I expect some better critique for this chapter is it is fine with you readers. I feel like a did a huge oopsie with Arya and Eragon, and I need your help to get back on the track. At least the plot is moving, and so does the word count.
"Where have you been?" Eragon wobbled on his legs that threatened to collapse when his eyes met Arya, who was standing next to him. Her melodious chuckle resonated through the still air as Eragon recuperated his footing and tried to smile, to show that he was not so clumsy, but his lips refused to obey.
Arya raised her eyebrows, her questioning gaze making him feel nervous and numb at the same time. "To the ocean. I needed to…to…" he stuttered, the word simply evading his mind like it was one of Saphira's annoying teases.
"To clean yourself from the recent incident?" Arya smiled and ran a hand through her tangled raven hair. Her eyes rocked back and forth between him and the ground, and Eragon almost suffered an embarrassment attack when the truth hit him. He was standing in front of her like a fool, unable to even form some words.
"Y-yes. Saphira's mouth is not one of the cleanest places, "he said quickly, his face turning red like a cherry. The weight that had previously pressed on his mind lost a part of its dreadful pressure when Arya laughed quietly, turning his inner lead into soft silk with her voice.
Still, even if her wounds seemed to have healed, her lustrous green eyes that hanged towards the ground like a frail willow made Eragon feel uneasy. She has been through almost as much as him, but her troubled past amplified her suffering ten fold compared to him. What surprised Eragon was that she coped well with this pain, unlike him, who allowed desperation to engulf him.
"I will show you a beautiful grove where I and Saphira retreat whenever Nasuada has no use for us," Eragon said uncertainly, trying to break out this tense moment between them. Arya favored him a quick smile that almost made Eragon's heart leap with joy. However, the promise was false, and a serious expression immediately darkened Arya's face.
"Eragon, I…cannot." Her words worried him greatly. Just when he thought he was able to understand Arya, something like this would show up. Driven by instinct, Eragon walked towards her and placed a hand on her stiff shoulder, her body shuddering at his touch.
"Arya, what is the matter?" She raised her head at his question, her emerald eyes staring right into his. A great sadness lingered within them, and Eragon couldn't help but to feel guilty once again for bringing this upon her. Just when he was about to say something, her hand moved towards her shoulder, grabbing his own with her soft yet powerful hand.
"Nothing. I am just happy to see you again," she replied hastily and dropped his hand before she turned around and started to walk slowly towards the cluster of trees.
Sensing her troubles, Eragon ran to her side, „If this is about…"
"No it is nothing. I was just glad that you are alright." Her frail tone sounded anything but convincing, and her now accelerated pace sent a surge of unpleasant thoughts through his mind. Her agitation reminded him of how he was when stressed, only that Saphira was always there for him. Unlike him, Arya had no one to confide in, except for him. Should he fail to help a friend in need, Eragon could never forgive himself.
Even if he hated to do it, Eragon placed himself in front of her, cutting any possibility of escape. Confused, Arya tried to move right, but his firm grip on her shoulders prevented any movement on her part, "I am glad too, but you are not telling me the whole truth." Her tense and serious expression softened, revealing the sadness that truly dominated her.
"They all perished… because of my weakness and my sate for revenge, they died. You almost died!" Her shaky voice almost turned into a scream at the end, but Eragon did not blame her. If anything, he should be the one to take the full blame, as the only Rider of the Varden. The distressed elf tried to release from his grip, but his calm yet persistent gaze soon ceased her twitching arms.
"There are things we cannot prevent from happening. It is because of you the reason I live," he added soothingly, hoping that Saphira's judgment that now rubbed on him would work on Arya too. Telling her how he truly felt was a mistake he did not want to make, and his concerns could wait for another time.
A sigh of hopelessness escaped Arya, "Eragon, you still do not understand. And I don't expect you to. My burden is my own." Her words shocked Eragon, rendering his deadened arms almost useless. Taking this opportunity, Arya removed herself from his grip and prepared to leave.
"I could not even understand myself after the battle, let alone the others," Eragon murmured to himself and dropped on the grass, a look of defeat on his face. When the screech of an owl disturbed him, Eragon looked above, but his eyes fixed on the slender body of Arya. She just stood there, like a sentinel of the forest.
