16. True Name
Eragon withdrew from his pocket the small piece of gold he had summoned from the earth the evening before, when Arya had requested a moment of privacy to change. He was fashioning it into what he hoped would be a suitable wedding band for Arya, something simple yet meaningful. He remembered the lily he had sung for her after she confided in him about her imprisonment in Gil'ead, and how the spirits had transformed it into pure gold studded with precious gems.
With that image in his mind, Eragon continued his work and sang under his breath, inviting the precious metal to take the shape he desired.
As he did, he thought about Arya's request on the evening they were reunited that he help her discover her true name anew. He regarded her as she slept beside him, considering everything he knew about her, what her former true name was, and how she suspected that it had changed due to her feelings for him. He contemplated her motivations and recent discoveries, along with her increased vulnerability in spite of her ever-present strength.
It was on a night such as this, many years before, that Eragon had thus observed Sloan from across a dampened fire. Eragon had sorted and processed all knowledge of him until he had inadvertently arrived at Sloan's true name.
Eragon continued his efforts with the ring and Arya's true name until a phrase in the ancient language filled his mind, what he felt was a perfectly fitting description of Arya.
He whispered it, watching her closely. She shivered.
Had he done it? Eragon tried once again, whispering more firmly. Arya jerked toward him, mumbling in her sleep as her eyelids fluttered.
Amazing, he thought. Arya was so amazing, as her true name clearly signified. She was still bound so strongly by duty, yet she was made stronger by recognizing her most important duties. She had been willing to sacrifice everything for him once she admitted her love. Eragon had been reluctant to include that much feeling for himself in the phrase encompassing her true name, certain he must be overstating it, but he had tried to trust Arya's sincerity over the past two days. The name rang true, so it must be so.
Eragon shook his head in grateful disbelief. Then a thought struck him. He widened the band of the ring he was shaping. The design consisted of two elongated golden lilies with their blossoms crossed at the neck as if resting on one another's shoulders. These created the face of the ring. The stems stretched away from each other, forming the band of the ring. Where they touched opposite the blossoms, they entwined, the end of each wrapping around the other stem until again reaching the blooms, producing an elegant swirl of movement.
Eragon turned the ring slightly so he could see the inside of the band. The light glowing from his gedwёy ignasia illuminated his efforts. Singing his thoughts into being, he inscribed Arya's name on the back of one of the blossoms followed by her true name around one half of the intertwined stems. On the back of the other blossom, he etched his own name followed by his true name along the stems. The writing was tiny and delicate, but it added a personal touch to the beauty of the joined flowers that Eragon hoped Arya would appreciate.
He was pleased with the end result. It was unique and personally meaningful to them. Should he give it to Arya before reaching the city or when they were married?
If he waited until the ceremony, Arya might not have ample opportunity to appreciate all the tender detail he had instilled. Eragon decided to give it to her before then, hoping he would recognize the right moment when it appeared.