Hey guys I am back for Chapter 14!
I want to thank everyone who has liked and reviewed this story! I started this story a week ago and we are already close to 20 reviews and almost 2000 views which is crazy! I never expected this story to gain any sort of traction so thank you to every one of you!
User IDK- Your review made me laugh so hard! Thanks for the review!
Quick update: School is getting more intense now that the first few weeks are over so two updates per day will probably be less frequent although I will do my best to get at least one update out
Chapter 14 here we go!
Eragon POV
Eragon stood taking in the sunrise as he stood on a small balcony overlooking the city. The sky flushed with purple and reds as the start of a new day dawned.
Eragon had woken early and had been too excited to return to bed. Arya was to return to the city after over two years away! Eragon knew that to Arya two years was nothing but to him it still felt like a long time.
"I may be elf on the outside but on the inside I am still human in my thoughts"
It still baffled Eragon that he was, for all intents and purposes, Immortal. He was only twenty-five years old and Eragon would see hundreds of more birthdays and thousands of suns rise and set. Eragon's thoughts drifted to Arya as they constantly did, and he hoped above all, that for as much time as he had on this earth he could spend as much of it as possible with her.
He felt a new wave of nervousness and guilt that had riddled him for over two years whenever he thought of the Elven Queen. There were many things he had not told her that had happened over the last few years. Things that he felt had to be said in person but still there were many times he nearly cracked and told her everything during their scrying conversations, but he held himself back. There were reasons their sessions lasted only an hour each. He knew the longer they talked the more likely she would ask a question that he could not answer, at least, not through mirrors.
Eragon pushed his doubts and fears down and contacted Saphira
"I need to clear my mind…. I have had a lot to think about. Can we go flying?"
"Of course, little one" was her instant reply
"Thank you, my friend of the heart,"
Eragon grabbed Brisingr and a few other items he might need before heading out the door and instead of heading down to the street, he headed up to the roof where he raised the trap door and entered the top of the tower. He saw Saphira flying lazily toward him from the direction of the caves and when she became close enough, he jumped from the tower to her back and they took off into open sky.
They flew for a few hours simply enjoying each other's company and sharing some of their favorite memories of their time together. Saphira sent him an image of himself the day they had met.
"Look how small you were!"
Eragon sent an image of Saphira as a hatchling back at her
"You didn't start out big either"
Saphira laughed and said
"I meant you mentally, you were impulsive and didn't have self-control"
Eragon sent her a memory of her falling over after drinking too much mead at the celebration of Ajahad's life
"It seems I am not the only one" he responded jokingly
Saphira was about to respond when she shouted
"Look!"
They were facing to the west and in the distance, there was a small green glint that grew bigger every second.
Eragon smiled as Saphira landed at the entrance of the city awaiting Firnen's arrival
Finally after what felt like hours to Eragon but only lasted about ten minutes Firnen landed on the hill side and promptly collapsed. Eragon and Saphira rushed forward as Arya dismounted.
"What happened? Is he ill? Is he hurt?"
Arya shook her head
"He is simply exhausted, and I can't say I blame him. We have been traveling for a little over two weeks with very little break"
Eragon stared in awe at the green dragon. It normally took over three weeks to get to Mount Arngor by dragonback. Even with Eldunari helping him it was impressive.
Saphira began to feed Firnen a constant stream of energy as he slowly stood.
"There is a fresh kill near the caves that you may eat"
Arya removed his saddle and Firnen simply grunted in thanks as they took off towards the caves
"What?" Saphira asked questioningly noticing the small smile on Eragon's face at her words
"Nothing" he responded
But the truth was Eragon was remembering a similar interaction between Saphira and a certain golden dragon all these years ago on the Crags of Tel'naeír
Eragon turned to Arya. He wanted to greet her personally, but a small crowd had gathered and so Eragon followed the elven greeting and remained formal throughout.
