At some point during the night, Elva had managed to close the distance between herself and the half-Elf that lay beside her, because when Eila woke, she woke to the feeling of Elva's head on her chest and an arm around her waist.
With a soft smile, she reached over and brushed a strand of inky black hair away from their newest Rider's face.
"I never knew you favored women, Eila."
"I never knew it either." She spoke mentally to the shadowy figure that manifested on the outside of her clear vision; the corner of her eye. She turned and looked to find her father looming in the corner of the room.
"Are you happy?" He asked.
"Yes." She whispered, then pressed a kiss to Elva's forehead.
"So, how long have you two been together?" He asked patronizingly.
"We're not together." She answered.
Galbatorix moved on soundless feet, and he knelt beside the bed. Eila tensed but tried her best not to flinch.
"I don't believe that. You're sweet with her; your eyes say it all." He said condescendingly.
"I care about her."
"So… then when will you tell her?" His smile was unnaturally white.
"That you're my father? She knows."
"No, no, Sweetling. About the joy you take in taking control of someone else. It takes someone truly twisted to create a monster that feels no pain. Whether you want to claim that achievement or not is up to you, but you and I both know that you are responsible. My Dark Overseer; Soulfreezer. You're a good pet when you want to be and a demon when you don't. That's why you lost and ruined your baby. That alone is your fault."
Eila looked away because the words hurt. She knew they weren't true, but that didn't mean they didn't hurt.
"Oh and who do we have here? A new dragon?" He sounded sarcastic.
"That's not your business."
"Oh, I think it is. I see you've found my Hall of Hidden Eggs?"
"You're vial for keeping them locked away like that. I disowned you long ago, but if that wasn't enough, I feel more strongly about it now. I hope you rot in the most painful way imaginable. I hold no love for you."
He scoffed in mock offense. "My own daughter… that's hurtful, Eila. Besides, once the world knows you're of my seed-"
"No. I claim my mother, Freydis. I claim my cousin, Arya, and by extension, Murtagh and Eragon. I do not claim you, as you never earned my respect. You had my love because of our familial ties but that exists no longer." Eila shrugged slightly. "And just like that, Father, you're dead to me."
Eila turned her attention to Elva and found that she was awake. Confusion lit her violet eyes, then realization dawned on her and she jerked back. Eila moved quickly and held her in place, keeping her from going anywhere. "Wait! Wait… careful… your dragon is asleep behind you." She whispered urgently then loosened her embrace and Elva relaxed into her with a sigh.
She stiffened a moment later once she realized the position she was in. "I'm so sorry…" she went to get up, but Eila laid a hand on her back.
"You don't have to get up if you don't want to. I'm not offended." She ran her fingers down Elva's arm, which caused a tremor to run through the young magician.
"You're nice." Elva smiled sleepily and closed her eyes before laying her head back down against Eila's shoulder.
The half-Elf chuckled. All previous concerns melted away and the shattered parts of her mind were buried once more, hiding the gently and carefully controlled insanity from the world.
"It's easy to be nice around you. Besides, you had a rough night. Even though you slept for a long time, you still need rest." She absently let her fingers drift across Elva's back as an absent sort of music played in her mind; a rhythm that never ceased to disappear.
Elva sighed with her smile still there. "I'm okay, just hungry and sore." She opened her eyes. "Why did you stay?"
"Because I was worried about you. You held my hand when I had possibly the most embarrassing breakdown yesterday. It's my turn to help you; to hold your hand while you navigate the pitfalls of becoming a Rider in addition to the curse you carry." She smiled effortlessly. "And I just wanted to stay."
Elva hummed. "Thank you… that means a lot to me, you know."
"You staying here with me means a lot as well." Eila smiled as she ran her fingers through Elva's hair. The follicles were thin yet healthy and soft. There was a lot to work with and she was enjoying it. "I've never been this physically close to someone and still be comfortable."
Elva smiled warmly. She let her arm drape over Eila's waist again, just like before, but this time she let her fingers trace the same patterns that were being traced on her back. At first, mirroring Eila's movements was difficult, but soon they absentmindedly fell into a rhythm that worked for both of them.
"Are we friends?" Elva asked suddenly into the silence.
"Mm, what do you mean?" The half-Elf sounded sleepy.
"I don't know…" she sighed softly as she lost her confidence.
"Yes, you do." Eila said pointedly. She could both feel and hear Elva's heart rate skyrocket.
"Well… I…" she hesitated and shook her head, then carefully sat up. Her body had been sandwiched between the violet dragon and Eila. Once she was up, she ran her fingers through her hair and straightened her shirt. With careful fingers, she reached for Eila's hand, and immediately noticed it was bare. No gloves. Her eyes traveled to her own hands and a frown marked her features when she noticed the mutated Gedwëy Ignasia on her left.
Holding her hand up, she observed it both front and back. The oval in the center of her palm was there, but from it came wispy lines that looked like lightning or cracked stone. The lines became dense as they reached her fingertips, joining to create a uniform patch of silver on the tip of each digit, covering the entire uppermost knuckle and even under the nail. The streaks ran down the back of her hand and her wrist. She pulled her shirt sleeve up to find that the lines traveled all the way up to her elbow before they faded into nothing. It was like that on both sides of her hand.