He did not know what was happening in her mind, even if he tried to. Much to his shock, Arya turned around to face him and trudged towards him, throwing him a quick glance before she sat on the forest floor, a few feet away from him.
"I cannot run away anymore. Cowardice is seldom helpful, but…" her soft voice trailed off into the wind, intertwining with the sounds of the night. Blood rushed to Eragon's face when an urge to grab her in his arms and comfort her to the best of his abilities corrupted his thoughts, but he quickly swayed it off.
"You can always run to a friend instead." Arya jerked her head to match his stare immediately. Unable to look at her anymore, Eragon bowed his head in shame, mentally berating himself for the words that left his mouth without his consent.
"I appreciate this Eragon, but I…" Arya shifted her body, trying to slide closer to Eragon. Perplexed due to this sudden transition in her behavior, he looked at her, smiling encouragingly.
"Two lovebirds! Of course, you are both too big to be birds, but that is most fascinating!" A feminine voice came from behind, breaking the silence in an instant. Shuddering violently, Eragon turned around, his bewildered gaze meeting the culprit for this disturbance.
Right behind them stood Angela, holding a vine basket on her frail arm. From behind her, Solembum brushed his body against her left leg, lifting his tail upwards. Arya immediately shot onto her legs, brushing the dust and debris off her green tunic and black leggings.
"It's so unproductive to linger instead of doing what really matters," Angela complained and bent down to pet Solembum, who purred at her sensitive touch. Eragon couldn't help but to stare at the peculiar sight with incredulity. What unnerved him the most was Solembum's persistent gaze, whose red slitted eyes were almost not allowing him to look anywhere else.
Remember what I've told you, Rider. His voice sounded in Eragon's head before he interrupted the eye contact, running past Angela. From what he could see, Arya was almost as surprised as he was, but she dared saying nothing.
"If there was a spell to make mushrooms jump in my basket, it would be so easy," Angela chuckled and left as silent as she came. A drop of sweat slid down Eragon's face after the unnerving encounter, and just when he sighed in relief, the same pestering voice entered his mind, A lost battle is like a withered herb: it is not useful. If answers are what you seek, go visit Tenga. Happy chirps together!
Eragon allowed his body to collapse in relief after the weird herbalist was gone. Her visit could not had been timed worse. The least Eragon wanted was a pile of worries just when Arya was around.
As if on cue, Arya released from her invisible tangles and moved towards him, "What does she mean?"
Eragon shrugged, "I don't know, she is always like this." While Arya searched for a place to rest her body, Eragon thought about Solembum and Angela. The reason for their visit was mysterious, and so were their words. Why would he visit Tenga? Surely there was more to it than just that. Unless… Eragon jumped to his feet suddenly, as if struck by a revelation. Solembum…the Rock of Kuthian! He thought, pacing around nervously.
"Eragon what happened?" asked Arya as she pushed her torso up with the aid of her arms. In his agitation, Eragon didn't even look at her for more than a split second. That's it! Tenga might know where I can find it! He thought, a smile of victory on his face. If this was the answer he was searching for, then wasting this opportunity might prove to be the worst decision.
Still, before embarking in such journey, he had to take care of a multitude of aspects. First of, telling Arya seemed like a bad idea, especially when she had yet to recuperate after the recent tragedy. His heart ached to abandon her, but if this decision would keep her safe, then so be it.
"Nothing, it's just that…" Arya frowned deeply at his words, revealing an anger Eragon was not quite acquainted with.
"Do not trick me, Eragon. I have the right to know, as a friend," she said on a pressing tone and got onto her feet. Her words softened his resolve a little, but his decision held strong.
"Arya, I care about you more than you can think, and putting you into harm's way is not something I would like to do," he pleaded, but his gamble failed to work. Determined as ever to get to the bottom of this, Arya used her speed and strength to knock Eragon down and pin his hands with her own.
"Knowing that I saved your life, it is futile to argue with me." Her face was closer to him than ever before, and only now could Eragon admire her true splendor. The way her emerald eyes sparkled with frightening beauty, her hair that emanated an alluring scent of pine needles, and above all, her strength and determination to protect the ones she cared about.
