Chapter 4: First Steps
Hey guys, it's been a while, I know. This past week has been more than hectic and I want to apologize, lol. It was an exam week, so I've been focusing a lot on managing my 4.2 in school (not-so-subtle flex) and so I haven't had a lot of time to write this. I actually wanted to write more, but instead just focused on this chapter. The next one is gonna be pretty great though, some people are going to meet up :eyes: look at my second a/n for more info on the second chapter
Like always, comment and subscribe, I love to hear and respond to your thoughts
Enjoy :)
…
As his barn-house approached, Eragon slowed down to normal speeds and approached the door. He put his hand on the front, and slowly tried to open it, but it swung open with his little touch. The training was paying off, I guess. At the sound, both Roman and Garrow's attention swung towards him immediately. He winced. This confrontation might not be the best. Garrow took three long strides towards him, his brow furrowing and his brown eyes burning with anger.
"Where were you, lad?" He exclaimed, motioning towards Roran, "You've been gone for two weeks? We thought you were dead and were mighty close to organizing a search party! You can't just show up here like nothing's happened, with Roran leaving you have to pick up some of his work." Eragon winced again, realizing that he had gone a pretty long time without any communication, and considering they thought he was fifteen that was pretty unacceptable.
"Yeah, we were worried sick about you, Eragon," Roran interjected, taking a spot beside his father. "No word from you at all—wait, are those muscles?" Roran did a double-take at Eragon's new physical appearance and poked some of the hard pectoral muscle that peeked out of his shirt. "How the fu—you were a stick the last time we saw you, and are those…are those pointed ears?" His two family members looked on incredulously at his ears, not yet noticing the slight slant of his eyes. He cursed, berating himself on his clumsiness. Barzul, now they definitely knew something was up, but the cat had to come out of the bag at some point.
"Listen, I can't explain everything right now," Eragon attempted to placate the two suspicious men in front of him, "but I promise I will explain everything when I get the chance, I just really need to go into town." He sighed, hoping that would appease them for now, and tucked his ears behind his hair. This caused Garrow to harumph and walk back towards the table they were at.
"We have to go into town anyways, and Roran is meeting a potential employer, so tomorrow you can come with us. First, get some rest; you look exhausted." Garrow pointed towards Eragon's room, and he smiled. If only they knew.
…
The three of them trudged slowly down the valley towards the town, Eragon fiddling with his dagger, twirling it between his fingers expertly. He saw Roran glance at him out of the corner of his eye, but the young man just shrugged and turned back towards the road.
"Me and Roran are going to split off towards the tavern to get a refreshment and wait for the guy, so go do…whatever you have to do. Try to show up at the tavern by sundown." Garrow then smiled gruffly at me, "At least warn us before you disappear."
Eragon chuckled, "I'll try." With that, the two parties split off, Eragon heading towards Brom's hut, steeling himself for the interaction to come. As the hut approached, Eragon reached his mind out towards it, surprising himself when he found wards of all kinds surrounding the area. Alert wards, protection wards, scrying wards; pretty much any kind of ward you could think of, and this was not a novice job. He could tell that the alert ward would immediately detect his magical presence and alert Brom to a powerful intruder.
Eragon knew he could dismantle these wards, with a spell or even with the word—that he very much did not like to use—but instead, he just walked forwards. He detected Brom's presence inside and steeled himself. Here goes nothing. As soon as the old mind crossed the threshold, Eragon could feel the alert wards going crazy, and as he opened the door he felt a huge wave of power crash against his mental barriers. This tremendous attack would have disoriented even the most trained human spellcasters, but he just shook it off and entered the hut, seeing the pseudo-storyteller stand at the alert, one hand touching Zar'roc.
He gently pushed away the force attacking his practically impenetrable walls and touched the mind of his father. Calm, Brom, it is me, Eragon. I come for your help, but I will explain
everything at your request. Brom stayed wary, stiffening when Eragon started to approach him.
