AUTHORS NOTE (Please read): Well I got several reviews so I decided this was a story worth pursuing. I'm usually quicker at updating but I was busy reading 'Eldest'. Anyhoo, this chapter explains what Eragon has been up to. For those of you that are familiar with the book 'Eragon' you'll notice that I changed the time that Arya talks to Eragon in her trance (in the book she doesn't do it until after they cross the Hadarac Desert), please don't get mad at me for changing that…it was necessary for my story.
Hope you enjoy!
Oops…forgot to write a disclaimer: I do NOT own 'Eragon'…or 'Eldest'…or Murtagh (unfortunately) ha ha.
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Eragon, Murtagh, and Saphira lead Julia to their campsite. Once there, Eragon insisted she tell him what had occurred since his absence.
Julia described how she found Garrow's charred body, "After that, I decided it was best for me to leave. There was nothing left for me in Carvahall. I took what I could find and left."
"Wait," said Eragon, "you just decided to walk around Alagaėsia…aimlessly…?"
Julia realized what a stupid plan it had been, "Well…it seemed reasonable at the time. Anyway, do you want to hear my story or not?!"
Eragon held back his smile and waited for her to continue.
Julia talked about her aimless traveling and then how she was captured by the Urgals just outside of Gil'ead. "They took me out here…and that's where Murtagh found me. Enough about me though…what happened-"
Julia wasn't able to finish her sentence. A familiar sharp pain ran up her right arm and spread to her head. She gasped and cradled her head in her lap, waiting for the pain to subside.
Saphira's lifted her head and a low growl escaped her mouth. Murtagh jumped up and ran to Julia's side.
"Leave her," said Eragon with a solemn expression.
Murtagh looked confused and took a step back.
Julia's body was trembling and her breathing was shallow. It'll be over in a minute, thought Julia to herself over and over.
Finally, the pain stopped and Julia sat up. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
"What did those monsters do to you!?" demanded Murtagh.
Julia looked at the ground and explained, "It wasn't them. I've always had these 'attacks'. The healer, Gertrude, in Carvahall never found out what caused them, and I've had them as long as I can remember. They're extremely random, sometimes I'll have five a day, other times I won't have any for weeks. I think it's just something I was born with."
Julia felt guilty about lying to Murtagh. She knew she wasn't born with them. The attacks had something to do with her lost memories and her real parents, but that's all she knew.
Eragon looked at Julia with concern, "They've been getting worse, haven't they?"
Julia managed a small smile, "A little…but don't worry about it…I've gotten used to them."
Saphira, Murtagh and Eragon were all staring at Julia with concerned expressions on their face.
"I'm fine! Eragon you should have learned to ignore them by now. Don't worry about it. Now tell me what's happened to you and how you became a Rider."
Murtagh sat down apprehensively and Eragon began to tell his story.
Eragon told Julia how he had been hunting in the Spine when he found a peculiar blue stone, which eventually hatched into Saphira. He explained how the storyteller, Brom, told him about Dragon Riders and how Eragon had them decided to raise Saphira in secret. After the Raz'acz killed Garrow, Eragon and Brom both left in search of them so he could get his revenge. During his travels Brom 'trained' him in the way of a Dragon Rider and taught him about magic, fighting, and flying with Saphira.
"Wait…so you're saying you can do magic?" interrupted Julia.
Eragon walked over to Julia and put his hand over the scratch on her cheek. He whispered "Wáise heill" and Julia felt a warm tingle on her cheek.
As Eragon sat down Julia reached up to her cheek and found the scratch healed.
Julia let out a small gasp and, with a look of astonishment on her face asked Eragon to continue.
He talked about the many cities him and Brom traveled through and the shocking way the Empire is hurting its land and its people. Eragon then proceeded to tell Julia about the ambush the Raz'acs had prepared in Dras-Leona and how Murtagh had saved both him and Brom. Unfortunately Brom was injured, and how Eragon wasn't strong enough to heal him. Brom passed away, but not before he told Eragon that he was a Dragon Rider.
