Arya pulled her sleep shirt off, then her trousers, and finally her underthings the moment the door was closed and the letters were placed neatly on her writing desk. She walked to her dresser and pulled out a pair of grey trousers and a black tunic that fit loosely over her frame, plus a fresh pair of underthings as well.
Her unmentionables were slipped on first, then her trousers. Her hands stilled over the clasps lining the fly and she inhaled sharply. Her eyes scanned her waist as she suddenly realized the physical closeness that existed between her and the child. There is no distance. The child is within the bounds of her body and something about that thought unsettled her.
She turned to the full-length mirror that hung on the wall and stared at her reflection. She stepped closer and observed her features, wondering if she looked any different. Finding nothing, she stepped back, and once again, her eyes fell to her abdomen, this time as she gazed through her reflection. Without thinking, she pressed her left hand against the area between the peaks of her hips, exactly over where the child resided, and kept it there despite her hesitations. Her eyes softened significantly, and she turned to the side to see her profile. No, of course she wasn't showing, it's too early, but she needed to check… just to be sure. Maybe she could be if she squinted hard enough. Her thumb brushed tenderly up and down over the area. "Maybe it's not so bad…" She whispered to herself, hoping that she could convince herself of her words if she said it and thought it enough times. Would that technically be delusion? If it kept her healthy and sane during this trying process, delusion is fine… right?
"Having fun?" Fírnen spoke and Arya jumped violently.
"Stop doing that!" She exclaimed, both mentally and verbally. She yanked her hand away and straightened. "No, I'm not having fun." She couldn't help sounding slightly petulant, but she snapped out of it the moment she looked down at her hand. The silvery mark on her palm was glowing faintly. Is that normal? "I wasn't using magic…"
"What does that mean?" Fírnen asked, slightly confused by the sudden change in topic.
"My Gedwëy Ignasia… it's glowing as though I'd just used magic, but I didn't use magic. I just…" She went slightly pale.
"Arya, what happened?" He urged, though kept the concern out of his voice as best as he could.
She felt around behind her and stumbled back onto her bed. "This is real…" she murmured to herself. "The… baby uses magic… I hope that's normal…" She closed her eyes and let her left hand rest against her abdomen once again and she fell back onto her mattress with a deep exhale, allowing her muscles to relax. She breathed deeply and released the air slowly from her lungs, feeling her organs sink and settle into her skeleton, leaving a hollow between her ribs and her hips.
"Well, your Hatchling has powerful parents. Don't be so surprised. You live in a place full of magic and he or she was conceived in a place of powerful magic as well. The child you carry may be incredibly powerful, though it's too early to tell. Do you trust anyone with this information that you could ask? I wish I could help, but I only know as much as you do." he shrugged on his side of the conversation.
"And I don't know a whole lot." she sighed to herself. "No… well, I know plenty of people who could help, but I only trust a very small portion." She sighed, then focused her gaze on her stomach. Her hands grew shaky when she added her right hand to the left as they both now rested on her lower abdomen. "The one I have in mind is far away."
"Perhaps he or she would be willing to help. All you have to do is ask."
Arya shook her head and let her right feel her heartbeat through her stomach while she stared at the ceiling. "I could scry her, but she's busy… attending to far more important things than coddling me."
Fírnen huffed. "Arya… don't be so hard on yourself. I'm sure if she, whomever this person is, was invited to Ellesméra, she would come."
She shifted so she was more comfortable, her hands still on her stomach while her thumbs absently slid across her soft skin. "Allow me to become comfortable with… connecting my mind to…" she sighed and closed her eyes. "As you called them, my hatchling." Her body tensed at the words. "Then I'll see about it."
"As you wish." He nodded. "But on another topic, I would suggest that we head out soon. It's bound to be a busy day." He sent happy emotions to her and she relaxed at the feeling.
From there, Arya nodded in agreement, got up and finished getting dressed. She brushed her hair again and thought about how best to hide the child's life signature for those who may have prying minds. That's when she remembered her amulet, given to her by her mother after her return to Ellesméra with Eragon. It was powerful enough to hide her own life signature and anyone who she came into contact with, which meant it would hide the child as well.
She turned to her dresser where she kept a box of her own jewelry, though that collection was small as she doesn't prefer to wear jewelry unless it's necessary. Today, she would let her hair hang loose and she would wear her mother's amulet.
She lifted the pendant and chain from the box's interior and held it up. It was a decoratively made silver leaf with a large emerald inlaid within the center of the piece while smaller emeralds lined the veins of the leaf. A faint smile played across her features. Her mother was always partial to green things. She would have loved to meet Fírnen, as he is the most beautiful green thing to ever exist. She felt his pride at her thoughts. The vanity of dragons.
