I do not own the Inheritance Cycle.
Edited 1/30/22

Enjoy,


Journey
Part 3

As he slept the sun had fell low into the sky, and it was now already evening. It had been a warm spring's day. The woodland stretched on green and peaceful around them with a faint hint haze of heat, and everywhere was a warm hum of bees. There was no sign of the Ra'zac nor its beasts. Selena could feel the black shadows under her eyes, and felt ready to drop from weariness. Her head pounded and she found that she couldn't sleep even when she wanted to.

She lay down in the growing shadow of a tree, beside Brom who had yet to stir or even make a single sound. He would be upset with her when he woke, she knew, but it had been her mindset worth giving him valerian root. Selena lay in silence, watching the robin-egg blue sky slowly darken. From time to time her mind would drift off on one string of thought to another; how the leaves turned silver when the sunlight hit them at a certain angle; what might had happened to Cadoc and Starshine; the salty smell of the sea breeze; an orphaned kit her brother once brought home; the strange exhilaration which processed her whenever she used magic…

Selena could remember with an uneasy clarity the first time she had used the Ancient Language in a spell. In that moment she had felt invulnerable and immeasurably dangerous; the power the surged through her felt infinite, as if she merely had to crook her finger and entire cities would crumble on her whim. It was a heady feeling, but it also had frightened her. Morzan's words in their first conversation on the topic came back to her: Most human magicians use spirits when wielding magic but I believe there is another way. I suspect that magic exists already within us, it just needs to be awoken.

Pushing the thought aside, she thought that it was little wonder her daughter feared learning to use magic. It was frustrating perhaps at first whenever Selena had tried to teach Rose something of the subject, and the girl quickly changed the topic of discussion and kept it well away. Over time she began to understand her reasoning. And though it concerned her, that concern did last long. In all truth she did not wish to teach her daughter the subject. Magic had destroyed so much of Selena's life that she did not wish to extend that to her only daughter- nor did she wish that for her son, but that was already out of her control.

A little while later she shook Brom awake and made a meager meal repast of dried meat and cooked oats. She was too tired to chew, and set aside the food and instead watched Brom. After he had eaten, though very slowly, she set to work on wrapping the man's torso in bandages made from an old cloak before he set about examining his arm. It was not as deep as it seemed, he told Selena and after looking at it herself she agreed. He looked at the cut on her head then, taking much time than he had on himself, and muttered a spell under his breath to away the throbbing pain she felt. For this she was extremely thankful but her appreciations were left untold as she instead helped the man to his feet.

"I think it best if we travel only at night," Brom said, rubbing Snowfire's snout. "For tonight, anyhow, I would rather not be caught unaware again."

Selena agreed, and found that she had nothing else to say. She went around their makeshift camp collected and packed the few things that she had gotten out. After helping Broom mount the horse, they moved off.

The rode long into the night, moving quietly as shadows in the uncertain light of the moon. They both wanted to get as far away from the lonely woodlands as they could. As they traveled Selena thought of Garrow murdered by the Ra'zac, and her mind flinched. She could not get out of her mind's eye the imagined image of her slain brother left in the runes of his home like so much rubbish. She wished that she had killed the creature- its death had been too swift.

Seven nights of uneventful riding and they came again to a flooded path, which met the road in a mangle of mud and overgrowth before leaping down between a rocky back, breaking into sovereignty at the quickening creek that flowed unseen beside them. The path then continued vertiginously between trees, and the going was much slower. The forest seemed deserted and shabby, even a little forlorn; the trees were covered in curtains of moss that dangled hungrily from branches and obscuring the light. Even sound was muffled; their hoofbeats fell dully on beds of dead leaves and watery puddles, and their voices seemed to die in the air. If it had not been for her abiding anxiety, the ride would have had been peaceful.

The moon and stars sought shelter behind blankets of clouds, showing face for mere moments however they were cold and distant, caught in a faint haze. Selena frowned, disliking not being able to read them. They had ridden hard since the ambush. Selena was exhausted after the battle with the Ra'zac, but there was no time to rest, she gritted her teeth and ignored her complaining muscles. They spent one day under a stone ledge, where Selena spent a good part of the late morning bandaging Brom's wounds once more. Then early in the evening they set off on the punishing trek through the woodlands. They saw no signs of bird spiders or wild cats- known in this region- or the Ra'zac, and they heard nothing at night save frogs and crickets and rustles of small animals.

It was brightening observation when Selena noticed that the woodland was ending, though messily. The trees gradually thinned out until vanishing altogether giving way to the level plains of Hiçlik. The flat land was punctuated by low shrubs and trees, and the starry sky stretched on infinitely high above her, filled only with large clusters of vapor. After the day spent in the shelter of woodlands, she felt totally exposed.

"This still herder country?" asked Brom quietly in her ear.

