For Alagaesia: 49. The hope is taken

The last few days had taken her to the brink of uselessness. Having a routine life was almost unbearable – it was on par with a battle day. Nasuada had no idea when she became such a workaholic, but she was. She hated being in the room for most of the day and hear to reports from sentries and spies. She would have been fine if the reports had any substance in them, but they hardly did. It was all a repetition of the same news: nothing is odd.

In one way, she was happy for the temporary respite from the war and its gloom. The people seemed really happy these days despite the biting cold of the winter. When they were satisfied, she too was. But personally, her mind was restless. Ever since she had literally forced Roran to take up the mission to Teirm, she had been nervous, thinking her plan might backfire and the Varden might face a crushing defeat in that battle.

Further, Eragon’s non-availability for advice and help was being felt severely since Jormundur was no more. Eragon’s opinion mattered the most to her because he was the one who would confront Galbatorix when the time came and because most of his opinions were thoughtful and meaningful. Nasuada was surprised by the amount of knowledge Eragon had amassed in under one and a half years with the elves. She had been tutored by her father and Jormundur for years in politics. Yet Eragon understood the nuances of politics pretty well with much less time for learning.

Along with those, the unavailability of Arya and Roran – two people whose words carried more meaning than any spoken by the other members of the Varden’s advisory council namely the council of elders put her under enormous stress always.

Even Katrina wasn’t there for some light talk. The only person whom she trusted now was Orik. But the dwarf King was so drawn into his own politics that he hardly had time to participate in discussions with her and Orrin. Orrin was, as always, an over-eager and peculiar diplomat. He was cunning and outspoken and put the welfare of Surda before everything. Even though Nasuada was irritated by his actions, she really couldn’t find fault in him. If she were the ruler of Surda, she would probably be putting Surda before everything too.

It was almost a week since Roran had left.for Teirm and last she had heard from him was two days ago. He had reported from the hidden Urgal city Rapprarnzlar. The news had sent shivers down her spine. But she trusted in Roran to lead the army well. How much ever she included the Urgals in their campaign, she was always afraid of them. If it were her taking the decisions then she was positive that she wouldn’t have led her army into an Urgal city. She respected Roran in that respect. He was quickly proving to be as integral to the Varden’s cause as Eragon himself.

“I surely accept your verdict. Having nothing to do is really disastrous.”, somebody said. Nasuada snapped her head up, her hand flying towards a dagger placed on her table. She had been reading the report on supplies – which was now the biggest worry for survival in Dras-Leona.

“Well your reflexes are fast enough. I give you that.”, Angela said as she walked in with the arrogance and mystery that none else could boast of.

The witch’s antics had always taken her by surprise and Nasuada had concluded long ago that she should simply ignore her bickering and concentrate only on the issue she was addressing – Angela always seemed to have more information than any other people on matters of importance.

“So any information on the cousins on whom this war now rests?”, Angela asked. She could be blatantly straight at times.

“No. Last I heard from Roran, his army was at Rappararanzlar.”

“Oh? The Urgal city?”, Angela said, “Interesting. But I think I have more to share on their status.”

Nasuada didn’t even attempt to analyse how Angela was aware of Rappararanzlar. In this case, her new news was more important – the actually substantial matter. “And what would be the news?”, she asked.

“Roran’s army encountered somebody powerful.”

“What do you mean ‘somebody powerful’, Angela?”, Nasuada asked, her mind filling with dread that her plan had already backfired.

“Well, if I was sure of it, wouldn’t I have told you?”, Angela was as quirky as she ever was.

Nasuada was now more confused than before. Not knowing the status of her army was one thing, but knowing something in part was the most excruciating thing to bear.

“Please explain as much as you know.”, Nasuada demanded of Angela.

“Well, I won’t pretend to know much. All I can say is something happened in the Spine on the slopes near Teirm.”, Angela replied.

“Are they safe?”, Nasuada asked. She was exasperated by Angela’s seemingly baseless claims. But she knew Angela wasn’t somebody who would say something without firm base. So dropping all the pretext of analysing Angela’s words, she asked the thing that mattered.

“Now that was the question I had been expecting to answer for a while. A good leader should be good at concise views.. you are.”, Angela said. Nasuada waited for the actual answer which she knew would come more as an afterthought. And it came, “Well, mostly they are.”

