Moonlit Beauty

The days at the makeshift village passed quickly after the first night, the days were filled with observation and chores and the nights with song and drink. Aris slowly relaxed, a comfortable feeling spreading over her as she began to trust the human villagers.

She avoided Murtagh however. Faint suspicions and worries gnawed at the very back of her mind but the constant activity in the canvas haven banished most unpleasant thought from her mind. The blacksmiths daughter Arabella became scarcely less than attached to her hip, she talked Aris' ear off and didn't seem to mind Aris' few worded answers. The family she was staying with was kind, Birgit was a strong woman and Aris was relieved to find out that she didn't wait on her hand and foot like the people in the castle. Her son was a different story, Nolfavrell had nothing less than a full blown grin to give her whenever they met and he was constantly asking if there was anything she needed, telling her she ought not to strain herself.

Despite the small annoyances Aris enjoyed herself, quiet and in the background, but still happy with the new acquaintances she had made. By the end of the four days she was sad to leave, yet eager for her own bed once more.

The morning of their departure she exchanged formalities with most and hugged Arabella before climbing onto Rahzin, anxious to leave now. Murtagh climbed up behind her, neither of them had spoken since the first night. Rahzin's powerful ruby wings pumped up and soon they were airborne, flying away at a speed that allowed Aris a few moments of admiration as she looked down upon the tent village its inhabitants began to work in the dawn kissed sunlight.

It wasn't until mid afternoon that Murtagh cleared his throat to speak. "Aris?" His voice from behind her was unsure and apologetic.

"Is there something you wish to speak of?" She asked politely, refusing to sound unfriendly. She watched the ground rush underneath them, a blend of rich browns and occasional greens.

"I…well I felt that I needed to apologize. It was rude of me to assume such things the other night. I have no idea what you've been through; I saw the camp and that alone should have made me more understanding." She could hear the tentative hope in his voice.

"It is forgiven. I am aware of how difficult it is to converse with me. I do desire an explanation for why it frustrates you so however."

Her request was met with an embarrassed laugh. Aris turned her head slightly to see his ashamed face before her gaze flickered back to the ground as they flew over a crystal blue lake. "Ah...umm…I'm sorry about that as well…it's not a good reason…but if you wish to know…" Murtagh's voice was uncomfortable, he took a breath, "Lady Nasuada has expressed worry over your countenance lately…great gods this sounds awful…she told me of how grateful she would feel to anyone who could break through, she said you were never like this as a child, that she wished to see her childhood best 

friend smile through your face again. I'm mortified to tell you that my reasons were slightly selfish, I wanted to be the recipient of such admiration." His voice was discomfit by the end of his speech. She was silent for a few moments as she thought about this, she felt the saddle move as he shifted behind her. "Make no mistake, I wish for you to smile as well! Everyone does, I did not mean to-"

"Rest easy Rider." Aris interrupted him, "I know you meant well." She thought for a moment longer as the after noon sun shifted a little lower, "You are…taken with Lady Nasuada?" She asked after a moment. Rahzin's body shook beneath them as he laughed.

She heard Murtagh swallow hard, "I-I…she holds a great deal of my admiration." He finally choked out, Aris glanced back once more to meet his laughing eyes and happily resigned face.

"Good." Was all Aris said for the rest of the flight. Rahzin descended closely followed by Inarkien in late afternoon. Aris excused herself quickly and took to her bed chamber with a good scroll, happy for some time to her.

o0o0o0o

Eragon touched down in the castle courtyard with a sigh of relief, it felt so good to be back. This castle had become like home, second to only Ellesmera. He slid from Saphira's back and stretched his arms above his head, inhaling and relaxing his stiff shoulders.

"Eragon, I must hunt, I shall return by morning." Saphira nosed his side gently then looked at her back pointedly and he grinned.

"All right, all right, here." He undid the straps and the saddle slid to the ground with a thud, a dust cloud pluming into the dusk air. She pressed her nose to his forehead and lifted from the ground, rolling her heavy shoulders as she did so.

He watched her fly off and observed the sunset for a moment as he felt a person approach from behind. "Eragon Shadeslayer, may I take the saddles to your room sir?" A servants timid voice came from his side, it sounded as if he was bowing from the way his voice bounced off of the dirt courtyard.

"Yes, please, that would help greatly." Eragon nodded agreeably, mood light and relaxed. The servant came around him and shouldered the pack, walking away heavily leaning to one side. Eragon watched for a moment, and then took a step to go help him when suddenly a large presence made itself known from above him.

Whipping around he looked up just as the heavy curtains were pulled back and a slight figure emerged onto a balcony. Eragon's mouth went dry and his lips parted slightly as he looked, awestruck, upon the goddess up above. Her raven black hair fell in waves to her waist, framing her snow white face and strikingly blue eyes.



