Jumped ahead a couple months. Couldn't have this dragging on too long after all. Longer update, enjoy.
The next few weeks passed in silence. There was no word of Galbatorix's army, which made the Varden even more fearful and suspicious. They were all ready to go to battle at a moment's notice, but nothing ever came.
Weeks turned into months, and those months closed in on Darcie. On the first day of plants and animals returning, Darcie went into labour. She had learned what Kazryth was implying by 'you might want to think about that' when she said 'a little one' months before; she had the rare surprise of giving birth to twins! - A girl, Aryana, and a boy, Reagan. Reagan had noticeable dark brown hair the same shade as Murtagh's, but Aryana seemed to have a light chestnut colour and the same aquamarine eyes of Darcie, while Reagan seemed to have hazel eyes.
Within a month and a half of their birth, the dreaded day everyone had been anticipating for near a year came - Galbatorix's army appeared to be outside the Burning Plains. Premonitions, or dreams - Darcie wasn't sure anymore - of the deaths of Murtagh and Eragon haunted her nights days before the news of battle approaching and the night before.
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Darcie shot up from her sleep, sweat shining clearly on her face. She was unsure as to if it was from the sun or another 'dream' of Murtagh's death. Tears from her sleep mixed with her sweat and dripped onto her 'blanket', which was really just a light sheet on top of her. The sound of baby grumbling got her out of bed instead of a roll onto the ground.
She walked up to the two baskets on the other end of the tent and saw Aryana still sleeping, but appearing as if she was about to cry at a moment's notice. Darcie watched this for a few moments worriedly, but then saw the girl's beautiful, light blue eyes appear. Aryana let out a long 'ah' noise, which woke Reagan, who was just a matter of feet next to her.
He whimpered, and Darcie picked him up before he decided to scream, which was what he did before crying. She held him close, one hand supporting his bottom and the other holding his head, which was tilted so one ear was against Darcie. He was suddenly quiet, and a light nasally breath broke the silence - Reagan had fallen asleep.
Darcie sensed another presence. Looking to her right, she saw a weary Murtagh standing in front of the half-open tent flap.
"Didn't sleep well?" she whispered as Murtagh pulled the flap closed and went up to her.
"I doubt I got any. What about you?" He came up behind Darcie and wrapped his arms around her and under the sleeping Reagan, pulling her closer.
"I fell asleep against my will," she responded, still quiet as to not wake the baby in her arms. "Sleep is a devil - I feel as if I haven't gotten any at all."
"Nightmares?"
"Or premonitions - I'm not sure anymore!"
Her outburst woke Reagan. He whimpered, and then started to cry, skipping his screaming. Not truly able to think about what to do, Darcie lightly pat his lower back, but his crying just got louder. She then tried to lightly bounce him, but that didn't work either. Her tears joined his as she kept trying to shush him.
Murtagh let go of Darcie and carefully took Reagan from her. As soon as he took the baby boy, he wasn't as vocal. A faint blue light came from Murtagh's hand, and Reagan was sleeping contentedly. He then put Reagan back into his crib.
"Are you ok?" he asked, his tone mixed with curiosity and hesitation
"I'm... I'm fine, really..." Darcie turned around and wiped away her tears.
"What'd you see?" Murtagh asked lightly, following her slightly.
"It's all the same now... the battle, the..."
The area around Darcie seemed to go black suddenly. It lasted only a moment, but then the Burning Plains came into view - she was there, Kazryth was there. The battles raged around them.
I flew over the horizon well behind Murtagh and Eragon, trying to be inconspicuous. Of course, with a large green dragon, that's hard to do. Together, Kazryth and I flew over the divisions of Kull, Kazryth setting them ablaze with what I figured was his newfound fire-breathing abilities. We managed to burn an entire sector of Kull until I saw it - the black dot getting larger until it was noticeably Shruikan, my father on his back.
"You can't run this time, you little wench!"
