Twin Sapphires
By
Ragnorokrising
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Chapter Two: Assault
Eragon walked up the stairs of the tree house with his new sword in hand. The elf sword smith had done a marvelous job. He walked inside the tree house and showed it to Brom, Murtagh, and Oromis, who had come for a visit.
Brom took the blade in his hands and examined it. It was the same color of the scales on both Saphira and Sapphira.
Covering the blade was a glossy scabbard of the same dark blue as the scales on the two dragons' backs. The color displayed a slight variegation, like the mottled light at the bottom of a clear forest pond. A piece of blued brightsteel carved in the shape of a leaf capped the end of the scabbard while a collar decorated with stylized vines encircled the mouth. The curved crossguard was also made of blued brightsteel, as were the four ribs that held in place the large sapphire that formed the pommel. The hand-and-a-half hilt was made of hard black wood.
Brom pulled the blade from the hilt and held it up close to his face.
Like the rest of the sword, the blade was blue, but slightly lighter shade; it was the blue of the scales in the hollow of Saphira's and Sapphira's throat rather then their backs. And as it was on all the other swords, the color was iridescent; as Brom moved the sword about, the color would shimmer and shift, displaying any of the many tones of blue present on the two dragons. Through the wash of colors, cable-like patterns within the brightsteel and pale bands along the edge were still visible.
Brom turned and sliced a stone the size of his head in half, sending it spiraling behind him. Saphira chuckled at her joke as she floated back down towards the safety of the ground.
Brom handed the sword to Oromis and ran forward, jumping over the edge of the tower. Saphira soared away, followed by an angry but smiling Brom.
Oromis handed the blade to Murtagh, who gave it back to Eragon, as Brom landed inside and Saphira, now bright pink, and Glaedr stuck there heads inside. Thorn and Sapphira, who were already inside, raised there massive heads.
"What's the sword's name Eragon?" Brom asked him.
Eragon raised the sword in the air, so it caught the candle light in a beautiful way. "This sword's name is Brisingr." they all cringed when the sword lit up in flames. Eragon smiled happily.
"Eragon, did you mean to do that?" Oromis asked, getting a nod from the dragons.
"The fire? No, it happens whenever I say the swords name." he sheathed the swords after the flames disappeared. "Rhunön thinks it's because I put part of my personality into the blade because she used my body to forge it or that I discovered the weapon's true name, or because of both." Brom looked at Oromis.
"Is it time master?" Brom asked.
"I believe it is. I'll contact her immediately." he walked over to Glaedr and climbed onto the saddle. They flew away quickly.
"What are you talking about father?"
"He and I are talking about a very special woman who is called the Swordsinger, a group of master sword fighters to such a degree that they slayed most of the original Ra'zac but lost most of their group in the battle. Now there is only one left and her apprentice."
"And she will teach us sword fighting?" Murtagh asked.
"Yes, and a great deal of it as well." he said. Brom raised his hand and Undrbit flew into his hand. "Until then, I'll begin teaching you her style." he swung the sword in his hand in a circle and brought the sword down the middle of Eragon's chest and swerved at his waist so he curved back upward and slashed his arm.
Brom spun the sword and plunged it into the ground, showing the red lining of the spell they used to stop the blade from cutting.
"Father, why did you do that?"
"To test your reaction time. You have to be able to lop off a head in under a second." he leaned against the pommel and waited for Eragon to run the spell over his blade.
Murtagh watched in amusement as Brom bested Eragon for the rest of the time they practiced.
Eragon went to sleep, battered and bruised, with a splitting headache.
Eragon and Brom trained like this for the next week until Eragon could beat Brom ten times in a row.
"Very good Eragon." he said, as Murtagh and Oromis came in themselves. Murtagh was smiling, so Eragon assumed he had passed the same test by Oromis's hand.
"I have a gift for the two of you." Oromis said. He pulled from the air a belt with several bumps in the leather and cape with several protrusions of its own. "These are the belt and cape of Beloth the Wise, and inside each of them are twelve diamonds that can absorb and store magical energy. You each may choose which you will take."