Nasuada raised her eyebrows. But she guessed that not much damage had occurred. With that knowledge, she sighed in relief. The hope was still alive. If the operation at Teirm was to succeed, then it would be the death knell for Galbatorix’s military aspirations. He would be forced to the back foot for the first time in his rule.

It would mean that the end was near. They would either win or die trying to kill Galbatorix in direct combat. For long the dark King had been hiding behind his black walls. Nasuada's only aim was to bring him out of his hiding – the other thing of defeating him rested on the shoulders of Eragon and Saphira.

Nasuada finally said, “So the attack on Teirm should begin shortly.”

“That depends on the way you view the word 'shortly'.”, Angela had went back to her ways again. “I would guess that the siege of Teirm should be starting later today.”, Angela spoke something directly for the first time in their conversation.

Nasuada wondered why Roran hadn't contacted her to detail about the developments. If he had avoided doing so, the matter might have been something silly or something so important that Roran forgot about her altogether. She suspected that it was the second one from what Angela said. She only hoped that not much loss was incurred.

Even as she was immersed in her thoughts a loud horn blew. Nasuada looked up stunned. So did Angela. Stunning Angela was something Nasuada had fancied doing but this was hardly the way she had imagined it to be.

The sounding of the Varden's war horns meant only one thing – Galbatorix had somehow managed to sent down an army to Dras-Leona. The mere energy it would require to march an army during the winter sent shivers down her spine. It was out of sheer will power that Roran and she had decided to attack Teirm. If Galbatorix did something as rash as this, he should be peeved, she decided. On second thoughts, she concluded that Galbatorix was more than just peeved – he would be enraged, fuming and maddened on finding that Eragon had escaped his grasp. Nasuada and her advisers had expected a rash move in anger and desperation from Galbatorix and had even entertained thoughts of catching the King off his guard during such an episode. But the timing of Galbatorix's attack couldn't be more wretched than now when neither Eragon nor Roran and army were present.

The night-hawks came rushing into her room. “My lady, the sentinels say that the empire is attacking.”, one of them said. Nasuada looked on for she knew there was much more news that her guard was keeping – the horn itself signified the attack. “They say the army is about eight thousand strong.”, he continued.

Nasuada's mind did the interpretations and calculations – the Surdan cavalry was atleast nine thousand strong and a thousand Varden and Dwarven soldiers each still remained in the city. A further twenty five elves and a few hundred Urgals made up the city's defences. That pitched approximately twelve thousand Varden soldiers against the eight thousand odd empire soldiers.

Nasuada knew that Galbatorix wasn't stupid as to send a paltry eight thousand strong army to face – what he should consider - the twenty five thousand strong army of the Varden. Another chilling thought occurred to her: Galatorix might have discovered the Varden's ruse – which meant Roran's army would have to meet with headwinds far dangerous than the cold waves of winter.

She decided that she wouldn't gain anything by just standing idle and speculating on what would have happened and swung into action. Careful to hide her apprehension from the night-hawks, she issued orders to them to call on the soldiers of the Varden to the east gate. She charged two of the human night-hawks to bring Orrin to her chamber as soon as possible.

But the need for that was nullified as Orrin came rushing into the room at that very instant. He was fully prepared for battle – with helmet, hauberk and bracer's. His sword hung from his belt. And he held his shield in one hand. Nasuada was always amazed at the preparedness of Orrin and his country men in general. She attributed it to the constant vigil they have had to maintain on the borders for seventy years.

“My men are riding to the eastern gate.”, he said. Nasuada nodded. The dwarves had to be assembled now.

“There is someone in hiding.”, Angela announced, her voice – for the first time sounding uncertain.

“What?”, barked Orrin in his own aristocratic way.

“I don't know who it is. But my informer says that there is a powerful being in hiding with the empire's army.”, Angela repeated her stance.

Nasuada was terrified on the inside hearing the news. She saw that the witch's news had brought about a dampening feel to the mood in the room. So to assure everybody, she cried, “Whoever it is, the person fears the Varden. Why else would they come in hiding?”

The faces of the men around her seemed to loosen up with that bit of encouragement. She had been trained by Ajihad to atleast act as if in control when in truth the situation was out-of-control. Such acts made people trust in their leader and put up a much better fight during the battles. 'I hope this encouragement is enough for us to drive the empire away today.', Nasauda thought. But something told her that it wasn't enough. It, perhaps, was the fear that Galbatorix had finally decided to march upon the Varden.

