Hello everyone!
Back with another chapter. Let me know what you guys/gals think in the reviews.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Along the way we were greeted by hundreds of elves living between Osilon and Ellesmera. They would laugh and dance around us as we raced across the countryside.
It took us another two weeks to reach the edge of the wards where I knew we would be greeted by Gilderien the Wise.
It was just as the books described. He appeared out of behind a tree and he glowed like the sun, with white light flowing out of him.
That was when I felt the biggest and most alien mind touch mine, instantly my walls were up out of reflex more than anything. I lowered them immediately after realizing what I had done.
You may all pass. I heard as he left my mind.
Shadowhunter was restless afterwards. She obviously didn't like people in her mind.
As we rode past I looked behind to see that Gilderien had disappeared. I guess that really was an avatar.
After we were cleared to enter the capital of the elves, it took us another hour to reach our destination. We saw more elves in that hour than we had seen total until that point. It seemed like everyone knew of Brom's return, Islanzadi included. She was easy to distinguish, considering she was standing at the end of the road flanked by what seemed to be the rest of the race.
As we dismounted from our horses and started the traditional greetings.
"Atra esterní ono thelduin," she spoke before either of us, signaling the respect she had for Brom.
"Atra du e arínya ono arda," we responded together.
She took it a step further by giving the very formal "Un atra mor'ranr llífa unin hjarta onr."
"This is a most unexpected visit Brom, you told us you wouldn't live to see this forest again. I am glad that was not the case. You have brought company." Islanzadi stated after the formalities were recognized. She waved for us to follow her into what I assumed was the elves version of the royal palace.
"So am I" Brom responded. "This is Roran, he is my apprentice, and the cat is named Shadowhunter or something like that" he said pointing to me and waiving off the werecat.
"Hello again Shadowhunter" she said with a nod. "Hello Roran, you are one of only 5 humans to grace these halls for the last 100 years. I am the queen of the elves, Islanzadi."
"Greetings, it is an honor to meet you." I said respectfully.
"What is your purpose here Brom?" She said.
"I bring good and bad news. We need to prepare. Is Dathedr still your chief advisor?" Brom answered getting down to business.
"He is."
"You might want to call for him, tell him to meet us at the Crags of Tel'naeir." Her eyes widened and flickered between his and mine own. "He knows everything," Brom continued.
"We need to walk and talk." I decided to cut in. We went back outside and started to where I assumed was the direction of Oromis and Glaedr. Shadowhunter on my heels.
"Everything?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Yes, and he is also one of the most talented magicians alive." That was the first time he had ever complimented me outside of spars. I think he is overstating things, compared to Angela, Gilderien, or even Islanzadi I am nothing special.
"Interesting." Was her only response. "How is your grasp of the Ancient Language Roran?" She asked me directly.
"I am fluent, but only just. It has yet to become second nature but all I need is more time and practice." I answered truthfully.
"Only a slight accent. You will have plenty of time and practice here in Ellesmera, I suspect you will be sought after by many an elf in your time here. It is not everyday we have a human visitor." She said.
"Good. I am very curious of the culture here." I stated. She chose not to respond and we fell into a comfortable silence.
We walked for a good 2 miles in silence. Shadowhunter was still right behind us, apparently content with watching our interactions.
I could physically see Brom get more and more excited as we approached our destination, his steps picked up as he recognized the path. Islanzadi herself seemed to be a bit happier with visiting Oromis.
I could barely hide my enthusiasm, it would be my first time seeing a dragon. I'll be damned if I come off as nervous during my first impression.
The tree line seemed to end almost suddenly and we were greeted by the sight of a trail leading us through a pasture to a house sitting atop a hill. It was constructed almost exactly like Brom's house in carvahall. That explains a lot.
There was an old tree not too far from the house where I could see a silver haired elf meditating. Glaedr was nowhere to be found.
As soon as we stepped out of the trees Oromis' eyes were on us. Shock littered his face as he recognized his old pupil. A smile blossomed across his face as he jumped up and started towards us. Brom's face mirrored his as he practically sprinted to his old master.
