A light-brown haired girl sat next to a young man on a tall cliff. They looked very similar, except the lad was much thicker. Behind them laid twin ruby dragons sparkling in the evening sun. The humans appeared to be talking, then tensed and looked up as though they felt someone was watching them. The scene then faded out, leaving Alex to wonder who they were.
"Kora…Kalas…" he whispered, still dreaming. Alex woke to a door creaking, and opened his eyes to see a tall man with crimson hair walk in. The man sat down on a nearby chair, and clasped his hands, waiting for Alex to get up. Leaning up against the wall and feeling very light-headed, Alex went to scratch an itch, but found out his hands were bound with chains. Looking at the crimson-haired man, he asked weakly "Who are you?"
"My name is of little consequence to you" said the man, boring through Alex with his evil gaze. "Now that I have you in my grasp once again, what is your name and where are you from?"
Looking at the man curiously, Alex searched his memories but found them clouded by a massive hangover. He grimaced, then replied "My name…Will I think, and I came from a tavern in Dras-Leona. That's all I remember…"
Raising an eyebrow, the man said "Any other secrets you'd like to reveal?"
"I would, but you're not gonna get anything out of me until this hangover passes" groaned Alex, clutching his head. The man glared, then stood up and left the room saying "I'll be back." After he left, Alex laid down and rested until Thanatos contacted him a while later.
Interesting that you keep falling into the grasp of evil.
"Thanatos!" exclaimed Alex. "Ow, my head"
I can fix that replied the black dragon, banishing the ache from his partners mind. A man named Murtagh is coming to rescue you and Eragon. Go with them, then Saphira and I will fly you to safety.
"Thanks Thanatos. See you soon." acknowledged Alex to his dragon, who did the same to him. Alex sat upon the edge of the bed, and tried to remove the chains binding his hands when he heard the sound of keys trying to open the door. He quickly laid down as a guard entered with a tray of food, then as the man turned to leave Alex jumped and threw his chains around the mans neck.
Before the guard could call for help, Alex slammed his head on the wall, knocking him unconscious. He quickly closed the door and dragged the knocked out man to a corner of the room. Taking the keys from the guard's hands, Alex took a quick look down the hallway. Seeing nothing, he closed and locked the door behind him.
Walking down the dungeon Alex paused by a solid wooden door, hearing footsteps coming down the hallway. Thinking quickly, he tried every key and eventually unlocked the door. Alex ducked into the room, and shut the door just as 6 soldiers rounded the corner of the hallway.
He locked the door and discovered the room was filled with an eerie silence, almost as if there were arcane barriers preventing the travel of sound. Minutes passed as Alex listened for anyone trying to open the door. He turned to explore the room, almost tripping on a body laying on the floor. Examining the form, Alex could tell whoever it is was in a deep trance, and in slight pain.
"Probably poisoned" thought the black rider. He turned around as he heard someone trying to open the door, and quickly stood aside as a middle-aged man with a hand-and-a-half long sword walked in. Not wanting to take any chances, Alex leapt from his hiding spot and wrapped his chains around the man's neck. Surprised, the man grabbed Alex's arms and tried to flip him but ended up crashing onto the floor.
"You must be Murtagh" said Alex, disengaging himself and getting up.
"Alex, is it? Nice to meet you. Eragon is hiding in a room upstairs. There's a shade around here, and we need to leave as soon as possible. I'll take the elf and we'll be beading to the armory to retrieve hers and Eragons weapons." replied Murtagh, hoisting the elf over his shoulders the elf over his shoulders and walking out with Alex.
"Right" nodded the rider, following Murtagh throughout the hallways.
"Are you as skilled as Eragon with a blade?" asked Murtagh as they entered the armory.
"Possibly, though I haven't sparred with him in a while. My swords are with Thanatos, though I can't do much because of these chains" replied Alex, picking up Zar'Roc and Eragon's bow as Murtagh retrieved the elf's weapons. Alex was amazed at the exquisiteness of the sword, and how neatly if fir into the sheath at the elf's waist.
They went upstairs and met in a dining room, where Murtagh laid the elf on the floor alongside the wall as Eragon came out from under a table.
"Nice to see you again" greeted Alex, handing Eragon his weapons.
"And you as well" replied he, sheathing Zar'Roc and tying his bow onto his back. It was then that a terrible cracking sounded above them as the building shuddered.
"What the crap was that?" exclaimed Alex, looking around.
"That would be our dragons tearing through the roof" said Eragon. "I hope they get here quickly before that Shade comes..."
