Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or places. They belong to Christopher Paolini
A/N: Tell me how you like it!
When Eragon emerged from underneath Saphira's wing, he was amazed to see sunlight. The night's rest had seemed so short after his watch. Arya was moving around the remains of the fire, while Kela still sat in her bedroll. She had changed out of the bloodstained dress and she now wore a nearly black, dark blue underdress. Her overdress was the same gray as her cloak. She nearly faded into the woods behind her.
Ignoring Saphira's mutterings about a certain sleepyhead, he realized that Arya was talking to Kela.
"No, Kela. You will not help me. You will stay right where you are," Arya ordered. Kela didn't look happy, but she obeyed.
Eragon was amazed that she even was conscious. Her injuries would have kept some people asleep for many days.
Rolling up his bedroll, Eragon glanced at Kela once more. She looked paler then normal, if that was even possible. There were also bags under her eyes and, of course, the bandages were on her arm. Other then that, she looked normal- except for her hair which was still dark brown.
Kela turned and smiled at Eragon. "I'm fine," she assured him.
Eragon nodded and set off for the river. After washing his face, ridding it of all the paint Kela had applied, Eragon set back towards the camp. Arya was now handing Kela some bread they had purchased yesterday. Seeing Eragon, she handed him a piece as well.
While he was gnawing at his chunk, Saphira contacted him.
Will Kela be able to walk? she asked.
I'm not sure, he replied, while still eating. She's probably too weak to go far. We probably won't make as good of distance today. We really need to get to Ellesméra as quickly as possible, but we'll wait for her to get better.
His voice was regretful. With a village knowing about him, Eragon wanted to get as far away as possible. Kela had distracted the men, so Eragon was not about to leave her behind.
I have a solution, Saphira announced. Eragon waited. I can carry her. You can strap her into the saddle and she'll be able to sleep on my back. That way we will not leave her behind and we will be able to get to Ellesméra sooner.
Eragon nodded. If that's what you want to do.
It is.
When he had finished his breakfast, Eragon told Arya about Saphira's offer.
"The only thing I'm concerned about is saddle sores," Eragon finished. Arya waved that away.
"She has been on a horse enough so she will be resistant to them," she explained. "The only thing we have to be concerned about now is convincing Kela that she cannot walk."
As she said this, she looked over at Kela who, stubbornly refusing to follow Arya's orders was rolling up her bed roll and attaching it back onto her pack with one arm. When Arya looked at her sharply, Kela ducked her head and sat back down.
"Kela!" she called. "Will you come here please?" As Kela slowly walked to Arya, Saphira, and Eragon, Arya muttered "Pick her up and put her on Saphira. She'll be too weak to struggle." Eragon nodded.
Kela stopped before reaching them. "What are you planning?" she asked suspiciously.
Arya sighed. "Kela, you have known me for nearly twelve years. You know I would not do anything that is not in your best interests."
Kela stepped closer and Eragon swooped around her. Picking her up by her waist, Eragon hoisted her onto Saphira's back, careful to not jar her arm. He was surprised at how light she was. For someone of her height, she didn't weigh very much.
Kela began to protest as soon as Eragon lifted her up. Figuring out what they were doing, Kela immediately tried to talk to Eragon.
"I can't ride Saphira- she's your dragon. I can walk, truly. I'm fine. Let me down, please!"
Eragon ignored her and tightened the leg straps on her left leg while Arya did the right. They plopped Kela's pack right behind her and tied it on.
"No!" said weakly. "I can walk. I can-" Kela never managed to finish her sentence, for Saphira took off, pulling a small yelp from Kela.
Watching Saphira disappear into the sky, Arya and Eragon shouldered there packs and began walking, weaving in and out of trees and bushes.
Several hours passed. Eragon contacted Saphira many times to make sure that Kela was sleeping. She assured him that she was. Dwelling on the information he had learned about Kela last night, he decided to ask some questions.
"Arya," he began. "How often are people like Kela born?
"Very little, I would guess. Really, her heritage is no less common then yours. All people are different Eragon."
Eragon could almost sense a hidden meaning in that somewhere, but couldn't manage to pull it out.
"What exactly can she do?"
"She can sense emotions. It's much like trying to see into someone's mind, except on a lesser scale, and she does it all the time, with no extra energy spent. If she focuses her whole concentration into it, she can manage to make out specific thoughts or conversations.
"Because she has this ability, her mind is automatically shut off. She doesn't have to worry about making a shield like you do. Unfortunately, emotions are complex things and are easily misinterpreted. They do not always show her exactly what she wants to know. She has to guess about the person's personality before she can picture anything that might be what she is looking for. It's an imprecise art, but Kela is doing well."
"It's really that hard?" Eragon asked. "She can't just see into your mind?"
"No," Arya replied. "She also has to be content with what the person she is concentrating on is thinking about right then and there. If she wants to change the person's thoughts, she has to somehow remind them of what it is she wants to see. Often a well placed object or comment turns peoples' minds the way she would like."
Eragon nodded. That made sense. He still had questions about Kela's other ability. "Why can't she be healed?" he asked.
"To understand all of its parts, you would have to study for years," Arya told him. "I can tell you the basic parts if you still want to know."
Eragon nodded and waited for Arya. She looked as if she was searching a mental drawer and pulling out the knowledge.
