Chapter 8: Alone
Eragon's eyes snapped open as he felt an increased pressure on his chest. He was greeted by blackness and silence, as it was still the middle of the night. Slowly, as his eyes began to adjust to the darkness, he was able to make out a furry outline of a cat sitting upon his chest. He was also acutely aware of Arya lying next to him with her head on his chest, dreaming contentedly.
He instinctively threw up his mental barriers as he felt a mind reach for his own, but quickly realized his mistake and lowered them when he recognized the consciousness to be that of Solembum, the werecat. In his mind he heard the werecat speak to him, Angela asked me to give you a message, and since I was bored and I figured I might learn something about Eragon the Great's nightly activities…he twitched his tail and stared at Arya…I agreed. His voice held its usual sarcastic tone, but there was also seriousness that Eragon recognized from the first time the werecat had offered him counsel. It was because of that he did not waste his time protesting about Solembum intruding on his rest, he only waited patiently for the werecat to say what he had come to say.
Even though I loath him, Tenga has some qualities that even I deem interesting. I know that you are still trying to figure out what I meant by the Rock of Kuthian and the Vault of souls, and I am bound to not speak of the details regarding them, so Angela thought that you should go and see Tenga. He is the only one who can tell you about what you wish to know.
Eragon was dazed as he heard Soelmbum's advice. He and Saphira had spent many days and nights pondering what the Rock of Kuthian meant, and what exactly the Vault of Souls was. In the morning I shall tell Arya and Saphira of this and then we can leave for Tenga. Thank you Solembum.
No, said the werecat simply.
What?
You cannot inform Arya of this mission. Tenga will be reluctant enough to tell you the details for which you search, but if Arya is present he will undoubtedly refuse to give you any sort of information. He does not trust people.
I trust Arya with my life. That should be enough for him.
Solembum leaped off of Eragon's chest and walked, very slowly, towards the tent flap. On his way out he twitched his tail and said, If you wish to learn about what you seek you will leave her behind. And do not tell her of your mission, for she will follow you regardless of whether you agree to take her or not. And then he was gone.
Eragon lay in his bed considering Solembum's words for a few minutes, holding Arya closely the entire time. He savored the touch of their bodies and wished that it would never end, but he knew that he would have to make a decision, and soon. He roused Saphira with his mind and told her of their predicament.
She gave an extended sigh, obviously unsettled by the situation. She eventually asked, Are you willing to leave Arya here, or not?
We have grown so close, he said, stroking her dark hair softly. I feel as if it would be betraying her trust, to leave her alone here without even telling her where we had flown off to. It could even pull us apart and create more barriers-
Or it could bring you closer together. Maybe if you left she would…realize something.
And what exactly would she realize, pray tell?
Figure it out yourself. Saphira snorted outside, almost waking Arya up.
Eragon stared intently at Arya for a moment longer. She looked so peaceful lying next to him, and he could barely bring himself to abandon her, but he knew what had to be done. He kissed her forehead gently before sliding out of her embrace and standing up. He quickly slipped on a shirt, grabbed his sword, and walked outside. Let's get this over with, Saphira.
And Arya?
We will be leaving her here. I need to talk to Blodhgarm before we set off, however.
He could feel her pride at his decision, despite the underlying dissatisfaction with leaving Arya behind. She and Arya had grown to be good friends, not on the level of Eragon's relationship with her, but it was still nice for Saphira to have someone to talk to other than Eragon. Hurry and have your little chat, then let us leave. The sooner we set out the sooner we can return.
Aye.
Eragon found Blodhgarm aware outside his tent. The guards rotated shifts at night and got in as much sleep as possible, and they also slept during the day sometimes when their charges were occupied and did not require their attention.
The furry elf looked surprised to see Eragon awake. He raised one fuzz-covered eyebrow and waited for Eragon to address him. Eragon didn't waste any time, immediately saying, "Saphira and I were just informed of a matter that we must attend to. We plan to leave now and hopefully, most likely, be back mid afternoon or, at the very latest, before nightfall."
"Who will be accompanying you to ensure your safety?"
"Nobody can come, not even Arya. This is something Saphira and I must do alone. Also, Arya must not learn of where I am going, which is why I am not telling you. If she knew I fear she would chase me." Eragon spoke with a hint of amusement, and he could see that Blodhgarm was amused as well.