"Oh I'm afraid it's far too late for that" came the voice of the shade, standing in the doorway. "Now, are you two and your friends going to serve me?"
"I think I speak for us all in saying were going to politefully decline that offer" replied Alex, smiling. The Shade snarled, then lunged toward Alex with is sword raised. Reacting quickly, Alex raised his chained hands in an attempt to defend himself.
"Look out!" cried Eragon as time seemed to slow down and the Shade's blade inched closer to his friend. Eragon watched as Alex stood up with the chains sliding off his hands.
"Thanks" said a grinning Alex, delivering a powerful roundhouse kick to the Shade's chest. The Shade retaliated by yelling "Thrysta!", slamming Alex into the wall. Eragon then ran up to confront the Shade, who turned around to fight. The Shade was an exceptional swordsman, and was obviously toying with Eragon, though the rider held his ground quite well. Eventually the Shade tired of fighting and brought his sword to Eragon's throat.
"Not bad. I could teach you so much more if you…Ugh!" cried the Shade in pain. Murtagh landed a good headshot, causing the Shade to howl grievously and disappear in a cloud of dark mist.
"Hope he's dead" said a relieved Alex, walking up to Murtagh and Eragon. A group of soldiers barged into the room, and crowded around them, but quickly ran away as the dragons decimated the roof and crashed into the room. Eragon and Alex embraced their partners, then climbed upon their necks.
"Hand me the elf, Murtagh. I'll take care of her. Go with Eragon and Saphira" commanded Alex, carefully placing the elf on his lap.
"All right" agreed Murtagh, taking a seat behind Eragon on the sapphire dragon. The beasts took off into the skies of Gil'ead, and were met with a storm of arrows. Most of the arrows were heading for Saphira, and Thanatos did his best to shield her. They could not dodge all of them, as many tore through the wings of the dragons and ricocheted off their scales.
One got lodged in Saphira's shoulder blade, though they managed to fly a fair distance from Gil'ead. Landing in a clearing, Alex leapt off of his dragon, placed the elf on the ground, and assisted Eragon and Murtagh in removing the arrow which pierced Saphira's shoulder. After this was done, Eragon went over and healed the wounds on his dragon's wings.
"Would you mind doing that to Thanatos? I'm still not exactly sure how to use that type of magic yet." requested Alex, tending to the elf with Murtagh.
"Sure thing, I'll have to teach you later. Shame you weren't around to learn from Brom though" replied Eragon, dutifully healing the dragons.
"We should leave soon, for the Empire's soldiers will surely catch up to us" said Murtagh, standing up.
"Good idea. Though where shall we go?" wondered Eragon, finishing up with the dragons. "The surrounding area should be an option of last resort, and we don't have enough water to cross the Hadarac Desert. And before I forget, what happened to the horses?"
"They ran off when we were ambushed by Urgals. Neither Saphira nor I could find them" replied Murtagh with a hint of sadness.
"There's usually water deep underground" suggested Alex, mounting Thanatos with the elf in his lap. "Though if only there was an easy way to access it."
"That's right. I could raise the water with magic. And it shouldn't exhaust me too much" said Eragon happily, climbing on Saphira with Murtagh.
"Then it's decided. To the desert!" said Alex as the dragons flew off into the sky.
Thank you for healing me, Eragon said Thanatos to the blue rider, who responded with a welcome.
As they flew on, Eragon and Saphira taught Alex all they knew of magic, but he did not grasp it fully. Such concepts and techniques still eluded him, and it did not help that that there was no easy way to practice in midair. Alex tried to use the words of power, and struggled with their manipulation.
"You aren't alone, Alex. I once had trouble lifting the simplest pebble. We'll practice some more later on" called out Eragon from his dragons back.
"Great. Until then, I'll make do with my current skills" replied Alex.
Eventually the dragons had to rest, for they were not yet used to the extra weight upon their backs. Before them lay miles of sand and scrub, shimmering in a wave of intense heat.
"Almost out of the empire" breathed a relieved Murtagh, taking a sip from his water skin.
"Aye" agreed Alex, looking at the expanse before him. Eragon kneeled over the still unconscious elf, concerned that she still hadn't woken. Wiping her lips with a damp cloth, he said to Alex "If it is indeed poison that afflicts her, then we should get to the Varden as soon as possible."
Murtagh stiffened at that remark, then said "I cannot go to the Varden because of my past, which I'll keep to myself. But I promise to help get you to them."
