(A.N.) Hey everyone I'm back! This past week has been crazy for me between work and the two exams I had on Thursday (which btw I got a B on). Thank you to all who reviewed the last chapter and to all of you who added me/this story to your alerts/favorites, it really means a lot . Also I'd like to thank RaphaelofTheDarkness for graciously offering to beta read this chapter . If anyone comes across any spelling/grammatical errors please PM him.

Ok, onward! Enjoy!

Dislcaimer – I do not own the Inheritance Cycle

Ch. 4

Eragon

Arya released the iron-grip hold she had on Eragon and relaxed once Saphira leveled off. Eragon chuckled but said nothing, he just wanted to enjoy flying with Saphira, and he was more than welcoming when Arya agreed to go with them. The feel of her body tightly pressed against his back sent shivers through his body and despite the cold breeze that swept past them he could still feel her body heat. He wondered if she could feel his body heat, and perhaps that was one of the reasons why she continued to press her body so close to his. He didn't say anything on the issue however, for fear that she would let go of him, or their friendship be ruined. They flew through the nearby lands of Southeastern Alagaesia and Eragon took joy in all the sites he could see. The land was so beautiful from atop Saphira's back. It was one more reason for him to continue to fight the Empire, to save the land and its people.

"Are you two ready to have some fun?" Saphira suddenly spoke.

Eragon grinned; he always loved it when Saphira flew with so many crazy tricks.

Apparently Arya didn't feel the same way. She quickly tensed up, "Wait, Saphira don't-." But she was cut off as Saphira quickly nosedived. Eragon laughed and extended both his hands out towards his sides. Eragon blinked twice as he heard a strange sound and hislaughter was cut short by another sound; one Eragon thought he would never hear.

Arya was screaming.

Eragon fought hard not to laugh, he already loved the sound of her voice but this was different. He had never heard Arya scream before, and the knowledge that hardly anyone, if even that, had heard the same made it that much more enjoyable.

Eragon decided to end Arya's pain and patted Saphira on her neck, "Alright Saphira that's enough, Arya is not used to flying like I am."

Saphira snorted, "I will never understand you two-legs and your fear for heights." With that she slowed down but then suddenly barrel rolled to her right before leveling off once more.

Eragon thought he heard Arya whimper when they went from being upright to upside down to upright again, but he wasn't entirely sure.

But he was sure about one thing.

"Saphira!" He yelled, "You did that on purpose!"

Saphira remained silent but he knew she got the message.

"It…is alright Eragon, however I would ask if Saphira could please refrain from doing that again...I do not think my stomach could handle that again." Arya chuckled as she re-adjusted herself on the saddle.

Saphira merely hummed in agreement.

Eragon sighed, he knew why Saphira was acting this way. She wanted to fly freely so badly, not only that but to fly with him on her back. To be able to perform complex aerial tricks that they loved to do so much, but Arya was not used to flying in such ways. He understood how Arya felt too, it was the same way he had felt when he first flew on Saphira's back. In fact he remembered, after the first time he flew on her back, he said he would never fly on her again.

They didn't fly on for much longer, as Arya had other matters to attend to. As Saphira flew over the Varden camp they were welcomed by cheers from the men below. Eragon waved and gave his thanks but nothing more, he didn't enjoy all the attention he got when he walked around freely or on the battlefield. If it were up to him, he would spend all of his time in the woods of Ellesmira.

Saphira landed gently beside Eragons tent and both Eragon and Arya quickly hopped off her back. Eragon was about to speak to Arya when Blodhgarm appeared as if out of now where.

"Blodhgarm, how long have you been standing there?" Eragon asked grinning widely.

Even Arya gave a small smile in amsument.

"Eragon-Elda, Arya Shadeslayer." Blodhgarm replyed bowing respectfully, a smile tugged at the edge of his mouth.

Eragon chuckled, "Oh, you do not have to call me elda, Blodhgarm,we're friends after all."

"Of course, Shadeslayer." Blodhgarm looked at Arya as he straightened himself.

"Lady Drottningu, Queen Islanzadi has requested that you contact her as soon as you are able."

Arya nodded, "Of course, thank you Blodhgarm." She turned to Eragon, "I shall see you later Eragon." Arya gave a curt bow and walked off. Eragon nodded and watched as she made her way through the tents until she was no longer visible. He still marveled at how graceful elfs walked but there was something different about the way Arya moved. He was captivated, mesmerized by even the simplest of her movements.

