"She is in heat," Angela said, rolling her eyes. "Do I have to repeat myself yet again?"
"I—no…" Eragon mumbled, blocking Angela's way with his sturdy arm. For the past few moments, the herbalist constantly searched for a way to leave and scout for the mushrooms she kept babbling about, but her plans have been unsuccessful due to Eragon's timely reactions.
The group was located at the fringe of the forest, close to where Saphira first landed. After her discussion with Eragon, the dragoness plunged into the cool moist air to search for edible prey that might quench her ever growing hunger. The plains offered no such treats, and Saphira wanted to take opportunity of whatever this lush forest had to offer.
"Are you certain of your claims?"
Solembum hissed and snapped at Eragon's foot. "My boy, your knowledge about dragons is smaller than a freshly sprouted mushroom. You are a most unusual Dragon Rider, and also irritating and persistent," Angela scoffed, frowning.
"Allow her to leave."
"Arya, but—"
Angela chuckled and brushed Eragon's arm aside, humming contentedly while Eragon glared at her. Flicking his tail with indifference, Solembum quickly joined her, his small form padding next to her.
"Do as I say."
Eragon's muscles twitched with eagerness to chase Angela and stop her, but when he met Arya's disapproving gaze, he sighed and moved towards the nearest tree to lean onto.
"She will keep doing whatever she wants," he said, moving a fallen acorn he collected earlier in his palm. "If she is not confronted, her lack of respect is going to cause us trouble."
Arya leaned her slender body on the same tree, close enough to Eragon so that he could inhale her fresh scent of pine needles.
"She's doing it on purpose!" Eragon lamented, tightening his grip on the acorn. "Because we don't know where the Rock of Kuthian is, we have to rely on her, and that's exactly what she desires."
That goes without mentioning that she takes great pleasure in proving that I'm always wrong, Eragon thought with spite.
"Is that all?"
Eragon looked at Arya, puzzled by her calm voice and serene expression. What did she have in mind? Only recently, Eragon thought that he began to understand her, that their bond of friendship was so developed that he could read her thoughts, much of the same way Saphira read his. Instead, he met the same mystery that had always obscured her intentions and feelings.
"Something bothering you?" Eragon asked uncertainly, probing for a reaction that might betray her. It came faster and more surprising than he expected.
Arya grabbed his hand firmly and pointed to a small glen where several rocks of different sizes protruded out of the uneven ground. The unleveled earth continued like that until it gave way to an abrupt slope a little farther away. Sunlight penetrated the emerald boughs, creating a pleasant dance between lights and shadows. While walking besides Arya through the ferns and bushes that got in his way, Eragon squinted, trying to make out the form of a brown object that appeared to be made of canvas.
Only after the vegetation lessened did Eragon understand what the peculiar object represented. He couldn't help but smile and feel his stomach knot with doubt and anticipation. Arya never invited him to sit besides her, much less try and take the initiative to improve their friendship. If the brown bulged sack contained what Eragon suspected, he was going to be proven wrong.
Arya's speed decreased to a shuffle, her emerald eyes taking in the beauty of the forest.
"While no forest is a match for the lush and grand Du Weldenvarden, this place reminds me of something," she said, releasing Eragon's hand and entering the glen. Eragon remained behind.
"It is but a hazy memory in my head, yet…" Arya circled one of the rocks gracefully, her posture similar to a cub that just discovered how grand the world can be after leaving the safety of its den.
"My father, Evandar, used to take me to a similar place in Ellesmera, and I used to climb the lesser rocks. Whenever I reached one that I couldn't climb, he used to tell me that exuberance alone is not enough to climb it, that certain obstacles can only be surmounted in due time."
Arya sighed and looked at one of the round boulders vacantly.
"It's ironic, how an immortal race fails to overcome certain obstacles. My father's words are logically inconsistent. Time is a double edged blade for us; when it doesn't help, it punishes. However…" She trailed off, picking the brown sack and looked at Eragon, her persistent stare inviting him to join her. After clumsily settling on one of the two round and uneven boulders that were situated next to each other, Arya came by his side. Her grip tightened around the small sack, the fabric wrinkling under the pressure.