"It now seems relevant to inquire as to the details of your interactions. I know that she is currently in your tent, have you become mates?" Blodhgarm spoke slowly and cautiously, picking his words with care so that he did not say something that could be considered offensive. Amongst elves it was considered rude to pry into other people's business.
"We have not. Right now we are just very close friends. I'll give you a better explanation some other time, as Saphira and I need to depart."
"Eragon?" Blodhgarm asked, a confused tone that Eragon had never heard before was present in his voice. "You said that you are only close friends, so why is she sleeping with you. I don't mean to pry into your business, but what you have told me is inconsistent."
"I wonder the same thing, Blodhgarm." Eragon turned his back and walked towards Saphira, offering Blodhgarm a quick farewell.
He jumped up into the saddle and strapped himself in. As soon as he was done Saphira leaped into the sky, taking special care to make the least amount of noise possible, and headed towards the ruins where Tenga resided.
Arya rolled over in bed, feeling oddly cold considering that she was sleeping against Eragon's side. She cracked her eyes open and was puzzled to find herself alone in his sapphire blue tent. Through the thin membrane she could tell that the sun was beginning to rise, and she assumed that he was outside watching the sunrise with Saphira.
She quickly stood up and performed a few daily hygienic routines, including a quick bath by means of magic, before walking out of his tent expecting to see him outside.
Instead of finding Eragon and Saphira where she had expected them, there was a large vacant space where Saphira would usually sleep. Eragon was nowhere in sight. I wonder where they could be…she thought to herself.
She decided that instead of searching around the camp and surrounding areas for them she would just ask Blodhgarm, because she noticed that all of their guards were still at the tent, which likely meant they were flying or they were off on a short hunting expedition.
She approached Blodhgarm and he immediately initiated the elvish greetings with her, to which she replied with the appropriate lines. She then asked, "Where is Eragon, Blodhgarm?"
Blodhgarm eyed her cautiously and said, "He and Saphira left during the night. They said they would be back late today."
"Where did they go?" Arya's voice held a new edge. She was angry with Eragon for leaving her alone, especially without even telling her where he was going.
"He declined to tell me. He said that you would follow him if he told me and you received the information."
Arya felt another flash of anger, but could not deny the truth in the words. "He was correct."
Blodhgarm hesitated briefly, and then asked her cautiously, "Forgive me for prying into your affairs, but what exactly is the extent of your relations with Eragon. He said you were not mates, but that really doesn't tell me much. I wouldn't ask, but it seems that if things like this occur it would be helpful if I knew what position each of you were in."
Arya was reluctant to share any details with the elf, but knew there was no way out of it. "With the recent deaths of Oromis and Glaedr all of my other losses that I had pushed aside have caught up with me. Eragon is helping me through it. His presence is….comforting, and I feel at peace when with him."
"Do you love him?"
"I do not know for sure yet," Arya admitted.
"If you don't mind me saying so…I think you two are perfect together. Plus, half the Varden already think you're together anyway." He smiled slightly, showing several fangs.
Arya chuckled a bit, despite her anger towards Eragon. "Thanks, and please don't remind me of that. It's rather embarrassing." She turned her back without waiting for a reply and walked away, unsure of what exactly she would do for the day.
She quickly remembered that the Varden was marching that day so she didn't really have very many options anyway. After quickly packing up her belongings, and also those of Eragon, she spent the day marching beside Nasuada and Garzvhog.
The few words that she uttered that day were only due to a matter of necessity and because of the demand of her position as ambassador. As the day wore on she found herself missing Eragon's company more and more. Her thoughts started to stray back to the place she had been trying to keep them away from for the entire day: her heart.
It was no longer possible for her to deny that she was indeed in love with Eragon. Even so, the realization complicated things. Up until then their relationship had remained experimental at best, and nobody was sure whether or not it would actually end up working. If she actually took him as a mate it could have two separate effects, each equal in magnitude but opposite in consequences.
One possibility would be that the elves and Varden would approve wholeheartedly of their partnership, which wasn't exactly as likely when it came to the elves, especially on account of Eragon and Saphira's treatment of the Menoa Tree during their last visit to Ellesmera.
