"The Meaning of Life?" Eragon tilted his head and looked at Legolas.
"I don't know how I can search for life's meaning. For everyone the meaning of life is different. It's a thought or a belief, an abstract idea. You can't go walking over a mountain and through a valley and expect to find it in a haunted cave or something."
Alyss rolled her shoulders. She'd picked up a long branch and was now in the process of swinging it in experimental arcs. "Great, list all the reasons we can't search for it. How about we make a list of the reasons that it is possible?"
"The footnote! It's probably a play on words like the footnote!" Eragon grinned. "That has to be it."
"None of you are considering the alternative." Draco took a deep breath.
"What alternative is there?"
"We could just stop. Go home. Back to how we were. We'd forget everything, nothing would have changed and we'd be happy. Well, hopefully. I have no idea where you all were in your lives."
They all stared at Draco.
"We could." Eragon nodded. "That's the most logical thing to do. End this and go back to our lives."
Legolas winced. "Ah. My life is a bit complicated right now. It's full of stubborn dwarves and dragons with attitudes and inflated heads."
"It can't be as bad as mine." Alyss shuddered.
Legolas raised his eyebrows.
"I'd rather not explain. Let's just say that it's impossible for me to speak to anyone right now."
"Well I have a whole school of younglings to train up. A whole new era of dragon riders!"
"Do you think you could come home with me and help me with my dragon problem? His name is Smaug and he's got this OCD thing when it comes to gold and he likes to kill peopleā¦"
"No! Off topic!" Draco cut of Legolas. "Look, I've got a family and a home to go back to. I miss them; despite the fact they're annoying little prissies and our whole household name is in dishonor. I want to help my family become better."
"You're running in circles child." Legolas lifted a branch up higher for them to all duck under. "If you go back now and give up on the quest you'll be the same too."
"I much prefer the Draco I see right now than the one I remember first arriving." Alyss chimed in.
Eragon drew Brisingr and started hacking at a dead tree. "It's not fair! How come he's the only one who gets any character development? We didn't even get to see it! How come he's the only one with an imitation of conflict in his life? It's just oh 6 months have come and gone and he's magically transformed into a nicer person! That' not how it's supposed to work! Where's the internal conflict? Is this some cruel kind of parody of my own books?"
After that the four blondes spent a long time arguing and debating about what they were going to do.
But we don't need to listen in to all of that.
Let's skip ahead to where they reach their conclusion.
The four had taken Legolas's quiver and emptied it. They tore one of the letters from TA into 4 pieces. Each wrote on their piece their vote "YES" or "NO" along with their reason.
Eragon: NO. I miss Saphira.
Legolas: YES. I don't have anything wonderful to go back to.
Alyss: YES. I think this is a good quest we're on and I don't have anything to go back to.
Draco: YES. I need to finish this quest so that I can return home and make a difference.
Author's Note: Merry Christmas.
Doctor Who is incredible. Desolation of Smaug breaks my heart.
This story is so against everything that I consider to be a story it's almost embarrassing. But my gosh is it therapeutic. :D Thank you to those who have reviewed and followed/favorited this story. It's really an honor and I appreciate it so much.
