A/N: Thank you to EragonArya, Fallen Dragonfly, Minxiegal, Hunter in the dark, Powerhungry, Vincent Numarashi, Fatedlove, animeluva713, Crystalblade Warrior, coolgal943 and latafmodginkiannp1618 for reviewing the past few chapters. Some parts of this is inspired by Samantha Mulder's disappearance in the X-Files. ;) Enjoy
A/N2 : SA: I'm bored...
WL: Uh huh...
N: The evil ruler gets owned by chicken wings and bordom. hah!
SA: Does not!
WL: Yes she does. lol. Chicken Wings owns you.
SA: Ya. Whatever.
Minxiegal: Wait. did SA just agree with someone?
SA: Ya, why?
MInxiegal: OMFG. The world is ending.
SA: Lol. Speaking of which, Naomi has a goat for a tail.
WL: Lol.
N: whacks SA I do not.
SA: You do! As N Tail equals Apocalypse,
>Death
>goats
Therefore, N - Tail equals Death.
So Death - tail equals N.
As Death does not have a tail, N equals Death
Okay. Whatever. I shall stop crapping and get on with this.
Draconious, Bellirius, Empirus
The saga begins
Islanzadi, Eragon and Arya tumbled down in a heap on the grass. After the long and tiring flight from Gilead, Islanzadi had no more energy to walk. Holding on to Eragon and Arya, she collapsed on the grass.
That set off a chain reaction. Eragon gasped and tugged free of Islanzadi's death grip, running to her side. Arya yelled and turned to face her mother.
"Mother!" Arya cried, shaking her, tears pouring down her face in torrents.
"Arya, lets bring mother to her bed," Eragon muttered, touching Arya on the shoulder.
Arya nodded mutely and muttered the words in the ancient language that their mother taught them in case of an emergency. Gradually, Islanzadi floated up in the air and followed Eragon, who was steadily making his way to his mother's room. Arya panted with exhaustion as she struggled to keep the spell going. She almost collapsed with exhaustion as she neared the room. Heaving a sigh of relief as she maneuvered Islanzadi to the bed, she terminated the spell, covering her mother with a blanket. The two quietly slipped out the room, collapsing on Eragon's bed in their room down the corridor.
"Arya? Sleep now," Eragon told the extremely tired Arya softly.
Arya sleepily nodded her head, and snuggled close to Eragon, falling into a deep sleep.
Eragon glanced at his sister sleep silently. His emotions played out openly on his face; hate, anger, and fear. He was angry at Durza for kidnapping them, and at Morzan for hurting his mother. He did not know why he hated them though. Mother always said that it was wrong to hate. Yet he hated those two people with a passion. He hated them for what they did to him and his family. Fear grew in his heart as he thought of what might happen if they happen to come here again. They would be captured, even killed.
He was interrupted from his musings by Arya suddenly shouting, "Don't leave me!!"
Two things happened. Eragon jerked up and almost fell off the bed, hands clutching his heart, and Islanzadi woke up from her well deserved rest. Islanzadi ran hurriedly to her children's shared room, where she perceived the source of the shouting is.
"What happened?" she asked blearily.
"I don't know, mother," Eragon replied, confused, "She shouted suddenly!" he replied puzzledly, "I was just sitting here, and then she shouted."
Arya cried out again, "No!! Not him!!", a panicked expression crossing her face as her arms reached out, searching for something that was not there.
Islanzadi glanced between the two, gasping as realization struck her. She now saw the depth of their relationship. All these years, Islanzadi had thought that they were close. But even her bond with Selena can never compare to theirs. She saw in that moment, Arya's deep trust and affection for Eragon, and his feelings of brotherly love to her. Even though they are not exactly siblings, Islanzadi felt that they are much closer than any other children.
"Hug her, Eragon," Islanzadi said suddenly, making up her mind.
"Are you sure, mother?" Eragon asked, puzzled, "what if she hits me?"
"Yes, I am sure. I'll protect you from Arya if she hits you. Now go!" Islanzadi said, as Arya let out another heart wrenching cry.
Eragon cautiously reached over and touched her on her arm. Immediately, Arya calmed, her breathing stilling.
"I'll go now, Eragon. Try talking to her. She may relax," Islanzadi advised as she left the room silently.