The eerie moment lasted than both of them could comprehend. Eragon had no idea what happened, or what made him feel the way he did. The emotions that surged through him at that time were alien to him, but he wanted to experience it again, desperately.
Arya released him, assuming the same serious expression she used to trick foolish humans, but it did not work on Eragon. He could see past it, and there was sadness in her eyes, and disappointment. He wanted to protect her, but more than that, he wished to never disappoint his only friend, the only being that cared the most about him after Saphira.
With an apologetically voice, he said, "I have to travel somewhere. I will tell you more on our way to Nasuada." Arya did not question his motives, nor asked anything futile about his unknown plan.
"Good, because I would never accept a no," she smiled slyly and adapted to Eragon's pace, walking to his left. He barely refrained to sigh when Arya joined him, but deep in his mind, past his caution and protective attitude towards her, he was happy that she was coming with him.
On the way to Feinster, Eragon explained to her what happened in the woods and why was this quest so important to him. At first, Arya was surprised, almost shocked, to hear that Eragon was about to abandon the Varden on behalf of the words spoken by a woman who seemed absent minded, but Eragon stressed again just how important this was. In the end, it was Arya that gave up and embraced his judgment, even she didn't feel keen on doing so.
"And you expect this man, Tenga, to know where this Rock of Kuthian is?" Arya questioned with a bit of enmity in her voice. After what he told her, Eragon felt that she feared the possibility of toying with something that might far exceed anyone's capabilities of knowledge and magic.
"Something tells me that we are going to find out soon enough," Eragon concluded as they entered the city. Nasuada's quarters were located in the west part of the lower town, where the damage had not spread like wild fire.
By taking a short way that winded through the different houses, Eragon and Arya reached Nasuada's pavilion in a matter of minutes. One of the two nighthawks guarding the door almost suffered a panic attack when Eragon appeared from behind a building.
"We would like to speak with Nasuada," Eragon said on a low voice. The human guard nodded and pushed the door open, entering the makeshift quarters for the leader of the Varden. The other guard, a stout red bearded dwarf stared at him with suspicion, but Eragon did not even flinch under his gaze.
"Why ye ran in the forest, Shadeslayer? To avoid the ruckus that overwhelmed the city?" Eragon almost felt insulted by this guard, but he kept his emotions in check, unlike Arya, who stared at him menacingly.
"Because of him, you still have a life to live," Arya retorted almost brutally, silencing the pesky dwarf who narrowed his eyebrows at her threat. Eragon's eyes widened at how fierce Arya could get at times, but what surprised him more was that she actually did that in his defense.
The tense atmosphere was dissipated after the human nighthawk emerged from the building with a look of dissatisfaction on his face. Even a fool could predict that something was wrong, and his words merely confirmed Eragon's suspicion.
"Shadeslayer, Nasuada is asleep and is not receiving anybody, no matter your position," he declared solemnly and assumed a stoic position on the side of the door. Fearing that Arya might verbally destroy this man too, Eragon glanced at her and then addressed the guard.
"She will accept us. We have to talk about a matter of great importance." Both of the guards unsheathed their weapons and frowned at him. Arya was almost as fast as them in unsheathing her blade, but Eragon refrained from doing so.
"Yer important discussion will have to wait until morning. Now, begone!" The dwarf almost shouted, lifting the sword above his head.
"Slytha," Arya whispered. The two guards fell face first on the cobblestone floor, their armor thudding with a metallic tone.
"Good thinking," Eragon told her, and Arya smiled in return. With no other problems between them and Nasuada, Eragon entered the house, followed by Arya. The interior was very similar to how his own house looked like, only that most of the space was replaced by a big table and numerous seats, enough for the generals to assemble. The only source of light was an almost dead candle that burned slowly on the table. On the right, there was a door that presumably leads to the dormitory.
After beckoning Arya to wait, Eragon slowly pushed it open, entering the dark room slowly and with soft steps. With a silent spell he lit the candle placed on a nightstand and looked towards the bed.
Nasuada, still oblivious to her surroundings, was dressed in a golden robe laced with black patterns. Her hair was a mess and her hands were placed in such way that they almost did not belong to her.
