To The Lands Beyond (An Eragon Fanfiction)

The Crags of Tel'naeír

Arya slowed down to a walk from her swift stride as a thought occurred to her suddenly. Fírnen was cradled in her arms, and she did not wish to look foolish to those elves that were surely watching the Queen's daughter become a dragon rider and judging her every move. 

What if I brought him up on the Crags? I am sure Glaedr will appreciate the gesture, she thought to herself, breathless. Yes, that is what I shall do. I will not have to worry about anyone coming near to him, for no one but a select few know even now about that place. 

She stole away into the forest at a tangent in an effort to shake off any pursuing glances that might follow her to her intended destination, and then beelined it for the crags. 

Where are we going? The little dragon enquired, his deep voice resonating within the confines of her mind. 

I will show you. A great dragon, or at least he was great, was brought up here by one who is no longer with us today, and I believe that it will be the perfect place to bring you up also, she told him, wondering at the mental capacity of even a newly hatched dragon. 

He has been alive in his egg for far longer than just a few years, I have to remember. He has seen much through the eyes of Galbatorix, some that I may have to cure, she thought only to herself, drawing her mind away from Fírnen so as not to encroach on his every thought and feeling. 

Her stride lengthened, but she did not break into a sprint, for fear of bouncing her charge up too much and startling him. He would be just getting used to the feeling of walking, and she did not want to thrust too much on him at once. 

Excitement was chief amongst all others in her mind, and she could not believe her good fortune. Already she thought of how Saphira would react to another male dragon being born, especially since she already knew his rider. 

At last she broke through the dense ring of forest hiding the cliffs from sight of the elves. She beamed up at the bright azure sky, setting Fírnen down at the entrance to Oromis' hut and entering silently. 

"Here you are, little one," she laughed, dropping a piece of meat into his mouth, which he promptly snapped up hungrily. 

"I'm glad Oromis kept a little stash of meat handy in his hut; I don't know where else I would get some meat for you," she thought amusedly. 

She gave him a few more pieces of meat and they fell silent. She sat down, petting his shimmering scales and admiring the brilliant green they shone in the full light of day. He got up after a while, walking slowly closer to the edge of the cliffs. His amber eyes shone with wonder, bright sunlight illuminating his face even more as he looked into it's full brunt. 

Arya sat beside him, musing. He looked out at the vast expanse of trees set out before them with awe. 

All of those trees you saw back there we elves make. It is nothing like what the humans or the dwarves make; I don't expect you saw much of anyone but humans and, of course, Galbatorix, she mused. 

I saw only a few humans through the eyes of Galbatorix, when he permitted me to, but other than that I only caught glimpses of a few elves when I was still here in Du Weldenvarden, and Shruikan. he replied. 

I will have to show you that of your own race next, then. Shruikan was unnaturally large for a dragon, and I don't expect that you will ever reach that size, if not for thousands upon thousands of years. Galbatorix did some horrible things to him, she told him. 

All of this is unknown from all other races, except for a select few that have been deemed worth of the knowledge of this entire swath of forest, all because of a dragon and his rider?  He asked, incredulous that something so beautiful was kept secret from every race but the one that housed the sight itself, as that would be a feat and a half to keep secret from the elves themselves. 

They were simply never told of this place. It's really a harmless secret, but it masks information that is not harmless at all once in the right hands, especially when Glaedr and Oromis were here. They held many secrets about the Ancient Language that are held sacred to our race, and since Oromis was crippled in his magical abilities, it would have been a catastrophe should any one of them be taken to the enemy. That is inconsequential now, however, she told him. 

They stared for some time at the wide expanse of forest beyond the drop of cliffs, at the swift breeze that rustled branches far away and whipped Arya's hair about her face. 

-----

"What do you do when you need to hunt?" Arya quizzed Fírnen from the wooden chair she pulled into the clearing outside the hut a few hours earlier in order to teach him some of the things he would need to know ere they make a foray into the center of the city to attend Däralekk's coronation. 

When I hunt, I need to go at least a minute's flight away from the crags so that I do not taint the forest with the blood of innocent animals, and to keep the plants clean, he said. 

"Very good!" She exclaimed. 

But for now, I must get food for you from the hall; hold on a second while I go. Until I am sure that you are large enough to maintain flight for a few hours, I won't let you go hunting, because if you cannot get up the cliffs, no one will be able to help you, she told him, loping off through the forest to find some meat for him. 

He rolled about the grass in a joyful, carefree manner, sitting up when he grew tired of it and sniffing around the trees in search of some insects to eat. He had found all manner of tasty treats hiding among the plants of the forest, and today seemed no exception. 

Arya had been teaching him for a few weeks now, telling him of the events that had transpired while he was still in his egg, and of the things she knew were to come in the near future. 

She told in animate detail of Eragon and Saphira, the great dragon and rider who had saved all of Alagaësia in an epic duel between him and the Galbatorix and Shruikan he knew to hate and despise for most of his life in the eggshell. 

She also detailed to him the life of the pilgrims from Palancar Valley and their influential roles in the battles leading up to the last one, and the valiant stand the Varden and the men of Surda had struggled through in those last moments. 

She told to him also many of the events that happened in her past, of the many years she spent ferrying dragon eggs and working in the service of the Varden. He mostly sat and listened attentively to her, but every so often he would interrupt her to inquire about something he did not understand, something she had forgotten he had not been told of yet. 

But presently, she was returning with a few handfuls of meat. He had grown to about thrice the size of his egg by now, and was a voracious predator, though he could not yet spread his wings and leap into the air as was his every wish and desire. 

You'll get there, she advised him one night while they sat a few feet away from the edge of the cliffs, staring back at the clearing and thinking of each their own dreams. The bond between them strengthened by the day, as did Fírnen's intelligence. Already he far surpassed that of a regular adult human being, something he took much pride in. His emerald green scales tinged Arya's sight everywhere she looked and she spent many an hour simply admiring his beauty. He was nowhere as beautiful as Saphira was, something she made a point to get across to him by showing him her memories, yet he was head and tails above any other creature she had witnessed. 

Someday, this will be you, she told an already half asleep Fírnen that leaned against her one night as they stared out into the forest, images of a younger Arya flying swiftly through the air on Saphira's back flashing through both of their minds as they drifted asleep slowly, Arya feeling happier than she thought possible, and Fírnen sharing in her joy. 

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