Who–who are you, Brom questioned, his tone slightly frightened. Eragon only smiled, knowing that Brom's attention was now drawn to the crinkle of his slightly-angled eyes. Quickly, Eragon embraced the storyteller, his heart bursting at the feeling of finally connecting with his father for the first time. Brom jolted in surprise at the action, but Eragon spoke in his ear before he could push him away.
"I am me, Father," He pulled back, looking into the eyes of someone he thought he had lost forever. "I am your son, Eragon." At the words, Brom's eyes teared up and he embraced his son once again.
"I do not know what has changed, my boy," Brom spoke, his voice thick with emotion, "but I am glad for you to know. Now," Brom pushed Eragon into one of the chairs on the side of the room, and sat down across from him, "you are going to tell me why in the name of Gûntera you have grown pointed ears and developed the mental strength of an elf, all in the past month and a half." Eragon chuckled, wiping his eyes, but composed himself, knowing this would be the hardest part.
…
Brom sat in disbelief, staring at the old boy (?), and slid his hand across his face. The sky had long since turned dark, and two cups of tea sat forgotten on a crowded table on the side.
"So Sapphira just, touched your nose and here you are? One-thousand years older?" Eragon winced, knowing everything sounded crazy and hard to believe.
"Well, pretty much, yes." He looked around the room. "The real reason I came to you though, was to see if you knew about any changes in the Varden, any news about Arya or the egg?" The storyteller took a deep breath, shaking his head.
"From what I've heard, the Egg is still being transported across the lands by Arya and her fellow representatives. Are you sure it was supposed to be here?" Eragon nodded his head, looking down at his hands, significantly smoother than they used to be.
"It should've been here by now. I know it." His heart longed to see Saphira, and not knowing her location was the most troubling. "I haven't come in contact with Arya in this world, so…could you scry her for me? If something happened at the fight with Durza, we will be able to know." Brom nodded, standing up to look for something. Meanwhile, Eragon's gaze drifted to the many books and objects that lay cluttered around the hut. The objects and knick-knacks that lay on the small desk nestled in the corner and shoved into the bookshelves were tainted with a magical footprint, making him chuckle. How did I ever think him a normal storyteller?
"Where is it…ah, here it is." Brom pulled out a small, handheld mirror, and lay it before them. He looked up at Eragon before making the spell, "they are likely still very far away, so expect this to only last a minute or so." With that, his father waved his hands over the mirror, "draumr kópa."
With a ripple, the figure of an elven woman on horseback came into view. Eragon could immediately recognize the raven hair and pointed ears that poked out from underneath the dark locks. And her face–he took a deep, shuddering breath as memories of the past bombarded him. He could not forget that face; the high, regal cheekbones paired with a glittering pair of irises that bore into your soul. Forcing himself to look further upon the rest of her, his eyes widened, feeling both relieved and startled with what he found.
In a sack cushioned on the back of her steed was the unmistakable outline of an egg, but attached to her hip was a sinister weapon; one that unsettled him and made the nerves in his back ache. He looked back up, seeing Brom's brows furrowed in concentration, and motioned for him to end the spell. The mirror rippled and they saw again their own reflection looking back at them.
"The spell, it was easier than it should have been." Brom told him, "I can only assume they are traveling towards us for some reason." The information only increased the frown that colored his face. The sword–Durza's sword–along with the egg, and they're traveling towards us? It all seems too much of a coincidence.
"A group of three semi-experienced elves would not have been able to survive a shade ambush." Eragon finally spoke and Brom nodded his head in agreement. "There is something else going on here, and if my suspicions are correct, it might prove more trouble than good. For me at least." He added. The storyteller across from him stretched and rubbed his beard, deep in thought.
"Do you think," Brom questioned, "that Saphira's magic affected anyone else–brought anyone else back that knew?" Eragon sighed, knowing that his father was thinking the same thing.