"Shadeslayer."

Eragon was taken from his thoughts and looked over to see Blodhgarm staring back at him and he thought he could see a smile grin trying to escape from his mouth, but it faded away as he resumed his usual blank faced expression.

"Oh… Sorry Blodhgarm. I forgot to tell you where Saphira and I would be going this morning." Eragon laughed but his face conveyed a sense of apology. After all it was the duty of Blodhgarm and the other eleven elven spell casters to protect both him and Saphira, he should at least let them know where he would be going whenever he could.

Blodhgarm chuckled, "It is quite alright Shadeslayer. You did not stray too far from camp and so I was able to track you. However that is not mainly why I came to you; your cousin, Roran, spotted me earlier and asked that if I ran into you to tell you that he wishes to see you."

Eragon's eyes lit up at the sound of his cousin's name but then a sudden look of guilt crept across his face, he had completely forgotten to go and see Roran.

"Do not worry little one, I am sure he will understand. It has only been a few days since we were given some time off." Saphira consoled.

Eragon sighed, "True, but he's the only family I've got left Saphira. I can't just forget about him like that."

"True," Saphira startled while standing up, "After all you think of Arya nonstop, night and day."

Eragon, now blushing deeply, turned around and walked off in the direction of the Carvahall tents. Saphira laughed, which sounded more like an odd deep grumble from her belly, and followed Eragon leaving a confused Blodhgarm behind.

Eragon and Saphira made their way to the Carvahall tents and ran into Hort's two sons; Albriech and Baldor, they were both carrying large barrels.

They soon spotted Eragon and turned to face him. "Ah Eragon! I was wondering when I'd see you!" Albriech spoke while place the large barrel down so he could give Eragon a hug.

Eragon laughed, "Hello Albreich, Baldor." He nodded to both of them and motioned to the barrels they had been carrying, "What is all this for?"

Baldor spoke next, "For the celebration tomorrow night." He spoke in an obvious tone. Eragon however, looked at both of them in confusion,

"Celebration? What celebration?"

"Perhaps that is why Roran wanted to see you today." Saphira spoke.

"You are probably right, as usual." Eragon chuckled.

"You should go and see Roran, Eragon, he should be in his tent." Albriech replied, unaware of Eragon's conversation with Saphira.

Eragon nodded, "Thanks, I will see you both later then" With that he ran off in the direction of his cousin's tent with Saphira close behind.

Eragon made it to Roran's tent and found Katrina just outside hanging wet clothes on a line to dry. She smiled at Eragon and Saphira as they approached and walked over to greet them.

"Eragon!" She yelled pulling him into a hug. Eragon smiled and hugged her back.

"Katrina, it's nice to see you! Please forgive me for not coming to see you earlier."

Katrina shook her head as they broke their hug, "There is no need to apologize Eragon. I know that you are busy and besides, it has only been a few days since you and Roran have been granted some time off."

"What did I tell you…"

Eragon ignored the annoying comment made by Saphira and continued to speak with Katrina. "Still, we are family after all. Speaking of family, where is Roran?" Eragon spoke as he looked around for his cousin.

Katrina rolled her eyes, "You'll find him around Hort's. Most of the men have been working throughout the day to prepare for tonight's celebration—." Her eyes widened, "Oh, the celebration! I completely forgot!" Katrina stammered.

"What's wrong Katrina?" Eragon asked.

"Nothing, nothing at all. I just remembered that I have something to do. You should go see Roran, he'll be around Horst's." She quickly finished and made off in the opposite direction.

"Huh, I wonder what that was all about."

Eragon shrugged off the thought and turned to Saphira, "Well, I suppose we should go see Horst."

They found Horst and Roran underneath a large open tent close to Horst's blacksmith shop.

They were sitting around a large table with other men but they all stopped once they noticed Saphira, many of the men seemed frightened however Roran jumped up and was the first to voice his excitement.

"Eragon!" He yelled as he pulled Eragon in for a hug much like Katrina did. Except that Roran was much bigger than Eragon and so his hold was much stronger than Katrina's.

"Roran…I can't…breath…" Eragon struggled through Roran's seemingly tight grip. Roran quickly let go of Eragon and looked at him apologetically.

"Sorry cousin, I just haven't seen you off the battlefield in a while." Roran laughed. "But a normal human shouldn't be able to hurt you." He finished jokingly.

