Chapter 5, A vision
They flew the whole day through, without a single respite. Eragon and Arya ate in the saddle, and Saphira had gone hunting two days ago; she was still digesting her venison feast. Eragon had all but forgotten about the night he awoke from his slumber forced upon him, in a way, by Arianna's magic. He decided against bringing it up, however, as it could make for an exceedingly awkward trip. During the flight, few words were exchanged, and all of them between Saphira and Eragon.
They landed at nightfall, and made camp along the Jiet River. After camp was made, and dinner eaten, Eragon tried to get Arya to talk about her childhood. She had just begun to tell him about Evandar, her father, when it happened. Pain, the likes of which he hadn't felt since the Aegeiti Blodhren, came barreling into his mind. The pain was so strong that it forced him unconscious. Arya's beautiful face staring down at him, a concerned look in her eyes, was the last thing he saw before the darkness took him.
White, pure white. This was all Eragon could see, in every direction, when he finally opened his eyes. He stood up, and looked around, but still there was nothing to be seen but the all encompassing whiteness. Suddenly, his legs locked, and he was unable to move them even an inch despite his best efforts to thwart the force keeping him still. He tried to reach for magic to allow him to move his legs again, but couldn't find the flow of magic necessary to use gramarye. He started to panic, when a green orb suddenly appeared floating in the air a few feet in front of him. He stared into the orb, and noticed that it was an amazingly perfect emerald shade of green. He quickly became entranced in the depths of green floating in front of him.
He would have happily stayed all eternity gazing into the orb, when two other colors unexpectedly appeared. Off to the left of the emerald orb, lay mile upon mile of the darkest black. It stretched on further than the eye could see, and it seemed to emit anger, terror, grief, misery, and, above all else, evil. It made Eragon shudder just looking at it. To the right, however, lay a brilliant shade of azure blue. Though it was not nearly as large as the vacuum of black on the other side, it was many times more magnificent, and it exuded an aura of strength, joy, security, and an underlying aura of goodness. He watched the colors in simple awe, so simple yet wondrous, each the perfect embodiment of those emotions they exude. Then, quite abruptly, a fourth color appeared amongst the ranks of the black; ruby red. It flickered throughout the black, appearing as flames dancing in the night.
Without warning, the two sides raced towards the emerald orb. The black and red beat the blue, and engulfed the green orb in a sea of darkness and flickering flames. Seconds later, the azure blue color crashed into the opposing colors, giving Eragon the distinct impression that they were battling. After a few minutes, the black was washed back a ways, and the emerald orb was now surrounded by blue. After a few more minutes of the colors colliding, all traces of the red flames were washed away. Despite trying to be a neutral observer, Eragon found himself fervently hoping for the blue to defeat the black in what he was now sure was a battle. For several minutes, so it felt like to Eragon, the two colors remained locked together. In a flurry of last second motion, the black wiped out and covered most of the blue, leaving only a shadow of its former glory behind. The black, on the other hand, still retained most of its size, though now it has a faint bluish glow around the edges. The pain returned then, and Eragon once again writhed on the floor under the force of the mind splitting pain. While on the floor unconsciousness was granted to him, and he succumbed to the blackness.
When he awoke he found himself back in Alagaesea. Slowly, he opened his eyes to reveal the most beautiful thing he had ever seen, and for a second he thought that he truly had died, but then he recognized the face. Arya. She was leaning over him, a concerned look in her eyes, but nevertheless she seemed to radiate with happiness that he was waking up. His stomach did a flip as he looked into her deep emerald green eyes.
"Eragon!" This came at him from two different sources, one vocalized, the other thought. He smiled slightly to himself as he realized how concerned they were for him.
What happened, little one? You spent half an hour convulsing on the ground! We couldn't stop you, and when I tried to enter your mind to help and see what you saw, you blocked me out with a force both Arya's and my mind couldn't break! She allowed him to feel how worried she was for him. He let his love and appreciation for her flow through the link before responding.
"I love you." That softened her resolve a little bit, and she replied,
I love you too, little one, but what bothered you just then?
"I just had a vision, Saphira, but I can't make heads or tails of it. Would you help me, O partner of my heart and mind?" Her willingness to help flowed through their link, and so he showed her his memory of the vision. When it was over, her statement was simple.
I have my beliefs as to what it means, but I will keep them to myself until after you show Arya, and get her response. At those words, he turned his concentration back to the physical world, and noticed that he was still lying on his back, with Arya still kneeling over him.
"Arya," he let that stand alone, waiting for a response. He didn't have to wait long; however, as her response came almost immediately after he finished speaking.
"What happened, Eragon? Are you all right?" a hint of worry floundered throughout her otherwise normal, melodic tone.
"I am fine, Arya. I appreciate your concern." He tried to make his tone soft, and reassuring, but he wasn't sure he succeeded. He stared up at her for a long moment to gauge her reaction, getting lost in the endless depths of her perfectly crafted emerald eyes as a result. It took a mental nudge from Saphira to save him from forgetting himself completely in their enchanting gaze. "Arya, I had another vision whilst I was unconscious." There was a momentary flicker of surprise in her mien before it was hidden behind an expressionless mask.
"What about?" Her words seemed to flow together, weaving in perfect melody with her voice, but yet Eragon could sense some disturbance in her tone.
