For Alagaesia: 3. Revisits and Remembrances

Eragon walked around the city of Belatona which the Varden had decided to make its stronghold. There were various arrangements being made for the Varden people to live in harmony with the townspeople. The surrounding areas were to be secured and made free of empire soldiers and for that many groups of warriors were sent out of the city under capable captains like Roran. The whole population of the Varden were accommodated in the cities of Feinster and Belatona and small villages in the outskirts of those cities. Patrols of Varden soldiers were always moving around those areas. Eragon and Saphira had overseen the arrangements made in the outskirts on behalf of Nasuada who was busy fortifying the city of Belatona so that it would withstand any attack from the empire. Arya was given charge of fortifying the city of Feinster. In short, the Varden had gone into consolidative mode and concentrated more on defending the acquired lands rather than indulging into anymore offensive. This idea was given by Arya after consulting with Islanzadi. Queen Islanzadi wanted the city of Dras Leona attacked by a combined force of the Elves and the Varden. Further, the area of land captured by the Varden and the Elves was now large that Galbatorix may find it easy to attack from various directions. Hence the proposal of strengthening the captured land's defenses was raised and accepted by both parties namely the Varden and the Elves. Eragon saw a little boy playing around the city's streets without any qualms. He wished he could do that too. But he knew that he was too much past such things. Just then Saphira arrived with a whoosh of her wings. Seeing her pushed aside any nauseating feelings that he had just moments go. He knew that he belonged with her. In that moment he didn't care for what the surrounding people will think of him. He just ran to her and hugged her neck tight. Saphira was a little surprised and asked, 'Little One! What is it?' Eragon didn't answer her but got on her saddle and said, 'Let us fly, Saphira!' If she was surprised by his sudden enthusiasm, she didn't show it; instead she revelled in his happiness and flew high and fast performing the most complex of aerobatics that she knew. She flew over the Leona lake. Then she took a sudden dive into the lake and went deep into the water. She snatched a fish and swallowed it whole. Eragon looked around to see the water life and he liked every bit of it. When Eragon started wanting air, Saphira came above the water and again started flying high. To Eragon's eye, Saphira's wet scales looked even more glittery than they normally were. He was so happy to have her. Then Saphira said, ' It will be good to show this to Arya, won't it be, little one?' Eragon was a little embarrassed to answer her coherently, so he stuttered and managed to say. "Ye...s... It will...be." Then he sighed and picked himself up and with rising curiosity asked, 'From when did you become this close to Arya, Saphira?' 'Why? I have always been close to her. She and I share a fifteen year's silent friendship if you don't know.', said Saphira sarcastically. 'Are you jealous, Eragon?', she asked. 'May be', Eragon said a little nonchalantly and added, 'When is she coming back from Feinster?' 'Today, by nightfall, I suppose.',  answered Saphira. 'We have to go to Gil'ead then.', she said without wanting to bring the underlying matter up. Eragon too felt his happiness ebbing away. They were to attend Oromis's funeral.

*       *       *       *       *       *       *       *       *       *

Eragon stood before Nasuada with his face reflecting eternal sadness. He was to leave to Gil'ead with Arya to attend Oromis's funeral. Some four of his guards who had known Oromis personally had already gone to Gil'ead three days ago, the day after the battle of Belatona was over. He said to Nasuada, "My lady, I must go." Nasuada replied to him, "Be strong, Eragon. We will make Galbatorix answer for all our losses once we defeat him." Her confidence gave him some sort of hope and he found himself becoming a bit more proud to have her as his liege-lord. He nodded fiercely at her and turned his attention to Roran and Katrina who stood a little way away. He went to them and hugged them. He said to Roran, "Be careful on your raids and scouting missions, Roran. Remember that you have a family back here who will expect you to return. Living to come back to your family is more important than winning on your raids" in a concerned and caring way. Roran smiled at him and put a hand around Katrina's waist and said, "I know that, Eragon." Then Eragon spoke to Katrina, "Take care of your health" and added smiling, "and my nephew's" Katrina laughed and said, "Don't think that you have lost everybody, Eragon. You have us. And you will always have us." Eragon's face showed the gratitude he felt for her words and he said, "Be safe." Then he turned and went to stand by Arya. Saphira had her own words of advice and love to Roran, Katrina and Nasuada. Then Eragon went to secure the saddle on Saphira and in between his work he saw that even Arya had words with Katrina and Roran. But he couldn't hear what she said to them even though he was so curious to hear them: he was a little away from the hearing range. Saphira said to him, 'Don't worry, Eragon. She wouldn't say anything to damage your image.' Eragon who was not in a mood for these things said, 'Hmmm.... I suppose.' without much conviction. Saphira nudged him slightly with her snout and said, 'It is now time to celebrate their lives, Eragon. Store your sadness and anger deep in your mind to unleash them at that oath-breaker when we meet him.' Eragon who was already seated in her saddle patted her sides and closed his eyes for seconds. When he opened them, he saw that Arya was standing near Saphira. He was put a little off-balance and managed to see her in the eyes after moments of indecision. Arya asked, "Shall we?". He nodded his head and she with all her grace climbed up behind him on the saddle. Eragon turned to see Roran and Katrina and they waved at him and before he could turn his attention to Nasuada, Saphira had taken off.

