Popularity War

Chapter 7

Lord Whikim grasped his chest after spending several hours of pouring over documents in his study. It was a sharp pain in the center of his chest and he found it hard to breathe all of a sudden. Seconds later, the pain relented and he was able to breathe normally again. His daughter was in the room with him helping, when she noticed her father's behavior. "Father, are you alright?"

Unwilling to scare his daughter he nodded, managing to say, "I'm fine."

"Are you certain?" Eva was uncertain, but did not press the issue when he smiled at her and said something about having a little heartburn, although he knew the symptoms he experience was nothing that minor. When she returned her attention back to the documents, he felt himself become relieved. She had enough to worry about in regards to his failing business that she did not need to stress over his failing health. This was not the first time he had felt his chest become painful and his breath become short I the past few weeks.

Gazing at his daughter as she read through a scroll, he knew something had to be done to ensure she would be taken care of once he was no longer living. As he racked his brain for possible solutions, he realized that one was already staring him in the face. "Eva, I doubt we will be able to get through these paper's today, so why don't we stop and enjoy the rest of our evening. Tomorrow I can finish up."

"Fine, but what about me? I can help you tomorrow as well."

Her father nodded, "No, I have something else for you to do. I promised Garrow that I would give his farm an audit this week, and since I will be busy, will you take care of that task for me?"

Eva gave him a look of astonishment. "I do not know how to…"

Her father cut her off to explain that Garrow would know what to do. Reassured that she would be unable to mess up the task, she became excited to see Eragon and his family. This excitement lasted all evening and into the morning when she awoke early to be on her way. Bidding her father farewell, she hopped up on her horse, Trixie, and galloped away.

With the path so worn, and the terrain flat enough, she managed to arrive at Garrow's farm about three and a half hours later. Upon her arrival, Eragon ran out to greet her. "Eva! I figured you would come, but where is your father? Did you leave him in the dust?"

She allowed Eragon to help her off Trixie before saying, "No, and I must apologize for his absence. He is swamped with reading documents for his business and sent me in his stead. He said your uncle will know how the audit process works and can help me."

Eragon nodded, smiling. "Yes, he can. I am sorry your father is held up."

"I know, he could really use some time outside his study, but he said it was too important to leave," she sighed, think of her father all cooped up.

"Well, I hope he can finish up as soon as possible and enjoy the rest of the day."

"Aye."

Eragon took Trixie's reigns and began to walk her towards the barn where she would remain for the duration of her master's visit. When she was settled in, Eragon and Eva walked over to the fields where Garrow and Roran were busy working. With autumn already in the air, they had a lot of work to be done before winter came.

When all the initial greetings were complete, the four of them exited the fields for the small farm house. Eva had never been to Garrow's farm before, so everything in sight was new and fascinating. Although she knew Eragon's life was very different than hers, she never fully understood just how much until that moment. His house was merely a stack of logs with a thatched roof large enough for a medium sized family.

Not too far from the house was the barn where her horse Trixie was staying. There were a few other buildings used for storing food and supplies and the rest of the area were fields. The farm was ten miles from Carvahall, so the land was far from any civilization, giving it a wild feel.

The inside of the house was quaint, unlike her elaborate mansion. Eragon was right about how plain his home was, but that did not bother her at all. Actually, in some strange way, she liked the rustic look. Besides, she would have to get used to such accommodations once she lost her home.

Eva handed Garrow the papers he needed to complete the audit. After, he carefully explained the procedure to Eva, much like her father did the night before, refreshing her memory. By the time dusk rolled around, they finally finished the audit. Garrow had taken her through all the farms finances, making her head ache by the time they were done.

"It's a lot to take in, I know." Garrow stood up from the chair he was sitting in at the dining room table to stretch his muscles.

Eva agreed saying, "I was not expecting it to take this long either."

"Everything around here takes a long time to complete. Anyways, you did well for your first audit; I'm impressed."

"You really think so?"

"Yes, I do."

"Thanks," she said, a blush glowing on her cheeks.

Garrow chuckled and made his way towards the kitchen. "Thirsty?" Eva nodded and watched as he poured her a cup of water. When she took the cup, the front door opened as Eragon and Roran walked in after working in the fields all day.

"Oi, I'll take some water as well," Eragon bellowed.

Turning around, Eva asked, "And just, how much crop did you harvest today?"