"No," she said. "The Xalq took their horses and cattle and left. No one had lived here for many years. There was a blight some time ago. Part of the people began to say that the water from the gorges were cursed, while others blamed the migrating wildlife for the sickness. If I remember correctly there was an argument which led to blood spill that lasted more than few months. I haven't traveled through here since hearing this. I do know how safe these lands are now."

Brom nodded, and they began to urge their horses to a walk, guided once more by the stars. The land around them seemed huge and silent, stretching away into haze further than eye could see. The horizons were marked by irregular clots of red fire; the campsites of the occasional merchant or slaver traveling through this empty land. Every now and then they disturbed some night animal that scuttled away into the grasses and made them tense in sudden alarm, reaching for their swords.

Towards dawn they passed what had once been a village, and here, for the first time, they saw the scars of plight that had passed through this region. They could smell the burn and rot from the distance, almost before they saw the edges of wrecked walls jutting out the plains. It had been a prosperous village, the Place of Wandering Herds, called Y'qolgan, and the low mud bricks houses' walls and floors had been lined with brightly dyed carpets made from the wool of goats its people herded. Many belongings of the people who had lived here were scattered outside their homes; cooking pots, broken instruments, splintered tools and weapons. The travelers passed by the houses warily, peeking into the shadows of a house only once when the scuffling sounds of life could be heard- and though it merely a fox, they rode by the homes faster after eager to leave the village behind.

They reached their destination in the brightening hours of dawn, peering down the sides of gorge. Arvid looked dubious, her tail jammed between her back legs, but followed her down a narrow path with reluctance. From behind her, she could hear Snowfire snorting violently each time his hooves slipped. Slowly and painfully they picked their way, foot by foot, down the steep slope until finally they reached a large yet simple cavern, hollowed into the rock face. Selena knew that this was one of the Varden's outposts, though she had never been here herself, a camp carved long before the time of humans wondered these lands- no one knew who or what made them. She had seen many of these throughout the lands, caverns with runes she could not dream of understanding etched into their entrances and floor surfaces. All she knew is that where they were she was hidden of hostile eyes and that she could rest in full.

After they unpacked what was need, she fell asleep instantly, and dreamed of nothing.

.

That day Selena woke late, her limbs still heavy and aching with weariness. The pallet next to her was empty, and she sat up slowly and looked about the empty cavern. Etch marks and rune marks stood out starkly against the stone walls which were high enough for the horse could contentedly stand tall. At its edge, resting against its bowing wall, sat Brom. An earthen bowl sat on his knee while he stared into it- as she had seen him many times over the last days, looking, she knew, for the children.

They had not mentioned Eragon or Rose or the dragons since the day of that the Ra'zac attacked, but even so they often remained with her. She wondered how they were- how far they have traveled and whether there faring well. It seemed likely to her that they weren't talking at all or painfully little, and she hoped that Eragon would not take Rose's introspective nature to heart. She thought that they might practice swordsmanship in the evenings and perhaps archery but Selena knew Rose better than that. Her daughter's unwillingness to learn defending arts could land them in a heap of trouble, and if they could not find a way of it… Selena never allowed herself to get that far. Now wasn't the time to think of her daughter or her son, or any of the things that made her soul weary.

She glanced at Brom, studying the creases in his face. She could see how a worry lived inside him, as it lived unspoken in those who had sent their sons off to war not knowing they would ever return. With a sigh she stood up and seated herself beside him. "You're staring into it harder than usual," she observed after a time of silence. "It's not going to make you see them, you know."

"It may work yet. Where did you put that kasha? My innards are eating me alive."

Selena gave him a harsh look and made to swat her hand at him but thought better of it. "You should have said something before I sat down," she said and grasped his shoulder and stood up.

"I didn't think of it until now," said Brom as she walked towards the pot they had boiled the grains in some days before. "You don't have to do everything for me."

"You don't have be such a suborn old goat and yet you are," she said quietly. She handed him the bowl she had prepared and sat beside him and stared out over the cliff edge, studying the lined layers in the ruddy stone. "We haven't much further to go," she continued when the silence became too much and her worried thoughts began to dance at the edge of her mind. "Once we reach the Gate of Austi it's a day's ride to The Pocket, and another two to the Gateway itself. By the end of the week we shall be eat something other than kasha and rusk."

"Won't be soon enough." Brom shifted on the ground and glanced thoughtfully at her. "You never told me how you managed to get the dragon eggs," he said as he set the bowl aside.

"Brom…" Selena drawled slowly, startled from the sudden change of subject. The dragon eggs were another matter they had silently agreed not bring up but now that he had she did not quite know where to start or even if she wanted to tell him. To buy a moment of thought, she ran her shaking finger over her plait and began to unwind it.

