A/N: Thanks to Krokodyl for telling me Dora's real age. It had been nagging me for a while. Thanks to all my reviewers and MaylorTalone for complimenting me, so *looks up how to say 'thank you' in the Ancient Language* elrun ono! And an interesting story I want to share with you guys. It turns out, you CAN'T pm yourself, what a shame. And thank you guys who said this was the best story on FanFiction and others who complimented me. And I've decided to do a special POV for you guys.
And this is to all the people thinking Arya is OOC; remember this is an AU and Arya grew up with Eragon who taught her not to hide her emotions.
And it's a Kodak moment comes from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles; it means worthy of a picture.
Poseidon's son: You forget, she grew up with Evan/Eragon who taught her to not hide her emotions so she is going to be emotional.
Disclaimer: Dora is technically 23 years old. Not mine.
A-N-G-E-L-A
"Aren't they so cute together?" Angela cooed. Arya looked passed out cold, and Eragon had one arm under her and arm over her, so she was in his embrace. "It's a Kodak moment!"
Her mother laughed. "Yes I have to agree, but how did Eragon get his arms around Arya? He is in a coma."
Angela frowned; now that was a good question. Maybe Arya wrapped them around her herself? No, she was half asleep by the time she was even on the deck. And besides, it would've been extremely difficult for Arya to wrap his arms around her in the first place, so what happened?
Just then, Solembum walked into the room with his tail and held high, as if he had done something noble. Solembum, she warned, what did you do?
He gave her an innocent look; I don't know what you're talking about. All I did was accidentally hit Eragon's arms and they fell over onto the elvin princess. What a coincidence don't you think?
Angela sighed; Solembum, as romantic as that was, you're an idiot.
Solembum flashed a toothy grin at her, and her smile vanished. The grin was the exact same kind that Eragon's Saphira had given her, and it sent chills through her body. Solembum, thankfully, went on as if nothing had happened. What can I say; it's what males do best. The werecat winked at her, and walked out of the room. Turning away from the door, she saw her mother was looking in a box of slate sheets that Eragon kept. Angela wondered why her mother was taking so long, and she finally realized why when he mother brought out a circle of slate that was bigger than her head. The slate was in a perfect circle, and it was made for a good picture.
Angela smiled. Her mother turned to her and asked, "Can you hold the slate?" Angela nodded. She never did anything tactical with her mother; after all, she was her mother. Her mother had even grounded her one time from experimenting, even though Angela was a hundred and fifty six years old. She usually accepted casual talk with her brother, although sometimes she didn't just to annoy him.
Without using magic, as using the manual way gets you stronger, she held the slate in the one o'clock direction of her mother. (Forward and to the right a little)
Her mother put one palm flat on the slate and the other was held out towards the…the…couple? She didn't know what their relationship status was, although she hoped it was soon to be mates.
Invoking the words for color and picture, the image before her was displayed across the flat rock, but it didn't look as loving and majestic as the real sight.
Because of the enchantments embedded into the wood by the original elves and Eragon and Brom, the ship went four to five times the speed of an ordinary ship, and they were south-east of Beirland. They would reach Varnalond in the next three hours. Walking down to her cabin, she lay down on her bed and remembered her home.
Angela and Eragon weren't born there on the island of Uden, as Varnalond hadn't been built yet. Eragon and Angela had been born in Ilirea under the supervision of King Evandar. King Evandar had been a very kind man, and he respected all of life, including half-breeds. His mate on the other hand, not so much. Angela didn't like Islanzadi the moment she laid eyes on her. She was ordering her daughter around, telling her not to play with the other children, as that was not what a princess did. She could see the obvious dislike in the little elf's eyes at being called a princess. Angela wouldn't like it either; being tied to a throne or monarchy only limited ones freedom, it never enhanced it.
And it was also quite obvious that Arya liked her father much more than her mother, as soon as she laid eyes upon him as he was guiding them into Ellesmera for Eragon and Arya's first time, he immediately picked Arya up and twirled her around in a circle.
'When we gonna pwactise dada?" Little Arya had asked. Her lack of grammar made Angela smile. She had always adored children, as she had only see few in her life, and that was saying something considering she was in her early fifties, and looking good as well.
The only children she had ever really seen were the ones she had delivered in Varnalond, the ones she had attended to if they got a scratch, and the ones who played in Varnalond's park.
'As soon as you meet our very special guests.' Evandar said straining the word very.
'Okay!' Little Arya said with excitement.
Angela liked Little Arya from the start, and Angela had nearly laughed when Arya accidentally stumbled into her at the Varden and didn't recognize her. It was rather funny, considering the fact that she had seen Arya through Eragon's many fairths of her. Even though he only had two on his ledge, he probably had about a dozen more. She was also quite grateful that Arya had never entered Eragon or her mother's tent, as Eragon did have a fairth of Arya in there.