Eragon reached out for the belt while Murtagh took the cape.
"In an hour, Queen Islanzadí will have every elf in Du Weldenvarden put all there power into the diamonds in the belts and your swords. Then we will do the same for the Eldunarí."
"If I can ask," Murtagh broke in, "why are we arming ourselves so heavily?"
"Because," Brom said, throwing Eragon the sword of his namesake and Murtagh Zar'roc and the sword of Vrail, "in twenty-eight hours, you two and I will fly to Dres-Leona and free Arya."
A bright smile lit up Eragon's face. They all dressed in their best tunics and jumped to the ground, using a simply, low draining spell to float to the ground. They walked to the palace were all the elves were sitting.
Islanzadí made a toast to them and all the elves cheered. Before they could tear into the feast before them, the queen called there attention again.
"As you may know, the Shade Durza has captured your princess, Arya. In a few hours time, Brom, Eragon, and Murtagh will move on Dres-Leona to free her. Eragon now wields the belt of Beloth the Wise, and Murtagh the cape. Since they are so young, I ask you, for my daughter's sake, give them your energy so they can free her."
The scraping of chairs echoed around the large hall as the elves stood up. Energy crackled in the air around Eragon and Murtagh, who could feel the energy around them flowing into the swords and the diamonds. Saphira, Glaedr, Sapphira, and Thorn also contributed there energy to the transfer.
All of the elves fainted, excluding Oromis and Islanzadí. The queen stood up, staggering a tiny bit.
"Please, save my daughter for me. To assist you in this, I have sung these for you." she pulled from beside her two recurve bows with stylized vines engraved in the wood. She pulled from behind the throne two quivers filled with twenty four arrows fletched with goose feathers.
Eragon and Murtagh took a bow and quiver from her. They examined their weapons and strapped them to their backs.
Oromis transferred enough of his energy into the dragons for them to fly up into the tree house.
The giant creatures flew into the air towards the tree house, where they disappeared from sight.
(Next Day)
Eragon finished putting the dragon armor on Sapphira and stepped up into the saddle. The startling blue armor matched her scales perfectly. Saphira wore a similar, larger version, of the armor, and Murtagh wore a red colored that matched the scales on Thorn.
They all got onto the saddles of their dragon, making sure there equipment was secure, and with three loud roars, they flew into the air, towards Dres-Leona.
They flew straight through the night and rested outside of the city for the rest of the day.
At night fall, the three humans put black cloaks with long hoods on and hid there bows and swords on their backs.
They approached the city and snuck in with a train of wagons bringing in supplies.
All around them, soldiers marched and stood guard near important buildings. While Brom and Murtagh surveyed the area they passed, Eragon had eyes only for the giant spire that was the tower where Durza was torturing Arya.
They split up from the train of wagons outside the tower. It wasn't long before they got past the gates and rows of soldiers guarding the place.
They reached a flight of stairs and silently dashed up them. They passed two soldiers, and Eragon lopped off their heads and incinerated their bodies before Brom could stop him.
"Letta!" hissed Murtagh. Eragon froze into an unmoving statue.
"Eragon, get something straight!" Brom said quietly, moving so they were inches apart. "We aren't here to slaughter everyone in the surrounding area. We're here to save Arya, and that's it." Murtagh ended the spell and aloud Eragon to move.
Eragon's hand shook for a moment as he stared down at his sword.
"I have Brisingr." he said, making white fire run up the blade, "And I will save her my way. And if you get in my way, I'll end your life."
There was a hissing noise as the sword swung through the air. Brom's eyes grew wide for a moment before the sword cut through flesh with a sickening slick!
Brom drew open his magic and froze Eragon as Murtagh dropped to a knee, grasping the burning wound. Brom cast a spell that extinguished the flames and
Brom drew open his magic and froze Eragon as Murtagh dropped to a knee, grasping the burning wound. Brom cast a spell that extinguished the flames and healed the wound.
Brom turned on Eragon, shooting his mind forward and obliterating Eragon's mental defenses instantaneously. He forced him to calm down and think more clearly.
