For Alagaesia: 42. The gamble

Rubbing her eyes, Nasuada woke up from yet another bad night's sleep. Ever since, Belatona was taken, she had not had complete rest.There always was a critical problem to be faced and overcome, the latest of which was spending the three-four months of cold winter at Dras-Leona.

On the surface, the rest seemed welcome giving the Varden a much-needed break from constant war. But on retrospection, Nasuada had serious doubts about spending the time idly except for fortifying the acquired lands. The rest would not only help enable the Varden to collect themselves but also the empire to regroup.

Ever since that thought entered her mind, quite abruptly after the departure of Eragon, Saphira and Arya, she had been restless, planning in her mind a means to keep the empire occupied with the Varden for the duration of the winter and if possible further weakening the foul King's army. A whole day's deliberations had eventually paid off and a rough plan materialised in her mind. But the plan was wrought with serious risks especially with the absence of her best warriors: Eragon and Saphira and her best war tactician: Arya. Not to mention, Eragon's surprisingly sharp battle plans and Arya's well-known valiance with the sword. Together those three were the greatest assets of the Varden and they were away from it now.

For Alagaesia: 41. Unlocking his mind

That night Saphira flew non-stop through the plains that were in the control of the Varden and the elves. It amazed Eragon that despite being so near to Uru'baen, they weren't in Galbatorix's lands. He could feel the minds of human and elven patrols on the ground. Even then, the thought of being near Uru'baen made him shiver with fear. It took all of his self control to control the urge. Saphira, who was carrying him and Arya who was behind him must not know that he was afraid. If they did, what would they think of him? No He would not show his fear to them.

Before long, the vast nothingness of the Hadarac welcomed him. Being lonely was what he loved. There, in the absence of other people, he could be himself. He could do and say whatever he wished without fear of being noticed and found fault in. Now, he was alone but for Saphira who was as much part of him as it was possible and Arya who would understand his fears more than anybody else in all the land. He ought to be free. Yet he couldn't. Something was holding him back. He had always imagined that when he was absolutely alone, he would be able to be himself again. He would be able to laugh and play with Saphira as he did always. But now, when the chance to be alone came, he was proved wrong. He was in no more ease than when he was at the Varden. He sighed heavily and accepted the fact as it was: he had become closed. Eragon didn't want to think of such unpleasant things for long for fear being caught by Saphira in the act of doing so and for the sake of his own sanity. So he diverted his attention to his surroundings.

For Alagaesia: 40. Choice between the eyes

The week after that shameful evening was spent on building fortifications around the city of Dras-Leona. Roran took it upon himself to oversee the rebuilding and strengthening of the defences of the city. As Eragon had expected, the people started following his cousin cheerfully. It always was a matter of people seeing Roran in action before they accepted him as their leader.

The council of elders had gone into seclusion after that evening, neither attending any meetings nor taking part in the rebuilding affairs. The people didn't seem to care for them any more as they did a week ago. Everything in the Varden was as smooth as it could be in a war-ravaged yet well organised community.

Eragon had met and spent time with Orik for which he hadn't had time ever since Orik was crowned king of the dwarves. He also met with and even trained his boyhood friends Alberiech and Baldor - both sons of Horst. They were good with swords to the level that if Eragon reduced his speed to their level, they could hold against him for a minute or so. Both young men were awed by Eragon's enormous strength which they said was an increase of no less than a hundred times his previous strength. Eragon could only smile and say, "Oh!?" for he had used only a bit of his strength against them.

For Alagaesia: 39. Cracks on the inside

The gentle breeze of the early winter morning had a hint of what was to come: A severe cold wave that would sweep through the land and last for four months. Eragon, sitting under a huge tree by the shores of Leona lake sighed heavily. Saphira was curled up near him shielding him from the biting cold of the wind.

Eragon had just contacted Vanir. Katrina had reached Silthrim only last morning. In all the rushes following the battle of Dras-Leona, which the Varden had come to call 'the black battle' owing to the loss of most of its war leaders including Jormundur, the commander-in-chief of the Varden army, Eragon had not contacted Katrina for the last two days. When last he contacted Vanir, the company had just touched the fringes of Du WeldenVarden. It might have been the sense of security that Eragon felt in the leafy confines of the elf-forest that he forgot to contact Katrina even after Roran had asked once to do so. But Eragon cursed himself for not contacting Katrina daily, atleast until she was safely settled in some elf-city.

For Alagaesia: 38. The losses in a win

The city seemed grossly unprepared to counter a siege of the scale of the one the Varden had organised. Eragon couldn't quite believe it because the towns of Feinster and Belatona were very strongly protected and defended by the armies of those cities.

The four days of marching of the Varden must surely have reached the ears of the city's lord, Marcus Tábor in one way or the other. The empire was not so dumb as to not have patrols in their part of Alagaesia, as far as Eragon remembered. But as it stood, Marcus Tábor had literaly abandoned his city to be taken over by the Varden. If what Brom said of that ruler was anything to judge by, it might have been possible that he hadn't got any orders from Galbatorix (by virtue of the evil king's travel outside Uru'baen in years and that too alone) and hence kept quiet and did nothing. But as a fact Eragon knew that a ruler wouldn't be that dumb.