Book 3: Chapter 3-The Roles Assigned

#3: The Roles Assigned

Eragon

Throne Room

"Behold!!!! The Scepter of Riverdell!", Adomshouted. Ferox bowed low and presented the head of the Riverdellians they have captured. "Sell them to the lords of the houses. They will pay a high price for these decorations", Femi laughed hysterically.

"Your Grace, you sure did it. Keep one for me. I still have to collect a rare jaw", Selim whistled. "Respect, you fool", a well-shaped woman flicked his forehead. "You came back from your mission, Iliac", Aystar welcomed the woman. Aya stared at the woman who is one of Aystar's guards. She felt suspicious of her from the beginning. Aya wasn't sure if it was the intimidation she feels.

"Greetings, Your Grace. I have heard of such news. Eire fell into the hands of the rebels. The eldest son of Erythia is now the King of the North. The Land of Shkretim was also raided by them", Iliac informed as she knelt down. Aystar ignored the report. "I wonder whose Kingdom will be burned down next", Adom massaged his chin. "Your Grace, are you not supposed to be focusing on establishing Eragon as a known walled city once more?", Iliac asked. "As long as there are enemies wanting this place for their own and as long as they don't bow down to me, I will not stop. My very purpose is to change the name of this entire kingdom. Until when will my descendants be called the King of Eragon?", Aystar with a bitter look on his face.

Palace Corridor

"It took you so long for such a simple mission", Ferox walked beside Iliac. "I am a woman Ferox. Unlike men, I want to make my job as polished as it can be. Have you ever heard that beauty indeed takes time?", Iliac had a sly smile. "Then, what have you seen during your mission? What did the broker say?", Ferox grabbed her neck and threatened her. The woman was fast to grab a dagger on her legs and pointed it at Ferox's neck as well. "You haven't lost your touch. That's good", Ferox lets her go.

"Sir Ferox, did you know? Those dragons aren't dead yet", Iliac winked.

"What do you-", Ferox was about to continue when Iliac threw an old scroll to Ferox who was able to catch it. "I went to known Wise to translate it", Iliac said without looking back. "It is a prophecy", Iliac informed. "Swords, spears, and arrows weren't able to kill Eragon for the dragon granted him a gift. His skin will turn scaly and hard. His wounds will heal faster than any other humans", Iliac said in a softer voice. "All other Eragon died. There's none of them who survived", Ferox chuckled. "Everything got its way of surviving. Even molds surprisingly appear on stocked bread", Iliac winked at Ferox.

"You're planning on something, aren't you?", Ferox grabbed her shoulder. "Careful where you land your hands on", Iliac's expression suddenly changed.

ROWAN

House of Evregarden- Balcony

"The attacks had died down, my cousin. You can now rest. You haven't slept a blink after the first attack", Belladona placed her hand on Zefania. "They are wounded. I can't bear to see them getting hurt because of me. They followed me all the way from Andor. If one of them dies, it'll be my fault", the lady of the house grabbed Belladona's hand. "Then what would you do? Sir Dillon is not here with us. You delivered a letter from Kalani telling him to escort the Princess back as soon as you heard from the soldiers that Riverdell was also attacked. If we surrender, we cannot assure that they will spare the beast, and also you and me", Belladona placed her forehead on Zefania's. They heard some of the beasts making wailing sounds.

"Even if I tell them to go, they don't seem to have Kalani's ability to understand the common language or the Andorian language. If they continue staying here, they'll wear themselves down and get beaten by those soldiers. I don't have enough power to make a room enough for them to fit in", she grabbed her chest and stopped her tears from falling. "I have my personal guard, Zefy. If there's one thing you want to do, just assure me that you will not meet your end", Belladona smiled as she caress Zefania's hair. "How can I leave you, Bella? Your father was the reason why I have a roof over my head again. We have been here for days and none of the brothers came. Should I charge into the moat castle with the children of the lost? If I do so, do I have enough courage to sacrifice them?", the brown-haired lady fell to the ground covering her face.

"You have always been the crybaby, Zefy. Whenever your father would leave for his travel, you grab his leg unwilling to let go and you cry until the next morning. Whenever Sir Dillon will get wounded during training, you would cry for him because you cannot scold the older men honing their skills in swordsmanship. When you can't express yourself well, the side of your eyes will form tears and you will start bawling getting the attention of your favorite servants", Belladona enumerated as she pulls Zefy for a tight embrace. "Ciara and Adira are well-trained female dames who trained under my father. House Evregarden may have to be abandoned for a while but it wouldn't take long. I promise you, I will be the first one who will greet you back", Belladona gently pushed her away.

Oneison

Cave- Secret Passage

Hick watches as Nymeria wipes her sword. A thin crest of Oneison hang around the hilt of the sword.

