Hello again! Welcome to Chapter 15: Mother! I told you I was back at this story!
I want to thank you all for your reviews, both enthusiastic and constructive, and for sticking with this story. Feel free to keep doing that! I especially love seeing your guesses about what will happen.
I want to address a few things before we continue on.
- Quite a few people have brought up Arya. I want to say now that this story is based off of a SINGLE change to canon, Eragon/Nari's gender. No other character will change genders (or sexual orientation). Which means, of course, that Arya is off the table as a romantic interest. Sorry to those of you who were hoping for that, but I felt like it was important to state this now. I have nothing against it, but I made a promise to the person who I adopted the first chapters of this story from and I have other plans for that topic. I will tell you that this person will be a canon character. I have no plans to make an OC a significant part of the story
- As I stated before, this story is based off of the premise that a single factor can change a series of events for better or worse (the snowball effect). I have had several reviews mentioning that they feel the story is sticking too close to canon. I want to reassure my readers, as I have before, that the story will diverge. However, I want to address a personal writing peeve of mine regarding this type of story and reveal some of my thoughts about this story in the process.
+ I don't like when people claim their story makes a single change, and then they change something that their change had no way of affecting. For example, Eragon being born a girl would not affect whether Roran or Murtagh was born with a twin. However, Garrow and Marian could have had a younger child if their dearest wish in life was to have two sons, a wish which Nari would no longer be able to fulfill but which canon!Eragon did. Nari being a girl instead of a boy would not affect the sacking of Yazuac or the Ra'zac appearing in Carvahall. These things were out of her control and therefore happened as they did in canon.
+ There are many things, however that Nari has and will change. She has changed some significant and insignificant things already which keen reader may catch. For example, Nari left Carvahall before Garrow was attacked. The only person that knew of it was Garrow, and the farm burned. Therefore, the people of Carvahall, and Roran, have no idea that Nari survived the attack on the farm. That doesn't matter as much for the time being, but it will make a difference in Roran's story. Something for you to think about.
+ If you would like more hints about things Nari will change, reread Chapters 14 and 15. There was a reason why I worked so hard on the details of 15.
Let me know your thoughts.
Nari woke from her restless nap to a golden sunset. Red and orange beams of light streamed into the room and fell across the bed. The rays warmed her, making her reluctant to move. She dozed contentedly, but the sunlight soon crept away, and she grew cold. Climbing out of bed, she pulled one of the plainer dresses that had belonged to her mother out of her bag and slipped it over her head.
To her great surprise, the dress fit her far better than she had thought it would. Upon closer inspection, she noticed that she had gained muscles and that her chest had grown a bit larger. She was taller now too, she noticed with surprise. She'd grown at least two inches.
Smoothing down the dress with her hands, she reached up to pull her hair into two braids. Her hair had grown some in the few months since she'd cut it, but it was still far shorter than it had been. It was only just long enough, when braided, to reach her shoulders. Glancing out the window, Nari noticed that the sun was finally sinking below the horizon, sending the sea and sky into shadow. It was almost time. She glanced longingly at her bow and Zar'roc, but left them where they were. The guardsmen would be more alert at the sight of an armed girl. If she had to disable someone, she could use magic. Unable to bear how naked she felt, Nari grabbed her hunting knife and tied its sheath securely to her inner thigh. The dress would cover it, even if she had to run.
She entered the hallway and waited. Brom joined her quietly, carrying his sword and staff. The look he gave her made her still. His whole body froze as he stared at her, eyes wide and filled with a deep sadness she didn't understand. His hand started to reach for her, but then jerked back and curled into a fist.
"Brom?" She asked tentatively. He cleared his throat roughly and shook his head.
"Keep your head low," he ordered brusquely, "don't meet anyone's eyes. The less anyone knows about what you look like, the better."
"Alright," she agreed, eyeing him. He said nothing more, just turned and walked away.
