Inheritance Cycle Book 5 : Wyrda

Chapter 1 : Decisions

Chapter 1 : Decisions

"Wyrda" cackled Bladgen and flew from his mistress's shoulder to a table. It was a beautiful one made of ebony, inlaid with ivory and adorned with precious gems and designs of the Liani Vine. It was a gift from her mother on her tenth birthday. The thought of her mother tightened Arya's throat but she brushed it aside. She and her mother had made up in the end and she had died the death she had wanted, on the battlefield just like her mate.

She looked away not wanting to see the fairth on top of the table. Her eyes however, ignored her and she caught a glance of the fairth.  It was a fairth, a beutiful one of her love Eragon with his dragon flying high over him with the Leona Lake and the surrounding forest a bit behind him. The fairth showed him smiling blissfully and had a gold frame. It reminded her of the wonderful night she spent with him the day of the Siege of Dras Leona and the tragedy which struck later. She had made the fairth out of desperation the very night he left. It had been ten years since the fairth had been made. Ten years since her love had left for areas unknown. Ten years since she had been an empty shell again like she had been after Faolin's death. She had talked to him a maybe six to seven times in the past ten years through scrying and if she did it was only for formal reasons-  to inform him about a dragon egg hatching etc. It had always been as the Queen of the Elves not as his friend or love.

Arya fell to her knees and a single tear rolled out of her eyes. She did not have any tears left to shed. Every single day for the past 10 years she had been crying. Crying for her love who was in a different land. No one knew, except Katrina. This too Katrina had guessed from her actions. Arya had made Katrina swear in the Ancient Language that she qouldn't tell anybody not even Roran about it. Arya had not even told her own uncle, her last living relative. She had been suffering silently, alone for the past ten years.

Arya knew that her place was by his side with the other dragon riders not here as the Queen of the Elves. She wished with all her heart that she could leave. She so wanted to. She would crown her uncle, Lord Daethdr as the Monarch of the Elves and leave for her love along with Firnen. Her dragon had been her only source of comfort for the past so many years, sharing her joys and sorrows like no one else could. She felt content knowing that there was always someone beside her who could help her, someone who loved her. Yet Arya yearned for Eragon. He had left behind a space , a vacuum that no one but him could fill. She knew he loved her and the only she needed to do was visit him and confess her love. And then their epic romance would come alive.

She took a deep breath. She needed to leave Alagaesia. Now. It was not the first time in the past 10 years that this thought had struck her but never had her resolve been so strong. She knew that this time, nothing could stop her from leaving.   

She could sense Firnen coming back from his hunt. She would ask him what he thought about joining Eragon. Heart in heart , Arya knew that he would not decline partly because his rejection of the idea would hurt her and partly because just as she was yearning for Eragon he was yearning for Saphira. She waited for him to come closer and it was not long before she could hear the noise made by the flapping of his muscular wings. Firnen had grown a lot in the past decade. Not as big as Glaedr but yet quite big. She was sure that he must have beaten Saphira as male dragons grew faster than their female counterparts in the long run. She wondered how Saphira must be doing. The big dragoness too held a special place in her heart.  

Arya? asked Firnen sensing her confusion and sadness through their bond.

Firnen said Arya, acknowledging his presence.

What is it that makes you feel like this? Firnen asked

Firnen, it's been to long for me to stay away from Eragon. I can't bear a single day more without him. I wish to hand over the crown to Daethdr and leave for Eragon's new home. You know as well as I do that I do not have any interest in being the ruler of the elves. I did it only for my mother. I have fulfilled my promise to her, seen the elves through ten years since Galbatorix's downfall and have not let the situation go out of hand. My duties are over now.