Chapter 21: Specters Past and Present

The campers seemed to hold their breaths. Arrayed in front of them were seven specters. They smiled benignly at their descendants. Two mighty dragons whose spines nearly protruded from the canopy watched Saphira with pleased looks in their eyes. They seemed to be telepathically communicating, for they stared intently into each other's eyes. Two unfamiliar faces smiled at Brom, whose eyes were suspiciously wet.

A tall and powerful looking male elf stood proudly gazing at Arya who wept tears of joy. Beside her, Garrow grinned at Eragon, looking healthier and more at ease than the boy had ever seen him. Finally, a brown haired woman with grey eyes tearily smiled, torn between dashing over to Eragon or wrapping her arms around Brom.

"I'll give you some privacy," Harry said quietly before retreating to the tent. Curiously, the brown haired woman followed. He welcomed her into the living room, taking a seat on the couch before the fire. "Hello, I'm Harry Potter. Who are you?" he asked politely.

"Selena," she smiled. "Thank you for helping my son," she said, crossing her legs and arranging her posture perfectly. "I'm afraid I made some poor decisions in my life," she admitted. "But my boys weren't one of them."

"Eragon has a brother?" Harry asked curiously.

Selena nodded sadly. "You will meet him soon enough. You could be very good for him, you know," she told Harry. "He had a hard childhood, one which you can sympathize with best."

Harry felt the grip of sorrow in his chest. "His father?" he asked cooly.

"Dead, thankfully," she admitted. "His name was Morzan."

He fell back into the couch, mind reeling. Eragon's father was Forsworn? "I'm sorry you had to go through that," he sympathized.

Selena shook her head. "He did not force me, not like that. I simply did not comprehend his nature until too late."

Harry nodded and sighed. "Did you not wish to meet Eragon?" he asked. Selena looked unsure.

"I did not think he would want to know me, as I am or who I was," she admitted. "The people still tell stories about what I did in Morzan's service," she whispered. "I did not expect the afterlife to be so pleasant for me."

"He will love you regardless," Harry reassured. "To an orphan, family is worth all the gold in the world."

Selena's expression brightened. "Then he will be doubly happy tonight, for he will meet his living father." The ghost glided from the tent, back to the camp.

Harry followed sedately. He felt like watching the reunion would be intruding on something intensely private, and instead meandered to the kitchen, fixing up a vegetarian meal. Nearly ten minutes later he emerged from the tent. The sky was dark, yet he spotted glittering blue scales illuminated by the enormous ghostly forms of two dragons. They spiraled overhead, flying together as dragons had not done since the Fall.

Arya and the elven man who Harry supposed was her father sat cross legged opposite each other on the ground, beaming and talking joyously. They were so enraptured in each other's presence that they spared no attention to the others. Brom's parents had finished speaking and were simply beaming proudly at their son, who was studying their features, drinking up the sight in an attempt to immortalize them in his mind.

Garrow and Eragon were chatting happily. Harry knew the boy probably felt guilty for his uncle's death. He understood blaming himself very well and sympathized. Eragon probably beat himself up for keeping Saphira's egg and held himself responsible for the Ra'zac attack. Talking with his uncle would mend that emotional wound better than any amount of counseling. Being absolved directly by the dead was a feeling like none other. Harry still remembered the leaden weights that lifted when Sirius told him he did not blame him for his death. That lightness had given him the courage to continue his walk in the forest, knowing he headed for his death.

Selena drifted over to Brom. The old man gazed upon her face rapturously. She held out a hand and tried to cup his cheek. Despite the inability to touch, Selena kept her ghostly digits next to Brom's face. Suddenly, the pieces fell into place for Harry, shocking him.

"I've missed you," Selena said softly. Brom smiled sadly. Then Selena reared back and slapped him. "You idiot! How could you not care for your own son, or offer him support after the death of his uncle!"

Eragon seemed to snap out of his own discussion. "Brom Holcombsson, I will not watch you condemn our child to suffer because you got your fool self killed before you could stop hiding behind unnecessary secrets!" Selena accused. The old guy's mother hid a smile behind her hand. His father had no such restraint, and openly grinned.

Fists on her hips, Selena glared pointedly at the old storyteller. For once, his eloquence seemed to fail him. "Uh, Eragon, I'm your father."

"Father?" Arya whispered.

"Evarinari," he smiled. "I have missed you so much," he promised. "T'was like a stab in the heart to watch you and Islanzadi drift apart. You have done so much for our people, Arya. You need not be driven by duty anymore."

Her eyes swam. "Evandar, I did not take the Yawe simply to spite mother. I wish to see Galbatorix dead, I wish to see dragons rule the sky once more. I shall be driven by duty until they do, and nothing less shall deter me."

Evandar smiled sadly. "Then go with godspeed, and know that we are with you, if not in flesh then in spirit. Know that whatever happens Arya, I am proud." The spirit faded away like mist on a breeze.

Brom seemed to shrink at his lover's ire, before setting his shoulders. "I did not tell him because it would affect my ability to train him. Selena," he begged, "you must understand, nothing is more important than toppling Galbatorix! And besides that, even before Saphira hatched for him, Eragon being known as Brom's son would put a price on his head as surely as becoming a rider." He sighed and turned to Eragon.

"I'm your father, Eragon."

Dumbfounded silence.

Eragon glanced to Garrow, as if asking approval. The man nodded encouragingly in approval. That done, the young rider fled into his father's arms. Brom awkwardly patted his back. It was clear Brom was not cut out to be a touchy-feely sort of dad, but just as obvious was his love for his son. "In the name of being honest son," Eragon's father scrubbed at his palm heavily for a moment, dipping his hand in his wineskin. Brown dye flaked off. "I used to be a rider."

He held out his right hand, palm up. It held a silvery oval similar to Eragon's. "Her name was Saphira," he reminisced with a fond smile. "You both would have liked her," he told his son and his dragon.

Saphira approached cautiously, nosing the mark curiously. She blinked her large eyes. "I would never regret having you, Eragon," Brom said softly. "I simply wasn't prepared for a child. I promised myself when my Saphira died, I would get my revenge, then I would join her in the void. You were an unexpected surprise, one which- to my regret- I couldn't care for properly." He unbuckled a wine red scabbard from his belt and handed it to the frozen rider.

"I had meant to give this to you earlier. It is no replacement for a father, but I hope you will accept it regardless. It is a rider's sword, one which I took from Morzan. I lost my own long ago, and this one does not fit me properly."

Eragon gripped the ruby pommel, arranging his fingers upon the grip. In a fluid motion, he drew the blade, steel scraping ringing out. The blade was a brighter red than the scabbard. It looked like arterial blood and gleamed in the firelight. An unfamiliar black symbol was set into the blade near the hilt, a beautiful silver affair.

"It is named Zar'roc," Brom remarked. "The blade has a fell history, but do not let that deter you. I have faith in your ability to forge your own destiny."

Brom went to bed that night with a desperate fiery hope in his heart. He noted the absence of someone last night, an absence which fanned the flames of hope. The old rider did not remember her doing that, but then in the chaos that was the Fall, perhaps she hid hers, from the Forsworn and him alike…

AN: Double upload because both chapters are midgets.