The pair readied themselves quickly and raced each other towards Vol Turin. Firnen and Saphira were off enjoying themselves, so they had to hurry. They were late enough as it was. They made it down the slide, using magic to slow the perilous descent and sprinted the rest of the way, their elven speed making them seem nothing but a blur of motion to those they passed.
Todays events consisted of axe throwing, obstacle relays, and an interesting dwarf-inspired event where champions would apparently compete by cracking massive geodes with a single swing of a pickaxe. Everyone was welcome to compete in each event, but this one heavily favored the dwarves. Still, it would be interesting to see if any of the other races could prevail in an event like this one.
Arya looked at Eragon and smiled as they slowed to appear at least somewhat dignified upon their approach to the stadium. She had smiled more in the last few days than in the last few years. Her heart was full, and despite their lateness, they were welcomed to the box with warm greetings from everyone. Roran was already sitting near their seats sprawled out across two chairs enjoying a few strips of dried meat. He nodded to them both and winked at Eragon. Orik witnessed the exchange and chuckled knowingly, but he graciously redirected the conversation to the match.
"You two almost missed Culdir's last few throws!" Orik said excitedly. "I was telling Eragon when he arrived that Culdir is the best axe thrower we have. He's won the past three games, and he's up next!"
The competition revolved around hitting 3 out of the 6 magical targets that moved at random. Each competitor received 3 throws, and the judges took into account the distance and speed of the target the competitor chose.
Nasuada motioned for Arya to join her while Orik regaled Eragon, Roran, and Murtagh with tales of Culdir's skill in battle and competition.
"So..." Nasuada said in a suggestive voice. "Tell me everything. I've barely spoken with you two since we arrived, and I didn't want to intrude on your happiness. Now though, you must tell me. What did he say to change your mind? And who convinced him to return? He was so sure he never would."
Arya smirked at her friend's inquisitive nature. They had grown quite close in their respective roles. Nasuada was one of the few people Arya had confided her feelings about Eragon to. Well, sworn her to secrecy upon threat of death was more apt a description of the situation. However, Nasuada was the only one who would understand what she was feeling. She had been in a similar situation with Murtagh at the time, and when he finally returned to Nasuada, Arya had taken solace in the fact that at least one of them would have love in their life.
"There was much that was said, but it was not Eragon that changed my mind," Arya replied coyly.
This was a game of riddles they played when time and circumstance allowed. Court secrets were just about the only entertaining part of ruling in a time of peace, but you couldn't just give them away. Every other moment for them was filled with paperwork, requests, disputes, and complaints. These riddles kept the monotony at bay.
"As for who convinced him to return, it was the same one who convinced me to relinquish my throne."
Nasuada thought deeply for a moment like she was solving an impossible riddle before making her guess.
"Angela!" she said with confidence.
"Try again," Arya said with a smile. "It was a good guess though. If anyone knows something before anyone else, it's her."
Nasuada looked crestfallen.
"Does this person live in Alagaesia or Arngor?" Nasuada said, obviously trying to narrow things down a bit.
"I never said it was a person," Arya hinted. "Arngor is where he resides, but he is here with us even now."
The last one was clearly too much of a hint because Nasuada immediately caught her meaning.
"One of the eldunari?" she asked with a smirk.
"Yes, Umaroth," said Arya. "He didn't leave much room for debate. After admonishing me for trying to fulfill the roles of both ruler and rider, he unceremoniously told us that Saphira is pregnant, and we should not keep the pair thousands of miles apart. I was already fighting myself, but I couldn't fight what Firnen and the Umaroth said as well. They're right. My place is with the riders and Eragon, and Firnen's is with the dragons and Saphira."
Nasuada's face lit up at the news. She had watched Arya become a shell of who she once was. She didn't enjoy the challenge or the political scheming in the same way Nasuada did.
"Saphira's pregnant!?" Nasuada whispered excitedly.
"Yes," Arya said, positively beaming now. "There are two eggs. Firnen is so excited. He can't wait to be a father and to live in Arngor with the other dragons. He's helped train so many over the years, but he rarely gets to see them for long periods of time. They're like his children too in a way."
"And what about you?" Nasuada prodded. "Are you excited?"
Arya looked at her hands. Normally she wouldn't dare reveal so much to a political rival, even a friend. She trusted Nasuada like a sister, but their worlds often pitted the two of them against each other. Since Eragon's return and her decision to step down, it seemed like something in her had unlocked. She was different with Eragon here. Without the weight of the survival of the entire elven race on her shoulders, questions no longer seemed like attacks she had to defend or deflect. She found herself wanting to be more open.
"It's something I've dreamed of since I was young," Arya admitted to her. "I grew up with stories of dragons and riders, but for most of my life the only true pair left alive were Glaedr and Oromis. I am excited, but I have ruled for such a short time in the eyes of my people. I still worry over the confirmation. I know that Dathedr will make a good King. Still, it may take some work to make enough of the elven lords agree. Many of them prefer having a rider on the throne and the appearance of superiority it brings."
"I'm sure it matters little to them, but I support your choice in Dathedr," Nasuada said. "He has always acted in the best interests of the collective kingdoms. That's the type of leadership we need to maintain what we've built. I know we butted heads often in the beginning years, but I'll miss having you near to help me."
