So to answer a question that's been asked, yes I will upload what is online of To Move Forward, yet another wonderful story by Rainxoxo. Also, if you have friends or simply know others who enjoy this story, please feel free to let them know it's back. And as I said before, I will do my best to upload a chapter a day, but I am currently in the military spending time in the Middle East. So I ask you be patient my friends.
~NitexXxMare
Another chapter everyone! I'm grateful that you've all loved the story so far! I'll try to keep it that way. Happy reading to everyone and don't forget to review. Eragon = CP.
After two days of traveling, the two of them eventually reached the Beor Mountains. Gabranth had to admit that, when he caught sight of the mountains against the setting sun of their second day of travel, the sight had been breathtaking. It was much different from the plain brick cities he was accustomed to visiting. That night as they were camping, he found himself staring up at the star filled night. I never knew how beautiful the night sky could be.
Come to think of it, this is the longest that we've ever been out of civilization. It makes you take in the sights around you with a different view, doesn't it?
It does. He sighed. They were close to Orthiad, he knew. And once they overcame that, they would be heading straight for Farthen Dûr. Had his mother already made it there, he wondered? Had she met Brom or Murtagh yet? There was a reason why Gabranth had always hated being alone. When he was alone, he liked to think, and thinking always brought realization — which in turn brought pain.
He ran a hand through his messy, light brown hair. He didn't want to admit it, but he was afraid of meeting his mother again, at least with the possibility of meeting his father and Murtagh. Would she refuse to return with him to the Empire? He shook his head; that was a stupid question. Of course she would. Why would she abandon happiness? He knew her. His mother would rather die instead of abandoning a chance at being happy. She didn't care for jewels, power, or recognition. She had only a desire to be happy.
And he understood that desire. He wanted to laugh like he used to as a child without the burden of being a rider; without Galbatorix hanging over him. To smile freely. Maybe if he were stronger, he wouldn't have ended up as aloof as he was now. His thoughts soon wandered to Brom. He snorted. No matter how many times he tried to avoid such a topic, his mind would always bring it up. Why did he abandon him? It was a question that as a child, he had always wanted answered. But who else could have answered it besides Brom? Was it because he didn't want a child? Seeing him with Murtagh made the hurt in Gabranth's heart grow even larger and the hole even deeper.
Why would he care for the son of his enemy? The person who had used him from the very beginning when they were training as riders? He had killed Morzan and yet, he cared for the Forsworn's son and not his own? Gabranth simply didn't understand. Why would he help Murtagh and yet abandon him? His own son? Then, before he could stop them, his thoughts soon ended up wandering over to his half-brother. What was Murtagh like?
There was no doubt that he was much kinder than Gabranth. He had probably not even taken a life by his own hands yet. But he also had a father that he hated, he was sure of that. At least they had something in common besides blood. But everything else made them complete opposites. Did he have a happy childhood? Was he surrounded by family and friends, while Gabranth was surrounded by generals and soldiers? Just thinking of it made him begin to get angry. His mother went out of her way to get Murtagh out of the King's clutches, and yet she let her youngest son suffer a fate so horrible. He was being stupid. Now he was blaming his mother.
Deep down in his heart, he could never be angry at her, even if she did let him live such a life. She was one of the select few people besides Saphira that he cared for greatly. If anything it was his fault. For by giving in to Galbatorix, he might even have brought her more pain that happiness. My existence was a mistake.
Now you're being an imbecile. Saphira, who had been quiet throughout his entire thought process, suddenly spoke up fiercely. You've tried your best to live the right way. Stop blaming yourself, Eragon. You were young and defenseless. If the great rider Vrael fell to Galbatorix, then what are the chances of a twelve year old against him?
But that doesn't explain why Brom abandoned me. Why my mother only saved Murtagh and yet let me live like this.
Then ask them once we arrive in Farthen Dûr. Don't let this dictate your life.
He smiled, if somewhat sadly, bringing a hand up to gently stroke Saphira's snout. I will. He sighed.Saphira... I'm grateful that despite the troubles of being a rider that I'll never lose you as a friend.
Oh, little one. He could feel in her thoughts that she was overjoyed at his statement. He rarely ever told her how much she meant to him because she could feel it through their mental connection but when he did, it made her overwhelming happy. She nudged him gently. Get some sleep, Eragon. Tomorrow, if we make good time, we shall be sitting in the presence of Urgals.
He nodded and rather comfortable in his armor, leaned against her side, allowing her wing to fold over him as he slept. The next day as they traveled, Saphira flew over a threshold and directly into a tunnel under the Beor Mountains. Finding the entrance to the mountain was a simple task for a dragon as large as Saphira, but the next part was the tricky step. If one wasn't careful, they could end up getting lost in the darkness that encased the tunnels. And if fortune didn't smile upon them to make it out, then they would spend the rest of their lives wandering the tunnels until they died of starvation or went crazed at being in the dark for so long.