Eragon laughed, "True, but a normal human shouldn't be able to wrestle with an Urgal, and win." He joked back.

Roran chuckled, "I suppose you are right." Roran looked over at Saphira and bowed respectfully, "How are you Saphira?" He asked while straightening up.

Saphira snaked her large head and brought it next to Roran's. The other men jumped up from their seats and moved to the other side, except Horst; although he did flinch and jerked his body as if he was about to move.

"There is no need for you to bow to me, Roran, we are family." Saphira replied while nudging him slightly with the end of her snout. "And I am doing well, thank you for asking." She spoke aloud for all to hear and Eragon almost burst out laughing when he saw the looks on all the men's faces. It wasn't common for villagers or commoners to know that dragons were one of the most intelligent creatures in all of Alagaesia.

Roran was a little surprised when Saphira nudged him affectionately and he looked over at Eragon, silently asking him what was going on. He relaxed when he saw that Eragon was smiled widely.

Roran chuckled and rubbed Saphira's snout.

"We saw Katrina earlier, she seems to be doing well." Eragon said while taking a seat next to Horst.

Roran nodded and sat opposite to him. "Yes, she is indeed a lot better now that we have some time off, you know how she gets whenever I leave for a mission or go into battle."

Eragon nodded."I do, it is understandable though. After everything you two have gone through, you both deserve to live a quite and happy life." Eragon replied. He looked around to see a few more barrels that looked the same as the ones he saw earlier.

He motioned to them, "So, what are all of these for?"

"For the celebration tomorrow of course, didn't you know Eragon?" Horst replied raising an eyebrow.

Roran slapped his hand to his face, "Right I forgot to tell you, forgive me. Since Lady Nasuada has given us all some time off we decided to have our own little celebration, separate from the usually Varden one's. Just us folks from Carvahall, a taste of the old days if you will."

Eragon grinned, "That sounds like a lot of fun." His grin soon faded as was replaced by a look of disappointment.

"Wha'ts wrong Eragon?" Horst asked.

Eragon chuckled, "Well, you see I'm not really the same boy you all remember when we all lived in Carvahall. It won't be the same."

Hurt and disappointment flashed across his face, but he tried to hide most of it from the two.

Roran slammed his hands on the table and stood up, "What are you talking about!? Eragon is Eragon! Am I right, Horst?"

Horst nodded, "I agree. Even though you have changed a lot Eragon, deep down I know you're still that same playful and troublesome boy you were." He gave Eragon a hard pat on the back.

"But… are you sure?" Eragon hesitated. He wanted nothing more than to see all of his old friends from Carvahall, but not if they thought of him so differently that they would act differently around him.

"Of course we are sure! It would not be the same without you Eragon!" Roran yelled.

Eragon waved his hands to calm Roran down. "Alright alright! I will come."

Roran and Horst both smiled.

"Oh, and you must bring a friend." Roran quickly spoke.

Eragon raised an eyebrow, "A friend?" He scratched the back of his head trying to think of someone to bring.

"How about Arya… that is her name, right?" Roran asked.

Eragon's eyes widened and his heart skipped a beat. "Oh no, she would not come."

Roran frowned, "Why not?"

"Because, she's not one for celebration's like this. I doubt she'd even come to the Varden celebrations, and even if she did she certainly wouldn't stay for very long."

"You seem to know a lot about her." Roran smirked.

Eragon blushed, "I...well…no not really…we're just friends, that is all…" Eragon sputtered out.

Roran smiled, "Perfect, then you can ask her when you see her later today."

Before Eragon could protest Saphira spoke, "Little one, would it really be so bad to ask her to come?"

"You're not helping Saphira."

"You know you want to."

"That's not the point, and you know it." Eragon argued , "You know as well as I do that she does not like these sort of things."

Saphira paused for a moment thinking about what to say. "She may not want to but she could certainly use the fun. Have you seen her lately Eragon? She looks worn out and tired, on top of that she continues to fulfill her duties as the elfin princess and Varden ambassador. I think it would be a good idea to at least ask her.

Eragon sighed and stood up, "Alright."

Roran and Horst looked at him questioningly. Eragon shook his head, "Don't worry, I just have to go find someone."

Horst nodded but Roran grinned, "Tell Arya I said 'hi'."

Eragon sighed and left the tent to be immersed in sunlight. Saphira stood up and followed Eragon as he left the Carvahall tents to find Arya.

He spread out his conscience, and found her to be in her tent. He slowly approached it and rapped on the wooden post just outside.

