AN: Damn! I took forever to post this, even though I keep telling myself, I will finish writing it tonight. This one was hard for me to write. I literally wrote it and discarded it all 3 times! I'm not as happy with it but this is what came out. Hope you like it. Enjoy! R &R.
For DISCLAIMER, SPOILER ALERT, and WARNINGS, please look back in chapter 1.
Katrina felt a wreck with worry as she counted the hours as the battle raged on. She wanted it to be over. She wanted the Varden to win, for Galbatorix to die, and for Roran to come back to her safely. She spent most of her time with Elaine and her baby. Harry, too, was there with them worrying for the safety of Eragon and Saphira. Katrina found the boy rather interesting and thought that they could easily become good friends.
"There's no telling who will win." Elaine said as she cradled her baby trying to put her to sleep.
"It will be the Varden," Katrina said. "We just have to win." She said and her heart rate accelerated in worry once again. She caressed her belly as the baby began to kick. The babe couldn't understand what was going on, couldn't possibly comprehend the complexities of the war raging on and that there was a chance he or she would never get to meet their father, Roran,—No, I can't think that way—but it could feel her own angst and suffering, causing it to become restless.
The three of them, Katrina, Elaine, and Harry were inside of Katrina's tent trying and failing to block the sounds of battle as it was a constant noise surrounding them. It was like an annoying fly buzzing in their ears except, instead of the buzzing sound of a fly there was screaming and the sound of swords clashing together and instead of the annoyance at the buzzing, there was fear and worry.
"Eragon will defeat him. I know he can." Harry said and they remained silent for a while hoping that it was true. If they couldn't trust in Eragon's strength and power and will to survive, then they would have been lost to the Empire long ago.
It was as they were getting ready to make some tea to calm their nerves that there was a loud explosion in the city. They ran out of the tent to see what had happened and they saw the great citadel where Galbatorix was said to be, destroyed.
"Yes!" Katrina exclaimed, hoping that the destruction of the citadel meant the destruction of Galbatorix.
"Perhaps he's done it!" Elaine hugged Katrina and as they turned to include Harry in their hug, their smiles faded. Harry was clutching his chest in pain and then fell to the ground with a thud, unconscious.
"Harry!"
A sinister shadow is what Eragon saw emerge from Galbatorix when he destroyed himself after he was unable to stand the knowledge of all the pain he caused. Eragon was too busy trying to protect the others from the blast so he wasn't completely sure what he saw was real. He was sure, however, of the menacing laugh that echoed around him as the shadow flew up and out through the ceiling. It almost reminded him of when he killed Durza, how the shadow spirits possessing him were released from the body and forever gone. He hoped that it was the same with Galbatorix. He hoped he really was gone forever.
He was also aware of the slight pull of strength from his body, indicating that one of his spells placed on either Katrina or Harry had been activated. He wasn't sure why but he was almost positive that it was one of the protective spells he placed on Harry. But there was nothing he could do at the moment. Until he got everyone—including himself—out of the citadel safely he couldn't help.
"Eragon, get them out!" Arya yelled as she and her spell casters ran towards a door that had yet to be blocked by the falling debris. "I'm going to get the green egg and the eldunari."
"It's too dangerous, the place is falling apart!" Eragon tried to stop her from going further
into the building but to no avail. Arya was persistent and Eragon knew there was nothing he could say that would stop her.
"I must!" She yelled back just as she and her spell casters disappeared down the hallway. Eragon had the mind to go after her but a large broken stone from the ceiling fell, blocking his way.
"Eragon, you take the kids and I'll help Murtagh!" Nasuada yelled as she helped an injured Murtagh onto Thorns saddle.
Eragon quickly grabbed the two children that Galbatorix had threatened to kill and got them onto Saphira's saddle. He then helped Elva on and jumped on behind her. He looked back and saw that Nasuada and Murtagh were now mounted on Thorn's saddle so he began leading them out, all the while dodging the crumbling walls and the falling ceiling.
Saphira, the ceiling! Eragon exclaimed and Saphira looked up to see that a large enough hole had opened up as an escape route.
