A/N : Hey guys, before you start reading these new chapters of 'A God in Alagaësia', I have some things to tell you.
-First of all, thank you for the people who recently commented on my story and I also want to thank you for following and/or favoring it. It warm my heart to see that you are liking it.
-Secondly, I'm decided to introduce a new OC character to pair with Valhir/Erik/Volibear… You will discover it later in the story !
-Thirdly, sorry if I take some times between chapters : work is a really hard… and I have many personal problems to deal with.
Now that everything was said, I will leave you alone so you can read this story in peace. GOOD EVERYONE AND ENJOY THE STORY !
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During the days following the massacre of the Urgals, the group kept traveling toward their next destination : Leona Lake. Then they would continue toward Dras-Leona.
On the road, Eragon was stronger than at the beginning as he grew used to wielding his sword with both hands instead of one.
How ?
Well, despite his injured wrist, Brom kept pushing the young Rider through a very strict training (seriously, Erik thought that Brom would make a very good instructor in the military on Earth) : the storyteller would question Eragon on a lot of subjects or giving him tips and advices about what to do on different situation.
For examples, Brom would teach his charge about what to do when dealing with Urgals, Magicians, Dragons (Saphira had snorted at that because she believed that it was pretty hard to deal with a Dragon) and Shades.
Shades were well-known around Alagaësia… and people feared them greatly. They were vile and evil creatures possessed by spirits and sometimes summoned by sorcerers or sorceresses. It was well known that Galbatorix had a Shade serving him.
Durza was his name.
Erik would growl internally each time he thought about Galbatorix's lapdog… and Arya's current torturer.
During that time, Eragon gathered all his courage to tell Brom about his visions… and the woman in them. But to hide Angela and the werecat from the older man, he told Brom that he had also seen it in a bowl of water during their stay in Teirm. Needless to say that the storyteller had been pretty troubled by the revelations but it was decided that they would discreetly visit the dungeons of every town they would visit… to make sure she was indeed there.
Anyway, the time passed and the group soon reached the plains. Erik took his time to admire the scenery and he couldn't help but smiling in delight at the sight before him : as the temperature turned warmer, flowers were blooming everywhere, trees were budding, grasses grew…
Spring was slowly coming…
The warm breezes also carried the delicious scents of the fauna, telling not only Erik but Saphira as well that the preys will soon by abundant. However, he soon had to broke his little trance at the sound of Eragon's call and after noticing that he was at the very back of the group, he quickly ran after them to catch up.
They walked/flew/ran for a few more miles, following the river southeast, before Brom suddenly pointed a finger at a large body of water.
"We're near the Leona Lake now… It's only about two or three leagues away from our current spot…"
"Do you think we can get there before nightfall ?" Eragon asked him while looking at where they were supposed to go.
"We can try..." Brom answered with a nod to his student just as a certain White Bear stopped at his right.
"I will keep an eye out for any unwanted people..." Erik said to his human companions who nodded their heads in acceptance before resuming their journey.
As they walked, Erik couldn't help but glancing at the water rushing a few feet away from him : the sound soothed him and he wanted nothing more than to dive under its surface, feeling the coolness of the water on his fur and skin.
Sadly, it was not the time to relax but to walk… for now at least.
The trail was soon hard to follow, as dusk was making itself know, but the sound of the rushing water guided them. Despite the fading light, Brom was adamant about not stopping until they all reached Leona Lake. Later, when the moon rose, the night star gave them enough light to see what lay ahead : Leona Lake in all its glory.
The lake looked like a thin sheet of silver and looked like the exact opposite of the sea : its surface was calm and smooth with no waves to move it. Erik silently thought that, if the moon's light wasn't there, it would have been practically impossible to distinguish water from ground.
Then Erik noticed that someone was already there and, judging by the shining blue scales, it was none other than Saphira. The young Dragoness was on the shore, fanning her wings to dry them. While Eragon went to greet her, Brom decided to make camp while Erik decided to use this opportunity to relax.
