Welcome to Know Your Stars: Eragon Style: The Dates: Claire & Jack! This will chronicle the courtships/relationships of Claire & Murtagh and Jack & Arya. Each chapter title will say the couple's initials and either date number or have some unique title. Obviously, this is a companion to Know Your Stars: Eragon Style; it's better to read this with the original because after the Elva chapter, there might be references to this one, or the one chronicling Sun & Eragon and Kate & Vanir. So, please enjoy and review!
Disclaimer: Seriously? You think I do? laughs Man, that's good! regains composure Would I be writing here? Right, I own Eragon. Did I forget to mention that I'm currently dating Garrett Hedlund?
Know Your Stars: Eragon Style: The Dates: Claire & Jack
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Chapter 1 – C & M: Beaches, Archery, & Randomness
Setting: the evening of Valentine's Day (when this was posted), a bit off from Teirm, on the beach. Sun, Eragon, Kate, Vanir, Jack, & Arya can be found hiding behind a bush. Meanwhile in Teirm, Galbatorix, Durza, Saphira, Thorn, Nasuada, Adam, Elva, and other characters can be found waiting for the response of the three dwarves, who are, yet again, inebriated.
"Can you see them?" Sun muttered to everyone else, since she couldn't see much.
"Not yet," Jack told her.
"Ugh, what's taking them so long?!" Kate said, getting irritated.
"Who knows," Eragon commented.
"Shh! They're coming!" Arya told them.
Murtagh and Claire rode down the beach in the late afternoon; Murtagh on Tornac; Claire on Snowfire (which Eragon let her borrow). All six became quiet and observed them. They heard the remnants of their conversation from the ride from Teirm. Claire smiled and laughed. The couple moved on to another conversation.
"So, have you ever tried archery before?" Murtagh asked her as they slowed the horses.
"Well…" she started, "When I was a lot younger, I did."
"I'm sure you'll do great," he encouraged her while he tied the horses to a nearby tree.
A target sat near the forest's edge. Murtagh took his bow and quiver and lead Claire towards about a twenty to thirty foot distance from the target. He let Claire take the bow, but she struggled slightly to hold it correctly.
"I'm sorry," she apologized, slightly embarrassed. "I told you I haven't tried this in a while."
"It's alright," he told her, smiling. "I'll help you."
Murtagh stood behind her and helped her hold it correctly. He pulled an arrow out of the quiver and positioned it on the bow, his arms around her.
"Oh my gosh," Kate whispered, "could this be any more irritating?"
"It's taking forever and nothing's happening!" Jack added.
"If he's going to flirt with her, he could at least put out more of an effort!" Eragon threw in.
"And just let it go when you're ready," Murtagh told Claire. "It's all you; I'm not holding the string."
That was true; Murtagh wasn't holding any part of it anymore. After a few seconds, Claire released the string and both watched the arrow sail into the bull's eye of the target. The five of the hidden spies (minus Sun) stared at the arrow in the bull's eye. Arya looked at Sun.
"This doesn't surprise you?"
"No, not really," Sun replied.
"Why?" Vanir asked.
"Well, knowing her, it just seems fitting."
"What do you mean?" Jack asked.
"Come on! She hates and isn't good at any sports…"
"She's seen Lord of the Rings at least 10 times!" Kate jumped in.
"Not to mention a whole bunch of other movies with loads of archery," Sun finished. "It just seemed fitting."
Everyone else nodded in agreement.
Meanwhile, in Teirm…
"What's taking those dwarves so long?" Galbatorix hissed.
Durza shrugged.
"I honestly don't know what they're tactics are like, so…"
Galbatorix glared at Durza, shutting him up.
"Why do you want to know what happens on their date?" Elva asked, still adorable.
"Blackmail!" Galbatorix laughed maniacally.
Nasuada shot him a look, causing him to be like a clam. (Clamming Up)
"This isn't for blackmail, it's for…personal enrichment," Adam lied.
Obviously, it was for blackmail.
On the beach…
After some archery, Murtagh and Claire began to talk again, much to Kate, Jack, Sun, Eragon, Arya, and Vanir's annoyance. A slight musical sound could be heard in the distance, but no one thought anything of it.
"So…do you like the beach?" Murtagh asked.
"Yes," Claire answered, briefly looking out at the waves. "I just wish I could see it more often. Do you like it?"
Murtagh nodded. There was silence.
Murtagh, you idiot! Eragon thought, but it went unheard by Murtagh. Talk about something! Anything!
"What do you like?" Murtagh almost blurted out, trying to end the silence.
"Well…" she started, pausing.
"What is it?" he asked, becoming interested.
He moved his head to see in her eyes and she held it slightly downcast, staring at the sand shyly.
"I like music," she murmured softly.
"You do?" he said, confirming what he heard.
Claire nodded.
"That's…cool," he told her, using a word he'd learned from being around Claire and Sun so much.
"Really?" she said, still quiet and shyly.
"What do you like to do in music?"
"Um…I play piano and…" her voice became nothing more than a whisper, "sing."
Murtagh smiled; he liked it when she was shy. It was so cute.
Suddenly, this moment was interrupted by a rather irritating noise.
"Cause I have wings, yes, I can fly around the moon and far beyond the sky," one of the dwarves sang close to Murtagh, "and one day soon, I know there you'll be, one small voice in the universe, one true friend in the universe, who believes in me."
"I'm alone in the universe, so alone in the universe, my own planets and stars are glowing," another sang next to Claire, "No one notices anything. Not one person is listening. They don't have any way of knowing…"
"What the heck?!" Claire said, slightly surprised.