Jeod, dressed in a black doublet and hose, was waiting for them outside. From his waist swung an elegant rapier and a leather pouch. Brom eyed the rapier and observed, "That toad sticker is too thin for any real fighting. What will you do if someone comes after you with a broadsword or a flamberge?"
"Be realistic," said Jeod. "None of the guards has a flamberge. Besides, this toad sticker is faster than a broadsword."
Brom shrugged. "It's your neck."
They walked casually along the street, avoiding watchmen and soldiers. Nari was tense and her heart pounded. As they passed the herbalist's shop, a flash of movement on the roof caught her attention, but she saw no one. Her palm tingled. She looked at the roof again, but it was still empty.
Brom led them along Teirm's outer wall. By the time they reached the castle, the sky was black. The sealed walls of the fortress made Nari shiver. She would hate to be imprisoned there. Jeod silently took the lead and strode up to the gates, trying to look at ease. He pounded on the gate and waited.
A small grille slid open and a surly guard peered out. "Ya?" He grunted shortly. Nari could smell rum on his breath, even with her head ducked and standing behind Brom and Joed.
"We need to get in," said Jeod.
"Wha' for?"
"The girl here left something very valuable in my office. We have to retrieve it immediately."
"Ah, wha'ever," he said, impatience in every syllable. "Jus' make sure 'n give 'er a good beating f'r me."
"I'll do that," assured Jeod as the guard unbolted a small door set into the gate. They entered the keep, then Brom handed the guard a few coins.
"Thank'ee," mumbled the man, tottering away. As soon as he was gone, Jeod let them into the main part of the castle. They hurried toward their destination, listening carefully for any soldiers on patrol. At the records room, Brom tried the door. It was locked. He put his hand against the door and muttered a word in the ancient language that Nari quickly added to her memory. The door swung open with a faint click. Brom grabbed a torch from the wall, and they darted inside, closing the door quietly.
The squat room was filled with wooden racks piled high with scrolls. A barred window was set in the far wall. Jeod threaded his way between the racks, running his eyes over the scrolls. He halted at the back of the room. "Over here," he said. "These are the shipping records for the past five years. You can tell the date by the wax seals on the corner."
"So what do we do now?" asked Nari, pleased that they'd found them so quickly.
"Start at the top and work down," said Jeod. "Some scrolls only deal with taxes. You can ignore those. Look for anything that mentions Seithr oil." He took a length of parchment from his pouch and stretched it out on the floor, then set a bottle of ink and a quill pen next to it. "So we can keep track of whatever we find," he explained.
Brom scooped an armful of scrolls from the top of the rack and piled them on the floor. He sat and unrolled the first one. Nari joined him, positioning herself so she could see the door. The work was tedious, far less enjoyable than reading Domia abr Wyrda, but it was easy enough.
By looking only for the names of ships that sailed in the northern areas, they winnowed out many of the scrolls. Even so, they moved down the rack slowly, recording each shipment of Seithr oil as they located it.
It was quiet outside the room, except for the occasional watchman. Suddenly, Nari's neck prickled. She tried to keep working, but the uneasy feeling remained.
Irritated, she looked up and jerked with surprise—a small boy crouched on the windowsill. His eyes were slanted, and a sprig of holly was woven into his shaggy black hair.
Hello there, a voice in Nari's head purred. Her eyes widened with recognition.
Solembum? How do you look like that?
You don't think I'm called a werecat for nothing, do you?
Nari swallowed hard but nodded, accepting that.
What are you doing here? She asked instead.
The werecat tilted his head and considered whether the question was worth an answer. That depends on what you are doing here. If you are reading those scrolls for entertainment, then I suppose there isn't any reason for my visit. But if what you are doing is unlawful and you don't want to be discovered, I might be here to warn you that the guard whom you bribed just told his replacement about you and that this second official of the Empire has sent soldiers to search for you.
Thank you for telling me, said Nari.
Told you something, did I? I suppose I did. I suggest you make use of it. The boy stood and tossed back his wild hair and vanished through the window.