"If anyone was to be brought back, it would be Arya." Eragon stood up and started pacing, "From what I knew, she was still alive when I last made contact with Alagaesia. However, we cannot take that for granted." He faced back towards Brom, steadfast in his decision, "If you will come with me, I will leave in a week to track down her egg. We may meet them on the way, or not, but I will find them." Brom chuckled and stood, grasping Erangon's forearm.
"I will come with you, lad." Brom walked over to the wall and picked up Zar'roc. He inspected it for a minute or two before walking back over to Eragon. "There is nothing left I can teach you, I'm afraid. So, accept instead. You are in need of a weapon, and this weapon will restart its story in your hands." His father smiled again and handed the blade over to Eragon, who graciously accepted it and strapped it to his thigh. Sighing, he took one last look at the wooden hut before making his way towards the door. His hand reached out towards the knob but paused instead. He swung his head back around to look at his father.
"Thank you, Dad, I'll see you in a week." He waved his hand in the air and his elven appearance morphed into a human-like mask, his brown eyes straightening and his pointed ears rounding off. Brom's eyes widened at his sudden change. As the door closed behind him, he heard Brom asking why he couldn't have done that before, to which he just chuckled and kept walking. The moon shone brightly in the sky, and he couldn't help but mirror its mood. Her egg was safe, and his heart felt fuller than ever. The grass crunched beneath his feet as he made his way to the tavern, the light breeze caressing him from either side. I have a week–a week until I set off to find her egg. He shrugged. Better make good use.
…
Knock, Knock, Knock. His fists rattled against the rickety wooden door, and he moved around the uncomfortable bag on his back. It had indeed been a week, and it had served him just as well as the other two. To say that Eragon was more powerful now would be a…well, understatement to say the least. His mental fortitude was that of a man with dozens of Eldunari, and his magical ability was that of an experienced elf. The most significant change, in his opinion, was the strength and speed he now possesses. He has been working non-stop on his physical ability, changing his bone structures (very dangerous and painful, would not recommend), and could now say that he could rival any normal elf in terms of strength and speed.
Don't get him wrong, he still had months to go until he could confidently face Galbatorix, but his progress made him hopeful. His mind wandered over to his other family. They weren't happy when he revealed he would be leaving, but they understood that this was really important to Eragon, and trusted in him to do the right thing. He still hadn't revealed the whole truths, but he had a sneaking suspicion they knew he wasn't the same boy from weeks ago.
The door finally swung open to reveal Brom in all his glory, a pack similar to his swung over his shoulder. Eragon himself had Zar'roc strapped to his thigh along with several knives of his own creation and forging. He observed that they both wore simple traveling garb, and nodded to his father, who gave him a pat on the back as he walked past.
"Ready, kid?" Brom threw the question over his shoulder, and Eragon followed with a smile.
"It still feels weird being called that, you know," Eragon says, catching up with the storyteller. Brom looked over at Eragon, a slight smirk on his face.
"Get used to it, old man." Eragon's nose scrunched up in disgust. The two of them made their way up a small hill which led to the trail.
"Anything but that, please." Eragon shivered but sent Brom a smile. "I don't need my father reminding me that I'm older than him." Brom just shrugged in response, eliciting a small groan from the half-elf. Their conversation soon turned to comfortable silence, leaving them only with the sounds of feet crunching against the forest floor and the birds chirping above.
Arya
They had two weeks until they made it to Carvahall. Two weeks until she confronts her past–well, her sort-of past. Seeing Eragon once more will be a shock, but she knew that the fate of this world depended on him and this special egg nestled in the sack behind her. She felt slightly unsettled, as last night she felt herself being scryed–but knew that her wards would have stopped any malicious intent. She sighed, leaning her head against the tree behind her. They had been riding non-stop, and it was taking a toll on both of them, but she knew she had to push forward.
Two weeks.
