Chapter Ten:

Narsuda sat in the council chambers, waiting for the upcoming meeting with the prisoner. She had been contacted by Eragon saying that a possible assassin had been caught at the outskirts of the Varden camp, quite carelessly as she understood. They had surrendered to the Varden and urgently requested a meeting with her. She only agreed to meet them because of her secret aid Elva had confirmed that the prisoner had no intentions to cause harm, even as Saphira and Eragon did when they attacked her. He had also told her that the prisoner emitted some sort of aura of death towards Dragons. Unsettling and concerning as that was she needed to see what they could get from this would be assassin.

But the circumstances around the capture made her nervous. She knew Galbatorix likely had spies in the Varden, the nature of the mobile army made it all too easy for them to get in through their ranks. But how did such a dangerous target get caught so easily? Was Galbatorix sending them a message as to his capabilities in dealing with their two most valuable assets? Or was this the first step in another larger scheme? If Eragon was right about the assassins nature, they would have no reason to surrender themself.

She did not have to wait long as Eragon came into the tent with two guards behind him, an Urgal and a Dwarf, behind them came the prisoner, her hands bound behind her back and pushed to her knees once they stopped. Even on the ground she was not what Narsuda had expected.

Tall and well built, the woman before her seemed more suited for a brawl than an assassination. Even on her knees she was still upright glaring at everyone in the room, not scared, or ashamed of being caught, but annoyed? She wore iron battle armor with the helm of a bear. Was that a sigil of her clan? Narsuda did not recognise it.

Eragon, Roran, Arya and Saphira had all followed the prisoner into the tent, though Saphira had to stick her head throgh a special entrance to be able to attend the meeting. There were several guards present, carrying in all of the intruders weapons and dropping them on the floor. Two dark black axes that glowed red and purple respectively, and similarly styled bow with a blue glow and dagger that had a purple hue over it. There were several bottles of varying sizes with different liquids. Along with several rings taken from the prisoner.

On her signal the guards took apart the womans backpack, dumping the rest of the contents on the floor, revealing some food, a pile of dark gems of varying sized to which Eragon, Saphira and Arya all turned their attention to. Finally from the bag came out several scrolls. The parchment looked old and weathered.

Giving a look to Eragon, who reached out his mental link to her, connecting Narsuda, Saphira, Arya and Roran together, and upon her request they brought Elva in as well.

"She carries the sent of death on her." Arya said, "Within herself and in the gems, voices cream from them. She is trouble."

"I agree, there is also a deep well of power within her, she is very dangerous to us." Eragon said, looking at Saphira.

"I'd rip her apart if she tried to attack us." Saphira responded simply.

This was concerning, "Elva, why did you not warn us about her when she entered camp?" Narsuda asked the magic child.

"Because she did not come her with the intent to harm, even when Eragon and Saphira decided to." Was her annoyed response. "She carries a deep pain within her, and a worry for others she knows. Like the safety of the man she brought with him."

The man in question sat tied next to the woman, looking visibly worried and looking like he regretted a lot of choices lately.

"Could it be a trick?" Narsuda asked, "Could Galbatorix have found a way to confuse your senses to hide her real intentions?"

Elva Shrugged, "Maybe."

"Maybe Galbatorix has changed his mind about taking Saphira and I alive?" Eragon proposed.

Indeed, after the battle of the Burning Plains they had found out the Murthag had tried to bring Eragon and Saphira in to Galbatorix alive, and it was only on a technicality of Murthags orders and his kindness that Eragon and Saphira had evaded capture.

"So soon after the battle?" Roran asked skeptically.

But Elva had shared that the woman did not intend to cause harm to them, maybe there was more going on.

It was time to see what the prisoner was willing to answer.

P.O.V : Tarah

The tent had been quiet since she and Norrin had been dragged in. The Redguarld looking woman sat on her throne looking past her to the dragonrider and the rest of the group that had brought her here. It was unnerving, usually when she was captured she was questioned immediately or her enemy would start boasting about their evil plans and how they managed to capture the mighty Dragonborn. Were they communicating through thoughts? Or was this some kind of tactic to unnerve her into cracking and revealing something? She wouldn't let it work, she was here to try and get the help of these people, and she was going to get it.

