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, sorry if I take some times between chapters : work is a really hard… and I have many personal problems to deal with.
-Thirdly, if you don't like my story then don't read it !
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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"YOU ?!"
The unknown young man stiffened at Brom's shout and Eragon stepped closer to them, his eyes still locked on the intruder with clear confusion on his face. Erik looked calm and composed while Saphira looked at him with suspicion and distrust… along with confusion.
The Massive Bear knew who it was and knew that soon, he will have to step in… unless he wanted to see the boy being killed… or gravely injured. Erik wanted to growl at Brom because it was being foolish which how he was treating this young man.
Speaking of which…
"Why are you here, boy ?! Are you serving the king ? Were you hoping to capture us to hand us to him ? Over my dead body !" Brom snarled in anger before stepping closer to the newcomer.
The young man, whose was unknown to everyone but Erik, wanted to back away but accidentally tripped over a rock before falling onto his back… just as a certain storyteller was about to strike him.
Thankfully, he didn't have the chance to as Brom suddenly found himself facing an angry looking White Bear whose large body was standing between him and the young man on the ground. The action was so fast and so sudden that both Saphira and Eragon were too stunned to move.
Back to Erik, he glared daggers at Brom, his blue eyes locked into the storyteller's as he telepathically said
'What do you think you are doing ?'
'Stand aside, Valhir ! This boy is dangerous !'
Erik shot a quick glance toward the young man's form behind him before looking back at Brom
'He certainly doesn't look the part...' he told the old man with a blank stare.
'He is Morzan's son !' Brom hissed at him while shooting a glare toward the young man who flinched under his gaze.
Erik stared silently at the storyteller for a moment before saying in a deep tone 'The sins of the father are not those of the son… He might be Morzan's son but he is not his father… I can sense his heart… He is not an evil being…'
Then, the massive White Bear stared further into Brom's eyes, adding in a serious tone 'A child should not be punished for his father's crimes...'
The storyteller stayed silent as he looked at Erik in the eyes for a moment. Around them, nothing could be heard as Saphira and Eragon were wondering what those two were talking about while, on the ground, the still unnamed young man was wondering what was going to happen to him now.
After what looked like an eternity, Brom released a deep sigh before saying to the White Bear "Once again, you are proving us how wise you are… you are right Valhir : I shouldn't blame the boy for what his father did as he is innocent... Thank you for making me realize that even me have trouble with ghosts of the past..."
Erik didn't say anything back but nodded deeply at the storyteller. Brom nodded back before looking at the young man on the ground
"Come, my boy, there's enough place for you to join us... of course, that's if you want to come with us..." Once he said those words, the storyteller turned around before walking toward their hiding place.
Erik watched him go before turning his large furry head to look over at the young man on the ground who was staring at him in shock and slight fear.
"Are you okay ?" he asked him in a calm tone.
"Y-You can really talk ?!" the young man spluttered in shock.
Erik chuckled in amusement before saying "Yes, I can… Now, get up already ! Unless you are in love with the ground~"
The young man spluttered in protest while Erik smirked as, behind him, he could hear Eragon and Saphira laughing in amusement… even Brom's chuckle could be heard from their camp. But soon, the newcomer went back on his feet before slowly making his way toward the camp, followed by Eragon and the others.
Soon enough, all of them were surrounding a fire as silence was the only thing you could hear in the air. The newcomer was looking at both Saphira and Erik with wary eyes but the massive Bear wasn't bothered by it. After all, he couldn't blame him for being a bit cautious around them.
However, the silence was soon broken by Eragon who turned his head to look at the newcomer before asking curiously
"So… who are you ?"
"Murtagh…" the stranger said in a low and controlled tone… after a moment of hesitation.
"My name's Eragon… This is Brom… Saphira… and Valhir..." the young Rider said while pointing at everyone one by one.
The storyteller merely nodded his head with a grunt while Saphira snorted at him. As for Erik, he gave the young man a deep nod.
Murtagh nodded at them all but still looked cautious and wary… especially toward the Dragoness and Bear.
"Why are you out here ?" Brom asked him with a raised eyebrow.
"You are not the only one who are enemies with the Ra'zacs… I was tracking them..." Murtagh answered him almost instantly with a somber look on his face.
"You know what they are ?" Eragon asked him with a frown.
"Yes..." was his answer.
Then they all listened as Murtagh explained how he was hunting the Ra'zac and how he heard rumors about a new dragon rider. Knowing that the Ra'zacs would go after whoever it was. He then explained that, even when he found them at Dras Leona, he couldn't attack them all because they were protected by soldiers of the Empire. He had been forced to pursue them the second they left the city… to go after someone who had caused havoc in the city.
