A/N- And finally an update! Basketball season is over, for school at least. I still have AAU but thats only twice a week and shouldn't interfere much (I hope). Anyways if im being honest this probably isnt a great chapter to come back to, its actually my least favorite one so far, but it is necesary and the next one will be much better. I was rereading Brisingr the other day when I noticed something (or someone) id like to incorporate into this story, as i havent see it (or him) in any book 4 fanfics so far. But now im rambling so without furter ado,

Chapter 4!

Moving Forward

Nasuada let out a sigh and slumped back in her chair, exhausted from the seemingly endless stream of paperwork that now littered her desk. Scouting reports, casualties, recruiting information and supply counts were just a few of the boring but necessary articles she spent her days reading. On top of all this she still hadn't thought of a viable excuse for Eragon's absence and it wouldn't be long before people started asking questions.

It had been a day since he left and already the lack of his presence had some of the high ranking officials within the Varden curious. Luckily nobody had directly asked where Eragon was although she knew it wouldn't be long. He was too important, too powerful and most importantly too well-liked for soldiers and officials alike not to inquire after his absence for much more than a day. One of his few flaws, people miss him too quickly, she thought allowing herself a small smile. As if on cue two metallic clicks sounded through her door followed shortly by the voice of one of her Nighthawks.

"Lady Nightstalker, the elf Arya is here to see you."

"Let her in," she replied, anticipating what the elf's reason for coming was. The door was opened by a rather large urgal, followed shortly by Arya's petite form. The only greeting she received was a brisk nod as Arya sat down in front of her and the door closed with a muffled thud.

"Where is Eragon?" Arya asked almost immediately, her eyes not once leaving Nasuada's.

She razed a curved eyebrow before replying in a falsely curious fashion, "I was not aware he was missing." Arya simply narrowed her eyes and continued to stare at her intently. "Eragon is… that is, has been… out with Saphira scouting the Empires movements around Belatona and Dras Leona." She looked at Arya hoping she would accept the excuse, although there was no change in her demeanor.

"Is that so?" she inquired icily, "That is… odd, because I cannot reach him with my mind, and yet I am able to reach Roran and his regiment whom it appears you set the same task."

Nasuada sighed and glanced up towards the ceiling for a moment, disgusted with herself for forgetting about Roran and wondering if she should tell Arya the truth. If Eragon returned soon there would be no need, which was preferable since it was very likely the elf would not approve of her decision, however she had no way of knowing when he would be back. In the end she decided it best to inform Arya of his real mission although she would still keep as many people in the dark as possible.

"You recall the meeting held the other day, yes?" Arya nodded and she continued "And you also recall what was decided, that Aroughs must be taken, correct?" Again she nodded although her face hardened. "Seeing as both parties had reasonable arguments, I had to compromise. We could not afford to send soldiers westwards to Aroughs, however as Saphira wisely pointed out it would've also been ill-advised to leave the Empire with a means of flanking us when we are so vastly outnumbered." Here she paused and let out a breath of anticipation, although she suspected the elf had already guessed where this was going. "As such my only option was to send a… small, force that would be both fast enough and strong enough to handle the city before our siege of Melian."

Arya had a look of absolute disgust in her eyes as she replied incredulously, "And your solution to this, dilemma, was to send our only hope of winning this war leagues away, where no legitimate help could be provided were it necessary, to capture a city alone?" She stood, glaring down at Nasuada menacingly.

It took all of her self-restraint to remain sitting as she replied, "He is not alone, Saphira is with him and as I explained to him before he accepted the task it is most likely that any proficient spell casters would have left the city in order to reinforce Dras Leona or Belatona. If this were the case the city would be virtually defenseless against him."

Arya took several deep breaths before answering in a biting tone. "And if Murtagh were to show up?" Nasuada's eyes widened as she realized that was a possibility that had slipped her mind. "Already he requires more than a dozen elven magicians just to keep Murtagh at bay and you send him in with none? I have never seen nor heard of such a careless decision. I have dedicated seventy years of my life to the downfall of Galbatorix and in a split second, you made a decision without any outside advisors that could very well cost us this war!" She finished panting, with a hand on Nasuada's desk for support.

Nasuada glanced downwards and a single tear slid down her face. Arya was right. With one poor decision she had brought their campaign to its knees, and was now counting on either Murtagh's mercy or sheer luck. "What have I done…" she said to no one in particular, her eyes fixed on something only she could see.

Arya's gaze began to soften as she took in Nasuada's appearance. Her face was gaunt with dark circles beneath her eyes, no doubt from a lack of sleep. Long, unkempt hair hung past her shoulders and she blinked frequently from the strain of reading so many papers. All in all she did not have the healthy appearance one would expect from a human girl in her twenties.

