Chapter 17!
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Eragon's POV
Eragon drifted in and out of consciousness. Pain always seemed to return as he tried to wake so he would drift off again. Time seemed to no longer exist as he faded in and out.
He caught snippets of conversation each time he woke, but it was so confusing to him he barely registered who or what was speaking before he would fade out again.
He heard screaming
"HELP US!"
Then faded back out
"Never found-"
"Poison-"
"the council-"
"Why-"
He lay on something soft. He had never felt so comfortable and at peace.
"If only Arya was here with me it would be perfect" he thought to himself as he began to fall back into his dreams
Eragon's eyes snapped open
"Arya is in danger!" He sat up quickly before a spasm of pain shot through him so intense that he nearly blacked out again.
Eragon tried to sit up again before a hand pressed down on him forcing him to stay down
"You are going to hurt yourself Shadeslayer" a calm and even voice spoke to him
Eragon forced his eyes to focus on the figure standing next to him
Blodhgarm stood with his hand on Eragon's chest
"Arya-" Eragon said quickly trying to sit up again
"Is perfectly safe" Blodhgarm stated calmly as he pushed Eragon back down into the bed
"She is in a scrying meeting with the council as we speak"
"You on the other hand are not"
Eragon glanced down and for the first time noticed bandages that wrapped around his entire midsection.
He laid back down and tried to recount exactly what had happened
"Eragon!" Saphira shouted as she melded her mind with his shaking him from his thoughts
He relished the touch as they shared thoughts and memories
"Every time I leave, you get yourself into trouble"
"And every time I get myself out of trouble"
"Only after almost dying a dozen times!"
Eragon, not wanting to argue, only said
"Very well Saphira I shall try to be more careful"
"You better! Or I will lick you from head to toe!" she said forcefully
Eragon shuddered slightly at the thought before turning back to Blodhgarm
"How long have I been out?" he asked thinking he had been out for a day or two at most
"Nearly a week, shadeslayer" was his curt reply
"A week!" he thought "My ribs feel like it happened ten minutes ago!"
"What's the outlook on….this?" He said gesturing to his wrapped ribs
Blodhgarms face fell slightly which made him slightly nervous
"Your injuries are fairly severe. 3 broken ribs, damage to several vital organs, internal bleeding and blood loss"
Eragon nodded before asking
"Why haven't you healed it with magic? I have seen you heal worse cases than mine in seconds." Eragon asked looking down at his bandage
Blodhgarm seemed to shift slightly
"Shadeslayer we did all we could, but the dagger was coated in a poison that is highly resistant to magic… We were able to render the damage to a non-lethal level but there is little we can do for your pain. It will have to heal naturally."
"Why did Kayla carry such a knife anyway?
"All elves carry such daggers. They allow us to ensure that once an opponent is injured, they cannot simply heal and continue to fight."
Eragon nodded "How long do you think that will take to heal?"
Blodhgarm looked at him seemingly calculating in his head
"I am not sure as it depends on the person and the injury, but I would say you should be able to walk fairly soon. Be warned you will not fully heal for several months."
Eragon nodded expecting as much
"What is the news on Kayla's body?" Eragon asked
"It has not been found Shadeslayer, we suspect it was washed out to sea"
Eragon nodded again
Blodhgarm grabbed him a small amount of food and water which Eragon drank eagerly.
"Ebrithil if you don't mind me asking, what exactly happened?" Blodhgarm asked questioningly
Eragon nearly spit out the food he was eating
"Arya hasn't told you?" he asked shocked
Blodhgarm looked pained
"The queen has said nearly nothing since you were injured. All she said was that Kayla had stabbed you and you had thrown her off the wall before you collapsed."
"That pretty much sums it up" He thought morbidly
"Blodhgarm, I swear to tell you everything that happened, but I wish to tell all the elves at once… I have no wish to repeat this tale twice"
Blodhgarm nodded and Eragon felt thankful he didn't press.
"How is Arya handling everything?" Eragon asked softly
Blodhgarm spoke carefully trying not to insult his queen
"Not well, she has drank very little and eaten even less since you were injured, I believe she blames herself for your injury"
Eragon nodded
He didn't blame Arya in the slightest, it had been his decision to take the knife for her and Eragon didn't regret it.
Blodhgarm spoke
"I must go find Arya Drottning, I swore I would tell her when you awoke" he said with a small smile before exiting the room.
Eragon lay there for awhile trying to relax but was finding the pain made it hard to get comfortable.
Eragon heard quick footsteps coming down the hallway and looked up to find Arya standing in the doorway. He smiled at her as she pulled up a chair and sat next to him.