Signaling Thorn to follow, Saphira jumped up through the dust and debris and flew, evading as much as she could. She was almost thrown back towards the ground when a section of the wall broke off and hit her left wing, but she was able to regain her balance and continued on up.
Through smoke and dust, Saphira and Thorn shot out of the citadel and into the sky. They hovered above the citadel for a moment and from that height they could see all damages the blast had caused to not only the citadel but the surround area. Some of the houses had crumbled, too weak to hold against the blast. They glided back down and landed by what remained of the citadel's entrance he had used not too long ago.
Arya's going to have to find another way out. Eragon thought as he waited for her and the other elves. He saw Murtagh healing himself and healing Thorn. Eragon did the same and began to heal Saphira's wounds.
Eragon couldn't help but notice how Nasuada hovered near Murtagh and he in turn treated her with kindness. He wondered what had happened that had them so comfortable and open with each other.
Eragon, look! Saphira exclaimed and Eragon watched as Arya and her spell casters came out of the citadel spelling the eldunari to hover behind them. He couldn't keep the smile off his face as he began to realize that it was over, it was finally over. The mad man was gone and Alagaesia was free.
The dragon eggs! He and Saphira both remembered the eggs that remained on Vreongard. When Eragon told Arya, her eyes lit up with a joy that Eragon had never seen before. Hope was restored in her and she rejoiced in the fact that the dragons hadn't all been taken by Galbatorix. A new future waited, a new age…new life.
Eragon turned to look for Nasuada and Murtagh only to find her in tears and Murtagh and Thorn gone.
"Where is he?" He asked Nasuada.
She sniffled as she held her face in her hands. "He's gone away."
"Damn it!" Eragon ran to Saphira and jumped onto her saddle. They flew after them, only able to follow Thorn's scent because they had concealed themselves to go unnoticed.
They flew all the way to the Ramr River where they finally saw Thorn and Murtagh waiting for them on the ground.
"Will you stop us?" Murtagh asked once Eragon dismounted.
"No, but I'll ask you to stay." Eragon said unsure if he was doing the right thing. Things had been violent between them for so long now that trying to be civil with each other seemed unnatural. But he would try everything to have his newly discovered brother back.
Murtagh chuckled and then sneered. "You would have me return with you after everything I've done?" Murtagh said. "No, Eragon, they would sooner cut off my head before welcome me, even if I did return with you by my side."
Eragon stayed silent, understanding the truth to Mutaghs words. "But where will you go?"
"North I suppose." Murtagh went and stood in front of the rushing river and Eragon slowly walked to him and joined him. "We need time for ourselves, to think and to heal. After a few years have passed, perhaps we'll return."
"You'll always be welcome in my home, in Carvahall. It's as much your home now as it is mine because we're brothers." Eragon said.
Murtagh turned to him and gave a slight nod. "Brothers."
When Eragon returned to Uru'baen, the sound of battle was mostly nonexistent. The Varden was still trying to capture those that refused to surrender, but for the most part they had everything under their control. Eragon felt rather proud of Glaedr for being able to keep himself calm in Murtagh and Thorn's presence. Although Glaedr didn't forgive them, Eragon knew that he didn't so much as blame them for killing Oromis when he knew that it was Galbatorix who had fought through Murtaghs hands that day. Which is what made Eragon feel proud, because ever since Oromis' death, Glaedr didn't give reason and put the entire blame on the two.
No sooner did Saphira land was Roran hopping up onto her saddle behind Eragon, demanding to take him to Katrina. Eragon felt a brief wave of relief to know that Roran was ok, but the look in cousin's eyes had him worrying once more.
"There was a messenger that came not a few minutes ago," Roran said as Saphira took flight. "He told me that Katrina sent him to find us both."
"Why? What's happened?" Eragon asked and suddenly remembered the pull on his energy. It was still there meaning one of their protective spells was still being activated. It wasn't a large amount of energy being pulled from him so it was easy to forget about it.
"He didn't know." Roran growled, "He just said Katrina looked frightened and that she looked about ready to go into labor because she was breathing heavily."