"Thanks" said a tired Eragon, climbing onto Saphira with Murtagh. Alex once again mounted Thanatos, carrying the elf in his arms as the black dragon took off with Saphira aside of him. They flew south for a couple days, resting at night to refill their water skins.
Plagued by the occasional vicious sandstorm, the group became very irritable, Alex being the most tense among them. One blazing afternoon, Saphira noticed the dim outline of massive peaks in the distance. Telling Eragon and Thanatos excitedly, they all looked in awe at the gigantic mountains before them.
"Those must be the Beors. I knew they were huge, but I didn't think they were that massive" said Murtagh, staring in wonder at the far peaks. The dragons continued flying for another day, and eventually arrived at the base of these behemoths of stone. Their white caps seemed to stretch forever in the sky, for not even the dragons could see their tops.
Saphira and Thanatos went off to hunt in the grasslands, leaving Eragon to tend to the elf while Alex and Murtagh talked about the finer details of swordplay. Their conversation paused when Alex noticed Eragon had been kneeling over the elf for quite some time now.
"He's been like that for too long. I'm gonna go see what's wrong" said Alex, walking over to where the elf lay as Murtagh thought about their discussion. Then Eragon up, breathing heavily as though he struggled with a powerful opponent.
"And what just happened to you?" queried Alex, raising an eyebrow.
"I spoke with the elf. Her name is Arya." replied Eragon as Murtagh walked over.
"Did she happen to tell you where the Varden are located?" he asked.
"Yeah, but we have to hurry. She doesn't have long…blast, who are they?" Eragon looked up as a group of burly men appeared on horseback with bows and swords. Murtagh and Alex scowled, and the men took notice of this.
"Slaves shouldn't look at their masters like that" said the leader, looking at them disdainfully. One of his accomplices walked up and noticed Arya. "Torkenbrand, this one's an elf."
"Well, that one will be worth a fortune in the empire" replied the slave leader, smiling greedily.
"Oh for the love of…" muttered Alex, anger crossing his usually calm features. Walking up to the slavers, he yelled "My entire journey consisted of sand in my face and gulley, and being deep-fried by the sun. Nothing but misery crossed me and my companions, and I will not have our progress impeded by the likes of you!"
Eragon looked at his friend, surprised by his sudden outburst. Far above, Thanatos and Saphira waited to assist their riders at a moments notice. The slavers aimed their weapons at Alex as Torkenbrand said "You have no weapons, and no chance of escape. What can you do, little man?"
"Oh, I won't be doing anything" replied Alex, flashing the slavers a grin. "But I can't say the same about my friends here" finished he as Thanatos and Saphira landed on either side of him, snarling. The slavers looked on with fear as some ran away screaming. One shot an arrow at Thanatos, which Alex immediately blasted away with lightning from his palm.
Eragon and Murtagh arrived at Alex's side with their blades drawn, causing the rest of the slavers to run away. Torkenbrand tried to do the same, but he tripped on a small rock. As he got up, Murtagh ran and removed the slavers head. Eragon ran up and argued with him, but Alex didn't pay attention because he was suddenly feeling very lightheaded. Soon the feeling passed, and he leaned against his dragon's side, watching Murtagh walk up to him.
"Mind if I ride with you? Eragon and I need to cool off after our recent argument" he asked looking back as Eragon picked up the elf and climbed onto Saphira.
"Oh, certainly" agreed Alex, helping Murtagh atop Thanatos' bulk. The sparkling blue dragon took off with her obsidian friend close behind her. Following the elf's directions, they headed along the Beors, looking for the valley where the Varden were hidden. During their flight, Alex could sense feelings of discontent from Murtagh by how tense the man was, so he decided to lighten the mood with pleasant conversation.
"So Murtagh, why do you not want to go to the Varden? You're running form the Empire like us, so wouldn't you want to seek haven somewhere, instead of constantly evading capture?" he asked casually over the sound of the wind in their faces and the flapping of the dragon's wings.
"I would, except the Varden wouldn't accept me because of my past and who I am." replied Murtagh darkly.
"I'm figuring they'll at least spare your life for assisting us riders and the elf." added Alex.
"That's possible. Can you keep a secret? You should know who you've been traveling with all this time." asked Murtagh.
"Yes we can" replied Alex, indicating Thanatos could keep it as well.
"Fine then. I'm sure Brom told you about Morzan, my father" revealed Murtagh.
Alex turned his head with a surprised look on his face, then smiled and said "You may be the son of a Forsworn, but Thanatos and I still trust you. Your father you are not. We would've known immediately if you bore us any malice, yet you helped us so many times already."