"What are you three doing here?" Murtagh asked, slightly irritated.
"And more importantly, why are you singing a non-Disney song?" Claire added.
"We're here because…" the one next to Murtagh started, but his sentence slurred off near the end.
"We roam the country…" the one next to Claire continued.
"Serenading…hiccup…young lovers," the third finished.
"Um…you know, I hear there's this new tavern in Teirm," Murtagh lied.
"Really?" the first asked.
All three looked at each other.
"To Teirm!" the third cried.
And so, they left, with a few renditions of "Alone in the Universe" fading over the landscape.
"What's that from?" Sun whispered.
Eragon, Arya, and Vanir shook their heads, not being familiar with any of this music. Jack also shook his head.
"I know!" Kate whispered after a minute. "It's from Seussical! That musical that Claire was in back in November."
"You mean the one I didn't see?" Sun asked.
"Yep."
"Oh, okay. Still got to borrow that soundtrack from Claire."
Meanwhile, in Teirm…
"What were they doing?" Adam demanded.
"hiccup Talking."
"About what?" Galbatorix asked, very annoyed.
"Music…I think," the second said.
"Where'd they get that song from?" Durza asked.
"You know, Claire really shouldn't leave her CDs laying around where I could find them."
"What's it from?" Nasuada asked.
"Some musical; you'd be surprised at how many musical soundtracks she has."
"Well, now what?" Galbatorix said.
Adam whipped out a CD player, put another CD in and had the dwarves listen to it. The dwarves nodded and left.
Beach…
"Ugh, if they talk about music any longer, I'm going to gouge my own eyes out!" Kate cried in a whisper tone.
"If they talk about music any longer, I'll tell Jack here to do his stage fight with me, but actually make contact with my body rather than faking it!" Sun added.
"Hey, what about me?" Jack asked.
"Right before I'm strangled to death, I'll loan you either some rope or a knife or something," Sun told him.
Now, the moon shone on the couple, stars shining bright. Their topic changed.
"I can't get over how beautiful it is here at night," Claire remarked dreamily, "You never get to see a sky like this! The stars, the moon…it's all so beautiful."
"You're beautiful," Murtagh told her.
Claire looked at him, his blue eyes locking with her green.
Way to go, Murtagh! Eragon thought, mentally cheering. This caused Saphira to ask why he was so happy, causing him to explain.
The two began to move closer. The six stealthy spies waited eagerly for the kiss, but…
"Let me be your shelter, let me be your light, you're safe; no one will harm you, your fears are far behind you," two of the dwarves belted out next to Murtagh.
"All I want is freedom, a world with no more night; and you, always beside me, to hold me and to hide me," sang the third next to Claire.
"HOLD IT!" Murtagh cried, hating that they kept ruining the moment. (Where's Sun when you need her?)
Claire sat quietly, looking at the ground.
"What?!" the first dwarf whined.
"What will it take for you to leave us alone?"
"Hmmm…" the second pondered.
"A keg of ale," the third announced.
Murtagh waved his hand, causing a barrel to appear about twenty feet away. The dwarves raced towards it, still singing "All I Ask Of You". When they got about half way in between Teirm and Murtagh & Claire's location, a very loud cry could be heard.
"THIS IS APPLE JUICE!?!?!?"
Claire smiled and giggled a little.
"Apple juice?" she asked.
"People who get that drunk that often need to lay off the alcohol."
This made Claire smile a little more.
"Phantom!" Sun and Kate quietly exclaimed.
This earned them confused looks.
"Phantom of the Opera."
"Oh…"
Teirm…
Well?! Thorn demanded, very curious as to what his Rider was up to, since he was blocked out from hearing Murtagh's thoughts.
"They hiccup were about hiccup to hiccup hiccup kiss," the second told him.
Thorn let out a series of curses, mentally, of course.
Aww, Saphira thought to Thorn, it's so cute that you're such an overprotective dragon.
Oh, put a barrel in it! Thorn told her.
Beach…
As the night neared an end, the spies lost interest. Murtagh stood up, then helped Claire.
"I have something for you," he told her, producing a red rose.
Claire looked at the rose, in awe. Murtagh handed it to her. She hugged him.
"It's beautiful! I love it," she whispered to him.
Behind the bush…
"What is she saying?!" Arya asked.
"I can't tell!" everyone replied angrily.
They truly wanted to hear what they were saying.
Murtagh & Claire…
"I love you," he told her.
With that, he kissed her, his hands resting on her waist. Claire was a little shocked at first, but quickly kissed him back. After what seemed only minutes to them, but eternities to the spies, they pulled back.
"I love you, Murtagh," she whispered to him.
Murtagh took her hand and lead her to the horses.
Later, in Teirm…
Everyone, that is, except for Claire and Murtagh, was in the inn, waiting.
"I CANNOT BELIEVE THEM!?" Sun and Eragon exclaimed, ironically, at the same time.
"They kissed?!" Nasuada asked the spies.
"More like made out," Kate muttered.
Thorn started to get slightly angry, but Saphira calmed him down.
Remember, she told him, she had nothing to do with the announcer.
Murtagh better be happy.
Murtagh & Claire came into the room.
"Have a good time?" Sun asked in a hint-hint manner.
The two smirked at the group, then went up the staircase to their rooms. Everyone else sat there, agape, for a few minutes until it hit them that they didn't spill any details or say a word.
Oh yeah, Murtagh had better be happy! Thorn thought angrily.
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So, please review; Saphira and Thorn can handle the flames. Hope you liked it! I'd like to know what everyone thinks about the reappearing drunken dwarves.