"I have lived the past thirteen years watching our son from the distance as he grew from a babe to a man without approaching him- just as you asked. And, trust me when I say I wanted to but did not. Nor I did not inquire your motives or decisions and I haven't tried to contact you or find you as you did, only gods know what, but this-" Brom waved his hand at the bag which the emerald egg sat safely within- "I need to know. It been bothering me since you said you took from beneath Galbatorix's nose."

Selena merely stared blankly at him. She was glad he had not mentioned the night when the world had gone into the abyss and the many terrible things she had said to him afterwards. She was surprised also, that he had not questioned before this moment. Had he been afraid that she would another go at him, as she had done that night, afraid that she would give him another scar to live with?

"It was not my idea," she said softly after he had nudged her knee.

Brom pulled out his pipe and lit with a sharp word. "I had figured that," he said drawing in a deep breath. He closed his eyes. "Why go then?"

"I was the only one imprudent enough to volunteer, and I knew the capital and the castle. I was the only person who could gain something valuable from the trek. I could no longer allow that man to keep my daughter within his grasp," she said, pulling at a tangle in her hair. "Ajihad knew this and he used it against me to talk me into going. I let him because I planned on freeing her anyhow. Freeing the eggs was only a side mission…"

"Getting an answer out of you is like pulling teeth," Brom growled after she fell silent.

Selena looked at him and shook her head. "I can't think of how to word it without making it longwinded," she said and then paused as she gathered her thoughts. "One of the elves, the ones that ferried Saphira's egg, had the idea to mimic the dragon eggs. The dwarves have a stone they mine deep in the mountains that's similar in property to the eggs. He thought that if the elves crafted it cleverly enough, it could pass for the real thing. And with a spell to mirror and twist any person curious enough to mindtouch with a false egg- would give it the illusion of life. The dwarves were against it and refused to provide the stone but in the end agreed so long as they could craft the eggs themselves."

"And the elves let them?"

"The elves were willing to compromise on this. They sung in the spellwork," she said and they continued knowing that if she did not he would pester her further. "It was crafted so that the spell would feed off the person looking and confuse them enough so that they would not look too hard. It took years for them to do, would have took less if they hadn't taken their own sweet time." She looked up at the ceiling and frowned at it. "The fake eggs were wonderful, almost like the real thing. I wish you had seen them."

"As do I," he said.

They were silent for a long time, listening to the occasional birdsong or squabble. And then when that silence became too much, Brom asked, "What was your role in all this? Was it just the exchange or did you do more?"

"I was the one risking my neck so it was just the exchange," said Selena. "I had to figure out how to get into the castle and then the treasury. That took enough of my time and I had a great deal of help. Do you remember me telling you about Tornac? He was a very useful ally, but I- I could not have succeeded without him. He was the reason I got both my daughter and the eggs." She glanced at Brom and pulled the hand-carved pipe from his hands. She examined it in her hands and frowned. In her mind's eye she saw another carving, one done by another man as they sat in the flicking firelight, so many years ago. Quickly, she shoved the pipe back into Brom's hand, eager to get it out of sight. "That's a repulsive habit, when did you pick it up?"

Brom huffed at her. "Sometime after Eragon's tenth summer when he decided he was old enough to go hunting into the Spine on his own," he said simply. "When did you decide that you weren't going to finish that sentence?"

Selena looked at him innocently, hoping she was hiding the shock from her face. "Sometime after I noticed that it was nearly dark. We're close enough now that I think we start traveling in the daylight. I would like to rest tonight"

Brom nodded. "Tell me another time, then," he said.

"I will," she said. "Its only… I'm not certain if I'm willing to say it yet. It seems a bit like a taboo out here."

Again Brom nodded and then stood up, grasping ahold of the cave wall to keep balance. His side was still paining him, it would be for quite some time unless he healed it himself or saw a healer. Selena was never very useful when it came to healing. She could kill someone in a thousand different ways- destroy them even- but she was never the healer.

.

It took just a little less than a week for Selena and Brom to reach Tronjheim. They traveled over the rough, miserable plains then down into a rock covered mountain pass where they practically had to pull the horses through the dim caves and into a lush valley through forest and fields. The air grew heavy with the sounds of rushing water and the smells of spices.

The temper grew warmer the farther south they traveled, but the breezed were far and few in-between kept away from the lofty peaks of the Beor Mountains. After a while they found the streaming river and began to travel alongside it- that evening the both of them bathed in the cool stream- late that next evening, when the night creatures had long ago begun to prowl, they crested a rocky hill and the waterfall gate spread before them. Neither of them had wanted to stop now they were so close.

Selena called out to the gatekeeper, in the loudest voice she processed and after a long delay the rockwall opened and she and Brom hurried inside. A circling of dwarves and human, all armed, circled them. Ajihad in the midst of the crowd.

Selena recognized the tall, very dark skinned man, arrayed in gold and blue, almost instantly, but Brom was looking at the man as if he were struggling to recognize him. It did not surprise her too much, it has been many years since Brom has last seen the leader of the Varden. Ajihad walked toward in long strides, his eyes widening in amazement as he took in the sight of them.

