The Inheritance Cycle: Anghelm

Chapter Three: Ellesmera

Arya stood upon the Crags of Tel'naeír, waiting for the elders to arrive. Firnen was off hunting, though she could still feel his mind, so he could not be too far away. Ever since she had learned of the attack upon Eragon's mind, she had felt a sense of great distress – for there was no way for her to influence events for the first time in a half century. Firnen interrupted her thoughts with his deep voice. Arya, the elders are almost arrived. It would not do to have them see their Queen so shaken, especially given the current situation. He must have finished hunting, and would shortly be with her too. Firnen, despite his young age, was mature well beyond his years and as insightful as any dragon she had met, Eldunari or otherwise. Movement at the edge of the clearing drew her attention, and one by one, the elders began to emerge, gathering for the first time in many years.

Eager though she was to discuss this potential threat, Arya exchanged the necessary formalities in order to avoid offense. This council of thirteen extraordinary minds was the elves' best hope in combating this new threat, for between them, they had over a thousand years of experience of the world, both Alagaësia and otherwise. They had arrived by boat shortly after the defeat of Galbatorix, coming from Alalëa, the Elvish homeland. None save Eragon, herself and Gildirien the Wise knew of their arrival, for they were a reclusive people, preferring only the company of each other and the forest. They resided in a small village even deeper into the heart of the forest than Ellesmera, one which none could find unless they already knew of its location.

Arya retold the events as Eragon had as quickly as she could, for time was of the essence – Eragon could be attacked again at any time, and for that matter, so could the rest of Alageasia. "And even though they searched many hundreds of leagues around their home, they were unable to find even a trace of where this presence could have come from." Looking around the gathering, there was no reaction on their faces, yet she could tell they were communicating mentally. They remained still for several minutes until the dull thud of a dragon's wings alerted all to the return of Firnen.

As he landed in their midst, the elders look up from their deliberation, and the eldest of them, Sŏlara, spoke: "There is only one thing that this could be, based on what you have described. But it is impossible that it is that particular threat – the most powerful magic was used in putting him into a slumber, where he has lain for the last 500 years. We also took extreme measures to ward off any who might attempt to wake him." "Wake who?" said Arya impatiently. "Kulkarvek. The King of the Urgals." The name struck a chord in her memory, although she wasn't sure, so she waited for the old elf to elaborate.

"Long ago, when elves were still new to this land, he strode the land of Alagaësia, a power that could be challenged by few, if any. It is said that he is the result of the meddling of a Shade with an Urgal bearing a child, for he was born a monstrosity: pitch black skin, bright yellow eyes and large – beyond imagination. He stood twelve feet tall, and it is said that at the peak of his power, he was able to kill a dragon using only his mind and his bare hands." At this, Firnen snorted flames from his nostrils. Impossible, there is nobody capable of that! Dragons are the most powerful beings in Alagaësia! "This monstrosity was unlike any this land has ever seen – not even Galbatorix, with all his Eldunari, could compare to him. He united the entire species of Urgal against Alagaësia through sheer terror, and pushed the elves all the way back into the forest. It was then, as the Urgals amassed outside of Du Weldenvarden preparing for their final assault, that they were attacked by a thunder of dragons, devastating his forces. This was also the first meeting of our two species. During the slaughter, Kulkarvek himself suffered terrible mutilations as a result of the sheer number and ferocity of the dragons' attack. The Urgals were forced to retreat to a barren land, filled with caves that we now know as Anghelm. We elves remained inside the relative safety of the forest, and let the dragons chase him away."

Pausing for a breath, she continued. "However, the dragons did not give chase for long. Then ruled only by sheer instinct, the desire to feed drove them to the edge of our forest, where they feasted on the many corpses littering the battlefield. We long believed that Kulkarvek had perished that night. We were mistaken. When an elf gone adventuring arrived in Ellesmera jabbering about yellow eyes, we learned that he had survived, and assembled a force to march upon Anghelm. But it went poorly, for these Urgals were well trained, and Kulkarvek had only grown in power. It seemed that the elves of Alagaësia were doomed to die. But then, by mere chance, a woman of round ears happened upon the battlefield, wielding naught but a staff, engraved with many runes. She walked right through the middle of the fray, as if none could touch her. The King, seeing this woman, turned to face her and began to charge. She simply smiled, and a pulse of light emanated from the staff. When it faded, and the vision of all returned, Kulkarvek was simply gone. The tide of the battle turned then, for the Urgals panicked without their leader. When the last of them fled, the woman spoke to our King of the time, warning that one day he would wake and that his wrath would be terrible when he did. Then she walked into the shadows and disappeared as you or I would if we walked through a doorway."

Arya stared, completely aghast. She had known the name, only in passing. "Forgive me, Sôlara-elda, but why is this story not well versed? It seems to me that this was a crucial point in our history, and by not knowing of it, Eragon was placed at a great personal risk!" The anger with which a response came surprised her. "It would not have changed a single thing if he had known! Kulkarvek is too powerful for any to handle, for that round-ears has to be long since dead, and with her any chance of defeating him. We kept the history of him quiet in an attempt to prevent any from trying to find where he slumbered; for it would surely usher in the end of life on Alagaësia! We are all at his mercy now. It would be better for us to simply flee to the ends of the earth, and pray that he does not follow!"

Losing her composure, Arya cursed and sprinted over to where Firnen lay, jumped on his back and thought Fly! As he sprung into the air, tears threatened to fall for the first time in many years. What had they gotten themselves into? She thought bitterly.

Casting her thoughts out knowing full well that he couldn't hear her, she projected: Eragon, we need you. You must return.

Author's Note: Sorry for the long(ish?) chapter if it felt like too much to read! Starting to get into the real plot now! Drop a vote/comment what you think if you feel like it! Much love to all reading this