Ok here is the next chapter! I want to thank all of my great reviewers who stuck with me and who enjoy my story. It is my first fan fic so it isn't as good as I might like but I am getting better! Special thanks to my regular reviewers, (SilverSilver, BannanasRokk, MaddyMidnight) who have kept on reviewing from the start! Thank you once again and I hope you enjoy this next chapter!
Dissclaimer: I do not own Eragon or Eldest, Christopher Paolini does. Any charicters/plots that are in the books I do not own, I only own and OC's and plots that do not appear in the books.
The Next Generation
Chapter 10;
The Battle of Riders
"Eragon, I don't know if I can do this," said Jaide worriedly
"Why? You know what you must do and how you must do it. We have been meditating on this plan for almost a week. I know that you can do this. WE can do this." Said Eragon wondering why she was suddenly so worried.
"I know I know, but I'm just worried about how much energy this will take. I don't want anyone to be expelled of all their energy and die. Then I would hold myself responsible. And what if I can't counteract the spells and the oaths? I don't want Murtagh and Thorn to die…They are like family to me."
"I know that you are concerned about that. I am too, but we must not give up. Murtagh was my best friend and is my brother. I haven't gotten to know Thorn, but I don't want either of them to have to die because of some oaths that Galbatorix put them under. But Jaide, we won't give up. We can and will save them. I hope. Have faith in yourself, the way I have faith in you, and you will not fail."
Jaide smiled. "I know I need to have more faith in me."
"Don't worry; we can make it through this. Murtagh isn't bad…he is just can't take control just yet, but with your help, he can make it with Thorn."
Eragon pulled Jaide towards him and gave her a tight hug. I know you can do this...
"Did Emerald Fire say where they would be attacking exactly?" Asked Arya After they had made the final preparations to the armor and attack plan.
"No, he had to be quick when he talked with me. I have no idea where they will show up at. That's why we have sentinels everywhere, so wherever they come from, we will be prepared."
"Good. I suppose now we just wait for them to show."
"I suppose."
As they waited, Jaide couldn't help but to fidget with almost everything she could get her hands on. She loosened and tightened her armor, trying to get it just perfect; she polished her shield, sharpened her sword (as if it would ever dull), Fidgeted with Eragon's armor and his weapons, everything. She pulled her hair back and took it out; then redid it again and again…She was so nervous and so restless that after about an hour, Eragon finally got fed up.
"Will you stop already?" He yelled at Jaide after she kept on tightening his shoulder strap and then loosening it, tight loose, tight loose for the past 10 minutes.
"Sorry. I need something to chew on. I wish I had some bubble gum. Have they invented bubble gum yet?"
"What the heck is bubble gum?"
"Uhhh… never mind."
Since she had nothing else to do now, Jaide started to bite her fingernails.
"That's a really bad habit you know." Said Eragon after looking at her disgustedly
"I know, shut up. You sound like my mother."
"Sorry. I'm just so tired of you fidgeting with everything and anything you touch!"
"Sorry" said Jaide mocking his tone
Eragon was about to retort and start an argument but they heard a heart-stopping roar coming from behind them, from the southwest, the direction of Uru'Baen.
"Jeez! You'd think he would try and not come from the Oh-so-obvious direction and try to catch us off guard!"
"But this is a good sign; it means he is giving a half-hearted try, as much as he can anyway, to defeat us. He doesn't want to fight." Said Arya, sprinting up to them, preparing for battle
"Oh, yes I suppose that is good!" Said Jaide in a mocking tone (gosh she's being sarcastic today isn't she?)
A huge bright red dragon made itself visible through the trees, and Saphira vaulted up into the sky to deal with Thorn. Murtagh, who was on Thorn's back, jumped off and landed 20 feet in front of Jaide, Eragon and Arya. Walking up to them slowly, he cried,
"Jaide, Eragon, Arya! It is nice to see you again, even though it must be under these circumstances. I am under oath by Galbatorix to do exact attacks against you."
"Wow he really put you in over your head in oaths this time, didn't he?" Asked Jaide, still tense and ready
"Yes I'm afraid he has. But I can say whatever I want, except for the secretive things he has put me under oath to not tell. By the way I am going to be attacking Eragon first so please get ready."