Walking back over to the mirror, Arya snapped the clasp in place and situated it so it hung on the outside of her black tunic, the green stone standing out due to sheer complementary contrast. She adorned her diadem next, which was necessary jewelry, then left her room rather quickly, right after slipping her lightweight black boots on.
"You feel different." Fírnen mentioned the minute she appeared in the doorway, looking far better than she did the first time she appeared to meet him. The color had returned to her features, and he was glad for it.
"I'm wearing my mother's amulet. It blocks others from sensing my life as well as the child. You can still feel me because we're bonded." She said hesitantly, as she was still getting used to the prospect of being pregnant. Realizing the child was already capable of… sharing energy with her was startling enough, if that's what it was. At this point, she's not sure. She touched the silver pendant and adjusted it to be in the center of her chest, hanging just an inch below the hollow between her collarbones. "Ready to go?" She asked, steeling herself for interacting with people.
"Who shall we visit first?" He asked as he bent down to let her climb up.
"Rhunön, I think would be best, just so we have the harness for Ismira with us along with the clips when we go to visit Roran and Katrina." she said as she situated herself. Fírnen leapt into the air once she gave a silent signal that she was ready.
"As you wish, Bjartr Stjarna." He responded as they flew over Ellesméra for a few seconds before landing once again. He's getting faster the more they train together, and his speed is proving to be quite impressive. He's also getting bigger, and the more he grows, the stronger he becomes.
He bent down again, and Arya hopped off his back, dismounting on the right instead of the left to avoid hurting his foot, as the actions of mounting and dismounting are typically done on the left side. She walked up next to him and leaned against his head for a moment in her own gesture of affection. A smile spread across her lips and together, they made their way down the path.
Her fingers toyed nervously at her pendant, hoping all would be fine and that she could treat the rest of this day as if everything was normal and that she didn't have a child growing within her body. Fírnen nudged her mind to help distract her, despite her expression remaining mostly passive. "Don't worry so much. Nobody will know." He said gently and she just nodded as they walked.
"If you think so…" She responded as they approached Rhunön's forge, and the moment the blacksmith saw the two, she set down what she was working on, placing a grey colored piece of steel on a steel table. It was still hot enough to ripple the air around it yet remained too cold to work with. Dipping it in water may only cause microfractures which would ruin it, Arya had learned through conversations over the years. She smiled as she approached the forge, then twisted her right hand over her sternum and bowed, speaking first to honor an elder. Rhunön chuckled, then finished the greeting.
"I was to greet you first, my Queen." She smirked and Arya suddenly found herself in a much better mood.
"However, you are my elder. A gesture of respect and honor." she responded.
"As you wish. How are you this morning? You too, Fírnen?" Rhunön asked kindly and Arya almost flinched.
"Doing well. The sun is out and warm on my scales." Fírnen responded with joy and Rhunön grinned.
"I'm glad to hear, and you, Arya?"
"I'm well." Arya responded, trying for at least a touch of enthusiasm. "How are you?"
"On a beautiful day like this? I'm fantastic. The weather is nice, and a chilly breeze keeps my skin cool. I could want for nothing more. I suppose you're here for your clips and baby harness?" She chucked, leaning against the worktable casually.
Arya nodded as confidently as possible. "I am."
"And they're right here. Fírnen, we'll be right back, please excuse us." The older woman said once Fírnen bowed in acknowledgement, then led Arya into a different portion of the forge where she kept completed wares. She pulled down a small harness made of thick cloth with a steel bone structure, similar to the way a corset works. "This is marine cloth, worked soft so it's comfortable for her to sit in for long periods and will stand up to the weather to keep her dry." She turned the harness over and showed Arya how to work the straps. "They work the same as a belt, just take the slack out and stick the pin into the desired hole. The saddle has clips built in so she will sit in Katrina's lap, yet also be clipped in just in case she gets squirmy and uncontrollable. I tested its strength with my own anvil and that child isn't going anywhere." Rhunön smiled and looked directly at Arya, who smiled as well, still trying to hide her sensitivity to the matter.
Rhunön's wise eyes drifted down to the pendant around Arya's neck and tension built in the younger Elf's shoulders. "It's been a long time since I've seen your necklace."
"It belonged to my mother." Arya offered a nervous smile as her fingers gently brushed the tip of the leaf, doing her best to not fidget.
"I know. I was the one who made it for her." Rhunön's expression almost instantly became grim. "She suffered through four miscarriages before you. When asked, I made and enchanted this pendant for her so nosey minds wouldn't know until she was sure the pregnancy would hold. I'm surprised to see you wearing it." She looked pointedly at Arya whose eyes had gone wide. She couldn't decide what was worse, finding out her mother had four miscarriages, or the fact that Rhunön was putting the pieces together rather quickly.
"She… what?" Arya croaked. She couldn't help that her jaw had gone slack.