Selena looked behind Ajihad for the two men that often followed him around. She hoped that for once they had not, but saw with a ping of disappoint that they had. Pursing her lips, she turned to Ajihad, deciding it was best to ignore those men completely.

"Welcome back, my old friends," he said, grasping Brom by the arm. "I did not except you to be here so soon."

"Well met, Ajihad," said Brom, as the Varden leader released him. "I wasn't going to come for some time, but matters have changed and I've found there to be little other choice."

Ajihad frowned, his lips thinning as he looked between them. "I can see that." He then to Selena and said, "I will be honest, Ailis, I did not expect to see you inside these walls again but I'm glad you're here. You two must have quite a tale to tell but not here. Come. Follow me and we will talk."

They followed Ajihad as he led them down the tunnel and through a doorway in silence, the two men following close behind. With each step Selena's bags felt heavier than before, and she would often have to force herself to keep from looking back. Now that they were inside the mountain it felt so much more real that her children were not with her.

Selena didn't know how long she walked for, she hardly noticed that Arvid was knickering beside her, until they came to another larger gate which lead to yet another tunnel. This one was shorter than the last, and soon they found themselves on a cobblestone path that led up to the crater wall. A pair of young, heavy-eyed boys came up to them and yawning. They took the horses without a word.

Selena had walked this path many times before but the sight of Tronjheim never failed to fill her with dislike. Tronjheim was beautiful in the way that an uncut gem was beautiful to look at but once you touched it you realized that it was a cold, lifeless thing.

The first time she had stepped into the mountain city she had been too nervous to notice much, and had stared straight ahead. Though over the years that she had stayed here, she slowly began to hate it. It was a grand place, Tronjheim, but it lacked the simple comforts of living life. Never was there a breeze, nor the tiniest bit of open air, nor the wide map of stars in the night, and never had she seen the rising or falling of the sun.

It was here in Tronjheim she felt trapped and subdued, as if all her energy were slowly being taken from her but she always felt that way when she could not be outside; she had discovered long ago that preferred the freedom the wilds gave her far too much.

That night the streets were empty and very dark- not that it was ever very bright- and she could not see every cleverly carved stone and shine of hanging silk and wares. Ajihad held up a lantern, allowing them to see the cobbled road in front of them. Selena, herself, was quite glad it was so late at night, she didn't think she could handle the milling of people right now, all she wanted was rest. To rest in the quiet of her small home- it was a hole in the wall of the mountain, really, but it was one that she had fooled herself into believing was her home.

They passed the grand décor of Tronjheim without really seeing the red pillars, the stone carvings, or the great Dawn Star from high above, and walked straight to a massive cedar door, blackened and softened with its age. Ajihad pushed open the door and waved them inside.

Once inside Selena didn't wait to be invited to one of the chairs, she just picked one and sat into it. Her whole body was aching and she didn't know how much longer she could handle standing, certainly not long enough for Ajihad to invite her to rest. The sharp look Brom shot her would have told her of her rudeness but she missed it, she was too busy setting a bag on her lap.

"Why don't you sit down, Brom," Ajihad said as he moved to a high-backed chair behind a polished desk. "You must be tired after such a journey. I will not keep either of you for long. It is late and your stories can wait for the morn when you have gotten some rest. There are, however, a few things I wish to know first."

Brom nodded and sat beside Selena, bumping her chair as he went. She looked up at him and frowned. "It would be best if we had complete privacy, Ajihad," he said, not looking at her. He was nodding to the bald men who had followed them into the room. "I don't want anyone to overhear us."

Ajihad frowned, his face hardening, and asked those men to leave, which was perhaps a good thing, they didn't know where she had been and why, and in all honesty, she didn't want them to. Selena herself did not care for the two bald men leaving the room. She hardly paid them any mind, ever since they cornered her many years and all but threatened her. Since then she has had little to do with them, and always insisted that they leave Ajihad's office before talking with him.

"I had to see for myself if my men were telling the truth," Ajihad said after a short silence, "that you had returned, Ailis, with a man. I thought at first that the man was that one you had contacted from Urû'baen, the one who swore to help your campaign. I'm sorry to say I have forgotten his name." He looked at her questioningly.

"Tornac," she said. "His name was Tornac. He's dead."

"That is sad news," Ajihad said, folding his hands on top of his desk. "He sounded like a knowledgeable and skilled man."

"He was." Selena looked down at her hands and then quickly back up. "I'll admit that our travels have been harder since his passing, he helped me greatly, and I will never be to repay him for the kindness. I would have not have succeeded without him, either."

Ajihad's eyes widened and nodded thoughtfully, looking from Brom to her. His focus landed again on Selena. "You have succeeded in getting the eggs? Both of them?"

Selena nodded, tiredly fighting back a yawn. "I did," she said.

"May I see them?"