Eragon sat in a contemplative silence, a hand still in a death grip thanks to Arya.
He was interrupted by his musings though, when he tried to move away from Arya for an instance. He stood up from his position on the mattress. Almost immediately, Arya moaned and shifted.
"Don't leave me!" she whispered brokenly, tossing and turning in her sleep.
Eragon gazed at her in worry, deciding to slip down and lie beside her, allowing her to use him as a bolster; and to give her reassurance that he was there.
"I won't leave you, Arya. Never," he murmured softly, face pressed against Arya's raven hair.
As though as she heard it, Arya's lithe, tense body relaxed dramatically and she cuddled up to Eragon with a soft sigh. Eragon gazed at her, stunned. Arya was never one to fear such things. He was usually the one who had more fears, and Arya spent most of the nights comforting him from his demons. Yet this time, it was the other way round.
Eragon sighed deeply. What was he going to do now? Arya was clutching his arm desperately, and he really wanted to get back to his bed. Looking around himself, he could not see anything that would help him solve this problem. Shaking his head, he settled as comfortably as he could on the bed covers. Beside him, Arya snuggled even closer.
In her dreams, Arya felt that large evil cloud lift. A thin ray of bright yellow light shone down from the heavens. Arya struggled against the chains that held her to the pillar. To her surprise, the chains snapped, allowing her to run towards the light. As she reached it, she felt the comforting presence of her brother, and the woodsy scent that often surround him envelope her. Arya smiled and relaxed.
She was home.
The next day dawned, the soft morning light drifting through the curtains that covered the windows of the children's rooms. Arya shifted against the warm body beside her, opening her cat-like eyes slowly. She blinked as she noticed who was beside her. Eragon?
Eragon opened his eyes, only to meet the puzzled ones of Arya.
"What happened yesterday, Eragon?" Arya asked, her eyes full of questions.
"You were screaming yesterday. Mother came in. You scared me!" Eragon said accusingly.
"I scared you?" Arya questioned.
"Yes. You were shouting so loudly, I think the rabbits heard you," he teased.
Arya smiled, and Eragon congratulated himself on achieving the desired result.
"Come on Arin, let's get some breakfast. Mother said that she was going to cook some pancakes today."
Arya jumped up in excitement. Without giving a thought about washing up, she ran straight to the kitchens, dragging Eragon mercilessly behind her.
Islanzadi looked up from the pan, where she was waiting for the pancakes to cook; as two blurs rushed in, one distinctly shouting 'ouch!' every now and then. She raised an elegant eyebrow as the two blurs revealed themselves to be Arya, who was dragging Eragon by his arm.
"What is going on?" she asked, curiosity waging a losing battle with annoyance.
"You are cooking pancakes, mother?" Arya asked, evading the question.
Islanzadi nodded, and Arya let go of Eragon's hand.
"Lemme see!!" she squealed, jumping up and down excitedly.
"It's 'Let me see', Arya" Islanzadi corrected her gently.
Arya paid her no heed as she peered excitedly at the pan. Islanzadi rolled her eyes as the two children started arguing on who was going to eat the first piece of pancake. 'At least it is not being stuck in the dungeons again." Was her only thought.
After a very messy breakfast and a lot of arguments later, Arya have been convinced that the raspberry jam was not out to get her and Eragon was not out to steal the last pancake. The trio was seated comfortably atop Islanzadi's large bed, Eragon lying on Islanzadi's lap, and Arya leaning on her mother.
"What happened in your dream yesterday, Arin?" Eragon asked finally, breaking the silence.
Arya raised her head, eyes focused on something far away, as she recalled the dream that caused her to fear what was going to happen in the future so much.
"It was dark when I opened my eyes. I'm in the woods again. Claudette stood in the clearing, eyes flashing in the darkness. I looked around again and saw the darkness. It was covering me, stopping me from breathing. Then I saw 'ragon. He was dragged slowly to me, but when I called his name, he did not answer. The darkness came and swallowed me up. I was so scared, mother. I thought that I would never see you again, never to play in the fields with Eragon again. But suddenly, there was a ray of light from the sky. I ran towards it, I smelt Eragon's scent. Then I woke up," she concluded.
Eragon looked curiously at Arya, asking his mother "do elves dream, mother?"
