Kristen159: No, it isn't the end. :) I'm not a one book kind of person.
Antclift: I didn't do most of the usually commentary because I was eager for BloodFire to be done and to move onto the next book. :)
Oblit1519: :) That would have required descriptive ability that far beyond me.
Eragon fastened the broach that held his cape to his neck, looking at himself in a mirror. Nearly a month had passed since he rose to his position as King, but his coronation had narrowly been able to be that day, on account of Orik's arrival. Orik had arrived that morning, along with the Elves and the men he had invited to his coronation. While they were coming, Eragon had been exploring Doru Araeba. No throne existed on the island, but Vroengard had many great halls and building that had been built with dragons in mind, and so he had known finding a suitable throne room would not be difficult.
Arya approached from behind him, long raven hair flowing down her back. She wore a long gown of russet and gold. A band of silver rested on her head. "You have done well," she said as she took the back of his tunic and began straightening it.
"I would not have been able to do so without you and Saphira and Aesire. I did not strike the final blow and yet, here I stand about to be rewarded for a task that was not my own."
"Aesire is guided by more than his mind. He saw the future, Eragon. And who knows how that changed him."
"True," he said as he looked out into the lavishly decorated hall, wherein stood hundreds of men, dwarfs and elves. A few Kull stood at the back of the room waiting for the ceremony to begin, the chairs being too small for them. He looked back at the mirror to see what he looked like. He saw a man dressed in a tunic made for a King, a sword of iridescent sapphire buckled at his waist, a circlet of gold on his forehead. He saw a King. Then for a single instant he saw himself as he had been; a farmer living in one of the smallest cities in the Empire and for a moment he felt a sense of sorrow and yearning for his old life. Then he straightened his shoulders and thought, Brom. Garrow. Murtagh. I swear on the blood I have shed that I will rule the land as if you stood beside me. I will not tarnish your memory by becoming another dictator.
A set of silver trumpets winded and a sound of cloth shuffling came as everyone sat. Eragon raised a hand out to Arya, who took it and smiled at him.
"Who would have thought that this would come to be?"
"I do not know who; but I am glad they did."
The two of them stepped forward into the throne room. Thousands of eyes lay upon them as they slowly stepped forward to the two thrones that sat on the far end of the hall. At the end of the hall stood Nasuada, Dathedr, Aesire and Orik. Each of them was dressed in their finest clothing, with bands of gold, silver, and platinum on their brows, save for Aesire, who wore only his regular clothing and no crown. Eragon felt the crushing of tiny petals under his feet as he stopped before the four figures and two thrones.
Nasuada spoke, her voice echoing in the hall with a great cadence as the trumpets ceased their blowing. "A hundred years ago, Galbatorix overthrew the Riders, overthrew Alagaesia, in his insatiable hunt for power. Two years ago, the man we had longed for the arrival of first showed himself in Farthen Dur. A month ago, that man over came such adversity to free Alagaesia from Galbatorix's clutches. The race of man has accepted him unyieldingly as their new leader." Then she stepped back and Orik took her place.
"I was present when Eragon and Arya first appeared under Farthen Dur. Indeed I saved this Rider from drowning in the falls. When I learned what he was, I was dismayed that our Rider was a farm boy who had never even seen, let alone wielded, a sword before. However, under the magic of the elves, a farm boy became a Rider to surpass all others that came before him. It was not easy to do, but the race of dwarfs has accepted him as their new leader." He stepped back and Dathedr took his place.
"When Arya was kidnapped and taken toGileadby the black Shade Durza, the elves feared the worst and withdrew all support from the Varden. I am not ashamed to say that it was one of the most foolish things that the elves have ever done. But then she returned to us from the grave we had placed her in without a second thought, not bearing a single ill feeling for our kind. Now she is our Queen and she has given her favor to this man, Eragon Shadeslayer, Rider and King. So the elves will do likewise. The race of Elves has accepted him unyieldingly as our new leader."
He stepped back and for a longish while Arya and Eragon stood, waiting. Then Aesire stepped forward and said, "Kneel."
Eragon and Arya sank to the floor. For nearly a minute they knelt there until Aesire drew his sword and placed the tip of it on Eragon's forehead. "Eragon, son of Brom. Slayer of Shades. Rider of Dragons. Destroyer of Galbatorix. To you have the Three Races of Alagaesia chosen to take the mantle of lordship and led them into the Era of Peace. Do you accept this freely, with nothing pushing your decision in either direction?"
