Hello !
Here comes the ninth chapter of the story! Thanks for all the reviews left in the previous chapter! Moreover, we've reached 100 followers! It's amazing! I hope you will all enjoy the rest of the story!
Brother Boy: Thank you for your review! I will change this and write in italics for dragons, it should help indeed!
TianYi & greivousrommel: Thank you for your reviews. Spot on! The confirmation comes with this chapter!
eragon95159: That's a possibility. But Eragon won't start giving eggs like this, on the eve of a new war.
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 comes the chapter !
The attempted poisoning had chocked many. Jon Snow was still recovering in his rooms and hadn't been seen outside of them since that day. People would bring some food or discuss the content of ravens directly in his bedroom. He was mostly tired and would need time to properly recuperate. However, Eragon had just been called to the cells. It seemed that Jon had left the confines of his room and that the interrogation would start soon.
Upon hearing the news, Eragon left the small street he was currently in and made his way towards the cells. They were wet, cold and not very big. Not many of them were used and he could easily pick up the one with the assassin. A small group of people were gathered in front of it: Jon, Davos, a few soldiers and Maudria. Making his presence known, they all turned to face him. They looked surprised to see him but Eragon was happy to see that no anger was present on their features. Only the prisoner remained emotionless.
The prisoner was certainly thinner and dirtier, after being held in a cell for nearly a week, bound at his hands and feet. They were not taking any chance with someone who had taken such length to kill Jon. Afterall, that poison was very rare and his moves against the elves had been swift and precise.
"He hasn't said a single word" said Davos as introduction.
"Have you been able to see anything from his mind" enquired Eragon to Maudria.
However, it seemed that for some reason, this person had impressive mental protections. Nothing unbreakable, but enough to make it impossible to look through them discretely. Eragon would need to find a way.
But Eragon's presence brought the assassin out of his silence.
"The many-faced god asked for a name. But this one saved one life, even if no one knows how he saved him. The many-faced god will take its due soon. A name for a life, a life for a name." said the man with a voice void of emotions.
"Jon, he's a Faceless man. These are assassins from Bravos that you can hire in exchange of money. The best money can buy" whispered Davos.
"So, I've been targeted on purpose once again. Now, we only have to find out who did this" answered Jon, visibly troubled.
Eragon suddenly remembered the impressive scars he had seen on his chest a few days ago. Had there already been an attempt on his life? But Eragon was more interested to learn more about this assassin. He was troubled because he hadn't been able to hear him until it was nearly too late for Jon. He wanted to see what those Faceless men were and for this, he would need to get into his mind, alone or with one elf preferably. He didn't know how long the others would stay though.
Jon took a few steps and stood in front of the man
"Who hired you? Who asked this contract?" he asked, his voice betraying part of his anger and frustration. Seconds passed but the man remained silent, his eyes fixed on a spot behind Jon.
More people interrogated him or threatened him with a sword or a dagger but he remained silent, his eyes never leaving the spot on the wall.
Jon had no intention of staying here very long which suited Eragon just fine. In a few words, he announced that the man was to be executed tomorrow for his actions against the North and asked them to see if they could get a few answers out of this man, but it was clear that he had no real hope.
The man, who had remained anonymous, didn't seem too fazed by the news. He merely looked at Jon before whispering "Valar Morgulis" and closing his eyes. This was the only reaction they had gotten out of him.
Moments later, Jon and Davos left the cells and went back to the warmth offered by the castle and so Eragon was left with the prisoner and the two guards.
"Would it be possible to privately interrogate that man?" asked Eragon
One of the guards looked hesitantly between the cell and Eragon. However, the other had no such qualms. He grabbed the other guard and brought him a few steps behind, where they wouldn't be able to overhear or see the inside of the cell. As he passed next to Eragon, he made a point to stop: "If anything happens to the prisoner, it is your problem. If anything happens to you, it is your problem. If anything happens to us, it is your problem, got it?"
He nodded and turned back his attention to the prisoner and pushed his mind in his direction. He was surprised by the walls he found there but there was no match for his scrying. The man had sensed his invasion and his face quickly became tense. But there was nothing he could do to stop Eragon from invading his memories.