Islanzadi was puzzled, "no," she replied slowly, "I don't think elves dream. Not at all."
"Then how can I be dreaming?" Arya asked hysterically. She sat on the bed, shivering.
"Arin?" Eragon murmured, "are you cold?"
Arya shook her head. She shivered again, drawing her arms around herself. Islanzadi looked at her worriedly and hugged her tight, wanting to reassure her that she was there for her whenever Arya needed her.
"You can tell us anything, little one," Islanzadi whispered.
Arya nodded, taking a deep breathe before speaking, "I'm scared mother. What if Eragon or you leave me? I don't have anyone my age to play with. The other children thinks that I am weird. I'll be all alone by myself," Arya cried, fresh tears spilling.
"Eragon will never leave you. Is that right, Eragon?" Islanzadi asked, turning to Eragon.
The boy in question nodded, shifting closer to Arya so that he could hug her. "I'll never leave you, Arya. Never. I promise," he raised his head, so that his sapphire eyes stared into Arya's emerald green ones.
Arya stared hard into his eyes, before nodding.
"I believe you, 'ragon."
The two children sat there, on Islanzadi's bed, wrapped in her warm arms; watching the animals frolicking happily in the sun. Arya leaned on Islanzadi's chest, sighing in happiness and bliss. Her life was complete for now. A thought struck her suddenly and she stood up, startling Eragon.
"What'cha doing, Arin?"
Arya looked at him, laughing, before running out of the room.
Eragon gazed after her, puzzled. He don't understand why was Arya behaving so weirdly now. He leaned back on his mother's chest, enjoying the soothing feeling that he got by doing so.
"Mother?" he asked at last, opening his eyes.
"Hmmm?" Islanzadi replied sleepily.
"Are all girls like that? Always running off suddenly?" Eragon asked innocently.
"I don't know, Eragon. How about you ask Arya later. Speaking of which, here is she," Islanzadi smiled as she saw Arya running back to them, with a pile of weird, random items gathered from her drawers.
Arya beamed happily as she dumped the whole pile of stuff on the floor.
"Erm… Arya? What are you doing with all this stuff?" Eragon asked, poking the weird squishy thing that Arya dumped into his lap.
"We are playing house!" Arya beamed excitedly.
Eragon rolled his eyes. Oh fine… He sighed again as Arya dragged him onto the floor, all the while chattering excitedly about the games. Oh well, if that would make her cheer up, why not?
Two hours later, Eragon and Arya had given up their games and ran out to play with the other elven children. It was peaceful, well, until a large brawl broke out in front of the courtyard.
"Don't you say that about her!" Eragon yelled furiously, struggling to get Alareth.
Arya sat on the ground, trembling, oblivious to the fight that was going on around her. Tears rolled down her cheeks. In all, she looked a mess. Arya didn't care though, she just did not understand why did Alareth said those things about her. She wasn't that different, was she?
The brawl was still continuing. Eragon had managed to land a few blows and was struggling out of the other elven children's restraining arms to do more damage. It would have gotten worse, if not for the arrival of Islanzadi and Friyaca, the mother of Alareth.
"Alareth! What do you think you are doing?" Friyaca rarely raised her voice, but when she does, everyone starts running. IN the opposite direction.
The boys stopped fighting, looking shamefacedly at the ground. Eragon hesitantly inched his way over to Arya, sitting down beside her.
"Arya? Are you okay? Mother's here," at the mention of Islanzadi being here, Arya wiped her face dry, holding Eragon's hand for support as she stood up.
Islanzadi looked around when she heard Eragon's voice. She sighed with relief when he spotted him, but that turned quickly into a frown of worry when she spotted Eragon with bruises all over and Arya crying. Frowning, she strode over to them.
"What happened, little ones?" She asked gently, smoothing Arya's hair.
Islanzadi decided not to press the issue, as Eragon clenched his fists once more and Arya just cried. Sighing, she murmured, "come, lets go back home. I'll make some pudding and you can tell me when you want to, okay?"
Eragon and Arya nodded, walking slightly behind Islanzadi, proceeding back home.
The house is warm. Arya thought through her haze of sadness and anger.
Eragon is warm.
Mother is making pudding.
Alareth called us freaks.
At that, more tears spilled out, startling both Eragon and Islanzadi.
"Arya? Are you alright?" Islanzadi asked softly.