Eragon didn't think Katrina was the one who was in danger, or about ready to give birth. He worried it was Harry who was in trouble and he was proved right when Katrina rushed out of her tent to greet them and tell them that Harry had collapsed.
"But you're ok? The baby's…" Eragon heard Roran asking Katrina but his voice faded as Eragon rushed into the tent to find Harry laying in a sweaty mess on the cot. He looked as if he had a high fever, his teeth were clenched tightly and his eyes moved frantically under his eyelids.
"I don't know what happened to him." Katrina said as she and Roran entered the tent. "He collapsed suddenly and has been like this since then. I thought he was just sick, but then—" She cut herself off and walked to stand by Harry. "Eragon, look at his eyes." She lifted one of Harry's eyelids to reveal a black iris instead of Harry's emerald green. "His eyes have turned black, Eragon." Her voice shook with fear and worry for the boy.
"I don't understand." Eragon stepped closer and kneeled beside the cot. "I think he's being attacked."
"How?" Roran asked as he pulled Katrina into his arms.
"Must be mentally. Somehow, the protective spells I placed on him are being activated. I can feel my energy being drained, but only just barely."
"But that's why you placed the spell in the first place, to protect him." Roran stated, not comprehending what Eragon was trying to say.
"Yes, but the spells I placed were only to protect him physically. Somehow, they're protecting him mentally." Eragon said and stood. He brushed his hand through his hair in frustration of not knowing what was ailing Harry. He stared down at the boy for a moment before deciding to try something. He consulted Saphira and she agreed to help. The eldunari, which were still with them offered to aid him if they were needed but would otherwise wait.
Eragon told Roran he was going to try to enter Harry's mind and kneeled by the cot closing his eyes in concentration.
What he found was complete darkness. Instead of encountering the solid wall that Harry kept up to block his mind, he encountered a thick wall of shadows that whispered louder and louder as he got closer.
Eragon hesitated before entering, but when he did he was attacked almost immediately. There was a sharp pain that exploded in his head as it tried to break through his own barriers. The attack felt very familiar and it wasn't until he heard the sinister laughter that he realized it was Galbatorix who was attacking him and who was attacking Harry.
Eragon! Harry's voice rang out and Eragon tried searching for him but couldn't find him.
Galbatorix laughed again. Harry'ss mine now! He hissed and attacked Eragon's mind again. Eragon was being overpowered and thought he would lose but then he felt Saphira's strength joining his own and together they pushed Galbatorix back.
Eragon go before it's too late! Harry managed to yell out before he faded once again.
Eragon and Saphira gave one final push on Galbatorix' attack before they managed to pull out.
"Eragon, are you ok?" Roran asked as he helped a gasping Eragon onto a chair.
"He's still alive." Eragon gasped out not believing his own words. "Galbatorix is still alive."
A few hours had passed since Eragon had discovered that Galbatorix was still alive in spirit form and was using Harry's body as a host. After saying that Galbatorix was alive, the eldunari went mad with anger and quickly opted to kill Harry in order to be rid of Galbatorix' soul. Saphira had taken flight immediately to take the eldunari to Uru'baen before they could attack. She would take them to be cared for by the elves. Eragon stayed behind to remain by Harry's side but was soon requested to attend a meeting in Uru'baen where the new king or queen of the empire would be chosen. Roran and Katrina stayed to look after Harry, but he promised to return right after the new leader was chosen.
"Do you think you can do something to help him?" Eragon asked Arya after Nasuada was elected to be the new queen.
"I'm not sure Eragon. If Galbatorix is the one possessing Harry's mind, the strength we would need to extract him would be—"
"What did you say? Is Galbatorix not dead?!" King Orrin exclaimed.
There was clamor all around them by those who had been and still were at the meeting. They demanded to know what was happening and Eragon had no choice but to tell them what happened to Harry.
"This must be why Galbatorix brought him here in the first place!" Orrin yelled and pointed an acussing finger at Eragon. "You're the one that brought him here. If you hadn't saved him, none of this would have happened.