Eragon tensed and prepared for his blade. Jaide prepared her mind to jump into Murtagh's and stab at the barriers that were most surely set up. Metal against metal made a clear ring throughout the forest. Eragon against Murtagh, brother against brother. Jaide kept in mind where they were sparring at, but she doubted that they would come near her with out a warning. Both swordsmen were very cautious.
She stabbed at Murtagh's mind and began pushing at the mental barriers. They were surprisingly strong. She pushed with all her strength at the miniscule weaknesses that popped up. Murtagh kept his balance with Eragon and at the same time pushed Jaide back and fought with his mind as well.
Jaide finally found his weakness after Arya had joined the fighting, and together they pushed through to his mind. Arya kept the barriers away while Jaide started to go through his thoughts and started with the last oath he had made.
As Saphira and Thorn battled in the sky, Saphira was successful in digging into one of Thorns haunches with her claws. This made Murtagh slip and fall, while clutching his leg. This accidentally knocked Eragon off balance while he was about to stab at him hard, and he fell, sword in hand, onto Murtagh.
There was a loud roar of agony and pain coming from Thorn and Saphira, for Eragon had run Murtagh through the chest with his sword, and in an attempt to block the sword, Murtagh had raised his sword towards Eragon, and had run him through the stomach.
"NO!" Jaide screamed and jolted from her bed.
She had jumped up crying.
It was just a dream… She thought. (A/N: Gotcha didn't I? And you really thought I would kill Murtagh! Pfft, he is my fave character. Ok on with the REAL story..)
It was the night before Murtagh and Thorn were to come to Ellesmera. Jaide had been sure and ready and the whole time, so it was odd to her to dream that she was nervous.
Better try and get as much sleep as I can…There is only a couple of hours left until morning, so I need to be prepared. Besides we have elves everywhere keeping watch. She reassured herself.
But no matter how hard she tried she could not sleep. The image of Eragon and Murtagh running each other through with swords haunted her mind. So she got up to make some tea. But when she went to her small kitchen area, she was surprised to see Eragon slipping in through the door.
"Eragon?"
Eragon jumped and spun around to her.
"Jaide! I, uh…I didn't know you were awake. I just, well I …"
"Would you like some blackberry tea?" Offered Jaide
"I would love some. Thank you."
As Jaide took out the cups and poured water into them, she asked Eragon,
"So, why were you sneaking into my house?"
"I was going to come and wake you because I had the strangest dream…"
"You had a dream too!"
"You had one as well? What was it about?"
"You and Murtagh…Died…"
"Because I slipped and fell on him with my sword and he tried to block me, and ended up running me through?"
"Yes that was it! Why did we have the same dream? What do you think it means?"
"I asked Saphira and she thinks that it is a warning. Whatever happens we can't allow that to be the ending."
"I agree."
The tea was ready so they sat at Jaide's table and discussed their plans, and also the dream, and how they should go about preventing the dream from becoming reality. They spoke of these things for about an hour, and then Eragon said,
"I suppose we should start preparing, they could be here at any time. Let's go wake everyone up."
"Alright. Let me go get dressed, you warn Arya of our concerns."
"Okay."
Later that morning:
"When do you suppose they will show up?" Jaide asked Eragon
"It's hard to tell, they could already be in the vicinity, or they could be hundreds of miles away still. We can't be sure. Saphira and I will go and search the skies every hour or so until they come. We will start right now."
"I'll come up with you."
Eragon leaped onto Saphira and she launched into the sky, facing north. Jaide flew up right by her only facing south-west. She could just barely see a red figure out in the distance steadily growing larger. Apprehensiveness filled her as she thought back to the direction they came from in her dream. South-west…
"Eragon! Saphira! Look!" She called out to them.
Saphira turned, and she said,
That is Murtagh and Thorn, I am sure of it. I am going to get out of the sky so they don't see me just yet. Jaide, turn you invisible and stay out here and keep us posted with where they are. It will help us be prepared.
Saphira landed immediately and Eragon hoped they hadn't seen her. It would give them the moment of surprise if she jumped up and caught them off guard before they even got there. Eragon gazed upwards towards Jaide and was alarmed when he couldn't see her, then he remembered that she turned herself invisible.
Oh, that's right…heh heh… He told himself to calm down, or he would never be able to face Murtagh. He sat against Saphira and meditated while he waited.