Eila could see the confliction in the young magician's eyes as she observed the changes to her skin. She pushed herself into a sitting position as well while she watched the expressiveness of Elva's violet gaze.
"I just wanted to let you know that I like you in a way more detailed than the simplicity of friendship. Take that as you will, but like my hand, I can't do anything about it except make it the best it can be." Elva looked up hesitantly to find Eila's wide blue eyes gazing back at her.
"Me too. While I've never had… a… consented partner, I know myself well enough to know that I am fond of you. Ever since we went to go find Healer Lyda two days ago, I've not been able to… to…" she froze when she couldn't find the words she was looking for. Her right index finger started tapping in an even rhythm on her knee to help her think. "I've been considering what it would be like to have… a relationship more than friendship with you. I don't know if I would ever find the courage to ask you, though."
Elva straightened. "Wait… you're… you fancy women?" Then it dawned on her. "You're interested in me?"
Eila nodded. "I fancy you and you're a woman, so, 'yes' to both, I suppose." She reached over and pressed her palm to Elva's cheek. "And also, violet is my favorite hue." She smiled when a deep blush spread across Elva's pale cheeks and she looked down with a small smile.
"T-thank you… I…" she looked up again, a multitude of emotions flitted across her features and her blush deepened. Without much thought, she leaned forwards and gently pressed her lips to Eila's while her fingers laced through the Rider's long black hair. She pulled away quickly when she felt Eila tense under her touch.
Once the shock wore off, a broad and almost goofy smile split the half-Elf's face. A blush accompanied it and she couldn't speak for several moments.
"Sorry… I should have asked." Elva said quietly and Eila shook her head.
"No-" she swallowed and cleared her throat because her voice wasn't working as well as she'd like. "N-no, you're fine. M-more than fine." She took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. "Come here." She whispered with a smile then gestured with her hand and Elva leaned forwards again.
Eila repeated the same thing Elva did and pressed a kiss to Elva's lips, though this time, Elva deepened the kiss. She shifted forwards so they were closer and Eila sat up straighter when she felt Elva's hand slide carefully down her back and waist. It felt… safe.
They broke for air in a fit of giggles and grins. Eila had her hand wrapped around Elva's still and neither wanted to let go.
"We're going to be in so much trouble." Eila laughed quietly.
"We could ask and pretend none of this happened." Elva said pointedly while she tried to hide a smile. "Or we could just… keep it a secret."
Eila shook her head. "I accidentally left my mind partly open the other day when I was talking to Eylörís about my attraction to you. I was so focused on not letting you hear my mind that Fírnen heard it instead. He was nice about it and rather supportive, actually. He told me to ask Arya first, though… we should do that…" she frowned slightly.
"How long have I been asleep?" Elva asked quietly.
"Only two days. Healer Lyda saw you and said that you were fine, just suffering from exhaustion due to the overuse of magic. She gave you a tonic to help replenish your energy."
Elva's eyes widened slightly. "And the dragon?"
"He's fine as well. He's been awake a few times since you two bonded, but those stints were never long. He likes being close to you, that's for sure."
"And what about Arya? Is she okay?"
Eila nodded. "She'll be okay. She has a cold, basically. Her immune system is weaker because of the baby and she can't use magic either. That's also because of the baby." She smiled slightly.
"Pregnancy sounds like it's not very fun." Elva added gently.
"No it's not… but it's worth it." Eila's eyes fell and Elva felt pain radiate in her chest.
"Oh, no, no, I didn't mean to make you upset…" she reached forward and pressed her free hand to Eila's cheek. "I'm sorry…"
"No… it's alright, really. I mean it." Eila offered a smile, but Elva could see the sadness in her ice blue eyes. "Come on, let's go get something to eat, yeah?"
Elva nodded. "Alright. What about… Potato?" She pointed to the dragon and Eila couldn't help her sudden bark of laughter, though she tried to keep herself quiet.
"Potato?"
"What? I don't have a name for him yet, so Potato can be his nickname." Elva shrugged and Eila leaned forwards to kiss her forehead.
"Right then. Let's leave Potato here and keep an eye on him through mental contact. If he wakes we can come get him." The happiness returned and Elva was relieved.
"Sounds good to me."
With a nod, Eila led the way, but not without letting go of Elva's hand, just to make sure she'd be alright standing on her own.
A/N: Sorry, I've kinda been MIA recently, I just had my heart broken by a video game and I needed to obsessively write about it. Never has that happened before.
Anyway, check it out! My first time writing for a same-sex couple! This has got to be interesting. Also yes, all of Eila's marbles are cracked. Some are missing, but most are still there. We'll explore that later.
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I think it's Christmas tonight, so if you celebrate that, merry to you! I celebrate Yule as I am pagan, which lasts pretty much the last two weeks in December. We exchanged gifts today because all the family was in town. I hope you enjoy your holidays, whatever it may be that you celebrate! I hope you all have a great rest of your year. Personally, 2020 wasn't so bad for me. I discovered a lot about myself and... this fic came to be an actual thing. Two years in the thinking. Seven months into the writing. The longest piece I've written to date. That's an accomplishment in my book. I hope you all have had a good year. I know for many it was tough.
Love you always and perhaps I'll see you next year (if I don't manage to post again before that)!
-Lady Arlo