A Second Rider? (Eragon X Reader) [Book 1]

Chapter 38 (pt2)

(Y/N) POV

   Ajihad kept on talking about how Arya got captured, and Eragon focused on him. "The attack must have been fast and determined, otherwise Arya would have escaped. Without warning nor anywhere to run there was only one thing that she could do - moved the egg somewhere else with magic."
"So she is able to use magic?" Eragon asked. Weren't most or all of the elves able to use magic? "That is one of the reasons that she was chosen to protect the egg. Arya was too far away to send the egg back to us, and the kingdom of the elves is protected by secret magical walls that prevents anything to go through their borders. She must have started to think of Brom and then sent the egg to Carvahall as a last, desperate way out. Since she barely had any time to prepare, it's not surprising that she missed so much. The Twins say that you can never know for sure."
"But why was she closer to Palancar Valley than to the Varden?" Eragon asked. "Where exactly does the elves live? Where lies this... Ellesméra?" Ajihad looked at him with a gaze of steel. "I will not tell it without big agony, because this is knowledge that the elves guards carefully. But you should know about it. See it as a deed of trust. Their city's lies far up North, in the most deepest and endless parts of Du Weldenvarden. Not since the days of the Riders has anyone, neither dwarf nor human, been in such a so close relation to the elves to wander in their paths of leaves. I have no idea how you make your way to Ellesméra. Concerning Osilon... since Arya disappeared where she did, I suspect that it lies in the western parts of Du Weldenvarden, towards Carvahall. You surely have many questions, but have patience and save them until I am done."
Ajihad stopped to probably think about what to say next. And then he started to speak faster. "The elves backed away with their support for the Varden after the disappearing of Arya. Queen Islanzadí were especially enraged and broke off all contacts with us. As of that the elves doesn't know about you and Saphira yet, even if I got Brom's message... Without their support for my troops we have been in a bad situation for these last month's skirmishes with the Empire.
I'm counting on that the queen will become friendlier now when Arya is back and you are here. It is a great help for her judgement about us that you saved Arya. In time your education will become a problem for both the Varden and the elves. Brom had of course a chance to teach you, but we need to know how much he taught you. Therefore it is necessary to test you to determine the reach of your knowledge. Sadly the elves will expect you to finish your education with them, but I am unsure if the time will be enough." "Why?" Eragon asked. "For a lot of reasons. Mainly due to your news about the urgals", Ajihad said and let his gaze wander to Saphira. "The Varden is, as you understand, in an utterly tricky situation. On one hand we need to do as the elves wants to keep them as our allies. On the other hand, we can't anger the dwarves if we want to stay in Tronjheim." "But isn't the dwarves a part of the Varden?" I asked. Ajihad hesitated. "Yes, in a way. They let us live here and gives us support in the fight against the Empire, but they are only loyal to their king. I have no other power over them other than the one Hrotghar gives me, and even he has often problems with the dwarf clans. The thirteen clans are below Hrothgar, but every clancheif has an inourmus influence: they choose a new dwarfking when the old one dies. Hrothgar is friendly set in our cause, but many of the chiefs are not. He cannot go against them unnececarily without losing the support of his people, so his possibilities to act in our favour is strictly limited."
"Are these chiefs against me too?", Eragon asked. "More than they are towards us, I'm afraid. There has long been hostility between dwarves and dragons. The dragons had a habit of devour dwarves in packs and steal their gold, before the elves came and made peace, and the dwarves are not about to forget that any time soon. They have never truly approved the Riders or given them the right to serve in the dwarven kingdom. That Galbatorix took the throne has only made more of them convinced that they should never have anything more to do with the Riders nor dragons." He looked at Saphira as he said the last part. Eragon started to speak slowly.
"Why doesn't Galbatorix know where Farthen Dûr and Ellesméra lies? He must've heard of them during his training as a Rider." "Heard of them - yes. Found out where they are - no. It is one thing to know that Farthen Dûr lies among these mountains, and a complete other one to find it. Galbatorix had never visited these places before his dragon was slayed. After that the Riders of course lost their trust towards him. During his rebellion he tried to force numerous of Riders to tell him, but they rather chose death rather than revealing it to him. He has never caught a dwarf either, but it is probably only a matter of time."
"Then why won't he just march through Du Weldenvarden with an army until he finds Ellesméra?" Eragon asked. "Because the elves are still powerful enough to stand against him", Ajihad said. "He does not dare to test his power against them, at least not yet. But his condemned witchcraft gets stronger for every year that passes. With an another Rider by his side he would be unstoppable. He is still trying to make either one of the eggs to hatch, but to no success yet."
   The look of surprisement covered Eragon's face. "How can his powers grow? Magic is limited by the power of your body, and he can't build up his body forever." "We do not know", Ajihad said and shrugged his shoulders, "and neither does the elves. We can only hope that he one day destroys himself with one of his spells."
   Ajihad's face turned very serious as he took out a paper from his clothing.
"Does the two of you know what this is?" We both leaned forward to look at it. It was covered in letters of ink in an unknown language, but most of it was ruined by stains of blood. And even one of the edges was burnt. I saw Eragon shake his head. "No." "It was taken from the urgals that we crushed tonight. Twelve men died to succeed with it - they sacrificed themselves so that you would come into safety. The writing is made by the king himself, he uses it to send messages to his servants. It took a while, but we finally translated it, at least the parts that are still readable. This is what it says: