Hello !
Here comes the eleventhchapter of the story! Thanks for all the reviews left in the previous chapter!
Jctherebel & Cruden: Thank you for your kind words!
The Fox Paradox 9: Wow, thank you so much for your kind words! No pressure at all! I hope you will enjoy what's coming next! There will be more lore mix soon! I tip my hat off to you and your praise!
Mister LaGuardia: I'm not a fan of Daenerys on the throne just because she's a Targaryen. I prefer people on the throne because they want to change things (break the wheel). Concerning the several interactions, you are completely right. This is something that I need to improve in my story. Thanks for your constructed review!
Wal Otter: Thanks for the review! More culture crash in the coming chapters with interactions between the dragons, Daenerys, Jon & Eragon !
Beleriond: You're right to point out the differences between the dragons of ASOIAF and Eragon! This is more developped in this chapter.
Sakra95: Saphira took it easy. There was no real match but she didn't want to crush him. Dragons have some pride and she was mostly judging him. Eragon was focused
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 !
Jon and Davos had remained mostly silent during the whole fight, their eyes never leaving the two dragons. For the first time in hundreds of years, dragons had fought, head to head, not to kill, but to prove their worth.
The four dragons had remained for a few moments, judging each other before taking off. Eragon had taken a moment to look at them. Drogon, the biggest of the three, was a fierce black dragon. However, his scales had a red touch, mostly on his chest and wasn't black night like Shruikan had been. Drogon being from the Wyvern family also helped to separate him from Galbatorix's dragon.
Daenerys' two other dragons where smaller but also seemed to be in shape. Saphira would probably have a few occasions to learn about the three dragons in the coming hours or days.
Saphira wanted to find an isolated spot to tend her wounds but also wanted to remain close to Eragon to protect him if the need arose.
She quickly found a small spot close to the castle, surrounded by high cliffs. She wouldn't be bothered there and would be able to reach them quickly.
In the meantime, Jon had explained the reasons of their presence here. After an animated discussion between Tyrion Lannister and Daenerys Targaryen, they had been stripped of their weapons and had been offered bread and salt, officially sealing their rights of guests.
They were now seated in a dark room carved in the stone. The main feature of this room was the massive stone table located in the middle of the room. As Eragon got closer and took his chair, he finally understood that it wasn't a simple table but a map of Westeros! While he had seen a few maps in Winterfell or Eastwatch, he had never seen such a level of precision. Every castle was sculpted into the stone with the name of the place. The rest of the room was quite simple, with only a few wooden chairs and an opening to the sea.
Seeing Eragon's curiosity towards the table, Daenerys broke the silence "My ancestor, Aegon the Conqueror built this table to prepare his invasion of Westeros."
Her voice broke him out of his reverie. He silently nodded and had the opportunity to have a proper look at Daenerys Targaryen without the pressure of dragons fighting mere feet away. She was a stunning woman. Her pale silver-gold hair fell in soft curl on her shoulders. She wasn't very tall but she had an aura which demanded respect.
Her clothes were a great mix between practicality and elegance. It was the type of clothes that Arya could have worn. It fitted her thin frame and showed power.
Her eyes, purple, made Eragon uncomfortable. They reminded him of Elva, the little girl he had failed so long ago which was turning into a woman quicker than anyone could have predicted.
With these few words, the attention of everyone was brought back to the meeting. Maudria, Davos and Jon had followed him and were close behind. Daenerys had also brought her own advisors: Tyrion Lannister, wearing a small bronze pin on his chest and three more which remained anonymous : a young woman, close to Daenerys' age with short curly hair and dark skin who stood silently next to her queen, a bald man wearing an ample yellow tunic and a short elderly woman finished this set.
Once again, they had had to surrender their weapons before entering the castle to two emotionless soldiers who had followed them inside the castle and stood just outside the room. While he still had his magic, he was more worried for his travelling companions who were quite defenceless. In case of need, Eragon would simply jump from the room in the direction of the sea where Saphira could reach him and quickly escape the castle. That situation was to be avoided since he didn't want to depart from his sword Brisingr and the two men currently sitting at his sides.
