AN: I think this might be a speedy-update record for me. I wrote this in about an hour and a half because I'm riding the wave of a caffeine high (CAFFEINE, WHY ARE YOU SO AWESOME? AAAAH, BEST FRIEND!) so if it sucks, that'll be why.
I just want to take a second to say thank you to everybody who reads this. To all the guys who have been with me from Chapter 1, you have unparalleled patience, so thank you for sticking with me all this time,it can't have been easy!
And to all of my new readers, thanks for joining us and I hope you stick with us until the end! If you didn't read what I write, I wouldn't be writing, so thanks for motivating me with all of your endless demands of "Update soon!" because I do need a good boot up the old keister every now and then, don't I? So thank you, thank you, thank you! Oh, and thank you. Also...thank you.
I watched absent-mindedly in the looking-glass as Selena dragged her fingers through my long, dark hair. She twisted and pinned, twisted and pinned, slowly creating an intricate up-do that would have been entirely beyond me. My sister always was the more feminine of the two of us, and I watched her skilful hands work away in an almost trance-like state. Once she slid the final pin in, securing the style in place, she looked at me in the reflective surface and smiled, pleased with her work.
"There...now you look ready to go to a ball." She said, proudly. I studied my reflection, quietly pleased with my appearance. The deep purple of the dress that I now wore complimented my pale skin, and my hair looked glossy and, thanks to Selena, rather fancy. The powder, rouge and kohl that she had used on my face accentuated my best features and softened away any imperfections, so that I looked more the Lady-of-the-Manor rather than the scruffy girl who rode around on a dragon getting into sword-fights. I had to admit that I actually looked quite beautiful. It was a nice feeling, one that I had not felt for a while. It is difficult to feel beautiful and feminine in grey jodhpurs and heavy boots.
"You are a miracle-worker, Selena." I declared, smiling brightly. She shrugged, blushing slightly.
"I do my best. I had good materials to work with." She replied, with a winning smile. I laughed, shaking my head and rose from my seat, hugging her gratefully.
"Thank you." I whispered, giving her a quick squeeze before letting her go. She smiled at me, but her smile faltered slightly, and I thought I understood why. It was time. Arya was ready and waiting for me with Obsidian, after having excused herself to allow me some time alone with my sister, and now I was dressed and styled, we had the invitation, we had the map of the castle, which had been far easier to obtain from a still very grateful Sel and his wife, Arriana than I had anticipated, and our masks, courtesy of Selena, were already safely stored away in Obsidian's saddle-bag. All of my conditions had been met, and there was still almost two hours until the ball started. It was time to reveal myself to my father.
"Are you ready for this?" Selena asked, looking almost as anxious as I felt. I took a deep, steadying breath, as my heartbeat escalated to an almost frantic pace. I closed my eyes, willing it to slow down. I nodded, knowing that it was now or never.
"Yes, I'm ready." I insisted, sounding more sure than I felt. She nodded in encouragement.
"Okay...how do you want to do this?" She asked, trying to sound upbeat.
"Er...could you bring him to me? But not here...my room...the study that used to be my room." I corrected, quickly. "Do not tell him I'm there, just...tell him it is important. Tell him...tell him there is something he should see. Tell him..."
"It's okay, Katharean." Selena assured me, clasping my shoulders in her hands. "I will think of something. I'll go now, wait for us in the study. I will be there with you as long as you want me."
"Thank you." I breathed, closing my eyes and attempting to control my breathing. With one final hug, we left her room together and I walked shakily to my old bedroom, listening to her hurried footsteps as she descended the staircase towards the lounge where my father now sat, leafing through an old novel. I could hear the lick of the parchment as he turned a page; I could hear the muffled thump of his cloth-booted foot as he tapped it rythmically against the leg of the coffee table in front of him; I could hear his chest rattle as he cleared his throat, gruffly; I could hear everything...I realised that my heightened awareness was probably a result of my anxiety, and my anxiety was becoming increasingly worse with every sound that I heard. I strode into the bedroom-come-study and began pacing frantically back and forth, fighting against my nerves and losing. I closed my eyes, tightly, searching for peace.
Obsidian...I know that you are angry with me, and I know that you are probably right. But I really need you right now. I pleaded, knowing that if I just heard his voice, I would feel better.