He watched in a daze as her full ruby lips parted, "Wait there please." The woman called, he managed to nod and she disappeared. He blinked a few times in rapid succession to clear his mind, she had looked familiar yet he was sure he had never looked upon her before. Scanning his mind he wiped his sweaty palms on his pants, desperately trying to remember where he had seen her before. She'd looked so familiar, he'd seen those eyes before, but where?

He strode toward the gate and turned into the hallway just as she descended from the stairway. She was dressed in a deep blue dress that clung to her abnormally thin frame. That's when it hit him, this was Aris, cleaned and fed, his eyes widened as she approached with an easy grace, he didn't know how he had missed her beauty before.

"Shadeslayer." She greeted him with a slight incline of her head.

He shook himself from staring and bowed in return, "Lady Aris, you look… well." He swallowed slightly, calming his demeanor.

"Thank you, rest has restored much of me." She met his gaze and he was struck by the deepness of her eyes. "I'm sure you are tired, I came simply to return this." For the first time he noticed she was holding his traveling cloak. "You left before I had the chance."

"That's quite all right, thank you, I hope it served you well." Eragon was suddenly glad he had most formalities ready to use without second thought, he was entranced. "Stop staring! But…she's so beautiful…how did I ever miss this…amazing, she's delicate, like an elf, but so soft and warm, human. Ah but stop staring!"

She seemed to notice, "Indeed it did…Might I ask what is wrong on my face?" Her brow was furrowed slightly, a light pink tingeing her cheeks as she delicately wiped her lips. "I just ate…I'm horribly embarrassed if I have made a pig of myself."

"No! Not at all Milady, I was simply admiring how different you looked from the last time I saw you. Your face has color now, I was rudely staring that's all." He shook his head quickly in chagrin, horrified that he'd been caught. "Idiot," He cursed to himself.

"Oh…well thank you…you must want your rest, if you'll excuse me." She dipped her head once more, her thick hair spilling forward slightly.

He stared for a moment, unable to pull his eyes off of how she swayed when she walked, "Wait!" He suddenly called, "I was actually planning on taking a walk…would you care to join me?" He asked, praying silently for a yes.

She turned back and her lips lifted slightly, "I love walks under the full moon, I would love to." She walked back to him, staying at his side as they made their way to the garden.

"So let me get this straight," Eragon spoke after a moment, "Queen Izlanzadi is your aunt?"

"Indeed, Arya is my cousin." Aris spoke softly, not wanting to disrupt the night.



"Then…are you first in line for the crown?" His brow was furrowed as he thought.

"Yes."

"I thought Arya was…that's was I was told the first time I went to Ellesmera."

"Before this week I was believed to be dead." Aris looked at him with a slight smile.

Eragon just laughed, "That's true." He blushed slightly.

They walked in silence, Aris staring at the scenery under the moonlight and often times the moon itself. Eragon, staring more at her, it seemed vain but he couldn't remember ever seeing a more perfect being. She looked so peaceful, with a hidden strength lurking underneath the surface; he was ashamed almost for falling so quickly under her spell.

His eyes opened wide, what about Arya; he had been trying to court her for so long…if he attempted to court her cousin…what would his superiors think…what would Arya think. He tore his gaze from Aris and looked the other way, why did this woman have to be her cousin! Sighing he scraped his boot in the dirt, he would just have to see how things played out. Perhaps this was just a fluke, perhaps he wouldn't like talking with her…hopefully.

"It's beautiful tonight." Aris spoke, recapturing his attention, she had paused a few steps ahead of him. Her hand was resting lightly on the trunk of a willow tree she was standing under and she was gazing up at the sky. "I'm glad you asked for my company, I would have missed this otherwise."

"You would not have walked alone?" Eragon's brow furrowed and he tried his hardest to not stare at her willowy frame.

Her smile however drew his full attention, her entire face changed with her smile, brightened almost. "I would not have been allowed."

"What? Why not? I can feel the power from you." Eragon laughed slightly again, "I guess Orin is a little overprotective isn't he."

"Little is an understatement, he told me I needed three guards with me at all times if I was outside, the only concession he made was unless I was with one of the riders." She moved from under the tree, and walked towards an old oak, bent with age and twisted to the side to form a bench, smooth from years of weather. She sat down and drew her knees to her, slipping her shoes off.

"Yet I'm so comfortable here." She continued, "Outside alone, with nothing to do but watch, I long for Du Weldenvarden so much."

Eragon slowly sat down beside her, "How did you mask that accent?" He asked quietly, her tongue had rolled over the great forests' name like music.



"I'm surprised you caught it, mine is so slight compared to Arya's, it only appears when I'm upset or angry, the slavers took it as a lisp, none of them knew better." She glanced his way, eyes soft and calm.

"I do have the hearing of an elf." Eragon joked, "I suppose I'm just attuned to it though, I miss Ellesmera too, I leave for there in a few days if nothing arises here."

