For Alagaesia: 63. The informer's victory

Victory. Humph, Victory. It must be the only word glorified beyond all its merits. When people spoke of it, they spoke as if they had fed a whole country of men for a year. They stood with their heads held high when they proclaimed victory over the opposing forces.

Roran had had his fair share of such moments where he had felt on top of the world; as if he was the God and the world was a bit of dirt under his feet. But this time, victory wasn’t as sweet for now he had not gone headlong into battle. He had had the chance to look upon a battle scene from above and he had watched how fate could work either way as it chose and kill anyone.

The mist of blood that rose from the battlefield mingled with dust and dirt that covered the whole area made him sick. It was blood of his own brethren; the blood of the men of Narda and of Kuasta and the blood of his friends – elves, Urgals, dwarves and humans alike. There wasn’t a hint of difference in the blood that rose from the battlefield – it was all red. The empire’s, the human’s, the elves, the dwarves, the Urgals all had red blood running in them sustaining their life. They were all basically the same.  The fighting looked as meaningless from his vantage point as one between two waves of the ocean that spread out over the horizon around Teirm. 

He understood now why Eragon loathed killing and fighting. His cousin was having to watch all this from such a place during each battle and yet was having to kill people to gain the Varden the victory. His regard for Eragon and Saphira rose a notch.

Lord Dathedr, the elf lord came to stand by him. The elf was tall and slim like most elves, but a power permeated his presence, the sort of which was absent even around Eragon and Arya. The elf’s expression was one of calmness but Roran detected the same repulsion in the elf’s face that he himself felt.

“The battle goes well.”, Dathedr said in his own peculiar accent, “The informer, whoever it was, has been accurate. This victory rightfully belongs to that man who informed Lady Nasuada of the attack.”

Roran couldn’t agree more. If the armies of Kuasta and Narda and the one from Uru’baen that the Varden had intercepted in the Spine had converged upon Teirm without them knowing then this battle would have been a different affair and the people of Teirm would have cursed the Varden for bringing havoc to their town.

As it was, it became difficult to control the minor upheavals of the warriors of Teirm against the Varden. Often times, the elves had intervened by meddling with the minds of the leaders of such rebellion. The ease with which the elves dissuaded the men from attacking made Roran uneasy. He was acutely aware of what the elves could achieve if they decided to turn on the Varden instead. Only the knowledge that Eragon would not allow any such thing to come to pass gave Roran relief. That and the friends he had made among the elves – Madhura, for one, was as sweet a person to be friends with as Elain herself.

“Aye. If not for that warning, we would now be fighting this battle at the gates or worse within the city.”, agreed Roran.

It was the elves and the Kull that had decided to take the forces of Narda and Kuasta head-on. Roran wasn’t so sure if his warriors would be ready enough to face open war so soon after the battle for Teirm. But Lord Dathedr and the leader of the Kull whose name Roran had difficulty pronouncing and remembering had convinced him that their forces were sufficient enough to repel the enemy.

And true to their word, the elves had fought and defeated the army of Kuasta while the Kull had done the same with the army of Narda. It was a monstrous sight – armies numbering less that one quarter of the enemy army emerging victorious with minimal casualties.

Nar Garzhvog was said to have led his Urgals against the army of Uru’baen whereas Martland Redbeard had assisted with his men from behind. That fighting in the Spine was also reported to be a success and it seemed that they had finally thwarted Galbatorix’s daring counter-attack. Never had the King retaliated in such an elaborate manner for the loss of his cities. But, for obvious reasons, Roran knew that Teirm was different.

The attack proved them one thing. Galbatorix, however powerful was not just waiting to kill them in Uru’baen seeing and laughing as they took over his lands with difficulty. It showed that he was a king like any other who needed to safeguard his possessions to run his government. It made Galbatorix seem more human; more elven and more sentient. It showed that he was not a monster who cared not what happened to his lands as long as he remained unaffected.

“So we can rest for a while at least?”, Roran asked hopefully. He was tired of all the fighting and rebuilding. He needed time to reflect on things that were far more important to him – such as Katrina and their unborn child.

“Yes, I hope so.”, said Dathedr, “Unless, Galbatorix decides to send Murtagh or rides himself into war.”

“You think he will?”, Roran asked.

“He wouldn’t have expected to lose this battle.”, Dathedr said simply. Then he exhaled heavily, a rare show of emotion from the elf.

Roran understood. You don’t take it lightly, when a rebel army cuts off all your supply lines without even laying siege to your home – Dathedr was meaning. Any sane ruler would retaliate hard.

But then, Galbatorix was not known for being sane.

“I fear for the informer.”, Roran said after a few moments of thought.

