Dear Readers – I feel I must apologise for the rushed pace of this story which is due to the fact that my attention span is shorter than that of a toddler, and I must get the story out as fast as possible, before I lose interest. Some examples of this would be that four out of the five stories I've written are unfinished, due to my short attention span. I apologize for the rush, and am grateful for those of you who bear with me to the end of the story.
P.S. – If anyone has any ideas for filler to make the story longer, email me your ideas, and, if they fit the storyline, I'll include them, and repost the story. Thanks!
RonninBlade.
Family and Close to It
As they flew at speeds not known even by dragons for ten thousand years, powered by the strength of there being a true rider in the world, eragon looked back upon the world with new eyes. It is beautiful, seeing life and growth.
After more than a hundred years in the void, I must agree with you, little one.
Some minutes later, as eragon looked to his left, to survey the mountains, he saw out of the corner of his eye, arya studying him with the most intense focus. "what?" "you've aged, eragon. How long, by the standards of the void, were you gone?" "I have not seen the light that is the living world for a little over one hundred years…" he smirked inwardly, careful to guard his emotions in the way of the elves. That would make me some years older than you, now. He thought. So much for you being too young. Added in saphira. She said this in jest, for, though she knew eragon still loved arya, he knew where her heart belonged, and that even Faolin's death did not interfere with his love. For this reason, he kept his feelings to himself, despite Faolin and Evandar's blessings.
When they arrived in trongjheim a minute later, the dwarves would have torn Murtagh from his dragon, were it not for the powerful wards he and eragon had placed around the group. "Blothr!" he called, forgetting the limits of power, and using magic to force twelve dwarves to halt in their tracks is about as tough as a spell can get, since it becomes a battle of wills. Nonetheless, the spell succeeded, and eragon explained. "he was under the control of Galbatorix. He could not save himself from the fate that he was trapped in. I used the magic of the grey folk to break the hold of the ancient vows he was forced to make. He is an ally now." He turned to murtagh, who said "vel einradhin iet ai shur'tugal." Upon my word as a rider. Knowing that such a word could not be lied, the dwarves sheathed their weapons. Several of them muttered "barzul" anyway, and the one who was the last to walk away spit on the ground and said "barzuln", which is at least ten times as bad, and twice as bad still further for the spitting. Orik, however, walked up warily, and said to murtagh, "I cannot say I did not doubt your true allegiance. Until now, I thought you an enemy, but, if eragon sees that there is still good in you, I will fight at your side. I can never, however, forgive what you did in killing Hrothgar." He turned now to eragon. "eragon! I've brilliant news! But first, who is the lady who rides behind your friend?" he asked of murtagh in such a light because of the secrecy involved in the truth about eragon's parentage. "orik, this is my mother, selena." Orik's eyes widened, as he realized the implications this had towards murtagh. Nonetheless, he kept these implications quiet. He bowed before selena. "I take it you are also the one who sees that which has yet to come?" "at one time, I was, but no longer. It is good to meet you in person, master orik." Orik turned to arya. " greetings, arya. I trust you are well?" "I am better than I was." She said. Orik turned back to eragon. "well, back to the brilliant news! As heir of Hrothgar, I have become grimstborith of durgrimst ingeitum, and I and Hvedra, the dwarfwoman I told you I was promised to, are to be wed on the morrow!" the dwarf ran up, and gave eragon a crushing hug that would have killed any normal human, but, being that eragon was a rider and a member of durgrimst ingeitum, orik had no reservations about preserving eragon's life, nor his own sense of dignity. Suddenly, time for the dragons, riders and one elf present was slowed to a painful crawl. A pained dragon roar echoed through their minds. They saw feet in sinister looking black boots, if boots could look sinister, and the wicked growl of evil laughter, behind the searing pain of what felt very much like being crushed alive. When the pain became unbearable, and their vision clouded over with the veil of death, the vision subsided, and they were themselves once more. Eragon looked up to see roran standing over him. "…eragon! What happened?" thorn answered for him. we have witnessed the death of the last unhatched dragon. It was a message so profoundly sad, that it deserved to be broadcast among all who were present.