They embraced while the rest of us stood back letting them enjoy the moment. Father and son. I realized as I saw them interact.
Oromis seemed to take a step back and look at Brom, no doubt noting how he had aged. After Dathedr arrived and made introductions to us we gave Brom and Oromis another 10 minutes of conversing until we started walking up the path.
Once we arrived they turned to us. "I apologize, it has been a long time since I have seen my pupil." Oromis said as he touched two fingers to his mouth. "Atra esterní ono thelduin" he said to our party, but mainly Islanzadi.
"Atra du e arínya ono arda." we replied in unison after mirroring his act of touching two fingers to our mouths.
"I am Roran, Brom's apprentice. It is a pleasure to meet you." I said before anyone else could continue.
"Hello Roran, you may call me Oromis, thank you for taking care of my old student." was his response.
I wasn't sure of how to respond but luckily I didn't have to.
"Why have we gathered here." Dathedr cut in.
"Maybe we should find somewhere to sit, it is going to be a while." I said before we could start.
"Follow me." Oromis waved us on.
"Where is Glaedr?" Brom asked as we started walking towards the house. I thought Oromis would say something about my presence but it seemed he trusted Brom explicitly. Maybe they conversed mentally. I said broadcasting my thoughts to Shadowhunter.
I am surprised Brom didn't reach out when we were close, Oromis must have been meditating inwards or he would have felt us otherwise. Dragon riders have always boasted of their awareness. She said in response.
Suddenly we all felt a rattle across our chests. Followed by another, and another, any second and Glaedr would appear. There is your answer Brom. I told Shadowhunter as we were interrupted.
It seems like he had already called Glaedr back when he was speaking with Brom.
Suddenly a Golden mass appeared over the tree line, he's fucking huge. Was my first thought.
Glaedr was every bit of a small hill like he was described in the books. The second thought that crossed his mind was how beautiful his scales were, it was like they were made of the sun itself. No wonder dragons cause awe wherever they go.
He circled and landed right in front of Brom, he leaned his massive head down until he was eye to eye with him. Brom reached out and rubbed his snout and I swear Glaedr purred. After what I assumed was them mentally conversing, Glaedr's head swung around and locked eyes with me.
You are the one who has brought him back to us? He asked. His voice was as deep and powerful as his mind was.
Yes. I replied shocked at his presence, not being able to come up with anything else.
Thank you. He said as he dipped his head and turned back to Brom. They conversed for a little longer before Glaedr walked over beside the house and laid down. Shadowhunter padded over to him, snuggled up to him and promptly closed her eyes, presumably to take a nap.
I'll never understand werecats. What was even weirder was the fact that Glaedr didn't react at all to her presence.
After we had gathered around the entrance to the house Brom seemed unsure of where to start so I did it for him.
"We know who the egg will hatch for." my voice cut through the air.
"Impossible" Dathedr said almost immediately.
"No one has been able to predict how dragons hatch for their riders. Mainly because it is up to the dragon who it chooses." Oromis cut in after Dathedr.
"To understand how I know this, I have to tell a story. Before I was Roran, I lived on another world in another universe. You all, including me, were book characters. This book series told the story of the egg hatching to a boy who would go on to vanquish Galbatorix and revive the dragon riders. I know who the egg hatches for, but along the way, a lot of people get hurt and killed. We are here to change that." I said pointing towards Brom.
It was Oromis who spoke again, "A traveler?"
"You've met others?" I asked.
"There have been a few who came to the order claiming to have been thrust into our world but none of them have had knowledge of future events. None had come forth in the past 600 years, it was listed as an anomaly in our records. Most would go on to have significant impact on this world, even becoming riders themselves on one occasion. That would explain why you have a werecat attached to you, they always seem to follow intriguing people." He answered.
"If you know who the egg hatches for then why do you wish to interfere? Wouldn't it be wiser to let events play out?" It was Islanzadi who spoke this time.
"Because your daughter is one of the people who get hurt, along with her companions. She gets ambushed before she tries sending the egg to Brom in Carvahall with magic. She misses and it ends up in the hands of a farm boy, whom it hatches for. Her traveling companions are killed, Arya is captured and tortured by Durza." I responded.