She could sense the energy coming out of the Elf, the Rider and the Dragon, showing them to be potent magical beings. But also a connection between the Rider and the Dova from before, like they shared a soul of sorts, as if one entity was two, and two were one. It was unnerving and unnatural for her, but she supposed for these lands it wasn't out of the ordinary. Maybe she could get them to tell her the full nature of their relationship.

"Focus!" She thought to herself.

Then the Redguard woman who she presumed was Narsuda looked at one of the guards behind her, and wordlessly they grabbed Norrin and dragged him out of the room. He only had time to give her a look of panic before he disappeared.

She also had to at the very least convince them that Norrin was no traitor to their cause. She wouldn't forgive herself otherwise, after all he did for her and the trust they placed in one another. He had gotten her this far, now she needed to make sure he didn't pay for it.

"So, it seems Galbatorix has sent us another spy and assassin into our midsts." Narsuda finally said. Her eyes met Tarahs with an accusatory look. But Tarah also realized they were probably separating the two of them to compare their answers to one another. That's what she would do in this situation.

Honestly she felt kind of insulted that they would presume she would do such a lousy job at assassinating their most important members.

"If I was trying to kill anyone, you wouldn't have caught me." Tarah responded. She laughed despite herself, "I should thank you, I came all this way to request an audience and you didn't keep me waiting long at all." She tugged at her restraints, "Though this feels a bit much."

Narsuda raised an eyebrow, "Oh? And why would you want an audience with me?"

"Not you!" Turning she looked at the dragon in the eye, "drem-yol-lok-Dova. It is good to finally meet you." And since she had already tasted a fraction of the dragons power, she decided to give her a fraction of her own. "Fus!" A wave of energy passed along the body of the blue dragon and going out through the gap in the tent, rattling the tops of some of the tents. The dragon staggered back as she drank in the power the Dovakin unleashed.

In an instant Tarah felt the swing of a blade coming from the elf behind her, and the pressure from a mind attack piercing her consciousness.

"Arya, Stop!" The rider shouted suddenly.

The blade stopped not half an inch from Tarahs neck. Carefully looking up the length of the blade, to see the elf looking not at her, but at the dragon and its rider. Not anger crossed her face, but a deep concern. Curious.

"That got out of hand quick." She thought to herself.

Norrin had explained what he knew of the elves connection to the dragons, but it was still strange to see it in person. Dova don't usually play well with others. Dragon Cults she could understand, but this was different.

"What, Was, That?" Arya asked.

"The completion of our introduction, Dova to Dovakin." She replied, looking at the length of the blade. "The eldest goes first, saying Drem Yol Lok in the dragon tongue shows that I am withholding my aggression so we can talk without fighting. Then we share a bit of each others power in the form of a shout." She explained, remembering Parthanax atop the throat of the world explaining it to her all those years ago. Turning back to the Dova without cutting her own throat on accident. "You my dear Dova shared your power when we first met and I just shared mine. A bit out of order but that is alright. So now that we have the proper introductions out of the way we can talk like civilized people."

She expected some sort of response from the dragon but it gave nothing away. Didn't even bother to speak to her, which was a bit rude.

The Dova shifter her gaze to the elf who reluctantly withdrew her blade, but did not sheathe it, the mental presence still lingered but did not try to push through her defenses yet.

"Now on to business." She said to her stunned audience. "I am Tarah, the Dragonborn, leader of the companions and the Dark brotherhood. A member of the Legion, the college of Magic, and the slayer of Alduin the World Eater (along with half a dozen other titles). I come from the lands of Skyrim and Tamriel, and I find myself trapped in this land and separated from my group. I have come to the Varden seeking your help."

"That is indeed quite the claim." Narsuda responded, "And yet I am also told that you carry the souls of dragons within you. Why should we allow someone as dangerous as you to stay here with us."