"When my hand talked to me about Jon Snow, he told me we could find an agreement very quickly. He told me Stark were honourable people and that some even had a direwolf as pet. But tell me if I'm wrong. The Stark's sigil is a direwolf, not a dragon. And the massive creature that fought my dragon is certainly not a direwolf" said Daenerys, shooting a dark look to the imp.
"Your Grace, Tyrion Lannister didn't lie to you. One moon ago, I had never met nor seen a dragon, let alone touched one. But Eragon arrived and he came here today at my invitation" answered Jon.
"So, the North is rebelling and will try to steal my birthright?" said Daenerys with an hollow laugh
"No my Lady, that had never been the case. The North will face a war yes, but not a war against southerners. The dead are rising in the North, the Long Night is coming"
"Then who are you" asked Daenerys to Eragon, deciding to ignore Jon's comments on the war in the North while her counsellors raised a few eyebrows.
"My name is Eragon Shadeslayer, Saphira's rider and leader of the new-born Riders Cast"
"Well then Eragon Shadeslayer, why are you here? I've never read nor heard anything about Riders." said Daenerys, rising a single eyebrow.
But before any could answer, Tyrion eyed Jon "The Long Night and Riders Cast? The Wall certainly did a number on you Jon Snow. I thought that taking the black meant no land nor titles, just like Starks are known for their honour.".
Seeing the discomfort and the anger on Jon's face, Eragon decided to speak
"We're not here to lie and to question each other's claims, I believe. I would be more than willing to share some aspects of my story, just like King Jon here. You will probably have questions, which we will try to answer to the best of our capacities."
Tyrion remained silent and simply nodded but Daenerys was still eying them with suspicion. The last members who remained unknown, stayed silent, simply observing the situation unfolding in front of them.
Eragon turned his head towards Jon to tell him to start. He perceived a smirk on his lips as they knew the length of his story and the surprises it would inevitably create.
Jon's story wasn't very long. He didn't have a lengthy introduction to make. Eragon was already dreading to repeat for the third time parts of his story. While Jon explained the threat of the North, Eragon took the opportunity to talk with Saphira. Since her fight against Drogon, he had made sure she wasn't in any danger but he didn't have the opportunity to talk more with her with his attention being completely turned on Daenerys Targaryen and Dragonstone. He knew that she wasn't endangered or in great pain but he still felt better.
"Thank you little one, I'm good, don't worry" said Saphira
"That was so reckless Saphira, you could have been hurt!" exclaimed Eragon through their link "You went there without even knowing Drogon was a vaengr skulblaka". This wasn't a well-known fact in Westeros but not all the dragons were of the same species. The colour of their scales was the most obvious difference between dragons but it didn't stop here. Eragon had learnt under Oromis' tutelage that dragons were mostly separated in two categories.
Until Drogon, all the dragons he had met had been vaupna skulblaka, literally arm dragon in Ancient Language, because of their pair of forelegs, absent on Daenerys' dragons for instance. Galbatorix's first dragon, Jarnunvösk, had been a young dragon with no forelegs -also called vaengr skulblaka - while Shruikan had been a vaupna skulblaka. Thus, Galbatorix had been the only Rider to have a bond with the two species of dragons, even if bond was an insult to what Shruikan had suffered.
From what Eragon had learnt, vaengr skulblaka had the advantage of being lighter and faster while dragons like Saphira were stronger and more agile. Their scales and general morphology were also slightly different. This wasn't a well-known fact even amongst elves since most people scarcely had the time to properly observe a dragon let alone two.
"Of course not, he fought like hatchling out of the egg. He probably never faced something bigger than a horse before!"
