Chapter 24 is here everyone!
Hopefully everyone enjoyed the last chapter!
As always let me know how I can improve!
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Kayla's POV
Even when you dislike someone, watching someone slowly die was unsettling. Fighting in war is one thing but to watch someone dwindle away to nothing wasn't enjoyable in the slightest.
It had been about two and a half weeks since they had left Du Weldenvarden and Arya had grown progressively worse in that time. She was in constant pain, a fact that she tried and failed to hide from Kayla. She looked as though she had lost weight and she grew steadily weaker by the day. Kayla could do little as life was slowly taken from Arya.
They were close to Mount Arngor now, only a few days flight, but Kayla wasn't sure how many more days Arya had in her.
"I wonder how Eragon is dealing with this?" She wondered as she gathered wood for a fire.
Just the thought of him sent a flurry of emotions through her. Fear, anger, jealously and compassion. She was sure he hated her with every fiber of his being at the moment and couldn't blame him.
Arya was awake when Kayla entered their small campsite. She lay on a makeshift cot looking like she had aged a hundred years in the span of a week.
"How are you feeling" Kayla asked as she put the wood down onto the soft sand.
Arya sat up gingerly and spoke
"Considering I will be dead in a few days how should I answer that question?"
She said groaning in pain
"She has a point" She thought with a twinge of annoyance
"I can fly through the night if we must" Firnen said to both of them
"No!" They said in unison
Kayla spoke aloud
"You dying of exhaustion will not help matters" She said firmly
Arya nodded in agreement
"No sign of any other assassins?" Arya asked her questioningly
"No, no signs of anyone but us. I doubt anyone is looking for us at this point. You have been dead for nearly three weeks" Kayla said as Firnen breathed a small puff of flames and the wood blazed.
Arya gave her a hard look, but Kayla ignored it. It was clear that she still hated the plan they had made
Kayla knew the feeling completely because up until a few weeks ago she had been in the same situation.
Kayla wasn't so sure how she felt about the elven queen anymore. She certainly didn't like her much but there was a newfound respect that had previously been absent. Kayla gleaned through their occasional conversations throughout the journey that they had more in common than she had originally thought. In another life they may have even been friends but while Kayla now did not wish for Arya to die, she wasn't sure if she would ever completely forgive her and she doubted Arya had forgiven her either.
Firnen contacted her and spoke
"You should sleep Kayla, I can take first watch"
"You need to rest and conserve your energy for tomorrow! I am not the one carrying us across the sea!" She protested
"Sleep Kayla, I have a feeling you will be needed in the days to come. I will be fine"
Kayla protested several more times, but she finally relented. In truth she wasn't sure the last time she had slept properly, and she was out the second her head hit the soft sand
Kayla awoke sometime later to a soft whimpering. It sounded like a wounded animal whimpering in pain. She lay there wondering what animal was making the sound before she realized Arya was making the sound. Kayla sat up quickly and approached Arya cautiously.
"Arya" She called softly as she made her way to where Arya lay
There was no response
"Arya!" She said more firmly as she finally reached Arya's prone figure
Arya lay on her back, her eyes closed and an expression of horror and pain was written all over her face.
Kayla shook her gently trying to avoid hurting her but she still didn't wake
She shook her again much harder but again she didn't stir
Finally, Kayla grew desperate and pressed against her injured thigh softly
Her eyes opened and a high, loud scream erupted from her lips.
Firnen shot up and immediately swung his tail at Kayla who rolled and the tail missed her by inches.
"What did you do!" he roared
Kayla quickly explained what had transpired and Firnen withdrew slightly
"My apologies elf, I felt my rider in pain and acted quickly and without thought."
Kayla understood what he meant was
"I don't trust you and will kill you without a second thought" but she declined to say so and instead simply said
"Apology accepted great one"
Before moving toward Arya slowly
Arya seemed to be awake, but something had shaken her greatly. She looked close to crying and her normally composed look was gone replaced by panic.
"Arya are you alright?" Kayla asked with real concern
Arya seemed to take a moment to focus on her
"I-"
She started to speak but then stopped. With what seemed like a massive force of will her normal stoic face returned, and she spoke
"I am"
Kayla noticed that she didn't specify what she was responding to and was certain she was only telling a half truth
Kayla took a deep breath and spoke again
"You clearly are not. Something has bothered you terribly and I wish to know what it is"
Arya regarded her coldly
"I have no reason to tell you anything" She said with an edge
"
Kayla also grew angry
"Because you don't trust me! Have I done nothing to persuade you of my intentions?
Arya stared at her angrily
"Why should I trust you? Three weeks ago, you were trying to kill me!"