Within moments, his barriers had fallen and Eragon with the Eldunaris were browsing through his memories. His mind was completely different from the ones he had felt before. Two major entities dominated and structured his mind: life and death. His whole life and the Faceless Man were dedicated to these two concepts. What they discovered made his stomach drop. This organisation was something unique! These men were trained to kill. Trained to become the best assassins in Westeros and Essos. Pushing more, his surprise rose when he saw that Jon but also Sansa had been the targets of the Faceless Man. Two distinct parties had wished their death.
He could see a scroll, written by Cersei Lannister, asking for Sansa's death. Jon's death however, remained mysterious. He couldn't find any clue on who had paid for this.
Eragon didn't stop there though, he needed to discover as much as he could about them. The images and sensations flew in his mind. He saw the countless deaths, the assassin's prayers to the multi faced God, his training to become no one. There was something more than their skills or their knowledge. There was some powerful magic in here. The man in front of him had erased his past and embraced his new identity. He was no one, able to become whoever he wanted by swapping faces. He had never seen anything like that before. People always kept a small part of their previous self usually but here; he had erased all about his previous life.
His training in Braavos, his first kill, his first gift to the temple, his first transformation. His life truly started with the death of his previous personality, of which Eragon couldn't find any mark. Since all the assassins swapped faces, he was also unable to know how many person counted the organisation.
He saw the careful planning of the attack, the selection of the poison and the travel from Braavos to Winterfell. Nothing had been left to chance and only Eragon's unexpected presence had probably saved both Jon and Sansa's lives.
Absently, he left the assassin's mind who stared blankly at him, his eyes unfocused and his mouth slightly agape. Without another look, Eragon turned back on his feet and passed through the guards, mindlessly nodding to them.
Troubled and slightly afraid, he left the cold and damp cell and went back to his room to think about everything he had seen. Every day brought its share of surprises.
The rest of the day and the following night was spent meditating and thinking about what he had witnessed. Jeod's voice taunted him in the distance "She was his Black Hand". Saphira tried to comfort him
When Eragon left its room the next day without having gotten any sleep, it was because a new meeting had been issued by Jon Snow. Eragon had been invited but didn't know the content of it and it seemed he wasn't the only one in that case. Jon hadn't shared anything when they had faced the Faceless Man the day before. Well, he would have to go, to see what was happening. Gaerdin would also be here while Maudria would remain guarding the man in the cells. Since their discovery of his unique powers and his skills, they didn't trust the usual guards. But that wouldn't stop them from sharing what they heard with him.
When they arrived, the room was already quite full with boisterous chatter. This time, they weren't sitting on the head table. Only Sansa and Jon sat there; Eragon was sitting next to Tormund and Gaerdin on one of the multiple benches present in the hall. The wildling welcomed him with a slap on his back and a booming laugh.
"Look who joins us. Eragon the Dragon Rider and saviour of Jon Snow. But you didn't tell us how many women have seen your pretty sword in your story. What about this Arya or Nasuada?"
He felt blood rush to this face and spluttered a few words.
"Don't tell me your sword has never left its sheath!"
When Eragon failed to answer, Tormund only seemed to find the situation funnier and laughed at the expense of his neighbour.
"Worse than Jon Snow, and that is something! Bet he didn't expect to fall in love when he joined us. Ygritte was something though. Kissed by fire that one."
This only served to spike Eragon's curiosity. Why had Jon decided to join the Wildlings? And who was Ygritte? But before he could voice his questions, Jon raised from its chair. He wore his usual corset and nothing about his demeanour indicated he had almost died less than a week ago. The chatter died almost immediately.
"My lords, thank you for coming here today. The past few days have been eventful and several decisions have been taken. As you've already heard, an attempt on my life has been made a few days ago. Only Eragon's quick actions managed to save me and for this, the North and I have a debt to him. We found out that this man was a Faceless Man, hired to kill me. As such, he will be executed tomorrow morning for his acts against the North."
People started to whisper and many were trying to take a glance at Eragon. He remained frozen on his bench, his face betraying nothing of his emotions.