She announced abruptly, "There are soldiers looking for us."
"How do you know?" asked Brom sharply. Nari decided to lie without a second's hesitation.
"I listened in on the guard. His replacement just sent men to search for us. We have to get out of here. They've probably already discovered that Jeod's office is empty."
"Are you sure?" asked Jeod.
"Yes!" said Nari impatiently. "They're on their way."
Brom snatched another scroll from the rack. "No matter. We have to finish this now!" They worked furiously for the next minute, scanning the records as fast as they could. As the last scroll was finished, Brom threw it back onto the rack, and Jeod jammed his parchment, ink, and pen into his pouch. Nari grabbed the torch.
They raced from the room and shut the door, but just as it closed they heard the heavy tramp of soldiers' boots at the end of the hall. They turned to leave, but Brom hissed furiously, "Damnation! It's not locked." He put his hand against the door. The lock clicked at the same time three armed soldiers came into view.
"Hey! Get away from that door!" shouted one of them. Brom stepped back, assuming a surprised expression. The three men marched up to them. The tallest one demanded, "Why are you trying to get into the records?" Nari pressed her hand tight to her dress, ready to tug it up and grab her knife. She kept her chin tucked tight to her chest, just in case.
"I'm afraid we lost our way." The strain was evident in Jeod's voice.
There was a suspicious silence and Nari just barely resisted the urge to look up. "Check inside the room," he ordered one of his men.
Nari held her breath as the soldier stepped past her to the door, tried to open it, then pounded on it with his mailed fist. "It's locked, sir."
The leader scratched his chin. "Ar'right, then. I don't know what you were up to, but as long as the door's locked, I guess you're free to go. Come on." The soldiers surrounded them and marched them back through the keep.
At the main gates, the soldier pointed and said, "Now, you walk through those and don't try anything. We'll be watching. If you have to come back, wait until morning."
"Of course," promised Jeod.
Nari could feel the guards' eyes boring into their backs as they hurried out of the castle. The moment that the gates closed behind them, a relieved grin stretched across her face.
"Keep your head down!" Brom snarled.
Chastised, Nari ducked her head again. Once they had hurried back to the house and into the study, Nari exclaimed, "We did it! I thought we were caught!"
"Yes, but now we have to figure out if it was worth the trouble," said Brom. Jeod took a map of Alagaësia from the shelves and unrolled it on the desk. It was of better quality than the map she'd seen in Brom's books so long ago, sand she inspected it closely.
On the left side of the map, the ocean extended to the unknown west. Along the coast stretched the Spine, an immense length of mountains. The Hadarac Desert filled the center of the map—the east end was blank. Somewhere in that void hid the Varden. To the south was Surda, a small country that had seceded from the
Empire after the Riders' fall. Nari had been told that Surda secretly supported the Varden. Near Surda's eastern border was a mountain range labeled Beor Mountains. Nari had heard of them in many stories—they were supposed to be ten times the height of the Spine, though she privately believed that was exaggeration. The map was empty to the east of the Beors.
Five islands rested off the coast of Surda: Nía, Parlim, Uden, Illium, and Beirland. Nía was no more than an outcropping of rock, but Beirland, the largest, had a small town, she thought. Farther up, near Teirm, was a jagged island called Sharktooth. And high to the north was one more island, immense and shaped like a knobby hand. Nari knew its name without even looking: Vroengard, the ancestral home of the Riders—once a place of glory, but now a looted, empty shell haunted by strange beasts. In the center of Vroengard was the abandoned city of Dorú Areaba. She looked at it longingly. Perhaps, once Galbatorix was dealt with, she and Saphira could live there in the halls of her ancestors. Even if they would be the last Rider and Dragon, they could honor their duty in that way.
