Hello !
Here comes a new chapter! I'll try to keep this rythm, where I publish one chapter every week. Thank you ffor those who left a review, it's always appreciated!
feriyen : Thanks for the reviews! SOme of the points you've mentionned will be developped in the future, but indeed, politics will try to profit of Eragon & Saphira!
DovahStark : A TV adaptation would be massive! I guess we'll have to wait and see.
: Well, I had to find the right moment, and I feared that if I started too early, the story would never finish. Also, I believe that if Saphira and Eragon had arrived earlier, many problems would have been solved quickly. Castles have nothing against magic and Eragon can kill with a single word. However, with the army of the dead and the magic they possess, it's easier to incorpate some challenge.
Obviously, I own a computer, some books and even a cat. However, I own nothing in the Inheritance Cycle and Game of Thrones franchise. They do belong to Christopher Paolini and G.R.R Martin.
Without further ado, here come the third chapter of the story!
"My name is Cotter Pyke, commander of the Eastwatch garrison. Can't say I've heard of Alagesi or whatever it is. Welcome to the Wall"
The man standing in from of them reminded Eragon of Term's sailors. He wore a light armor and had a sword at his side. He had the face of someone who had spent more time on sea than on land. His skin was wrinkled and tanned from the sea.
After having surrendered their weapons and insured them Saphira was safe and tame -which earned him a mental slap and a promise of dire consequences later- they had been allowed to climb off the dragon. This had earned more curious glances when the men of the Night's Watch discovered the quality of the steel and their unique bows. This decision had bothered them but it wasn't completely unexpected. However, with Saphira so close and with their magical powers, they were less worried than the usual newcomers.
Many were suspicious and they had to explain the reason of their presence here. Eragon explained that they had travelled a long way here and saw the Wall from their boat. Since it was the first piece of land they had seen in weeks, they decided to explore it.
Commander Pyke seemed to be pondering his options. Finally, after a moment, he decided to allow them entrance to the Wall. Excited but also worried whispers broke off around them.
They were led through the top of wall and reached an old wooden and metallic structure. They realised afterwards that it was in fact an ingenious lifting system to reach the bottom of the wall. Saphira had been able to join them and was now laying in the courtyard of the castle and was listening to their conversation through their link. The six of them were taking everything at once, trying to remember as much as possible. So far, nothing looked completely unusual for them. Most of the facilities they saw could also be found in Alagaësia's castles. A forge, stables or the armoury had already been found.
Eragon, Saphira, Blödhgarm and the others were keeping their mind open to communicate discretely and to find magicians that might have escaped their attention and scrying. At the moment, nothing looked off and the only magic they seemed to find was the one emitted by the wall.
Quickly, they were ushered inside a room which must have been the dining hall of the castle. Tables and benches were aligned and a massive hearth stood in the back. After a quick command of Commander Pyke, a fire started to warm the room. The men, Eragon noticed, preferred to keep their black cloaks on.
They had been offered some beer -which tasted awful in Eragon's opinion- and some warm soup which was just as tasteless. Once they were done with this meal, Eragon, which had been designated as their representative, started a small summary of his presence. Saphira's arrival had attracted the attention of many and by the time Eragon started talking, the number of men in the room had doubled, now coming close to fifty men, all wearing black coats. They had yet to see women or children here.
Eragon had spent the majority of the afternoon, with Umaroth and those willing to join in the discussion, to establish the points to hide and those to reveal in their story. There hadn't been many disagreements but they wanted to make sure every aspect of their story was covered.
They had decided to keep it simple. Eragon started by giving a light background of his life, spent in Carvahal with Roran, Garrow and Marian until the discovery of Saphira's egg and her eclosion.
One of the brothers in the back suddenly asked "So you're not a Targaryen?"
Eragon was nervous. Was Targaryen something related to his elven look? Or his bond with Saphira? But his face must have displayed his interrogation because someone else added "You're not related to Daenerys Targaryen?". Puzzled, Eragon answered by the negative but he felt they would have loads of question to ask, for his own curiosity of the elves and Eldunaris'.
He continued his story by explaining the role of Riders in Alagaësia, Galbatorix's push and the training he started after the death of his uncle. He didn't mention the Ra'zacs and instead told them that his uncle had been killed by soldiers sent by the King, which wasn't that far from the truth.
When faced with Saphira's intelligence, Eragon was met by incredulous eyes.
"You mean that you can communicate with her in your mind?" asked Pyke.
