Chapter 25

Eragon wakes up bright and early the next morning, doing some stretches and eating a light breakfast before riding Saphira back to the cliff. There waiting for them is Oromis, sitting at a small table just outside his hut while staring out over the cliff-side vista. 

Eragon climbs down from Saphira's saddle, making sure that she knows not to cause any trouble for Glaedr before sitting next to the elder elf. Saphira galivants off into the woods, Eragon shaking his head exasperatedly before relaxing in the chair, letting his muscles loosen up and allowing himself to enjoy the view. 

The two sit there for over an hour in silence before Oromis looks over at him. "It seems that you know the value of patience. No matter how much of a rush you think you are in, you must always look at the world with a calm heart. One rash action and everything that you have built can and will crumble at your feet."

Eragon nods solemnly. "The culmination of my choices has led me to this moment. If I was more arrogant or headstrong, I may have thought myself ready to face Galbatorix, only to fall under his control. If I was more cautious, I may not have altered my body the way I did, leading to my death at the hands of Varaug the shade. Every choice that I make will greatly affect the fate of Alagaesia, so I must make sure that whatever path I set before me is one that I can live with."

Oromis nods, clearly satisfied by Eragon's speech. "That is a lesson most never learn. To be so young yet have everyone's hopes and dreams thrust upon you… Most would buckle under the pressure. But you… You seem to thrive under it, treating the weight of the world as if it were a feather. We do not have much time. I can feel the final strokes in this chapter of Alagaesia's history being written." 

Eragon raises an eyebrow, wondering if his words are mere coincidence or something else…

Oromis stands up, waving Eragon to follow him a few feet away from the hut. "Your training begins now. First, I will teach you the Rimgar, otherwise known as the dance of snake and crane. It is a series of poses that was created long ago to promote flexibility and invigorate the body. Now follow my actions precisely."

Eragon watches Oromis as he holds his hands over his head, bends forward until his palms are touching the ground, then jumps backwards. Eragon takes a deep breath before copying Oromis's actions perfectly on the first try, only feeling a slight strain in his calves as he jumps back. Oromis nods in satisfaction before entering the second pose, having Eragon repeat his actions once more.

By the time they stop almost two hours later, Eragon can, with difficulty, manage the third pose with at least an adept level of skill. Oromis praises him for keeping his body in such fine shape, telling him that even elves usually take months or even years to complete the third pose as well as he did. 

Oromis has Eragon wash the sweat from his body before he begins a more practical lesson, giving Eragon a quill and ink then telling him to write in the ancient language. And again, Oromis is both surprised and satisfied by Eragon's prowess, being unable to find much fault with his penmanship. 

By the end of the day, Eragon is both mentally and physically drained. Without really thinking what he is doing, he draws water from the air into a ball and drinks it, Oromis raising an eyebrow at the sight. 

Randomly, Eragon thinks about making pencils so that all this writing will be easier but decides against it.

By now, Oromis realizes that Eragon is a natural genius, someone with such innate talent that he shouldn't even be measured by the standard scale. Both his mind and body seem to be far more developed than someone who is only seventeen years old, though he will have to test him more to be sure. 

…

Over the next two weeks, Eragon trains with Oromis without much time to himself. He is still unable to perform the fourth and final pose of the Rimgar, but that is to be expected because only a handful of people have ever managed it. 

His writing lessons are stopped after a few days as Oromis has determined that he is proficient enough for his next lesson, so Oromis has begun teaching him to open his mind and feel all of the lifeforms around him. With Eragon already having started this training a little bit before hand, he picks up the skill quite quickly, his mind able to merge with the plants, insects, and small critters around him and 'walk in their shoes' as it were. 

Saphira, on the other hand, has been training with Glaedr, teaching her about the history of their kind, how to use air currents to make flight less strenuous, and having her breath fire for hours at a time without stopping. (Yes this doesn't make sense but it's what's written in the books sooo…)

When Oromis and Glaedr switch places and ask them questions about the other's training, they reply easily, for they always remember to inform the other about their training which pleases Oromis and Glaedr greatly. 

