22. Celebration and Gift
Eragon smiled before kissing Arya. Man and wife, he triumphantly thought. I am hers, she is mine. The room around him disappeared, along with the clapping, cheering, and trumpeting from the small crowd of Riders, elves, and dragons. Eragon saw only Arya as she pressed against him in their wedding attire. His heart and body filled with an intense longing for her, which he now had his own permission to satisfy, as he had first bonded himself to her by word and vow to demonstrate his adoration and devotion.
"Just a little longer," Arya whispered, reading his emotions in his eyes. "Let us feast and rejoice with those who have honored us with this celebration."
Eragon knew she was right. He had waited patiently. A little longer wouldn't hurt. Too much.
They approached the crowd, receiving congratulations and embraces at every hand. Joyful music swelled in the room as the elves began a merry dance. Eragon laughed and spun Arya into the swirling fray, which clearly astonished her.
"And when did you learn to dance?" she asked.
"Here and there," Eragon vaguely replied. He had learned from the elves, of course, when their somber moods gave way to gaiety and fun. Though he had learned, Eragon had never truly enjoyed until then. The others joined in, and some of the male Riders jokingly linked as partners, as there weren't enough females to be paired with.
The dwarves—Knilf and Bodin—made a fine spectacle, especially when they insistently dragged Varhog into their circle, creating an awkward trio. That won them many guffaws for their efforts, and the humor from the onlookers only increased when Grintuk, the Kull Urgal, joined of his own accord. The two huge Urgals and stout dwarves tromped about in a circle, and all who witnessed were overcome with amusement.
Eragon danced mostly with Arya but also some with Willow, some with Angela, some with the other elves, and once even with Murtagh who, contrary to his normal formality, enjoyed the pleasantries with unreserved glee.
Eragon tried to take advantage of the moment to thank him for the wedding, but just as he opened his mouth to speak, Murtagh lifted his arm with a wry smile and spun Eragon under it, forcing Eragon into an uncontrollable fit of laughter at how absurd it seemed.
When he had recovered, Eragon quickly spoke, determined not to miss his chance. Fighting the mirth threatening to break forth at any moment, he said, "Thank you for performing the ceremony, brother. It was perfect."
"It was my pleasure, Eragon," Murtagh replied. "You have inspired me. I am taking a liking to this wedding business." And they broke to find new partners. Arya returned to Eragon while Murtagh swept Willow away from Varhog, who gave Murtagh a playfully menacing look as he did.
The merriment continued for some time, each ridiculous moment building on the previous until Willow declared with a good-natured smile—as a little sister would when she'd had enough of her older brothers' silliness: "Enough, you fools! Let's eat."
The feast was magnificent, fine enough to rival any spread in any kingdom of Alagaёsia, even without the presence of meat. Eragon was reminded why, despite his many flippant comments about eating only plants, he actually truly enjoyed it. The variety, colors, smells, and tastes of a plant-based diet were truly unsurpassable. The bounty of the gardens and orchards in midsummer was apparent in the innumerable dishes: casseroles, salads, breads, dips, trays, soups, and desserts, all of which were bursting with color and flavor, seasoned or spiced to perfection. They ate as much as they could, which was very nearly all of it. Seldom did any food remain after a meal, partly because their appetites truly demanded it, but also because they were loath to waste anything and carefully planned only what would be needed.
When everyone was finished, Willow, along with those nearest any leftovers, carried what remained to the kitchen. Varhog immediately helped her without being prompted. Eragon thought nothing of it—Varhog helping Willow was the most natural thing imaginable on the Isle—until he noticed Arya's reaction. She observed Varhog intently, and Varhog glanced at Arya as he felt the weight of her curious gaze upon him. He shrugged as she arched one eyebrow at him. Eragon decided to ask Arya about it later, if he remembered.
The Riders often did the cleaning with magic to speed the tedious task, so within a few moments, Willow and Varhog reappeared with several wrapped parcels, which they took to Murtagh. He accepted them and left, returning several minutes later with a small pack.
Murtagh approached Eragon with the pack, explaining, "It was Nasuada's idea. I wouldn't have been thoughtful enough to come up with it on my own. It's nothing really—mostly food, a blanket, water. Things of that nature, to make your honeymoon more enjoyable." His teasing laugh didn't quite hide the envy in his eyes.
Eragon gratefully received the bundle. "Thank you, and thank Nasuada for us too, won't you? That was considerate. I also wouldn't have thought of it."
Angela bounced over to them and asked, "Is it time for gifts, then? Well, I have something too." She handed Arya a small piece of cloth and waited expectantly while Arya held it up.
At first Eragon didn't recognize it, and Arya also seemed stumped. Then, as comprehension dawned on her, she gasped, pressing the gift to her bosom. It was a tiny outfit, the size of a newborn infant.
"If you ever find yourself expecting to use it, won't you please share with me?" Angela insisted lightly but with a determined glint in her eyes that Eragon had never before seen. "For a child born to an elf and a human would be precious indeed." Eragon couldn't ignore the sense that Angela was trying to hint at something very important—beyond her obvious reference to the idea that he and Arya might conceive a child—but he couldn't possibly guess what.
"Yes," Arya fervently promised. "We'll tell you at once, wise one, should we find ourselves so blessed."
The room had quieted at this unexpected exchange, and everyone was thoughtful about the implications of Angela's strange gift. But the moment quickly passed and conversation resumed as Arya laid the gift inside the pack Eragon held. Then she looked at him expectantly, awaiting his cue.
A/N: I recently had a younger reader inform me that they found my portrayal of the love scenes quite intense, so I felt a need to provide a clearer warning. If you are under age eighteen and reading this, the next chapter contains an M-rated love scene. Fanfiction defines "M-rated" as follows: "Not suitable for children or teens below the age of 16, with non-explicit suggestive adult themes, references to some violence, or coarse language. Fiction M can contain adult language, themes and suggestions. Detailed descriptions of physical interaction of sexual or violent nature is considered Fiction MA." So my love scenes have NO detailed descriptions of sexual intercourse, but the buildup (foreplay) is nonetheless quite passionate. (FYI: there is no violence or coarse language.)
If you think you might feel uncomfortable reading something of that nature, just skip the next chapter (and keep this disclaimer in mind when you arrive at any of the chapters with a warning). If you move forward to Chapter 24 with the knowledge that Eragon and Arya have sex now that they're married, you will not be missing out on anything significant in the story. And also FYI, the scenes that I have linked to—meaning they are not found on fanfiction . net and you must completely leave the site and follow an external link to see them—are definitely MA, which stands for Mature Adult, and DO contain detailed descriptions of the actual moment of sexual intercourse. There you have it. Hopefully no one will now be surprised by what follows. :)