Jaide suddenly woke him with her mind saying,
Eragon, they are very close, get ready!
Eragon notified Saphira and she leapt into the sky to deal with Thorn. Jaide needed Murtagh on the ground to fight the oaths. As the blood red dragon neared, and became visible, it landed in the sparring grounds, which had no trees to block the dragons from taking off and landing. Murtagh leaped off of Thorn and got ready to fight Eragon and Jaide.
Where is Jaide? He wondered after Thorn took off. He glanced around once more and then asked out loud to Eragon,
"Where is Jaide?"
"I honestly do not know. What, are you afraid to fight me and want to fight her instead?"
"No. I want to know where she is because I have missed her for these past 6 months and would like to greet her."
Jaide's voice came from behind him and she said,
"Well go ahead then."
He spun around and she knocked him unconscious with a heavy blow of magic.
"Nice shot!" Complimented Eragon
"Thanks. He won't be out for long though, so let's tie him down."
They had all the Elves magicians and spell weavers there to pin him down with magic. Then Angela forced a potion down his throat that would make it hard for him to think or to fight against Jaide's mind. All the magic worked upon Thorn as well, and he landed, and said,
I am only under oath to help Murtagh capture you. So if he is not doing anything, how can I help him? Do not worry, I won't move from this spot.
After Murtagh had been successfully drugged and tied down with magic, Jaide sat next to him and forced herself into his mind. Eragon sat across from her, ready to jump to her aide if she should need it. Arya and Islanzadi stood close by, watching every move made.
Jaide delved into Murtagh's mind, and was thankful that this was not her dream. She pushed at his barriers and surprisingly got in rather easily. She sifted through his memories and found the last oath he had made to Galbatorix. She attacked it with magic, and started manipulating the words in the ancient language. She worked with them like clay and soon molded them into something entirely different.
She worked like this on all the oaths he had made to Galbatorix, going through each one. There were about 10 oaths in all. All of them with specific detail that would be rather hard to maneuver out of. She worked and worked for 5 hours, and still had 5 more oaths to go.
She brought herself out of his mind and said,
"I need rest. If I do one more oath right now I will surely collapse. His mind could use a good rest from all that work on it as well. He will need to work through a few issues when all this is done, that is for certain. Let us keep them in the holding cell we prepared, until I am recharged. Keep him drugged, though, so he doesn't escape or attack us."
She eyed Thorn, thought for a moment and then said,
"Drug Thorn as well, I know he won't mean to do anything, but still, we can not trust him too much. I still have to break the oaths on his mind, and I might need Murtagh's help with that. Possibly even Saphira's."
And with that the others took Murtagh and Thorn into a very strong, magic-fortified cell deep underground, for them to rest. They drugged them both and secured the door. Jaide went to her tree house and slept for 2 hours, good, long and deeply, with Eragon watching over the whole time.
When Jaide woke up, She looked at her watch on the dresser, (she had set it accordingly to how the sun moved in the sky there, so it was the correct time for where she was at.) and she saw that she had been sleeping for several hours and immediately vaulted out of bed and rushed down and out of her tree house and ran into Eragon, knocking them both down.
"OOFF"
"Oops, sorry, Eragon, I just woke up and realized I had been sleeping for nearly 5 hours."
"Its okay," Said Eragon, helping her up, "I was just coming to wake you."
"Oh. Where am I needed?"
"We need you to come and break the oaths between Murtagh and Galbatorix. We have had to drug him again and it is best if you work on him again. That way we can get his help with Thorn's mind, and do as quickly as possible. Galbatorix will be expecting Murtagh and Thorn in exactly 5 days. That gives us just enough time to go ambush Galbatorix and it gives us the element of surprise." Eragon explained while they walked towards the cell where Murtagh and Thorn were being held
"I see."
They kept walking swiftly to the cell in silence. As they went along Jaide thought about how fast things were moving. Just a week ago she found out that they had to prepare for this day, and now they find out that they are going to ambush Galbatorix. And I still have much to accomplish… She thought.
"Jaide…Jaide!" Eragon pulled her out of her mind and her thoughts
"What?" She asked looking up from the ground
"We're here."
"Oh. Well let's go in then."