Arya evaded the question, asking instead, "Am I a freak mother?"
Shock flashed across Islanzadi's face. Choosing her words carefully, she replied, "You are not a freak, Arya. Who told you that?"
"Al…Alareth, mother," Arya whispered, leaning on Eragon.
Islanzadi's eyes flashed with anger. Leaning down to the kids' level, she said, "Now. I want you to listen to me. You are not freaks, okay? You are special, just like our family. Never let anyone tell you otherwise."
Arya and Eragon both nodded solemnly, understanding the gravity of the situation at hand. "Is the pudding ready, mother?" Eragon asked at last.
Islanzadi and Arya both broke out in chuckles. Trust Eragon to think of the food first.
"Come on, children. As a treat, you get to make the pudding. Alright?" Arya giggled and dragged Eragon up, all thoughts of Alareth gone.
Islanzadi laughed, a soft trilling sound, following the children into the kitchen. After all, they need someone to watch over them. Who knows what mischief they are up to.
5 minutes later, it was all out war. Arya was covered in sugar, and Eragon was drenched in milk. Islanzadi was dry, due only to the fact that she had set some spells on herself when she realized that Eragon and Arya had no intention at all of helping her make the pudding. She watched in amusement as Eragon flung more sugar at Arya, while Arya retaliated by throwing eggs at Eragon.
Suddenly, the both of them turned. Islanzadi wondered what was going on as she deactivated the spells and walked towards them.
The two children grinned, this was just too easy. Sneakily taking eggs and flour, they flung them at their mother.
"Arya! Eragon!" Islanzadi yelled, trying to get rid of the mixture of flour and egg. The children in question merely grinned and shrugged. Screaming, they dodged the flurry of sugar that Islanzadi managed to get her hands on.
Another ten minutes later and 2 kilograms of flour, one packet of sugar, and two dozen eggs later; the family of three collapsed in a giggling heap on the flour, sugar and egg covered ground.
Two hours later, they managed to clear up the mess in the kitchens, although there are some repercussions here and there, they managed to get it clean. Separating, they made their way to the bathrooms, all except Eragon; as usual. Arya had 'commandeered' their shared bathroom as usual, and Islanzadi had her own bathroom; thus not being affected by their bathroom 'politics'.
Eragon slumped down on the wall of their room, careful not to get anything on the walls or the bed; generally anywhere Arya is going to see. After all, his sister is scary whenever she sees dirt. He remembered that time when he had returned from his romp in the woods, covered with mud. He had bounced happily into the room, unknowingly spraying mud all over the place. Eragon had not mind that much at first; until Arya had stormed in, demanding what in the world has happened to the room and what was all the brown colored things.
Eragon had explained rather patiently that the brown things were in actual fact, mud. Arya; on hearing that those brown stuff was mud, had raised such a ruckus that Islanzadi; on hearing that Eragon had dirtied the room; had banned him from going out to play for a month. Only after hours of pleading had he managed to get his 'punishment' overturned.
Arya's exit from the bathroom broke him out of his reminiscing. An intense freshly crushed pine tree leaves wafted into his nostrils, startling him.
"Arin. You're out!" He exclaimed, surprised.
Arya rolled her eyes. Obviously.
"Your turn," she wrinkled her nose at his appearance, making her look distinctly cute.
Eragon nodded, walking carefully to the bathroom, remembering not to dirty anything.
He heaved a sigh of relief when he managed to made it there safely. Phew. No angry Arya tonight, he thought.
Eragon was having fun. Lots of fun. He finally had the chance to use the new bottle of shampoo Arya got from Islanzadi.
Opening it, he looked into the bottle, smelling the sweet scent of freesia. He loved the scent of freesia, for it reminds him of the times he spent with his family. Everything was well again. Or so he thought.
After 2 hours of playing with shampoo, Eragon finally deemed himself clean enough to step out of the bathroom. Hurriedly putting on his clothes, he rushed to the room where Islanzadi and Arya sat waiting for him.
Arya crinkled her nose as the overwhelming smell of freesia, mixed with pine leaves wafted into the room. Wait. Freesia?
"Eragon!" she yelled.
"Yes?" he replied, puzzled.
"Did you use my shampoo?" she asked quietly, eyes narrowing dangerously.