"After we traveled together, fought side by side with you, I came to realize that Father was not mistaken, no matter how much I refused to accept his words after he left us…after Faolin died… after Oromis perished…. Time gives you the opportunity to find what you are looking for, even if most elves are blind to its role by grief and sorrow for the ones who have fallen. Time was never supposed to fix things, but to allow you to find whatever can fix you."
Arya looked at the brown sack and offered it to Eragon.
"It is fruits," she said faintly, her mouth stretching in half a smile.
Eragon looked at what Arya handed him and gulped emptily. "I don't—I want to hear what you have to say." Arya's arm remained in the air due to Eragon's lack of reaction. Feeling foolish for keeping her waiting, Eragon attempted to remove the weight from her hand, but just as his arm twitched, Arya covered the remaining distance between their arms and leaned forward, handling the sack to Eragon with her right hand while the left was placed on top of Eragon's hand.
"It's you who pulled me out of my grief and sorrow," Arya said, smiling. "You are the reason I have succeeded overcoming that obstacle. Your optimism and hope showed me that it's not worth secluding in a shell forever, withering while the world around you changes. You have my gratitude."
Eragon was surprised, almost shocked by how highly Arya thought of him. Instead of allowing his surprise to stun him, Eragon smiled in return and nodded in acceptance.
"Whatever it takes, Arya," he said. "I'll do whatever it takes to help you, as a—friend would."
Eragon felt his skin bristle and chills ran down his spine. Why have I paused? She's my friend, nothing more, Eragon thought.
"Now eat," Arya said, regaining her powerful and commanding tone. "The forest blessed us with its bounties, so that we don't have to resort to unneeded sacrifices."
Eragon felt a little guilty for being weak when Arya was the opposite, but said nothing. His hands dexterously opened the sack and picked a round yellow fruit.
"You probably know more about dragons than I do," Eragon said through hearty bites as he tore into the fruit. "Is there a reason behind Saphira's change in behavior? She seemed quite affectionate lately, while also indisposed and blunt. While I think of it, she also—"
"She's showing early signs of heat," Arya interrupted, picking several nuts from the bag. "Much has changed since dragons freely soared through the sky, yet some things still remained the same, like the mating season, which starts at the middle of autumn."
Eragon was not overly surprised. Saphira manifested a strong desire to pursue a mate, even though it was impossible for her to find one. Because of that, her sadness and loneliness increased in amplitude, and Eragon still remembered the previous discussion he had with her.
She's right, I can't possibly give her hatchlings. That's something not even time may remedy, Eragon thought.
"But she can't—I mean, what happens if there are no mates available for her?"
Arya looked down. "Not even your love is going comfort her once she is in heat. This world has forsaken her species. It's because of us that she will be deprived of the chance to live a life any dragon should." Arya paused, chewing the remnants of a fruit before she swallowed, her eyes never leaving the ground.
"Because of the Dragon Riders, Saphira may have no mate. She may be alone, forever."
"It's not our fault," Eragon intervened. "It's Galbatorix's madness that brought doom upon the dragons."
Arya shook her head and looked straight into his eyes. "The tyrant solely made use of his tools to secure his Empire. He perceived dragons as tools, and what better way it is to massacre an army than to strip them of their weapons?"
"I will end him," Eragon said with conviction, hate coating his words. "I will do whatever it takes to end his reign of terror and give Saphira a chance to find a suitable mate."
They both continued to eat, no words shared between them. Eragon suspected that Arya did not favor a talk about what they would do once they found the Rock of Kuthian. She was a battle scared veteran, and had known more pain than he had ever experienced. Or maybe, during this moment they spent together, she had chosen not to tarnish the only positive aspect of her life, and therefore chose not to talk about Galbatorix.
After they had finished eating, Arya led Eragon to a brook with crystalline cold water to quench their thirst and also wash away the sticky juice of the fruits off their hands. After Arya quenched her thirst, Eragon carefully climbed down the steep slope that formed the bank of the river. When he crouched above the river and sank his hand in the cold water, the necklace around his neck began pulsing with seething energy.
"What's going on?" Arya asked puzzled, jumping from the higher ground straight into the water.
"The necklace…burning…" Eragon mumbled, dropping to his knees. An arm was the only support that kept him from crashing.
Arya reached him in two strides and placed her hand near Eragon's chest, chanting in the ancient language. The burning necklace immediately cooled off and the pressure exerted on his chest allowed him to breath normally once again. Blinking rapidly to clear his vision, Eragon slurred his words as a sign of gratitude for whatever Arya did, but she was not there anymore.
