as an arrow raced towards the man he should've just gutted, only for that too to be deflected away.
MAGIC! This man was warded! Eragon thought, groaning. This duel was about to become so much more taxing.
Relentlessly he resumed the duel as the rider and he began a dance. Eragon quickly noticed that the skills of this warrior far surpassed the simple soldiers he'd so easily dispatched, and relished the challenge.
The duel would go back and forth as Eragon would continue to challenge the rider's wards, while the rider would sometimes get a little knick on Eragon. None being serious injuries though. Time and time again, Eragon would see an opening and time and time again he'd be frustrated when his blade would come an inch from the rider and bounce off.
His strength was beginning to wane as well, as the duel started to look impossible until finally Eragon landed a blow on the rider. Surprise seemed to cover the man's face as he watched blood flow down his forearm from the cut Eragon had landed, to only be replaced by determination.
The battle was now on even terms and both combatants knew this, as they started to circle one another. Suddenly Eragon rushed, arching his blade over his head, hoping his opponent would see the opening and fall into his trap. Disappointed, Eragon saw that the rider just dodged replying with his own slash. Eragon quickly parried it away, before thrusting his sword to try and stab the rider, and so the dance continued.
Eragon continued looking for an opening but the rider was being very cautious now. Eragon knew he would only be able to win this duel through outsmarting his opponent. The rider knew that if he could prolong the fight, that he'd win as reinforcements would be on its way and they'd be rescued. This fact was becoming more and more apparent to Eragon as well, and he decided he needed to switch up his fighting style.
Eragon bent down tentatively towards his boot, keeping his guard up the whole time, before slyly pulling out one of the throwing daggers. He then swiftly threw it at the rider and rushed him. The rider, not expecting a projectile weapon from Eragon, was only able to dodge the knife enough that it still grazed his side.
Off balance he realized the mistake in having not been prepared, as he saw the blur of Eragon and before he knew it Eragon had skewered him. Clutching at his wound he looked at the young face of his killer, he saw the guilt in the young man's eyes. That was the last thing though as life quickly faded from him.
Eragon watched it all with disgust with himself. Again he quickly pushed that feeling down though, as he again scanned the battle.
Two more of the riders had been brought down while only one BH member had been slain. Eragon quickly saw that the reason for the change of the tide was due to the archers on the roofs. They were keeping the riders at bay and distracted, which had allowed the BH members to keep equal despite most having lesser skills.
Eragon also saw that Murtagh and another BH member were doubling up against the white haired rider who was limited to one hand. The girl was engaged in another BH member while also being bombarded with bolts. The last rider was also being bombarded with bolts as well but had gained the upper hand on the BH member and quickly dispatched him.
Eragon, knowing this rider must be weaker and more fatigued, quickly engaged him in battle. Picking up another sword, Eragon used his ambidextrous skills to his advantage, as he quickly overpowered the tired rider onto his knees. Just before he could enact the killing blow though, his blade was stopped. Looking for the cause he saw the girl had killed her opponent and was stopping his blade with magic.
Annoyed Eragon used his other hand to off his opponent but also found it to be stuck. Even more agitated Eragon jumped up kicking the man over. The man collapsed to the ground unconscious instead of dead. Recovering from the jump, Eragon turned his head towards the girl and started to advance towards her brandishing both swords.
If the girl was feeling any emotion, Eragon couldn't tell as she wore a stone cold mask. Knowing they were both tired he decided to rush her.
He did a downward strike to the head with one of the swords and then at the last second, feinted towards the neck. While doing this, he kept his other sword back for defense.
The girl easily saw through his deception, and batted away his sword, and returned a powerful blow to his arm, as he was too slow to block it.
Blood soaked his armour and a searing pain burned him. He couldn't believe the strength and speed of this girl. It was inhuman and he started to feel a bit of fear.
He didn't let up though, and continued his attack which only left him with three more bleeding cuts to his thigh, and chest. It had also led to him losing both his swords, and to him being on his knees in front of her. Eragon knew he was done for, and the girl must have sensed she had won too, as she made a mistake.
She lifted her sword up high above her head to bring it down on the defenseless Eragon, which left an opening.
Eragon quickly saw it and as she started her fatal blow, he leapt up using the last of his strength, and grabbed her, bringing her down to the ground. The girl was stunned, and Eragon quickly took the box from her and ran.
It had been a risky move as the stone could have been damaged, but he had guessed the box would protect it. Just to be on the safe side though, he started to take it out as he ran. The girl recovered quickly and seeing what he was doing, said something incomprehensible, and suddenly he couldn't move.
He was literally frozen in place holding the stone in one hand, and the wooden box in the other. Frantically looking around, Eragon saw that the white haired rider lay either dead or unconscious on the ground. The box he'd been holding was gone, but another BH member had been slain. He couldn't tell if it was Murtagh or not, but if it was, he was going to join his brother very soon.
The girl calmly walked up to him and placed her cold blade against his neck.
"The egg." she said nonchalantly.
"What egg?" Eragon asked annoyed, "I can't even mov-" He was cut off short as a resounding crack cut the air. Quickly both their eyes went to the stone.
A huge crack had appeared on it… then slowly another formed, and another until suddenly a small blue head popped out. Eragon watched in horror and awe as a beautiful cute baby dragon was slowly crawling out of the stone, licking the liquid it was coated in.
"What have you done?" The girl suddenly asked him coldly with a scowl, but before Eragon could respond, an indescribable pain fell upon his whole body, and his vision started to dim. The last things he saw were hundreds of Teirm soldiers entering the courtyard from every direction, the beautiful scowling face of the girl, and the sound of a huge dragon roaring accompanied by the baby dragon's screech.
God these chapters are becoming monthly now and I'm deeply sorry for that. I'm still working on college aps but after that I promise updates will be more common. Please please please REVIEW, it helps me so much and brightens up my day! Again thank you for reading, I appreciate it. If you have questions or anything don't hesitate to ask.
Also everything will be explained soon about the previous chapter and the time jump. Don't worry, it's all happening for a reason, I'm not just skipping. Thanks again!
-AIS