I know. Came the reply. I cannot pretend I am not annoyed with you, Katharean, but I am still here for you. I am always here for you if you need me, no matter what. Here for you is all that I can ever be, I do not know any other way. I do not wish to know any other way. He admitted, reluctantly.
I sighed in relief, and instantly felt my heart slow in it's frantic beating.
Thank you, Sid. I almost gushed. Please...tell me that it is going to be okay. Tell me that I am doing the right thing.
I could sense that he wanted to argue both of these points but, to his eternal credit, he put his own feelings aside.
It is going to be okay. Your father loves you. He will understand, when you explain. Your sister understood, didn't she? He asked, and I agreed silently. You are only doing what you believe to be the right thing. Nobody can argue with that. He added, diplomatically.
Before I could respond, the return of footsteps, two sets now, met my ears from the foot of the staircase. There wasn't much time...my heart pounded steadily, counting down the seconds with a heavy thump. Thump-thump, thump-thump, they climbed higher, closer. I felt suddenly trapped. Backed into a corner with no escape, I waited. Thump-thump, thump-thump. Thump-thump, thump-thump. Thump-thump... I spun around, eyeing the open window, thoughts of escape half-forming in my mind.
Stay strong, Katharean. You will be okay.
Thump-thump...they were on the landing. Why did the room suddenly feel empty of air? Thump-thump...they were at the door. The walls felt closer now than they had before. Thump-thump...the handle was turning. Thump.
The door swung open and my father walked through first, looking behind him at Selena.
"What is this about, young lady?" He asked, impatiently. "I really do not see why..." He trailed off as he turned around and saw me standing there. The colour drained from his face and his eyes widened in shock. He opened his mouth but only a strangled gasp escaped his lips, as he mouthed wordlessly, looking from me to my sister and back again. I flattened the skirt of my dress down, self-consciously and fidgeted, unsure what to do with my hands.
"Hello, father." I said, quietly, smiling feebly. An array of emotions flitted across his face, confusion, bewilderment, denial, confusion again, disbelief...he took a step towards me, hesitantly, never taking his eyes from my face, as if he feared I was nothing more than a cruel trick, an illusion that would shatter if he so much as blinked. He took another step, reaching his hand out towards me, experimentally. I closed the distance between us and his hand brushed my face. He kept it there, running it down my cheek to cup my jaw. His breath came in short, harsh bursts, and suddenly I feared what the strain of the shock would do to his heart. My father was not a young man, and seeing his dead daughter standing before him might be too much for his system to take. Without warning, he dropped his hand from my face and enveloped me in his arms. I felt his chest heave as his body was racked with dry sobs. I folded my arms across his back, comfortingly, and made eye-contact with my sister. Fresh tears had formed in her eyes as she bore witness to our reunion, but she did not look as shocked as I felt at my father's outburst of emotion. I had never seen my father cry before...I realised from the look of sorrow on Selena's face that this was obviously a fairly regular occurrence nowadays. I recognised it as the strained, haunted look of an old sadness, not the shocked, disbelievingly expression of fresh grief. How many times had she seen him broken like this? How many times had she wept with him over me? Fathers weeping, sisters breaking, nephews I've never met...it didn't have to be like this. It shouldn't have been like this. I could have prevented their suffering. If only I'd been stronger, faster, smarter...they might never have had to go through what they went through. They might never have had to lose their daughter, their sister. Hot tears pricked at my eyes as I clung on to the man who had raised me while he broke down in my arms, a single thought echoing in my mind on a continuous loop.
I could have prevented this. I could have prevented this. I could have prevented this.
I should have prevented this.
After what felt like hours but what could only have been minutes, my father's sobbing lessened slightly, but he only held me tighter. He held me too tight. He didn't hold me tight enough. But I still couldn't breathe under the pressure of his hold on me, and I waited until the absolute last second until I had to prise his arms from around me. It was not difficult, but that was a testament to my strength, not his grip, which was almost vice-like.
I took a half-step backwards to look at his face. He looked old: older than I could ever remember him looking. Grief and heartache had taken it's toll on him, and it showed in the greying of his hair and the lines around his eyes and mouth. I could have prevented this.
"Father...I am so sorry for what you have been through, for what I have put you through. Please believe me when I tell you that I never meant for any of this." I barely managed to whisper. His tear-filled eyes crinkled in a heart-breaking smile and he nodded, with more certainty than I knew.