Carvahall was only a small dot at the top of Palancar Valley. Level with it, but across the plains, sprawled the forest Du Weldenvarden. Like the Beor Mountains, its eastern end was unmapped. Parts of Du Weldenvarden's western edge had been settled, but its heart lay mysterious and unexplored. The forest was wilder than the Spine; the few who braved its depths often came back raving mad, or not at all. She wondered if the dangers that lay there would be stronger than a dragon's might? Perhaps she and Saphira could make a life there? She knew well how to live off of a forest and with Saphira by her side...
Nari shivered as her gaze turned towards Urû'baen in the center of the Empire. King Galbatorix ruled from there with his black dragon, Shruikan, by his side. Nari put her finger on Urû'baen. "The Ra'zac are sure to have a hiding place here."
"You had better hope that that isn't their only sanctuary," said Brom flatly. "Otherwise you'll never get near them." He pushed the rustling map flat with his wrinkled hands.
Jeod took the parchment out of his pouch and said, "From what I saw in the records, there have been shipments of Seithr oil to every major city in the Empire over the past five years. As far as I can tell, all of them might have been ordered by wealthy jewelers. I'm not sure how we can narrow down the list without more information."
Brom swept a hand over the map. "I think we can eliminate some cities. The Ra'zac have to travel wherever the king wants, and I'm sure he keeps them busy. If they're expected to go anywhere at anytime, the only reasonable place for them to stay is at a crossroads where they can reach every part of the country fairly easily."
He was excited now and paced the room. "This crossroads has to be large enough so the Ra'zac will be inconspicuous. It also has to have enough trade so any unusual requests—special food for their mounts, for example—will go unnoticed."
"That makes sense," said Jeod, nodding. "Under those conditions, we can ignore most of the cities in the north. The only big ones are Teirm, Gil'ead, and Ceunon. I know they're not in Teirm, and I doubt that the oil has been shipped farther up the coast to Narda—it's too small. Ceunon is too isolated . . . only Gil'ead remains."
"The Ra'zac might be there," conceded Brom. "It would have a certain irony."
"It would at that," Jeod acknowledged softly.
"What about southern cities?" asked Nari.
"Well," said Jeod. "There's obviously Urû'baen, but that's an unlikely destination. If someone were to die from Seithr oil in Galbatorix's court, it would be all too easy for an earl or some other lord to discover that the Empire had been buying large amounts of it. That still leaves many others, any one of which could be the one we want."
"Yes," said Nari, "but the oil wasn't sent to all of them. The parchment only lists Kuasta, Dras-Leona, Aroughs, and Belatona. Kuasta wouldn't work for the Ra'zac; it's on the coast and surrounded by mountains. Aroughs is isolated like Ceunon, though it is a center of trade. That leaves Belatona and Dras-Leona, which are rather close together. Of the two, Dras-Leona is larger and better situated."
"And that's where nearly all the goods of the Empire pass through at one time or another, including Teirm's," Jeod agreed. "It would be a good place for the Ra'zac to hide."
"So . . . Dras-Leona," said Brom as he sat down and lit his pipe. "What do the records show?"
Jeod looked at the parchment. "Here it is. At the beginning of the year, three shipments of Seithr oil were sent to Dras-Leona. Each shipment was only two weeks apart, and the records say they were all transported by the same merchant. The same thing happened last year and the year before that. I doubt any one jeweler, or even a group of them, has the money for so much oil."
"What about Gil'ead?" asked Brom, raising an eyebrow.
"It doesn't have the same access to the rest of the Empire. And," Jeod tapped the parchment, "they've only received the oil twice in recent years." He thought for a moment, then said, "Besides, I think we forgot something—Helgrind."
Brom nodded. "Ah yes, the Dark Gates. It's been many years since I've thought of it. You're right, that would make Dras-Leona perfect for the Ra'zac. I guess it's decided, then; that's where we'll go."
The parchment crackled as Jeod slowly rolled up the map. He handed it to Brom and said, "You'll need this, I'm afraid. Your expeditions often take you into obscure regions." Nodding, Brom accepted the map. Jeod clapped him on the shoulder. "It doesn't feel right that you will leave without me. My heart expects to go along, but the rest of me reminds me of my age and responsibilities."