Her head turned his way swiftly, "And…is anyone accompanying you?"

He looked down at her wide open eyes, "I think Murtagh and Roran are, so Katrina as well."

"I could come then? I want to see home again, I could ride with Murtagh…" Her face became thoughtful and Eragon's brow furrowed at the sudden feeling of jealousy.

"Or, you could ride with me." He spoke up, berating himself when his voice sounded hopeful.

"Of course, if you don't mind, I simply thought that Murtagh wouldn't mind, since we rode together to Katrina's village friends."

"Oh, well Saphira is larger, easier for her to carry two people," He shrugged, attempting nonchalance, "Not that you would be too heavy, I mean you're a stick." His eyes widen slightly as he heard himself speak, he turned to her and waved his hands slightly, "No, I mean, you're thin, a good thin, well I mean you could be…no I mean 'cause you are still to thin from the slave camp, but you're still not as thin as you were, not that you were-" He closed his eyes and shook his head, "Never mind." He sighed.

He jumped when she touched his arm, his eyes opened to meet hers. The blue was warm and laughing, "Thank you, I think I shall ride with you, I mean I wouldn't want Nasuada to think Murtagh was courting me." A slight knowing smile spread on her lips and Eragon grinned in embarrassment, he looked away with pink tinged cheeks.

"So," He cleared his throat, "What is it that you miss the most?"

"Mm," She looked at the sky thoughtfully, "The trees and the flowers, the animals and smells, the laughter and the song, but most of all I miss the people."

"You speak in poems." He murmured watching her, caught up for a moment in how the stars reflected in her eyes.

"That was no poem!" She shook her head, raven hair swirling around her shoulders. "I'm surprised Faolin isn't here, he was always with my cousin."

"Oh…um well, he and her other guard, they both were killed." He swallowed as he said that, watching regretfully as her shoulders stiffened.



After a moment she spoke very softly, "How many more have been lost." Eragon had no idea what to d; he reached out to her hesitantly but withdrew quickly. Finally the wall of hair was shifted by her small hand over her shoulder and her eyes looked up at him.

"Tell me, do you train with Togira Ikonoka?" Her gaze was penetrating as she watched his expression.

"Yes." He said after a moment's hesitation, "You know of the cripple who is whole?"

"He was my mentor as well, I'm glad he is still among the living, he is…very close to my heart. He must tire though, training three of you. Especially in swordplay, I've heard you were quite the master."

Eragon chuckled, "I hold my own, but we do not face him in combat of strength, I train with Venir, a different elf."

"Venir!" Her eyes lit up, "I remember him so well, such a sore loser."

"You know him?" Eragon looked at her in shock.

"Mm, yes, I trained against him with my daggers, much to everyone's amusement; I used to disarm his rather quickly. And Lifaen, he trained me in the ways of nature. Vinakyn helped me learn to track, to pick up the subtle hints people leave behind." Her eyes were far away as she remembered.

"Faolin is alive as well, I've met him, as for Vinakyn, I don't think I've ever met him." She turned back to him and graced him with a slight smile.

"That's all right, I'm glad with the information you've given me. I don't think I've been this talkative in quite some time." She retrained her gaze on the sky, "I daresay nobody will recognize me."

"I didn't after even a few days," Eragon laughed, "I'm sure it will be a pleasant surprise though."

"Yes, I hope so, though a feast does not sound like fun." She sighed, "Tell me Shadeslayer, how did you receive your name?"

Eragon grinned, "It's a long story, but if you want to hear it…" He looked at her and she nodded, turning to face him. "Well, when I first arrived in-"

"'Scuse me Milady, Shadeslayer." The rough voice of a palace guard interrupted his story. They both turned behind them to see an armored man bowing deeply.

"What is it that you need?" Aris asked politely. It occurred to Eragon that compared to her voice just then she had been comfortable talking to him, not formal like she had the first time they had spoken. The thought made him grin to himself.

"King Orin requests your presence Lady Aris; he wishes to speak to you." He stood but kept his head bowed in respect.



"Ah…well then I shall take my leave. Thank you." She excused the guard and he walked to the castle entrance, waiting to show her the way. "Thank you as well Eragon Shadeslayer, this has been a pleasant evening. Perhaps we shall have the opportunity to talk again." She was standing now, shoes in her hand.

"I'd like that." He grinned and stood, bowing and kissing her hand. He held her gaze and he thought he saw a light pink touch her cheeks before she curtsied and turned away.

"Until another time." She called over her shoulder and crossed the garden. Eragon simply watched her walk, a resigned and satisfied smile pulling at his lips. When she disappeared through the doors he sat down with a grin, leaning against the tree trunk, shaking his head. Already he could see, this girl had captured him.

o0o0o0o

A/n: I know it's been centuries since I updated, believe it or not my summer has been busier than my school schedule was! Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it and please inspire me with your reviews!