Chapter 2: Trader's Tales
Disclaimer: I only own Riley and her family, everything else is Paolini's.
The next few days Riley went over to Eragon's during the late morning to help harvest their crops. Garrow didn't like her helping in the beginning, but her sweet talking eventually wore him down, that and her amazing skills at harvesting barley and the vegetables.
The first morning she stopped by after Eragon had gotten back from his hunt in the Spine would never leave her mind. Garrow was up already when she knocked on his door. "Hello, Garrow."
"Riley, it's good to see you again," he said, going back to the table. He grabbed his cup and started to drink. "Coffee?"
"No, thank you. Is Eragon still asleep?" she asked.
"He should be in his room. Go ahead." He gestured to Eragon's door down the hall.
She knocked twice and waited a second before pushing the door open. Eragon was sitting on the edge of his bed looking at a shelf crammed with interesting doodads. Riley particularly liked the broken rocks with sparkling insides. She knew he was deep in thought and she stepped slowly to him and leaned against the bed.
"Guess you didn't get anything, huh?" she said quietly.
He looked at her, "No. No deer at least."
"So what is that blue thing that you brought back?"
"How'd you know that?" He tipped his head slightly. That reminded her of the way the stray dogs looked when she tried to tell them to share before she fed them her extra scraps.
She told him, "I was walking past Sloan's last night. I heard the yelling, so I stayed to hear what it was about. You know me, I like to know these things."
He nodded. "Hmmm. Well to answer your question, I've no idea." He fluidly bent down and retrieved a large blue stone. He handed it to her and she felt the perfect smoothness of it. "Do you know what it is?" he asked curiously. She shook her head.
"No," she whispered. Again she felt the shivers that passed over her body. "It's very...beautiful. And how did you get it again?" She handed it back to him. Eragon explained to her that as he was about to go for the kill, an explosion erupted and he lost the doe. But in its place was this stone in the middle of the burnt out area from the loud noise.
He set the stone on one of the shelves.
"Interesting," was her only reply. She had an idea of how it got there: Magic. The journal was in her bag around her shoulder. She was about to tell Eragon about it, but he had washed his face already and was waiting by the door for her.
They went to the kitchen where Roran, Eragon's cousin, was now with Garrow. They were already eating some chicken. She sat down across from Garrow and watched as the cousins talked. Eragon again told his story to Roran and they left the room to see the stone, leaving her and Garrow alone.
"You don't mind if I help outside right?" she asked him.
Garrow laughed quietly, "Only if you don't need to help your mother with your own harvest."
"We already have most of it done." She smiled. The boys returned to the kitchen. They finished their breakfast and everyone went to work in the fields.
It was nine days later when a huge snow storm prevented Riley from straying too far from her house. She was forced to stay cooped up inside where she tended the greenery and explored in the making of meals for her mother, Jocelyn, and her to try for supper. She also tried to read a page or two of the journal her mother gave her each night.
Another couple of days later the blizzard eased up and stopped. That was a good thing. Riley was getting anxious. She didn't like being stuck in one place for too long. She had run out of things to do.
The village was transformed into a white madness that Riley hardly recognized. Her mother stood next to her by the open front door. "I don't think the traders are going to make it this year," she told her daughter.
"My thoughts exactly." Riley sighed and turned back in.
Many mornings later Riley woke to the sound of her mother stepping up the stairs. She opened up the door and sat on Riley's bed. Riley could tell her mother had something exciting to say because of the silly look on her mother's face; she was trying to hold a straight face. But it was something Jocelyn had never been able to do.
"What is it mother?" she asked, even though she had a pretty good idea already.
Her mother grabbed her hands, "Baldor stopped by to tell us that the traders have made it to Carvahall!" Riley smiled and got out of bed. "When do you want to go?"
The traders had settled on an open field. They stood next to their tents and wagons, selling jewelry, tools and so on. Riley and Jocelyn brought bags of seeds, bundles of dried herbs, and other valuable things to trade with, apart from some of their extra coins. It was a little before noon and already most of the village was here. "Well dear, where should we go first? We could use some more cloth for curtains, or cooking ware. My old set is starting to break."