"Don't be so foolish Orrin," Nasuada said, "If Eragon hadn't saved him, I'm sure Galbatorix would have found a way to bring here alive."
"It's a mute argument people." Orik bellowed so he could be heard. "It doesn't matter. What matters now is, how are we going to kill Galbatorix for sure this time?"
"Well the only way is to kill the boy." Orrin spat, "If Galbatorix has no host to live in then surely he would die."
Eragon paled as everyone seemed to agree. He turned and saw them all nodding, even Orik who he knew was more reasonable than this. He at least took comfort in knowing that Arya was yet indecisive on what to think of the matter.
"You can't just kill him!" Eragon burst out shocking them all with his sudden fury. "We have to help him. I know all of you and I know that you would never willingly sacrifice an innocent person like this!"
"Eragon," Nasuada said, "You're right. I would never do such a thing. But look around you. Look at all the innocent lives already lost. If it takes one more for Galbatorix to be gone, then I will gladly make that sacrifice."
Eragon couldn't believe they were being so unreasonable. They weren't even thinking of the possibility that Harry could still be saved. He felt his blood boiling in a rage unlike he's ever felt before. He couldn't even formulate any words to argue back. Instead he felt a great wave of violent anger and feared of what he might do, so he left. Eragon stormed down the stairs and out of the tower where the meeting was held because he wouldn't want to do something he would regret. He was afraid he would retaliate and hurt them because of their idiotic reasoning.
"Eragon," Arya called after him. "Eragon wait."
"Please, not now Arya."
"I'm trying to help you Eragon, so calm down and listen." She pulled him off to one of the alleys between the houses that were still intact. "Their judgment is clouded by the recent battle and all of the death surrounding it. Surely Nasuada will see reason." She looked down towards the ground, "I know my mother, both as queen and an elf would never agree to sacrifice an innocent life like Orrin suggested."
Eragon placed his hand on her arm as a sign of condolences. He was still finding it hard to believe that Queen Islanzadi was dead.
Arya shook her head—a very human act that showed just how much her interaction with humans had rubbed off on her—and put on a strong long, "About before, I'm not too sure on what could be done to help Harry, but I think Blodhgarm might."
"Blodhgarm? Why him?"
"Come." She said and led him to find Blodhgarm. They found the blue-fur-covered-elf assisting with healing the injured. They quickly pulled him to the side and explained the situation with Harry and Galbatorix.
Blodhgarm's eye's narrowed and he bowed his head as he began to think. As Eragon waited patiently for Blodhgarm to speak, he noticed that the elf look somewhat amazed but not all that shocked at the news that Galbatorix was still around.
"I was traveling the forest of Du Welenvarden about a decade ago and I came across a human at the northern most part of the forest. He was a strange human, very old and weathered. He gave me a necklace and told me he'd enchanted it and cast many spells on it." Blodhgarm looked up at Eragon. "He told me to use it when the king's body died, but his soul remained."
"What? How could he know this would happen?" Arya asked as she frowned in worry.
"I do not know," Blodhgarm said. "All he said was he had committed the biggest mistake and that he hoped by creating this necklace he could aid in Galbatorix' defeat. Before I could question him, he vanished into the sky."
"They sky?" Eragon asked incredulous, "Do you think maybe he came from Harry's world then?"
"It's possible."
"Blodhgarm, please tell me you kept the necklace?" Eragon asked. He was ready to shout in frustration if the answer was no.
"I did, but I do not have it here with me. The necklace remains in Ellesmera for safe keeping." Blodhgarm said.
Eragon frowned. The only thing for him to do now was to go to Ellesmera and retrieve it, but that would cause problems with Nasuada, not to mention the fact that she wanted to kill Harry.
There's no other choice little one. Saphira said to him. If you leave him, they will surely kill him while you're gone.
Eragon nodded in agreement with Saphira and said to Arya and Blodhgarm, "I'm going then, and I'm taking Harry with me."
"Eragon, you can't just leave now. Nasuada will never allow it, she won't allow you to take Harry either." Arya said not truly knowing if what Eragon was doing was the right choice at the moment.