Letting the flow of magic stop, Brom reached for Undrbit just incase. Eragon sheathed his blade and nodded. They once more moved through the tower.
When they next came upon soldiers, Eragon drew his sword and muttered something. HE ran forward and spun as he went, slicing them in the stomach. When he stopped behind them and they fell to the ground, he sheathed his sword. Brom started to say something, but Eragon held up a finger to his lips.
"Sh, they're sleeping."
Brom looked at the men. The slash Eragon had hit them with wasn't a death blow; it was laced with magic that put them to sleep.
Eragon taught them the words and they put every soldier they met to sleep. When they were almost to the top, they found Arya's cell. She was chained to a stone table, her dress torn in several places.
Soldiers milled around inside the cell, exactly nine of them. Arya started to struggle against the chains and one of the soldiers went over to her as Eragon nocked an arrow to his bowstring.
The soldier slapped Arya, and she stopped struggling. The arrow flew through the cell door and pierced the throat of the man.
The rest of the soldiers drew their weapons as Eragon handed his bow to his father and marched forward. He knocked the door down with a mighty kick, sending it into the wall.
The soldiers rushed forwards and in a now practiced move, Eragon spun and slashed the men in the stomach. He marched over to Arya after putting his sword away and reached for the chain. He leaned down to see if the man he killed had a key, and a dagger flew over him.
Standing up, Eragon looked at the men. All of them were glowing with a strange red light.
Pulling Darkened Light from its sheath Eragon raised his sword over head as the men came rushing forward. He slashed the first man in half at the waist, then beheaded the next three in a back handed swipe. He ducked under the swing of an ax and pierced the man wielding it through the heart.
The remaining three men ran to jump out the window, but Eragon jumped forward, drawing Brisingr, and impaled two of the men. The third man he cut off at the waist and neck.
He then returned to Arya and slashed the chains to pieces as Brom and Murtagh walked towards him. Eragon picked her up and as he turned towards the door, someone clicked three tongue three times and a billow of black smoke formed at the door.
Durza the shade rose up in front of Eragon.
"And where are you going with my prisoner? I have yet to finish extracting the information I need from her." Eragon started to shake and Brom quickly took Arya for him. Reaching behind his back, Eragon pulled the scabbard of the white and black sword of his back.
He put the sword inside the black leather and raised it high in the air. Outside, something strange filled the air, and the moon turned red. A red beam of light flooded the room.
Eragon's left eye turned white, and his right eye turned black. "Garjzla, deyja wiol eka!" the room grew darker, and colder. The sword turned into a pitch black line. Then it exploded into a dark gray light. The scabbard slid forward and doubled the length of the blade.
Durza pulled a wicked looking sword from thin air, but it paled in comparison to Eragon's weapon.
They ran towards each other and swung there swords.
Durza fell backward to the floor, disappearing in a blast of black smoke. All that was left was the one and a half inch length of metal that remained of his sword.
The scabbard slid back into place and Eragon fell to the floor. He drew energy from Brisingr and Darkened Light, as well as his belt. Soon, he was standing again.
Lifting Arya onto his back, Eragon erected a barrier as three dragons came barreling through the side of the tower wall. They each stepped onto their dragons and flew away.
Brom tilted Saphira towards Sapphira and yelled to Eragon, "We're going to have to go to the Varden! They're closer and we need to consult with Ajihad!"
Eragon recalled all the memories he had of the Varden. He'd spent three years riding back and forth with Arya, so he could one day survive out there on his own and get to know his future allies.
He'd made friends with most every human, and a few of the dwarves. Now that he was a dragon rider, they would be in for a surprise, especially the king of the dwarves, who had offered to spend time with him when Arya was resting or in important meetings.
He smiled excitedly and transferred energy to Sapphira's wings, rocketing forward through the night air.
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A/N: So, I hope you liked this chapter. Send me reviews if you like.
Ancient Language Translation:
Letta- stop
Garjzla, deyja wiol eka- Light, die for me
I'll update as soon as I can.