Riley nodded and looked around with her mother. She always loved this time of year. But this time it seemed different. It was more half hearted and dreary. The traders had changed this year. They were more cautious and frightened. She wondered why. An hour or two later they had finished with the essentials of their trading. It had been mostly successful. Only one time did a trader get more grain than was necessary. Riley was about to argue with him but her mother had discreetly shushed her, and Riley said nothing. As they were out of earshot of the man, Jocelyn had told her, "It was fine. We have plenty of those grains. They needed it more than us. You understand that?"
"Yes."
Now they were coming to the end of the tents and Riley asked, "May I stick around longer and get something for myself?"
"Of course. Here." Her mother produced a few coins from her bag. Riley took them gratefully and hugged her before she ran off back into the crowd. Riley went straight to a tent with a blue stripe on its flap door. It was clear of other villagers. But there was an elderly women sitting on a small wooden bench surrounded by boxes filled with shiny things. She looked up from some string in her lap and greeted Riley.
"It's nice to see you, Link. How have you been?" Riley asked, stepping in and taking a seat next to her. Link had been apart of the traders band since before Riley moved to Carvahall. She had struck up a friendship with the old jeweler in recent years.
"I'm well for the most part."
"Why's that?"
"It's been a rough year. Urgals have been spotted heading south, passing through many cities. They've slowed us down. And we couldn't escape from illnesses and attacks. We were lucky to get here at all." There was a short silence as Riley took that in.
Suddenly Link said, "So, what may I do for you? Would you like a new piece of jewelry?"
"Actually, would you help me with this?" she pulled out a small silver, oval locket. It had an amethyst stone set into the middle.
Link held out her wrinkled hand for the locket. "This is beautifully crafted. No flaws in sight. What do you need?" She examined it closely with admiration in her eyes, but as her fingers tried to open the small latch, her face scrunched in effort. It did not open.
Riley shrugged, "It's never been able to be opened as far as I'm aware."
"Would you like me to try?"
Riley sighed, "No. Better not. Mother would tan my hide if it somehow became damaged. Besides, she told me that it was melded shut with love." Riley shook her head, smiling. "No, I would simply like a chain to go with it, please."
"That I can do. Metal or leather thread?"
"Metal." Riley answered. Link gave it back and dug around in a box in the corner for a few moments. When she turned back around, a thin sparkling silver chain was twirled around her fingers.
"Try this. It's special. It'll never break." Riley carefully slipped the locket's loop through the chain. It fit almost as if it were made for it.
She smiled, "It's perfect. How much do you want for it?"
She looked at Link's kindly face as she answered, "How about some of your herbal tea. It does an old woman good as it gets colder in the world."
"Sounds good to me." Riley pulled off her back pack filled with her mother's plants. Luckily she had some left in there. She gave her the last of it; four pouches containing herbs to make into one of the most delicious teas.
"Would you help me put it on before I go?" Riley asked. Link just laughed and took the necklace, putting it around Riley's neck. She tried not to shiver as the cold metal touched her skin. "Thank you."
"It's my pleasure. If I could ask, where did you get such a locket as that?"
Riley stood up and was about to leave. She said to Link with an emotionless voice, "It was a gift to my mother from my father." She lifted the flap and exited.
She walked slowly, gazing at the trinkets in the other booths. She was glad she had found another chain for the locket. It was one of the only valuable heirlooms they had. And her mother had lost the original chain shortly before they arrived in Carvahall.
As soon as Riley began to venture around Carvahall with Eragon, her mother gave her the locket on a braided leather cord for that upcoming birthday, and insisted that Riley keep it on at all times. The locket had come as a gift from her father and was meant to originally be given to her at womanhood, said her mother. But as Riley got older, she could see more of her father in her, and Jocelyn couldn't resist.
Riley wore it religiously and one day while playing in the stream that branched off of the Anora River, she took it off and tucked it on a bramble along with her jacket so that it wouldn't get scuffed from the rock bed as she waddled in the water. She didn't notice the raccoon walk up to it. He must have seen the sun glint on the smooth metal and the sparkle of the gem. He took it in his tiny paws and tugged at it. To get it off the branch, he bit into the cord. Eragon was the one to see the scene play out and drew Riley's attention over only after the rascal was starting to prance away with his prize. They chased that raccoon around for an hour to get it back. He would not let it out of his mouth.
She lifted the locket up now, looking at the tiny tooth marks. That was close to three years ago. Riley was disappointed that it took her that long just to obtain a chain for the treasured locket. She had been keeping it tied to the inside of her jacket pocket since then.