Undoing the latches on the bag, she slowly stood up and set it on the desk. The last remaining egg thumped lightly from within its padding and he peered inside it. Slowly he took out the egg, his eyes gleaming but his eyebrows were pressed firmly together.

"There's only one of them in there," she said easily. "The other was lost in a storm, some time ago-"

"Did you not go searching for it?" Ajihad looked at her with wide, dark eyes. She had caught him off guard. "After all your efforts you left it for someone to find? I had thought…-" he shook his head "-but I trusted that you at least tried."

Selena blinked slowly and blew a slow breath out of her nose. "I did try," she said. "For many days I searched through every mound of snow I saw but I did not find it. My daughter, however, did. Rose-" She stopped at looked at Ajihad's blank expression and explained, "Muirgheal prefers not to go by her given name but by 'Rose.' She found the egg while I was searching for it."

"Does she have it now?"

Brom coughed beside her, and looked sturdily at the tall bookshelves behind Ajihad.

"In a way, yes, I suppose, she does," Selena said as he gave her a long, rather dark look. "It had hatched for her some time ago."

Ajihad stood up, setting the green egg on top of bag, and turned his back to her. "Where are they now?" he asked after a moment. His voice was colder than before.

"I'm afraid I can't say," Selena admitted. "They ran off some time ago and we haven't talked to them since. I know they're alive and well but very little else." This was a lie, she knew nothing of their state nor where they might be.

"They should be here before too long," Brom added after a short silence took over. "Rose and Thorn are both clever enough to get here without much problem, but they're not the ones I'm worried about."

"You're speaking of the matter you wrote me about?" Ajihad asked, turning around. "The dragon that hatched in Carvahall and her Rider are with them?"

"Yes."

"You do not know where they are, do you?"

Brom shook his head with a yawn. "They're on their way here."

Ajihad nodded, looked at them curiously for some time. "You should get some rest," he decided at last. "We will talk further once you have done so. Do you need any assistance getting to your home, Ailis?"

"We'll manage," she said, "but thank you for the offer. Have a good night, Ajihad."

Ajihad frowned at them. "You as well."

Brom stood slowly, his back crackling from the movements, and made his way to the door. He looked back, waiting for Selena to follow, which she did however much more slowly than he had. They walked to a nearby passage, one of the many which led them up and toggled up the stairway. They walked up the endless staircase and past the carved arched ways which led the unlived in quarter's balconies- all of them abandoned for quite some time. She didn't think, finally making to the Varden had left her so strongly void of energy. When Selena finally walked through the familiar archway that lead to her home her feet were dragging. They could see the city far below them was beginning to awaken, the air was still silent with only the distant call from the people milling about below. It was just as Selena liked it here, peaceful and without the hindrance of pesky neighbors.

She felt herself sloop onto the balcony, and her hands shook as she opened the door. When Brom did not follow her through the doorway into her bedsits she thought he was merely looking at the sight around them, and looked at him questioningly until she realized what he was studying. The strange carving in the stone archways had been seen so many times now that she had forgotten about them.

Too tired to say anything, she left the door open and walked into the room, illuminating it as she went. The walls were covered by murals that must have once been bright but now they were so faint she could not make out what had been painted. They had been this way since before she moved in.

The room was a small, filled up with a long chest, an old dusty divan, some chairs, a broken table, and a small hearth in the corner. The whole room smelled faintly of mildew. She was thankful she had left the door open; perhaps she could expel some of the musty scent. At its end was a short passage which lead to a small sleeping quarters, which too likely smelled of strongly mildew, but she wasn't going to worry about that now.

Far too tired to look around, she simply dropped the bags onto the floor by the doorway and walked over a cushioned chair, which she promptly slumped into. Leaning back, she closed her eyes. She felt heavy, as if she were melting, that if ever she rose from that chair again it would far too soon.

Brom, however, did not make himself at home so quickly but stood in the doorway glancing around. "Did you paint these?" he asked, startling her.

Selena looked to see what he was talking about started once more. On the wall she was facing was an arched mural of a small pond with a glistening white stork standing in a turf of tall grasses and irises. Slowly, she shook her head. "I have no talent for paints," she said. "Even if I did, I would not have the time to paint something this lovely."

"Do you know who painted it?" He asked, looking at her with a raised eyebrow.

"I do," Selena said, not looking away from the painting. Slowly she glanced around and noticed that the exposed wood of her furniture was also painted; small, bright vined flowers weaved their way up the chairs and support beams around her. She stood up and walked to where her wobbly table sat, and saw that this too was painted with irises and sunflowers.

"I don't believe it," she muttered, with a frown. "Why would she?" But her mind was too tired to process any more. She shook her head, trying to clear it.