Once he finished his tale, Murtagh shot a look toward Erik before saying with slight curiosity and interest "Rumors were speaking about a dragon and its rider… but there was nothing speaking about a talking Urzhad..."
"What's an Urzhad ?" Eragon asked him with a frown of confusion.
Brom opened his mouth to answer but Erik was faster "Urzhads are large bears who live in the Beor Mountains… they are nearly as large as houses with brown-silver fur and hooked claws…"
Then, the Bear turned his head to look at Murtagh before adding "And I am not an Urzhad..."
"Then, what are you ? I have never heard of a talking White Bear before..." Murtagh asked him before flinching when Saphira growled at him warningly.
"Saphira… Down..." Erik sternly said to the Dragoness who shot him the stink eye for ordering her like a dog, but reluctantly did what she was told.
The White Bear then turned his head to look at the young man who looked a bit stunned by what just happened while Eragon and Brom looked amused.
"To answer your question, I came from a land far away in the North…a land where there is nothing but mountains, snow and ice..."
Murtagh opened his mouth to ask more questions as he clearly looked curious about him but Brom stepped in, saying
"Keep your questions for tomorrow, boy… for now, let us feast and then sleep… we have a long day ahead tomorrow..."
And they did just that : enjoying a warm meals, bonding and sleeping once the moon was up in the sky.
00/(Time Skip)/00
The next morning, the group was now on the road again… but this time with a fifth member. As they rode, Eragon told Murtagh about their travels while, in turn, their new member told them about the many rumors heard in different cities. He even told them about a creature that had killed Urgals around the Valley.
Needless to say that Murtagh had been shocked to hear that this part was true and that the one responsible for this was none other than Erik himself. Speaking of which, the young man had asked many questions to our hero who happily answered it as best as he could while still hiding some facts.
After all, Erik knew that, at some point, Murtagh would be captured by the King and enslaved against his will… so the less info he got on him for now the better.
Eragon, however, did told their new companion about what I did to the Urgals after they left Teirm and Murtagh had paled a bit at the story, glancing warily at our furry hero who, in turn, shot him a toothy smirk.
Apart of that, the travel was smooth with no troubles bothering them.
They were all heading toward another city where Brom stated that he had a contact there : Dormnad. Apparently, this friend of his was a link to the Varden… Erik had voiced his doubts about going there, thinking that it was too early for Eragon or Saphira to be with those people and while the storyteller agreed, he said that he had no choice thanks to the Ra'zac's near ambush.
In the end, Erik had reluctantly accepted the new course of action but deep down, he was tense because of their next destination. Normally, it wouldn't be a problem to go to a city where Brom could see an acquaintance of his… but the city itself was a problem.
Why ?
Because this Dormnad lived in Gil'ead !
Unlike the other cities they 'visited', Gil'ead was situated in the northern part of Alagaësia and was under the direct control of the Empire. It is a major point for the Imperial Army as Gil'ead had barracks, a strong looking fort… along with the best prisons of the area.
Erik knew it was also in one of those prisons that Arya the Elf was held captive by the Shade, Durza.
The Bear almost growled at the reminder… or at the mere idea of facing this cursed being.
Anyway, Murtagh, him, wasn't trilled to go to the Varden and Erik couldn't blame him for that : being the son of one of the Fornsworns, the Vardens will try to kill him or, if he was lucky, detained. Thankfully, Brom told him that he would ask his old friend to carry a letter to a city of Surda and Murtagh had thanked him gratefully for that.
Later, the entire group was back on the plain, this time heading north to Gil'ead. While they didn't have to deal with the Ra'zacs anymore, Erik was far from relaxed : knowing what will happen at Gil'ead putted him on edge as he looked around with cautious eyes during the whole trip.
Then one night, after they camped, Murtagh and Eragon sparred with one another and Erik would be lying to himself if he said that it wasn't a sight to see as both fighters were evenly matched. After some time, they both stopped with both them wearing bruises… however, the two of them were grinning widely.
They clearly had fun…
Erik couldn't help but smiling tenderly at the two : they didn't even know if but the two of them were half-brothers… and yet, they have a good relationship…
"For now..." the Massive Bear had thought to himself darkly as he remembered what will happen after the battle in the caverns of Beor Mountains.
Shaking his large head, Erik then looked back at his companions : Brom looked amused, Saphira looked at her rider with fondness, Eragon and Murtagh were chatting with smiles on their faces… In short, the mood of everyone was pretty good even when they all went to sleep.
However, the only one who stayed awake was Erik.
