Chapter Eighteen
The Tale of the River Dragons
Disclaimer: See Chapter One
For the rest of his life, Aragon could never remember what transpired after Galbatorix stabbed him through the heart.
He only remembered Thelduin's plea for him not to give up, and not to die on her.
The rest was blackness.
Insensate, thoughtless, emotionless, blackness.
Thelduin stared at her rider, lying sprawled in the bloody mud, unmoving, with Galbatorix's envenomed blade embedded in his heart.
A grating, pitiful, mewing sob escaped Thelduin as she collapsed to the dirt.
She didn't even remember the girl, who'd been on her back, who jumped clear as Thelduin fell, only to be grabbed by Vrael.
Answers were still needed regarding her.
Thelduin didn't care, she couldn't feel her rider, her mind felt as if half of it had been ripped away, leaving only darkness where it should've been.
'Thelduin,' said Eragon softly, laying a hand on Thelduin's shoulder.
Thelduin drew a deep, shuddering breath, and looked at Eragon with tear streaked eyes.
She didn't see grief in Eragon's gaze, but determination.
What do you want? Asked Thelduin, unable to set aside her grief.
'Pick up his body Thelduin, then come stand with Bid'Daum and me, we will take you to a place where you may be able to save your rider, but it will all be down to you.' Said Eragon slowly and seriously.
Wordlessly, Thelduin did so, then walked to stand by Bid'Daum as Eragon informed Vrael to tend to Dorian's and Seithrena's bodies.
In equal silence, Eragon laid a hand on Thelduin's and Bid'Daum's forelegs, and then they vanished with a crack!
Thelduin felt like she was being rammed through a hole in a wall a fraction of her size, and could only imagine the feeling was worse for Bid'Daum, who was so much larger than her.
When they reappeared, they were a long way from Ilirea.
Where are we? Asked Thelduin, awed despite herself, as she laid Aragon's body on a small rock shelf.
This is River's Meet. Said Bid'Daum in a reverent tone.
And what is so significant about this place? Asked Thelduin, beginning to suspect Eragon of simply bringing her to this place to grieve.
Without warning, Bid'Daum took control of Thelduin's mind, and she was assaulted by the memory of a tale Bid'Daum had been told by the elder dragons of nearly two-thousand-five-hundred-and-ninety-four years previously.
Watch and listen closely youngling, and you will see. Said Bid'Daum
Bid'Daum shifted restlessly as he waited for the ancient brown dragon before him to begin his tale, finding out all this about his heritage, and the history of his people was immensely interesting, but he wanted to be flying with Eragon more.
Be still, young one, The Tale of the River Dragons is long, and one of the most important tales of our people, and you would do well to heed my telling. Said the old dragon, somewhat amused by his student's restlessness.
Then the dragon begun the tale:
Long ago, when this land was young, after the Grey Folk bound magic to their tongue, and we were the sole custodians of this land, save the dwarves, there was a great dragon, in his prime, who held a vast territory, over the great forest to the north, all the way to the desert of the south.
His name was Ramr, for he named that river for himself.
Despite his strength, which was legendary, and despite his great cunning, and the lustre of his scales, for which many dragonesses that shared his territory long wished to have him as a mate for, Ramr was as yet without a mate, and ignored the advances of every dragoness, preferring instead to try and woo a dragoness who's territory overlapped his at a small spring, who's name was Äenora.
No matter what Ramr tried, Äenora never payed heed to Ramr's advances.
One day however, it came to pass that another young dragon, Jiet by name, claimed the spring as his own.
Ramr was content to let the young dragon have the spring, and for a time afterward, all was peaceful.
Then, one unfortunate day, Äenora fell in love with Jiet, and a short time afterwards, bore Jiet a clutch of eggs.
The next time Ramr tried to woo Äenora, she told him that Jiet was her mate.
Ramr flew into a blind rage, and Äenora fled before him, not wishing to face mighty Ramr in a fight, and soon came to the spring, which was the heart of Jiet's territory.
From there, Jiet flew out and fought with Ramr, but he was still young, while Ramr was in his prime, and he grievously wounded Jiet, who was forced to flee, until he came at last to the south, far from Ramr's territory, where he lived for the rest of his days, and carved out a new territory for himself, naming the river at it's heart the Jiet, after himself.
Äenora however, stood firm at the spring before Ramr, galvanized to defend her eggs from Ramr's wrath.
The battle they fought at that spring was titanic, but in the end, Äenora was beaten, her body broken by Ramr in his fury, who proceeded to smash her eggs for good measure.
When Ramr finally calmed down, he saw what he had wrought and was wracked with guilt and grief.
With a mournful roar, he cast aside his mortal self, and bound himself to the river he'd named for himself, binding Äenora to a river to the north in the same manner.
The spring, ever-after was known as River's Meet, and to this day, Ramr's pain at what he did lingers in that place, and ever he and Äenora have returned to lend aid to those parted before their time, so as to prevent such pointless destruction from ever occurring again.
Bid'Daum frowned in confusion.
Why is this place called 'River's Meet' then? He asked.
The old dragon chuckled, because, that was where that star-cross'd pair first met. He said.
And, what does it mean 'lend aid to those parted before their time, so as to prevent such pointless destruction from ever occurring again'?' Asked Bid'Daum.
It means, that if ever a dragon, who has lost one they hold dear to some heinous act, or simply to ill fortune, and if their feelings are deep enough, the lingering memory of Ramr's crime, and Äenora's sacrifice often are enough to allow us to perform inexplicable feats. Answered the old dragon, and despite Bid'Daum's pestering, he couldn't get a clearer answer from the old dragon.
Bid'Daum released Thelduin's mind, and Thelduin looked around the clearing with a new eye, noting that no grass grew in the clearing, and the waters of the spring were mirror still, while rocks were strewn everywhere, as if from a fight.
Then Thelduin looked down at Aragon's corpse, and her emotions hit fever pitch.
No edit, except for the chapter number.
No One-liners.