Eragon nodded cautiously, moving so that his mother was between him and Arya. Islanzadi on the other hand, watched the proceedings in a mix of amusement and exasperation.
"ERAGON!" Arya yelled, reaching over to hit him, "It's mine! Not yours! And you didn't have to use all of it!"
"I didn't!" he replied hotly, "I only used half the bottle."
"Half? Only half?" Arya cried incredulously, slumping down beside Islanzadi.
"Arin? Are you okay?" Eragon asked, concerned.
"Of course I'm not okay. I really liked the shampoo. Now only half the bottle is left…" Arya stared mournfully in the direction of the bathroom, tears slowly rolling down her cheeks.
"Enough," Islanzadi broke in firmly. "Arya, I believe you have something to tell me, and you too, Eragon."
Arya and Eragon flushed, eyes moving to the ground.
"well…… 'ragon and I were playing house just now. I got bored and wanted to play with the swords. Eragon agreed and we played. But Alareth and the other children came and interrupted us. Alareth asked us to let him play, and we agreed…" Arya trailed off, looking at Eragon.
The boy in question cleared his throat nervously and continued the narration, "we played for a while, then Arya beat Alareth. Alareth then said that girls could never beat the boys cause they are too weak. Arya replied that it was not true and she could beat him anytime. They both fought with the swords again and Arya won. Alareth then told Arya that our family are all freaky, because no girl elf could have won a male elf any day. Arya cried, and I hit Alareth."
Islanzadi frowned, "listen, you too, Arya," she said. The elf looked up, tear-stained eyes meeting Islanzadi's.
"You are not freaks. You are special, nothing could change that. So what if Arya can beat Alareth? It does not matter at all. You are not freaks, no matter what Alareth or anyone else says. Always remember that. Violence is not always the answer. The next time someone says something like that, just ignore him, okay?" Islanzadi finished, eyes seeking out that of Arya and Eragon's.
The two children nodded gravely, "We promise mother," they said in unison. Settling back, they cuddled up to Islanzadi on her bed. It was like this that they fell asleep, together.
5 years later
Many things change with age, but some stays the same.
Eragon had grown to become a sturdy young boy of twelve. He no longer used his fists to settle everything, merely preferring to talk his way out. Arya on the other hand had not changed much, except going through puberty. Which made her much more attractive.
Eragon rolled off the bed, promptly falling off with a thud. Even though they were twelve now, Eragon and Arya still refused to get separate rooms. Well, Islanzadi had tried, and by the next morning, both would be found together some place.
Arya's eyes shot open at the foreign sound; hand reaching for the dagger on her bedside. Things had changed much. Alagaesia was not as safe as when they were younger. Rumors of rebellions against the king had put them all on their guard. Eragon and Arya both carry daggers around the forest of Du WeldenVarden now. Not for hunting, but for their safety. Just last week, a group of elves spotted a whole army of Urgals marching past the borders. Their mother had taken no chances, merely giving the daggers to Eragon and Arya.
She visibly relaxed as she took in the form of her brother lying on the ground. Her lip curled in amusement and she tried to stifle a very un-lady-like snort of laughter. Unfortunately it did not escape the notice of Eragon.
"You could have helped me up, you know." he muttered plaintively.
"I know, brother. But it's too funny. Next time, ask mother to get you a bigger bed, or you could always take mine," Arya replied, getting up from the bed, moving to the bathroom.
"Thanks, but no thanks," he muttered, hauling himself off the ground.
He took fresh clothes from the closet opposite the bed, careful not to tread on Arya's new plant. His sister loves plants too much, Eragon thought with a sigh. About four species of plants currently grew in the room, each taking up precious space.
"I heard that!" Arya called from the bathroom, "Your animals are taking up too much space too!"
Eragon's numerous pets laid about in various positions in their boxed off area in the room. Currently, he got a rabbit, two eagles, and one cat. And he thinks of getting another cat.
Eragon rolled his eyes.
"Are you done yet, Arya? I wanna bathe too."
"Almost!" Came Arya's muffled reply.
True to her word, she appeared five minutes later, her long raven black hair dripping water all over.
"Hey, watch that!" Eragon yelled teasingly, as water dripped onto his clothes.
Arya grinned unreservedly in response, pointing to the bathroom, "go. We still have training to do later. I want to have enough time to finish our new tree house."
