4. Decisions

Once all of the dragons had landed not far from the edge of the earth where the falls crashed into the sea below, every Rider and passenger dismounted. Some did so stiffly, as in the case of Angela and Solembum. Most performed the oft-repeated motions with graceful, habitual ease.

Arya noticed how Varhog took Willow's hand and helped her down. She kept ahold of his hand once they were on the ground and pressed herself into his arm. A joyful smile covered her face, and Varhog also looked happier than Arya ever remembered seeing him. She didn't have much time to consider it before Murtagh bounded across the clearing and swept Willow into his arms. His embrace was so exuberant that he lifted her off the ground, and Willow laughed in delight.

"Congratulations!" Murtagh cried. "I'm sorry I spied on you the whole way, but I couldn't resist! Though there really wasn't much to see aside from your many smiles and laughs, the few words you did speak aloud made it so worth it. So, so worth it! I'm so happy for you, sister!" He laughed along as hers continued. Murtagh glanced over at Varhog, who for once didn't look envious. "You did it!" Murtagh exclaimed. "How does it feel?"

"Amazing," Varhog replied with a silly grin on his face. "Unbelievable. I should have anticipated Willow's reaction, but I still wasn't prepared for how perfect it was."

"Of course it was! This is Willow we're talking about! Congratulations, brother!" Murtagh finally released Willow but didn't move far. He simply stepped in front of Varhog and likewise hugged the huge Urgal around the waist, though he didn't attempt to lift him off the ground. Varhog chuckled, and Murtagh moved back far sooner than he had with Willow.

"You two," Murtagh said, approvingly shaking his head. "History makers, aren't you? Look at you laughing defiantly in the face of every ridiculous prejudice and barrier between you."

"Murtagh!" Arya cried in suspense. "What are you carrying on about?"

Murtagh started slightly and seemed to remember the other members of the party surrounding them. "Forgive me, everyone," he said. "These two . . . never mind. They should be the ones to share." He stepped to the side so he wouldn't be blocking Willow and Varhog.

Everyone looked expectantly at Willow and Varhog, though Hanin was smiling knowingly as if he could easily guess what had transpired.

Willow shrugged, explaining, "Well, I guess for lack of a better term, Varhog and I are engaged. I'm not sure that's how the Urgralgra would refer to it, but we intend to get married." She giggled when she looked at Eragon.

Arya glanced at her husband to see why Willow had laughed and had the same reaction. Eragon looked stunned. But Arya didn't dwell on it long before dashing over to Willow and copying Murtagh by giving her a tight embrace. "That's wonderful, Willow! I wondered what has been going on between you two lately."

"Thank you!" Willow said. "Varhog finally found the right opportunity to confess his undying love for me and that's all it took. I have been feeling much the same these past several weeks." She cast a teasing, sidelong glance up at her fiancé, and Varhog smiled down in return.

Hanin next came forward and clapped Varhog on the shoulder. "Well done, brother," he commended. "Took you long enough."

Varhog laughed. "Aye. That it did. I'm sorry to frustrate you all."

Hanin smiled. "We only worried for Willow, as I know you did." He had his turn giving Willow a warm hug. "Now you understand why I said Varhog wouldn't have approved if I had accompanied you to the lake. Are you glad you first learned of his feelings from him?"

"Indeed!" Willow exclaimed. "Hearing Varhog say 'I love you' was the most beautiful thing in the world."

"And now at the ripe old age of twenty-three, you will be getting married," Hanin stated. "How do you think that makes an eighty-year-old codger like me feel?"

"Codger?" Willow skeptically repeated. "Nonsense! But it hardly seems fair. I'll have a few words with that silver egg and tell the dragon inside that he must hatch for a stunning female so you will also be able to marry, Hanin. How's that?"

"Lovely," Hanin said with a laugh. "So what are your plans?"

Varhog cleared his throat. "Willow and I wish to make our way directly to my clan near Lake Fläm in the borders of the Spine. We will seek their approval of our union. If we obtain it, or even if we do not, we will enter into said union forthwith."