Turning to Brom, she saw that he was looking at an earthen bowl filled with seashells and strange banded pebbles. He didn't ask about it, she felt that he already knew she collected some of these things over the years, but many it had been gifts from the children of the very few friends she made- the children she watched grow into adulthood. The paintings were also the doing of one of her friend's children but that girl had been threatening to do it for years. She finally seemed had taken the chance to do it due to Selena's absence. It shouldn't have surprised her but it did.

With a small smile, she shook her head as Brom leaned down and lit a blazier filled with wood she was certain she had not left there. Selena was quite certain that half of the things in the room were not there before she had left.

"She went through quite an effort," he said not looking in her direction.

"Lorna is a sweet child," Selena said, running her hand over the raising ribs of violet paint. "If not a little too overenthusiastic. You would like her, I think, once you got past the urge to straggle her." She looked up at Brom and frowned. He was clenching his side again and his color was quickly falling from his cheeks. "Are you still hurting? If you would like I could go get a healer for you, they might be able to heal what I was not able to."

Brom snorted and shook his head. "I'm fine," he said.

"If you're going to refuse my help than at least sit down," she said, placing her hands on her hips. She felt like she slowly beginning to wake up at the sight of his discomfort, though the wariness in her body felt heavier than before. "I'll make us tea and then we'll rest. How does that sound?"

Brom made a gruff sound but sat down and began to take off his boots. Taking it as a good sign, she went through their bags until she came across the cooking pot and walked out onto the balcony to the bubbling fountain at its center. Selena dipped her hands into the cool water, and suddenly feeling very dirty, splashed the water onto her face and scrubbed it with her bare hands. She would wash better later, after she ensured that Brom was resting.

When she came back into the room, with a pot of sloughing water resting against her hip, she saw that Brom had fallen asleep. His head was resting off to the side, and his boots were only halfway off, she could smell the stink from them. Rubbing her nose, she set the pot down and took off of his boots completely, shoving them outside the door. She locked the door, and instead of making tea, she grabbed a rag and set about cleaning herself.

Soon after she was certain she was clean enough, she set the dirty water on the table and walked into her bed chamber where she changed into a set of clean clothes from a small chest at the end of her bed. She also took out a long blanket which she covered Brom with before crawling into bed.

She was asleep within moments.

.

The next two weeks fell into a pattern- enough that Selena started to feel comfort. There were no unexpected stumbles or turns or pitfalls, no fights or betrayals or nightmares made flesh, or no news. Most mornings she spent with Brom. Sometimes they would talk, but never about what caused them to split, it seem a forbidden subject and quite frankly neither felt up to sorting through the hurtful words and reasons. And so they left it be, swept as far into the corners of their minds as possible and ignored it, but it was still there and sometimes they fell in suddenly silence before hastily changing the subject. Late mornings until dinner Selena found herself sitting at the table writing working on a report while Brom was gone poring over work of his own, and in the evenings- when Brom was around- she spent time introducing him to the people she had met over the years, and when he was not, which was often, she went out collecting word of what has transpired over the last months. None it was good.

It was the small things that made writing the report such a vast task. She was not eager to relive the last months, nor was she willing to allow Ajihad to know everything she had learned. This caused her sit for many hours on end, looking at the parchment. She knew that the Varden leader would ask for more, for more information about the castle and the generals, about her daughter and son and the dragons. Also she knew what she wanted to say to him- to tell him to worry after his own family and leave hers well enough alone. She knew as well how he would take those words- not very well at all.

Rose and Eragon and the dragons were the hope that Varden needed to rise fully against Galbatorix. Eragon would without a doubt but Rose… Someone had done everything they could to make that girl hate her heritage- to fear it. And Selena hadn't the faintest idea, not even now, how she would react to the role the Varden expected her take, who they expected her become. "This won't end well," she breathed.

Often when her thoughts took this turn, she would decide that she needed a break, and quickly leave the house to find someone, anything that would distract her. The first few times had gone to Herb's home but no one was ever there and after a few minutes of waiting she realized that she had not really wanted to see him anyhow. No longer sure what she wanted, she would wonder through the abandoned parts of Tronjheim, jogging the length of a hall before walking back down it and taking another corner. Selena wasn't sure quite how long she continued to do this, only that she was certain she would have never found her way back had she not mark the halls she had taken. The dwarves would be displeased when they discovered the symbols she carved into the walls, but she was be more so, if she ended up died. She had heard many stories of humans and other creatures dying in these tunnels from being lost without food or water, that she had made it a habit to mark her path even if she was sure she wouldn't lose her way.

There was something about Tronjheim that made her restless, made her wonder these halls until she could go no further, made her mind think of things she would not otherwise. She had been convinced upon leaving for Urû'baen that she would be content enough to put an end to these wonderings, but that seemed not be the case. It was almost like she was searching… searching for, what? She hadn't the faintest idea. She wished that someone would tell her. She wished that these damned halls were not easy to get lost in, it made it easy for it to become an addiction.