"Come with me, you can get bathed and rest before dinner" Eragon whispered to her
Arya nodded and they began walking toward her room
They talked during the walk but Eragon didn't remember what they talked about. He was taking this time to study Arya and learn as much about her wellbeing as he could. She still looked the same as ever with her black hair and emerald eyes, but she seemed different somehow, almost as if she was more carefree or happier than before. She was still guarded but much more open than before. She had not stopped smiling since she had arrived and Eragon noticed she was more talkative towards him than before. Eragon liked the changes he noticed although he wasn't sure if it was because of how well they knew each other or if she was simply more open than before. His thought was almost immediately tested as Nala approached and greeted the elven queen. Eragon watched as Arya's walls went up and her face showed only a small smile now. Once they had exchanged greetings and Nala was on her way Arya's walls dropped slowly and her smile returned
This made Eragon incredibly happy and made him feel even closer to the elf that she felt comfortable being herself when he was around her.
Finally, they arrived at Arya's room and she entered before motioning him to follow her inside. Slightly confused at this he followed her into her room.
Arya shut the door behind him
"No one has been in-" he started before he was interrupted by Arya running at him and hugging him tightly. Eragon hugged her back, surprised by her open show of affection.
"I have missed you terribly" She whispered in his ear still smiling
They stood like that for several moments before Arya broke away and sat down on the bed.
Arya spoke "As happy as I am to see you Eragon I am exhausted. I haven't slept in over a day"
Eragon could see the circles of exhaustion under her eyes when she said this
"I wish to bathe and sleep before dinner, could you come wake me if I am not already awake for dinner?"
"of course, Arya Drottning"
Eragon left the room as Arya turned on the water to the bath behind him
Eragon went about his business as usual for the last few hours. He meditated, had a short sparring session with Folir and then went back to his room to change and bathe in preparation for dinner. The nerves he felt refused to go away no matter what he did.
Once Eragon had changed and bathed he figured he should wake Arya for dinner Eragon walked across the landing and knocked on Arya's door.
He heard no response and entered. Arya lay on the bed fast asleep under the covers. Eragon quietly walked over to her and took a moment to examine her as he had never seen her sleeping up close before. She looked so relaxed while she slept: as though the worries of the world could not follow her to her dreams. Eragon lightly tapped her shoulder and muttered
"Arya"
She stirred slightly so he spoke again louder
"Arya"
Her eyes snapped open as she sat up quickly throwing the covers aside and putting a knife to his throat.
"Is this how you always greet people?" Eragon said with a small laugh
Arya laughed softly before removing the knife
Eragon realized then that she had no clothes on her upper half and quickly turned slightly red as he turned his back to her so she could change
Arya looked at him questioningly before realizing why he had turned
Eragon waited until she gave him the ok to turn before speaking
"My apologies Arya I did not realize you were not fully dressed" Eragon said embarrassed and slightly distressed at what he had done
"Its fine Eragon it was an accident" She said gently sensing his distress
"I had forgotten bare chested women were taboo in human terms. We elves do not believe any part of the body is to be ashamed of"
Eragon was still embarrassed but asked "Then why wear clothes at all?"
"The same reasons your kind started, protection from the elements. Surely you noticed several elves with little or no clothing during the Agaetí Blödhren? It is fairly common for elves to use their bodies as a form of art"
Eragon nodded remembering all the strange types of elves he had encountered during the celebration.
They began to walk out onto the streets
Eragon still felt bad, mostly because he couldn't get the image out of his head
"Maybe because a part of you doesn't want to?" Saphira spoke in his mind laughing
"Shut up" Eragon didn't realize he had said it both in his mind and out loud.
"What?" Arya asked looking somewhat annoyed
"Sorry, I was talking to Saphira and I accidentally spoke out loud" He explained hastily
Arya laughed as they walked toward the dining hall.
"I'm sure that conversation was…. interesting"
Eragon's ears burned as they entered the dinning hall and grabbed their food
Eragon's embarrassment faded throughout dinner as they laughed and drank throughout the night
Neither Eragon nor Arya drank much however, both remembered the result the last time they had each drank too much. Eragon was surprised at how much Arya seemed to be enjoying herself. She was talking constantly with Eragon and seemed so much more present than before.