"First," she began, "humans and elves have not always lived in this world." Eragon nodded. He knew that fact. "The elves came over to Alagaësia before the humans did. At one time, as you know, all creatures spoke the Ancient Language. Somehow, the humans had forgotten it. Therefore, no magic was present in the human countries on the other side of the sea.
"The elves, of course, still possessed magic when they traveled to Alagaësia. It this time of forgetting for the humans, this is when the beginning of that trait arose.
"Her father's name was Elden. That was his true name. Some had begun to hide there names, but Elden had not. This is why he such things happened.
"Anyway, Elden was born to normal, hardworking parents. They were farmers. Hearing about a supposed disaster, Elden's parents were worried about their lives. Names were given great meaning, even then. They named him Elden because, in their language, it meant 'protector'. He grew up normally. Nothing was unusual or even slightly different about Elden. He was a normal child, but when he turned fifteen, he began to have odd behaviors.
"He would go in the woods for days at a time, not coming home, and not looking at any of the girls to marry, unlike all of his friends. His parents began to get nervous. They asked him repeatedly where he was going, but he would never tell, simply saying 'I don't know myself'.
"He was speaking the truth. He truly did not know where he was going. His parents did not know that by naming him Elden, they had condemned him to his fate. 'Elden' in the Ancient Language means 'one who searches, cannot find, one day will, but cannot take'."
"I don't understand how a name can mean all of that," Eragon confessed.
"Layer upon layers of meaning is in every word of the Ancient Language," Arya explained. She took up the story once more.
"The other Eldens of that time had not been born in the situation he had. Elden always felt that he was searching for something. The other Eldens mostly searched for wives, but could never have them. Something in Elden's heratage made him immune to that type of behavior. Instead, he was searching for a much larger, more important idea. He was searching for magic.
"Other humans felt the lack of something as well. They formed what is now called the First Boat. They sailed across the ocean, following some unknown call. They were the first humans on Alagaësia.
"Elden was on that boat, feeling like he could finally find what he had been searching for. The First Boat landed near what is now Teirm. Still following the call, they headed inland along the Toark River. When they reached the bend when the Toark curves south, half of the humans wished to go south while the other half wished to go north.
"The First Boat split, with Elden following those who went north. The Bows, which the humans who headed north were then called, traveled for quite some time until they reached Du Weldenvarden. There, they were greeted by elves. The Sterns also met with the elves, but The Bows had the first contact.
"The elves were weary in letting The Bows live. They were right in the middle of the Elven and Dragon wars. A young elf maiden was convinced that they simply needed a place to stay. She managed to convince the others as well. No one knows just how she did it, but the humans were allowed to stay.
"The maiden was named Iorwen, an odd name for an elf. In the ancient language Iorwen simply meant 'none'. Elden was smitten by her. He wanted to marry Iorwen, although she was not what he had been searching for.
"As time went by, they fell in love and married. Elden found that magic was what he was missing. Iorwen was not able to use magic, an odd occurrence in elves. Most elves are able to use some magic, although at varying strengths.
"When a child was born, they named her Kayin, for she was long-awaited. At her day of birth, they waited for a small magic to be put upon her. The elf who tried died in the attempt and the magic was not able to take hold.
"They soon realized that it was because of her father's name that magic could not be used. If Kayin had been able to have magics put upon her, her father would have been able to obtain what he had been seeking.
"Kayin had many children, and those children had many children. They all were hard to put spells upon, but some could use magic. No one is quite sure why this trait passed from generation to generation, but to this day, they are people who cannot have magic put upon them."
Eragon was amazed. That simple name was the reason for the whole thing. Names were a lot more then they seemed. "That was the short version?" he asked. Arya nodded.
"There are quite a few more characters and reasons in the full tale. I do not know all of them. Kela has researched her heritage, and she does indeed have a direct trail to Kayin through her father. Because it is not daughter to daughter, she has the ability to have a spell placed upon her, but it is extremely difficult. Galbatorix himself would not be able to kill her with magic."
Eragon whistled, impressed. "You said last night that her mother's side had the ability to sense feelings. It that caused by a name as well?"
"No, that is simply a trait that more common then you believe. Kela has been able to work on her abilities, and she can feel more then the average person. Some people can look at a person and tell exactly how they are feeling for that is what an untrained ability can do," she explained.
Eragon nodded and continued walking. They walked in silence until night fell and Saphira swooped down in front of them, with Kela on her back.
Kela's ever-clear eyes looked at him, although Eragon could tell that she was exhausted. As she tried to climb out of the saddle, Kela's legs failed her and sent her straight on top of Eragon. He caught her easily. He pretended to ignore the red spots on her cheeks.
"I'm sorry Eragon," she apologized.
"That's all right. You need sleep," he ordered and carried her to her bedroll that Arya had laid out, despite her feeble protests.
"I will not be carried ever again," she insisted weakly as Eragon simply smiled and covered her with a blanket. Within moments, Kela was fast asleep.
A/N: Sorry about the, well, non-action chapter. I'm kind of sorry that this is so long, but you needed to know why Kela is resistant to magic. If I was reading this story, I wouldn't have accepted that it simply came through her father's side. Oh well, hope it wasn't too boring. The next chapter will have something at least a little better, I promise. Please tell me how you like it.