CHAPTER four

Formal Introductions

"So, Kane…I do not believe we have been formally introduced, and Arya failed to mention you being in this area. So I ask you; how did you become a rider? What is the story of your blade? It's obviously not elven made…It is not long enough for that, but it is the size close to the size of the average human's sword, which would lead me to believe it is not of Dwarven production…And it is to sturdy and colorful to be a human's sword. And you, Balnemir. You did not have a sword when we last met."

"How did you know I had a sword," Balnemir inquired, "when I did not fight with one?"

Viviniti smirked, and then said, "Mistress Arya has taught her personal guard many things, Balnemir. We have learned to locate weaponry where it cannot be seen; for example, Kane, you are hiding a dagger in the same package that the gem is in. Now, back to your story, Kane…."

"Gregorsson. My full name is Kane Gregorsson…Kane Shur'tugal to a few, but I prefer my true name. And as for Sigtknurl…This blade is the only blade ever crafted by Rofvel, one of the only remaining students of Futhark, the legendary Dwarven Elf. Like Rhunon, he's been crafting powerful swords and other weapons for years. In fact, I'm kind of surprised Eragon hadn't heard of him; he crafted three of the Rider's Swords, but Rhunon took credit for them, and he really didn't care.

Anyways…About halfway through our training, we were tasked with finding a proper sword, which required every rider who hadn't already become a full Shur'tugal to fly back to Alagaesia and then to Iliera. There, we had to partake in an annual between the races…But don't think we did much of the actual fighting. We actually just acted as mascots for the most of the time, until the final tournament. The Kull were in the lead, and, due to Roran's leadership, the humans were in third place. The elves held second, and the dwarves had fourth. The final leg of the tournament was a fight between the riders; I, the rider representing the humans, faced off with the Dwarf rider, while Balnemir here faced off against a Kull rider. It was an amazing spectacle, and in the end the Kulls emerged victorious. Humans and Dwarves managed to tie for last, though, and the elves held second place…

At the end of the annual games, each rider was allowed to choose one of the rider swords leftover from Galbatorix's stock, so long as it was close or equal to the color of their dragon. For some reason, though, none of them fit or me, and I was the only one to return to the island with the dulled sword I'd been training with for the past few months. Eragon and Saphira didn't like that, so they gave me and Cress three days to rest, then sent us to Ellesmera to seek out Rhunon.

When we got there, Rhunon refused to go through the same process as she did with Eragon, but did deign to give us a piece of brightsteel. Of course, the amount she gave us was hard to decide…First she had to spar with me, then she spent a fortnight studying the dulled sword I'd been using since my training under Arya. When she finished, she gave us just enough to make a sword of similar height, then directed us to Rofvel. We flew by day and rested by night, and eventually made it to the foothills of the Beor Mountains. There we continued only a short distance into the range, and then we had to explore the jungle-like forests within.

It took us nearly a month to find Rofvel's home, end even longer to convince him to make us our sword. He spent just as much time as Rhunon did studying that old sword and then double that exploring my fighting style. When he was finally satisfied that he had a good idea, he made us leave…With reluctance, we did, and flew out to Farthen Dur to introduce ourselves to Eragon's foster brother, Orik. He sheltered us for the next two weeks, in which we did little more than rest. Occasionally, a dwarf would offer to spar me, and so we did. They proved powerful despite their height, which certainly surprised me at first, and amused Cress." Kane paused then, taking a sip of watered wine to wet his throat. While he rested, Cress picked up.

Yes…our time in Farthen Dur was good. It was a well deserved break from the intensive training Eragon was putting us through, even if we grew a bit fat in that time. The Dwarves were good to us, but they were also hesitant. Many of them were concerned that there was another human rider, but in time they grew to enjoy our presence, as we did there. I even met a dragon by the name of Gnurkla, the bonded dragon to a kindly old dwarf woman…I wonder if our egg has hatched yet…

As Cress fell to his musings, Kane recovered from his dried throat. He'd forgotten that Cress had mated during their time in Farthen Dur, and grinned at the aspect of the silvery beast he sat on having a son or daughter with Gnurkla, who had been more of a grandmother-esque creature than a beast. When he realized that Balnemir and Viviniti were still waiting, he continued with their story.

"So anyway…Close to the end of our second week there, a young Dwarf by the name of Rucktlur delivered a message from Rofvel, telling us to return to his forge in the forests of the Beors. We said our farewells and departed…and I suppose, now that I know Cress' son or daughter might be roaming the land, we'll have to return soon…Anyway. When we arrived, Rofvel had just finished the sheath, and had even made us a set of armor and a shield to go with the sword. He asked us for a name, but before we could answer, demanded it be of Dwarven origins.

"That obligation kept us at his home for another three days, in which I had the chance to practice with my new sword while Cress hunted the massive game that resided in the forests and mountains. It wasn't until the morning of our departure that I consulted Rofvel with the name I'd thought of…The sword was light, and thus moved quickly, but at the same time it had weight to it, and seemed to be made of stone rather than steel. And so, with his agreement, I dubbed the sword Sigtknurl; flicker stone. With magic, the name was added to the sheath and blade, and it has thus been named. We then returned to the training island, and our training was resumed. And that is the story of how Sigtknurl came to be."

Viviniti nodded, then said, "That does not answer the question of how your bond with Cress came to be. Would you mind explaining?"

Kane shook his head, saying, "my throat is dry and the wind is quick. Tomorrow evening, perhaps, I will share…but not now. Balnemir…Will you be telling us of your origins?"

"My history is my history, Gregorsson…My sword, however, was explained by Kane. Shortly after the annual tournament, I found a silver-blue blade…Its name was once Fyrn Eld Moi, the War Changer, and as of today it still is. I intend to rename it soon, however, as its current name is unbefitting."

Again Viviniti nodded. "And I suppose, then, you are curious as to why I am riding upon Firnen, then?"

Indeed so, Viviniti-pointy-ears, Cress responded. And so Viviniti said; "I am here, on Firnen, for a simple reason. Mistress Arya is rather busy…She is still helping the elves recover from the loss of Queen Islanzadi, and she still is herself. She heard that a band of magicians was attacking near the Spine, and intended to fly out and strip them of their powers herself…However, circumstances would not allow it, and she believed that you had it handled, Balnemir…However, we also needed you back in Ellesmera to help settle the elves, and so she deigned to send me out to find you. The fact that the magicians were still fighting against you when I arrived was coincidence. Thankfully, though, mine and Firnen's arrival was well timed. And so here we are…And you, Kane, with the Belt of Beloth the Wise…Which reminds me. We must show that to Helgr Kvistr to make sure it has not been cursed…And then it should be returned to Eragon. Rightfully, it is his."

Kane frowned. He'd grown fond of the idea of having twelve gems with power leftover from not only the battle of Dras-Leona, but also what was left from the magicians they'd just dispatched. It met that he had a backup, if the power still within Sigtknurl failed him. But, by all rights, the belt was Eragon's, as it was handed down to him by Oromis. In the mean time, though, the belt was looped around his waist, the twelve gems within hidden by the leather around them.

The three flew for another few hours before landing in the hills surrounding Iliera. They decided they would rest there, then enter the human's Capital the following morning. Normally, Kane would have argued that it was better to just get their interviews with Nasuada over with, but he was tired from the battle, as were the others. And so they set up camp, Balnemir casting the simple spell "Brisingr" to fashion a fire, and Kane using a counter spell to contain it. Viviniti simply fell to sleep, while Balnemir and Kane dared to spar each other by magically dulling their swords to avoid any permanent harm. When they finished, the two fell to sleep under the wing of their respective dragons.