Title: Draconious, Bellirius, Empirus
The saga begins
Author: AntheaMS
Summary: Eragon and Arya were best friends and siblings since they were young. Good times don't last though, and Eragon was taken away from them.
Disclaimer: Not mine
A/N: Please Review!
Eragon woke up with a start, his heart thumping furiously. The images in his dream seemed so real; yet he knew that they are not. He lived in Carvahall all his life, haven't he?
It always began the same way. He and an extraordinarily pretty girl with pointed ears would be dancing together in a field, swaying gently to an unheard tune. An elven woman stood at the side, smiling gently at them. Occasionally, he would hear the birds chirping, and spot them soaring in the sky. He and the mysterious girl would dance to that invisible tune. Sometimes, one of them would stumble, and the other would laugh before starting the dance again. A sweet scent of freshly crushed pine leaves and hazelnuts surrounded them.
After a few hours of dancing, they would stop, and run over to the elven woman, hugging her tightly. They would look up at that instance, and he would meet the eyes of the elven girl and woman.
Sighing, he leapt out of bed, trying to clear his mind. Roran, his cousin, is already gone. Faintly, he could smell the scent of freshly crushed pine leaves that always haunt his dreams. Eragon could not remember anything that happened to him before the age of 12. All he knew was that Roran was his cousin, and he lived on the farm in Carvahall with them.
Eragon took the stairs two at a time, when he heard Garrow shouting for him to come down and eat his breakfast. The meal was simple, consisting of a slice of bread and a thin slab of steak.
He gulped down his breakfast quickly, before hurriedly grabbed his bow and quiver of arrows, speeding off to hunt. Meat was hard to come by these days, and they needed as much money as they could get. As he sped off towards the direction of the spine, he hoped that this year would be a better one.
Arya Dröttningu woke up, heart thumping quickly. A thin sheen of sweat drenched her bedclothes. It was the third time this week that she was having the nightmare. It always began the same way, and ended the same way. But this time, she managed to catch a glimpse of another ending.
It always began the same way. She would be standing in a clearing, teasing Eragon. She would be dancing out of the way as they trained, avoiding his sword, while swiping playfully at him. She would then throw down her sword, before tackling him and tickling him, laughing happily, as he grabbed her hands and pulled her down on him. She would giggle and try to squirm out of the way as he tickled her in response. When she finally got away, she would run across the field; before he would catch her.
At that moment, a dark shadow would descend on them, and there was a loud cry. When Arya looked up, she would see a black sword sticking out of his heart, the red blood staining his tunic, a look of fear and shock freezing on his face. She would scream and scream and scream, her voice going hoarse, hugging Eragon close to her body, unable to move, before she woke up.
But this time, it was different. Eragon managed to twist out of the way, before twisting around and pulling her out of harm's way. He would then grapple with the sword, before all went black.
Arya knew that all that was just another dream, a result of the shock she experienced when Eragon disappeared mysteriously. But she could never drive the image of Eragon bleeding to death in her arms, while she was unable to move. As the dream took over her conscious mind, Arya screamed loudly over and over again as the dream repeated yet again.
It was how Islanzadi managed to locate her, after noticing that she had not touched her breakfast in two hours. Her scream of horror was so loud that it startled the animals out of their hiding place. Islanzadi rushed to Arya's room, hugging her gently, as Arya shook with the strength of her sobs.
"Arya?" Islanzadi asked gently, shaking her gently.
Arya took a deep, shuddering breath, before collapsing into a heap, hugging her mother close.
"I…miss him, mother…" she managed to choke out in a hoarse voice, between shuddering sobs.
"Me too, Arya, me too," Islanzadi smoothed Arya's hair, pressing her lips into her dark hair, "what was the dream about?" she asked gently.
Arya shook slightly with fear, leaning on Islanzadi, "I keep seeing him dead, mother! But today, he didn't die. What's happening to me, mother?" she screamed hysterically.
Islanzadi hugged her daughter tightly, wanting to reassure her as much as possible. Truth to be told, she was worried about the nightmares Arya was having every night. Elves do not dream most of the time; and Arya dreaming worries Islanzadi greatly.
"Mother?" Arya whispered at last in a trembling voice.
Islanzadi turned to face her, concern rushing into her face.
"Yes?" she asked, "You can tell me anything, Arya."
Arya blushed, before mumbling, "Can I sleep in your room when I get back, mother?"
Islanzadi started. It was the first time Arya made such a request in the four years following Eragon's disappearance. She managed to nod at last, and was the recipient of an enthusiastic hug from Arya.
Islanzadi hugged Arya back gently, before pushing her away, looking at her seriously.
"Promise me that you would return safely, Arya," she murmured, "I've lost a son, and I do not want to lose a daughter too."
Arya nodded, her lower lip trembling. Just last week, she had accepted to become the egg courier between the elves and the Varden as the previous courier was assassinated. She was worried that the task that was thrust upon her would lead to her death. Galbatorix was watching the elves more closely now, and every move they made was tracked. A few days ago, the Varden came close to being discovered. Thus, there was extra protection this time round. Two other elves were to be her bodyguards, and they were to be extra careful.
Arya sighed softly and moved out of Islanzadi's arms. "I have to go now, mother. We are departing tonight and I have to get my armor cleaned and my sword sharpened."
Islanzadi nodded and watched Arya leave the room. She hoped in her heart that Arya would return to her safely. She could not stand the loss of another child. Not now, not ever.
7.00am, The spine
Eragon stepped nimbly over dead twigs, his footsteps light as he stalked the deer silently. He had been hunting for over 1 hour now, and had just saw the first animal. Ever since the news of the impending war reached Carvahall, there were less animals to hunt. Perhaps it was the families gathering food, perhaps it was that the animals themselves had realized that their lives were in danger and fled into the mountains.
Nevertheless, he had to hunt. So here he was, stalking a deer through the Spine, careful not to startle it. As he neared the deer, he stilled, taking an arrow from his quiver. Carefully drawing the bow, he let fly. At that moment, a bright flash of light erupted, and the deer ran away in fright.
When Eragon opened his eyes, he saw that the deer was gone, and a sapphire egg rested on that very spot.
6.30 am, Du Weldenvarden
Arya, with two other elves, Faolin and Glenwing, leaned close to their horses as they sped through the forest. The egg was clutched securely by her side, her quiver and bow strapped securely across her chest. They sped through the forest, not stopping for anyone or anything.
The attack was sudden. They did not even have the time to prepare themselves for it. In the span of a few seconds, Faolin and Glenwing were shot down, and Arya's horse was given a huge scare, throwing her off. She rolled down the steep slope, all the while struggling to hold on to her valuable package. After what seems like hours, she came to a stop in a small clearing. Arya stood up hesitantly, checking that she was not injured. She looked around carefully. There was no route for her to escape. In essence, she was stuck. A ring of fire suddenly erupted around her. Belatedly, she remembered that Eragon was not here. At least he could get her out of this mess.
Arya spun around, searching for the attacker. A red skinned man soon strode out, calmly pointing a sword at her.
"Durza." She spat out angrily. "How did you know that we were here?"
Durza smirked, waving his hand once more. Another ring of fire erupted behind her. "I have my sources."
Arya withdrew her sword from its sheath quickly, pointing it at Durza. "Don't you dare come any closer."
Durza smirked, "feisty, aren't we? Give me the EGG!" he roared, stepping closer to Arya.
Arya flinched and took a step back. Raising the egg, she managed to send it away to the safest place she could think of. Just in time; as at that moment, Durza's carefully worded spell hit her.
And all went black.