"Princess, aren't you going to sleep a wink? We're still far from the entrance", Hick asked. "Did you know?", Nymeria felt like talking. "This is the very place where I first met Gilbert. He was brought here as a political hostage. That time, I knew he wasn't just someone else's child. Who would accept a normal person to become a hostage?", Nymeria rationalized. "So, what's you're saying is?", Hick stretched his limbs and climbed up the piled boxes of explosives to take a seat.

"Say, you were mentioning something about a prophecy", Nymeria looked at Hick's amber eyes. "Are you also interested?", Hick chuckled. "Just tell me already", Nymeria glared. "There will come a time where the five kingdoms will bow to one ruler just like how the rest bent their knees for Eragon. They said that dragons still exist now. If that's true, then, should we all be fearing for our lives as well", Hick sighed. "If it's Gilbert, I think there's no reason to be worried. If a person like him becomes the ruler, there's no reason for me to be scared", Nymeria said with a straight face. Hick shrugged and looked at the torch being signaled at the edge of the cave. "It's time to bathe in blood. If you need help, just cry out my name", Hick winked at the lady.

Rock Castle

They were able to assassinate the guards stationed to signal invasion. Hick chuckled as soon as he saw the mighty tower in the midst of a raging sea. "I have stayed here for 18 years and the thought of coming back after being freed makes me sick", Nymeria stood up and removed her sword from the scabbard. "It looked suffocating", Hick commented and saw the sky start to cry. "Most of the time, it was raining like this". If not, the sky will be all dark and gloomy", Nymeria looked up.

"Today, I will sit on the throne. Then, I will help you take back Bithen as well. After this day, you and I will slowly go back to becoming strangers. That will be how this story will go", Nymeria opened. Hick had a short laugh. "Understood. It sounds saddening but I couldn't ask for a better ending", the man saw another soldier and shot him with his bow and arrow. One of the soldiers saw his comrade fall into the water. The event went so fast.

Outside the Throne Room

Nymeria runs straight up the stairs heading underground to see the throne. As soon as she reaches the entrance, two enormous guards were stationed. The lady held tight to her sword. For as much as she could remember, she only thrust the sword couple of times after leaving Oneison with Gilbert. Being with the man assured her that she doesn't have to soil her hands with blood in order to survive another day. One of them caught her by the neck, and a sword came slashing the guard's hand. The lady fell to the ground. Nymeria looked behind and saw Hick. "We're just starting, lady", Hick was bathed in blood. The Bithenian assisted Nymeria to stand on her feet. The two enormous guards removed their helmets.

Nymeria looked at the two monsters and saw how their faces were mutilated and how their body was proof of borrowing aid from the underworld. They looked hideous enough for Nymeria to take her sight away from them. She saw a chain being pulled up. It was a machine used to carry heavy things from the lower floor to the highest level of the tower. The lady ran sideways and the huge men tried to catch her. She pushed the chain and it was bound to one of the guards. Nymeria used all her strength to wrap the chain around the huge man's neck. She can hear him choking as he is being strangled to death. Soon, the sound of bones crushing made Nymeria feel her heart pounding loud as if her heart will jump out of her chest. "You will remember this day as a mark that you have killed someone", Hick seemed to read from her expression. Other Raven soldiers joined in attacking the two.

Huge hands pushed Nymeria and her body hit the huge stoned wall. Hick made his way and slashed on the guard's other arm. The other guard already has no arms. Soldiers came to aid. "It no longer has arms", the soldier pointed. The guard bent and suddenly bit into the soldier's neck and decapitated them only with his sharp teeth.

Nymeria felt her head shaken. She can hear the screams of men. In the midst of bloodthirsty men, she was trying to fight her way out of the situation. The door suddenly opened. A woman in a long robe went outside. Nymeria stood and bit her lip as soon as she recognizes the one in front of her. "After so many years, you decided to show yourself", Nymeria looked at the middle-aged woman having the same ocean-blue eyes as her. The woman walked towards her with a resting smile on her face. She held unto the lady's sword. "You seem unhappy to see me, your mother", Calypso smirked. "Shall we reign together, my daughter?", she offered. "When you die, your soul will directly be dragged into the underworld and you will see nothing but endless darkness", Nymeria spat on Calypso. The woman gave a short laugh and wiped her cheek. "Be as righteous as you want to be, foolish daughter of mine. There's a price that is paid for what we yearn in life", Calypso showed a huge shell. She blew it and made a loud sound. Nymeria how the place suddenly turned dark.

"Do you think you can actually take this castle so easily?", Calypso walked close to her and gave a kiss on her cheek. Nymeria slowly turned and saw an ancient creature. Hick also did and slightly stepped back. "How can it still exist?", Hick was referring to the creature with its tentacles already crushing the soldiers, whether foe or comrade.

"How can this monster still exist?", Nymeria dropped her sword.

Chapter end.