Her eyes didn't betray any of her thoughts. "I see. So we will need to avoid her capture while also getting the egg to the boy. Who is it?" She asks.
I look to Brom. "It gets complicated." I say.
"My son, Eragon. He is with his uncle in Carvahall." He says after a moment of consideration.
"Your son?" Oromis seemed to speak for everyone with that question, his eyes lighting up at the revelation. It took a few moments for the news to be processed.
"You left him alone?! He must be protected." Islanzadi said as she stood up.
"He doesn't know that I am his father. It is a long story but he didn't find out in the books until after I had already passed. We couldn't risk a shift in personality that would make him unworthy in the eggs eyes. We need him as he will be, nothing else." Brom finished.
"That is why you left the Varden. It all makes sense now." Oromis supplied once he got over his shock.
"Not only do we need to avoid Arya's capture and get the egg to Eragon, but we also see this as an opportunity to eliminate one of Galbatorix's most powerful weapons, Durza." I said steering the conversation back on track.
"You want me to risk my daughters life on the off chance that we can kill a shade?" Islanzadi said.
"The idea holds merit." Dathedr cut in. "Arya is prepared to do her duty, she always has been."
I knew there was a reason we invited him to this meeting. Islanzadi lets her emotions cloud her judgement.
"They are correct. It is too great an opportunity, the war is about to start, I have been scrying the lands again and I can see the signs of war. I fear Galbatorix is about to strike the Varden soon." Oromis cut in.
"You speak of the Urgals?" I asked. He responded with a nod.
"Durza has their chieftains under his control, if we kill him we can free the urgals and get them on our side, they hate underhanded tricks and we can use his manipulation to our advantage in recruiting them. They are crucial to our victory." I continued. "If we fail at killing Durza, he will use them to attack the varden in around a years time, maybe more, this is when he originally dies but he manages to injure Eragon before he is killed. If we kill him before they can attack then we save a lot of lives and gain the strength of the Urgals. This will also allow us to send Eragon to you, Oromis, faster and get him and the egg trained. The timeline wasn't exact in the books, at most its an approximation. There another reason we are here, we need your people ready. If we fail at killing Durza then the Varden and the dwarves will need your help..." I finished telling them the plan Brom and I had come up with along the way from Carvahall.
"So it is finally time, things are about to move at a rapid pace." Dathedr said as Islanzadi was pacing the room.
"Very well, you will be given my most talented warriors and spellcasters to kill the shade. If we succeed then they will go with you to protect the boy and bring him back to Ellesmera for training. If we fail at killing Durza then they will escort him to the Varden where we will fight and hopefully kill him there." Islanzadi said after a few minutes of thinking.
"When is Arya set to arrive?" I asked.
"She is in Ceris right now. She will spend about a year ferrying the egg across Du Weldenvarden, if what you say is accurate, it sounds like she will be ambushed on her way to Osilon. How long after that do we have until the Empire attacks?" Islazandi asks.
"The dragon is around 6 months old during the battle of Farthen Dur." I answer.
"A year and a half, if we are lucky.." Dathedr supplied. I'm starting to like him.
"We need to get our people ready." He continued when no one replied. "We have our plan, all that is left is to prepare, if that is all my queen?" He left as she nodded to him.
"Well, we have work to do, I might as well go start." She turned back before she left. "Brom I assume you know where the guest houses are? I will see they are unlocked for you both." With that she started back to the city.
"A son huh? Who is the mother?" Oromis asked as he turned to Brom.
"Well it is extremely complicated…." Brom replied.
Feeling out of place I decided I would let the two of them catch up. "Come find me in the morning Brom. I will have her show me the way to the lodgings." I said as I left to catch up to the queen.
"You do not wish to wait on your master?" She asked as I stopped running to catch up to her.
"I have a feeling they will want time to catch up." I responded as Shadowhunter padded up behind me, no doubt to use me as a pillow tonight.
This is bound to be interesting.
A/N: Review please.