"Your dragon nearly killed me when I tried to wake you!"
"Maybe it would have been better if Firnen did kill you! It would be less weight to carry!"
Kayla's rage exploded
"I HAVE RISKED EVEYRTHING TO ENSURE YOUR SAFETY! I HAVE KILLED FOR YOU AND SAVE YOU FROM CERTAIN DEATH!"
"Only to serve your own purpose!" Arya retorted angrily "You are only helping me so that you can get back into Eragon's good graces! Don't think I don't know how you feel about him!"
Silence hung in the air at these words. Arya had broken their unspoken agreement to avoid speaking of Eragon
Kayla spoke in a forced voice of calm
"I cannot control how I feel about Eragon but know this my queen, Everything I have done for you has been to right the wrongs of my past. I know it is with you that his heart lies, and I have made my peace with it. For good this time. I know that there is a good chance that Eragon kills me on sight, but it is a chance I am willing to take."
Arya stared at her with an unreadable expression on her face
"I have been having dreams for the better part of a decade."
Kayla was confused about the sudden change of topic before she realized
"She is telling me what she didn't wish to before"
"normally I can handle them but this one…. This one was worse"
Arya continued and explained about her dreams and the figure that resided in all of them. She explained how each dream changed slightly and how the figure had cut her arm in the real world."
"Is it possible you cut yourself while you slept and your dream interpreted it as the figure doing it?"
Arya shook her head
"The cut was clearly from a blade, not from my own body"
Kayla considered other possibilities
"What did Eragon say about this?"
Arya's face darkened for a moment before she answered
"he said that it was likely to be nothing more than a dream and that I shouldn't be concerned about it"
Kayla studied Arya's face
"And I take it you disagree?" she asked
Arya nodded
"They feel too real…. Like it will certainly come to pass. I can't shake the feeling I am missing something it is trying to tell me" She said frustrated
"What was it about this dream that made it so much worse than the others?" She asked curiously
Arya paled slightly in the light of the moon and Kayla got the feeling she would rather forget this particular dream.
"Do you not wish to tell me?" She asked calmly
Arya slowly nodded her head
"Then don't, but you have to promise you will speak to Eragon once we arrive" she said kindly
Arya nodded and said
"I promise, And I don't think he will"
Kayla looked at her questioningly
Arya saw her confusion and spoke
"I don't think Eragon will kill you, He is too good hearted. Saving me will help your cause as well."
"Are you so sure, my queen"
Arya smiled at the title and said
"You underestimate Eragon's ability to forgive"
"And you underestimate how much Eragon cares for you" She shot back although there was no hostility in her voice
Arya only responded "Perhaps, care for a wager?"
Kayla thought for a moment
"It depends on the terms"
"If I survive and Eragon forgives you, I win, If I survive and he doesn't forgive you, you win. Loser gives the winner a flask of Faelnirv."
Kayla hesitated to decide if she wanted to ask this question but she did anyway
"And what happens if you do not survive?"
Arya surveyed her before responding with a small smile
"Then I doubt either of us will be in a position to collect our reward, now will we?"
Kayla laughed softly
"No we won't"
Firnen spoke then saying for both of them to go to bed, it would be a long day ahead of them and they needed rest.
They agreed with little resistance and soon Kayla drifted off to a dreamless sleep
The next day they packed up and headed for open water. Arya looked even worse in the morning and she seemed lethargic and unfocused the entire time. She slept in front of Kayla for the majority of the next few days only waking to drink and eat.
They landed on an island only a day's journey from Mount Arngor. Kayla slipped of the saddle and landed on the soft sand. Arya remained motionless on the saddle as she did so. This wasn't uncommon over the last few days, so Kayla wasn't very concerned. She built a camp as Firnen and Arya slept. Once she was finished, she walked over to Arya and attempted to wake her
There was no response
She tried again
No response
She finally pushed gently on her thigh and Firnen shot up, but Arya did not stir.
"Something is wrong!" Kayla said to Firnen panicked
"I cannot wake her!"
Kayla pushed her mind toward Arya's and felt only a flurry of incoherent thoughts and feelings
Firnen crouched low and spoke in a desperate voice
"We must go now! she does not have long!"
"Will you make it?" She asked concerned
"I must so I will" was his reply
Kayla nodded and quickly disassembled the camp she had built before Firnen launched into the sky again
She only hoped they would not be too late
I hoped to get this chapter out last night but I just didn't have time to polish it up so sorry about that!
I really enjoyed making this chapter!
I am not sure why I enjoyed it so much, but it just was a fun chapter to write!
How will Eragon react?
Let me know what you think!
New chapter will be up later today I promise!
Stay safe!