Cutting with Swords

Almost every time the Varden stopped to rest, they went off to the edge of the camp and sparred together. Even though she preferred not to be alone with Eragon, their sparring became increasingly disruptive. Also, being around so many other people wore down on her over time. Admittedly, sparring with Eragon helped her keep her mind off of things.

Eragon had just returned from his aerial scouting atop of Saphira. He came up to her and without even asking, she unsheathed her sword. She began putting wards over her sword as Eragon did the same. She made sure to review the wards a second time and lightly tested it on her hand. Their sparring was too rough for such mistakes.

She took a look at her sword, it wasn't unique and hadn't belonged to her for long. She had lost the sword gifted to her by her father when she was captured in Gil'ead. It had the sprawling design of a white raven on it and soft leather with grooves made for her hand. Her mother gave her this sword from her weapon stores. There was nothing sentimental in it, the sword almost served as a symbol to their relationship. It was practical though, the metal was enchanted and the steel was well-tempered.

She realized she was just staring at her sword and Eragon was staring at her.

"Ready?" she challenged.

He grunted his assent and they began circling each other. There was a tinge of weariness to the way he carried himself. He must've noticed her scrutinizing gaze because he straightened his posture and tried to look more alert. She chose that moment to lunge out with her sword.

He answered with a strong parry and tried to push her back. She kicked out with her leg and caught him a little bit off balance. He nimbly dodged her swipe to the chest though. Immediately after he came back and went on the offense with an undercut towards her ribs.

His attacks are even more obvious than usual.

She blocked it and knocked his sword out of his hand. It landed in the grass with a soft thump. Eragon could only stand there as she went to "cut" his chest open. In the instant before she was about to strike at him though, something tugged at one of her wards. She realized which ward it was too late.

When she slashed at his stomach, a spray of blood splashed onto the ground. Eragon numbly stared at his blood and looked mildly confused.

"Arya?" he breathed. He touched the deep cut on his stomach and fell back onto the ground. Arya just looked on with shock.

My wards were good, I checked. Somebody must have tampered with them. I don't understand, was it someone from Du Vrangr Gata?

After the split second it took to consider those thoughts, she dropped her sword and crawled next to Eragon's still body.

"Waíse Heille!" she intoned calmly. She could not afford to make a mistake while healing him. He was the last free rider of Alagaesia, he was the Varden's last hope and if an elf killed their rider, she didn't want to think about that. Somebody must have done this. She sensed no one nearby though.

Upon further consideration, she realized that Eragon dying would leave a hole in her life. She had come to rely on Eragon as a comrade, friend, and ally. Memories of battles they had fought in together, their journey to Du Weldenvarden and all of the good and bad experiences they had shared flooded her mind. She could not allow him to die.

She felt that her energy was getting increasingly depleted, had she cut him that deep? Feeling desperate she whispered, "Eragon please wake up I'm-".

She was cut off by the completion of her spell. Suddenly, Eragon was upright and he was staring at her strangely. When she stared back into his eyes, she realized her vision was a little blurry and her cheeks felt damp.

"Eragon," she tried again, but couldn't seem to say those words anymore. She glanced up and saw that he was leaning closer to her flushed face. She only felt the brush of his lips before she stood abruptly and stormed away. She heard his footsteps as he rushed to catch up with her.

"Arya, I'm sorry, I just thought that your feelings had changed," he pleaded. His voice sounded raw and broken.

I thought I had already made it dangerously clear to him that we could never be.

She just kept on walking until she couldn't hear his panicked footsteps trailing behind her. Once she felt that she had composed herself sufficiently, she headed towards Nasuada's tent.

When she arrived, the guards let her pass with no hesitation.

"Nasuada, there was an attempt on Eragon's life today." She started. She went on to explain her suspicions and what had occurred. She assured her that Eragon was fine now thanks to her healing.

Better than fine.

"I will go talk to Trianna immediately, thank you for this news." Nasuada stood up, dismissing her. Her face looked more troubled than usual. She had a great deal of respect for Nasuada, commanding the whole Varden with the limited resources she had. She was the backbone of the Varden and had to solve a lot of problems within it, this being one of them.

Once she was out of the tent, she had an absurd, but troubling thought. She wondered if someone was just looking for attention. However, getting stabbed was an insane way of getting it. Still though, why hadn't Saphira come and why was he suddenly healed as soon as she said his name? Her wards were fairly complicated as well. She tried to dismiss the idea, but it still gnawed at the back of her mind.

I still believe he is a child.

This realization hit her harder than she thought it would.

So what really happened? I guess you'll just have to see...Please R and R and shout out to my first reviewer, Dream Plane! Also please answer my pill on my profile page! Till next time!