"I could tell you, but it would be both easier and faster if I were to show you. May I?" She granted him permission to enter her mind, and so he showed her the same memory that he had shown Saphira not five minutes before. Upon the completion of the memory, she stood up, paced to the edge of camp and back, and repeated for about five minutes. She then promptly sat down in front of him, crossed her legs, and rested her hands in her lap.
"Do you truly wish to know what I believe this vision to mean?" He nodded his ascent as he responded,
"Yes, please tell me, as I know not what it means, nor shall Saphira tell me her opinions until I hear from you about it."
There was a deep seated pain in her eyes as she spoke, the agony which was amplified by the voice she used, which was of one who carries the weight of the world on their shoulders, and knows that they shall surely fail. "I believe that the green orb you saw was the last dragon egg. Therefore I am led to believe that the blackness you saw was Galbatorix. Assuming that to be accurate, the ruby color must have been Murtagh, leaving the azure shade to be, if I am correct, you."
His general agreement went out through his link to Saphira, That makes sense, but why does she look so…distraught. It was unusual for the Elf to show any emotion whatsoever, and while you had to know her well to be able to tell, the sight disturbed and frightened Eragon, if only a little. He understood her show of emotion, however, as she continued, "It is my belief that the three of you are destined to fight over the egg, and during the fight, Murtagh will be killed, along with Thorn," surprise flashed in his mind first, then acceptance a few moments after. If he fights, I will be forced to release him from Galbatorix, and right now death seems to be the only option. I wish it wouldn't come to this, but I shall do what I must.
Arya continued then, interrupting his thoughts, her voice began sounding graver with every passing syllable. "At the end of the fight, Galbatorix shall be victorious, and either you or Saphira will die." A single pear-shaped tear rolled down her flawless cheek, and dropped to the ground with an unnaturally loud splash. This, along with her foretelling, shocked Eragon to the very core of his being, and as such he was inhibited from anything other than standing, mouth gaping, staring at Arya as she finished speaking. "I swear to you, I shall not allow this Wyrda to come to pass."
For a fraction of a second, Eragon noticed a strange, unfamiliar look in her eyes. It didn't last long, for when that moment was gone, so was the unfamiliar look, hidden behind an expressionless mask, void of emotions. It reminded him of the look she gave him when he had awoken in her tent after days of unconsciousness.* They stared deep into each others eyes for a long moment that stretched on towards infinity, but in the end Eragon gave a curt nod of acknowledgement and turned away. "What do you think, Saphira?" He spoke aloud so Arya could hear as well.
In this, as with most things, I believed Arya has proven her wisdom. She broadcasted her response to the both of them. Arya dipped her head, accepting the compliment, but with the way she held her countenance showed that she wished she was wrong. Saphira continued on, this time speaking only to Eragon, Personally, I have a different opinion as to the identity of the green orb in your vision, but I shall keep my belief of what it is to myself.
Come on, Saphira; tell me what it is you believe.
No, Little one, in this instance it would be best to keep my knowledge to myself.
Unsatisfied, and a little annoyed by her answer, Eragon tried to sneak through her mind to find the answer himself. Suddenly, a brick wall slammed into his consciousness, preventing him movement, but not harming him. Little one, I don't appreciate you snooping around my mind when you clearly know that I don't want to tell you something.
Why won't you tell me? She responded only with a mental growl. "I love you, Saphira." Her gaze softened, if only slightly.
I love you too, Little one, but I am not going to tell you. With that Eragon grumbled, but pulled his focus back to the physical world. He noticed instantly that Arya was staring intently at him, a slight questioning and searching look on her face. It was only then that he realized he had said that last part out loud. He blushed slightly, and turned away from her intense gaze. After a minute she quit studying him, and they just gazed at the campfire flames as they smoldered and danced in the air. While watching the fire, a distressing question entered his head, so he vocalized it.
"Are we still going to continue to try and confiscate the egg? We need it, for we cannot win if the egg hatches for another under the Black Kings control, but how far are we willing to go for it? I for one believe that Saphira's life is far more important than obtaining the third egg."
Again Arya stared at Eragon, her eyes boring holes to his very soul, whilst she pondered her answer.
When finally she replied, it was slowly and carefully, as if her life depended on giving the most precise answer that she could. "We should continue our quest for the egg, as we may never have another chance like this. However, if Galbatorix is there guarding the egg, we shall flee; hoping Saphira can out fly Shruikan, to the Elvin army at Gil'ead. There we shall stand our best chance at defeating him, at least temporarily. If he is not there guarding the egg, we shall proceed as planned." A slight sparkle appeared in her eyes as she continued. "You're right, Saphira's and your lives are much more important than the success of this mission. If the Black King himself is to appear, then flee and turn back for nothing!" Eragon was more than a little confused by her unusual behavior, but still dipped his head to show his acknowledgement of her words.
Eragon finally sat up and, for an unmeasured period of time, simply sat beside Arya, thinking about his upcoming battle. He began to despair over the knowledge that, when they fought Galbatorix, either he or Saphira would die. He tried to hide it, but Arya proved that she knew him too well, and saw right through his attempted emotionless façade. He was surprised he felt her hand on his, but was happy nonetheless. Eragon could feel Saphira purr with contentment in the background. Eventually Arya declared that it was late and she needed rest, so she retired to one side of Saphira, Eragon eventually taking the other.
*Chapter 2
I am sorry this took so long, and I shall probably not finish the story, but I might publish a few more chapters. My counterpart elven friend persuaded me to put this up. At the very least one more chapter to go.