"Katharean...darling...I know that whatever has happened to you...whatever kept you from us...must have been something grave and terrible. You have a good heart, my daughter. You always did. You have your mother's heart." He cupped my cheek, lovingly. "You would never let us believe something so...so..." He seemed unable to find a word fitting enough to describe what he wanted to say, but I understood.
"I thought...I thought you would be angry." I confessed as a hot tear escaped and rolled down my cheek. He wiped it away with his thumb, shaking his head.
"Angry?" He repeated, incredulously. "Katharean...I have never been less angry before in my life. I have my daughter back...I am the happiest man in all of Alagaesia."
It was my turn to sob. I buried my face into his chest, as I let the flood-gates open. I sobbed with happiness, I sobbed with relief, I sobbed with pain and sorrow and joy and fear...I sobbed with everything I had.
I felt a hand on the small of my back and looked around to see Selena's tear-streaked face smiling back at me, and I pulled her into the embrace. The three of us stood, holding each other for as long as we all needed, and we did all need it.
After a while, we broke the embrace, but we did not break contact with each other. I kept one hand on my sister's arm and another on my father's, smiling through my tears at each of them.
"Listen...Katharean...you do not have to tell me what has happened to you if you do not want to. I know that there are some things that are too difficult to speak of. But I want you to feel like you can tell me. There is nothing you could say that would make me angry. Not with you, not now."
I looked at my feet, knowing that I was going to have to tell my father what I planned to do in just a little over an hour from now.
"Do not be so sure about that, father." I muttered, biting my lip to stop it from quivering. "There is something...there is something that I must do. And you will not like it."
He narrowed his eyes in concern, the worry that swam in their depths almost sent me into another fit of emotion but I held it together, barely, knowing that we were pressed for time, and that I had to show him some hint of strength.
"What is it? Katharean, what's wrong? You can tell me." He assured me, in a low, comforting voice. I took a deep, ragged breath and looked at Selena for support. Her face was dark, but she nodded, encouragingly.
"Galbatorix...plans to poison the village's water supply. I am here with a friend, the elven princess, Arya, to make sure that the water is safe for the people to drink." I said, looking for his reaction. He nodded, looking relieved.
"Good...good...that is good. Have you brought supplies with you, or...?" He trailed off, looking from my face to my sister's in confusion. I suppose he must have wondered why we both looked so worried.
"No, I haven't brought supplies, father...Galbatorix will poison the water at the source. He will poison the reservoir underneath the castle, and every well for ten miles will be tainted with his evil. I have come with an antidote. A single vial of elixir that must be poured into the reservoir to neutralise the poison." Dark realisation dawned on his face with every word that I spoke and he shook his head slowly. I took another breath and continued. "We go tonight. During the masquerade ball. It is the perfect opportunity. We will be in disguise, and so will everybody else. Nobody will have any reason to be suspicious of us. We will get in to the castle, Arya will find the reservoir and administer the antidote to the waters, and we will leave through the front doors. Galbatorix will be none the wiser that we were ever there." He continued to shake his head in denial.
"Katharean...darling...no. No, you cannot. You...Galbatorix has ways of seeing people without looking at them. He..."
"He can hear your thoughts." I finished, nodding. "I know, father. I can hear thoughts too, if I want to."
His eyes widened in surprise at this information, and I allowed myself a small smile.
"But I can also protect my mind. He can preoccupy himself with the thoughts of the dancing nobles, my mind will be silent to him."
"But...Katharean, if he finds you..."
"I know, father. It is not without risks. It will be dangerous. But I am the only one who can stop him, and I must. If even one innocent person dies as a result of this scheme, their blood will be on my hands just as sure as if I'd killed them myself. I cannot live with that."
"But...we just got you back, you can't..." He started, hopelessly, and I reached out to lay a hand on his cheek, comfortingly.
"Don't worry, father. I'm a Dragon Rider. I do things like this all the time." I lied. "I'll be fine. And once the deed is done, I will return here and we can talk more. Besides...if anything was to go wrong, I have a large dragon behind me. Obsidian would never let me come to any harm. Trust in that...for I do."