Eragon shook his head to clear it. "perhaps not. The vision was too foggy to be a vision sent from the dragon to contact the only two beings it is familiar with; you and saphira. If that was the case, due to the fact that both of you are in the same place, the vision would have been cleared, and also, it wouldn't have been sent to arya. I think that this was a vision of things to come." "then we've no time to lose!" said murtagh. "galbatorix must know of my defection. He probably has decided that if he cant repopulate the dragon race for his own purposes, he would destroy it." "I haven't the power to teleport us all there, and, if this was a premonition, and arya was involved, it's clear she too is a part of averting it." Unexpectedly, a soft glow shone down from isidar mithrim. Everyone present felt stronger. Perhaps I transferred some of my strength to isidar mithrim, when I healed it. I guess it is returning the favor, little one.
Eragon nodded, and turned to his mother. "mother. I will not see you die when there is still so much to know about you that is yet unknown. Please, I beg you. Stay here. You can be of little help in a fight against one so powerful as galbatorix." Selena nodded, and said "I understand. Godspeed, my argetlammes." (argetlammes would be plural of argetlam, I guess.) as they mounted up, roran stopped eragon. "you may be able to beg my aunt to stay, but I will not be stopped. I will see your mission succeed, so that mine shall as well." Eragon simply nodded. arya quickly mounted up behind eragon, still not entirely trusting of murtagh, leaving roran to reluctantly mount up with murtagh. Eragon cared not who flew with him at current – his only wish was to save the dragon. There was a beam of light enveloping them from the great star sapphire, and they were gone.
They arrived an instant later in an immense room, gilded entirely in green. As they stepped into the room, they felt an overwhelming pull to a chamber to the left. When eragon evaluated the feeling, it seemed like it was the dragon. The others were already heading in that direction. "wait! Something doesn't seem right. That aura may be draconic, but it seems… sinister. Murtagh, you and I will go that way. Arya and roran, check the chamber to the right." Amazingly, they all listened. Apperently, your suggestion has merit, little one. I and thorn shall wait here, since we can hardly fit into either of those chambers. If you get into trouble, we will lend you our strength, when it is needed.
Eragon and murtagh headed down the hall to the left, while arya and roran went down the other one. In the right hall, arya and roran encountered a pentagonal room. In the corners of the room, with the exception of the one that was occupied by the entranceway, each held a different item. To the right and center corner, was a set of brilliant green armor, complete with a dark green cloak, with an emerald leaf clasp. To the left center corner, a sword set with jade, and a sheath with three dark emeralds set into it. On the off center right, was a book case and desk, and, to the left, sat the object of their quest – a green dragon egg, with pale white-green veins running through it. Arya felt oddly linked to this egg. It seemed to call to her. She reached out to it with her mind, and, instantly, a crack split down the side, and a white light poured from within.
Meanwhile, in the hall to the left, as eragon and murtagh entered the chamber, they were met by a power so incredibly evil, their senses recoiled at touching it. Not wanting to give away any important information about who they were to their opponent, eragon whispered into murtagh's mind. is this galbatorix?
No. this is something else. For me, something far worse than facing galbatorix. This is my own personal demon. The person who trained me in the dark powers of the ancient language. He is – they were at that moment interrupted by the dark force becoming stronger, and being accompanied by a voice. "well, well, well. Murtagh. The prodigal son has returned. I see you've brought your brother with you, how nice." The figure stepped out of the shadowy distance, and into the minimal light. Before them stood what might have been a shade. But it wasn't. the ears were twice as long, and pointed, the hair blood red, the skin a charred black, instead of the normal pale pallor, the eyes thin slits of dried blood color, and the teeth filed into sharp and vicious fangs. "allow me to introduce myself, eragon. Since you are here and not free, I feel I must capture you alive, that our plans will succeed. Therefore, there really is little point in you being captured if you don't recognize your captors name. I am the elven shade, Korthen." A chill ran down eragon's spine. This shade. Everything about him spelled evil darkness, including his name, which could only be derived from the ancient word for ill omened darkness. In an instant, he was behind them, he flashed beside murtagh, and zar'roc disappeared. "I do not believe that sword rightfully belongs to you murtagh. In fact, I think it belongs to me." Both brothers eyes widened. ""morzan!"" "not quite. And it's father, by the way, you insolent whelps!" he drew the sword and arced it through the air. The sheer force of the wind off the blade nearly knocked the two of them from their feet. Murtagh, who is this guy! Can it really be morzan?