 *       *       *       *       *       *       *       *       *       *

Saphira flew from Belatona straight into the spine as they had planned so as to avoid any confrontations with the empire soldiers even though the route would be a little more longer. She flew non-stop for about six hours. There was nearly no talking done between the three travellers and each chose to relive the moments they had shared with Oromis and Glaedr. Then when it was about mid-night, Eragon felt a slight pressure on his back and he realised that Arya had fallen into her waking dreams on his back. He contacted Saphira to relay the message and she said, 'She might be tired, Eragon. Remember she has worked non-stop for the past four days and has done so much travel when all you did was sit on my back and spend your time.' Eragon replied, 'I suppose so. But don't say I didn't work these past days, Saphira. May be she has worked much more than us.' 'If she is asleep, we are hardly helping her by talking. We must land Eragon.' Eragon obliged and Saphira with her sharp vision found a clearing where they could rest and landed there. Eragon couldn't find how to wake Arya. He was searching for a way to do so when Arya herself woke and asked, "Why have we landed?" Eragon replied, "Umm.... You seemed to need some re..st...." for which Arya started heatedly, "I don't need any rest, Eragon. You don't hav..." She was cut off by Saphira, 'Yes. You need rest and you will rest here.' Arya turned her neck sideways so as to cross Eragon's back to see Saphira and when she saw her, Saphira continued, 'You have worked too much, Arya. You deserve some rest.' Arya who was already tired didn't say anything more and she got off the saddle and silently started to unpack her belongings and took out a blanket and laid to rest there in the darkness. Eragon made a small smokeless fire near their campsite. Then he sat near the fire. Saphira called him and said, 'Eragon. You too are tired. Get some rest.' Eragon started to protest, 'No not with you awake....' Saphira cut him off mid sentence too and said, 'However strong you may have become, you don't have a dragon's stamina, Eragon. I can feel your tiredness. I will keep watch.' Eragon didn't give in so easily, 'You too must rest Saphira. There is a long way to cover.' 'Alright. Tomorrow, I will rest little one.' was Saphira's curt but loving response. 'I love you, Saphira', Eragon said. 'Me too, Little one. Now rest', replied Saphira and curled her tail around Eragon in a protective way. Eragon laid his head on Saphira's body and arranged himself in a comfortable position. His thoughts drifted hither and thither but constantly came back to the feel of Arya's soft form on his back. He went into the waking dreams that were his rest even without his knowledge and his dreams were filled with a long and joyous life with Saphira and Arya by his side.

After about two full days of flying, they had reached the point from where they were to get out of the Spine. It was the area around Utgard and once they came near Utgard Eragon could see the vast expanse of Palancar Valley lying before him. A sudden wave of home-sickness hit him and his discomfort flowed through their link to Saphira. Saphira understood his state and asked, 'Shall we visit where you and I were born Eragon?' Eragon nodded his head although Saphira couldn't see it. But Eragon's mind showed Saphira that he longed to have a view of his home-town, Carvahall, however ruined it was. So she changed her direction to take a northerly one aligning herself with the Anora river. Only after a while did Arya notice the change and she started inquiring, "Aren't we goining in the wrong direction?" Eragon turned his neck back a little seeming to remember that Arya was there with them. Saphira replied, 'A few hours detour is what we are taking, Arya.' Arya didn't understand why or where they were headed so she asked, "But where are we going?" 'To where you sent me to protect from Durza.' was Saphira's roundabout answer. Arya got the meaning of that answer and became silent. After about a hour's flying they had reached Carvahall and its state didn't look like a town from above; it was just ruins. Saphira landed cautiously without disturbing what remained of the ruins. Arya got off Saphira's saddle as silent as she had been in the past hour or so. Eragon's eyes filled with tears seeing the state of his home-town. Seeing it through scrying was one thing but seeing it with his naked eyes was another. He was overwhelmed by a desire to look at the house where Brom lived. He wanted to see his father's house as his father's house at least once. He took off running ignoring the sharp cry of surprise from Arya who was standing a little away from him and the low snorting of Saphira who had started following him a while later. Eragon, once he found his father's home let out a strangled sob and fell to his knees over its ruins and bent his back so as to smell and touch the place with his face. After a few moments when he rose from his position the tears started to flow uncontrollably. He knelt there besides Brom's old house tears leaking from his eyes which were fixed on a old smoking pipe that lay in the ruins. He stayed there for a long time during which Saphira came to his side with tears flowing from her eyes too. She curled her tail around him and sat with him. He just knelt there and cried: how long? He didn't know. But he cried until a soft hand came to rest on his shoulders. It was so comforting that he didn't care whose it was. He didn't care if Garrow's ghost or Brom's or his mother's had come to comfort him. He didn't care that ghosts were myths. He just didn't want to let go of that hand, so he caught and squeezed it tightly and laid his head on it. After a long minute or so he thought: it may well have been an eternity, the owner of the comforting hand spoke. "Eragon." said Arya's voice. It was filled with pity. But hearing her voice sort brought Eragon back into reality. With him Saphira too rose and they silently walked away from the ruins towards the Anora river. Once they reached it, Eragon spoke more to himself than to Arya, "This was my home." Arya nodded and in a very uncomfortable way asked, "Was that your house?" "No. It was Bro..my father's", said Eragon and he climbed Saphira's saddle without another word and without seeing how Arya reacted to him. Once Arya too had settled in the saddle, Saphira took off and went toward Eragon's old farm house. Once they reached there she said to Arya, 'This is where I was born.' but didn't make any move to land and hovered around the house for a while before moving on into the Spine during which time Eragon was in a sort of trance. After flying for about an hour into the spine, she landed at a spot where soon-to-be trees were newly growing from the roots of old burnt out trees. 'This is where you sent me', Saphira said to Arya. Arya's face conveyed conflicting emotions and so did Eragon's mind. They stayed there without speaking even a word for about half-an-hour and then mounted Saphira who took off without a word. Within the next two hours they were back on track towards Gil'ead.

Author's Note:

This chapter doesn't move the story. But it can't be called a filler. You will know why I say so if the chapter had actually done what I intended it to.