Arya thought back to the early days of peace, and their many arguments over governing magic. Nasuada had ordered Jormundur to compile lists of magic users after the first Games; a decision Arya warned her would end in rebellion. Nasuada hadn't listened. She plowed ahead despite warnings from elves and dwarves alike. Orik had respected her decisions, but the only middle ground the rulers had come to during that time was that elves and dwarves would not be subject to the human laws. They would be governed by their own people. That was the beginning of a very stressful two-year period between Arya and Nasuada.
Any reports of elves misusing magic were handled by Arya herself, which led to her sifting through ridiculous complaints from superstitious humans who held that elves had magically disfigured children or bewitched men. It was ridiculous and a complete waste of her time. Magic itself couldn't be governed. The very idea was a paradox, and Nasuada was perhaps too naive at the time to realize that. The lords of the cities under Nasuada's rule were equally encumbered, and even Orin admitted that trying to control magic users held up almost half of his daily work. Furthermore, her division of magic and non-magic users created unrest in communities. Petty citizens sometimes even created false reports to settle personal disputes. Finally, Orin, Jormundur, and fifteen of Nasuada's own lords came to her and demanded the laws be repealed. They had tried for the better part of a year, but there simply wasn't enough time in the day or people they could trust to govern the use of magic.
Murtagh returned to Ilirea shortly after, which lessened the sting of her defeat. She apologized to her court and attempted to bolster the enforcement of common sense laws that governed everyone rather than dividing them by ability. Magic users were no longer on a list, and the false reports went down to almost none. There were still issues of course, but they worked to help create magical solutions to magical problems. The riders had helped in this immensely in subsequent years as they completed their training and spread throughout Alagaesia. There were too few magicians left under Nasuada's command with enough ability to delve into the minds of others without them.
Murtagh returned to society shortly after Nasuada repealed the magic laws, and the relationship between Arya and Nasuada improved dramatically after that. They worked hard together to integrate the races. Arya opened the forest for the second annual Games, and she fought to keep most of it open afterwards. Ellesmera was still off-limits to outsiders without a formal invitation, but it was progress. The last seven years had seen the forests and elves there flourishing. The birth rate had tripled, and now time moved somewhat quicker in the once sleepy forest. Linnea kept a tight reign on any physical abuse to the forest brought. Offenders were informed of their error upon a first instance. If they repeated it though, they were eternally barred entry. Arya had devised a spell to place an irremovable mark on such offenders. The magical barriers of the forest were rewoven to refuse anyone bearing the mark.
After all of that, Arya's respect for Nasuada had only grown. It wasn't often that humans or elves admitted they were wrong. It was even more rare to find a ruler brave enough to claim responsibility for missteps. Nasuada's intentions had always been pure with regards to the magic laws, which was frustrating for opponents of them. She was right in saying magic created an unbalance between those with and without the ability, but once her methods had proven inefficient, she took steps to correct her folly. That was more than could be said for many in power, and it was a turning point for how her people and the leaders of the other races saw her.
She had grown in their estimation, which led to an outpouring of support for her leadership. It was surprising that a misstep that led to rebellion could also lead to such devotion, but that was all in the past now. Nasuada had more than proved herself as a competent leader. She was to thank for many of the improvements throughout the kingdom. She established government-funded trade guilds to help the people find work. Many of the children had lost their parents in the war, and she made sure they were fed, clothed, and instructed in a trade when they were old enough. Women worked alongside men in many areas out of necessity. There weren't enough men left to rebuild the wartorn cities, and the disparity between the sexes had diminished somewhat in response to men and women working alongside one another.
"Your opinion holds more weight with the elves than you know," Arya told Nasuada. "Many hold you in high regard after watching you reign. Those old enough to remember a time before Galbatorix praise you for your ability to accept your mistakes and learn from them. It's a trait we elves admire due to our own fallability with pride. We like to think ourselves wise, but it is easy to understand the ways of things if you've been around long enough to witness history repeat itself. It's much more impressive to overcome in a single lifetime."
Their coversation came to an end as the Orik's booming voice drowned out even the crowd.
"He did it again!" Orik bellowed. "Did you see his last throw? It was perfect, and it was on the farthest target too!"
Evidently Culdir's difficulty level had boosted him past the final challenger, making him a three time champion of the event. The relay races went fairly quickly over the next few hours with an elf named Naiena taking first, and the final event had the crowd in tears of laughter as humans, urgals, and elves attempted to break open the geodes. The dwarves had an innate knowledge of rock and how it moved. They could identify the perfect place to strike the geodes as if by instinct. Many of the other competitors couldn't crack their geodes at all, but there was one standout. A massive kull named Nalgrok gave a dwarf named Vellum a close call through sheer strength. Brain won out over brawn in the end though as Nalgrok used a bit too much force on his final swing, smashing the geode to pieces. That lost him a few points. The dwarves were a race that admired the beauty of all rock, so naturally presentation of the geode itself was a part of the scoring process.
After a long day at The Games, Arya and Eragon were famished. They had snacked throughout the events, but it wasn't enough to sustain them. Roran invited them both to eat with him, and the three made their way through the crowd to the kitchens.