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Chapter 25: Keyana and Rose

Eragon and Saphira walked into the town of Bullridge and were surprised at how much activity the townsfolk were involved in on this night. It was strange to see so many different people talking and walking to and fro in the streets ahead of them.

"What is this all about?" Eragon asked Saphira, who shook her head in response. "There is an inn at the corner of the road. We will stay there for the night."

"Very well," Saphira replied kindly, with her arm wrapped around his waist. "I pray that there is food available for us."

"There better be," Eragon joked. "If not, we will hunt on our own." Saphira laughed and squeezed against him in a side embrace.

"So far it looks as if nobody recognizes us," Saphira pointed out, as they walked between a group of men that seemed to be rambling on about which farming technique proved to be the most useful. "Shall we change names?"

"I think that this town may be trustworthy enough for us to reveal ourselves," Eragon replied. "Maybe we can form an alliance with some local militants here that can aid if Stave decides to move in."

"Is there a chance he knows we are here?" Saphira asked, tightening her grip on Draken's egg with her left hand.

"It is possible," Eragon said, opening the door of the hotel for her to walk into. "We have to be on guard." Eragon stepped in and smiled at the male innkeeper. He was a short, older man with a long white beard standing up straight behind an oak desk.

"Two please," Eragon said politely.

"Names?" the elder asked. Eragon looked over to Saphira.

"I am Keyana," Eragon lied. "This here is my wife, Rose." The elder glared at the two.

"You two are elves?" he asked. "What is your business here?"

"Our own matters, sir," Eragon replied. "Now, are we welcome?"

"Those are very strange names for a race so…unique as yours," the man said. "There seems to be something more to you two that I cannot seem to point out," the innkeeper went on. "Do I know you two from somewhere?"

"I do not think that we have met before," Saphira chimed in respectfully.

"Why do you look so familiar then?" the innkeeper continued. "I never forget a face!"

"I think you are mistaken," Eragon said, reaching into his tunic to pull out a few coins. "We are merely travelers looking for a good night's rest. If you wish, we will…?"

"Eragon!" the innkeeper suddenly shouted out. "I knew you were familiar. You are that blasted Shadeslayer aren't you?" Before Eragon could answer, the innkeeper reached over and pulled him into a tight embrace. "Thank you," he said into his ear. "My son was in the battle of the Burning Plains and he claimed to have been healed by you. If you wish to remain unnamed then I will keep it that way. This town does know of you, my boy, but few know of your actual appearance. There is one man here who has asked a few times if you have came hither, but he gave up after a time."

"Who was he?" Saphira asked. The man shrugged his shoulders and took a hand over his white beard.
"He called himself the 'Future Savior' and recruited a few outsiders to follow him."

"Where were they going?" Eragon asked nervously. The old man shook his head.

"He would not tell," he replied. "All he said was that he was the start of something 'new." Eragon turned to look at Saphira.

"What does that mean?" Eragon asked. She shrugged her shoulders.

"I suppose he is planning on getting what belongs to him," she replied. Eragon placed his right hand up to his brow. "Tell me this," he asked the innkeeper. "How many joined in his journey?"

"We had around ten that were not from this area," the man explained. "He took seven of them."

"Where are the remaining three?" Eragon asked.

"Up in this inn," he replied. "They told him that they had other matters to attend to first." Eragon turned and winked at Saphira.

"It looks as if we get to make a few 'friends' tonight," he joked. Saphira smiled and set Draken's egg on the desk in front of her.

"Do they know of us?" Saphira asked. The innkeeper nodded his head.

"They know plenty," he replied, pulling out a piece of paper and a quill pen. "Some were soldiers of Galbatorix until you brought him down." He wrote a list of names down and slipped it over to Eragon, who pocketed it quickly.

"Are they armed?" Eragon asked, flashing the hilt of his blade. The elderly man smiled.

"They have a few daggars stowed away," he explained. "One has a rapier and the other two use standard swords." Eragon turned to Saphira.

"You are going to need a weapon," he said. "I do not want you unarmed when everyone around you has a blade in their hands." The innkeeper suddenly shot up a hand to silence them.

"I have just the thing," he said, grinning. Eragon watched as the old man squatted down underneath the desk. "I know that this blasted thing is here somewhere!" he swore. After a few moments of rummaging through some shelves, he emerged again with a strange weapon in his hands.

"This was left by a traveler from another land," the innkeeper explained. "It is not long enough to be considered a sword, but not short enough to be seen as a knife. I hope it serves its purpose well with you." Saphira reached down and pulled the strange weapon from his hands. It was only ten inches long, but it was very lightweight and incredibly sharp.

