For Alagaesia: 17. Help them, Saphira

She was resting on the old-times-home-stone-of-broken-eggs. Even though they had come to Ellesmera to find ways into Uru'baen, the old-elf-forest-du-weldenvarden had had a calming effect on her. She had not had any visions of Eragon's state after she had come into Du Weldenvarden. It was probably because the elf-magic prevented magic flow from outside or because Eragon had not thought of reaching her vigorously. She was relieved either way because she wasn't sure if she could stand another of such cruel visions. Eragon was probably in much more bad condition now than before. She snapped at a sparrow that dared come into the home of her ancestors. The sparrow was rather skinny and feathery that increased her foul mood.

Arya had been working sleeplessly for the past four days searching scroll after scroll of information about elf-city Illeria. She had read the various architecture descriptions and war-tactic descriptions of the old-city-Illeria. Saphira had helped her as much as she could. But she didn't have the patience to go through each scroll like Arya and further she didn't fit into the library of Ellesmera. So Saphira had spent most of the time in the past four days doing nothing but worrying about Eragon. Glaedr had been with Arya helping her search through scrolls easily because of his first hand experience at the old-city-Illeria. But they have not been able to find any 'safe' way into the city till now.

The sun was at its zenith when Saphira decided to leave the stone of broken eggs as nostalgic feelings of the days she had spent flying with Eragon under such bright sun shine came to haunt her. She flew non-stop from the stone of broken eggs to the elven capital city. As soon as she entered the city, she went to the Tialdari hall and flew around the huge structure of trees to the area where Arya's home was located.

When she looked through a window in Arya's home, she found Arya still concentrating hardly on the scrolls. She felt pity for Arya because she had been in the same position when Saphira had gone to hunt. 'Arya?', she asked softly not wanting to disturb her if she had been reading something important. "Hmmm?", was Arya's only response. But then after a while she seemed to realise that Saphira was the one calling her and she looked up from the scroll. "Oh? Saphira, You have returned. How was your hunt?"

'Good. You haven't eaten yet, have you?'

"No....But I think I have got some lead...", Arya wasn't too concerned about not eating.

'And you haven't slept even a bit last night. It won't help us if you lose your health, Arya', Saphira said kindly. Although she was as much or much more eager than Arya to find a way to rescue Eragon, Saphira knew that Arya needed her rest as well if she was to be in good health and also search efficiently.

"Missing a few hours rest and a turn of food won't kill me"

Saphira had seen many traits in Arya that were almost similar to Eragon's in the few days she had spent with her: staunch determination, fiercely loyal and almost foolish sacrificial instincts. Yet there were stark differences between the two: Arya had a clear logical outlook at sensitive matters whereas Eragon tended to follow his heart, a difference that-according to Saphira-had risen from the gap in their experiences. But what Arya was doing now belonged to the 'foolish sacrificial instinct' variety and Saphira was very much aware of it. So she said, 'Probably, but it would make you tired which in turn may lead to you missing important points in the scrolls.'

Arya fixed Saphira with a hard look which Saphira returned with as much intensity and after a few moments, Arya sighed. "Perhaps", she said. Then closing the scroll, she headed towards the kitchen and Saphira lost view of her. 'I will wait in the gardens', Saphira said and left the window without waiting for Arya's reply. She had warmed up to Arya's company much more than before in these past few days. She had even thought of how wonderful it would be if only Arya returned Eragon's love.

Saphira flew to the area of the garden that she knew would refresh Arya, the part where the black morning glory flowers grew. It was one of her own most favourite views too because she could see flowers that would never bloom at the same time of the year, blossom in their full glory here in the gardens of Tialdari Hall and because the flowers had a soothing effect on her mood.

"Greetings, Saphira", Arya's musical voice reached her ears. 'Greetings, alfa-kona', Saphira returned.

"May I know why you called me here?"

'Just to relax you, Arya. You have been working non-stop for the past four days'

"But it is of no use. We have not yet got anything that might be actually useful", Arya said an air of hopelessness to her voice. Saphira lost all her positive intent with those words from Arya. She didn't respond to Arya for a while silently and desperately trying to get something out of all the information she had collected from the scrolls, Glaedr and Arya. But it seemed a futile exercise just like always. 'We should get something. It was an elf city, Arya. Surely there must be something.', Saphira let all her frustration show through. Silence enveloped the pair after that as they took in the beauty of the gardens which contrasted their mental condition quite superbly to the level that it seemed to Saphira that the garden was mocking at her.

"We could ask Jeod if he knows anything about secret routes into the dungeons of Uru'baen.", Arya said breaking the long silence. "He was after all the one who master-minded your egg's rescue"

'Yes. That is brilliant, Arya. Why didn't we get this idea early?'