He may carry father dearest's malevolent spirit, but as to his body, ever wonder why you never met vrael in the vault of souls? They tortured him and his dragon in order to make them strong against pain, before killing his dragon, driving vrael mad. Under galbatorix's covert persuasion, he attempted to rally his dragon's spirit in order to make himself stronger, and he ended up inadvertently twisting the spirits he conjured into malignant ones, and they consumed both his and his dragon's spirit. He is now Korthen the most powerful of the shades.
"well, whoever he is, we can take him!" said eragon. the shade laughed. "in case you haven't noticed, your brother is without a weapon. Do you really think you've the strength to face me alone? I sense great magic about you, and though you've the strength and speed of an elf, I've had over a thousand years to perfect mine. How can you use your power, if you cannot catch me." Just then, the dragon on eragon's arm began to glow, and it tore from his arm, leaving him tremoring in similar pain to the wound durza had inflicted on him, and sped out of the room, down the corridor whence they came. murtagh ran to his brother. "the power… it's gone… I can't fight him… too weak. Take gedwey garjzla. You must stand against him, because I cannot." Murtagh nodded, took eragon's sword, and faced his father's malice incarnate.
In the other room, the egg hatched for arya. As the white light receded from the shell of the egg, and the dragon surfaced from within, arya reached out to touch her dragon, and forever be bound to the magic of the riders. As she touched the dragon, a brilliant serpentine light trail flashed around from behind her right shoulder, and enveloped both the dragon, and her hand. At first, she panicked. This was magic of an unknown, and powerful source, but then she realized that it was the rider's magic linked to eragon. She felt a growth of consciousness within the dragon, as if its life was speeding to meet the requirements necessary for him to fight galbatorix. She felt a small tingle in the palm of her hand, as the gedwey ignasia appeared. Then, as suddenly as it came, the serpentine light flashed out of the room, and back the way it came. hello, little one. Came a deep voice that echoed through her being, and made her feel as if something was missing before, but now she was complete.
Murtagh had a difficult time enough fending off Korthen's attacks, but eragon's sword was a foreign weapon to him, and it was increasingly difficult to weild the weapon against a swordmaster who had indeed had over a thousand years of practice. As time passed on, he found it more and more strenuous, even with Thorn's aid, to keep up with the elven shade. It seemed as if Korthen had dipped into an endless supply of power, and that murtagh, though he had the ability to tap into his surroundings to obtain strength, and also perform other rather powerful tricks to gain the upper hand, since being freed by eragon, he had no desire to delve into the dark abilities he had gained ever again. Finally, murtagh made a fatal mistake in his stance, and tripped. "this is where you die, my son. We've still got two dragons left, one male, one female, and I, as your mentor and representative of the king, have no further use for you." Just as the killing blow was about to be struck, a silver stream burst down the corridor, distracting the shade. Murtagh made a pivotal strike as he fell, cutting Korthen across the shoulder. As he went down, he saw the living dragon tattoo reunite with eragon's arm. Eragon stood up, and called his sword to him, from the spot where it had spiraled across the floor. Even before the sword was in his hand, Korthen had Zar'roc at murtagh's throat. "make your move, young rider, and lose a brother, and fellow rider." Eragon thought for a second, sighed, and dropped his sword. The shade snarled and grinned wickedly, before pressing the red sword to murtagh's neck.