Without warning, he approached the lake then slowly slipped into the water without disturbing the surface, before disappearing from the sight of his companions. Once under the water, Erik felt like all his worries had disappeared as the cold water was so soothing. At this moment, he forgot everything : the Ra'zacs, the Lethrblakas, Galbatorix, his reincarnation...
Instead, memories of his human past appeared in his mind, and he closed his eyes to better relive his lost moments. In his dreams, he saw himself as a very young child and swimming side by side with his father, who at that moment was not sick but full of vitality.
A nostalgic smile soon grew on the Massive Bear's muzzle.
Once again, he was reminded of how much he missed his father…
Re-opening his eyes, Erik sent a silent prayer to his father before slowly swimming toward the surface. The Bear's head emerged from the water with a little growl and, after shaking it a bit to get rid of the water near his eyes, Erik slowly swam toward the shore.
Curled around the smaller form of her rider, Saphira raised her head to look at him.
'Enjoying yourself ?' she asked him with a smile as she watched him climbing the lake's shore, emerging from the water.
Erik didn't respond and instead shook himself, sending large sheets of water flying in all directions, until his fur returned to its original shape. However, a certain someone had to cover herself and her rider with her wings to avoid receiving water drops.
'Watch it !' she snarled at the White Bear with annoyance and slight anger.
"Sorry..." Erik grumbled to the young Dragoness before seeing the sleeping forms of Eragon and Brom.
'How long had they been sleeping ?' he asked Saphira telepathically, no wanting to wake them.
'A few minutes… They were exhausted and had no strength to train… or even eat !' The Dragoness answered in a soft tone as she lovingly licked her rider's cheek, earning a grumble from the guy in question but thankfully, he didn't woke up from his slumber.
'It's normal, they are humans… They are physically weaker than you and me…' Erik replied with a shrug as he went to stand near the Dragoness.
'That's true, I suppose…' Saphira said in a whisper while glancing back and forth between Brom and Eragon.
At the same time, Erik laid on his belly, his arms acting like a pillow under his large furry head. With a large yawn that revealed his sharp white fangs, the Bear turned his head to look at Saphira before saying in a whisper.
"Good night Saphy…"
'Good night, brother...' the Dragoness replied back softy before lowering her head near her rider and covering the both of them with a wing.
Smiling warmly at Saphira's blueish form, Erik glanced at the sky and, with another yawn, he fell asleep.
00/(Time Skip)/00
The next morning, Erik woke up with a loud yawn. After blinking his eyes a few times to adjust them to the light, he realized that it was dawn and slowly, the massive White Bear went on his feet/paws before stretching his muscles.
"Good morning, Valhir !" the familiar voice of Brom caught our hero's attention and he turned his head to stare at the storyteller who was awake.
"Morning… Where are Saphy and Eragon ?" he asked the human with curiosity once he noticed that the two in question were not where they were supposed to be.
Brom didn't answer but instead, turned his head toward the lake with amusement. Frowning, Erik followed his gaze...before smiling at the sight greeting him : Eragon and Saphira were both playing in the water, acting like children.
A fond smile soon grew on his muzzle as the scene once again reminded him of his childhood with his beloved father. When the air was hot and dry, his dad and him used to go to any pounds of water near their home (be it a small river or a lake) and have fun together. The two of them would spend their days there, talking, fishing or enjoying the peaceful sounds of nature around them…at least until his father died.
"Thinking about something, are you ?" Brom's voice broke his bittersweet trance and he turned his large head to stare at the storyteller… who had a look of worry on his face along with evident concern.
Internally, Erik was touched that Brom seemed to care enough about him to know about his well-being but he didn't showed it as he opened his jaws to answer in a soft tone.
"Yeah… I was just lost into memories, that's all..."
Brom frowned for a moment before a flash of realization appeared in his cold eyes as he whispered with sympathy "I see..."
Erik was grateful that the storyteller didn't voice whatever he had in mind and turned his furry head toward Eragon and Saphira, still swimming in the water.