"The North remembers my lords, and we will not bow to Cersei Lannister or anyone who wishes to see me dead. We fought and bled to take back the North from the Bolton and the Lannister. And we will continue to fight to keep it." boomed Jon, receiving shouts and cheers from the lord. After a moment, he continued his speech, showing two small scrolls in his left hand.
"I also received a message from Samwell Tarly. He was my brother at the Night's Watch, a man I trust as much as anyone in this world. He's discovered proof that Dragonstone sits on a mountain of dragonglass" said Jon. This time, the noise was more important, more hostile. Dragonstone was Daenerys's stronghold and probably Eragon's next stop.
"Which brings us to the next message I've received, from Dragonstone. It was signed by Tyrion Lannister. He's now Hand of the Queen to Daenerys Targaryen" added Jon over the noise. Eragon had a good idea of what was behind this message. If half the things he had heard about Daenerys were true, she was probably asking Jon to pledge allegiance. Jon Snow's next words proved him true. Tyrion Lannister also mentioned three dragons in his message which only increased Saphira's excitement.
"Eragon, we need to see these dragons and met Daenerys Targaryen. With or without Jon Snow and these hard-stuck northerners "said Saphira in a tone that wouldn't accept no as an answer.
"I know Saphira, but we need to prepare this carefully. We can't simply barge in." answered Eragon
"Of course, we can, I'm a dragon, you have the Eldunaris and you know enough magic to blow up their castle in ten different manners. Now, you take the saddle, the elves who want to leave and we go."
"… invited me to Dragonstone, to meet with Daenerys. And I'm going to accept" finished Jon.
Pandemonium broke in the great hall and Eragon winced at the sudden increase of noise. Everyone was voicing his opinions and steadily raising his voice to be heard above the others. Even Sansa Stark who usually managed to keep a calm face couldn't refrain her surprise at her half-brother's statement.
Eragon understood that barely any of these lords knew anything about politics. They were like King Orrin: impulsive and dominated by their wish to prove their superiority. They had chosen their King but expected to overrule him on one of his first decisions. Only a few of them remained calm. A young girl, who must barely be twelve-year-old who was looking with some anger at the lords while another was looking with mirth in his eyes at the evolution of the scene. Eragon remembered this man to be the one who had asked about his magic. He was standing in the back of the room, eyeing the scene taking place. They would need to learn about this one quickly.
But Jon was continuing, overlooking all the comments
"We know that dragonglass can destroy the White Walkers and their army. We need to mine it and turn it into weapons. But more importantly we need allies. The Night King's army grows larger by the day. We can't defeat them on our own. We don't have the numbers. Daenerys has her own army and she has dragon fire. I need to try and persuade her to fight with us. Ser Davos and I will ride for"
He felt Saphira's joy at this last statement "Tomorrow, with or without them" she exclaimed firmly but with mirth in her voice
But her pleasure was short lived. Someone in the back of the room had decided to make his disapproval more apparent and was using the short silence to shout at Jon "And what about the newcomer? He also has a dragon and this magic. He saved a continent; he could also save us here."
All the eyes of the room turned on Eragon. He took a few breaths before facing the lords
"I appreciate the trust you put in Saphira and I. We believe Jon Snow. And we will fight, because we believe this is the right thing, the right choice. But refusing to seek help is madness. We've faced this situation, and the real question is 'Who is the true enemy?'. Jon Snow has answered this question. You can't decide who your father is and I've learnt she fought to free many in Essos. Our goal here is to understand and learn about dragons, and Daenerys Targaryen is surely our best lead in Westeros. I won't fight before asking her to join this fight and before learning about her dragons." said Eragon firmly.
Silence came back into his room as everyone pondered his words.
After this eventful meeting, the execution of the assassin had almost looked dull. The man had been brought, without resistance, to the courtyard, where a small log had been placed. Its death had been swift. Jon had said a few words before beheading the man, who had remained unfazed until the end. His last words had been Valar Morgulis, once more. There had been no cheering or no real acknowledgement of his death. The crowd had come, had assisted at the execution and had resumed its activities after while Jon had gone to the Godswood, followed this time by a number of guards.
Eragon decided to prepare for the coming trip to Dragonstone in the meantime, not sure if he would go with or without Jon.