"I know," said Brom. "But you have a life in Teirm. It is time for the next generation to take up the standard. You've done your part; be happy."
"What of you?" asked Jeod. "Does the road ever end for you?"
A hollow laugh escaped Brom's lips and Nari glanced over at him with concern. "I see it coming, but not for a while." He extinguished his pipe, and they left for their rooms, exhausted. Before she fell asleep, Nari contacted Saphira to relate their safety and findings.
In the morning Nari and Brom retrieved their saddlebags from the stable and prepared to depart. Jeod greeted Brom while Helen watched from the doorway. Nari stepped forward towards the woman as Brom and Joed said their goodbyes.
"Thank you," Nari whispered fiercely, feeling tears prick at her eyes as she stared up at the woman. "We intruded on your peace, but you were kinder to me than some might have been despite that. I'll find someway to repay you." She swore.
"Go in peace," Helen said, "and take care to guard your health wisely."
Nari nodded her understanding and stepped back.
To her embarrassment, both Brom and Joed were staring at them in surprise.
"Thank you for your hospitality," Brom said, still eyeing Nari, "You have a good husband; take care of him. There are few men as brave and as determined as he is. But even he cannot weather difficult times without support from those he loves."
Nari watched as indignation and hurt crossed Helen's face. Her eyes flashed as she shut the door brusquely.
Sighing, Jeod ran his fingers through his her hair. Nari thanked him for all his help, then mounted Dusk. With last farewells said, she and Brom departed.
At Teirm's south gate, the guards let them through without a second glance. As they rode under the giant outer wall, Nari saw movement in a shadow. Solembum was crouched on the ground, tail twitching. The werecat followed them with inscrutable eyes.
As the city finally receded into the distance, Nari asked, "What are werecats?"
Brom looked surprised at the question. "Why the sudden curiosity?"
"I read something that mentioned them. Are they real?" Nari asked, pretending ignorance.
"They are quite real. During the Riders' years of glory, they were as renowned as the dragons. Kings and elves kept them as companions—yet the werecats were free to do what they chose. Very little has ever been known about them. I'm afraid that their race has become rather scarce recently."
"Could they use magic?" asked Nari.
"No one's sure, but they could certainly do unusual things. They always seemed to know what was going on and somehow or another manage to get themselves involved." Brom pulled his hood up to block a chill wind.
"What's Helgrind?" asked Nari, after a moment's thought.
"You'll see when we get to Dras-Leona."
When Teirm was completely out of sight, Nari reached out with her mind and called, Saphira! The force of her mental shout was so strong that Dusk flicked his ears in annoyance.
Saphira answered and sped toward them with all of her strength. Nari and Brom watched as a dark blur rushed from a cloud, then heard a dull roar as Saphira's wings flared open. The sun shone behind the thin membranes, turning them translucent and silhouetting the dark veins. She landed with a blast of air.
Nari tossed Dusk's reins to Brom with a grin. "I'll join you for lunch."
Brom nodded, but seemed preoccupied. "Have a good time," he said, then looked at Saphira and smiled. "It's good to see you again."
And you too. Nari hopped onto Saphira's shoulders and held on tightly as she bounded upward. With the wind at her tail, Saphira sliced through the air. Hold on, she warned Nari and, letting out a wild bugle, she soared in a great loop. Nari yelled with excitement as she flung her arms in the air, holding on only with her legs.
I didn't know I could stay on while you did that without being strapped into the saddle, she said, grinning fiercely.
Neither did I, admitted Saphira, laughing in her peculiar way. Nari hugged her tightly, and they flew a level path, mistresses of the sky.
By noon her legs were sore from the scrape of Saphira's scales against her legs, and her hands and face were numb from the cold air. Saphira's scales were always warm to the touch, but she could not keep Nari from getting chilled. When they landed for lunch, Nari buried her hands in her clothes and found a warm, sunny place to sit.