"How do you feel" She asked quietly sounding almost nervous
"Like Durza decided to come back for round two" he said half joking, half serious
"Eragon I am so sorry" She said her eyes starting to water
"There is nothing to be sorry for" he said firmly
"I made my own choice in that moment and I don't regret it"
"But if I had just-" She started to say
"What? killed Kayla in cold blood? I think we both would feel worse if you had done that instead" Eragon said
A few moments passed before Eragon spoke
"Are you ok?" Eragon said gently
"You're the one in the bed and you are asking if I am ok?" Arya laughed softly
"I am much better now seeing you awake" She continued, answering his question
"There was a time where we weren't sure if you ever would" her voice breaking softly
"You can't get rid of me so easily" He responded with a small smile
A comfortable silence fell between them for several minutes before Eragon spoke again
"What has the council said about all this?' He asked wonderingly
Arya sighed "Between the news that I would be a week late and the lead rider had killed one of our own… They are not happy. There will be hell to pay when I get home"
"Did you tell them everything?" he asked
"I did, although they basically forced it out of me"
Eragon nodded before asking
"Why have you not told the rest of the elves the details of what happened?"
"I thought it would be best coming from you. Besides many of them know how much I disliked her and they may think I am not telling the whole truth or am slanting it to favor me"
"Surely they would believe you if you told them the truth?"
"They probably would" She admitted
"but if you told them it would leave no doubt"
Eragon barely suppressed a groan of pain as he shifted slightly
Arya clearly noticed as she smiled at him before kissing his forehead softly and saying
"You should rest Eragon"
Eragon nodded feeling the spot where her lips had touched him
"When do you leave?"
"Tonight, after dinner"
"Promise me you will stop by before leaving?" he asked softly as he felt his eyes growing heavy
He faintly heard her respond
"Of course" before darkness took him
Eragon woke much later….it was dark outside, and he wondered what had woke him before he heard the unmistakable sound of a dragon landing outside.
He smiled and very slowly sat up. It hurt terribly but Eragon kept moving. He swung his legs over the bed and slowly stood. He took slow steps to the door and with a huge effort of will pushed it open and entered the street.
Arya was sliding down Firnen as he walked out. She turned toward him and yelped
"Eragon what are you doing!"
"Saying goodbye" he said through gritted teeth
Arya rushed forward and hooked his arm around her neck, so she was helping support his weight on his increasingly unstable legs.
"Eragon you should be in bed" She scolded him
"Yea well I was never great at following orders was I"
Arya sighed "You are being foolish"
"Maybe, but it's worth it"
"Why is that?" she asked exasperated
"Because its an excuse for you to hug me" he said with a grin
"Eragon!" she said sharply
But Eragon could tell she wasn't angry
"I wish you could stay; I hate that we have to leave on such terms" Eragon said sadly
"What terms are these?" She asked slyly
Eragon looked at her confused
"You know, you being angry with me and all that?"
Arya shook her head
"I was never angry at you… not truly. I disagreed with some of your choices, but I was never angry. Besides I was most hurt about the Kayla situation and I know now it wasn't your fault.
"So what happens now?" Eragon asked nervously
"I go home and try to sort this mess out with the council"
"That isn't what I meant" he said slowly
She smiled at him "Recent events has made me realize I do not wish to be queen forever, Eragon"
Eragon stared at her "What are you saying" He asked his voice growing slightly weak
"I am saying that perhaps, in time, if a suitable candidate presents themselves, I will step down"
"And then?" Eragon asked hopefully
"I will come live here…. If you are willing to wait"
The double meaning of her words was not lost to Eragon as he felt happier than he had felt in a long time at these words
Throwing caution to the wind Eragon closed the distance between them and kissed her.
Eragon felt a shiver shoot through him as he did so. The kiss was short and gentle, but he put all his feelings toward Arya in it.
Eragon pulled away to gauge her reaction and was relieved to see her smiling from ear to ear.
Eragon began to speak, not even sure what he was about to say, before he was cut off by Arya's lips once again connected to his own.
The second kiss was much more passionate that the first and Eragon could feel all of Arya's feelings put behind the kiss
Eragon felt as though nothing could ruin this moment. He felt the softness of her skin against his cheek and the heat of her breath against his face. He could stay here forever with Arya and never grow bored. He wished this moment would never end but eventually, reluctantly, Arya pulled away.
They stared at each other for several moments, taking in everything, before Eragon spoke
"I will wait" Eragon said gently "However long it takes, I will wait."
Arya smiled and nodded
They embraced, it hurt Eragon terribly, but he didn't complain.
"I love you" he muttered into her ear
"And I love you"
Arya responded before releasing him and mounting Firnen
They stared at each other as Firnen took off into the dark sky and out of Eragon's view
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