Hey guys I am back for chapter 25!
Sorry I meant to get this out yesterday, but life got in the way like it normally does lol
Quick thank you to everyone below who is a new follower to the story!
Adevilishturtle
Qves
Desherrill70
xGibbs
Asian Mamba
Zaqwsxc
I want to answer reviews real quick
IDK—Thanks for the constant support on the story it means a lot knowing people are enjoying the story. As for Eragon….. you will find out!
Guest—I have to be honest I am not sure what your trying to say here lol. If you could clarify what you mean that would be great
ARANDOMDUDE- Will do! thanks for the review
Now onto the story!
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Eragon POV
Eragon awoke from his slumber. For a split second he was happy, remembering his dream where Arya was riding Firnen with a smile on her face and a fierce look in her eye.
"I will never see that look again" He thought to himself as the memories of the last few weeks came back to him. His sorrow overtook him again as he remembered
"She is gone forever"
He would never again hear her voice or her melodic laugh. Never again see her eyes sparkle or her small smile she wore when they were alone together.
"The fates are unbearably cruel" he thought "to dangle the life we could have had in front of my eyes only for it to be taken in an instant"
He still remembered the final look he had seen of Arya in perfect detail. He doubted he would ever forget it. Her acceptance of the inevitable, her love for him, her lack of fear was all captured in one brief look. Eragon had never felt so helpless in his life. The most powerful being in the world could do nothing as she was taken from the world.
Eragon had continued life as normally as possible, trying to fight the constant impulse to breakdown. He continued to teach and work in rider affairs, but he felt no joy in it anymore and his students had taken notice. He continued because he had to not because he wanted to.
There was a knock at his door that shook him out of his thoughts
"What is it?" He called miserably
Nala opened the door slowly
"Shadeslayer I am sorry to disturb you but there is someone approaching the city"
Eragon sat up
"Who is it?"
"We do not know shadeslayer, we require your assistance in case there is danger"
Eragon nodded and quickly tried to focus through his grief
He clearly wasn't successful as Nala gave him a look a sympathy and said
"I am sorry for your loss shadeslayer, Arya was a great ruler and even greater friend"
Eragon nodded in thanks and couldn't stop a stray tear from falling from his face
He hoped she didn't notice and to his relief she seemed to not notice anything
They hurried to the entrance to the city where a small crowd gathered looking into the distance.
Eragon pushed through the crowd and finally he stepped out in front to see a dot of green slowly making its way towards them. As it got closer a rider clearly sat upon the dragon's back. Eragon couldn't believe what he was seeing
"Maybe the reports were wrong! Maybe she lives!" Eragon couldn't help the hope that blossomed into his chest.
"Little one…" Saphira was flying above him and was angrier than Eragon had ever seen her
"It is not Arya on green-mate Firnen's back"
Eragon felt his hope crumble and die.
"Who would dare ride Firnen so soon?" Eragon wondered still trying to gain control of his broken emotions
Saphira answered in a cold hard voice
"look closer"
Eragon narrowed his eyes at the now descending dragon and focused on the rider
Rage stronger than anything Eragon had ever felt coursed through his body.
Kayla sat astride Firnen as he slowly landed onto the ground.
Kayla dismounted and Firnen collapsed with exhaustion.
Eragon immediately strode forward toward Kayla, rage building throughout his body. He glanced at Firnen and he noticed another figure slumped unmoving upon the saddle. Eragon instantly recognized Arya's midnight black hair and changed course. He sprinted to Firnen and in one jump landed atop his saddle. Eragon approached Arya's prone body and slowly lifted the hair that blocked her face. Her eyes were closed, her skin was cold and no sign of life was present in her features.
Eragon felt the tears begin to fall freely as he slowly turned back toward Kayla. Her face showed a great amount of fear as he dismounted and quickly approached her.
"Eragon she…." Kayla started to say but Eragon's rage and pain burst forward
Some primal part of him had come to one conclusion
"Arya was dead and now Kayla would join her"
"Jierda!" he shouted as she was thrown into a nearby shop with such force the wooden wall collapsed around her and she lay dazed in the rubble.
Eragon leapt at her and straddled her chest as he began swinging his fists at her head with every ounce of pain he had felt over the last few weeks.
Every time he struck a new memory of Arya flew through his mind.
Arya smiling at him as he had created the new pact of the riders.
His fist struck flesh again, breaking her nose. Eragon barely even registered what he was doing, so consumed by his grief and anger
The night they had shared Faelnirv together. Their joy mixed with the grief of the night"
He felt arms behind him trying to pull him off of her, but he fought them off and swung again. His anger had not diminished in the slightest as more memories flooded him
"The night they had met spirits in the forest. The joy on her face as she reached out to the glowing light"
"Her face as he had shown her the secret meadow. The peacefulness they had shared that night"
He landed several more hits before being pulled back again. He broke free once more and drew Brisingr on the now injured Kayla.
"The feeling of her lips on his."
Her eyes grew wide as he swung his sword at her head.
"Her mouth moving, forming the words "I love you" As the mirror shattered into a million pieces"
The blade was only inches from her throat when he felt a powerful impact against his ribs, and he felt several break as he flew through the air and rolled across the hard ground. He lay groaning for a moment, feeling tears stream down his face as he struggled to his feet and looked around for what had hit him.
Firnen had moved so that he was between Kayla and Eragon. His tail had slammed into Eragon's side stopping him from ending her life
Eragon was gasping in pain but was able to yell at the green dragon with rage
"SHE KILLED HER! SHE KILLED ARYA!"