"Just a moment." Came her musical voice.

Eragon was mesmerized every time she spoke. Had it not been for Saphira, Arya would have walked out of her tent to see Eragon staring back at her with a stupid grin on his face.

"Oh, Eragon. I was not expecting to see you until later." Arya spoke as she opened her tent flap.

Eragon looked at her oddly, "You were planning on seeing me later today?" He couldn't help the small smile that spread across his face. Much to his surprise, Arya too let a small smile escape before it disappeared altogether.

"Well, yes. Actually I was hoping to see if you would like to spar later, but if you are busy…"

Eragon shook his head, "N-No! I am not busy at all!" He chuckled and cleared his throat, "What I mean to say, is that I would love to spare with you, Arya. However I have a favor to ask of you."

"Oh? And what might that be?" Arya folded her arms and leaned to one side.

Eragon took a deep breath to relax himself. "Well, you see. There's…well…there is going to be this celebration tomorrow evening. But you see, it's just with the villagers from Carvahall... Roran said I should bring a friend and you were the only person I could think of."

Eragon thought he spoke too fast for her to understand because she was just staring blankly at him. However she soon let out a breath of air and smiled lightly,

"I would be glad to accompany you." She said simply.

Eragon blinked twice, "What? R-Really?" Eragon asked, still trying to register what Arya said.

She laughed lightly, "Yes Eragon. Actually, I was hoping that you would accompany me to some of the other celebrations going on later in the week. As you said yourself, you are really the only friend that I have. So really, I would be quite bored if I went alone."

Eragon couldn't believe what he was hearing. Although she did say they would only go as friends he was still glad he could be in her company.

"Great." He smiled back at her. "So when shall I meet you at the training grounds?"

Arya thought for a moment. Eragon took this time to notice that Arya was not wearing her usual leather jerkin or leather strap. Instead she wore a dark blue tunic and brown bottoms that seemed to fit her comfortably but were not too big, the clothes hugged her body modestly. Eragon fought the thoughts that invaded his mind that normally came when he thought about or saw Arya. If she noticed his nervousness she did not say anything.

"Before sunset." She finally spoke.

"Alright, I shall be ready." Eragon smiled and turned to leave but Arya stopped him.

"Oh, and Eragon?"

Eragon stopped and turned back to Arya, "Yes?"

"My mother wishes to speak with you. You should contact her whenever you can."

Eragon frowned. Lately he didn't enjoy speaking with the elfin Queen.

"What could she want to talk to me about?" Eragon asked

Arya shrugged, "I do not know, she would not tell me."

Eragon groaned, "Alright, I will speak with her first thing in the morning." He spoke dejectedly.

Arya smirked but said nothing. Eragon knew all too well what she was probably thinking. No one hated speaking with Islanzadi more than Arya. He wondered how their conversation went and if their relationship had improved at all. Before he could say anything more on the subject, Arya turned back to her tent.

"I shall see you at the training grounds." She turned back to face him, "And do not think this fight will be easily won."

Eragon chuckled and bowed slightly, "I wouldn't dream of it, Arya-Svit-Kona."

She nodded and returned into her tent. Eragon sighed and made for his own tent. Saphira was already resting by the tent when got there.

"See? Now was that so hard?" Saphira said opening on eye.

Eragon ignored Saphira and grumbled something incoherent as he entered his tent.

Saphira laughed and laid her head back down.

Eragon kicked off his boots and laid down on his bed. "Might as well get some rest before I spar with Arya." He thought as he stared up at the ceiling of his tent. He wondered what Islanzadi could possibly want to speak with him about. His thoughts drifted from Islanzadi to Arya until he finally drifted off to sleep.

Eragon stopped just outside the training grounds and stretched. Saphira, who had decided that she would much rather sleep, did not accompany him. He drew Brisingr and took a deep breath, calming himself. There were other men in the surrounding area but they were too busy training with others to notice him. Eragon imagined himself on the battlefield, surrounded by soldiers of the Empire. He opened his eyes and quickly slashed in front of him taking out his first imaginary target. Without pausing he ducked and spun around to deliver and second lethal blow to another opponent.

Eragon continued this process as he always did when he trained alone. He darted left and right, dodging imaginary blows and taking down soldiers one by one. He spun around to slash at another imaginary soldier when his blade suddenly met with another. The clash of steal against steal reverberated around the area and several men turned to Eragon's direction.