"I shall take good care of this," Saphira promised. "Thank you." The innkeeper merely smiled.

"I have a room available for you two," he said just as a middle aged man walked through the door. "Rose and Keyana, correct?" Eragon smiled, realizing that this man was true to his word.

"Yes," he lied. "Where will our room be?"

"Up the stairs and to the right," the innkeeper said with a wink. "Have a good night." Eragon nodded his head and scooped up Draken's egg.

"Let us go," Eragon said to Saphira, who nodded kindly in return. When they were a safe distance from listeners, Eragon stopped and opened up the paper that the elderly man had given him.

"That is strange," Eragon said. "All three of these men are staying in the same room."

"Do you recognize any of the names?" Saphira asked. Eragon shook his head.

"Joshua, Kini, and Rajah," Eragon listed to her. "I have heard of neither of them."

"Me either," Saphira sighed. "Let us put our son away and find out."

"Saphira," Eragon stopped her. "We cannot do that! If we leave him, he will be unprotected and anyone can snatch him from right underneath our noses!"

"Well he cannot stay with us when we go in!" Saphira protested. "Eragon sighed.
"You hold it," Eragon said, gently handing his son over. "Stay outside and wait for me."

"One on three is not a fair fight," Saphira argued. Eragon shook his head.

"Just stay here!" Eragon said. He walked over to the door and slowly opened it. He then peeked inside to see three muscular men gathered around a small table with mugs of ale in their hands. All of them were well built and rugged looking with unshaved beards and calloused hands.

"I am sorry," Eragon lied. "It appears that there has been a mistake. Me and my wife have been issued this room."
"What?" The tallest man roared, stepping away from the table. "If you paid, you are not getting it!"

"I wish for no trouble, friend," Eragon lied again. He was begging for the chance to pounce and discover what Stave was planning. "Is that mead that I smell from your mug?"

"It is," the man said, taking a swig. "What is your point…er….uh?"

"Keyana," Eragon said. "And my wife's name is Rose."

"Odd names for some pointy-eared elf," another member taunted. "You look familiar. Are you related to that Eragon fellow?"

"Never," Eragon technically lied. He was not related to Eragon; he was Eragon. "Would you mind if I join in the drinking?" Eragon dug in, trying to gain their trust. They suddenly roared.

"No!" they screamed out. "Take your wife and go back to Ellesmera! You are not welcome here!" Well, he tried to make things peaceful. Eragon dropped his right hand down on the hilt of his blade and swung it out towards the man in front of him. Eragon purposefully hit him with the blunt of the sword instead of the sharp sides, knocking him to the floor.

"I wanted to end this peacefully," Eragon said. He looked down and stepped on the hand of the man he knocked down. "I have some questions to ask and if I get the answers I am looking for you will all be able to leave with your lives."

"There are three of us," The man on the floor sputtered. "We can kill you."

"Care to try?" Eragon asked. He shifted his sword into his left hand and showed his marked palm. The three men gasped and suddenly fell to the floor.

"Argetlam!" They said. "Forgive us!" Eragon cocked his head.

"Will you answer my questions?" He asked. All three men nodded their heads.

"Who wanted to recruit you?"

"Another rider," one said. "He called himself the 'Future Savior,' but his real name was Stave."

"Why did he want you to join?" Eragon asked.

"He is trying to rebuild an army out of those who supported his brother's reign," the man beside Eragon explained. "The Urgals refused to fight for him and many of his brother's followers were killed by you and your dragon!"

"Lastly," Eragon said. "Why did you refuse to join him?"

"We have seen what life is like after Galbatorix," the final man spoke. "We do not want life to return to that dark time!" Eragon shook his head, baffled at why they had given up so easily.

"Very well," Eragon said, sheathing his sword. "You may rise and continue doing what you…Argh!!" Eragon suddenly felt a rush of pain shoot up from his leg. The man that was on the floor had unsheathed a dagger and lodged it into Eragon's thigh, spilling blood down onto the floor. Suddenly, the door burst open and Saphira emerged holding Draken's egg in one hand, and her new blade in the other.

"You have made a horrible mistake!" she growled. Eragon unsheathed his blade and turned to face the other two outsiders. All three men had their swords out and ready.

"Someone is going to pay for this wound on my leg!" Eragon mocked. He looked down as the man beside him got to his feet and scurried away to join his friends.