"Obsidian...we heard about him, you know. They say he is as large as ten mansions, with scales as dark as oil and fangs as big as a grown man...is it true what they say?" He asked, seemingly glad of the change in subject. I realised that he was still in shock. It was all too much for him. He needed time to process what I had said. For the time being, denial was the only way his mind could protect itself. I smiled, a little sadly.
"Well...there might have been some exaggeration...but yes, he is...massive. The way you think of Gods as big...you can meet him, if you like." I offered, studying his face. An almost childlike enthusiasm entered into his eyes at my words, and he smiled.
"I would like that." He said, but his smile faded a little. "But perhaps later. When you return home again tonight. Then, I should like to meet this dragon of yours. I should like that very much."
I wondered why he was putting it off, when the thought obviously pleased him. I thought that perhaps he was trying to ensure that I would be back. In his own way, he was willing the world to return me to him, by leaving things undone and unfinished. It didn't make any sense, but at the same time I understood it. It was the same mentality that made me stop Eragon when he was trying to tell me what I meant to him before we went into battle. I thought, on some level, if we left things unsaid, the universe would have to reunite us so that we could say what he had to. It had taken eleven months, but we had been reunited again...perhaps there was something to it.
"You will not be disappointed." I promised, and Obsidian nudged my mind affectionately. He pulled me into another embrace, less desperate this time.
"Just make sure that I'm not." He whispered, and I knew that he wasn't talking about Obsidian any more.
"I'll do all that I can to return to you. We have a lot of time to make up for." I replied, smiling.
"Well, before you leave, I'm going to have to re-do your make-up." Selena said, studying my tear-streaked face with appraising eyes. "Even a mask isn't going to cover up that mess."
"Thanks sis." I laughed. "You always know just what to say."
She rolled her eyes good-naturedly.
"Come on. I'll fix your face." She said, leaving the room and gesturing for me to follow. I turned back to my father.
"I have to go now, father." I said, and he sighed heavily, but nodded. "I will be back."
"And I will be waiting." He replied, smiling sadly. I nodded, turning to follow after my sister.
"Katharean," He called after me, and I turned back questioningly. "You look beautiful. I am...I am so proud of you. I just wish...that you were a normal girl. With normal problems...and not a Dragon Rider, with all of the tribulations that that calling brings."
His words jolted me a little and I frowned, though not unkindly.
"I know, father. But this is who I am. I am the daughter you have...though perhaps not the daughter you wanted."
He smiled, a little oddly, and his gaze wandered out of the window.
"Yes...perhaps..." He said, absently. I turned away so that he would not see the hurt on my face at his words. I knew why he had said them...if I had been the daughter he had always wanted, a normal girl, like every one of his noble friends' daughters, I would never have left in the first place. But it still stung. I fixed a smile on my face and turned back to him to wave goodbye, before sweeping out of the room.
When I strode into Selena's chambers she was already busying herself at the vanity table, sorting out powders and pallets and bottles of scent. She turned as I approached and smiled.
"Come on then, you. Let's put your face on. You have a ball to go to."
AN: I felt like I should end this chapter here, because it felt like a nice cut-off point. The next one will be at the ball (EXCITED) but I want to go back and work on it a little before I post it, because it is rather long and full of words, but look out for that in the next few days.
On a side note, and rather unexpectedly, I'd like to thank my dad for giving me his insight with this. I called him up and said,
"Hey dad, what do you call the bits in between the things on combs?"
He said there's not a name for those bits. So then I said,
"Question. If you thought I died, and then you found out a year later that I was alive and I came to see you, what would you say? Would you yell at me and smack me upside the head with a broom?" and he said,
"Of course not. If I thought you were dead, it would destroy me. I can't even think about that. But, if I was still here a year later and you came back, I would just hold onto you forever and tell you that I love you more than anything else in the world."
So that was nice. Because I was going to write Lord Athem as like an angry ogre, but after Mr Punch-Buggy-Red Sr said that, I couldn't bring myself to do that.
Of course, he then asked me if I was planning on faking my own death for the insurance money.
I told him I was thinking about it.
As always, thank you for reading the stuff that comes out of my brain, and please give me your thoughts and opinions in review-form. Go on...the box is just right down there! Look...it's right there! How easy! You're mega lucky. When I was younger, we had to write reviews with quills and parchment and send them by carrier-pigeon. You kids today don't know how easy you have it...