Julia mourned for Brom. She knew him only as the town fortune teller, but she always had a feeling there was more to him.
"Wait…if Brom was a Dragon Rider what happened to his dragon?" asked Julia.
"He was killed…by Morzan. Brom hunted down Morzan and killed him…with this sword." Eragon held up a large red sword.
Julia had a skeptical look on her face, "Morzan?! He was one of the Forsworn…that was long ago. I admit Brom was old, but not even he could have been that old."
Eragon was about to explain, but Murtagh spoke up first, "A Dragon Rider lives as long as his dragon. No one knows for sure how long dragons live, but it is thought that they live as long as elves…meaning forever. So it is possible for a Rider to live forever…as long as his dragon is alive."
Eragon had no idea how Murtagh knew so much about Dragon Riders and he made a mental note to question him about it later.
"But if Brom's dragon was killed…shouldn't Brom have died?"
"Ah, that's how it would seem…"said Eragon
"Riders," continued Murtagh, "can live without their dragons, but once a Rider dies…"
Saphira lifted her head, …so does his dragon.
Julia was shocked, both by the statement and by the fact that a dragon had just spoken to her; not only that, but the dragon spoke to her in her mind!
Saphira sensed Julia's emotions, so she lowered her head and said, Don't be alarmed, this is how dragons communicate. You'll get used to it.
Julia felt reassured and urged Eragon to continue his story.
Eragon explained that after Brom died he, Murtagh, and Saphira decided to go in search of the strong rebel faction known as the Varden. They traveled to Gil'ead hoping to discover the whereabouts of the Varden, when Eragon was captured. Eragon explained how Murtagh and Saphira came to his aid and helped save both him and an elf.
"An elf?! Where is he?"
"Actually, it's a female elf and her name is Arya," said Eragon.
Just then Saphira lifted her wing and revealed the unconscious body of a beautiful female elf. Julia walked over to her and kneeled down next to Arya's lean, yet muscular body.
"What…what's wrong with her?"
"She was tortured and poisoned," said Eragon, the anger apparent in his voice, "She put herself into a sort of hibernation to slow down the effects of the poison, but it won't last much longer. We have to find the Varden…within the next two weeks."
"How do you know all this?" asked Julia.
"She spoke to me, in my mind, sort of like Saphira communicates. Arya showed me the location of the Varden. It's somewhere in the Beor Mountains."
Julia was shocked, "The Beor Mountains?! Do you know how far that is?! Why, we'd have to cross the-"
"-the Hadarac Desert" finished Murtagh with a grin.
Julia looked back and forth between Eragon and Murtagh, trying to decide which one was more out of his mind.
"Even if Saphira could carry all of us…it would take at least several weeks, and you intend to find the Varden within two weeks?!"
Eragon's face became very determined, "Saphira can't carry all of us; so we will go on horseback and we will make it in two weeks…we have to."
Eragon lowered his gaze at Arya and Julia realized how much he cared for the elf.
Julia sighed, "Alright Eragon, I see how determined you are and I'm confident that you'll make it, but not with me. I'm just dead weight and I don't have a horse. The Empire isn't looking for me, so I can settle down in Gil'ead until you return."
Both Murtagh and Eragon spoke up at the same time,
"Not after what happened to Eragon in Gil'ead…"
"I won't lose my sister again!-"
"…what if the Empire realizes how much you mean to Eragon?!"
"-I couldn't forgive myself if the Empire got to you because of me!"
Julia couldn't help but laugh at their sudden outburst, "Alright, alright, I won't go to Gil'ead. But what do you propose I do? ...run alongside the horses?"
Murtagh pointed at his large gray horse, "Tornac is a trained war horse. He's strong enough to carry both of us."
Julia looked from Murtagh to Eragon and back again, "Are you sure?"
"Positive," stated Murtagh, as Eragon nodded his head.
Julia smiled, "Then let it be so. Off to the Beor Mountains!"