-:-:-

Eragon had always been impressed with the level of mastery and eloquence Varhog had achieved with the various languages of Alagaёsia, which was so unlike any other Urgal he had ever met.

But that emotion was nothing compared to the astonishment he was now feeling upon hearing of his and Willow's plans. The others seemed to think it the most natural thing in the world, perhaps because they had known of Varhog's feelings for far longer than Eragon. But there was more to it than only that. Eragon had spent time with the Urgals during the war and knew of their customs from his studies.

After he had regained his composure enough to offer his congratulations, Eragon voiced his concern by asking, "Will your clan think highly of this, Varhog?"

"I fear not," Varhog replied. "The hatred and prejudice between our races run deep. For the most part, the Urgralgra view humans as repulsive in the same way humans do the Urgralgra. They will most likely require Willow to prove herself worthy to be the mate of an Urgal ram before regarding the match with favor, if even then. When they see how she can defeat me in single combat, it may change their opinions. But that doesn't matter. My loyalty lies foremost with the Riders and with Willow herself. I will seldom be with my clan from now on to feel their displeasure, if that is their reaction."

Eragon creased his brow. "I wouldn't miss such a historic occurrence for anything," he murmured, glancing questioningly at Arya.

"Nor I," Arya assured.

"Nor I," Murtagh echoed with another grin. "I have always wondered what a whole clan of Urgals would think if they saw a thin human girl bring down one of their strongest rams." Varhog snorted.

"May we come?" Eragon inquired.

"But of course!" Willow replied. "I wouldn't want it any other way!"

"Would that I could be there," Hanin wistfully said. "But I fear I must make my way straight to Ellesméra. Already the Choosing Ceremony has been delayed several weeks by the unusual circumstances on the Isle. There is no reason to keep the dragon in his egg any longer. He has already been waiting over a hundred years."

"And you also want to find your future mate as soon as possible," Willow teased.

"That too," Hanin easily agreed, laughing with Willow.

"Never fear, Hanin," Willow reassured. "We will miss you, but I completely understand. Won't you scry us when the dragon has chosen his new Rider? We won't be able to reach you in Du Weldenvarden."

"But of course, Willow," Hanin promised. "I will scry right away, even if there is a chance I will catch you in the middle of your honeymoon."

Willow giggled. "Then you had best scry Eragon."

"He is just as likely to catch us occupied in that way as anyone," Arya said with a laugh. "I think our honeymoon might never end."

Eragon grinned and proudly put his arm around her. "No blush, my love? That is worrisome." Arya smiled sweetly and turned her face toward him. He planted a kiss on her upturned lips before returning his attention to the others. "Well, now we know at least one stop to make. The true motivation behind this brief rest was to decide the logistics of our journey or at least of the beginning of it. Murtagh, you have covered this distance numerous times. Would you share with us what we should expect as to the length of our travels?"

Murtagh nodded. "Flying due west at a leisurely pace, we will reach Hedarth in about six days, though we could arrive sooner if necessary."

Arya interjected, "On my way to the Isle, Fírnen made the trip far faster, but we flew night and day and barely stopped at all."

"Certainly," Murtagh agreed. "I was referring to flying for maybe eight or ten hours a day, landing for every meal, and stopping each evening to camp. Thorn and I also usually make the trip more quickly, but we have come this way so many times that we have it down to an art. I rarely stop for every meal and we fly far longer each day. From Hedarth, our direction depends on where we intend to go first. Tronjheim would be our closest destination, if we wanted to go in order from nearest to farthest. Or we could fly first to the Spine and make our way back, ending with Tronjheim before we once again return to the Isle."

Eragon was thoughtful. "Perhaps we should all share what we would like to accomplish on this journey, if we wish to remain together and travel as a group or if we would better serve our purposes by dividing at some point, and how long each intends for this visit to be."

Hanin said, "As I implied, once we reach Hedarth, I will separate from the group to fulfill my purpose on this trip. Depending on how long the rest of you plan to stay, if the dragon hatches quickly, it may be that he will be ready to return with his Rider when this party also flies back to the Isle. That would require a span of at least three months, however, to give him time to grow large and strong enough. I will also deliver the brightsteel to Rhunön."