As she and Brom ate, Nari asked Saphira, Do you mind if I ride Dusk? She had decided to question Brom about the Varden.
No, but tell me what he says, Saphira urged. Nari was not surprised that Saphira knew her plans. She kept the bond between them wide open, and Saphira did the same. When they finished eating, Saphira flew away as Nari joined Brom on the trail.
After a time, Nari slowed Dusk and said, "I would like to talk to you. I wanted to do it when we first arrived in Teirm, but I decided to wait until we were out of the city."
"About what?" asked Brom, warily.
Nari paused. "When we first spoke to Joed, you spoke about your 'friends' and that you went into hiding. Joed even thought you were dead. The shipments he was losing, they were going to your 'friends'."
"Is there a question there or are you just waiting for me to confirm those details?" Brom asked mildly.
"Will you answer me if I ask?" Nari asked him. Brom remained silent. "Are you a member of the Varden?" Brom glanced over, studying her.
"What makes you think that this concerns you?"
"You are a member of a group that stands against Galbatorix, and there can't be many groups like that who have been around for more than twenty years." Nari told him. "Don't think that I don't know what a Rider and dragon outside of Galbatorix's control would mean for a group like that. Especially since she may be the last dragon left." She felt an aching pain come through her bond with Saphira and hummed a little in the back of her throat. "Regardless, Galbatorix would certainly never let us roam outside of his control." Brom stared at her in astonishment and she gave him a wry smile. "You needn't look so surprised! Saphira and I have spoken about it more than once. We were already planning to leave Carvahall," she admitted softly. "The Ra'zac just sped up our departure."
"She's not the last," Brom said finally.
"What?" Nari asked, feeling Saphira echo her through their link.
"Saphira is not the last," Brom repeated. "There are still two other dragon eggs left—both of them in Galbatorix's possession. The king salvaged three eggs during his last great battle with the Riders." Nari felt Saphira recoil at the thought of being one of Galbatorix's possessions, and her fury and hope at the entrapment of two of her kin.
"So there may soon be two new Riders, both of them loyal to the king?" asked Nari with a sinking feeling in her stomach.
"There might," Brom agreed grimly, "and Galbatorix is getting desperate. He has been trying for years to get one of them to hatch for someone under his command. He will be even more so when he hears of you."
"How did the Varden get Saphira's egg? I'm sure he's not just leaving them lying around?" She asked.
Brom lit his pipe and slowly blew a plume of smoke into the air. "I'll tell you," he said, "but you have to understand that I cannot reveal everything. It's not out of a desire to withhold information, but because I won't give away secrets that aren't mine. There are other stories woven in with this narrative. You'll have to talk with the others involved to find out the rest."
"Very well. Explain what you can," said Nari.
"Yes, I'm a member of the Varden, though I have been away from them for many years now, since before I settled in Carvahall. I have personal reasons for my hatred of the Empire, ones that I will keep to myself, and the Varden provided a way to damage it in many ways. My hatred led me to Joed, who was a scholar who claimed he'd discovered a book which contained information about a secret passageway into Galbatorix's castle. I eagerly brought Jeod to the Varden and they arranged to have the eggs stolen. I don't have many details about that, I'm afraid. However, what I do know is that something went amiss, and our thief got only one egg. For some reason, he fled with it rather than returning to the Varden. When he wasn't able to be found, Jeod and I were sent to bring him and the egg back." Brom's eyes grew distant, and he spoke in a curious voice. "That was the start of one of the greatest searches in history. We raced against the Ra'zac and Morzan, last of the Forsworn and the king's finest servant."
"Morzan!" interrupted Nari, stunned. My father, a part of her whispered, horrified.
"Yes. He was one of the king's first followers and by far his most loyal. As there had been blood between us before, the hunt for the egg turned into a personal battle. When it was located in Gil'ead, I rushed there and fought Morzan for possession. It was a terrible contest, but in the end I slew him. During the conflict I was separated from Jeod. There was no time to search for him, so I took the egg and bore it to the Varden, who asked me to train whomever became the new Rider. I agreed and decided to hide in Carvahall—where I had traveled to several times before—until the Varden contacted me. I was never summoned." Thoughts whirled through her mind as she tried to take all the information in. Brom has known Morzan personally, and hated him. Brom had been the one to kill him.