"Yes" came Eragon's quick reply. They had realised mental powers might be unknown but too much of their story relied on this. Moreover, Saphira certainly didn't want to be compared to a mere pet. They would simply try to downplay this ability and make them believe Saphira was the power behind this, which suited her fine.
"Have you ever heard of subtility little boy," asked Saphira amused. "I think you broke them".
A long silence followed, interrupted by Saphira's loud laughter which startled many in the room.
"Don't worry" ushered quickly Eragon. "She's just laughing and criticising my lack of tact. She might be right here though..." he added after some reflexion.
Apparently, telling a group of nervous men that he was being scolded and mocked by his dragon for his lack of tact wasn't the right thing to say given their disbelieving looks.
Pyke once again was the once who got his guts back the fastest. After a few moments, he asked "Is your dragon only able to talk with you or can she speak to other people?"
At this, Eragon took a moment to ponder his words before answering the leader of Eastwatch;
"Saphira mostly communicates with me. We've been bonded since she hatched and we share a deep connection together. However, she can communicate with anyone but it's considered rude to barge into someone's mind without asking first. She would like to communicate a few words if you would be willing."
Eragon felt Saphira's annoyance and hid a smile. He knew he would have to make it up to her quickly before getting into trouble. Probably a long and nice scratch, he knew how much she loved it.
"Will it hurt?" asked one of the brothers.
"Absolutely not but it may surprise you at the beginning."
They heard a few mutterings but the brothers were quick to agree. The prospect to talk to a dragon was too good to miss he guessed. Eragon felt Saphira stretch her mind to include all the occupants in the room before addressing them with her deep voice
"Greetings. As you may have guessed, I am Saphira and I'm Eragon's dragon. Thank you for your hospitality and the kindness you've shown so far. I must say that so far, your country is as pretty as it is cold. I would like to reassure you, I won't cause any harm as long as there's no fool play on us." and with that last warning, she quickly left their mind before their confused thoughts could reach her.
Silence followed before all of the men started shouting and talking, looking at Saphira, Eragon and their hands in disbelief. Eragon saw and felt the smiles on the faces of his friends and Saphira's satisfaction. She had enjoyed causing this mess and was waiting for Eragon to clean it. The young Rider hated being the centre of the attention as much as Saphira loved it.
Even Cotter Pyke looked lost and they could hear his whisperings "May the Drowned God protect us"
After a few moments, they decided to stop their wild chatter and Eragon loudly cleared his throat. Only the commander, who was the closest to them, seemed to have heard. He understood their predicament and quickly yelled" Shut up now morons, we have more to listen. The ones I spot talking will clean the latrines for the coming month." Silence met him and Eragon had to stiffen a laugh.
He continued and said to Eragon and the four elves" I now understand what you meant by her being not being a danger if you weren't threatened. Let us continue with your story and then ask questions as your story certainly rises a few of them. I fear the night will be long for everyone here but that's what happens when legends of the past rise to fuck with us."
Eragon chuckled and continued his story, feeling Saphira's vanity skyrocketing under the compliments from Pyke. His training of magic, their crossing of Alagaësia to reach the Vardens, receiving an anonymous tip related to Arya -he didn't want to involve the power of the Eldunaris-, the death of Brom and his rescue by Murthag -during an ambush by soldiers once more- , Arya's delivery and their run to the Vardens were the next parts he explained and described. The eyes of the men in front of him were growing wider and wider but he couldn't stop every time, they didn't have the time nor the energy.
Eragon took a small break to have a drink and rest his mind. While he knew their story was quite complex and long enough to write four books, maybe more, they had decided to cut it short, to not overwhelm their interlocutors.
He then resumed his story, explaining his stay at the Vardens and the dwarfs, which earned him another round of raised eyebrows and probably indicated that they didn't exist here, then the battle of Farthen Dur against the Urgals and given their reactions, it seemed they were also absent in this place. He didn't mention want to mention the scar Durza left him. It would be too difficult to explain how he lost it.
He then explained how they went training in The Weldenvaden, under the tutelage of an old dragon, coming back to the Vardens and fighting Galbatorix until recently.
He knew their story had some flaws but he didn't the time, nor the desire to share everything too. Many of them were sill absorbing everything he had said and Eragon knew it would probably have to repeat it more than once in the coming weeks. But for today, he was done and it seemed it had gone rather well. He would still have to answer questions and ask their own. What was a Targaryen for instance! But it seemed that the hardest had probably been done. He felt Umaroth and Glaedr's approval which comforted him. Saphira was happy and proud of him and for a short moment he felt overwhelmed by their trust. For the first time, Eragon truly felt like Eragon, Dragon Riders and leader of the new-born Cast.