Still, though, this threat again meant nothing to Saphira. Her unfailing sense of direction as a dragon pointed her the right way and she could hear much farther than his sensitive ears could. This helped her fly towards Orthiad as she knew that, being full of Urgals, it would be a very noisy city. They weren't the most graceful race in existence. The thought of being so close to Urgals filled Gabranth with displeasure. Their race was a most barbaric one; fighting to become chief of their clan, and fighting to be eligible to mate. When he first heard of their alliance with the Urgals he felt sickened. However, this was nothing compared to what he had seen at Yazuac. The piles of bodies haunted his thoughts. From then on, he had made sure that not one more Urgal stepped within the boundaries of their cities.
Unaware of the time, he could see a distinct light at the end of the tunnel. They had made it. When they emerged from the tunnel, he found himself staring down at an ancient city, long deserted by the dwarves, as Galbatorix had told him. Below were masses of Urgals staring up at Saphira, but none raised their weapons, knowing full well who Gabranth and Saphira were. Saphira landed in a courtyard, folding her wings in on herself to avoid hitting nearby Urgals and Kull. It was a large force, Gabranth noted. The Varden would be unlikely to survive such an army.
A larger-than-average Kull approached him, his head raised high in a sign of respect. The horns curling from his temples were nicely polished, to his amusement. If you were born a Kull I'm sure you'd like to polish your horns every once in a while to attract the ladies.
He snorted quietly as the tall, proud Kull approached, unfazed by the large muscles bulging all across his body. "Lord Gabranth." He spoke in a thick, guttural accent. "I am Tarok." He remembered that name. It was that of one of the few Kull chosen to guide the many clans of Urgals underneath Durza's command. Gabranth nodded, acknowledging him. "An honor it is to meet you."
He frowned, grateful for the helm covering his face; and through that, his distaste for the Urgals. "Likewise."
Tarok beckoned for an Urgal to step forward. "He will show you to your resting place. And if possible we would like to speak to you about our next course of action." That surprised him. Had the King order them to Orthiad without any other plans? He nodded.
Letting the Urgal guide him, he took in the ancient city that showed many signs of its long abandonment by the dwarves. He had read in many books that Orthiad was one of the grandest cities the dwarves had built, in its prime. He was soon grateful that when it was built, the dwarves seemed to have taken into consideration the height of other races, even if the doorways still seemed a little too small for the Kull. It seemed fair that they had never expected clans of Urgals to rest in their city.
Safely tucked away in his room, he left Saphira to eat the deer that the Urgals had offered to her. He removed his armor, leaving only a pair of breeches remaining on his body. Bathing himself, he let his mind wander off as he sat in the hot bath, grateful for a chance to rid his body of all the dirt and filth that had accumulated during their journey. As he had always found it, it was strange to see so many different Urgal clans together. Being the barbaric race that they were, he was sure that fights should have ensued, but as he met them, they seemed peaceful. Dark magic. The King or Durza must have done something to ensure that they remained loyal.
The following day, he let an Urgal lead him to what seemed like a practice field. Gathered to watch were a crowd of Urgals, with Saphira among their masses. From the feelings he was getting from her she was greatly amused at what was about to happen. He felt slightly annoyed at being uninformed. When Tarok approached him, he couldn't keep the annoyance from his voice. "What is the meaning of this? Don't tell me that we are having a strategy session on a practice field."
Tarok shook his head and raised his chin. "We were asked by Durza to treat you with our customs. And for you to be accepted by my people, you must defeat me in a challenge of strength."
Durza. He was getting closer and closer to aggravating Gabranth to the point in which he might kill the shade. When they came face to face again, he would make sure that an arrow would be sticking out of Durza's head... or maybe his heart. "A challenge of strength? Very well, I accept your challenge, Tarok. Will there be a need for weapons?"
The Kull shook his head. "No, we are not aiming to kill. If you become victorious, we will gladly accept you as a formidable leader."
Gabranth nodded and removed both of his blades from his side handing them to one of the nearby Urgals who took it in hand. He was accustomed to fighting with both hands because, in his opinion, only weak people needed to fight with shields. "Very well, let us get on with this challenge. I will show you as I've shown Durza my strength."
Immediately the field was cleared except for Gabranth and Tarok who stood facing each other. The Urgals that had crowded around them stood silently watching. Saphira bared her teeth in what seemed to be a smile. She was enjoying this far too much, thought Gabranth. One Urgal let out a roar which must have been the sound to begin fighting, for Tarok immediately charged at him. With a smile, he spread his feet apart, bending his knees as the Kull bent his head, his horns shining brightly. Unfazed, Gabranth curled his hands around each horn, stopping him in his intentions to ram him to the ground.
With unnatural strength, he brought his leg back and kicked Tarok in the gut, sending him flying thirty feet or more. It was enough strength to break a rib or two, but the Kull seemed to refuse to lose that easily. It was quite sweet really, though Gabranth, as the Kull stood and charged once more. The pattern was repeated over and over, with Gabranth throwing him off with ease, kicking, kneeing and punching Tarok until he had the Kull kneeling on the ground before him, bruised and tired. He's not too smart now is he? Gabranth sent to Saphira, causing her to come close to erupting into dragon-like giggles.
"We should call that an end to this challenge Tarok," said Gabranth. "Any more and you might end up killing yourself."