Eragon nodded. "I think it is safe to say that we will be staying at least that long, and we intend to spend some time in Ellesméra. Perhaps we can all depart from there together. Anyone else?"

In a tone somber and grim Angela said, "Perhaps now is the time to reveal my purpose on this trip. Do I have your permission, Shadeslayers?" Eragon and Arya nodded in unison.

"The conception of Eragon and Arya's child has given me great reason to be troubled," Angela began. The other Riders regarded her in confusion, so she proceeded to share a condensed version of her background, ending with, "And so the disappearance of my parents, Ellei-an and Gelarik, has been a lifelong mystery, and a very long life I have endured. I fear that Arya and Eragon may face some unknown experience at the birth of their child. But whether it will be good or bad, I cannot say. If we are able, we intend to learn something of what they might expect before the time comes. Forgive me for not appearing as pleased as the others at the announcement of your engagement, Willow and Varhog, but if the difficulty simply lies in a relationship between two of different races, then this mysterious fate may also be yours." She sighed sadly.

"If something bad might happen to Eragon, Arya, or their child, I want to be there to help them," Murtagh said, appearing deeply affected by Angela's account.

"As would I," Willow said, and Varhog also nodded. "Perhaps strength in numbers will be enough to withstand whatever may befall them."

Eragon and Arya were touched by the concern of the other Riders, and Arya's eyes shimmered with tears. "It would be an honor to have you all present at the birth of our baby," she whispered. "It may help, indeed." Then, apparently wishing to avoid further talk of such melancholy prospects, she added, "I would love to be in Carvahall when Katrina has her baby. Perhaps I may be of some help, at least with the older children."

Eragon squeezed her shoulders. "I would also like that. Roran and Katrina are the two I most wish to see. And their children, of course. Their baby is due in early winter. Depending on how long we spend traveling to the Spine and with the Urgals, we could very well arrive with several weeks to spare and stay after for as long as you wish. We may not want to travel much so far north during the winter."

"If we wait for spring to resume our travels, would we have time to see Nasuada before our baby is due?" Arya wondered.

"We will either make time or simply bring the baby with us," Eragon said, and his confidence that they would be able to travel together as a family seemed to comfort Arya. "Roran and Katrina would never forgive us if we left just before our child was born and never brought it back for them to meet. We may find ourselves back and forth between the people we love for the better part of the next year before we feel satisfied to return to the Isle. Have you any objections to the notion?"

Arya shook her head and smiled. "I like the idea very much," she confessed. "We will also want to visit the elves in Ellesméra, as you said, and Orik in Tronjheim. I thought our travels might take us to eastern Du Weldenvarden to see what we may learn of Ellei-an and Gelarik, if anything. We shall be all over Alagaёsia."

"Not a difficult thing when one has a dragon to fly him about," Eragon said with a smile. Saphira snorted her amusement.

Murtagh contributed, "I would like to meet this famous cousin of mine, but I think I want to spend more time with Nasuada after that. So I will leave you after being in Carvahall for a short time."

"Very well," Eragon said. "We have much to accomplish. Perhaps it would be wise to stop and see Orik since we will be passing right by. Maybe a brief visit now then a longer one on the way back. Would that be a problem for you?" He addressed Varhog and Willow with his last question.

"Not at all!" Willow cried. "I long to see Tronjheim and meet King Orik." Varhog appeared to be in agreement. "You want to visit the library, don't you, Yelloweyes?"

"You know I do," Varhog mildly agreed.

"We have a great opportunity as Riders from all of the races to foster cooperation between the peoples we visit," Eragon said. "I haven't been back to Alagaёsia in ten years. Our presence here hasn't been strong, for we do not wish to be intimidating, but we do want the people to know that we are here for them. Let us be models of the peaceful existence we desire for Alagaёsia and work to quell the deep-seated prejudices that still must prevail in many places, particularly toward the Urgals. The fate of the land depends upon it."

This was met with a few quiet murmurs of assent. Then, wishing to be back on their way, Eragon asked with a tone of conclusion, "Is there any who needs to take advantage of this break before we resume our flight? Let us be quick and return to the skies. The dragons are not weary."