"Nasuada, wake up," Eragon said in a silent yet powerful enough voice to rouse the sleeping leader. Alerted by the sudden disturbance, Nasuada blinked drowsily and raised slowly from her curled position. After brushing her eyes with her hands, she immediately assumed a more adequate posture.
"Eragon! Why are you here?" From her voice, Eragon could notice that she wasn't quite happy with his intrusion, but her preferences were all but a hindrance to him.
"I have to go in search of answers, along with Arya and Saphira." Sleepy and numb as she was, Nasuada still contorted her face into a disapproving frown.
"You plan to leave in such critical moment? Has the defeat entangled your senses in such way?" Eragon grit his teeth, but kept his temper in check. What Nasuada said was almost like an insult to him, but knowing what responsibility weighed on her shoulders, he did not put the blame on her for being concerned about the Varden.
"Nasuada, you have to understand. If there is something, anything we can use to defeat Galbatorix, I must exploit that advantage." Eragon's calm voice softened her scornful look and her eyes acquired a more pleasant expression. After shifting her body, Nasuada sighed with worry.
"I…I will see what there is to do. It will be hard to keep people united, after we almost had a riot involving Lorana's personal troops." Eragon smiled and bowed as a sign of good will.
"Thank you, Nasuada. I have the feeling that the Varden wouldn't really miss me though." He said before he exited the room, leaving Nasuada alone to her worries and concerns. As soon as he was out, Arya raised one eyebrow questioningly, and Eragon nodded.
"That went better than expected," Arya said as he pushed the door open.
"It's because my good persuasion skills," Eragon joked and tried to smile, but as soon as his head was out of the house, his face became dead serious due to shock.
"Going somewhere?" With the corner of his eye, he saw the slender body of Angela the herbalist, who wore a simple white dress, along with the same basket she carried around on her forearm. The first option that came to Eragon was to lie, but he immediately swayed it away on further retrospection. Angela was the one to tell him about Tenga, so it was only natural that she knew what his next move would be.
"Y-yes actually. I will follow your advice," he said quickly and turned around, hoping that she would leave him alone after obtaining his answer.
"Outstanding! I am going to accompany you then," she said, full of satisfaction and joy.
Eragon shook his head reluctantly, "This is not quite possible. Arya is already accompanying me, and Saphira might not be able to carry us all."
"Your concern flatters me, Eragon," said Angela, approaching him. "But Solembum and I can and will fly with you."
This sounded more like a demand than a request for Eragon. Puzzled because of this whole situation, he wanted to ask Arya for an advice, but the werecat's persistent gaze made him think otherwise.
"It is also Saphira's decision," he sighed. Eragon backed away slightly when Angela extended one hand on his cheek, an appreciative look on her face.
"She will say yes," she said as she withdrew her head. "Being all tense make your face wrinkle." Her laughter was anything but pleasant for Eragon, and judging the look on Arya's face, she was as confused and slightly perturbed as he was. Not to appear rude, his lips stretched into a smile and a quick nod made Angela turn around and pick Solembum in her arms, whispering him something that his ears could not percept.
Maybe she doesn't know that Saphira is not with us, Eragon hoped, but it was not to happen. Turning around as she forgot something of great importance, Angela rolled her eyes.
"Rotten mushrooms! I almost forgot that Saphira was hunting." Eragon's expression turned serious in an instant. Would this mean that Angela would accompany them all the way towards the forest, and everywhere they would travel after? Swaying his thoughts aside, he looked at Arya in puzzlement, and she reciprocated a similar gaze. Was there something Angela did not know?
Happy and enthusiastic as a newborn fawn, Angela sprung on her feet and passed by Eragon, heading down the road, towards the exit of Feinster. A break after such uncanny and tense moment was most welcome, both for him and Arya.
"She is unlike any woman I have ever seen," said Arya, taking the lead.
"There is something about her, it's just that I cannot quite put my finger on it," Eragon replied and proceeded to follow her.
Angela is quite the weird character in this story. Her role, while not determined yet, seems to be rather important, don't you think? As always, reviews are well appreciated and I want to see as many as you can pull out. While you review, here's something to think about: What is your opinion about Angela? If you can guess what she is up to, review, and if you get close enough, you can even win a spoiler!