Hello and welcome to my first fanfic "Du Fyrn Swell". The idea came to me during the lockdown and I started to write it!

As I've said, this is my first fanfic and English isn't my native language. I hope the language of Shakespeare won't be butchered by this story!

Obviously, I own a computer, some books and even a cat. However, I own nothing in the Inheritance Cycle and Game of Thrones franchise. They do belong to Christopher Paolini and G.R.R Martin.

Spoiler alert : This story starts after the 4th book of the Inheritance Cycle and after the 6th season of GoT and. But it will also incorporate events of the 7th and 8th season so if you haven't seen them, you've been warned.

And now, let's dive in!


Eragon felt numb. He had left Arya and Alagaësia two moons ago but still felt a deep pain in his chest whenever he thought of her. Or about Roran, Katrina, Orik and all the friends he had left behind when he decided to carry on this travel. He knew it was the right choice, but it still pained him and he knew that his heart would ache for a long time if not forever for his lost friends.

He also felt Saphira's pain through their bond. While she didn't have as many links as Eragon with Alagaësia, she also had lived her entire life there and had just recently gained some joy with Firnen's hatching. Since their encounter, the two dragons had spent a lot of time together. Saphira had been more than happy to be in the company of another dragon, one closer to her age than Glaedr.

Some knowledge could only be learnt in such company. The people in Urû'baen had gone through numerous nights filled with dragon's roars along with blue and green shots of flames above the habitations.

So Eragon knew that she deeply missed the green dragon and, on a different scale, Thorn, with whom she shared this unique bond created by her seventy years long captivity as an egg in Urû'baen.

At the moment, Eragon was inside his cabin, eyes closed, meditating while Saphira was flying above the ship. He was reinforcing his mental shields and Aren's reserves with the help of the Eldunaris. He knew it would probably come in handy in the coming months, for there were sailing into the unknown.

His mind was open, like all these times ago at the Crags of Tel'naeir in what seemed like a lifetime ago. But this time, instead of ants, Eragon felt the vastness of the sea and the presence of hundreds of tiny fish, from the tiniest shrimp whose life seemed so fragile to the enormous whales, reflecting waves of peace. But Eragon was having troubles concentrating properly. He had troubles focusing on tasks. Arya's face kept coming into his thoughts or her smile, their moments spent training together, her delicate smell of pinewood… No matter what he was doing or thinking, she kept coming back into his thoughts. The Eldunaris had tried to ease his pain, by talking about the Riders of the past, about their achievements, their functioning ... But Eragon still felt the emptiness caused by their separation and only Saphira was able to bring a smile to his face these days.

He still remembered his last moments with her. She had been on this boat, on the deck, holding hands with him. They both knew it would be a long farewell. He remembered her soft lips, pronouncing his True name. He knew she would remember him, just like he would remember her.

And yet, he knew that soon, he would have to recover if he wanted to properly train the new generation of Rider and before that, build a suitable place to welcome and host them. He couldn't risk the future of the Cast, of the Dragons because of his missing relationship. He knew it but that still didn't make it easier for him.

But Eragon also felt numb from the cold surrounding him. The air was so chilly that Eragon was brought back to his travel to Vroengard from last year. Without Glaedr's guidance, they would surely have frozen to death in their last mission. This time, they were slightly protected by the boat but the place grew wet and cold;

Since their clothes weren't adapted for this chilly weather, Eragon, and the twenty elves who had decided to follow him, had to use magic to keep the warmth in and to prevent them from freezing to death. Thankfully, the Eldunaris were able to provide the energy required for this consuming spell. Saphira also was bothered by the cold and was often complaining about it to Eragon.

That's why most elves could often be found in their own cabin, meditating, reading scrolls written in Ancient Language or exchanging with the most talkative Eldunaris. Indeed, many of them were still haunted by their captivity at Galbatorix hands. It would take time and energy to help them recover and some would probably be lost for a long time if not forever.