The Kull nodded and with what seem like an effort, brought himself back up to his feet. "You've bested me, Lord Gabranth. The right to join our councils is now yours. We shall respect you and obey your commands as one of our formidable leaders."
"I thank you." Feeling somewhat sorry for the Kull, he held out his right hand, on which his gedwëy ignasia was burned, covered by the armor. "May I take the liberty of healing your wounds? If you are injured, it may be difficult to lead your people in a battle."
"You may." With that, he began healing the Kull's wounds, but it seemed as if he had damaged Tarok's pride more than his body, upon inspection. Kull were clearly quite resilient. Afterwards, they were led into a large chamber, in which stood a lone table with a map lying on it. Saphira, who was waiting outside, gently touched his mind with hers. That was a mighty show of power you put on out there.
I like to show off every once and a while, unlike a certain dragon I know, who grasps the chance at every passing moment, he replied.
Perhaps. It's just too bad you don't take well to Urgals. It seems as if any of the females would all be happy to marry you if you were of their kind. He made a disgusted face at this, tuning out her laughter as he returned his attention to the table. He glanced at the map laid out on the table. "So you plan to attack Farthen Dûr?"
"Yes," one of the Kull commanders, Gashz, answered. "Our forces will be divided and we will attack the Varden from three different entry points." He pointed to three places on the map.
"A smart idea indeed," Gabranth murmured. "If you can corner them in, eventually you'll have them encaged within your army." Then an idea struck him. "And if they collapse the tunnels?"
"We will have to find a separate route. As long as it leads to the same place, it is fine."
He nodded. "When do you plan to take this course of action?"
"As soon as Durza arrives in Orthiad." Tarok answered. Gabranth nodded. So he must leave immediately for Farthen Dûr for any hope of getting his mother and servants out of the battlefield quickly. Durza would almost certainly want to have them caught in the crossfire.
They spent the next hour devising strategic battle plans, but in Gabranth's opinion, they could not get any better. Attacking from underneath limited their abilities and the element of surprise was their only upper hand. But even without that, he was sure that the Urgals could easily crush the Varden. You think they could be defeated that easily? Saphira asked, as they flew from Orthiad towards Farthen Dûr. They had left as soon as the meeting was over, exchanging brief goodbyes.
If you base it off of numbers.
If you have them cornered to a wall, I'm sure they won't give up very easily.
He nodded. Suddenly a sound of running footsteps reached his ears. An Urgal? No, the footsteps were too light. Raising his hand, he watched as a bright blue orb appeared, lighting the tunnel up to fifty feet. A grin appeared as the image of a dwarf running below him reached his eyes. Saphira, land.
She did as he asked, landing directly in front of the dwarf. He watched in amusement as the dwarf fell, swearing all the while. Gabranth slid from the saddle with ease, making his way over to the fallen dwarf. "It seems that you've seen us. I wonder, were you going to run and tell the Varden of our arrival?"
The dwarf spat angrily at him. Gripping him by the front of his shirt, he lifted the small creature from his feet with ease. "Go tell your king, tell the Varden. I could not care less. But tell them that if the person I want isn't there, I will burn your precious cities to the ground and collapse every tunnel in this mountain so you will live in rubble."
With that he threw the dwarf towards the end of the tunnel watching as he scrambled to his legs and immediately set off, not glancing back. Was that wise?
It'll make searching much easier. I'd rather have them come to me. He replied climbing back up Saphira's saddle. Putting out the light, he couldn't stop the anxious feeling rising in his chest. It wasn't going to be easy getting in and out of the Varden without harming anyone, especially with Brom, and trying to convince his mother to leave with him would be nigh on impossible. Still, he was going to try nonetheless. I can see the end to the tunnel.
She was right. A light shone ahead of them, and within a few minutes, they emerged from the tunnel to fly into an open space. Guards below them let out alarmed shouts, drawing their arrows which promptly bounced off the wards he had placed around Saphira when they took flight, as Gabranth was able to take in the sight of Farthen Dûr.
As they flew, he ignored the guards below them; they all seemed to be in quite a panic at their appearance. Honestly, it would be best to approach such a situation with a calm mind. But yet again, how could one be calm when such a large and intimidating dragon entered one's home?
That was when he saw the crowd waiting for them, standing in a large central chamber of what seemed to be the great dwarf city Tronjheim. Directly above them was the great star sapphire, the beautiful work of the dwarves that he had read of in many ancient texts. He wasn't surprised to find a red dragon waiting for them. Murtagh.
Are you ready, Eragon?
We're here, aren't we? Land, Saphira, it's time to face them. She did as he asked, gliding to the ground. Gabranth steeled himself as her feet touched the ground, jostling him in the saddle. As he undid the straps around his legs, he felt determination well up within him. It was time to face his past — and in doing so, decide his future.
So what did you guys think? There wasn't that much action but I wanted you to get a better feel of Eragon's past and his emotions. The next chapter will be up very soon hopefully, I'm beyond busy. But please review, I'll like to know what you think. As for suggestions, just throw them at me! See you at the next chapter!