Rhunön nodded. "I was the second person she told the first time it happened as we were close friends. She told your father first, of course. She came to me and expressed her worries, so I made her this. It protected her through the years from others finding out about the painful truth. It's worse when everyone you know grieves with you, because then you can't get away." She reached out and gently brushed the pendant while Arya had to fight with herself to avoid taking a step back.
"She never told me." The raven haired Elf said shakily, swallowing thickly while her eyes watered with tears because she knew that despite all of her fears, nothing would hurt more than losing her own child and her mother had to go through that four times.
"She was incredibly sensitive to it, part of me is not surprised, but she should have told you. Did you inherit this amulet or did she give it to you?" the blacksmith pressed.
"She gave it to me after I returned to Ellesméra for the first time since I was exiled. She told me what it did and that it would protect me. She urged me to wear it constantly because she couldn't bear the thought of me getting hurt again once she learned of Durza's tortures. It would allow me to hide." Arya recounted, thankfully with a stronger voice, though still shocked over this most recent bit of information.
"That would have been a good time to tell you, when she passed it on to you. Regardless, that brings me back to my other point. You know what it does, and there is a reason you're wearing it because you don't like jewelry. I remember a time when your much younger self refused to wear anything that glittered." Rhunön looked at her seriously and Arya couldn't help the stunned expression this time around. Her mother wasn't around to berate her for her foolishness, but she knew Rhunön would.
The color left Arya's features and she couldn't move her legs. She couldn't help the tears in her eyes, nor the fearful look displayed as clear as day on her face. She felt completely frozen. "I, um…" she tried before looking to the floor, wishing to be anywhere except for here.
Rhunön watched her squirm for a moment longer before setting the harness down on the table next to the now warm piece of metal. "It's alright, I won't tell anyone." She chuckled and laid each of her hands on Arya's shoulders, who jumped skittishly at the contact. "That's your news to announce when you're ready. I would suggest doing that around your fourteenth week when all is safe and sound. Congratulations." She smiled warmly before pulling her into a brief hug, and for some reason, Arya could only focus on how the blacksmith smelled like… peaches.
"Thank you." Arya responded softly, unsure how to proceed. She wasn't expecting a positive response, and she wasn't even the one announcing it.
"Don't worry, you'll be fine. Now, I still need to give you your clips." Rhunön said cheerily. She noticed Arya's discomfort, and chose to change the topic.
The older Elf moved to a different area and from under a table, she gathered a wooden bucket filled to the brim with the clips Arya had requested. "Rhunön." She all but gasped.
"Hm? Oh, so I went a little overboard. You'll need them. Hopefully the egg Eragon left with us hatches soon. When it does, these will always be in need. Small things like these get lost easily and I'm always happy to make more. Here, take this bucket and keep it in the Loft with you and Fírnen. I've got three more under the table." She shrugged with a smile as she tapped one of the other buckets with her boot. Had Arya been drinking something, that liquid would have been spit right back out.
"How many did you make?" She asked, entirely swept off guard.
"Thousands, maybe. I was able to create a jig that allows me to make them rather quickly. It's heat treating; the annealing, oil quench and the final tempering processes as well as creating the steel that is the beastly part of the work. To put it simply, I ended up making too much spring steel, as I had to go through several trials until I got it right. All of these are sufficient, but the bucket I'm giving you is the best batch yet." She said proudly.
"I appreciate all of your hard work… this is fantastic, thank you." Arya responded, still amazed.
"I have nothing but time. If you need anything else, please let me know. Here, I'll help you carry this, give me a second." The blacksmith said hastily before moving to a different part of the shop to get something. That something turned out to be a platform with wheels. "Ah, here we go." She laid the platform on the ground and together she and Arya lifted the bucket by the rim, then set it carefully on the platform. "Working smarter, not harder." Rhunön grinned again, and this time, Arya smiled too.
Rhunön pushed the bucket into the forge pit and then out into the open, where Fírnen instantly lended a hand. "I'll take these back. Thank you Rhunön." He said cheerfully, then promptly left with the bucket in tow.
"He didn't even tell me he was leaving." Arya sighed playfully. "His desire to help is amazing. He'll be a good teacher when the time comes. Thank you once again for the clips and for the harness. Both will be well used." She offered a more weary look, though she also seemed faintly amused.
Rhunön's eyes grew serious as they scanned the area for wayward listeners, then rested a hand on Arya's shoulder. "If you need anything, let me know. Your mother had me promise to look after you if she didn't return and I fully intend to do that." Her gaze lightened suddenly. "How's the nausea?"
"Unpredictable and infrequent. It… it's still early." She responded quietly, finally giving into her desire to fidget with her fingers.
"Good. If it gets bad, make some raspberry leaf tea with some mint leaves mixed in. Squeeze a lemon in there too. The citric acid helps. Now go, I know you have other things to do today. You have the same look Islanzadí did when she had a busy day ahead of her. You're welcome for the clips, and here, don't forget this." She walked over to the worktable and picked up the harness for Ismira, then handed it to Arya who took it with nervous fingers.
