Well, I'm not dead. No, really. I was only buried alive under a few tons of RL.
And the story isn't abandoned either. If the new chapter isn't there yet, it should be by the time you're done reading this note. Far too many months, a few headaches, RL crap, a writer's block, and a plothole later. Can you believe that I had it already ready to post back in November, when I noticed the Big Ugly Plothole of Doom, at the very last instant? Yeah :/ Two months to fix that alone.
But on to the good news: There'll be regular updates! For an entire month! I thought on a weekly basis? Where I live, it's Sunday, so let's say, (barring stupid FF. net deciding to refuse my uploads or something, I think it's a little unstable, currently) every Sunday there'll be a new update, throughout February, until we are done with Helgrind and the first story climax. How does that sound, as a small attempt to make amends on my part?
It's possible because I had to split 'Choices' into four parts, as it turned out to be a monster – 35k words or 80(!) pages in Word. Completely crazy.
Anyway, below's also a synopsis of what happened so far, if you don't want to re-read it all; since I'm assuming most have forgotten what happened. At least, that's what usually happens to me when reading stories.
Also, SocialBunny, if you're reading this … I'd still like you to Beta read the story, assuming you want to. You've been invaluable. Drop me a note?
Synopsis of chapters 1 through 4
Two and a half week have passed since Eragon Arya have left the Varden at the Burning Plains – with their friendship mended again, and Elva healed.
Equipped with a new sword, a gift from Nasuada that once belonged to her father, Eragon and Arya fly on Saphira's back first to Tronjheim, following the dwarves cortège and attending the burial for King Hrothgar afterwards. From the Beor Mountains, they continue in a direct line to Helgrind, to fulfil Eragon's promise to Roran and rescue Katrina. Roran, despite his angry protests, remained behind, as Arya was adamant on accompanying Eragon (reasoning that she is more capable than Roran, and that Roran might act rash and irrational, jeopardising their lives); and Saphira could not carry more than three persons.
While Arya muses about Eragon, Saphira spots soldiers in the distance, and Arya and Eragon use the cover of a forest to scout their intentions. They find them to be burning down the little village of Rak, which leads to a disagreement between. She reminds him of their mission and wants to use the time the soldiers are occupied to escape unseen, but Eragon can't watch the soldiers killing the villagers and burning down the town, remembering Carvahall.
He ignores Arya and enters the village, fighting the soldiers and saving many villagers. Arya joins him, as she will not let him fight alone, but their intervention have consequences when a magician accompanying the soldiers is able to escape, presumably bringing knowledge of the incident to King Galbatorix.
In a bad mood, all three companions go to sleep that night, until Arya challenges him to a duel a day later, over which they settle their differences. Eragon apologises, but explains why he reacted that way, telling her the story of Carvahall. Arya responds by telling him how she lost her father, the Elven King Evandar, to show him that she understands; but that his actions still were rash. Eragon promises her to not take any more unnecessary risks – for her sake.
Despite the additional risk of the spy on the loose, they continue, cautiously flying a small circuit, and reach Helgrind a few days later. Upon their arrival, they get into a heavy storm. Unnatural thick thunderclouds are spreading from Helgrind, so thick that it is as dark as in the middle of the night; and when Saphira crashes, but luckily comes out almost unharmed, it is clear that they cannot enter Helgrind the way they thought – the rapidly changing currents are too strong for Saphira to fly them up to the entrance.
Eragon tries to reach Katrina with his mind, but it doesn't work; in fact, he almost loses himself in Helgrind and Saphira panics as for an instance their bond is severed – not like when they are very far apart, but completely. For her, Eragon was gone. Arya saves him, without explaining how she did it.
As Arya finds a way up, they leave Saphira behind and start to climb on the mile-high mountain, aided and shielded by their magic. After a few close calls, they arrive safely on top after six hours of climbing, splitting up and searching for the entrance. Eragon finds an eerie forest of stone that strangely enough holds a single flower in its centre that seems to call to him, and he takes a petal of it with him. Arya, in turn, found and followed the trace of the last, green, dragon egg.
However, while they are separated, it becomes apparent that Helgrind has a strange reaction to all things magic, severely hampering their ability to reach one another with their minds; as well as feeling unnatural, cold and just all around wrong. The forest invokes an impalpable fear in Eragon; and he is glad to meet up with Arya again.
She shows Eragon the trail, a faint, almost unnoticeable, residue of magic. Eragon marvels that she didn't miss it, but Arya tells him that for her, it's easy, since she grew up surrounded by magic in Ellesméra – and Eragon realises he still has much to learn.
They follow the trail along, through one peak of Helgrind and onto a narrow ledge, from where they can see the entrance of a cave – the place they have been searching for. However, in between is nothing – no handhold, no place to rest their feet – and so, Eragon jumps.
A sudden gust of wind steers him off track, and misses, falling down from Helgrind. He uses magic to slow his fall, but there is no way back up. He asks Arya to continue searching, and she promises that she will find Katrina. Eragon, however, struggles to continue the slowing down, as the energy needed is eventually too much for him and he loses consciousness.
When he wakes again, Saphira has taken care of him, and more than three days have passed. Arya hasn't returned. Eragon waits for her anxiously, and she finally returns – four and a half days after they started to climb Helgrind. She is completely exhausted, and almost collapses. Eragon takes care of her, and they share a quiet moment under Saphira's wing, until eventually she starts to tell him about the cave – and how she found nothing, only wandering around in circles through a maze, always ending back up at the cave. Agitated, she swears to find Katrina, to redeem herself, and Eragon, seeing how important it is for her, relents.
He gets her to rest, at least for a day, and while she sleeps, he ponders Arya's fate. The next morning (the dark still hasn't let up), they decide to try their luck in Dras-Leona, where, Arya reasons, the priests of the cathedral worshipping Helgrind should have more information.
However, the gates are closed, and they are denied entrance, and when Arya's attempt to use her elfin nature and bewitch the guard to open the gate for her fails, due to a spell under which the guard has been put, she realises she has to use the last resort and destroys the guards mind, since she has no time to break the spell gently.
Now free to enter the town, they start walking towards the cathedral.