…
Hope you guys enjoyed, I loved all the comments I had from the last chapter so keep them up! Unfortunately, the next chapter won't be coming out for at least another week or two, since I'm heading down to Tampa this week for a wedding. However, I'll be planning everything well so expect a spicy one ;)
Cya next time,
Drit :)
b1xe said:
This is off to a great start. You have a really nice flow to your writing and it's a cool idea. I can see some influence from the fic "Rider Reborn" perhaps, but that's not a problem per se. I'm definitely following this, can't wait for Eragon and Arya to meet again for the first time in a millenia and see how that encounter goes
Thanks! I can see how this is kinda similar to the RR because it is a time-travel fic, and the start is always pretty similar, things are going to start getting crazy though dw :) the encounter is going to be fun and is the next chapter
gabrielatcabello said:
Thor story has so much potencial. Cant Wait for the next chapter.
Thanks!
Ratchetx7 said: Enjoying the story a lot so far! Excited for more!
:)
Guest said:
I can not wait for more!
Just a little more?
dasbiest said:
I will follow your career with great interest ;) (as you couldn't resist the prequel meme :)).
Nicely written.
I knew someone had to like it :)
Minci said:
Good again.
Bb Faolin muhaha
and really short chapter :(
Thanks! Short chapter :( also music meme?
Phantom said:
Yo, a new fanfic (I haven't been on for a bit) Sick! Its also different from standard time travel fics. Keep it up
Thanks! I see a lot of people like the uniqueness
ManOfSteel said:
Quite practical that Eragon managed to keep his magical talent even through time and space. It'll definitely help him speed up the process of regaining his might.
I wonder whether Brom will figure out that there's something wrong with his son. If he even resides in Carvahall in this timeline, that is.
Poor Arya still didn't get her revenge against Durza, but she came damn close. Almost felt bad for Faolin.
And now they'll visit Eragon. How fast will they realize that they both kept their memories? :)
Thanks for all your reviews! Hope I answered some of your questions in this chapter, cant wait for you to see the next
Realmirror71 said:
It's been a while since I last saw the IC fandom, it's a pretty dead one, but stories like yours give me hope it might rebound. I am very happy to see you broke the usual time-travel trope by making both Eragon and Arya time-travel. That's quite a unique concept. I wonder whether Arya will be reunited with Firnen soon or not, and if she does, will Galbatorix try some dark magic to strengthen Murtagh and Thorn to fight both Eragon and Arya since they both have more experience and knowledge then he does.
Here's how I see the next few chapters playing out. Brom after learning about Eragon decides to scry Arya to make sure she is not in danger(on Eragon's insistence of course). Her way of talking gives Eragon another hint something is wrong and the fact that Brom is scrying her raises Arya's suspicion. When she arrives, Eragon and Arya both lose their composure at seeing each other after so long and stare for a whole minute, before they go back to more neutral/emotionless state. Eragon doesn't wish for Arya to know he time-travelled for reasons and so he tries to make excuses about how he got so strong and why he looks elvish, while Arya's suspicion only grows. Now this is only a suggestion, but I think it would be cool if because of the rider bond and millenium's worth of magic, as soon as Eragon touches Saphira, for a moment, they are both transformed back to their prior selves. Not literally, as then Saphira would break the house, but the way I envision it, a surge of white light blinds everyone and for the few moments everyone is blinded, they can see Saphira in all her glory with Eragon standing beside her dressed in armour with a sword in his hand and a crown atop his head or something. I really don't know how the image will be like, but I just want to read their reactions to what Eragon became in the future. Then Eragon would be forced to reveal his time-travelling, then Arya either reveals hers as well or tries to keep it a secret and treats him coldly for leaving. He on the other hand, instead of following after her like a lovesick puppy, decides to show her his maturity by focusing only on the war. Despite them both avoiding it, their love is clear for everyone to see. Some moments, some longing glances, being the most worried when the other is wounded even lightly. That sort of stuff. I am not an expert on love but this would give you a great way to show not only the love that still exists between them, but also your own skills as a writer. I think it would be fun reading them both trying to keep things professional but everyone pushing them together, and them failing miserably in their attempts to do so. Also, they have their own visions of how to 'fix' things, and since their experiences were so vastly different, they would often clash. So I imagine a love-y sort of rivalry, where they are both trying to dominate the entire group because of their experience. They clash often and try to downplay their own feelings, each for their own reasons while Saphira, Brom and Glenwing are just amused by all of this and constantly try to push them together. This would be so fun to read.
