Popularity War

Chapter 9

Final Will and Testament

Eragon stared at the paper in Gertrude's hand. He understood the power that a Will had, but in Eva's situation, it did not seem like it would be very helpful. Yet, Gertrude and Eva looked excited and he itched to know why. "What does it say exactly?" Eragon could not read so he had to have the document read to him.

"Well for starters, your name is in here," Gertrude winked.

His eyes grew big and his jaw almost dropped at the news. "What? Why would I be mentioned in his Will? I am not family."

Eva turned to gaze into Eragon's eyes to say, "My father revised his old Will to include you because he realized how close we had become. The date on this current Will is from this week; actually it was written the day I went to your farm for the audit. That is why he wanted me to go instead—he had to revise his Will."

Eragon softened as he finally grasped their excitement. "He gave us his blessing in written form, didn't he?"

Gertrude nodded.

"That is excellent news. What else does it say?"

Gertrude's smile lessened when she said, "Unfortunately, not much. He was still writing when he suffered the heart attack, so he never completed it."

"Oh."

Eva felt her heart sink a little as well. She had found her father's original Will mixed in with other papers and handed it to Gertrude. "You are better at interpreting this thing than me. I am not sure how much he wanted to change, but let us see what he originally had."

The room became silent when Gertrude accepted the document and flipped through the pages. Several times she stopped to read a page or two and then move on to another section. Eva was neither anxious nor impatient as she waited for Gertrude to finish. Soon enough, Gertrude put the papers back together and placed them on the desk.

"Why don't the two of you sit down before we begin discussing the Will?" Gertrude gestured at the two chairs at the front of the desk. Without complaint, the two sat down.

"Well, what did you find out?" Eva asked.

"Do you want the good news, or the bad news?"

"I'd rather have my father back and not deal with this," Eva said with heavy emotion, "but since that is not an option, I will take the bad news first. That way, we can end on a positive note."

"I understand." Gertrude then opened the document again and turned a few pages before looking up at Eva to begin. With sorrow, she uttered, "Since you are a woman you cannot own or inherit property. Therefore, this house now belongs to your uncle, Lord Richard."

Eva should have known the law regarding property, but the news still came as a shock. This was the first time she had ever felt discrimination and unfairness towards her gender and it hurt. "Oh," she managed to say solemnly.

"That law is so unfair," Eragon remarked.

"Perhaps, but there is nothing we can do about that. With Eva's uncle in charge of the house, he can decide to let Eva live there at his expense, or sell it for profit," Gertrude added.

Eva's mood lightened a little when she said, "My Uncle Richard is a decent man like my father. The few times I have been with him he has always be kind and honest, so I doubt he will be cruel to me when he learns of his brother's death. I am thinking he will sell the house, but not until I find another place to live."

"Which brings us to the next topic I wanted to discuss. In this version, your father did not know of Eragon, thus his living arrangements for you do not have that aspect in mind. I have a feeling that this was a section he meant to edit before he died, but we will never know now.

"In this version, he states that he wants you to live with family. He mentions your Uncle Richard as his first choice for a caretaker, but ultimately any family member would suffice. According to the law, you must heed your father's Will regarding living arrangements until you are sixteen—a legal adult. You aren't 16 yet, are you?"

Eva swallowed past the lump in her throat as she shook her head. "I turn sixteen next year." Eva tried to distract herself by looking around the room as Gertrude acknowledged Eva's answer and began to look for the page where she had some good news for the girl. Eva was fuming inside her mind as the thought of moving away imminent. It was upsetting for her to imagine one of her fears becoming a reality.

"Is there any way to keep Eva here?" Both Eva and Gertrude stopped what they are doing to look at Eragon. Eva found it hard to look at him, so after a few moments, she turned her eyes away. Looking at him only made the news more painful; she did not want to leave him.

"Eva would have to talk to her Uncle Richard. He is the one in charge of Lord Whikim's affairs now; therefore, if Eva had permission from him, I do not see why she would have to move. However, I feel as if that option is not very plausible."

"Why?" Eva asked. "My father spoke highly of Eragon in his revised Will. If my Uncle knew about…" Eva realized what she was about to say, rendering her to stop talking.

However, Gertrude already caught on to her meaning. "Eva, I understand that you and Eragon have become close, but unless the two of you were married, I doubt your uncle would allow a young woman like yourself live alone here. Until you turn sixteen I am afraid you must live with family."

"I'm still going to fight to stay here," Eva pouted. Feeling a bit sheepish though, Eva averted her eyes. They landed on the desk before her. Meanwhile, Gertrude went back to looking at the documents, searching for the page she needed.