She huffed out air and closed her eyes.
A-R-Y-A
"Come on Arya wake up! We're almost there!" Angela shouted at her.
"Five more minutes," she grumbled.
"No!" Angela shouted, and she literally pulled her out of bed. Arya landed on the floor with a crash, but it only worsened when Angela grabbed by one of her legs and started dragging her out of the cabin.
"Angela what is wrong with you?!" Arya shouted towards her, or at least she tried to. It was rather hard to shout when your head was being dragged across wood.
Angela stooped and eyed her, genuinely confused. "Everything is wrong with me," the herbalist said with a cheeky grin. And before Arya could protest again, she was being strewn across the ground and what happened next wasn't very pleasurable. Arya forgot all about the stairs, and her head bonked onto every one of them. Soon she had a large headache.
Angela carelessly dropped Arya on the deck of the ship, and Arya was just fine with that. Turning over onto a more comfortable position, she shut her eyes again.
"Oh no you don't," Angela shouted towards her. "Get up or I'll make you. And it involves hair, Eragon's head, and lips."
"I'm sorry?" Arya asked groggily; she wasn't sure if she heard her right.
Angela repeated her threat louder, and Arya immediately jumped up into the air but regretted it soon. Her head started aching and she put her right hand to her forehead and muttered the word, "Letta." The pain subsided to a dull throb, and she then focused on her surroundings more. The ship was gradually slowing down, and she saw a dock not too far ahead. She saw Selena and a man who had the fairness of an elf, but the sturdiness of a human. Arya's eyes widened; it was the first time she had really seen another half-elf besides Eragon and Angela.
When the ship finally docked and the gangplank lowered, the half-elf walked aboard with Selena at her side.
Arya was surprised when the half-elf ignored the elvish customs and reached out her hand for her to shake. It was such a humanly gesture that it took a moment for her to react, but she finally did.
"Greetings, I am Eldrian, where is Eragon?" Eldrian asked.
"Angela replied with a quirky smile, "Down the stairs and the third door on the left. And that was when she finally looked up towards the top of the giant hill. Leading the way up to the hill was a city that contained the likes of no other. It was not built solely for the accommodation of dragons, but they could most certainly fit. The houses and shops were made of all kinds of different materials, yet it synched in harmony with the other buildings. And following the cobblestone road with her eyes, she could make out a small palace resting at the very top of the hill.
The city itself, no matter the size, was a magnificent city. All around the main street that she could see were people walking and dining and buying wares. There was a mixture of all races, and none were being prejudice, none being racist; they were in harmony.
About a hundred of the city's inhabitants were gathered at the entrance to the dock, and they were eyeing the boat with excitement. Arya began to eye the half-breeds and their parents with interest, and Angela was smiling and waving to some of them.
A noise to her right snapped her out of her reverie, and she saw Eldrian emerging from below deck with a smile plastered on his face. "He will live and he is awake." The half-elf announced to Angela, Selena, and Arya.
Arya was joyous, then curious, "How did you heal him?"
Angela laughed, "He won't spill any of his secrets about healing, no matter how important it is." At the end of her statement Angela gave the healer a pointed glare to which he responded with a shrug.
"He wants to see Arya." Eldrian said looking towards her.
"How do you know who I am?" Arya asked warily.
Eldrian shrugged again, "I don't; Eragon asked to see Arya and since you're the only person on this ship that I don't know I presume you are Arya. Am I correct?"
"Yes…" Arya said unsurely. Then the man stepped out of the way of the door leading below deck, and she walked down the stairs. When she was out of sight of the beings on the deck, she dashed towards the third door on the left, and wrenched it open. Sitting there on top of the covers was Eragon. The one person she hadn't truly seen since the ambush near Osilon two years previous.
Before any tears could fall onto her cheeks, she leaped towards Eragon hugged him as tight as she could.
"Not…so…tight…little one." Eragon said. Arya smiled in the crook of his neck. He had been calling her 'little one' ever since the day they met. "You're…breaking…my ribs."
"Shut up, you can heal them later." Arya said to him. And before she knew it, she was sitting in Eragon's lap crying. Like any other being on the planet, Arya had obviously cried over the past one hundred years. But she always had Eragon with her, and he was her hero. "I t-thought you w-were d-dead," she gasped out between sobs.
Eragon shushed her and rubbed patterns on her back. "I'm sorry," he said to her.
Arya looked up with her red eyes and asked confused, "For what?"
Her half-elf closed his eyes and leaned he body back against the headboard, so it made it more comfortable for the both of them. "I'm sorry for being a coward. I should have told you who I was in Farthen Dur."
"What do you mean Farthen Dur?" Arya asked.
