Chapter Twenty
Heading For Home
Disclaimer: See Chapter One
Thelduin and Aragon watched the sun rise together, then Aragon snapped straight to their current predicament.
Thelduin, I am weary, so hungry that this standing stone is starting to look tasty, and so thirsty I could drink the Ramr river dry, and along with that, I'm in need of a bath, do you think you could lend me your strength so I don't die of exhaustion? Asked Aragon.
Aragon, you're dramatising; yes, you are weary, I can feel it, yes you need a bath, I can smell it, and yes you are hungry and thirsty, this I can also feel, the only reason you feel it so acutely is because you are readjusting to your body, and to life once more. Explained Thelduin, with a hint of a amusement, and a low chuckle.
But still, she lent him her strength, and Aragon stood, shivering from being soaked through, but still, he picked up the unhatched dragon egg once more.
What shall we do with this egg? Asked Aragon of Thelduin.
We will take this one with us, his sire and dam are long dead by many centuries, dead even before the coming of the elves, there is nothing for that egg here. Said Thelduin, refusing to elaborate.
She had no wish to recount the Tale of the River Dragons, and she had a feeling it was a piece of dragon lore that she could only reveal to another of her kind.
She also suspected that Eragon had only brought her to River's Meet on nothing more than Bid'Daum's advice.
Heeding Thelduin, Aragon quickly placed the egg in his saddle bags.
Afterward, he found a stony depression in the ground, and coalesced the rain water from the night before into the ground, until the small hollow was full.
At his word, the water was hot enough to bathe in.
Thelduin set out to hunt for food, but before she did, Aragon removed a fresh change of clothes from his saddle bags.
It would've been suicide to put on his soaked clothes again, and he was damned if he was going to sit out in the wilds, completely naked waiting for Thelduin to return.
He washed quickly, not wanting the water to chill, washing the dried mud from his hair and body.
While he was doing this, he noted that his muscles were more prominent, and corded, a far cry from the underfed, skin-and-bones urchin he'd been not seven months previously.
Along with that, he had a new scar, directly over his heart.
It was still red with inflammation, and was sore to touch, but was little more than a slightly glossy, smooth patch of skin, slightly more prominent than the surrounding tissue.
It was the scar of where Galbatorix had stabbed him, and Aragon knew that he would bear that scar for as long as he lived.
Aragon dried quickly when he finished bathing, and quickly pulled on his dry clothes, before drying out his boots with a quick improvised spell.
His vision flashed grey as he was forced to delve into his own meagre supply of energy, and he barely had the energy to finish dressing.
He managed, and lit a fire, before releasing his bath water to drain away back into the soil.
When Thelduin returned, the fire was crackling merrily, and Aragon had even rigged a small stove, so he could cook the meat.
Thelduin obliged, and quickly hacked a chunk of meat off of her kill with her talons, Aragon was fairly sure the kill was a boar, but he couldn't tell, because it was half eaten, and missing it's head.
He speared the meat on a long skewer from his camping gear, and placed it over the smouldering coals, before turning his attention to their surroundings.
Off to the north-east, he could make out, from practically due north, to the eastern horizon, Du Welden Varden, but from the north westward, he could make out tanned grassland, with the odd stream, copse of trees and hills.
The heartlands of the Broddring Kingdom.
To the south-east, he could just make out on the horizon the Ramr river, and beyond that, the Hadarac desert.
Southward was lake Isenstar, and westward was the Great Plain.
We're pretty much, more or less exactly, lost in the approximate middle of bloody nowhere. Summarised Aragon to Thelduin sourly.
He drank his water-skin half dry before his breakfast was cooked, and he finished the meat almost simultaneously with Thelduin.
Oh, that was a marvellous meal. Said Thelduin, as she stretched herself in the early morning sun.
So, what do we do now? Head back to Ilirea, or get a day or two of rest before we head back? Asked Aragon of Thelduin.
I think we should contact Eragon, and inform him that you're once more alive and well, and after that we should proceed back to Ilirea, although, we could take our time, this is pretty much the first time we've been left to ourselves for any length of time, I also think we should use this time to get to know each other. Replied Thelduin.
I'm sure you didn't intend that to sound as wrong as it did. Joked Aragon, allowing a small smile to creep onto his face.
The whistling of Thelduin's tail-mane through the air was the only warning he got, before Thelduin decked him across the back of the head with it, knocking him, for the second time that day, face first into the mud.
That evening, they were many leagues from River's Meet, following a small road southward.
When they stopped, the first thing Aragon did was take a small mirror from Thelduin's saddle bags, and draw some of Thelduin's strength, before breaching the barrier in his mind, and entering the magic.
'Draumr kòpr,' intoned Aragon, along with a variation of the spell that allowed him to communicate with others at a distance, while picturing Eragon in his mind.