She did not tell Brom of this, of course. She allowed him to have his own thoughts of what she was doing, it was easier to allow him these thoughts so long as he did not know how lost she still felt after all these years of searching she had yet to find anything.

It was a surprise on the sixth morning of their stay that Brom was finally successful at scrying the children. As soon as the mistiness in the water cleared and a boy with a mop of chestnut colored hair was seen seated between two dragons. He called Selena over from where she sat. She loudly stood from the table and nearly ran to the divan to look over Brom's shoulder into the water.

"Do you know where they are?" she asked, after a long moment of staring at the scene.

"No," said Brom. "Though supposedly I've seen it."

Selena nodded, and continued to stare at the grassland and dragons and Eragon, drinking in every detail, until the boy's head turned and the scene turned pitch and disappeared. She knew what had happened, that Brom hadn't released the spell but rather that her daughter had entered the scene. What she did not know was how many times over the past week that she had cursed giving Rose that necklace. Many years ago it had been a gift from Brom, 'to keep her from spying eyes,' he had said but it was more than that- people who were supposed to be dead could not be scried. His intentions had been to protect her, and only a few number of days later she had sent him away- she had wondered over that decision many times, knowing it had been a mistake without the knowledge of how, nor the willingness, to correct it. So much had changed since then. Brom had changed, and so had she. Selena wondered if they could ever slip back into their easy relationship or whether their time apart had destroyed it.

She sighed and moved away. But Brom kept his gaze at the empty bowl as he asked, "What have you been working on?"

"A report," Selena said simply. "It used to be that all I had to do was say what happened and someone else would write it down, but now Ajihad likes for most words to be left unsaid. Had I remembered how much work it took to be here I wouldn't have come back. I'm contemplating the idea of finding another reason to leave for a few days."

Brom laughed lowly. "All you could talk about is getting here."

"We should have taken our time," she countered. "I would have liked to have traveled through Lithgow. They have a good market there. And perhaps have traveled along the Ridge, there's an underground waterfall that do not believe you have seen."

Shaking his head, Brom stood up and looked at her. "I'm going to walk down to the training grounds. I've been wanting to see what Ajihad has as far as militia is concerned."

"Not much worth mentioning," Selena huffed. "Would you like some company?"

"No." Brom turned towards the door. "Finish your report, I'll be back before too long."

"You're lucky Ajihad is too pleased at merely having you here to give you work to do."

"Once the kids come," drawled Brom, "I'll have more than enough to keep me busy."

Selena nodded, resisting the urge to give him a sour look. She knew that his words were true. Once the dragons and Eragon and Rose came here she doubted that she would get to see much of any of them but she would make an effort to try. With a nod of her head she returned to the table and stared at the words, harsh and black against the pale parchment.

She did not write a word that day.

It was well over a week before Selena turned in the report to Ajihad, by his insistence. She watched him carefully as he read over the report- she was second guessing what she had written. They sat in his apartments, away from prying ears and eyes. His rooms were not much different from his office, floors below; row upon rows of book lined the walls, many of which were heavily covered in dust. A dyed rug sat in the middle of the room, a divan and chairs seated around it, and a small, squat fireplace in the far corner. In the many times Selena had sat in this room she had never seen a fire dance in its belly. As Ajihad looked up and studied the empty hearth, she said, "You want to tell why you look like you're about to be ill?"

"You know everything that has been written on this parchment, so it's easy to guess why," Ajihad said from his armchair, his jaw clenched. "I do not quite gasp what your daughter's role in things, Ailis. You do not think that she will fight for the Varden or for the Empire, then for what? The greater good?"

"No," said Selena, her face dark. She hadn't wanted to say a thing on her children but had decided that it would be best to give him a warning. As subtle as it might have been, she knew how his mind worked, and that he read much more than she had written. "I do not believe that she will fight at all, on either side. She wishes to remain neutral, I think, until she knows for a fact exactly what she is choosing. And all the good and all the bad that will come from it. She had a life in the Empire and I do not believe that she left all of it behind."

"No taste for blood?"

"None."

Ajihad nodded, and looked back down at the parchment. "That may not be a bad thing," he muttered. "Your son though?"

Selena narrowed her eyes at him. She did not wish to talk about this but she knew he would have to know, it would make a difference in her children's' safety. "Eragon is very much like his father."

Again, Ajihad nodded. "I would still feel safer if they were examined upon coming here," he said.

"Brom already gave you his word that you could trust them," she said tautly. "There is no need for your magicians to come near them." I don't trust them, she thought to add but did not. Selena didn't trust most people but those with the ability to use the words of power she trusted less or not at all. The Ancient Language was a heady thing, she knew what it could do to people.

For a very long time they were silent, watching each other, waiting to see who would break the silence first. After a few moments, Selena began tapping her fingers along the side of the chair, hoping that if anything it would annoy the man before her. She liked Ajihad and his quiet intelligence but she found that he was slow to act and far too rigorous, perhaps even too reluctant.