The other possibility would be that people would reject their partnership, and that would complicate things exponentially. She knew in her heart that she would stand by Eragon no matter what if they became mates, and she knew without even a second thought that he would do the same for her. Her mother supported their union also, as did their guards. The problem would arise amongst the general population of elves.
All elves were aware of the few elf-human couples over time, and of their tragic endings. What remained to be seen was if the elves would accept Eragon as one of their own, or if they would still consider him a human, as she had for a time. An idea struck her. We could easily dispel this possibility if Eragon did something significant that would impact a great number of the elves. The problem of precisely what he could do to achieve that then arose, but she quickly solved that problem too. Oromis and Glaedr's funeral is scheduled for this winter. Eragon is going to have to speak there anyway…what if we waited until after the funeral to publicly confirm rumors about us being together.
The thought of using two of her closest friends' funeral for her own gain began to sicken her and she would have thrown the idea out and started over if the mind of a certain dragon hadn't touched her mind gently. Glaedr? she asked, astonished that Eragon had left him behind. Her discovery of Glaedr only increased her rage at Eragon's actions early that morning.
Don't be so mad at the hatchling. He is only doing what he has to. If you really must know, it was not his wish to leave you behind and he did it with the utmost regret.
You know this how? And why are you here and not with Eragon?
Eragon left me here because he wanted me to keep an eye on you, so that I could tell you where he was if something went wrong. And I know of this because Eragon told me of it. I trust him now to take care of himself, Glaedr paused for a moment, then added, as long as Saphira is with him.
A slight smile came to Arya's lips from Glaedr's humor. Why did you contact me then? And where in Alagaesia is Eragon?
Eragon should be coming back soon. Don't think about going after Eragon, Arya. If he is not back on time I will tell you everything. I promise. Arya gave Glaedr a reluctant acknowledgment, and waited for him to explain the second part of her question, which he did after a short moment's pause. Also I contacted you because I overheard your recent thoughts, you should take better care to guard your mind when you are plotting things you wish to keep secret, and I came across your idea of using my funeral to your advantage.
I apologize for that, Glaedr. I was not thinking clearly, Arya admitted shamefully.
On the contrary, that would be a logical thing to do. Actually, I think that Eragon's own emotions will serve as the perfect solution to your problem. Everything will take care of itself, Arya. The elves are not as distant as you might think. They might disapprove of Eragon's actions with the Menoa Tree, or even dislike humans in general, but they would never oppose your union if that was your wish, for fear of angering Saphira.
Why didn't I think of that? Arya questioned herself.
Glaedr grunted and said gruffly, Love can do strange things to people's thoughts. Don't worry, your secret is safe with me, who would I tell anyway? They were both silent for a moment, and then Glaedr slowly began to withdraw from Arya's mind. Just as he was about to exit he quickly reentered and said, I seem to remember Eragon telling me something about Nasuada wishing to speak with me. I suppose now is as good a time as any.
I will tell her.
Arya opened the bags she carried until she found which one was the one that held Glaedr's Eldunari, the glowing heart of a dragon. Once she located the gem she left the other bags with her guards and slowed her pace slightly so that she was walking at the same speed as Nasuada.
Nasuada eyed her curiously, and then noticed the sack in her arms. She waved the Nighthawks away, and as soon as they were gone Arya whispered, "Reach into the sack and touch the gem. He has agreed to speak with you."
Arya paid little attention as Nasuada spoke with Glaedr about various things regarding Eragon and the old order of Riders, and she also asked a few questions about what Ellesmera was like. It puzzled Arya for she had only been asked perhaps once about her city and she couldn't recall Eragon mentioning it being brought up either. She wondered what made her choose to ask Glaedr instead of her or Eragon.
Eragon. Yet again thoughts of him filled her mind. This time, instead of pushing them away, she embraced them and reveled in her fantasies. There were images and dreams of a simple hug or touch between them, and several of far greater meaning. One of those dreams even had them raising a child, smiling and laughing together.
She felt her mind being manipulated slightly by Glaedr, meaning that his conversation with Nasuada was over and it was time for Arya to move away from her, but he did not interrupt her train of thought. What did interrupt her thoughts, however, was the slight vibration in the air that only someone with extremely heightened senses could detect from such a distance. Eragon and Saphira were almost back.