"I pledged my loyalty to Nasuada not my soul and I've done everything possible to help her, but I won't just stand by and let her kill Harry, not when there's the possibility of saving him."
Arya nodded and Blodhgarm placed an arm on Eragon's shoulder. "I cannot accompany you, so I'll tell you; I left the necklace to be protected by the Menoa tree."
Eragon felt his insides cringe. He remembered how difficult the tree had been when he was searching for a weapon beneath its roots so he didn't look forward to asking it to give up the necklace.
"And how do I get it from her? Last time I had to deal with her she wasn't so cooperative." Eragon said.
"Tell her I have given you permission to retrieve it. A fool does not care to move on from a miserable past." Blodhgarm said and Eragon could not understand why he said the last part but stored it away nonetheless.
Eragon nodded and then thought of something, "Blodhgarm, do you happen to know anything else of the man that gave it to you?" he asked, "Perhaps we can track him down. He might know what Galbatorix is up to since apparently he knew this would happen. Why else would he have prepared such a necklace years before it would be needed?"
"Yes, it would be wise to seek him out if he still resides here on our land."Blodhgarm said and scratched the blue fur of his chest. "The only other thing I learned from him was his name. He called himself Nicholas Flamel."
Orrin paced back and forth as he waited for his guards to return. Although he was sore about not being elected as the new king of the Empire, he was still sane enough to do everything possible to twist Nasuada's will to his own. Perhaps he couldn't make the decisions for her but he could persuade her to make the decision he wanted. And at the moment, he wanted that boy Eragon had brought, Harry, to die. Of course he had nothing against Harry, it was just an unfortunate struck of luck that Galbatorix had chosen his body as a host.
After Eragon had stormed out of the tower where they held their meeting, Arya in hot pursuit, Nasuada had begun to wonder if Eragon was right and that they should try to save Harry. Orrin of course, argued against that. Why waste more valuable time when they could be rid of Galbatorix forever with a simple death. If they waited any longer, Galbatorix could find a way to return with a new body and they would all be doomed.
So Orrin persuaded Nasuada into making the decision, and now they were just waiting for his guards to return from the camp with Harry as their captive.
"I'm afraid of what this will do to our relationship with Eragon and Saphira." Nasuada sighed out. Her recently tortured body only added to the image of exhaustion she portrayed. "I worry the elves too will turn their backs on us."
"We survived just as well for a long time without the elves and we can survive without them again." Orrin spat. "Eragon and Saphira, well they may be angry at first, but they'll get over it eventually."
"But to kill the boy without telling Eragon," Nasuada ran a hand down her face, "he may never forgive us. He may never forgive me."
"It is necessary. If we tell him he will fight us and try to stop it." Orrin walked to the window and watched as the moon illuminated the city and bathed it in a peaceful glow. It almost seemed impossible that a battle had taken place mere hours ago. "Eragon can be too much of a hero sometimes."
There was a knock at the door and a guard in armor walked in, bowing to Nasuada before speaking.
"We've brought the boy. We've taken him to the tower as you've commanded."
"Did anyone see?" Nasuada asked as she stood and prepared to leave.
"Not a soul, your majesty." The guard said.
"Thank you, you may go." She dismissed him and he left after another quick bow.
"I still don't understand why you couldn't just send an assassin to kill him at the camp." Orrin said as he pulled on a black cloak to ward off the chill of the night. With winter approaching, he would soon be ordering a different wardrobe to be brought to him.
"Because, Orrin, I do not want another man to suffer the wrath of Eragon should he retaliate in anger." Nasuada pulled on her own red cloak and walked to exit the room. "If anyone should suffer the consequences, it should be the one who made the decision, you and me. Now let's get this over with before word reaches Eragon that Harry has gone missing."
AN: Sorry about the lack of Harry in this chapter, but fear not, he will return in the next one. Hahaha, I bet you were all surprised that Nicholas Flamel is involved? And yes, he will be appearing in this story, but not for a while. Murtagh will also return in the next few chapters or so.
Thanks for all your wonderful reviews. They make me happy to know you like my story.
:3