'Because Jeod is no authority in the secrets of Illeria. He just stumbled against one hidden route in the various scrolls he had read', Glaedr's voice filled her mind from afar. 'Don't get your hopes too high, Saphira. Besides you won't get such extensive scrolls about the layout of Illeria anywhere outside Ellesmera'

'Master? Then is there no way to rescue him?', Saphira was distraught hearing Glaedr's comments.

'Don't let your resolve fail, Saphira. It will take a while. But as you yourself said Illeria is elf-built and old which means there is bound to be some way in.'

'And we will find it after Eragon is dead.', Saphira said anger and despair laced together in her words.

"Hush, Saphira. Don't think like that. Galbatorix won't kill Eragon...", Arya was harshly cut off by Saphira, 'because he needs me alive' Arya looked at Saphira as a mother does a daughter but Saphira didn't want love or pity. All she wanted was revenge; the heart of the usurper Galbatorix. 'And when I get to him, he will regret the day he decided to capture Eragon', she said with a ferocity that made Arya shirk away from her slightly. Arya quickly recovered though and gently patted Saphira's flanks trying to comfort her.

A sudden feeling of discomfort came over Saphira and she somehow knew that it was unrelated to Eragon. Like the rising sun, it slowly made itself prominent in her mind. The feeling made her shiver. Arya who stood near her became poised feeling the tension in the air. And then in a flash it became clear to Saphira.

'Katrina!!', she hissed in Arya's mind.

"What?"

'Its Katrina. She asks for help'

"What? How do you know?", Arya seemed completely bewildered by her claims and Saphira guessed that Arya's mind was unable to accept that some spell had crossed Du Weldenvarden's protective wards. So she explained to Arya about Eragon's rings, 'Eragon made three enchanted rings. One each for Roran, Katrina and himself. He imbued them with spells so that each one will know if the other needed their help.' Arya still didn't look convinced but let it lay without further questions instead concentrating on the new issue.

"Does the spell give you any hint of what the problem is?", Arya asked.

'No. It only notifies the need for help'

"Could you recite the exact wording to me Saphira? Only then can we decide the next course of action." So Saphira recited Eragon's spell as much as her memory allowed.

"Genius. He even succeeded in circumventing Ellesmera's wards.", Arya said more to herself than to Saphira. "We will have to scry her if we need to know her state, Saphira." She wasted no more time and went over to a little pool in the garden and cast her spell.

Katrina was with Nasuada which itself seemed odd to them. Both of them looked tense and were discussing something seriously. Arya seeing that just the scrying spell was useless added the spell to hear their conversation.

"...sure?", Nasuada asked.

"I can't say it reached her for sure, Nasuada", Katrina said. Saphira was surprised to see Katrina address Nasuada by her name as was Arya.

"Anyway we have atleast tried all our options. We will have to leave it to fate hereafter. But if that ring works and we get Saphira's aid-and win-then we will have to thank Eragon for our victory in this war too" Katrina did not respond to it but her face displayed the sorrow she felt "Poor Eragon", she said after a long silence.

"My lady?", A voice was heard from somewhere away from their field of vision. Arya ended the spell.

Neither Arya nor Saphira spoke for a while. Then Arya said, "They are being attacked"

'They need us', Saphira finished for her.

*        *        *         *        *         *        *         *         *

Saphira had crossed the vast expanse of Du Weldenvarden in about six hours since starting from Ellesmera. They didn't do much talking during the whole time instead reminiscing the earlier battles they had fought so as to get themselves prepared for the ensuing battle. But for Saphira it was only a painful reminder that she won't have Eragon protecting her this time.

"Why do you think he is attacking now?", Arya finally spoke. Saphira took her time to gather herself enough to speak and then said, 'Probably to destroy the Varden in Eragon's absence'

"But I feel like there is something more to this battle. If he wanted to destroy the Varden he would have attacked as soon as he captured Eragon because it was when the Varden was most vulnerable. I have fought Galbatorix for seventy years and I can say that he is no fool to let his chance slip when the shock of Eragon's capture had not left the Varden. This attack must have some other motive.", Arya analysed the case thoroughly.

'Whatever it is, we will tear those murderers apart', Saphira said heatedly. Glaedr who had been silent throughout the conversation said, 'Perhaps, he got tired of trying to get Eragon to his side and is now trying to finish what was left unfinished on that fateful day two weeks ago.'

"Do you mean, Glaedr-elda that Galbatorix has planned to capture Saphira?", Arya asked tensely.

'Yes Drottningu. That is what I meant'

"Then is it safe to send Saphira into this war?". Arya asked. 'I will go and I will burn them all down', Saphira's anger was too much that even the Beors seemed conquerable to her.