But he got his answer fairly quickly, when the young King came back from his prayers. Jon asked him if he wanted to come with him and a small delegation designed to meet Daenerys Targaryen. Eragon had been elated to agree.
There was just one issue with this trip. The Northerners had decided to make a small delegation and to ride by horse until some place where they would take a boat, bringing them to Dragonstone. Eragon had understood but that would still take them weeks to reach the Castle situated on the East coast. Saphira certainly didn't want to wait that long and Eragon agreed with her. There was no point for them to lose time while they could reach Daenerys in mere days.
After some negotiations with Saphira -which mostly involved finding some ale for her- they had decided to offer Jon and Davos the possibility to fly with them. Maudria would also come while Gaerdin would remain in Winterfell to welcome the remaining elves who had yet to arrive. All of this had needed some careful planning and many negotiations between Eldunaris, elves, Eragon and Saphira.
When Eragon had proposed it to Jon, his face had been priceless. A mix of worry, excitement, fear and thinking. After a brief conversation with Davos, he had accepted Eragon's offer to travel on Saphira's back.
"I feel like a horse, carrying people from one point to another" grumbled Saphira but her emotions betrayed the excitement she was currently feeling at the prospect of meeting three new dragons!
Some lords had also grumbled but for a completely different reason. They wanted him to stay since they didn't completely trust him. Jon's rescue had helped to mend the bridge but they needed more time to completely earn the trust of these people, something they dearly missed at the moment and wasn't their first priority. However, Eragon was more than happy to point out that he could also leave on his own with Saphira and reach Daenerys weeks before Jon. This was usually enough to shut them up.
The remaining elves hadn't arrived yet but overly Eragon wasn't worried. They had all fought against Galbatorix and some had crossed Alagaësia without being caught to protect him. From what he had seen of the North during their travel from the Wall to Winterfell on Saphira's back, there shouldn't be any issue for them. He had left a letter for them, to explain the situation. The people at Winterfell had also been warned of Blödhgarm's unusual appearance.
Finally, it was time to leave. Saphira had been saddled and was waiting for them in the courtyard where everyone was gathered after a tense breakfast in the great hall. Sansa still wasn't happy with Jon's decision to leave the castle. A few moments later, they left the hall to reach the place where Saphira stood. All Winterfell had gathered to see their departure. Eragon knew Saphira enjoyed being at the centre of the attention.
Jon was currently talking to his sister and offering some last instructions.
Eragon stood close to the two elves, absently stroking Saphira while he observed all the pompous lords present for the occasion.
Jon was done since he was now facing Eragon with an unreadable expression on his face. Was he annoyed, excited or even bored? He couldn't tell.
With rapt attention, the whole crowd observed their final moments. Saphira had lowered to give them an easy access. Jon and Davos had climbed where they could, guided by Eragon, to reach Saphira's back where the saddle stood. The spines were as helpful as they were dangerous. Both clang on one of them but Davos had slipped when he had tried to stretch his leg on the other side. The look on his face had been priceless and Eragon had needed all his control not to burst into laughter. Some hadn't had his control. He was pretty sure Tormund was the one who had shouted
"Careful not to lose your balls like your fingers, you only have two of them, not ten!"
Davos had flushed but both men remained silent and concentrated on their position. Maudria and Eragon then swiftly climbed Saphira and made sure all the straps were in place and wouldn't hurt their travelling companions. Saphira was getting impatient and wanted to take off and reach this Dragon Queen.
"Are the two ready to depart?" asked Saphira.
Eragon, who stood the closest to Saphira's neck, turned his head and looked at Jon and Davos. Their faces were white but their faces were concentrated and their hands firmly locked on a spine.
"Yes they are, we can go" answered Eragon
With two powerful beating of wings and a mighty roar, Saphira was in the air. They could hear the cries coming from below. She quickly took off and within a few seconds, they high in the sky and the faces of the people in the courtyard were now mere points.
This is the end of the chapter! I hope you've enjoyed it!
As always, reviews and critics are appreciated! A good incentive to publish faster! Critics help me a lot to improve and adapt! I try to answer all your messages and take them into account!
Thank you all and stay safe!