Kazryth flew away, trying to bide time for us to think. Within minutes, Kazryth went down with a ferocious roar of pain - Shruikan snapped at part of the fleshy membrane of his wings. Kazryth spiraled down until he landed on his side, throwing me off his back and into a pile of the dead.
"Are you ok?" I mentally asked Kazryth.
"I'll live... what about you?"
"I'm going to play dead. Of course, do the same unless father or Shruikan try to make sure of your 'death'."
Kazryth lay on his side, unmoving. In the pile of the dead, I did the same, breathing shallowly. I kept my eyes closed, sensing and hearing Galbatorix getting closer. I saw his shadow loom over me, but when I saw him pull out his sword, I sent a spell at him, causing him to fly into Shruikan's open mouth, which was ready to give the final blow to Kazryth. Instead of getting Kazryth, Shruikan got Galbatorix.
The sound of bones crunching and the dying screams of a dragon echoed, but then diminished. I sat up slowly and sat her father in his dragon's mouth, bloodied and broken.
"I... just killed... I just killed a mad-man... my father," I breathed. I definitely didn't plan on it being so fast, but heck, there's nothing to complain about it being so. I then say Kazryth getting up from his playing dead position, his bitten wing curled close.
"You did well," Kazryth told her. I felt his pain from the bite he received to his wing.
"How badly are you hurt?"
"I'll survive."
I heard a deathly roar in the distance. "Thorn!" I gasped. Turning to Kazryth, I asked, "I'm assuming you can't fly well."
Kazryth snorted in response.
"Can you walk around with me on your back? I'll do my best to make sure no Kull or soldiers get your wing...s."
Kazryth merely hummed in response. I walked up to Kazryth and got into the saddle. As he walked on, the burning land and the aroma of death disappeared...
"Darcie..."
She felt a cold fluid flow down her throat. Gagging it down, Darcie opened her eyes and saw Arya taking away a vial from her mouth.
"What did you see?" the elf woman asked her. Darcie panted for breath.
"Fa... Galbatorix and Shruikan... near-death..."
"Whom of?" Arya asked.
Darcie was about to respond, but she felt something push up her stomach and throat. She swung over to the other end of the bed and emptied anything that was left in her stomach from the previous night's meal. She choked out the gross aftertaste and spat it on the ground. She saw a glass in Arya's hand, and Darcie took it. She gulped most of the water, swished it around in her mouth and spat it onto the ground. Once the taste was gone, she drank the rest. As Darcie sat up, her body shuddered. As soon as she sat up, Murtagh came running back into the tent.
"What took so long?" Arya practically snapped. A look of slight remorse came to her pallid face as soon as the words left her mouth.
"My apologies for receiving news," Murtagh responded sarcastically. "But Galbatorix... his army, they're near the Burning Plains, just going over the last hill." He then looked at Darcie and asked, "And what happened?"
"She's had another premonition," Arya responded for Darcie.
"What of? The battle?"
Darcie nodded weakly. Murtagh came into the tent further, put his hand on her shoulder and a blue light came from his palm and entered Darcie. The cool sensation swept throughout her body and she suddenly felt much better.
"Thanks," she said. "And yes, it was the battle."
Murtagh found the chair near her desk and sat down next to the bed, ready to listen. As Darcie started to explain what she saw, the sound of a bugle blew. From the loud noise, the twins, who still lay in their cribs on the other end of the tent, started crying. Darcie covered her face wearily.
"I'll find one of the nurses to look after them," Arya said. "You best be getting ready."
Murtagh opened his mouth to object, but thought twice when he saw the look Darcie gave him.
"I know what I saw, and if I don't go to battle, you'll be short one rider and one dragon needed. I'm going out there whether you like it or not," Darcie told him hardly.
"Can you go and find Ophilea and Lydia and tell them to come to this tent and look after these two while they hide deep beneath the castle?" Arya asked.
Murtagh nodded curtly and left the tent, leaving Darcie to find and put on her armour with Arya's help, the sounds of metal clanging from men running down the paths between tents to fight what they all hoped was to be a final battle.