"Who do you think broke you out of Gil'ead? I brought you to Farthen Dur and they gave you the Tunivor's Nectar and you lived. These two ugly bald twins tried to probe my mind rather forcefully when they wouldn't let me see you. So I broke into their minds to see what they were hiding and I saw that they were working for Galbatorix, so I killed them on the spot. I left a note on the wall saying –"
"'These twins betrayed the Varden for the Empire. I killed them before they could cause any more harm; and good morning Arya.'" Arya interrupted.
Eragon smiled sadly towards her, "Yes, and I was a coward. I should have told you. But instead I went near Aberon and took out my anger on a herd of cow. All my hate and anger went into that spell I used, and it felt as if it all left me. But that wasn't good. It damaged my soul and mother and Angela quickly brought me here to Varnalond."
"Shut up Eragon." Arya groaned into his shirt. Eragon then laughed but soon erupted into a coughing fit. Eragon was hunched over on the side of the bed, spitting blood into the waste bin. "Um, isn't it really bad when you're coughing up blood?"
Without turning around, Eragon answered. "Generally yes, but I need to get the spell out of my system."
"Ah," was Arya only reply, and when Eragon sat back against the headboard again, Arya glued herself towards his body. Eragon's arms were wrapped protectively around her, and she loved the feeling. Arya then decided to speak up and admit her feelings for him. "Eragon I –"
"Eragon! It's been ten minutes since you woke up and you won't even say hello to me?" Angela asked barging into the room.
"Hello," Eragon said simply.
"Hi!" Angela said enthusiastically, and then she left.
"Sometimes I wonder for your sister's sanity." Arya whispered to Eragon.
"Well wonder no more Arya, because she is out of it." Then the two began to laugh, and it was just like old times. Eragon sighed beneath her, "I know we're at Varnalond so I guess we should go."
Arya nodded but didn't let go of Eragon. "Little one, you have to let go of me."
"Never," Arya mumbled into his chest. She heard Eragon sigh and complain about the stubbornness of raven-haired green-eyed elves. "Can you carry me?" Arya asked sweetly.
"Of course, although maybe not for long." Eragon replied. And soon she felt herself being hoisted into the air and rested against Eragon's torso. She barely paid any attention to their surroundings, and she only reveled in Eragon's presence.
When she could smell the sea she heard Angela say to someone, "Rather clingy isn't she mother?"
"Shut up Angela." She called without moving her body.
Then she heard Eldrian ask, "Shadeslayer, just who is this woman? She is most certainly not a guardian, and she is no half-breed either."
She felt Eragon set her down on the deck and she stood up behind Eragon, slightly hiding. "This is Princess Arya, and she is an elf."
She saw from her hiding spot behind Eragon that Eldrian had just raised his hand and made some sort of signal. "Eldrian, relax."
"You want me to relax Shadeslayer?! You have brought an elf into Varnalond and the daughter of Islanzadi no less! We can't have her go back to the mainland and spill our location."
"Eldrian, stop!" Eragon shouted, and she was startled by the wave of command he held. "She is her father's daughter, and do you really think she doesn't know what I am?"
Eldrian's eyes widened, and then he bowed towards her. When the half-elf stood up, he was smiling again.
"Why so happy?" Arya asked unsurely.
"Because we have the daughter of Evandar in our midst!" Eldrian shouted. "Evandar was a kind and gracious man who helped build Varnalond. And thankfully his love for all life wasn't known throughout the races so his reputations among the other races was spared."
Arya had a million questions to ask, but before she could even start Eragon interrupted them. "Sorry to interrupt, but don't you think we should continue this discussion on dry land?"
Eldrian looked flustered, "Of course, of course Shadeslayer, let us go."
When Eragon began to follow Eldrian, Arya latched onto Eragon's left arm with both hands and held it with an iron grip. When Eragon raised and eyebrow towards her, she raised and eyebrow back. Eragon shook his head and chuckled at the same time. Eragon began to follow Eldrian again off the ship and onto dry land.
When her feet touched land she stumbled and would've fallen had she not been holding Eragon's arm like she would never touch it again.
"Sea legs," Eragon said to her, and he did not need to elaborate further.
"Come Shadeslayer, Angela, Selena, and Arya, the council eagerly awaits you." Eldrian said with a large smile on his face.
Eragon groaned and when Arya looked to him for explaining, he said, "The council is made up of one member from each race, including pure-bloods. Their meetings tend to last several hours." Arya nodded her understanding and then though of what Eragon had said. He had said 'including pure-bloods' like it was an uncommon things. Then she realized that if you were a pure-blood then you were the stranger around here, not the other way around. And so Arya walked with Eragon along the cobblestone road ignoring the seething and untrusting looks she was receiving. No, this was about her and Eragon.
A/N: Alright! They're at Varnalond and ready to do whatever! And here's a warning, either Chapter 8 or 9 will be a memory chapter.