She made her way to the last few booths. One of them had knives and other sharp tools on display. She stopped there and contemplated on whether she should get one for her brother. He always seemed interested in weaponry. She had a secret wonder for them also. In the end, she bought several plain daggers.
As she headed back into Carvahall, Riley examined one of the daggers. She spun it a few times and then threw it towards a thick birch tree. It struck deep into the bark, knocking off a thin branch that got in its way. "Well that was an excellent buy. Cori will love this," she said to herself. Even though the knife was struck deep, it only took her a moment to retrieve it.
In town, she saw some of the traders enter Morn's tavern. They were grain buyers. Riley and her mother sold most of their extra sunflower grain seeds to them. She slid inside after them, hoping to find out anything more about the dangers in Alagaesia. They were already getting into their story as she took a seat in the hot building. The two men were not of the handsome type. One was hugely oversized; the other was extremely thin. They were talking of the Urgals. How they were forming an army to massacre us and that Galbatorix was the one who was slowing down the Urgals. Riley knew it was all lies. Galbatorix was an evil man. He wouldn't do us that kindness. He was responsible for the innocents' death all over Alagaesia. Just then she noticed Eragon had walked in. She hadn't seen him since before the storm. Catching his eye, she waved him to her and they listened to the traders speak.
"No, no, you don't understand. It is only through the king's unceasing efforts on your behalf that you are able to argue with us in safety. If he, in all his wisdom, were to withdraw that support, woe unto you!"
Someone hollered, "Right, why don't you also tell us the Riders have returned and you've each killed a hundred elves. Do you think we're children to believe in your tales? We can take care of ourselves."
"You misunderstand. We know the Empire cannot care for each of us personally, as you may want, but it can keep Urgals and other abominations from overrunning this...place. You're angry with the Empire for treating people unfairly, a legitimate concern, but a government cannot please everyone. There will inevitably be arguments and conflicts. However, the majority of us have nothing to complain about. Every country has some small group of malcontents who aren't satisfied with the balance of power."
'Yeah, if you're willing to call the Varden small!'
'We already explained that the Varden have no interest in helping you. That's only a falsehood perpetuated by the traitors in an attempt to disrupt the Empire and convince us that the real threat is inside-not outside-our borders. All they want to do is overthrow the king and take possession of our land. They have spies everywhere as they prepare to invade. You never know who might be working for them.' "
Riley was unsure whether to believe them. In a way it made sense. She had feelings sometimes that some people were part of something else. Then Eragon stood forward and said, "How do you know this? I can say that clouds are green, but that doesn't mean it's true. Prove you aren't lying."
The traders didn't seem happy to be up fronted by someone younger than them for the skinny man said, "Aren't your children taught respect? Or do you let boys challenge men whenever they want to?"
Riley gripped the chair's edge in irritation. Just because he asked; if an older man had asked... Someone behind her said, "Answer the question."
'It's only common sense, " was their lame answer. Riley had had enough. She nodded to Eragon and they went back to the bar. She waved to Morn and waited while he talked about the tension in the room.
There were angry yells as they walked back out into the cold. "That was interesting. I'll see you later tonight." Riley stated.
"See you then," responded Eragon. With that, they went in different directions. Eragon was to look for Roran, and Riley headed home.
After she had a delicious meal with her mother, they set off to the trader's field where storytelling would take place. The clearing was lit with a circle of candle topped poles. It was surprisingly dark and cold outside of the ring. She spotted Horst and Garrow's families already there and she pulled Jocelyn closer to them. The stories depicted were tremendously funny this year. However when that was all over, someone else stepped into the circle. He was a friend of her mother's, Brom, the storyteller. He had a white beard and you could see the wisdom of the years in his face. He was about to recite one of his most special stories.
"The sands of time cannot be stopped. Years pass whether we will them or not... but we can remember. What has been lost may yet live on in memories. That which you will hear is imperfect and fragmented, yet treasure it, for without you it does not exist. I give you now a memory that has been forgotten, hidden in the dreamy haze that lies behind us."
He tells of how Galbatorix came to be, how he lost his dragon and killed an elder rider, then how he got Morzan to help him steal a hatchling. Then onto how the 13 Forsworn and he overthrew the Riders.
Riley breathed in slowly as he walked away. It was a sad truth that not many people knew of. Brom was a brave man to tell it. Jocelyn took her arm and they trudged through the cold snow.