"You will regret doing this!" Saphira yelled. "How dare you stab my rider?" The three men stared wide-eyed at her question. "You are traitors and will die!" Saphira ran at the group with Elvin speed and brought her blade down on one helpless man, ripping his chest open with one quick swipe. Eragon charged as well, but his movements were slightly slower because of the wound on his leg. He watched as Saphira parried a strike from the tallest man and swung in low to slice the top of his knee. Eragon hobbled up to the only man that was not injured and grabbed him by the neck in a serious chokehold. He jerked his hands around a bit underneath the man's jaw before releasing them with a loud snap. As he fell off, the man fell forward with his neck broken. After such a fierce battle, all three outsiders were killed.

"I had it under control," Eragon muttered, running his hand over his wound to heal it. Saphira chuckled slightly.

"What is it with males and their egos?" she asked in her usual gentle voice. "You worried me. We may be the same species, but I can still feel your pain when it is inflicted like this."

"I know," he groaned. "Still, it was risky with our son in your arms!"

"You are never grateful, are you?" Saphira mocked with a smile. "I am tired. We need to inform the innkeeper and then head off to bed."

"I agree." Eragon took another quick glance at the carnage in front of him and then turned away to notify the old man.

"You killed them?" the elder asked, wide-eyed in horror that three men were killed in his own building.

"They attacked us," Eragon replied. "At first they were obedient, answering all the questions I had asked, but one man decided to thrust a dagger into my leg. All three pulled out their swords and prepared to fight, so we did."

"Very well," the man sighed out. "I will dispatch my servants to dispose of the bodies. Did you find out what you wanted?"

"I am not quite certain," Eragon replied. He turned to see another gentleman walk into the inn. "Me and Rose are going to turn in for the night. If we need anything, we will summon you."

"Very well, Keyana," the innkeeper said kindly. "We will see each other in the morning. Good night." Eragon took Saphira by her hand and led her away to their room upstairs.

"What does this all mean?" Eragon asked, while he lay on his mattress in the hotel room. Saphira was sitting cross-legged on the floor with Draken's egg resting on her lap.

"If only I knew," she replied. "Stave is trying to build up an army? This is terrible news!"

"I know," Eragon muttered. He got up from his bed and sat beside his lover. "We must reach Ellesmera and tell Nasuada of this…that is, if she is still there."

"I doubt she has left," Saphira said gently, taking her hand and placing it on Eragon's. "I wonder where Murtagh is now?"

"Hopefully safe," Eragon added. "If he made it to Gil'ead, there is a chance that they sent a messenger out after Nasuada. We can just hope that they did not harm him." Saphira leaned her head onto Eragon's shoulder as he lifted his hand up to bring her closer to him. "Everything is going to be alright," he comforted her. "Draken is going to be a fine dragon and we will get married and build a home in the hills, just as I promised."

"You never promised that," Saphira replied with a faint smile.

"I did now," Eragon shot back slyly. "We just have to make it through this. We have battled the Ra'zac together and even fought the king in the skies above his castle. Tell me, have we failed at either of those tasks?"

"No," Saphira replied. "We killed plenty Ra'zac together, and you plunged the blade into Galbatorix's heart. Where are you going with this, love?"

"If we have done those things," he explained, "we can do many more together! You used to tell me never to give up so now it is my turn to tell you."
"I never will," she said, as she leaned her head up to kiss his cheek. "Eragon?"

"Yes, my love?" he replied.

"After Draken hatches, can you give me a daughter?"

"I told you that I will give you my best," he replied. "We need to make sure that our young will be safe…?"

"I know," Saphira interrupted. "I just miss our fist time together. If we mate again, it may bring another youngling, and I am afraid of that."

"I miss it too, darling," Eragon replied kindly. "I have one more promise to make to you."
"What is that?"

"When Stave is dead," Eragon went on, "we will make love every night until you beg me to stop." Saphira's eyes brightened up as she positioned herself into his lap.

"Really?" she asked, leaning her face closer to his. Eragon smiled and nodded.

"I love you," he said, closing the gap between their faces and sealing it with a gentle kiss. "If you want a million children, I will give you them with a smile on my face." Saphira set Draken beside her and wrapped her arms around him. Just as she did so, there was a loud crack that filled the room. Saphira turned her head over towards Draken's egg.

"It is time."

I sincerely want to thank those who reviewed my friend's story. It wasn't bad was it? Anyways, this was a nice long chapter in reward for doing as I said (yeah, I feel powerful!!). Anyways, I realize that I have kind of lost the humorous touch in these few chapters and threw in a lot more battle scenes and action. I 'apologize' for it. Anyways, I have a few more chapters left then I plan to break it off into a different fic (SEQUAL!). Keep reviewing…I am so close to 200!

PEACE