"Thank you… I, um…" she looked around, trying to figure out what else to say, but sighed softly and shuffled her feet in a resigned sort of way. "Thank you."
"Of course." Rhunön said gently. "I'll see you soon."
Arya nodded and took the cue to leave, saying goodbye with a look instead of words because sometimes gestures speak louder.
She toyed with the harness in her hands while she walked at a rather absent pace, inspecting the contraption so she was well acquainted with it. The time was coming soon that she would have to show Katrina how to use it.
Her residual shock from how easy Rhunön had found out about her pregnancy still pulsed in her chest. The much more painful news about the things her mother suffered through also stung, but that would hit harder later, most likely at night when she felt vulnerable in the darkness.
She closed her eyes for a moment before heading towards Tialdarí Hall. What she didn't expect though, was the moment Blagden came out of nowhere, racing towards her at a frantic pace. His wings spread to slow himself, and she reached an arm out for him to land on. His breathing was still quick from his exertions when he finally stabilized himself. Her eyebrows furrowed when she noticed the piece of enveloped parchment held firmly but gently in his beak. It wasn't often that Blagden brought her messages. This one must be important.
She gently plucked the letter from the white raven's mouth, relieving him of his duty and thus allowing him to freely express himself with his voice. "Wyrda!" He screamed and she just ignored his antics, entirely used to it.
"Thank you, Blagden." She gave him a soft smile and he bobbed his head up and down. "Anything for our wise Queen who rides on a dragon of green!" He practically shouted into the silence and Arya winced at his volume but reached over and stroked his head. He purred lovingly and almost fell over when he became a little overly enthusiastic about the attention she was giving him. She pulled away and chuckled to herself before turning to the letter he had brought to her.
The neat handwriting scrawled on the outside was familiar and a deep frown replaced the smile that had been there before. It was addressed to Arya Svit-Kona.
"Blagden, where did you get this?" She asked, turning to the raven who was now wandering up her arm to sit on her shoulder.
"It flew in on the winds of morning dew."
Arya sighed. "Where, Blagden, not when."
"Messenger of frantic panic."
Deciding she wasn't going to get an answer from him, she just shook her head and peeled off Nasuada's seal. Removing the note, she unfolded it carefully and skimmed over the words.
Arya Dröttning,
I send this letter to you with a full heart of joy. As the matter we must discuss is incredibly sensitive, I hesitate explaining myself in this letter, as it could be intercepted by those still wishing to do us harm. I request your attendance as well as Fírnen's as soon as possible. I do not wish to be so cryptic, but the circumstances are such.
Take care,
Nasuada
Arya stiffened as she read and reread the note several times, trying to delineate what Nasuada could possibly be speaking about. Her first thought was of Elva. The child was dangerous and while Angela was a strong magician, Elva had been blessed by a dragon. She closed her eyes. "I appreciate you bringing this to me, Blagden."
The bird nodded and hummed. "Come on. I'll have to speak with Lord Däthedr about my change in plans." She folded the letter and tucked it into a hidden pocket within her trousers and resumed her stroll. "We still need to speak to Roran and Katrina about leaving as well." She sighed. Why did her day have to get so much more complicated in the span of five minutes?
Blagden grew fidgety and instantly reached over for the jewel on her diadem when he thought she wasn't paying attention. She reached up and shooed him away before he could get very far.
"Blagden, you can't stay if you're going to mess with my things." she reprimanded and the bird recoiled, then straightened proudly.
"Moody." He grumbled attitudinally and Arya released an annoyed huff.
"Fírnen, I've just received an important letter from Nasuada. She's requesting our attendance in Ilirea as soon as we can. I hope everything is well. It would be better to leave from Palancar Valley and head straight there, do you agree? If so, I'm going to make an announcement of our plans, leaving Lord Däthedr in charge for the time being. He can help delegate and negotiate local issues, though the large decisions will need to be brought to me."
She felt Fírnen smile from the other side of their bond. "That might be best. Did she say anything about why?"
"No. It's all very cryptic."
"Very well, off you go. I'm going to go hunt for a while." An image of him stretching found its way into her mind.
"Alright. Have fun." She smiled and continued on her way with her mind entirely absorbed by what she had just read.
A/N: I seek to give the characters who weren't as elaborated on in the books a larger role in this story. Rhunön, for example had a brief part when creating Brisingr, which I was thoroughly impressed with, though she isn't spoken too much for throughout the rest of the series. I've added bits of my own lore too, which I hope makes this more interesting as Arya's backstory is rather vague. Anyways, for those who reviewed, I thank you with a full heart as I wasn't expecting such fantastic feedback! Once again, thank you for reading and I hope you all have enjoyed what we've got thus far!
-Lady Arlo