Angela went scrambling away muttering that she had to find her Huthvir. Just as she left, Orik entered the room with a furious expression on his face. “I have sent my army to the eastern gate.”, he announced. There was a hint of suppressed anger in his voice and Nasuada decided that he was reacting as such for letting Roran go against his better judgement. Orik had opposed her decision to send Roran and his army to Teirm but had reluctantly allowed him to go when Nasuada and Roran pointed out the benefits and advantages of capturing Teirm during the winter.

Now even to Nasuada, sending Roran away seemed a bad choice and so it was perfectly logical for Orik to be furious.

“How do we defeat them?”, Orik asked roughly. ‘Always the practical actor’, Nasuada thought. She had been delighted when Eragon informed her that Orik was chosen as the Dwarven King not just because of Orik’s friendliness towards the Varden but also because of the huge experience that Orik brought to the table. Just as now. How do we defeat them? The only question that mattered.

“We don’t have the numbers that can overwhelm the empire.”, Nasuada started. “And there are reports of somebody powerful marching in hiding with the empire army.”, Orrin interrupted her. He sounded gloomy and hearing it seemed like they were looking at certain defeat. Nasuada glared at Orrin for his lack of confidence or, to put it simply, his lack of motivating tendency because she too didn’t have the confidence.

“Barzul!!”, cursed Orik. “Somebody powerful?”, he asked raising his thick eye brows. His glance was directed at Nasuada and it posed a simple question: ‘Is is Galbatorix?’

Nasuada couldn’t reply to him directly. She knew Galbatorix’s treatment of the Varden for the past hundred years and she was sure that it was highly improbable for Galbatorix to attack them directly. He neither attacked them when Brom killed Nagraz and Sheila nor did he attack when Morzan was famously killed by Brom and Saphira’s egg secured by the Varden. He hadn’t attacked when Arya and Faolin had gotten rid of Kialandi. There was no reason for him to attack now.

All these thoughts gave her strength enough to reply the unasked question of Galbatorix’s arrival. “Galbatorix hasn’t attacked us even when his army has faced dire defeats and his trusted forsworn were killed by our warriors. So we have no reason to expect him with this army.”

Her words seemed to have lifted a lid holding boiling water and like steam rising out of the jar, the men in the room started to speak excitedly among themselves.

“We can’t be sure.”, said Orrin.

“I see your point.”, said Orik simultaneously.

The three nigh-hawks that remained spoke among themselves in hushed voices as if discussing some secret. Orrin and Orik seemed ready to argue over the issue.

Blodhgarm rushed in at that moment and said, “The soldiers are assembled. The empire’s army has stopped marching. Battle is nearing.” Although his words were rushed and message incomplete, signifying his shock, Blodhgarm was as always calm when he finished his message.

His words set in motion another clamour in the room. The night-hawks ran up and surrounded Nasuada. She ordered them to join the army and announce that she would join the army soon. Orrin and Orik literally ran out of the room to check up on their armies. Nasuada fitted herself in her finest battle garb. This was the first battle in which she was going to fight from the front after the battle on the burning plains.

Then praying to all gods she knew and didn’t know that the battle shouldn’t end in the Varden’s loss, she stepped out of her quarters. Two night-hawks had been waiting for her outside her quarters and they flanked her on either side as she marched towards the eastern gate.

Her horse was ready for her outside the palace. She mounted and took a sweeping glance at the city. People were running berserk, trying to get into some home and a small group of soldiers were trying to bring order on the road. Nasuada felt sad. The Varden had brought upon the residents of the city, two battles in the span of a month. They had just about recovered from the Varden’s takeover and were returning to their normal life. She cursed Galbatorix for all the carnage created by the battle. She refused to budge to the feeling that the Varden was in mistake. She took heart from the fact that the city’s slave trade had been abolished and the miserable food supplies had been improved despite the winter and sudden surge in population within a month of the Varden’s takeover.

Confident that she was only indulging in a noble battle, she rode her horse forward. The night-hawks kept pace with her on their horsebacks. Their numbers had been replenished by the addition of two other Urgal night-hawks. The others night-hawks, she presumed, were waiting for her arrival at the gate.