"Look at them… so young and innocent… None of them deserves such a life… Living on the roads… running from harm..." Erik commented while looking at the two with a sad expression on his muzzle.
Brom sighed deeply as he nodded in agreement "I know… but it is either this or being killed by Galbatorix and his followers...Beside, it is the way of the world : to not do anything we want..."
"That's true..." the Massive White Bear retorted with a deep nod.
For a while longer, the two of them watched Eragon and Saphira having fun in the water. But then, Saphira suddenly turned her head toward the two before speaking
'Valhir ? Want to swim with us ?'
The Massive Bear won't lie but it does sounded delightful. With a huff, Erik turned his head to look at the old man before asking politely
"Do you want to join in too ?"
"No, thank you… I prefer to stay dry..." The storyteller answered politely while shaking his head.
"If that's what you want, Old Timer..." Erik said with a shrug before approaching the shore, leaving behind an indignant and grumpy-looking Brom.
Ignoring the storyteller's remark about him not being old, the White Bear approached the water but, before entering it, he glanced up and saw that Saphira and Eragon were still playing… and not once looking at him. Smirking, Erik slowly entered the water, doing his best not to disturb the surface, before diving in completely, disappearing completely underwater.
Once under the surface, Erik's sharps eyes caught the sight of Eragon's legs and Saphira's backside and silently swam toward them.
What did he have in mind ?
Giving them the scare of their lives !
Internally smirking, the massive White Bear slowly moved toward the two, waiting for the perfect moment to strike…
At the same time, a laughing Eragon was splashing Saphira, who had used his tail to throw water at him, but blinked when he noticed something: Valhir was no longer with Brom.
"Where is Valhir ?" he asked his Dragon who stopped her moves to look around.
'I don't kno-' Saphira began to say to her rider… before stepping back in shock with a roar of surprise.
Why ?
Because a huge white form appeared on her left, roaring loudly.
Eragon screamed in fright while backing away from the huge form… but then, they both stopped moving when they heard something.
Laughs.
Blinking a few times, they turned their heads toward the white form… and found themselves looking at a laughing Valhir.
"HA HA HA you should have seen your faces !" the Bear managed to say between two laughs.
Saphira and Eragon stared blankly at him for a moment before looking back at one another… and smirking deviously. Erik, him, was too busy laughing to notice… until water splashed his face. Blinking in surprise, the Bear then turned his head to look at the one responsible for this : Eragon.
Who had a triumphant smirk on his face.
"PAYBACK !" the young Rider said with satisfaction which caused our hero to growl playfully in response.
"You are so going to get-IIIIIIIITTTT !" Erik began to say only to be interrupted by Saphira who had used this moment to pounce at him, laughing in amusement.
'I'm going to make you pay for scaring me, Fluffball !' the Dragoness said to him telepathically.
'We will see about that, you overgrown lizard !' Erik retorted playfully before the two of them began wrestling, under the amused eyes of not only Eragon, but Brom's as well.
For a moment the two large creatures struggled but ultimately Saphira won...by a hair. All this thanks to its scales which have become slippery because of the water. Erik had been a bit offended by his defeat but hey, at least, he made it difficult for the Dragoness.
"Hey guys, let's dive !" Eragon proposed to them with a fist raised in the air.
Look like he still wanted to have fun ! And who was our hero to deny it ?
"Yeah !" Erik replied in agreement while Saphira looked just as ecstatic.
The young rider then quickly swam toward his Dragon beforeclimbing on her back. Erik, him, was swimming near them, ready to dive. There was another reason of why he wanted to join in : he was getting hungry so he would kill two birds with one stone.
Having fun with his friends and maybe, catch a few fish for him to feast on.
'Ready?' Saphira said to the two with a tiny smirk.
Eragon nodded while taking a deep breath and tightening his arms around her neck. Erik, him, nodded at the young Dragoness, without saying anything. After nodding in acceptance, Saphira slowly dove underwater and was quickly followed by the White Bear, who had taken a deep breath before.