Eragon nodded, hurriedly entering the bathroom and locking the door behind him. A hurried Arya is always a cranky one. Never forget that.
About five minutes later, his yell could be heard through out the whole of Du Weldenvarden. He stormed out of the bathroom, striding furiously to the kitchens, where he knew Arya would be, helping with the breakfast.
"Yes, Eragon?" she asked sweetly, stirring the stew calmly.
Islanzadi looked between the two almost-teens amusedly. After so long, both still can't stop teasing each other.
"What did you do with the hot water?" he asked dangerously.
"Erm… I used it all?" Arya replied tentatively, stepping closer to Islanzadi.
Their mother decided to cut in at that moment. She did not need a fight to break out just when breakfast is done. No thanks. She sighed as she recalled the argument that happened last week, just before breakfast. Eragon had used up the soap Arya bought for herself the day before. In retaliation, she had dyed all his shampoo green. It was hilarious when Eragon entered the room, green everywhere. Needless to say; he got into a huge argument with Arya that escalated into a fight. It was one of the largest fights that both of them had, for it landed them with the healers for a record of 2 days, and they had refused to talk to each other till the second day; when Arya had tripped and landed in Eragon's lap.
Glaring sternly at them, Islanzadi said firmly, "Enough, you two. Go out and sit at the table. I will bring out the soup."
Eragon and Arya glared at each other sullenly, walking back to the dining table. Islanzadi soon followed, carrying three bowls of stew with some pieces of freshly made ginger bread.
They ate their breakfast in silence, the atmosphere tense.
"Arya," Eragon finally mumbled, looking hard into the plate of bread.
"hmmm?" Arya replied through a mouthful of stew.
"I'm sorry for yelling at you just now," he said in a small voice.
Arya smiled back at him, "Sorry for using up all the hot water."
Islanzadi tried to hide a chuckle as they made up with one another. This was just too fun to watch.
"Mother, did you just LAUGH?" Arya asked incredulously. Their mother had been less cheerful of late, due to the sudden and violent death of two elven wardens she was good friends with. Their deaths were a mystery. There were no signs of struggle in their homes, no signs of any man handling, and no traces of poison.
Islanzadi schooled her features into that of calm once more.
"No, I didn't." she said sternly, "Now finished your stew and go out to train. You have one hour, remember."
The two children nodded, each hurriedly finishing their stew. Eragon finished first, taking the time to sharpen his sword, swinging it around the kitchen. Arya was calmly washing up; a wet hand wiping a trail of water across her face.
Both of them met each other at the front yard where Islanzadi could keep an eye on them ten minutes later. Blocking their swords with magic, they readied themselves, circling each other hungrily.
Eragon struck first, sword whirling as he run at Arya. Arya nimbly side-stepped it, bringing her sword up to block the blow. She turned back to him, swinging her sword, aiming for his unprotected left flank. As though as he sensed what she was thinking, Eragon ducked to avoid the blow, leaving them to spin apart and back again. Again and again their swords flashed, weaving a deathly web of steel around themselves. Then it happened.
A bright flash of light.
Eragon's startled yell.
And he was gone.
Arya stood there stunned, not believing what she just saw.
He was gone.
She did nothing at all to stop it.
For the first time in two years, Arya slumped down on the grass and cried.
She did not notice the warm presence of Islanzadi collapse beside her. But she did. She saw the whole incident from the window, but was somehow unable to move.
Together they mourned.
For the loss of their family.
Deep in the depths of Gilead, a red skinned man howled, barking orders in a strange tongue. All around him, hidden by the darkness, ruby red eyes snapped open, and hisses in another language rang out.
Deep in the woods all around Alagaesia, wolves howled as they sensed ancient evil awaken. The animals skittered and ran around in blind panic. Birds hid their heads beneath their wings, not willing to look up.
Ancient evil has awaken.
The war has begun.
--End Prologue
A/N3 : How was it??? R/R please. Here ends the Prologue of DBE. I really had fun writing it and I hope you enjoyed the fic as well. Chapter one takes off from the reappearance of Eragon. What's happening? Watch out for the next installment. AND PLEASE REVIEW THIS. I really need and want to know where are my weak points so that I can work on them. Come on, just a teeny review? insert puppy dog eyes