"But you didn't know that at the beginning"
"No, but I had to. Glaedr told you, I know he did" retorqued the blue dragon
"Of course, but I was worried "
"Don't you have faith in me Eragon"
"Of course I do! it's just that I don't like seeing you fight like this. After Thorn and Shruikan, I never expected to see you fight another dragon"
"Well, now, you know how I feel when I see you getting into all sorts of troubles. But you should know this may happen more often than not with dragons coming back." said Saphira "And if you want to know, this fight, as you call it, was as dangerous as the several skirmishes I've had with Firnen. He really had no clue on how to properly fight" she added calmly.
And she was back to licking the small wounds she had collected. She had refused Eragon's help, claiming that she wanted to let them heal naturally. Sensing that his help wasn't needed and with his worries eased up, Eragon turned back his attention to Jon. The latter was done explaining the threat of the Night King and was briefly explaining Eragon's arrival a week ago. It seemed no one had seen Eragon's lack of attention, focused on Jon's story.
"This is quite a story you tell me, but why should we help you to face this threat? If memory serves me well, Torrhen Stark pledged himself to perpetuity to Aegon Targaryen. And yet, here you stand, King in the North"
Eragon was following the discussion closely, curious to learn more about Daenerys Targaryen and her policy. So far, it seemed that she had just landed in Westeros and had other plans than going in a place who just declared its independence to face a mysterious threat.
"Your Grace, the lords in the North put their trust in me. I can't let them down. While we squabble, the army of the dead gets stronger. If we continue, you will rule a land of ice and desolation."
"It takes no time to bend the knee Jon, you know this. Join us and after we swiftly defeat Cersei, we can help you to fight whatever you saw North of the Wall" said Tyrion with some kindness in his voice.
"I can't, you know this. Northerners have suffered too much in the past years and I can't break their faith by bending the knee to the Mad King's daughter, even if she claims to be better than him" answered Jon.
Daenerys was getting annoyed by Jon's behaviour, Eragon could tell. Her smile was slowly falling and instead, she turned to Eragon
"And you, have you seen this army of the dead? Or are you here to rebel, fighting and maiming my dragons, my children?" said Daenerys, anger starting to crack behind her calm appearance
"Absolutely not your grace, I'm not here to hurt your dragons. I've seen the army of the dead" answered Eragon and several pair eyebrows rose, including Jon's who hadn't known that detail. "I came here as Jon's friend and out of curiosity. My dragon was very eager to see your own dragons. And I'm sorry for her behaviour, but dragons, as I've explained to you before, fight over territories. Our arrival was a reason to start the fight for Drogon. However, correct me if I'm wrong, he has never faced another dragon;"
"Of course, he has! I have three dragons!" said Daenerys
"Sorry, you misunderstood. Your dragons never met another dragon before Saphira, right?"
"Yes, and that would be because they were considered extinct" she replied, sarcasm dripping her voice.
"I can relate to that situation. So let me assure you, Saphira and I are not a threat. Their behaviour was to be expected. And I hope my story will prove it. It should also answer some questions and will raise many more"
From what Eragon had seen and heard, Tyrion Lannister was one of the most intelligent and clever men in Westeros, with a fascination for dragons. And Daenerys seemed to be lacking some knowledge with dragons. An idea was already forming in his mind. And he knew they would have many questions to ask.
Olenna Tyrell eyed him suspiciously while Varys simply remained emotionless, listening to the conversation. They had barely spoken but with a light mental brush, he saw that their mind were already working hard to understand the consequences of the new position of the North.
"Well, we don't have much of a choice, do we?" said Daenerys
"We always have a choice and I thank you for letting me share my story. I would just enjoy if you could ask your questions at the end." replied Eragon. He figured she would enjoy these kind words.
And so, for the third time, Eragon started his story. During the following hour, he explained as much as he could from Saphira's hatching to their arrival at Winterfell. Not much was said about magic or his mental powers and he preferred to focus on the political aspects of his story. Secrecy remained important. While he could probably tell less, he preferred to be honest and forthcoming. Moreover, from what he had seen and felt, no one except for the Night King would be able to bring harm to him or Saphira so he was mostly safe.