Eragon uttered a sentence in the Ancient Language, and then the massive cellar-like doors swung out and revealed a dark and very wide staircase. (It had to be wide for the dragons for fit.) Jaide walked down the dark steps, taking a breath and then letting it out at each step. They eventually got down into the cell, where Murtagh was held in place by shackles on his wrist that were connected to the walls.
The chains that bound him to the floor were bound by magic so that, Murtagh nor Thorn, could break them. Jaide, Eragon, and even Saphira had put the spell in place. Those chains were unbreakable. Not far away from Murtagh, Thorn lay on the ground, with the same metal chains and shackles put on him. He had them around his thick neck, his two front wrists, his ankles, and even his tail. They were protections for Jaide and all the others who would be working on his mind to break the oaths and bonds. Jaide was almost certain that he would resist fiercely.
Murtagh wouldn't be so hard to handle.
Jaide walked over to him, and keeled next to him. She made sure he was really unconscious, and then she sat crossed-legged next to him and closed her eyes and started to concentrate. Eragon came and sat next to her and prepared to help her in any way possible.
Is there anything I can help you with? He asked.
Sure. You can make this easier by keeping his barriers lowered for me so I'm not juggling between pushing them apart and manipulating the Ancient Language.
Alright, I will do that.
So Eragon delved into Murtagh's mind, and he and Jaide both started pushing at all the weak spots, here and there. They finally got in, and while Eragon stayed by the outer part of his mind where the barriers would be, Jaide dived deeper to the core of his mind, where the secret oaths he had made were.
She found the most recent one and started to work with it. As she was pushing it around and molding it, like clay, Eragon felt her every move in Murtagh's mind. He started to understand how she worked at the ancient language to manipulate it. When she was finally done with the most recent one, he asked her,
Why don't you just start with the first oath, the oath that says that he and Thorn will forever serve Galbatorix? Wouldn't that be faster, because it would cancel out all the rest of them?
No, it wouldn't be faster. I have to go through each and every oath, like levels in his mind, so that it won't trigger anything by evaporating everything at once. I could damage his mind by doing that.
So Jaide went on to work on Murtagh's mind, and while she did that, Eragon sifted through his memories (it had to be done sooner or later, Eragon thought it best if he did it while Murtagh was asleep.) to see if he was truly a good person, and was just being controlled by Galbatorix. He went on sifting and searching and eventually got to when Murtagh was just a small boy.
He saw the memory of when Morzan threw the sword at him, and how much pain it had caused the three-year-old Murtagh. He barely survived it. It made Eragon even more thankful that Selena had hidden him from Morzan and Galbatorix. Otherwise he might have never become Saphira's rider and experience the things he had. He might have ended up on Galbatorix's side, the wrong side to be on. The thought made him shudder.
In three more hours, when it was very late at night, Jaide finally finished breaking the last oath between Murtagh and Galbatorix.
"He won't have to serve him anymore. He can make his own choices now; he is free." Said Jaide when she came back out of Murtagh's mind
"Let us hope that he makes the right ones." Commented Islanzadi
She had walked in just before Jaide had finished.
"I am certain that he will. He really does want to be on the right side. He hates Galbatorix for the things he has done to him. He wants to make things right, from now on. I know, I went through his mind." Replied Eragon
"Good. I am glad to know that." She now addressed Jaide: "And you are done with him? Completely sure that he is free of any oaths he has ever taken, that bad ones, that is?"
"I am. He now will never serve Galbatorix ever again. Now we just have to wait until he wakes and is fully rested for me to begin on Thorn."
Murtagh awoke on a cot in a dimly lit room, where the walls seemed to be completely dirt. He sat up, and noticed that Thorn was chained up on the other side of the large room. Next he noticed Jaide and Eragon sitting down near the entrance, their backs against the wall. They were leaning against eachother, Eragon's head resting on Jaide's shoulder, and Jaide's head resting on top of his. Murtagh chuckled and thought,
They would make a nice couple. Eragon deserves a girl like her.
Then he grinned eviliy and silently got up, and walked over to them, then standing about 5 feet away, he kneeled so that he was level with them.
"Awww, how sweet." He said in the loudest voice possible without yelling it.
Jaide and Eragon woke at the same time and looked at Murtagh and then at each other and jumped up, blushing profusely. Murtagh laughed out loud, and said,
"Sorry, I just couldn't resist teasing you and my little brother."