The two men stopped and looked at each other before Roran explained in detail how much they got done. When he finished, Eva sighed. "Well, by my calculations, you are two baskets short of potatoes and four baskets short of apples; if you plan on achieving your harvest quota this year you have to step it up and get more work done each day."

All three men stood stunned. After several seconds of pure shock, Garrow asked, "Did you just figure out how much work needed to be done each day based from the audit we did all in your head right now?"

"Yes, though I am not sure why you are all standing here in awe; it was easy math," Eva shrugged.

"Easy math?" Garrow questioned. "Eva, I am the best mathematician in this house and even I cannot calculate what you just did all in my head."

"Oh…" Eva suddenly felt awkward.

Behind Eragon, she heard Roran whisper, "Who knew Eva was actually smart?!"

"I heard that," Eva retorted.

Roran put up his hands in defense saying, "I mean nothing bad by it; I am just pleasantly surprised."

"Alright, leave her alone. We are all impressed by her talent, now can I please have a glass of water? I am parched." Eragon was about to pour himself a glass, but Eva reached for the pitcher at the same time, making their hands touch more a brief moment. In reaction, they pulled their hands back, unsure what to do or what to think. By the time they processed what had happened, they both began to spew out apologies, talking at the same time.

Finally, Eragon said, "How about I pour myself a cup and re-fill yours?"

Eva agreed to his proposal and took a step back from the counter. As Eragon began to pour her cup, she said, "With it being so late, I get to stay the night here and leave tomorrow morning."

At the news, he looked up at her, and paying no attention to the water, overflowed the cup he was filling. Eva tried to warn him, but it was too late; the water spread across the counter and got his pants wet. Yelping from the sudden wetness, Eragon finally realized what had happened, and feeling embarrassed, the tip of his ears turned red, as did his cheeks.

"Well done, Eragon," Roran exclaimed through his laughter. Garrow rolled his eyes and Eva bit her bottom lip, feeling bad for Eragon.

Still in a daze, Eragon placed the pitcher down to grab a rag. As soon as he started to clean up the excess water, Eva placed her hand over his, making him stop and look up at her. While gazing into his eyes she said, "Go change; I can clean this up."

Having no energy to protest, Eragon let go of the rag and fled the kitchen, glad to be away from his place of embarrassment. When he came back calm and collected, Eva was no longer in the house. "Where's Eva?"

"She went to see Trixie," Garrow replied.

Finally able to drink his water, he gulped the contents and headed outside. When he was gone again, Roran gloated, "I told you Eragon is in love with her, but you didn't believe me. Now, you have your proof."

"It seems I have been proven wrong. Now, I am curious how their romance will play out." Garrow said before he started to prepare dinner.

In the barn, Eragon saw Eva pet Trixie's forehead as he approached. "She's a beautiful horse."

"Aye, she is. I feel bad because I hardly ride her nowadays," Eva confessed.

"Well, you can fix that by coming here more often." Eragon walked up to Trixie and began to stroke her back.

"That is a good solution. How about it, Trixie, you wouldn't mind coming here a few times a month?" She laughed when the horse neighed, and then turned her attention to Eragon. "So, after your clumsy moment earlier, I have decided to refrain from asking your uncle about an embarrassing moment from your childhood over dinner."

"Oh, thanks," Eragon said with a hint of sarcasm.

"You do realize that you almost got me wet, and you know how I hate getting wet," Eva sneered jokingly, crossing her arms.

Eragon scoffed. "Ha! Not when I splash you."

"Excuse me?" Eva's forehead crinkled and her right eyebrow rose at her confusion.

"Oh, don't act like you are clueless."

"I'm not," Eva laughed, "I honestly am not sure why you think I liked getting splashed by water?"

"Well, for starters, you never got upset. Then, you proceeded to splash me."

"Of course, I wasn't going to let you get away with splashing me…"

"Mhmm, and it seems to me you quite enjoyed doing so," he snickered.

Astonished, Eva was unable to respond, especially when she realized he was correct. In an attempt to hide her conclusion, she rolled her eyes and shook her head, as if to blow off the conversation. After, she asked, "What do you do for fun around here?"

Eragon shrugged, letting their previous conversation drop as well. "Not much, to be honest. Usually Roran and I spar or we just, well, roam around."

"Sounds lovely," she said, rolling her eyes.

Eragon could tell she wanted him to impress her with something, so he took a moment to think about how he could relieve her boredom. Within seconds he exclaimed, "Oh! Why don't I show you my secret spot?"

"Secret spot?"

Eragon nodded, ushering her to follow him. She did, and discovered that they were headed towards the Spine, a vast mountain range surrounding Palancar Valley in which they lived. "Oh, it's in the woods?"

Sensing that she was nervous, Eragon took a risk and grabbed her by the hand, whispering, "It'll be fine. Come on."

Feeling safer, she continued to let Eragon lead her to his spot. When they arrived, she understood why Eragon did not want his secret revealed; the location was breathtaking. The trees were tall and created a canopy above the small clearing that they stood in while strips of sunlight peeked through some of the branches. On the ground, there were tree stumps for someone to sit upon while they enjoyed the tranquility of the clearing.

"It's beautiful," Eva admired with a warm smile.

"I am glad you like it." Eragon sat down upon a log and motioned for Eva to join him. When she sat down next to him he asked, "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course, what is it?"

"Did you mean what you said in the barn about coming to visit the farm more often?"

Taking a moment to form an honest answer, Eva nodded, saying, "You know that I have no friends aside from you, so yes, I would like to see you as often as I can."

"I see," he said solemnly.

Eva sighed heavily when she grasped what he was trying to say. He was in love with her and wanted to know if she felt the same way. "Look, I know you have strong feelings for me, and I do really like you as well, but I am not sure I am ready for a relationship right now. With so much going on with my father's failing business, I have no time for anything serious. Right now, all I really want is a friend who will support me."

Eragon swallowed past the lump in his throat. It was clear he was hoping for a different answer, even though the answer she gave was more realistic. "I'm sorry. I do not mean to complicate things between us."

"I think it was bound to happen."

Her response made him look at her quizzically, "Really?"

Tossing her hair back and batting her eyelashes, she said, "Well, I do have a certain charm about me." Eragon could not contain himself as he laughed hysterically at her statement. Eva joined in his merriment, asking, "What am I going to do with you, Eragon?"

Eragon simply shrugged as he regained his composure. They sat in a comfortable silence, enjoying the sounds of nature for several minutes before Eragon said, "You know, you should not hide your intelligence; what you did earlier was extraordinary."

Eva's cheeks reddened. "It's nothing."

"No, it's not. Eva, you excel at math, and from what I fathom, you have a solid understanding of how a business works and operates. If you wanted, I bet you could run a business quite successfully."

"Now you sound like my father."

"I do?"

"Yes. He has mentioned to me a few times about how well I have learned the business world, and if not for his business failing, I would have been able to inherit his business." A sense of sadness swelled with her as she spoke.

"I'm sorry," Eragon said, feeling guilty.

"It's not your fault."

"No, but I keep bringing up touchy subjects."

"Oh," Eva chuckled lightly, "Yeah you kind of are."

They laughed in unison once more before Eragon asked, "Do you want to head back to the farm?"

Eva shook her head and told him she would rather sit in the clearing a while longer. Obliging, they continued to sit there for another half hour talking about how Roran will be surprised to learn that nothing occurred between them despite how long they have been hiding in a remote location.

Later that evening, she enjoyed a pleasant meal with Eragon's family. Although she was not in her own home, she still felt welcomed, making her comfortable to be among them. The next day, she arose early to make her way back to the village. Eragon accompanied her to be sure she got home safely.

Eva walked through the door to her home, Eragon alongside her. "Father, I'm back!" When her father did not make an appearance, or shout a response back, she shouted a second time. Silence answered once more. An eerie feeling crept inside her at the prolonged silence.

Detecting her fear, Eragon asked, "Maybe he stepped out to get some fresh air?"

"I don't think so; something is wrong. I know it." Eva then took off running up the stairs towards her father's study, Eragon rushing after her.

Once there, she saw her father, lying prone on the floor next to his desk. His business documents were scattered around him. Eva screamed and rushed to his side. She rolled him over and noticed that his eyes were vacant and his skin cool and clammy to the touch. An overturned bottle of ink and a broken quill pen lay on the floor next to him, showing the suddenness of what had happened. His heart had suddenly stopped beating, and he had fallen from his chair, landing with no more life than the chair itself had.

Standing at the door, Eragon watched as tears fell from her eyes and mixed with spilled ink on the floor. She realized that her father's discomfort the day before had not been a benign occurrence, but a precursor to something far worse. She held her father's cold, limp hand in her own as she realized that the breath of life was gone from his lips, and she never had a chance to say goodbye.