As she neared the eastern gate, she could see the fortifications being made at the gate by the dwarves and she couldn’t feel anything but be impressed. Yet she didn’t know if it would be enough to hold back the empire. She saw Orik and Orrin standing on a balcony on the cathedral. It gave them a bird’s eye view of the whole landscape and helped them devise strategy. Nasuada decided that she didn’t want to join them – she was tired of being behind in every battle. When her men died in the front lines, she was forced to stay back. But this time she wouldn’t stand back and watch. So Nasuada raced up towards the gate. Her night-hawks – twelve of them – who were waiting for her came running towards her, when she neared the gate. Her arrival at the gate spurned up the spirits of the Varden.

“Lady Nightstalker”, they whispered, “She is fighting with us today.” Soon the whispering changed to hailing. And she was admitted into the ranks of the Varden.

She rode up to the centre of the army. “My people, the empire is threatening to usurp our hard-earned victory. They are trying to surprise us by attacking in the cold of the winter. This only shows their desperation. The empire fears us, my people. Today, we will give them another reason to.”, she thundered. The soldiers cheered. Her job was done. It was not out of emotion that she uttered those words. It was out of a need to encourage the soldiers enough to make them fight with will.

“Wait till they make their first move.”, Nasuada instructed her soldiers. Trianna had organised the Du Vrangr Gata in a way that the orders from Nasuada would be passed on to the other leaders in seconds and vice versa. They acknowledged her command.

The Varden waited. There wasn’t any movement from the other side. It was all calm and almost serene. Then out of nowhere, somewhere near Nasuada, a huge ball of fire landed and atleast thirty men fell down burned. The Varden went into a frenzy and let loose stones and arrows at the gathered empire army.

Yet the empire soldiers didn’t see it time fit for retaliating or even making any noise. They were still calm and silent. The leaders watching the empire soldiers from the cathedral gave confused and confusing reports. “They don’t seem to be affected by our attacks.”, they said. The only weapon the empire ever used was a ball of fire that fell from the skies killing tens of men in its wake each time.

“It’s a ruse!!!”, somebody who was clearly an elf shouted. “Protect Lady Nasuada. It’s a ruse.”, he said again and Nasuada realised that it was Blodhgarm.

‘Ruse?’, Nasuada thought, ‘What ruse? Can’t he see the soldiers outside throwing fireballs at us?’ Now she could see him. He was running towards her, his face contorted by a ferocious snarl.

“There aren’t any soldiers outside. It is all an illusion. It’s the rider. He is the one attacking us.”, he said as he came running.

Nasuada shivered. An illusion? An illusion strong and clear enough to deceive the whole Varden. No. It was not possible. Before she could recover from the outlandish claim made by Blodhgarm, the said elf was standing in front of her and speaking to the air, “I won’t allow you to attack her. Such cowardice can only be expected from one trained under Galbatorix.”

“Who is a coward, elf? Thirty of you combined to attack me near Uru’baen. Was that justified?”, the air spoke.

The Varden soldiers were completely bewildered. They stood shell-shocked and unable to do anything. How could they when a voice which was so clearly Murtagh’s was speaking from just yards away?

But Blodhgarm didn’t seem affected by this in any way. He called on his fellow elves and they began to chant. Something shimmered before the Varden but them all of a sudden Blodhgarm was thrown into the air violently. Nasuada could only look on in terror. What else could she do when being attacked by an unseen and unknown force? She hated magic for that very reason. It was illogical and unnatural that it took away the fairness in the fight.

The elves kept chanting, seemingly uncaring of the plight of their companion. Again something shimmers into existence just yards ahead of them before it dissolves back into nothingness. Nasuada felt as if something was nearing her. It wasn’t a concrete feeling upon which she could act – it was more of a dreamy sort of thing. But then, the next second she was lifted up seeming by the air, but she knew it was something else for she could feel the hold of something around her body.

The soldiers panicked not knowing what to do. They let loose arrows on the invisible thing lifting Nasuada. Some arrows flew dangerously close to her. Some even grazed her shoulders bringing trickles of blood. She heard some captains yelling orders to stop firing. But it was getting difficult to hear anything. Dizziness and distance – she was being taken away – hampered her hearing. But the chanting of the elves was in the air. She could feel it. The shimmering came back and Nasuada found that it now surrounded her. This time it didn’t dissolve as it did during the other times. It continued and soon something materialised. She was staring at a huge glimmering ruby red surface.

Author's Note:

Did you like it? A new turn isn't it? Hope you will like the direction this story takes from here on. This is a new element I am inserting into the story. I realised that Nasuada didn't have much part to play in the original plot and so incorporated this. Hope it doesn't disappoint.