Eragon was extremely red and was about to pounce on Murtagh but to avoid a fight, Jaide quickly asked,
"Murtagh, how are you feeling?" She was trying very hard to clear away the bright red that was surely covering her face.
"I feel wonderful, now. Thank you so much for freeing me of that horrible bond between Galbatorix and I. We can now fight together against him and surely win! I believe that Emerald told you about our new strengths?"
"He did. But he didn't have much time to explain them. Perhaps you could fill in the blanks for me, after we have helped Thorn."
"I would be glad to. Speaking of Thorn, when are we to help him free?"
"Very soon, we can even start now unless you would like some rest, or perhaps food?"
"No. Let us do it now, I can take care of my needs after my dragon is freed."
"Well let's do it then. Eragon summon Arya and Islanzadi, please. They will want to be here for this."
"Alright, I will."
Then his face went blank for a moment, then he said,
"They are on their way."
How do plan on holding him down and breaking in? A dragon's mind is not like a humans; it will be much more difficult to break the oaths. Asked Saphira
"That is why I need Murtagh. He can help keep Thorn's guard down so that I can work with the oaths. I might even need your help, Saphira."
"You should begin now. We haven't got much time before you must go and attack Galbatorix." Stated Islanzadi
"I know. We shall begin."
And with that Jaide walked over to Thorn, and took a drug out of a pocket in her belt. She injected it into him and waited about five minutes. Then she summoned Murtagh to come and stand by her.
"Even with the extra dose of that drug, he will most likely resist quite fiercely."
Murtagh nodded and Eragon walked over by them and watched and waited.
Jaide closed her eyes and followed Murtagh into Thorn's mind. It would be easier for him to get access to Thorn's mind since he was connected to him. They dove in, and Murtagh slipped through the barriers, and started to converse with Thorn.
We need you to resist the urge to fight us, and not resist Jaide. Please fight me if you need to fight, instead of Jaide. That way she can work with the oaths you have taken and mold them so you can be free.
Then he spoke to Jaide,
Go ahead. But work quickly, I do not know how long we can withstand his fierce mind.
Alright, I am starting now.
Jaide pushed her way through to the core of his mind and began on the last oath he had taken, trying to avoid any memories and trying to make it less painful on him. But as she was working with the oath, he stabbed at her mind, ripping her away from the core of his mind, pulling her back out. She fell to her knees and Eragon jumped in, asking,
Jaide, what's wrong?
Instead of answering him, she called out to Saphira,
Saphira I need you to fight with him with your mind, he is much too strong for me to resist!
I am coming.
Sahpira jumped into Thorn's mind, and pulled Jaide away from him. Then she started battling him, distracting him from Jaide so that she could do her work.
Jaide dove once again into his mind and said to Murtagh,
I need you to keep his defenses away from me. If you need help call for Eragon to assist you.
Alright, I will keep him off.
So Jaide continued her work, pushing and pulling, kneading with her mind. She knew it must be highly uncomfortable for Thorn to have her and Saphira both in his mind, fighting at him. But she had to get this done. Thorn had the same amount of Oaths to Galbatorix as Murtagh had, but they took longer to change, to break.
8 long hours later…
Jaide was working on the very last oath, finally, and she was almost done. It finally crumpled up and dissipated.
Well that was the last one…It actually didn't take as long as I thought it would, some of them were quite easy to break. She told Thorn, Murtagh and Saphira. Then she drew herself wearily out of his mind, and found herself back inside her body, with Eragon sitting next to her, giving support.
"Is it finally done?" Asked Islanzadi
"It is done. Thorn and Murtagh both are now free from Galbatorix."
Everyone cheered. Jaide smiled and then said,
"I am tired. I need to go to my tree house to rest before I collapse. Working on Thorn was very tiring, like swimming for 8 hours through thick mud."
"Saphira I will walk you back to your tree house." offered Eragon.
"I would like that." Said Jaide, smiling.
As Jaide and Eragon walked out of the room with Saphira trailing behind, Murtagh smiled, and said to Thorn,
They would make a good couple, don't you think?
I suppose. I think that Eragon deserves someone like her.
So do I.
And since Murtagh and Thorn were also very tired, they lay down for the night as well, after everyone had left.
Okay, 10th chapter down! Please review! Was it good, did it suck, crit? comments? what do you think should have or should happen? Please review and tell me what you think!