The mirror's surface went black, then resolved into a scene of Eragon and Bid'Daum, sitting in a large room by themselves.
'Ebrithil.' Said Aragon clearly, and saw Eragon jerk around, and look directly at whatever his surroundings were projected on, presumably a mirror of some description.
He ran over, drew his wand, and muttered an incantation to himself, and the wand tip flared to light, and he peered into whatever he used for scrying communication, and looked at Aragon closely.
'By all the magic in Alagaësia…' Said Eragon, and Aragon, for the first time in his life, saw an adult elf dumbstruck.
'You're alive…how is this- no magic can bring back the dead…' Said Eragon, mostly to himself.
'Glad to see you too master.' Said Aragon with a hint of sarcasm.
Eragon shook his head. 'I'm sorry Aragon, but I didn't quite believe that Thelduin would be able to invoke a resurrection, it is good to see you alive once more, you'll probably be glad to hear you've got the Riders in an uproar, Vrael has sent every Rider without an apprentice, or on stand-by rider on a witch hunt, they're looking for Galbatorix, your 'murderer', and also Dorian's murderer; aside from that, Vrael, Dalemore, Oromis and Elmïra are currently seeing to Dorian's and Seithrena's bodies; but enough about what's going on here, please, tell me, how are you alive, after being stabbed in the heart with an envenomed blade?' Asked Eragon.
Aragon shrugged. 'You've got me master, you'd have to ask Thelduin, or master Bid'Daum, Thelduin did the deed, but according to her, Bid'Daum is the one who convinced her too, but your guess is as good as mine as to how; on another note, when I did come back round, I found a dragon egg next to me, and according to Thelduin, it's parents were dead before the elves came across the sea, what should we do with it? Bring it back to Ilirea with us, or leave it in the wild, and let the dragon within forge out it's own destiny?' Asked Aragon.
Eragon cocked his head and considered.
'Bring it back with you, if it's parents have been dead that long, and you found that egg at River's Meet, it's probably better if this dragon were to become a member of our order, Bid'Daum hasn't deigned to tell me the tale behind River's Meet, but I do know that most dragons avoid the place, also, proceed back here as fast as you can, your survival of this debacle is going to cause mayhem, as Vrael has already told everyone you're dead, I'll pass on news of your survival, but you'll have to get back here soon. Remain unseen, when you get to Ilirea, sneak in, and come find me first, it would be unfortunate if you met someone who recognized you, and thought you were a necromancer's puppet or some such; I shall check in on you if there is a development, or if Vrael wishes to speak with you' Said Eragon.
'Yes master, as you wish.' Said Aragon, then terminated the spell.
Looks like we'll be taking the long road home. Aragon commented to Thelduin.
Look on the bright side, you've got that much more time to recover your strength. Said Thelduin brightly.
I hardly think travelling on foot, for leagues on end, at half strength, with only a pair of daggers, a wrist-bow, magic and some rusty martial arts skills, could be considered 'restful.' Replied Aragon with a sigh, then let the matter drop, as he built a small fire, which he lit with a tinder-box to save his and Thelduin's strength.
Stop complaining, and cook yourself something to eat Aragon, we've got a lot of ground to cover tomorrow. Scolded Thelduin as Aragon succeeded lighting the fire, and set about building a stove to cook with.
His meal was cooked quickly, and Aragon ate it quickly, before banking the fire, rolling out his bedding beside Thelduin, taking a last drink, and laid down, ready to sleep.
Sleep, friend-of-my-soul, I will not let any harm befall you while you sleep. Promised Thelduin as she coiled around Aragon.
Within moments, he was asleep.
That night, Aragon dreamt.
He was in a pitch black cave.
In the distance somewhere, a drop of water fell into a still pool, setting off a quiet echo throughout the black silence.
He felt movement behind him, and lashed out blindly with a back-kick, but it met empty air.
'Who's there? Show yourself!' He called, and his voice echoed back, ghostly and mocking.
He walked around blindly, before his foot struck something, which clattered off the stone, producing yet another echo.
From the sound of it, it was wood of some description.
He quickly took up the wood, and set it alight with a muttered 'Brisingr', setting the shadows dancing.
As he turned back around, he found himself facing a pair of solid red eyes-
He jerked awake, drenched in cold sweat, his heart hammering, and in the icy grip of adrenalin.
He panted heavily, looking around wildly, and saw by the stars it was a few hours before dawn.
Beside him, Thelduin stirred awake.
Do not fear Aragon, it was just a dream, nothing more. Soothed Thelduin gently, nudging him with her snout softly.
Aragon wiped his sweaty brow shakily.
Yeah, it was just a dream; still, the night is nearly done, we might as well make the most of an early start.
Again, nothing much changed here, though I think I might've done some correction on some of these chapters a while back, 'cause there aren't as many mistakes as I thought there'd be.
No One-liners.