"Thank you, Alex. And don't say anything to Eragon, I want to tell him myself." said Murtagh, relieved.
"All right" replied Alex, laughing. "I've noticed you two seem to be a lot alike. Are you sure you and Eragon aren't brothers, or at least relatives?"
Murtagh looked at Alex curiously, and said "That may be a possibility. Did he ever mention his mother's name to you?"
"I don't recall that. Maybe he did and I forgot…" said Alex, trying to remember.
"I don't think I'll mention this to Eragon, that might be too much of a shock to him." said Murtagh, laughing lightly. "Hey look, the valley we've been searching for…Alex?"
"Oh sorry, I was just looking at that huge group of Urgals following us" said Alex, looking at the mass of beasts in the distance.
Murtagh followed his gaze and cursed loudly, saying "Those are Kull, and their chieftain must be keeping them at a breakneck pace. Get word to Eragon that the Varden must know of this imminent danger."
"Thanatos just told him and Saphira" growled Alex as the dragons flew into the valley. At the end was their goal, a waterfall flowing into a lake with rock ledges on either side. The dragons were getting tired of the constant flying, but there were only halfway across the valley.
"Bad news, Murtagh. I see no place for you to escape, and there are about 20 of those Kull following us on foot." said Alex, hearing the yells of the elite Urgals below.
Murtagh sighed heavily, then looked to see Saphira dropping tocks onto the Kull. Thanatos did the same until they came to the end of the valley. Saphira let Eragon off so he could follow the elf's instructions and let the Varden know of their presence.
Meanwhile, Alex put on his armor and Murtagh readied his sword just as 15 Kull burst out of the forest. Roaring a challenge, Thanatos went off to find more boulders to launch and Saphira doe into the lake, hoping to surprise the Kull from its watery depths.
Much to the dismay of his companions, Alex yelled and charged into battle, swinging his blades like a master swordsman. An urgal swung his sword at Alex, but he crossed his blades and caught the beast's weapon between them. In a scissor-like motion, he cut the Kull's weapon in half, and immediately went for the beast's throat. Alex was getting so caught up in fighting the Kull that he didn't even notice the walls of the cliffs opening up.
Two bald men in purple robes walked out, followed by a short bearded man and a group of well-trained soldiers. The soldiers and the little man went to assist Alex while the bald men ordered Eragon, Saphira and Murtagh to get inside the cave. One of the men took them down a long dark passageway while the other waited impatiently for Alex and the soldiers to finish up with the Urgals.
The battle was going quite well. Alex's skills with the sword formerly locked up in the deepest recesses of his mind were now in full bloom. His courage heightened the spirits of the soldiers around him, and they fought bravely because of him. A Kull managed to strike Alex on the top of his helmet with a massive club, but the rider didn't seem to notice, and retaliated by thrusting Ascalon into the Kull's chest. As he pulled the silver blade out another Kull came in for the kill, but his head split open due to a well-thrown rock by Thanatos. Alex congratulated his friend on the headshot, and looked for more Kull to kill but realizes there were no more left. A soldier ran up to him, and thanked Alex for his assistance.
"It was an honor fighting with you, rider. The outcome would've been a lot worse had you not helped us" he said placing a hand on Alex's shoulder.
"You're welcome. I should go now, the bald one seems to want to talk to me." replied Alex, smiling. Walking up to the cliff where the bald one was waiting for him, Alex came upon a strange scroll spattered with blood. Upon closer inspection, it appeared to be from the leader of this group of Kull.
"I'll give it to the Varden's leader" he decided, walking up to the bald man as Thanatos landed behind him. The bald man raised an eye at the black dragon, then with his hand, motioned for him and Alex to follow. Alex walked alongside his dragon, keeping silent for he felt he couldn't trust the bald one or his accomplice. Thanatos raised his head and observed his surroundings with interest.
With the Varden at last. I hope we're able to rest after all that harsh traveling. mentioned the black dragon, letting off a tired sigh.
"So do I" agreed Alex, walking with Thanatos deeper into the tunnel. "So do I."
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Author's note: Whew! This chapter is a personal record for me. I've never written so much in a couple of days. This is what happens when you have a week long vacation with nothing else to do. And I enjoyed writing this quite a lot.
One more thing: I'm planning out the final chapter to this fanfic now, and before some of you get disappointed that this is ending, I'm planning on writing sort of a sequel, which should be quite good, and another story based on the life of an originalcharacter which will make an appearance in my second fanfic.
Reviews are always helpful. Thanks! Alex