Once again underwater, Erik watched in fascination as Saphira twisted and turned in mesmerizing shapes, moving through the water like an eel. Seeing how graceful she moved, it was like she was a water creature instead of a flying Dragon.
Erik then turned his head away from his companion to look around, trying to find some fish… and when he looked to his right, he saw a large shoal of fish heading his way. Erik deduced that they were afraid of Saphira but quickly brushed his thoughts aside to lunge forward.
At the same time, Saphira arched her back, pointing her head upward to go back to the surface.
Why ?
Because she could feel that Eragon was having trouble to breath.
Regardless, Saphira quickly burst out of the water in an explosion of drops, leaping into the air with her wings open. Then, she flew toward the shore where she landed with grace.
"Wow ! That was fantastic !" Eragon said with amazement while taking deep breathes.
'Yes… Though, it's a pity you can't hold your breath longer…' Saphira retorted to her rider with slight disappointment.
"Nothing I can do about that..." he said back to her while pressing water out of his hair.
But soon, he blinked "Wait a minute, where is Valhir ?!"
Saphira blinked at the question and started to scan the area but their large white friend was nowhere in sight.
'Where is he?' she said to herself with panic as she looked around.
At the same time, Eragon jumped off her back, also looking around in panic while calling our their friend's name
'VALHIR ! VALHIR ! VALHIR !'
But so far, nothing.
But then, their attention was soon turned to the water when something massive was heading towards them. Blinking, Eragon watched as, soon, a large mass stopped right at the shore, still beneath the surface of the water… before getting up.
The young rider froze as he found himself in the shadow of a huge White Creature that growled deeply as it emerged from the Beast was so big that it almost hid the sun from the young man's view ! Despite his shock and fright, Eragon noticed something between it's jaws : a fish. He watched in silence as the White Beast threw the fish in the air… before catching it again with his jaws and eating it quickly.
For a moment, Eragon couldn't look away from the big creature in front of him… until he heard a familiar voice
"Are you okay, buddy ?"
Hearing this, the young man blinked a few times and, after looking more closely at the beast in front of him, he wanted to slap himself on the face for not recognizing Valhir !
"Valhir! By the gods, you are fine !" Eragon said with a sigh of relief.
"Huh ? Of course I am ! Why did you think otherwise ?" Erik asked him in confusion as he stepped out of the water before shaking himself.
Thanks to Saphira and her wings, the young Rider didn't have to take another bath.
'When we didn't see you,I-WE had thought something had happened to you!' Saphira responded once she was sure he was not shaking himself any longer.
"I see… I'm sorry for making you worry... I was hungry so I decided to go fishing..." Erik explained with a sigh.
'How many fish did you catch?' Saphira asked him curiously.
"Only twenty..." the White Bear answered with a shrug.
Saphira gaped at him while Eragon looked amazed for a moment but soon, they all went back to have some fun together, under the amusement eyes of a certain storyteller.
A while later, Eragon and Brom saddled the horses before they all left the area in high spirits while Saphira playfully jumped in and out of the water with Erik walking near the shore. The young Dragoness would, whenever she had the chance, try to splash her bear friend and he would splash her back in return with a smirk on his muzzle.
The rest of the day went smooth and nothing important happened… until the night.
Erik and Saphira were laying on the ground and their eyes were locked on Brom and Eragon who were standing fifteen feet away from one other. The two of them were about to train in swordsmanship again.
None of the two moved a single muscle as a deep silence reigned over the camp… and the entire area. Suddenly, like he always did before,Eragon did the first move as he launched a stick at the storyteller with his right hand… but failed miserably because of his injured wrist. But he quickly ducked under Brom's sword before lunging at him.
The two humans were now fighting on the ground, rolling back and forth, each trying to gain the upper hand over the other.
Then, Eragon suddenly rolled to the side, swinging his blade aiming for Brom's shin... but the storyteller blocked it with the hilt of his sword before jumping to his feet.