"I was born this way. It was bestowed on me by the God of the Dragons, Akatosh. My power is to absorb the souls of the Dova and provide a counter balance to their might and their nature to dominate and destroy." She shifted a look from Narsuda to the Dragon. "But I have only killed in self defense, the defense of the innocent and for the good of the world itself. There are many Dova that I consider allies, and even friends. I have no interest in collecting more souls." Kepping the Dragons stare she continued. "You have nothing to fear from me. And though the world I come from is different to this one, I still respect the sanctity of the Dragons, especially ones that fight for such a noble cause like yourself."

Was there a bit of flattery in that last part? Yes, it didn't hurt to play at a dragons pride after all.

"If you need to get home so badly then why not go to serve someone like Galbatorix?" The rider asked. "His power is much older and stronger than any of ours at the moment." The court exchanged looks at the suggestion. She met his gaze and realized that he had features that resembled the elf than a human of this world. Was he a halfbreed of the two? She could also see in his eyes a genuin curiosity behind his guarded expression.

"Because I detest tyrants, and I have dealt with enough of them to know that you cannot trust the power hungry, and from my short time here I already know that he fits the bill. I am not going to put my trust in someone that hold all the cards. So instead I am offering you with a deal, I shall help you defeat this tyrant with all of the skills and weapons I have with me. In exchange you will help me find my companions and help us with the resources to get home. I can fight, cast a large assortment of spells, and have fought in an army before. I can lay waste to any foe you put me against. The undying, the mad, or the horrors that dwell bellow the earth. I have faced it all. I am versatile in all forms of physical and magical combat of my world." There was also another detail they needed to know. "My coming here was not accidental, some enemies of mine orchestrated this, though the spell was interrupted before it was finished. Already I have faced men of Galbatorix that are hunting me specifically, which means that our enemies are likely one and the same."

Her pitch finished, now she had to wait and see what their response would be.

After a few moments of silence it became evident that her captors were discussing amongst themself with their thoughts. From their eyes and the way they stood it seemed to be quite the conversation. Hopefully they believed her, they would probably make her do some quest to prove herself or something like that. Riddled with danger no doubt.

After what seemed like an eternity Narsuda spoke up in a commanding tone. "You make quite the proposal and tell an extraordinary tale. We have taken it to a vote to see if we should humor you or execute you." She paused.

Tarah tensed.

"We have voted to humor you, upon the requirement that one of us sees into your mind along with your memories and determines if you are indeed telling the truth, followed by a swear in the ancient language that you are not trying to deceive us in any way. If you pass then we can discuss an alliance with you."

Tarah thought back to her experience with the magician back at Fornost. And Norrin had warned her that this was a likely possibility if she were inducted into the Varden. "Fine, but I do have a condition, there are parts of my mind that hold secrets and knowledge that cannot be shared. Terrible knowledge that none should have to carry the burden of knowing." She said remembering the time she had spent in the otherworldly realms of the Daedra and the Ideal masters. As well as the knowledge she learned from necromancers and Vampires and others in her journeys. "They have nothing to do with you, and it would be best if their knowledge stays locked inside me. The repercussions would be too great and the knowledge too dangerous to let others know."

"We just need to see that you are telling the truth and aren't trying to deceive us. So long as these memories don't fall under one of those categories it should be fine." The Rider said.

"Very well then." A moment later she felt the presence of the Elf, the Rider, and the Dragon Saphira working in tandem to enter her mind. Despite the will and the rage of the Beast within her and the Dova she devoured she kept them from interfering. As well as shifting her memories of secrets from the College of Magic, knowledge from the realm of Hermaeus Mora, spells to summon the undead and the secrets of the Dark brotherhood. As well as her personal secret of being a skin changer.

