Pugna: An Eragon Fanfic

4

    I was jumping off a big cliff here without a parachute. Not even a blanket or something. For all I knew, they were just going to magic me to death.

    "Arise, strange one." Says the queen. I eagerly comply. Arya looks at me strangely.

"Who are you?"

"Sabrina"

"Welcome Sabrina, to our most revered of celebrations: the Agaetí Blödhren. Where do you hail from?"

"Portland, Oregon" I say awkwardly

She looks confused. "I have never heard of that town before. Is it across the sea?"

"I'm really not sure how I got here, actually. One minute, I'm in the forests of Portland, on the planet Earth, talking to this girl named Alydia-"

The queen stares at me. "Did you say Alydia?!"

"Ummm yeah, why?

Arya has tears in her eyes. "She was the ambassador from the Shape-Shifters to the elves..."

"Shape- Shifters?" I interrupt. "She turned into a fox if that's what you mean,"

"Yes, the Shape-Shifters are rather like the werecats, but they can change into anything instead of just a cat," she explains

"So how'd she end up in my world?" I ask.

"We don't know. One day, she was making the trip from her own people to mine, but she never made it to us. The day she disappeared, we-the elves- all felt a great magical disturbance from the Hadarac Desert. When we sent scouts out to investigate, they found a hidden pond inexplicably inside a cave. It had a great magical aura around it-"

"So you're saying I can go home?" I interrupt eagerly.

"Sadly, the pool is no longer in existence. It slowly disappeared as my scouts watched... I'm sorry."

"Oh."

"Now I have a few questions of my own, Sabrina. Firstly, will you allow my guards to inspect your pack? I don't doubt your trustworthiness, as Gilderien the Wise let you in our sacred halls, but I am still wary."

"Sure," I say as I hand the backpack to a guard. Suddenly though, I think of the books. I have a nagging feeling that says they shouldn't know about them...

Too late, the elf unearths the first book. Then the second. Third. Fourth. The queen stares at the first book. Eragon. Damn. Of all the books...

"Child, why is Eragon's name on this book, along with a painting of Saphira?" Then she looks at the last book. Great. That one has a picture of HER dragon on it. She picks up the fourth book.

"Fírnen...?" Her face contorts in rage.

"CHILD! WHERE DID YOU GET THESE BOOKS?!"

I cower against her might.

"This is Alydia's backpack! They were in there and she told me to read them to understand the land I appeared in! Here-" I thrust the note into her hand. "These books tell Eragon's whole life, starting with Saphira and ending with him leaving. It's how I knew your name and the traditional greetings of the elves."
Her eyes lose most of their fire. She looks at the author of the books.

"Christopher Paolini" she says, fumbling over the unfamiliar name.

"Yep, he wrote the books."

"I remember a strange man here... He said he was a scholar. I believe his name was Christopher."

"Maybe he created those portals" I say jokingly.

"Hmmm yes, maybe." She ponders for a moment. She addresses the guard still holding my backpack.

"Höllr, what else is in her pack?" The man (or elf, as I should say) rifles through the other pockets. I myself am curious as to what's in the other compartments, having never looked in them.

With an amazed expression, he pulls out a long heavy object. A sword!
Now how could that fit in there, I wonder bemusedly.

The queen gazes at it as the elf, Höllr, hands the gleaming sword to her. It is a pure white color, with a gleaming diamond in the hilt. There's a strange glyph on the sword. I know nothing about swords, but I can tell it's exquisitely made.

"If that is Alydia's pack, then how did she get a Rider's sword? Lord Daëthdr, fetch Rhünon if you please. I would like to ask her whose sword this was."

"Your majesty"

The lord rushes off and returns a few minutes later with a wrinkly old woman.

Arya bows at her and hands over the sword without a word.

"This is not my handiwork," she says. "It was before my time. Now, if you'll excuse me..." Rhünon strides away from the queen. Arya goggles at Rhünon's back and mutters,

"There was only one rider with a white dragon before her time... The original Eragon!" The elves in the clearing started talking amongst themselves loudly.

"'Scuse me guys..." I say awkwardly. "But can anyone tell me what that glyph in the sword means? 'Cause those kinds of glyphs are all over my dagger." The elves immediately silence.

The queen answered my question. "This glyph means diplomat. You said you had a dagger with the Liduen Kvaedí on it? Show me."

I draw my dagger and toss it to her, hilt first. She catches it deftly and examines it. Suddenly, Arya gives a small scream. She lowers herself into a chair.

"Are you alright your majesty?" Repeats over and over again throughout the crowd.

"What does the dagger say?" I ask curiously. The queen looks around at all the eager faces and says

"Come to my study. We must speak in private."