Unlike the others, he was plagued with dark thoughts and questions. Thanks to him, Brom didn't die due to the Ra'zac's dagger but somehow, he fell like something terrible in going to happen in the future.
Glancing at the sleeping forms of his companions, Erik's face turned serious as he whispered under his breath "I will protect you… no matter the cost..."
Once he said those words, he allowed sleep to take him but determination to keep his promise filled his whole being.
After that night, they traveled through untamed territories and Saphira and Erik were both happy for that because they didn't have to hide anymore. Later, his human companions entered a small town early and they discovered that the Imperial Army seemed to think that the fugitives of Dras-Leona had fled to Surda instead of hiding somewhere in the Empire.
While it sounded good to our friends, Erik was not willing to stop keeping his guard up. Even during the following days, which were among the most peaceful they had ever known since the beginning of this journey.
The nights were interesting thanks to Eragon and Saphira putted a show for their companions by dueling one another… with Brom joining in from time to time. During the days, it was no better as Murtagh and Eragon would challenge each other in archery… which made Erik, Brom and Saphira smile at seeing them getting so close to one another.
Unfortunately, the Dragoness was forced to stop hunting to keep an eye on their surroundings. Yep, even her was still wary of the area. Thankfully, Erik would hunt for her and sometimes, he would bring a bit of honey… and it was a bit amusing when Saphira's face brightened like the sun each time she stared at the delicious golden liquid.
Of course, Brom, Murtagh and Eragon asked him about it and they all laughed when Erik told them about how Saphira got her first taste of honey. It was been funny to see the Dragoness so flustered and embarrassed.
Later, they passed near Urû'baen and they had to keep a low profile as it was where Galbatorix, the mad king resided. Erik had to use all his willpower to not rush there and destroy everything on sight. Fortunately, they all managed to pass the dreaded area to reach the wild lands.
Much later, they made camp not too far away from their destination. When Erik got his first look of the city, the White Bear wasn't impressed : apart of the large fortress, the city wasn't really protected as most of the buildings were made of woods and logs… same for the walls.
After asking Brom about it (internally he knew about Gil'ead but he still had to act like he didn't know) and the storyteller explained that Gil'ead was a fishing and trading center where hunters could replenish their stocks whenever they wanted.
"Tomorrow Eragon, you will stay here with Valhir and Saphira while me and Murtagh will go there… While I will go see Dormnad, Murtagh will-" Brom began to say before being interrupted by the young man in question
"-and I will get us some supplies..."
The storyteller looked slightly annoyed at being interrupted but couldn't voice what he had in mind as Eragon spoke his frustration
"And why can't I go with you ?!"
"Because it is too dangerous ! The soldiers at Dras-Leona have seen you and they must have told everyone ! Now, they are probably looking for you everywhere in the Empire !" Brom answered him in a stern tone and a sigh.
Eragon wanted to protest but, after seeing that he had nothing to refute those words, he sighed deeply in defeat, his shoulders slumping in disappointment.
Murtagh patted his shoulder in a comforting manner and Eragon shot him a tiny smile.
"I don't like this…" Erik's voice echoed in the air and everyone turned their heads to look at him but his attention was on the city.
" This city… it smells… different..."
"What do you mean ?" Eragon asked him curiously and at his side, Saphira and Murtagh looked just as curious while Brom looked intrigued.
"Unlike the other cities we saw, this one smells darker… something malevolent lurks here… and it disgusts me !" Erik answered with a growl that caused everyone to stiffen in slight fear.
It was true… as he knew that a certain Shade was currently in the area.
"Your words intrigues me, Valhir… and your senses had never lied to us before… We will be careful..." Brom said after a moment of thought.
Murtagh, while looking thoughtful, also voiced his agreement.
"And what could cause such a scent ?" Eragon asked his white furry friend with curiosity.
"Could it be a Ra'zac ?"
"No… it's worse…much darker and eviler..." Erik said after smelling the air, his eyes narrowing at Gil'ead.
Brom and Murtagh stiffened at those words while Saphira and Eragon looked confused and intrigued.
"If what you say is true, then we HAVE to be careful… and it is another reason as for why Eragon here will NOT join us !" Brom said with a glance toward the young Rider whose shoulders slumped even more.
That night, the mood was darker as everyone were thinking about Erik's words… while the Massive Bear was silently glaring toward the fortress with hatred and anger.
"Durza… If you lay a hand on my friends… I will slay you !" Erik thought to himself while glaring hatefully at Gil'ead.
Somewhere in the city, a tall and pale man with crimson hair and maroon eyes suddenly felt a shiver passed through his cold body and was wondering what had caused this before heading somewhere.
(To be continue…)