"He is getting better..." Erik whispered to Saphira, while not taking his eyes off the fight.
'He is...' the Dragoness responded with pride.
Suddenly, something unexpected happened: Brom was losing ground and he was getting slower... while Eragon was gaining ground and his movements were intensifying. Suddenly Eragon swung his sword and Brom's blade was knocked to the ground ! Before the storyteller could move, Eragon moved his blade so it was near his mentor's throat.
Erik and Saphira felt prouder than ever as Eragon finally managed to beat Brom in a duel (even if it was a training session).
Soon, the young Rider lowered his arm before backing away. The storyteller slowly move to pick up his sword before sheathed it
"We're done for today..." he said to the younger man while taking deep breath. He was clearly exhausted.
Eragon looked stunned by those words.
"But we just started..." he began to say in protest but was interrupted by his mentor who shook his head at him, saying.
"I can teach you nothing more of the sword… Of all the fighters I've met, only three of them could have defeated me like that, and I doubt any of them could have done it with their left hand..."
Then, Brom shot him a rueful smile as he added "I may not be as young as I used to be..." he shot a glare at Erik for snorting before resuming
"...but I can tell that you're a talented swordsman..."
"Does this mean we're not going to spar every night ?" Erik could swear he heard some pain and longing in the young man's voice.
"Oh, you're not getting out of it !" Brom responded with a laugh before adding
"But we'll go easier now… It's not as important if we miss a night here or there… Just remember, if you ever have the misfortune to fight an elf, trained or not, female or male, expect to lose... They, along with dragons and other creatures of magic, are a lot of times stronger than you think… Even the weakest elf could easily overpower you ! The same could be said for the Ra'zac… because they are not human, they tire less faster than we do..."
"Do we stand a chance against them ?" Eragon asked his mentor with some hope in his voice as he went to sit against Saphira's warm belly.
"Honestly, if you were alone, it would be very difficult… but thankfully you are not..." Brom answered calmly to his student (and son).
"He is right… You have me and Saphy to back you…" Erik said with a smile while Saphira nodded her head in agreement.
Eragon smiled at them with a grateful smile before looking at Brom when the old man spoke again
"There is also Magic… It will help you in defeating everything but the strongest enemies ! For those, you will need Saphira's and Valhir's help… along with a great deal of luck..."
Snorts were heard from the Dragoness and White Bear but they were ignored. Erik then looked toward Saphira, barely listening to what Brom was telling to Eragon as he spoke with her
'He's come a long way, huh ?'
'He sure did… and I'm proud of him for it~' Saphira answered him with a fond smile as she looked at her rider, feeling proud of him.
'You and me both~' Erik retorted with a smile of his own.
It was true : no longer was Eragon the frail and naive farmer he was at the beginning of this journey… He was now a fierce and talented fighter, worthy of the task given to him and almost ready for the great destiny planned for him.
"And what about Valhir ? What if he started a wizard duel ?" Eragon's question broke his little trance and he turned his head to stare at the two humans, blinking a few times.
"Huh ?" Erik intelligently asked while looking back and forth between the two.
Brom chuckled as he answered Eragon's question "If our great friend finds himself in a duel, I am entirely sure that his opponent will end up being annihilated !"
At those words, Erik couldn't retain himself shooting everyone a dark smirk, one that promised pain and suffering.
"Indeed… I would give them the SHOCK of their lives~" the White Bear said as lightnings formed around his paws. The reactions he got was expected :Eragon gulped in fright while Saphira stiffened a bit.
After that, the humans ate their dinner before everyone went to sleep, knowing that soon, things will get eventful. But Erik knew the worst was yet to come. With a sigh, he was about to join his companions in dream land… when he felt something from the distance : whatever it was, it was powerful but he resisted the urge to go after the source to go to sleep.
Unaware that the source of this feeling will one day be one of the most important things in his current life.
(To be continue…)