"Is there anything more that you would like to add?" he asked, glaring at her fingers.

She grinned at him. "No."

He rerolled the parchment and unfold his hands and then said, "How is Brom fairing? Is his injury still troubling him?"

"Yes," she said, easily siding from one role to the next- her finger tapping stopped. This was the Ajihad she preferred to talk to, the one she saw a glimpse of a friendship in. "He refuses to see a healer or let me look at it. He's being a…" she trailed off angrily and looked away. "I am worried that if it remains untreated that it shall never heal properly. He says that it will but I know him well to know when he's hiding his pain. It worries me."

"I'll talk to him," he vowed.

"I'd would rather you drug him with a sleeping tonic and force a healer on him," she said darkly. "That will work where talking to him… you might as well be try to convince a dwarf to fly."

Ajihad's lips twitched but his face remain neutral. "It's worth a try."

"I wish you the best of luck."

"We shall speak again soon, Ailis," he said, "but for now I have to return to my office."

Selena stood up, knowing that she had been dismissed, and quietly took her leave. Pulling the door shut behind her, she turned to a girl standing idly in the short hallway. She had known for quite some time that she had been there, listening and observing, trying to find out what she could. "You do not have to listen at doorways, Nasuada," Selena said. "If there is something you want to know you merely have to ask."

Nasuada looked up at her, her dark eyes innocent. "I know not what you mean. I have only just gotten back from have tea with Rena," she said softly.

Selena didn't believe that for a second, and she had the feeling that Nasuada knew it, too.

"Very well, if you say so. I shall see you another time, then," Selena said, raising an eyebrow at her. She began to walk towards the door without any real propose, not knowing what she had planned for the remainder of the day- when she left, Brom had been asleep…

"Ailis, wait!"

She froze, and blinked, before turning around to the girl. "Yes?"

"I only thought that you ought to know," said Nasuada with a small smile, "that word has been received from the outposts that two dragons have been seen near the entrance of the Pocket."

Selena nodded tensely. "Did this message say how far away they were?"

"It was received last night and by then it was a day old," the girl said. "By now I would say that they are close."

"Thank you," said Selena turning away. She quickly walked towards her apartment, ignoring the people she passed, and found Brom sitting in the foot of the staircase, holding a missive. He looked up at her as she hurried towards him, his eyes wide. She understood a hundred thing in that single glance, and found herself saying, "I know. Let's go."

"They could still be hours away," said Brom, but he stood up and hurried towards her regardless.

She didn't look at him. "Did you try scrying them?"

Brom huffed. Of course I did, he seemed to say. Each morning and evening, as if it were devotion, Brom had scried Eragon or Saphira or Thorn, and even once he had tried to scry Rose in hopes that she might have taken the charm off, but they saw nothing more of them. It was not enough to see, only once, that they were alive and well but not to know what they were doing or where they were, and that was many days ago. So many things could have changed, could have altered and being so far south and in such an isolated place it would take a very, very long time for word to reach them.

"Where were you?" he said instead.

Selena sighed. "I had a meeting with Ajihad," she said. "He had asked last night that I turn in my report in the morning- Oh!"

Brom looked at her questioningly but said nothing, drawing the same conclusion she had.

Ajihad had known that they were nearly here. It was very likely that he had scheduled that meeting so that he could ask final question, glean last minute information of her children. A part of her was not surprised, not even angry because later, after she had seen that her children were safe and unharmed she would go and confront him- allow herself to be annoyed by his act.

When they reached the entrance, the guards- a mixture of humans and dwarves- seemed to know that they were coming. Each nodded at them as they lowered the gates and allowed them outside, sunlight and sweet air shuffled down on them. A breeze hit them suddenly and Selena realized just how much her body ached for the warmth of sunlight. She walked outside and allowed it to wash over her, allowing herself to relax though more than slightly blinded.

"I'm going to kill them," she said as her eyes began to adjust.

He nodded in agreement, silently vowing the very same, but remained silently looking up the sky.

They relaxed there as if they were having a panic under the blue heavens, mind that it was one that severely lacked food, and watched the two dragons fly towards them. Flying their children home.

Selena breathed out slowly as she were exhaling all her troubles. She felt, for the first time in a long time, completely at peace.

It was the unpretentiousness of the moment, where nothing in their past mattered; the arguments, the time spent apart, the difference between them, or the hurt that pulsed still behind every moment like a bruise- because there was still an understanding that could not be destroyed by these things.

If time had changed Brom, as she knew it had, Selena found that she was blinded to it, at least, at that moment. He was different than he was years ago but it certainly was not in a bad thing. It reminded her of how cuts were healed, however scarred they might be, no longer stinging even though she knew they were there, they no longer troubled her.

Time would heal these wounds someday too, Selena knew this now. All they needed to do was give it a chance.

.

End.