I hope that they don't reconcile soon but also not too late. After the battle of Farthen-Dur would be a perfect time. Especially if one of them ends up being injured because of their 'rivalry'. Did Saphira time-travel as well? There are just so many possibilities and so may paths this story can take. I await eagerly to see which one you choose. Please update soon. Stay safe. PEACE OUT.
1. What the fuck, thank you so much for all the effort you spent for your review, love the support :)
2. Thanks for padding my word count
3. Stop writing my fucking book jesus you're gonna spoil it for the author
4. Please keep commenting, this motivates me so much 3
evevee said:
Interesting concept that I've seen before, my only concern is the pitfall that many such stories fall into which is nothing actually changing.
You had a chance to kill Durza here and didn't. I understand that was to drive a wedge between Faolin and Arya, so fair enough, but it's frustrating to read these stories over and over and have that happen. So I look forward to seeing this hopefully do something different from the story we all already know.
Ah…things will change, dw. I do want to keep some canon to keep the story relatable, but I do plan on making things change. Durza really ain't the biggest problem to Eragon rn rbh lol
Madhatter said:
Well done! I love how you made Arya a complete bad ass and also had her take control of her own destiny. It was a refreshing change to the original story and was nice to see her not be a damsel in distress. I can't wait to see Arya's first encounter with Eragon. It makes me wonder how long it will take for them to be open with each other, but I'm sure it will be worth the wait. Until next time :)
Thanks for the review! I too can't wait to see how it plays out, and I know whats going to happen lol :)
EvandarTheGreat said:
aw man… you've got me on my toes! can't wait to see how this grows. how they interact with all the other important people. keep my daughter out of trouble oh wise author. i'll review every damn chapter. gonna be the biggest fan! :)
The man, the myth, the legend! Keep up all your support, it's such a big motivation tbh 3. Your daughter is a badass, she doesn't need protecting but I'll try lol :)
xXxGhostRiderxXx said:
That was pretty Arya is definitely different, but she still has charm.
I think you you could do more with Faolin, I know this is an ExA story, but Faolin doesn't need to be brought down just to make Eragon look better. Arya got very emotional in canon when discussing Faolin, he was very special to her. That alone probably means he was pretty cool; Arya doesn't exactly have low standards lol.
Also a minor thing, I would advise that you don't add meta text during the story, like that "(more like straight bars holy crap)" part. It's really jarring. This is just an easy way to improve your writing.
Fallin's practically a child to her now, her previous memories were probably based on a lot of immature bias, and I choose to portray him this way because of it. Meta text is fun, but jarring and I can see that but sometimes i cant resist lol :)
SuperSaiyajin4Vegeta said:
Guess I was right. I was also gonna say Arya seems overly expressive with her emotions, but I suppose she's not the same person she used to be.
Definitely not the same person, she now is even more expressive cause she knows who she is and is not restrained by the throne anymore
merendinoemiliano said:
Outburst a bit excessive, but no less you presented a dynamic fight and a great piece of introspection.
Thanks! I actually edited the outburst to make it a little more tame but I want her to show emotions :)
Winsome248 Said: Ha! I like the bad arse less masked Arya. Despite the other comments for this chapter I love the representation of this Arya and putting Faolin in his place couldn't have been written better because you know I did wonder about that. However, it all comes down to having the mindset of 1000yrs maturity...well done
Interesting enough Eragon also has 1000yrs on him too so I am looking forward to when they finally meet.
Will Brom be included in this story?
Thanks for the review! I also share your same mindset lol, and I can't wait for how they clash together as well. Brom is cool :)
