I own nothing of the Inheritance Cycle!
Thoughts over bond
Aquila had been the first to notice.
Decorating the northern horizon was an odd black mass. She pointed it out to David, unsure as to what it was. When he saw it David tried to think of what it could possibly be. There wasn't much to the north except Urû'baen, and once he thought that David knew what that mass was.
"Adurna!" A ball of water rose from the lake and doused the fire. Murtagh shouted in protest.
"What are you doing?!"
"We have to go." David picked Murtagh up from the ground and spun him around. He pointed to the mass on the horizon, "You see that?"
"Yes, what about it?"
"That is the army Galbatorix sent to fight against the Varden." Murtagh didn't protest any farther as he picked up the hatchling–whom still didn't have a name–and followed David onto Aquila's back.
Making another saddle out of shadows David looked back to the ground to see Murtagh still standing on the ground. "Really?! Reisa!"
Murtagh shot up into the saddle rather roughly. "What was that for?!"
"You know eventually he," David jabbed a finger at the hatchling, "is going to grow up to be this size. You will end up having to climb onto him when he is this size."
David secured the green egg and Saphira's Eldunarí against his lap as Aquila rose into the air with a beat of her wings. Aquila fly towards the soldiers. I want to see what we're up against.
Aquila agreed by heading towards the horizon holding the mass of soldiers. As they grew closer the hoard grew larger and larger. The ranks stretched to about three miles, and the back of the ranks wasn't even visible, "Holy shit."
David turned to look at Murtagh, "Better watch your mouth Murtagh we have little ones on board." Murtagh just hit him upside the head.
"The Varden are supposed to fight against this? How do they expect to win?"
"Well for starters they have three dragons and their riders on their side. Although two they don't know about, and one of those two is a hatchling."
I will take great pleasure in the Varden's surprise as I rip through the Empires ranks. Aquila spoke to both Murtagh and David.
"You see? They'll be fine. And this is actually the first battle you're going to be in isn't it?"
Yes David heard and felt her anticipation.
"Well you chose a wonderful first battle," said Murtagh, "One with thousands of enemy soldiers who, might I add, has what look to be catapults."
I will easily burn them. Murtagh couldn't argue with that.
"Alright so if the troops have already made it this far, then Varden probably already knows about them. Eragon would have scryed Nasuada which would make him leave Ellesméra and rejoin the Varden. I don't want them to see us just yet though…" Hide up in the clouds Aquila. Aquila rose until her legs were just skimming the clouds beneath her.
Turning in the saddle David faced his back to Aquila's neck and crossed his legs, setting the egg and Eldunarí in his lap. "For now I guess we can just fly above the soldiers."
"When will they reach the Varden?"
"About a day. They're moving pretty quickly." They sat in the saddle as the day passed by.
"You still haven't named him." David pointed to the hatchling after a long period of silence.
"I don't know what to name him. He's shot down every suggestion I've thought of." Murtagh sounded frustrated.
"We're they all past dragon names?"
"Yes, most of them."
"Maybe he wants a name unique to himself?" The hatchling chirped in agreement.
David turned to watch as the sun set, casting an array of colors on the clouds drifting beneath them. It's like the calm before the storm.
And what a storm it will be.
David looked up towards Aquila's head Your excited aren't you?
What he saw was the impression of a grin I cannot wait for the day when I can fight alongside you.
David smiled and patted her neck Neither can I. An excited series of squeaks interrupted their moment of conversation. Turning to look at Murtagh and the hatchling David raised a brow, "What is going on over there?"
Murtagh grinned in accomplishment, "I finally found a name that he likes."
Now David understood the squeaking, "And what is the name?"
"Thorn." The hatchling stood up straight with pride when he heard his name.
"It's a good name," He looked up to Murtagh, "He'll definitely be a thorn in Galbatorix's backside, eh?" Aquila contained her roar of amusement but still shook from her laughs. Murtagh just hit him on the head again.
Aquila drifted lower until she was a little ways beneath the clouds. In the distance they could see little lanterns flickering to life in the darkness. Thousands of tents were decorating the ground south of the Jiet River. The number of the Varden may have heartened David in the past, but from the size of the army about to attack them it filled him with despair.
Do not worry so little duck. They are not alone. They have a secret weapon.
Yes. A weapon so secret even they don't know about it.
"What will they do, d'you think?"
David looked Murtagh in the eye, "Who? The Varden?"
"Yeah."
"What do you mean what would they do?"
"When they find out that it's you and I flying in with two dragons when we're supposed to be dead."
"Well…first we'll let them get over the shock of seeing Aquila and then deal with whatever comes next." David shrugged his shoulders with indifference.
"…You really do suck with plans don't you?" asked Murtagh.
"Do I look like a guy with a plan?" David gestured to himself.
Murtagh looked at David for a few moments before deciding, "Yes you do."
David rolled his eyes, "Yeah, well, looks can be deceiving."
Banking to the right Aquila circled around the Varden, taking in how small their army really was against the Empire's. It's hard to believe they win against the Empire, and at that time they had Murtagh.
Murtagh was fighting unwillingly. And you should remember that the Varden gain the help of the dwarves and the elves.
That's true. And I hope by now Eragon has made the elves a little more welcoming towards humans.
You are just basing your thoughts off of Eragon's sword fighting instructor, and he was only acting that way out of fright. Tell me Aquila why would he be afraid huh? It's because he thinks it would have been better if Saphira hatched for an elf. Believing that if one was to hatch for an elf then everything would be fine and they would have hope. But instead it hatched for Eragon, a human, only bringing hope to thousands of others and disappointing the elves.
I agree… Aquila was slow to answer, trying to think of something to say that the way Vanir acted was harsh, but one mans beliefs does not equal another's. Do not condemn all of the elves because of the way Vanir had acted.
David sighed within his mind Very well.
Landing about a mile from the Varden's camp the group sat and waited for when the battle would begin. David figured Eragon would be there within the next day or so, and following his arrival would be the battle. Let's hope Saphira misses Aquila's smell in the heat of battle.