"Arya—"
"Draumr Kopa," a nearby voice said.
Eragon turned around, puzzled. His eyes met the crouched form of Arya, who used a spell to create a circular hole in the moist soil on the riverbank.
"What are you doing?" Eragon asked through labored breath.
"Arya," a male voice Eragon didn't recognize said. "We find ourselves in need of your presence."
"My presence?" Arya said with her ordinary voice that betrayed no surprise or any other emotion. "What for? My mother's leadership should guide you through our sorrows. I still mourn Oromis, but sitting idly will not uphold his ideals."
"I—well," the scried elf stuttered. "I only do what Dathedr asked. Why are you in a forest? Hasn't the Varden secured Feinster? Where are the thirteen spell casters Islanzadi sent? They were supposed to be our eyes and ears in Feinster, but scrying was impossible."
"They're dead," Arya said nonchalantly. "Galbatorix killed them. They're victims to a cycle that always seems to repeat."
A sudden pause followed, and Eragon suspected that the elf who talked with Arya was shocked by the revelation. Even if the scrying mirror was within his reach, Eragon did not approach it. Not unless Arya considered otherwise.
"Galbatorix—where is Eragon?" the elf asked on al alarmed voice. "What happened to the Varden? And the dark king, why wasn't he ended by Eragon's blade?"
Arya beckoned Eragon to approach. A knot formed in his stomach when he understood his role, but complied without showing his uneasiness. Eragon touched his lips with his fingers, following the traditional elven greeting.
"The Varden still stands with Nasuada as their leader. Galbatorix wreaked havoc among the soldiers, but did not kill many. I do not know his motives, but his ominous mind is more tangled than I expected."
On the other side of the scrying mirror, Eragon could see nothing but a green canvas, and more prominent, the elegant face of a young elf with star colored hair and azure blue eyes that sparkled with worry.
"Why haven't you killed the King?" he asked with an aggravated voice, different that the previous suave flow of words that was pleasant to Eragon's ears while he talked to Arya.
"I underestimated him… and his powers were too vast for me to overthrow him." The elf gasped and Arya looked at Eragon, frowning.
The Rock of Kuthian, Eragon thought. It's Galbatorix's downfall, but I should not mention it.
"I know a way to defeat him. By the end of this moon cycle, Galbatorix will exist no more."
"Bold words, Shadeslayer, but my qualm is not directed at Galbatorix for now. An old human by the name of Tenga infiltrated our midst and killed Islanzadi," the elf said faintly, bowing his head.
Arya's eyes widened with apprehension. "How can that be?" she almost yelled. "He couldn't—it's not possible for a haggard and demented old man to travel to Gil'ead and kill my mother under the eyes of the guards."
"Your pain wells inside me, Arya," the elf said, "but your people need to see you and Eragon, to give them hope and to bestow your blessing upon our new ruler."
"No," Arya said, standing. "My mother and Oromis believed in world of peace, where our people do not hide behind our blessed borders. They believed that one day, Galbatorix will be no more. I am going to believe in them." She bowed before the stunned elf and slowly moved away from the scrying mirror. "The time for mourning has passed."
"Shadeslayer," the elf tried to recover, "We need you."
"Alagaesia needs me more. I will continue my journey so that elves will not be tainted by concerns and panic. Farewell."
The elf bowed curtly and the water rippled with colorless currents as the image faded, leaving a blank crystalline surface.
"My mother is dead, our people scattered," Arya lamented softly, her voice trembling slightly. "How long will this continue?"
Eragon jumped on the higher ground overseeing the river bank and put a hand on Arya's shoulder. Her frame trembled slightly, but her emerald eyes shined with gratitude for his support.
"Until we do what is right," Eragon said with conviction.
Finally a sweet chapter for the people to rejoice. I expect Robin to post, since he made a promise. So, more ExA development, a very nice dialogue between them and Eragon and Arya finally catch up with the news. We also find out more about Saphira's strange behavior and why she is starting to distance herself from Eragon. I think the explanation is pretty reasonable, knowing that dragons have not been born alongside elves or humans.
Post your reviews and let me know what you think. I appreciate all your posts and opinions, as they all matter to me.