'Be calm, Saphira. Don't give in to anger. It will rip you out of reason', admonished Glaedr. 'We have no choice than to put Saphira into this test because if we don't go, then Murtagh will eradicate the Varden.', he said to Arya. Arya sighed but did not contradict Glaedr.

'Go into the Hadarac, Saphira. Towards Lake Tudosten', Glaedr said.

'But Master. It will be a roundabout route. We need to go to Belatona'

'Yes. But passing into the empire at this time is not a good idea.'

'It will take too much time'

"Glaedr is right, Saphira. We shouldn't go into the Empire in these circumstances", Arya joined in on the side of Glaedr. Feeling out numbered and reasoning with the other's argument, Saphira aligned herself toward the Lake Tudosten.

The silence in the skies over the Hadarac was such that her own wing-beats were the only thing that reached her sensitive ears. She lost track of direction for a fraction of a minute because of her tiredness and moved in the wrong way. She noticed it soon and used her tail to align herself in the right direction. "We should make camp, Saphira", Arya's voice tore through the silence.

'Hmm? No, I can go on. We need to reach Belatona as early as we can'

"But you need to be battle ready when we reach there"

'I am strong, Arya. I can manage.'

'I know your strength, Saphira. You may be ready to fight ordinary soldiers after flying for days on end but not another rider and certainly not those two.', Glaedr said. Saphira was too eager to confront and defeat the red dragon and his rider, 'But master, if we reach there early then we can save many lives and probably secure the Varden's victory'

"And risk your safety, Saphira? No. You are resting now", Arya insisted strongly.

'Yes Saphira you have to rest. You are more important than anybody in the Varden. Further with you tired, there is no way we could defeat those traitorous hatchlings.', Glaedr backed Arya resolutely. Saphira once again felt outmatched in numbers. 'There are some bushes and probably a little grass about half league away.', she said scanning the ground.

"It will be enough. Land there", Arya replied.

Saphira felt relief course through her body when she folded her wings as the pain in her flight muscles slowly receded. She thanked Arya and Glaedr silently for making her land. A strong wind was blowing and the fire that Arya had built couldn't withstand it. So Arya covered herself with as many blankets as she had to ward off the cold. Even then, she was shivering slightly and Saphira noticing it put her warm wings around her protecting her from the cold. "Thank you", Arya said softly.

Even without her knowledge, Saphira slowly went into a deep sleep her tiredness being the reason.

A lone ray of dim lamp-light illuminated him. His face was disfigured by a deep cut on his forehead and blood covered his face. His torso was burnt in many places and some whitish liquid oozed from the burns. His legs were bound by barbed chains that dug into his skin. One of his hands was twisted from its original position making him look even more gory. His demeanor conveyed none of the pain one was expected to go through if injured as seriously as him though. He was as still as a stone, his back and head propped against slimy walls. But his eyes-the only things in him that remained as she had known-gave him away; a tiny drop of tear filled his eyes. After a long time, he blinked, the first and only movement in his body and the tear drop fell on and rolled down his cheek making a way through all the blood that covered it and he mouthed, "Saphira" so softly that no sound came from his lips and just before the vision faded she noticed another movement of his lips, "Help them"

Saphira was too shocked to react to the vision she had just had. A cold shiver ran through her body involuntarily as she thought back Eragon's dislodged hand. Her mind was blank; devoid of every emotion. She looked ahead at the horizon to see the rising sun and as the sun rose, darkness filled her mind. The warmth that the sun brought had no bearing on her as another fit of cold shivering ran through her body. "What's wrong, Saphira?", Arya's voice sounded from leagues away. A warm thing came to rest on her sides driving the cold away from that area. She turned to look at what it was that brought her the warmth that the sun couldn't and found that it was Arya's hand. A gentle mental probe rubbed her mind. The approaching mind was so comforting that she wanted to hide herself into it and in a flash, everything that she had witnessed in her dream leaked from her mind accompanied by the anguish she felt over those visions to the comforting mind.

Arya withdrew as if stung from Saphira's mind. 'Oh, Children! Don't lose heart', Glaedr's mind enveloped both of their minds sending waves of warm feelings into their minds. Arya quickly closed off her mind completely and turned away from Saphira gazing at the sea of sand before her. She stood there as if she were a statue for a long while. Then she turned and faced Saphira in the eye and said, "We shall do what Eragon asked of you. That usurper will learn to fear us" Saphira didn't respond to Arya except with her eyes which seemed to emit the fire in her.

Author's Note:

How was the part about the comparison of Arya and Eragon? And then about Eragon's spell on the rings... the rings were made from the same gold piece and so share a unique property of being connected however far and inaccessible the rings are. This added to the brilliant wording of Eragon's spells circumvented Ellesmera's wards. That is what I figured it as.