He could see Daenerys' face loosening and getting into the story as he spoke while Tyrion looked in awe whenever he talked about Saphira. However, Varys started to get edgy when he started talking about mental powers. It was discrete, but he saw the slight movements of his hands.
Finally, Eragon was done. It got easier and easier but it still took a lot of him to tell this story. He was sure they had many questions, having seen Tyrion opening his mouth a few times before closing it with an expression of clear annoyance written on his face. With some reluctance and regret, Tyrion let his queen ask the first question.
She had a troubled face and was pondering with caution her words
"Why did you decide to leave while you had everything there? Your family, your friends, power? Why did you come to Westeros?" did she ask
"I have a duty regarding the future of Dragons. I need and I want to learn as much about them to bring them back to Alagaësia." answered Eragon. "After some careful examination, we decided that it was for the best to explore the world and try to learn as much as possible. When we reached Westeros, we heard about you and your dragons and we got curious. And regarding power, well, it would be unfair for the people. For years, they've suffered under the rule of one rider. They needed and still need someone they can relate to, someone who has been chosen because of his or her decisions, not because a dragon chose to hatch for him."
She seemed to pondering his answer and with a small gesture of her hand, let Tyrion ask his own set of questions.
"Can your dragon really communicate with us?" he asked with some awe and excitement in his voice.
Eragon knew that moment was coming, and just like in Winterfell and in Eastwatch, he let Saphira answer to Tyrion and Daenerys.
"Hello Tyrion Lannister and greetings to you all. I'm indeed able to communicate with you. Thanks for seeing us and listening to Eragon's story." Started the blue dragon in her usual deep voice. "I'm sorry for the impression I gave but I won't apologise for my behaviour against Drogon. It was necessary and a dragon matter. Drogon acted as a true dragon and fought well." She concluded
Daenerys' eyes were wide at the idea of talking to a dragon and Tyrion's restrain was now completely gone. He was bouncing with excitement and before Saphira could retreat from their mind, he was asking out loud "How do you communicate and how can you hear us? Do dragons have a good hearing?"
"Calm down" was said with some mirth. It seemed to do the trick and Tyrion was reminded of his position and situation. But Eragon knew that Saphira enjoyed being in the spotlight like this. "As Eragon mentioned before, I communicate with you through your minds. Dragons have a greater hearing than most but I can't hear you from where I am. I communicate with Eragon through his mind and I perceive what's happening around him. So, I heard your questions through him. I took the liberty to communicate with all of you to answer your questions" explained Saphira.
Another silence followed, until Tyrion simply said "Thank you for your explanations". And with those words, she retracted from Daenerys' and Tyrion's minds and went back to her activities. The Eldunaris were calm too, silently observing the meeting. So far, it was the most political meeting they've had in Westeros and every aspect had to be studied. They also kept their mind open to perceive any threat. None were threatening but Eragon felt that schemes were already being planned. He trusted the Eldunaris to keep him up to date later. He also noticed that, Varys, who had remained silent during the whole conversation, had turned white and was eyeing Eragon warily.
Many questions followed about their respective regions. Eragon learnt some more about Westeros and Slaver's Bay while Jon, Davos, Maudria and Eragon tried to satisfy the curiosity of their hosts concerning the North and Alagaësia. They kept the questions quite open and weren't too intrusive. He saw that both parties tried to remain evasive. The remaining counsellors of Daenerys had remained mostly silent during the meeting but the few words they had shared illustrated their cunningness. Olenna Tyrell certainly didn't hold her tongue, all the contrary to Varys who was very careful with his words, trying to worm his way to their secrets.
Overall, it seemed that Daenerys Targaryen had some very unique advisors, from different backgrounds and point of views. But contrary to Jon's, all were politicians, ready and able to use all the advantages they could find.
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!