She watched with the three as they went through some of her early life events, from her escape in the mountains from her deranged family, to growing up in the wilds on the outskirts of civilization. Her capture at the hands of the Empire and seeing Alduin for the first time. Her travels to the throat of the world and meeting Parthanax and her tutelage under him and the Greybeards. Her fights against many of the Dova that served Alduin and the atrocities she witnessed them commit. Her final fight against Alduin in the afterlife. Her meeting Serana and the threat of the Vampires towards the world. And then the events of the civil war and how she chose the empire over the storm cloaks. She also shared her meeting with the Blades and her fight against the Altmeery dominion. And her disagreement with the Blades with the issue of Parthanax and her decision not to kill the reformed dragon despite the Blades threatening to end their support. She guided them through many of the different times she used her arsenal of magical spells and shouts.

Briefly she went through what happened in her fight against the Cult of the Dragonborn and The First Dragonborn Miraak at the Summit of Apocrypha. As well as each of her companions, and her adopted children. Some of the great times she spent celebrating victories with them and their loyalty to each other. She shared the political entanglements she stumbled into in recent events, as different groups vied for her influence.

Finally she shared the events that brought her to this strange land. Her getting wounded by a Falmer trap, the ambush, and her being teleported. To waking up and wandering the land trying to find her companions and answers, sharing in detail her fight against the Empire. She shared how Norrin found and rescued her, how she saved that child from the fire, and their escape from Fornost. Their travels and meeting up with the Vardens caravan along with the battle they went through just before arriving.

Satisfied, the interrogation into her mind ended. As Tarah came to, a dizziness washed over her, this was not something she was going to get used to any time soon. Then she was told what to say to confirm that she was not lying or meant them harm. "Eka Thorta du ilumëo. Skulblaka, eka weohnata néiat haina ono. Shur'tugal eka weohnata néiat haina ono." (I speak the truth. Dragon, I mean you no harm. Rider, I mean you no harm.) As she said the words it felt as if a fundamental truth of the world was tied to her very soul, a promis that she could not break, a universal and factual statement not unlike the Words of power she learned from the Dragon language.

Then the three informed Narsuda that she was telling the truth and that she meant them no harm, though the elf did not look too happy about it. With that her restraints were cut and she was allowed to rise.

"You are now a member of the Varden, though we will be keeping a close eye on you." Narsuda said.

"That's wise of you." Tarah said flatly. "And I will be holding you to our deal."

"You will be given a tent nearby, and you will be expected to follow our orders and act in the interest of the Varden. As well as protecting Eragon and Saphirah from threats. In exchange we will help find your companions and assist finding a way home once this war is over."

Tarah realized that it might take years for that to happen. She very well could return home and find things change irreversibly. The thought of being so far away from her children Lucia and Sofie hurt more than she cared to admit to herself. That just mean that she would have to end this war as soon as she could. To get back to them, she would do anything.

There was another matter to attend to. "I must also insist that you release the man that came with me, Norrin. He helped me get here and convinced me to seek you out for aid. He is loyal to your cause and did not know the whole truth of what I was." She would have to apologize to him about withholding information when she saw him again.

Narsuda nodded. "We shall need to confirm that he has not been compromised by Galbatorix, but if he is found still loyal he shall be sent to another assignment to serve our cause."

After another hour of accounting herself with the military system of the Varden and getting a layout of what they were going to be doing the next few days she was dismissed. A messenger boy lead her to her tent in the Varden camp. Not far from the leadership of the Varden, but not next to any of them either. In the distance she saw Eragon, Roran, Saphirah, and Arya talking amongst themselves. The only one who bothered to pass any notice to her was Saphirah, rising her eyes from the group on to her. Her saphire blue eyes locked onto her own.

Tarah held the stare for a moment, unsure of what the mighty Dova thought of her, it was weird that one of her kind wouldn't talk to her. Usually they would answer and converse out of respect, regardless if they tried to kill her or not.

She decided to be the one that averted her gaze first and went into her tent.

As she entered her new temporary home she was grateful that introductions went as well as they did. It was a good first step, but she knew that she would have to work hard to get them to trust her.

As she laid down, her thoughts went to her missing companions and the prophesy that weird cat told her. She prayed to Akatosh that they were ok, and that she would be reunited with them soon. With her team with her they could do anything.

As he eyes drifted to sleep her thoughts went to Serana.

In the morning she woke up to find the Dragon rider and Dragon gone.