"I do," Eragon said.
"Do you therefore swear to uphold the honor and integrity of the Three Races; to place their desires above your own and to disregard any selfish idea which should occur to you?"
"I swear this."
Aesire gestured with one hand at a child holding a pillow several yards away. The boy hastened over and held the pillow out to Aesire. Resting on the cushion was a crown of such magnificence that it left Eragon breathless. A blue dragon twisted around one side of the crown, writhing with spectral fire directed downward to a minuscule landscape below. On the other side of the crown writhed a red dragon, twisted in an identically pattern as the blue. Instead of breathing fire to the ground, the red dragon reared up to the sky and released its fiery torrent to the skies above. The crown was so detailed Eragon could see lines of vapor from the evaporated clouds.
A cold tingling entered Eragon. The night before Hola had joined the Varden, he had had a dream brought on by the black clad man and in that dream he had seen a banner baring that same scene. Is this the first step towards that day?
During this observation Eragon said in such a low voice as to be inaudible to all but Arya and Aesire, "I have a question, Aesire."
"Chances are I have an answer."
"You said during our fight with Galbatorix that you used ShadowLight to instruct yourself to set the trap in his throne room."
"And so I did."
"Yet when we were marching to Uru'baen you said you could not use magic. So then, how did you cast ShadowLight?"
"I did say that, didn't I," Aesire said with a smirk. "Do you remember reading the Book of ShadowLight, Eragon?"
"Aye."
"'In order to cast this spell you must offer up a very piece of the fabric of your existence. Whether it be an offering of your flesh or your ability to cast magic does not matter.' I offered up my power over magic to cast that spell. Thus, I cannot use magic now."
Eragon fell silent as Aesire lifted his circlet from his brow and took the crown from the child. "With that vow taken," he said to the waiting crowd. "I now crown you in the manner of your predecessors." And he placed the crown onto Eragon's head, positioning it so that the blue and red dragons were equal. Next he stepped to Arya. "Arya, daughter of Islanzadí. Slayer of Shades. Queen of the Elves. Mate of Eragon. To you have the Three Races of Alagaesia chosen to be their Queen. Do accept this freely, with nothing pushing your decision in either direction?"
"I do," Arya said.
"Do you accept then, to stand by Eragon until his rule is at an end and even thereafter to provide the future Kings and Queen with your knowledge and insight, as First Queen of Alagaesia?"
"I do swear this."
Aesire gestured for another child, this one from the opposite side as the last. The girl lifted her pillow to Aesire. Aesire took the circlet from Arya's brow and lifted the crown from the cushion. Her crown matched Eragon's in magnificence. The crown had been wrought from the finest of emeralds. The gem had been altered somehow, so that shapes and outlines were visible. From the outlines Eragon could glen the scene of Saphira plummeting to the ground
If only that day had been so glorified, Eragon thought.
"With that vow taken, I crown you now in the manner of your predecessors." He took a step back and let his voice boom forth "Rise, King and Queen of Alagaesia."
Eragon and Arya stood and ascended the steps to the two raised thrones of polished gold with padding of the finest cloth the elves could make. They stopped before the thrones, turned, took each other's hands, and sat on their respective seats. Aesire looked out at the hundreds of Men, Dwarfs, Elves and Urgals and raised his arms out to either side. "Hail, your new King and Queen!"
The people in the hall erupted into cheers. The dwarfs banged their feet on the ground, the men shouted with joy and elves sang songs of prosperity and peace. Eragon was surprised with the enthusiasm the people before him put into praising their ascension. After nearly ten minutes of cheering, Eragon rose his hand and they fell silent.
"My people," he said, his voice stronger than he thought it would have been. "Today marks the beginning of an Age of Peace. A Golden Era to surpass all others before it. This day belongs to all peoples; dwarf, elf, human and Urgal. Let us celebrate it as it should be! Galbatorix is dead, the Riders live and Alagaesia is free!" He lifted his arm out as the people began cheering again. Servants brought out food and drink and for many hours, they ate and drank. The men tested themselves against each other with wrestling matches, sword fighting and drinking contests. The elves preformed many songs as the hours drained away towards morning. And when the day had turned to night, and the moon was high in the sky Eragon stood and bid the party to sleep. He went to the room in the highest part of Vroengard and slept in the mighty bed the elves had sung for him when they had arrived.
And so ends BloodFire. Not the most graceful ending I've ever made. I'll have chapter 1 of book two put up in a week or two.