"How did Saphira's egg appear in the Spine if the Varden had it?" asked Nari.
Brom grunted. "The egg carriers must have been intercepted. To protect the egg, its guardian must have tried to send it to me with magic. The Varden haven't contacted me to explain how they lost the egg, so I suspect that their runners were intercepted by the Empire and the Ra'zac were sent in their place. I'm sure they were quite eager to find me, as I've managed to foil many of their plans."
"Then the Ra'zac didn't know about me when they arrived in Carvahall," said Nari bluntly. "They were looking for you."
"That's right," replied Brom. "If that ass Sloan had kept his mouth shut, they might not have found out about you. Events could have turned out quite differently. In a way, I have you to thank for my life. If the Ra'zac hadn't become so preoccupied with you, they might have caught me unawares, and that would have been the end of Brom the storyteller. The only reason they ran was because I'm stronger than the two of them, especially during the day. They must have planned to drug me during the night, then question me about the egg." Nari nodded absently, then turned to stare at him intently.
"Do you plan to bring me to the Varden?" She asked.
"I'm sure they'd want me to bring you to them as soon as possible. But no, I do not."
"Why not?" Nari asked, tilting her head.
Brom snorted, smiling at her. "You say you are aware of your use to them and then ask me that! You would be a pawn, fought over by some and despised by others. Their leaders may send you on missions just to make a point, even though you might not be strong enough for them. I want you to be well trained and prepared before you go anywhere near the Varden."
"Not to mention the possibility of spies within the Varden," she said wryly. Brom's eyes narrowed.
"You were eavesdropping," he said after a moment. Nari felt her cheeks heat but lifted her chin.
"How else am I supposed to know anything, the way you've been hoarding these secrets? Besides, if you wanted the conversation to be private, you should have cast a spell to prevent eavesdropping."
To her surprise, Brom smiled sadly, a sadness she had seen more and more lately.
"Brom?" She asked, just as she had inside Joed's home. Once again, he shook his head and pressed on.
"You should be cautious about the eavesdropping. There are many who would not take kindly to it if they caught you, another reason we will not be going to the Varden." His face turned grim, looking at her sternly. "But you must be ready. We will continue this quest of yours, because it keeps you determined hile I train you, and because the Ra'zac are not just your enemies. However, when the Ra'zac are dead, you will have to make a choice."
"I know," she told him quietly.
"Do you?" He demanded. "If you kill the Ra'zac, the only ways for you to escape Galbatorix's wrath will be to seek the Varden's protection, flee, or plead for the king's mercy and join his forces. Even if you don't kill the Ra'zac, you will still face this choice eventually."
"We know, Brom." She told him firmly. "Our choice has already been made." He stared at her and she met his gaze fiercely. His eyes turned sad again and she couldn't resist asking.
"Why do you look at me like that?" Brom sighed.
"Sometimes, when I look at you, I see your mother staring back at me," he told her quietly, "and other times, I think there could not be two people more different." Nari felt her heart jump, aching painfully, and felt Saphira hum through their minds. She had never seen much of a resemblance between herself and her mother, and feared she was more like Morzan. Here was someone who had known her mother, well from the sound of it, and could tell her more than words on a page could.
"What was she like?"
The old man sighed again. "She was full of strength and dignity and pride, like Garrow. Ultimately it was her downfall, but it was one of her greatest gifts nevertheless. . . . She always helped the poor and the less fortunate, no matter what her situation. She loved fiercely, and sought knowledge without reservation."
Nari stared at him, a suspicion building in her mind.
"How well did you know her?"
"Well enough to miss her when she was gone." With that, Brom refused to say another word, switching to educating her more in the ancient language.