As had become tradition Arya leaned into his ear and whispered
"After dinner come to my room, we need to talk."
Eragon nodded and sure enough after dinner ended she led the way to her room and shut the door.
Eragon sat on the side of the bed and waited for Arya to speak.
Arya seemed very nervous but happy and Eragon wondered what was so important that would make Arya this nervous. Arya spoke at last still standing with her back to Eragon
"I am very glad to be here if only for a short time. It is a welcome change from the duties of the throne"
Eragon couldn't help but smile
"I wish you could stay longer"
"As do I but duty calls…like always"
Eragon wondered if he imagined the small amount of bitterness in her voice as she uttered those last words
Silence engulfed them for so long Eragon wondered if Arya had forgotten he was there before she turned toward him and spoke
"I don't know how to explain this with words so instead I will show you"
She spoke a few sentences in the ancient language and Eragon shuddered at the recognition of his true name.
She looked at him expectantly as he understood and spoke her true name and felt…. nothing.
There was no tingle in the air or a reaction from Arya in any way
"Your name has changed!" He said in shock and slight nerves
She nodded and spoke
"would you like to hear my new name?"
Eragon could tell she was nervous as the smile he had worn all day was gone replaced by her classic stoic look
"Wait" he said "I want to try to guess"
Arya smiled slightly and nodded allowing him to attempt to guess
"Only three tries, then I am telling you"
Eragon nodded and thought about all he knew about Arya as well as the new changes he had seen in her since arriving
He tried twice but failed
He then thought of a name that he felt encased her entire essence and uttered it confidently
Nope not it
"I give up" he said slightly frustrated
Arya leaned in and whispered her new name
Eragon's eyes grew wide as he heard her name and Arya shook slightly at recognition.
Eragon repeated the name in shock and again she shook slightly.
Her name hadn't changed much, just a few words were different, but in these words he could hear her love and affection for him that rivaled his own for her.
"When?" he asked still in shock
Arya smiled "Right after I left over two years ago, I felt the change instantly and took the rest of the day to figure out my new name"
Eragon was so happy he didn't know what to do with himself
"I like the changes you made" he said grinning from ear to ear
Arya moved until she was only inches from him
"As do I"
She moved to close the distance between their lips for good but at the last second Eragon pulled away with an extreme effort of will.
"Eragon what-" Arya started
"Arya I'm sorry but I cannot do this. Trust me there is nothing in the world I want more right now but I cannot"
"Eragon why-"
Eragon stood and headed for the door as he felt tears begin to fall
"ERAGON SHADESLAYER YOU TELL ME WHAT IS GOING ON RIGHT NOW" Arya shouted behind him
Eragon paused with his hand on the handle
Slowly he turned to find Arya looking hurt and angry
"I want an answer right now!" she said
Eragon spoke in a crushed voice as though he would rather do anything but talk at that moment
"You have been honest with me from the moment you got here, you have given me what I want more than anything in the world… Your love"
He choked on these last words
"Arya I love you more than life itself….. But there are things I haven't told you. I have tried and tried but I always felt they were things that must be said in person. When you arrived, you were so happy I could not bring myself to ruin your happiness even if it was necessary.
Eragon froze before speaking again
"I will tell you everything tomorrow I promise" tears still streaming down his face
Arya starred at him
"Have you found another?" She asked expressionless
"worse" He whispered
"Tell me now Eragon!"
"I cannot"
"WHY NOT"
Eragon looked her dead in the eyes
"I am afraid"
This shocked Arya as she whispered
"Of what?"
Eragon opened the door and stepped out to the landing
"That once I have told you everything you will no longer feel as you do" He whispered as the door shut behind him leaving a speechless Arya standing in the middle of her room.
Wow I made even myself sad with this chapter
Note to self, make the next chapter happier lol
Longest chapter yet and one of my better ones if I do say so myself
It's always something with these two isn't it?
Hope you enjoyed! Let me know what you think and if you have any questions!
Stay safe guys!