Eragon's eyes widened but they soon softened when he realized it was only Arya.

"Arya, you should be more careful!" Eragon yelled, "What if I hurt you?"

Arya's eyebrows met at a 'v', "Eragon, I am an incredibly skilled swords-woman, not one of your helpless human women. Do not treat me in such a way again."

Eragon looked at the ground, "Sorry, I only meant…" he shook his head. "She's right, why do I keep treated her like that?" Eragon mentally berated himself.

He looked back up at her, placing two fingers on his lips and bowing respectfully, "Please forgive me, I did not mean to offend you, Arya."

Arya sighed and shook her head, "It is alright Eragon, just don't do it again."

Eragon smiled and returned to a standing position. He looked around and saw that many of the men that were training were suddenly surrounding them.

He looked back at Arya grinning. "It looks as though we have an audience."

Arya grinned mischievously, "It seems that way, let us not keep them waiting." Arya made her way to the center of the nearby training circle and drew her blade.

Eragon smirked and followed Arya, stopping just across from her. They stood there in silence, staring back at one another. Eragon took this time to remember how Arya moved in past sparring matches and tried to discern her emotional state, the latter being the more difficult attempt. His grip on Brisingr wasn't tight but it wasn't loose either. He had just enough grip on it to flow through every intricate motion he had trained at but tight enough to where it wouldn't fly out of his hand.

Neither made any motion to attack first. Everyone around them was silent; their eyes were transfixed on the two warriors spaced several feet from one another. Then, without warning, both Arya and Eragon suddenly lunged at each other. Their blades met at the center and sparks flew from the contact. Eragon wasted no time as he pushed off Arya's weight and jumped to the side. He slashed at her feet but she jumped and drove her blade downwards towards Eragon's neck. He parried the blow and rolled over, quickly standing up.

The two circled each other, waiting for the right opportunity to strike. Eragon noticed a stray branch on the ground beside his left foot. Thinking fast he kicked the branch up at Arya. She blocked it with ease but Eragon was already upon her and she just barely met his blade with hers. They continued to strike, each trying to find a weakness of hole in the others' defense. The duel was almost like a dance; at times they become so close to one another that their faces almost touched, but no sooner did they break apart and attack once more. Sparks flew from their blades and most of the men were having trouble keeping up with them; they moved so fast they couldn't be seen by the human eye.

Eragon loosened the grip on his blade so he could spin it easier. Arya took this as a sign of him tiring and attacked harder. Eragon grinned, what Arya did not know what that this was exactly what he wanted to see. Arya lunged forward but Eragon side-stepped and watched as she lost her footing. She fell forward and turned around just in time to block a powerful strike from Eragon, but his blade did not meet hers.

A resounding crack could be heard all around them as Arya dropped to her knees and clutched her sword hand. Without thinking Eragon dropped his bald and ran over to her.

"A-Arya! I'm so sorry, are you alright?" He grabbed her hand and looked at the extent of the damage. There was a long dark red mark along her wrist, and her hand was most certainly broken.

Arya clenched her teeth, "I am fine, Eragon. There is no need to worry."

Eragon ignored her and focused on her hand. He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. "Waise Heil." He spoke with full force, concentrating on the broken bones and torn muscles. Within seconds the once broken hand was now healed. Eragon opened his eyes and looked at Arya. He was shocked with what he saw. He expected her to be furious with him, that he had the audacity to heal a simple broken hand when it was well within her capabilities. But instead he saw a look of gratitude. Her eyes were soft and hopeful; Eragon was lost in her gaze and forgot that he was still holding on to her hand.

Arya however, did not. She quickly let go of his hand and her expression changed, but not to anger. She stood up slowly and walked off.

"Arya, wait!" Eragon called to her, but she did not turn around and soon she was lost on the sea of tents.

Eragon still could not believe what he saw. In her eyes, was fear.

(A.N.) Well there you go! I hope it was enjoyable. I've never written a fighting sense before (obviously) but I hope it was satisfactory. The next chapter of two will still be focused on their period of rest and the various celebrations that will be going on. After that I'll focus more on Eragon's decision to return to Ellesmira and what not. As for the next update, that may take longer to put up. These next two weeks are going to hell for my summer class. Basically Next Tuesday I've got a quiz then Thursday I've got an Exam. Then the next Tuesday I have the lab final and the next Thursday is the lecture final. Good god…anyways I'll do my best to get it up when I can.

- Demonzmagic