And suddenly, the questions started being fired. The first one surprised them and was asked by a small bold man in the first rows and wasn't addressed to Eragon but at his companions. "Would it be possible for you to show the difference between an elf and a human,"
Smiling, Blödhgarm and the others removed their hoods simultaneously to reveal pointed ears and a wolfish look for Blödhgarm. This seemed to pause all of the humans in the room as they considered the appearance of the strangers. Finally, another one asked about their magic and what he meant by that.
Eragon hid a smile. He knew this question would come and was prepared for it. He focused on the several candles in the room and spoke clearly "Brisingr". All of a sudden, the candles lit up violently and just as quickly, they turned back to their normal state. Ignoring their scared looks, he continued "Brisingr comes from an old language that was spoken before. In this language, there exists a name for everything in the world there. This language designates the true nature of things. It doesn't attach itself to superficial things. And so, fire is called brisingr. Brisingr isn't another name to designate fire. It is the fire and if you're strong enough, you can control the fire just by saying Brisingr as I've just done".
After his explanation, he felt himself lost in his memories. The long days training on his horse while they crossed the Hadarac. A long ghostly smile reached his face. Eragon felt Saphira's love and admiration. At that moment, he felt closer to his father, the one who had taught him so much. Eragon wanted to honour Brom and had decided to do so by copying his teaching methods.
"So, you can control everything with this language?" asked Pyke
"Well, you need to know the words required. Moreover, magic takes energy. It takes the amount you would need to perform the action without magic. Therefore, I can't destroy mountains or resurrect people for instance" answered Eragon.
Pyke nodded and started to ponder Eragon's answer. Another brother then asked "Were you saying something in that language when you arrived? No one could understand what you were saying"
The newcomers were surprised someone had remembered this and thought to ask it. This time, it was Blödhgarm who answered "Yes, it was. When you talk in Ancient Language, you cannot lie. Eragon was telling you he was a Rider and a friend."
This time, they didn't have to wait long before they heard "bullshit" or "liars". But they waited until everyone had cooled off and simply opened the door. Eragon knew a couple of birds were flying above the wall and was planning to once more imitate his mentor and father. Loudly, he clearly said "Fethblaka, eka weonhnata, néiat haina ono. Blaka eom iet lam". Within seconds, three birds landed on Eragon's stretched arm and stood there for a few moments before they went back.
Facing his audience, he simply said "I promised them no harm would come to them. They may not have completely understood but they got the general meaning. And before you ask, I won't be performing every trick I know.". It seemed the brothers were still pondering what they had seen. The whole audience was silent. Finally, the silence was broken by one curious brother
"And everyone can learn this?" he asked, excitement clearly present in his voice at the prospect of doing magic.
This time, it was one of the elves who answered him
"Magic is a gift. The great majority of human in Alagaësia aren't able to do magic. Only a few have this ability and these who can are weak. If we were to teach you, perhaps one of you would be able to learn a few tricks but that would take time and energy. But speaking the Ancient Language isn't restricted. In our home. This is why sometimes people don't sign a paper and prefer to swear in Ancient Language"
"But what if they don't know the Language, people could abuse it and make them promise anything, right?"
"This is indeed true, which is why the terms of the contract are often discussed beforehand, so that both parties can find a trusting grammarian who will help them to understand the vow".
More questions followed and they were quick to answer them. Finally, after a while, Eragon stated "I'm getting tired and we also have some questions to ask, if you don't mind?"
The commander knew when someone was asking a question and when someone wasn't. He had seen the change just at the moment: his back straightening, his face closing and an expression which wouldn't accept no for an answer. These five held power unheard off and it wouldn't be great to anger them. He also hadn't forgotten the dragon resting peacefully in their courtyard. Which is why he complied "Of course, we would gladly answer your questions and give you an overview of the world here."
Some of the men had clearly wanted to ask more questions but were quick to stop their mutterings.
Soon, the commander started to explain the new world they had discovered. They were all listening with rapt attention: Eragon, Saphira, the elves and the Eldunaris. Pyke started to explain the rough lines of the country, called Westeros: seven Kingdoms, one King, the Stark, Tyrell, Baratheon, Lannister, Arryn, Tully and Martell. Then he focused on the Wall, spanning over one hundred leagues, making them bulge their eyes given the significant amount of magic found in one place. He roughly explained how people joined, by choice or to escape some punishment and their vows they took. With the vows, they discovered the purpose of the wall: protecting the realm of the men.
