For Alagaesia: 72. A meeting with the traitors

The forest around the palace was suffocating. Thorn and Murtagh had left her in a portion of the vast ruined palace which seemed less sinister than the other portions. The place had only been in ruins for twenty years. But it seemed like it had been absorbed into the wilderness far earlier than that. The other way to think of it was comparing it with Eragon – the dragon rider’s birth coincided with the fall of the palace and its lord. When seen from that angle, it only felt right that the palace had changed a lot because in these twenty years Eragon had grown into some sort of a guiding light to Alagaesia’s populace.

For Alagaesia: 71. Euphoria of losing

He had thought that it was just another ordinary day until he heard her lilting laughter. The innocence and glee in her voice and face told him only one thing: search for a way to stop time from advancing and watch this moment over and over again till the green trees turn brown and the mountains are ground down to dust. It all started that day two weeks ago, when they left Silthrim. It was Saphira who suggested that they commence aerial combat training now that Indra and Arya had learned to fly together.

For Alagaesia: 70. The death of Lady Nightstalker

The last few weeks were the most emotionally draining for Roran right up there with the events leading up to the destruction of Carvahall. He was practically taking care of the Varden nowadays partly because Nasuada had requested him to and partly because he did not trust the leader of the Varden. Ever since he discovered the secret friendship between Murtagh and Nasuada, he had a nagging doubt that she would betray them to the Empire. But what made him even more miserable was the fact that he couldn’t bring himself to betray Nasuada’s trust in him and let the others know about her relationship with Murtagh.

For Alagaesia: 69. Two bundles of joy

‘I cannot feel him!’, Saphira complained for the umpteenth time. She had been going on about it ever since the trees below them began to grow taller and larger than any in the forest. Eragon was not as worried as her then. But now, when the first homes of Ellesmera came into view, a cold hand gripped his heart. Still, he didn’t lose heart like her. He knew Ellesmera was the safest place for them in Alagaesia. He knew nothing would have happened to them. But the truth remained: they couldn’t feel them. The two who were the closest to their hearts were nowhere to be found. Arya Drottiningu and Vanendra loptkonungr were not in Ellesmera.

For Alagaesia: 68. The coward’s attack and a kingly gift

The wind whipped his hair and the open lands beyond the elven forest of Du Weldenvarden held signs. The winter was wearing off. Though the land was still covered with snow, the cold air of the winter had long since ceased to blow. The air was still cool, but there was a subtle change in the weather pattern. Having grown up in the northern parts of Alagaesia and having made his livelihood out of farming, Eragon could clearly discern the signs that the land was showing: winter was coming to an end. In a fortnight from now, the first signs of spring would be visible to all. Yet, Eragon felt no pleasure at the sight as he would have felt but four winters ago. He would soon have seen twenty winters – a fully grown up man who could do whatever he wished with his life. These were just passing thoughts – like clouds on a windy day – in his mind though that came and went unbidden when Saphira left the firs of Du Weldenvarden and reached the open grounds. His major focus remained facing off, yet again, with his brother and foe, Murtagh.

For Alagaesia: 67. Hour of need

Standstill was only a word. One half of its meaning could be realised by watching Ellesmera. Time seemed to come to a standstill in the leafy elven city. But how could one realise the other half? How could time be brought to a standstill for real? This was the question eating into Eragon’s peace for the best part of the last month.

‘What use is magic when it can’t fulfil your only wish?’ – Eragon found himself thinking. How good it would be if there was a knob like that on Oromis’s time bauble that could be wound to keep time from advancing?

For Alagaesia: 66. Monsters

The biting cold that coated Alagaesia's north and central parts seemed to have seeped into her very veins. She didn't know if it was because this was the first time that she was up this north or if it was a side-effect of some other illness that was secretly affecting her. But what she did know was that she may be cured of it if she had sometime for herself, away from all the gloom and doom reports of the Varden.

Martland Redbeard was as good a tactician as Jormundur and it wasn't difficult to envision him leading the Varden for a couple of weeks while she would get her 'rest'. But the thing that was difficult was getting her advisers who included the eternally meddlesome council of elders, the night-hawks(who had taken up as the personal security ensurers of the leader of the Varden) and the senior most captains of the Varden army to accept her proposal.