Firnen responded calmly
"She didn't"
"YES, SHE D-" he began before a violent cough shook him and blood shot out of his mouth and onto the pavement
"She saved her….Eragon….. Arya still lives"
Eragon stared at him
"Don't do that….don't give me hope" He said not believing the green dragon
"I do not lie Eragon, come and see for yourself"
Eragon stumbled over to Arya's body, still strapped to Firnen's back.
He ignored the pain that shot through him as he climbed onto his back.
He slowly put his ear to her chest and heard… nothing.
He waited several moments and was about to give up when the faintest thump emitted from her chest. He froze and waited. About thirty seconds later he heard another thump. The unmistakable sign of a heartbeat, faint and inconsistent but there all the same. He had missed it in his desperation when he had first checked her.
His anger began to dissipate, and a sliver of hope appeared to replace it.
He sat for a moment staring at her pale and unmoving face. Her eyes seemed dull and unseeing although her chest rose and fell faintly.
Without looking away from Arya he spoke in a shaken and emotional voice
"How did this ha—happen?"
To his surprise it was Kayla who spoke as she slowly emerged from the destroyed building
Gasping as though every movement caused her pain Kayla told him quickly about how she had infiltrated the assassins camp and learned of the plot against the queen. She explained how they had attacked Arya and how she had turned on them. She explained how Arya had been injured and the nature of the poison that now coursed through her.
"She fell into this state about a day ago and we have not been able to wake her since" she finished
Eragon still wasn't sure if he could trust her but she had spoke in the ancient language so he would have to trust her.
"I have never heard of this poison before" He said to Saphira
"Neither have I" Saphira spoke
"I will ask the Eldunari if they know anything"
He ordered Arya be brought to the infirmary and swore he would join her as soos as possible, but he had to deal with Kayla first. He muttered a quick spell to heal his damaged ribs and approached her.
She sat slumped against a short wall about twenty feet away. A trainer was already tending to her numerous wounds. As Eragon grew closer he saw the extent of her injuries and a pang of guilt shot through him.
"She has just risked her life to ensure Arya lived and I repay her by nearly killing her, what kind of monster am I?" He wondered as he stood next to her
Kayla's face was bruised and covered in blood. Her nose was bent at an odd angle and her eye was quickly swelling substantially. Eragon looked over the rest of her body and found a dislocated shoulder and fractured ankle among the other cuts and bruises.
Eragon waved the healer off as he crouched down next to her.
"Come to finish the job eh shadeslayer" She muttered as she stared into the distance "I don't blame you if you are, I do deserve it"
Eragon was slightly shocked at this confession. She was very unlike the Kayla that he had known several years ago
"No, I am not here to kill you Kayla" He said calmly "I am here to apologize for my actions and offer my services in healing you"
Kayla looked up and her eyes met his
"Your help would be very much appreciated then" She spoke grudgingly
Eragon slowly muttered several sentences in the ancient language. Slowly her bones popped back into place and her bruises started to fade.
Eragon felt the familiar loss of energy as the spell slowly healed her.
Once her injuries were healed, he slowly pulled her to her feet.
"You know that would have been nice about two years ago" She said as she stretched her healed limbs
Eragon smiled slightly
"You weren't the only one that nearly died that night" He said in response
Kayla's smile faded
"I am sorry about that…..there is no excuse for my actions"
Eragon smiled gently
"We both did things we regret now, no apology is needed"
They walked in uncomfortable silence for a minute before Eragon spoke again
"You need to move on Kayla, There are far better men than me in this world" He said gently
She sighed "I know, but it is not that easy is it"
Eragon laughed softly
"No, it isn't" He agreed "The heart is a fickle beast sometimes, you do not always fall for the person you know you should."
Kayla nodded in agreement but did not speak
"My heart belongs to Arya and Arya alone Kayla…. I am sorry I have hurt you because of this but I cannot change it any more than Saphira can change the fact she is a dragon"
Kayla sighed
"I know… I have known for awhile now I think but I never put it into words until a few days ago. Know this Eragon, I have no wish to hurt you or Arya again. You deserve to be happy…..
Her unspoken words "If she lives" hung in the air for a moment
She grew silent as she seemed to debate with herself for a moment before speaking
"What happens now?"
Eragon didn't speak for several minutes as he thought
Finally, he came to a decision and turned to her
"If what you say is the truth then I wish for us to be friends again. I need some time to gain trust in you again but if you are willing, I am prepared for you to return to the service of the dragons as you did before."
Kayla smiled widely and to Eragon's shock, hugged him
Eragon stiffened but he felt no romantic feelings behind the hug, so he returned it
After a moment she pulled away and spoke softly
"Thank you Eragon, you truly are a great man"
Eragon was surprised to see tears of gratefulness in her eyes and he smiled back
"I should be thanking you, without you, Arya would certainly be dead"
Kayla nodded and seemed to remember something
"I must go Shadeslayer" Her eyes bright as she began to hurry away
"What is it Kayla?" He asked confused
"I have something I must attend to" was her mysterious reply
Eragon stared after her perplexed to her sudden departure but he was reasonably confident that Kayla was not a threat for the foreseeable future so he let her go.
Eragon turned and hurried toward the keep. The Eldunari were stored there and Eragon hoped that they had the answers he needed.
One thing he did know
He would save Arya at any cost
Any cost
What did you think?
Let me know what you thought!
Sorry again for the delay with the chapter!
I hope you enjoyed it!
Next chapter will be out tomorrow!
Stay safe!