Dathedr nodded without seeing Roran in the eye. Then said, “Yes. It seems…. prudent that Galbatorix will strive to draw the poison corrupting his own food before trying to poison ours. If that is the case, then the informer has unwittingly bought us precious time.”

Cold, calculating talk. Roran felt revulsion well up inside him. Yet he knew it to be true because he – for all his distaste – too felt the same. And he hated himself for thinking that way. It was a fellow human who had risked his life to give them the information and here they were – human and elf alike – considering the possibility of Galbatorix hunting down their helper.

Dathedr watched Roran for a while and said, “It is distasteful, yes. But it is how it is. There isn’t any easy way against Galbatorix. You of all people should have realised it by now, Stronghammer.”

“Yes, I do realise.”, Roran said curtly.

“Good.”, Dathedr said and walked off leaving Roran to wonder if the elf had given him a lesson on politics and its intricate workings where attaining victory was more important than the way to it.

Unable to stand such heavy topics, Roran sought out Madhura who had taken it upon herself to lead the elven force and asked her if she could help him speak to Katrina. But the elf woman shook her head and said, “Have you forgotten Stronghammer? The wards around Du Weldenvarden won’t allow us.”

Of course, he hadn’t forgotten. But he harboured the hope that maybe a day would come when he could speak with his beloved Katrina of his own volition. An empty hope it was, he knew and yet his mind wouldn’t rest. So he twisted his ring and thought of Katrina. He knew Eragon’s ring could bypass the wards around Du Weldenvarden. Then he waited.

Minutes later, an attendant rapped on his door much to his annoyance and announced that the Kull were too back in the city limits. The battle had all but ended. Roran had already heightened the defences of the city walls. Thus, after the message from the attendant he relaxed completely. Not even Murtagh, if he came alone could disrupt the peace of Teirm for now. The supply lines to the empire remained cut off and Uru’baaen was being starved.

“How fare thee, my husband?”, the mirror said all of a sudden in Katrina’s loving voice. Moments later, her honey dripping face came into his vision.

“I am fine, sweetheart.”, said he. And they began their banter for the day. Katrina looked like an angel dressed in elven fineries. The tears of happiness that came over him everyday they spoke, came back. He was never more glad to have a rider for cousin than at these moments.

Author's Note:

The shortest chapter I have ever written. But I thought it showed the things it ought to clearly: the victory of the Varden due to information provided by Murtagh.


I have finished Inheritance and I thought that it was not bad. But I just wish that Paolini had done the following:

• Made Eragon's character more emotionally deeper. It was a character that faced so less crisis situations than the others like Murtagh, Arya and Nasuada.
• Made Firnen, a bit more prominent. The green dragon had almost no part to play and how he grew up to be a fine dragon is a mystery seeing as he trained naught with other dragons.
• The whole Saphira/Firnen affair was just stupid. 'Dragons don't mate for life' - Saphira says. Why should Paolini tell us that dragons are closer to two-legs and make them behave like animals?
• Had given a more valid reason for why Eragon has to leave and why he can never return. Just because Angela had predicted long ago that he won't return, he shouldn't go away. It is just wrong. It is not a thing that Eragon would do.
• And he says that dragons don't have space to live among the other races of Alagaesia. I only ask this: how was Alagaesia hundred years before? Dragons, humans, elves, dwarves and Urgals had coexisted peacefully and why can't they now?
• Why should Arya be the queen and be a rider? They are positions that are in direct conflict.
• Adding the Urgals and dwarves to the spell was okay, but then the administration of the land was handled badly. If there should be peace then there should have been a 'council of races' that leads the whole of Alagaesia with autonomous powers to each race. The arrangement that now exists is the very thing that brought about the doom in the first place - lack of cohesion among riders, humans, elves, dwarves, Urgals and dragons.

But still, overall, the book was a nice experience if not a great one. I thought that the Eragon/Arya part was well handled except that Paolini could have had them kiss once in the end. And Ismira(Roran-Katrina's daughter) being so strong is just amusing. Murtagh doesn't have closure and so doesn't Nasuada. There could have been more between them. The accounts of Orik, Jeod and Sloan were finely executed. Elva and Angela were as always mysterious. And Angela is not at all explained till the end, which is both satisfying and unsatisfactory at the same time. Islanzadi's death though was so random and forced that it served only one purpose: make Arya stay away from Eragon. And the Menoa account was again unsatisfactory, not to mention that the whole concept of Vault of Souls doesn't set my mind on fire. I had high expectations and all I got was a set of Eldunari and a clutch of eggs that signalled that Saphira was not the last female as she has been built-up from the beginning.


Here, I have given my thoughts and please don't think that I didn't like it because of all these complaints I listed. I really liked it but personally would have liked to see these things changed. But it is Paolini's tale and he has all the rights in this universe to finish his story as he sees fit.