"Against what?" interrupted Eragon. "I mean, we've flown a bit and haven't found nor seen anything threatening in a large area. "
At this, all the men grew uneasy and started shooting worried glance left and right.
"For thousands of years, the Wall has protected the realm against raids of wildlings living on the other side, in tribes. However, it seems another enemy is emerging. Some call it the Army of the Dead. Our Lord Commander, Jon Snow, firmly believes in this and for the first time in eight thousand years has allowed wildlings to cross the Wall. We've had a long summer, eight years, the longest in human memory. We'll probably face a very harsh winter now, probably the longest in living memory too."
"What is this army of the dead you speak of? questioned Eragon. He was also troubled with this concept of years long summers but this army seemed more urging.
This time, it was someone else who answered them and his answer seemed to freeze the whole room. Even Saphira had stopped moving and had her eyes locked on the room. Undead enemies, blue eyes, resistant to almost anything except fire and something called Valyrian steel. These monsters looked like Galbatorix's creations, who couldn't feel any pain. However, their biggest shock came when they heard about the number: it was between 250 000 and 1 000 000, an army greater than anyone had faced before.
The whole room was silent and so was their mind. It seemed no one, Westerosi or Alagaësian alike, knew how to react to this, given the frightened looks Eragon could read on the brother's faces. He knew he would have to discuss this more but he has other questions too.
"Someone mentioned Targaryen before. Could someone explain what it is?" asked Eragon.
"Targaryen is another family from Westeros and their story shaped the story of our kingdom. Their moto is Fire and Blood because they had dragons answered the boy who had interrupted Eragon before.
At his words, the attention of the dragons and Saphira perked up and his dragon directly asked to the boy "Dragons you say"
Surprised, the boy flinched but nodded. Immediately, Saphira's excitation skyrocketed and she said "Have you heard Eragon! Dragons, here!"
"Yes Saphira, but we should be careful, let's hear what he has to stay"
After a quick nod from Eragon, the man continued "Aegon Targaryen arrived 300 years ago in Westeros with his two sisters and three dragons." When they thought they couldn't be more surprised, they were proven wrong. The Eldunaris were speechless. A whole family of riders?
"Unprepared, the whole country quickly bent the knee and so they ruled Westeros. However, for some reason, the power of their dragons decreased while the family grew into madness. About 20 years ago, a rebellion emerged and crushed the Targaryen dynasty. That's how Robert Baratheon took the throne and now his sons."
They let the words sink in before Gaerdin asked "And what about their dragons?"
"For a hundred years, everyone thought the dragons had disappeared with the rising of the Targaryen's madness. However, it seems that Daenerys Targaryen, the sole survivor of her family, has hatched three dragons in Essos, a continent close to Westeros" he added.
This time, they were completely stunned. Who was this girl who had three dragons? How could three dragons hatch at the same time for the same person? Who was she and what was this mad world? Who were these Targaryen? And how was a single family able to hatch multiple eggs?
More questions came and the more answers they got, the more puzzled they were. He knew they would discuss all of this for days and try to figure out this place. Understand the Doom of Valyria, the Targaryens and the Army of the Dead looked like a top priority.
Finally, the questions came to an end. They had spoken the whole night! Outside, the sun had started to rise but they couldn't feel it. They could only feel the cold outside. The commander rose and thanked them for their story and for sharing it while Eragon thanked them for their warm welcome. After offering them to sleep here, which they accepted, the commander guided them to three rooms. The rooms were fairly simple, a bed and a chest, but they didn't mind.
Before sleeping, they briefly contacted their friends who had stayed on the boat and were quick to assure them everything was alright. They didn't have the energy to repeat everything they had learnt during the night.
The dragons were adamant and didn't want to comment their recent discoveries while they were all tired. And so, they all went to sleep in their respective rooms. Eragon was alone and was able to find some privacy with Saphira. He felt her excitement and joy of possibly finding dragons here. The beds weren't very comfortable but after having spent two months at sea, it was a very welcome change.
They fell asleep fairly quickly. Before he fell into his dreams, he heard one last thought. One full of mystery and interrogation. A question which came from the oldest dragon of the group:
"Du fyrn svell?"
This is the end of the chapter! I hope you've enjoyed it! As always, reviews are welcome!
Thank you all and stay safe!