Such cold was unheard of in Alagaësia. They had even started to see large blocks of ice floating on the water, blocks sometimes larger than Saphira, Glaedr when he was alive or even Shruikan. They had already needed Saphira's hot flames twice to clear a passage through the ice and would probably need her help more in the coming future. They knew they wouldn't be able to keep up forever if the cold were to continue like this or worse, decrease

The cold was also preventing Eragon from flying with Saphira and was thus also keeping him in his cabin. Indeed, the energy required to keep him warm at high altitude would probably be too important and a waste in view of the tasks awaiting them. Saphira, who was probably close to fire being made flesh was able to keep her body at a high temperature but she was still learning to regulate this temperature. Usually, her internal temperature would be enough to keep Eragon warm. However, this extreme weather was making most of her scales cold as steel. That's why she had asked advice from dragons who had lived in the mountains to learn how to slightly increase her internal temperature to keep her Rider warm enough without draining him of his precious energy.

Eragon still tried to come at least once a day on the deck, to be close to Saphira and talk to her directly. Sometimes, they would also simply lay on the deck, without speaking. They had nothing to hide to each other. Saphira was part of him, his Name was proof of it. So, they were often seen laying there, simply enjoying each other's presence after their first years full of dangers and adventures. He would absently stroke her scales or take a nap under her wing. Their common pain and sadness had brought them closer.

For the first time, Eragon and Saphira didn't have a sword of Damocles hanging over their heads. No Ra'zacs to hunt, cities to siege, spells to learn in order to kill a mad king, magicians to monitor or even wildlife to hunt in order to feed his family in Eragon's case. No, truly, for the first time of their lives, they were living in peace and without life threatening or stressful quest to complete.

Yes, Eragon knew the future of the Riders and the Cast laid on his shoulders, but he felt prepared and had willingly chosen it. He knew that the Eldunaris would help him, just like Murthag and Arya would in Alagaësia. He had already started to think about the course lesson or the way the future layout would look like and was surprised by how excited these thoughts made him.

Aside from Saphira and occasionally Eragon, there was always one elf on the deck, who would be guiding the boat and watching for any sign of coast with his or her heightened senses, They had also to make sure no danger, like pirates, would reach them. Darkness wasn't an issue for elven eyes. The 'guide' of the Talita would change every few hours. So far, they had navigated, without seeing anyone for the past two months. But they had learned to be cautious with the previous wars.

Thankfully, they had enough supplies to continue their travel for a few weeks at least before having to turn back to refill their stock of perishable goods. But deep down, Eragon and the elves felt that something was waiting for them, close. Angela's prophecy wouldn't be beaten by something as simple as a lack of food and Eragon felt Saphira's unspoken agreement to this statement.

Saphira was able to find enough fish in the deep and cold sea to sustain herself. The Eldunaris and Eragon were careful to scan every time the water to prevent any fateful encounter with an unknown enemy or possible Nïdhwal (a maritime specie related to dragons and which could grow bigger than a small house). Eragon still remembered the fear they had felt when they saw the endless rows of sharp and long teeth from the Nïdhwal who has tried to jump on Saphira last year. That was an experience they certainly didn't want to experience ever again.

They also needed to know if dragons would be able to make the journey on their own in the future or if all the future trips would have to be done by boat. So far, Saphira hadn't found any piece of land to land but the ice seemed to be thick enough for a dragon. However, this wasn't suited for young dragons or unexperienced Riders and it seemed they would have to travel by boat every time, at least, until the dragons grew old enough.

Eragon was in the midst of his mental training against Valdr. The old dragon's attacks were unlike anything Eragon had ever faced. Instead of magical pressure, the dragon would assault his mind with ideas, pictures, thoughts to completely disorient his mind. Eragon had to keep his mind impermeable to protect himself from the mysterious dragon to remain in control. Suddenly, he felt Saphira's surprise and curiosity through their link. That moment of distraction was enough to let his guard down and to let the old dragon break through his barriers and to take control of his mind.

"Eragon!" screamed Saphira in his mind

"What, can you see something Saphira?" came his fast reply, ignoring the fact that he wasn't in control of his own body.

"Yes!"

Emotions started to build inside his chest. At that moment, Eragon felt more alive than he had been during the past months and he could feel Valdr's curiosity. The old dragon was listening to their conversation but was now back behind Eragon's barriers.

"I can see some land! There's a wall in the distance!" she added, her excitement evident through their link.


This is the end of the chapter! I hope you've enjoyed it! Reviews are welcome! The following chapters will be longer, at around 2-3k word.

Thank you all and stay safe!