When Destiny Burns, Ep. 2 A Halo and Inheritance Cycle Crossover [Discontinued]

Chapter 17.1 Narrow views pt1

"Takeo? What's wrong?"

"There is a woman scurrying around in Melian. She's been asking some of the soldiers about objects that have fallen from the sky...and people that are traveling through the empire in strange clothes, sir."

"Alright? Who was she?"

"No clue sir. The men seemed afraid of her...very afraid. They didn't know anything though."

"What did she look like? We might have to take her out if she knows too much."

"Sir. Red hair, black coat...nasty looking sword at her waist...pale skin."

"Sounds like a mercenary to me. Keep your eyes open."

-Conversation between Captain Wren and Specialist Takeo, three days before Blood-oath Celebration

Arya sighed and placed her head on her arms. It had been five days since she had watched Eragon, Vanir and Spartan cross their blades on the field. Five days since she had taken the boy to one of the greater halls in Ellesméra and five days since her suspicions had been confirmed. Eragon was in love with her and it wasn't like she had suspected before; it was not a simple crush, or an infatuation that would blow over after a few days.

"This is my favorite flower. Watch it blossom..."

"It is really beautiful...as are you."

Foolish kid! Did he not know how much trouble he brought her? He should be focusing on his studies, not on her. She was an elf and he was a human!

But he is not a human, an annoying voice in the back of her head whispered at her. He is a Rider.

Rider he might be, Eragon was still a child; inexperienced, naïve and foolish. Elves barely chose humans as their mates and that was for a good reason; humans withered and died, while elves lived on. And even if the human was a rider or a magician, their state of mind was just too different. An elf and a human could not fit together. It was impossible.

The sun had settled and the stars had risen, but they granted her no distraction. She had initially wished for Eragon to be more mature, less naïve and childish. She had wished for him to become the Rider they all needed but...after she had spent so much time around the Spartan, she no longer wished the same. Her views had changed. Initially, the Spartan had seemed like everything her people needed from a Rider. He was familiar with warfare, intelligent with tactics and lethal in battle. But then, she had started to see the other things that defined him.

She took a deep breath and stared at the open window, where she could see Ellesméra lying open before her. Gripped by a sudden desire to leave her home and move freely, she jumped out of the opening in the wall and landed on the ground, several meters below. It was just another difference between an elf and a human; elves were physically superior. No human could ever hope to match the prowess of an elf...

...no human except for the Spartan, of course. Her view of him had deteriorated steadily with each passing day and she had honestly believed that the Rider had been completely devoid of empathy to all living beings around him. His consorting with a Shade had been one of many reasons for Arya to despise him and everything that he was. Clutched by the cold, painful terror of her memories she had been forced to conclude that demonic rider was a bigger threat to her people than Durza had ever been and she had taken it upon herself to make sure that the day that his true nature would surface would not bring harm to anyone.

Her life had not always been easy, but the past weeks had been harder on her than ever before. The torture at the hands of Durza, the painful interactions with the dwarves and the humans in Tronjheim and then the harsh journey spent with a boy who was more child than Rider and a human who was more demon than Rider had all been enormous sources of stress and pain.