Eva never paid much attention to the details carved into the chestnut colored desk nor the deep red rug that lay underneath. The edges of the desk were decorated with an exquisite rounded border. They were like little hills that dotted the side; where one hill ended, another began and they continued all around the desk. Between the "hills" there was a vertical line that contained short horizontal lines carved into it, making the desk that much more intricate. The legs of the desk reminded Eva of a cat's paw. Where the leg sprouted out from the bottom of the rectangular desk, it curved down and branched into three round "toes".

Those "toes" dug into the deep red carpet; a red that reminded Eva of blood. The dismal color made her look away, but it was too late for it had already made her gloomy again. She could not help but compare the carefully crafted desk to her father and the disgusting red color rug to his sudden death. The room itself was like a tangible irony.

"Eva?!" The sound of her name made Eva snap out of her thoughts and back to Gertrude. "Are you alright?" Eva nodded, telling the woman to continue.

"I would like to know what the good news."

"Yes, I'm sure you would."

"The good news is that he did have savings for you in the form of a future dowry. In the event that you need the money, you would be granted access to the funds and given your circumstances, you are in need of the money."

Eva sighed at the news, making Gertrude crinkle her forehead as confusion swept over her face. "Unfortunately, my father had to dip into those funds, so I do not have much left. The little I have I need to be careful with as I have no income until I find a job."

"Oh, I am sorry. I did not know that." Gertrude felt bad for giving Eva news that was not as helpful as she had hoped.

"It's alright." Eva knew Gertrude had meant well.

Eragon exhaled, meaning to say something, but the right words eluded him. He felt his anger rise when he listened to Gertrude read the Will and he was still upset. He was not mad at Eva's father, rather, he was mad at the laws that made Eva subjected to an even worse situation. First she could not inherit the house and then she would have to live with family; family that lived far from Carvahall.

Finally Eragon asked Eva a question. "Have you eaten today?" Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Gertrude shake her head. "Then let us get you something to eat. You have already been through enough on an empty stomach and food will do us all some good." Like the two women, he was tired of discussing the Will and wanted to leave the room. Without saying much, the two women stood up ready to leave.

Eragon was not Eva's father. He was not her caretaker. He was her friend, though, he was much more than that. Her feelings for him were not as strong as his feelings for her, but she had no doubt that in time she would love him just as much or more. He was all she had and she cherished his friendship. Eva allowed Eragon to escort her out of the study and down the stairs for the kitchen. Gertrude followed behind them.

They rummaged the kitchen and prepared a quick meal of fruit, cheese, and bread before tackling the rest of the day. Eragon's family had made their way to Eva's to express their condolences and to help her plan for the funeral. They decided to have the funeral at the end of the week, allowing them enough time to prepare and to inform the villagers. By the end of the day, Eva allowed Gertrude to make a public announcement regarding her father's death and the details surrounding his funeral.

The villagers took the news with ill favor, and surprising Eva, many expressed their condolences as well. Eva was grateful for their kindness; she knew they may not have liked her, but the respect they had for her father to make them be nice to her in his death was heartening. After Cassandra's birthday celebration, the village had learned about her father's failing business and now they had to endure the news of his death. Carvahall had become a melancholy village.

The days passed slowly. Eragon's family stayed with her while Gertrude went home each night only to return again in the morning. Other villagers like Horst and his family were over to help with the funeral plans. In Carvahall, funerals were large events, like weddings, and much needed to be done to prepare, especially since Lord Whikim was well-liked. They estimated about a hundred people to make an appearance at the event, and after, a reception would take place.

Aside from the funeral, Eva had to write letters to her family informing them of her father's death. The addresses for her relatives were located in a family directory which sat inside her father's desk. She chose to write the letters in another room, hating the study as it was tainted with a horrible memory.

The task was hers alone and it was tedious work. She often found herself in tears as she wrote the bitter words. The day after the funeral, the letters would be sent to her relatives. With them living so far, there was not need to send them before the event. Later, the family could have a private memorial for Lord Whikim, but attending the public event was not possible.

She wrote her Uncle Richard's letter last. She knew that in his letter she not only had to explain her father's death she also had to ask permission to stay in Carvahall. Gertrude's words replayed in her mind as she wrote, irritating her. She had to believe that she had hope of living in Carvahall, else, she would go mad. Carvahall was her home and she would defy the law to remain there if she had to. Regardless of her age, this was her life and she was no longer the same woman.