"Nasuada, I apologize if I came off as… harsh. But as I said I have spent so much of my life working, striving to see the day that Galbatorix's reign ends. It is difficult for me to watch as men and women alike, who have not even been alive for as many years as I have spent in service to this cause, decrease its chances of success by doing things that could easily have been avoided." Her voice was tight and controlled, but she returned to her seat.

"I apologize Arya, both for endangering our cause and," she paused, and a ghost of a smile crept onto her weary face "for endangering Eragon." Arya's eyes widened and for a moment Nasuada swore she could detect a hint of embarrassment although it was gone so fast she questioned whether or not she had seen it at all. It was replaced almost immediately with a cold stare as she stood and walked out without another word.

******

Steady hoof beats echoed throughout the night as Roran and his party moved north towards Belatona. They had been tracking a company of soldiers traveling towards the city, likely from Aroughs, for two days now. Judging by the trail they were following the company consisted of about two thousand swordsmen and they were quickly gaining ground. Arya had informed them that they were not to attack as they were too far for reinforcements if anything were to go wrong although she had sounded bitter, almost spiteful, when she told him.

Carn rode beside him on an old bay, chatting with the other men in their proximity. Many of the soldiers were cheerful, happy for their first mission under Roran's command that didn't have a possibility of death. Laughter could be heard amongst the ranks and smiles were plastered across everyone's faces.

"The men seem to be fine with riding through the night." Carn's voice caused Roran to jump slightly as he had not spoken with anyone since they left Feinster.

"Aye, it is good as we may not have caught up with the bastards before they reached the city otherwise." Carn nodded in agreement, tugging slightly on his reins.

"How goes your training in magic?" The question brought a frown to Roran's face as he thought of the many failed attempts to lift the stone. After a particularly frustrating session of practice he had thrown the pebble away and ended up striking the herbalist Angela upside the head. The resulting tirade was enough to prevent Roran from ever throwing a stone again.

"As well as ever which, I'm afraid to say, is not well at all." Carn chuckled slightly at the comment and brought his gaze to the stars.

"It's a curious thing, magic. Deceptive but powerful; as soon as you think you've figured it out something happens that forces you to re-evaluate your opinion." He sighed, glancing down to examine his fingers. "Many times I have seen things done with magic that I previously believed impossible, things that you would refuse to accept unless you had seen it for yourself. Your cousin and his dragon, for example, were able to repair the Star Sapphire in Tronjheim. The great jewel that was shattered into a million pieces when Eragon defeated Durza. Have you heard the story?" Roran nodded, he had been told the story many times, though only once from Eragon. "Bah, of course you have. As I was saying he was able to piece a gem larger than most rooms back together and raise it Lord knows how high into its original resting place. And yet, here I am, struggling to heal minor wounds from training exercises." He let out a tired laugh. "I guess what I'm trying to tell you Roran is; don't worry about it. Few people are capable of learning magic, and fewer still are those that can wield it with any proficiency."

Roran looked at Carn through new eyes. He was older than Roran though not by much, yet he was wise beyond his years. He had probably seen things that a man his age shouldn't have to, especially being a healer as he was. The war forces changes on people, he thought and I myself am a prime example of it.

They rode on in a companionable silence, Roran keeping an eye on the men while Carn searched for enemies with his mind. He was about to ask Carn when he learned magic when the air vibrated around them causing him to wince. Thud. He looked to the sky searching for the source of the all too familiar sound. Thud. Remembering Arya's words that morning about Eragon on a mission in the south removed any doubt from his mind. Thud. Whoever that was, they didn't bode well for him and his men.

Glancing around, he noticed a small wooded area to the west of them, "Everyone into the trees. Now!" The soldiers hurried to obey his order and minutes later a red dragon could be seen flying towards them. "Everyone be silent." He whispered harshly before returning his gaze back to the beast approaching their hiding place. As it moved closer it was clear that the dragon was not heading directly towards the men, as it was angled away from the woods.

Just as he thought they would go unnoticed an arrow was loosed from somewhere within the ranks. Roran watched in horror as it moved towards its target, seemingly in slow motion. At the last second a gust of wind blew the arrow of course and it struck one of the saddle bags, missing the rider by inches. The man looked back, and seemed to be staring directly into Roran's eyes.

To everyone's astonishment the dragon kept on its course, still heading towards the city rather than turning back to engage the men in combat. Roran released a sigh of relief as the dragon and rider moved farther and farther away until they were only a small red dot on the horizon. Once out of sight men all around were yelling and hurling accusations at each other, trying to figure out who it was that had shot the arrow. Roran remained silent through it all. His eyes were fixed on a point several hundred yards away where a small pouch could be seen that had fallen from the dragon's back.

******

Later that night:

A man gazed down with an emotionless face at the torn string held loosely between his fingers. A cry of pure anger echoed throughout the city, resonating in the darkness.

A/N- Like i said probably not the best way to come back but w/e. Anyone wanna guess whats in the pouch???