Oromis is flabbergasted by the speed at which the two of them are learning. The incredulity that Oromis is feeling right now is what Brom had to deal with ever since he started training Eragon. And this is without Eragon revealing that he has made new words in the ancient language. He plans to keep them a secret if he can. Maybe he would allow Rhunon, the elven smith, to learn them if she makes an oath so that he can get on her good side. 

Speaking of important characters, Eragon has yet to have a moment alone with Arya since he arrived. While he isn't going out of his way to try and find her, the fact that she hasn't even talked to him irks him slightly. In the novel, she avoids him because of the fairth he makes of her revealing his infatuation with the elven princess. 

(A fairth is a slate tablet with an enchantment that allows an individual to focus on an image in their mind and it will be drawn onto the tablet in full color, the image is also influenced by your emotions.)

The strange thing is, he has no idea what he did to make her avoid him like this. The last thing they did together was their spar in Farthen Dur, and he highly doubts that she is salty about her loss. Saphira claims that she is infatuated with him but he dismisses that notion entirely. Such a thing cannot be possible… Right?...

…

While Eragon is calmly meditating in the mid afternoon sunlight, Oromis enters the glade, interrupting his training.

"Eragon-Elda, you have made significant progress in your training in these few short weeks but something has come to my attention that must be rectified."

Eragon tilts his head in confusion. "Am I doing something wrong?..."

Oromis shakes his head from side to side. "No… Your training is fine. What I am concerned about is the fact that you have spent little time enjoying your life here in Ellesmera. You have only held the briefest of greetings with a few elves and have yet to explore the wonders this city has. And while I do appreciate your dedication to learning, you must allow yourself to live and enjoy life once in a while so that you don't lose focus of what you are fighting to protect."

Eragon looks up in contemplation, realizing the Oromis is right. He was looking forward to this training so much that he lost track of some of his lesser goals that he planned on accomplishing here.

"Your right, Oromis-Elda… May I take the next day or two and explore Ellesmera. I have been meaning to visit Rhunon seeing as we both share a passion for forging."

Oromis smiles, clapping his hands together in front of his chest. "Yes, you may take the next two days for yourself. Soak in the wonders of Du Weldenvarden, commune with the nature around you, and interact with the world so that you may draw strength from these memories in your darkest times."

Oromis goes to turn around but turns back suddenly. "Oh, you will be needing a guide… I will have someone arrive at your abode in the morning to show you around."

"Then I shall take my leave for today, Oromis. Make sure to keep an eye on Saphira. She has been… Antsy, since our arrival."

Oromis seems to age slightly hearing this, nodding slightly before turning around whilst rubbing his temples. Eragon leaves the glade and heads back to his home to prepare for tomorrow.

...

Waking up to the rising sun, Eragon extricates himself from under Saphira's wing and puts his travel clothing on. He grabs his sword and buckles it on his belt before walking out the door and finding a familiar face in front of him.

"Ildae! Are you the one who is going to show me around?"

"A good morning to you, Eragon-Elda. It would be an honor to show you around."

Eragon smiles warmly. "Well let us not waste any time. Where to first?"

Ildae turns around and walks away at a slow pace. "I was thinking of showing you the royal gardens followed by the training field then the Menoa tree."

Eragon nods, already planning what spells will be needed to find the star metal. He follows behind her as they make idle conversation throughout the tour. The royal garden is one of the most beautiful things he has ever seen. Everywhere you look are flowers of different shapes and colors in full bloom, even if they are not currently in season. Elves can be seen picking fruits and vegetables and storing them away, a perpetual food factory that will never run out as long as magic exists. 

While most would be focused on the plants around them, Eragon focuses more on his dialogue with Ildae, realizing that he was interaction deprived from having little contact with anyone besides Oromis, Glaedr, and Saphira since he started his training. They chat about a variety of topics before arriving at the training field, where a host of elves are engaged in mock battles, showing off their graceful forms and fluid strikes that blur from speed that humans cannot hope to match. 

A few elves notice his arrival, there stares scanning him from head to toe. Some of them nod in satisfaction while a young elven male narrows his eyes, striding towards him with purpose. Just from his body language, Eragon can tell that he wants to fight him.

Eragon sizes him up, smirking as he walks forward as a clear show of accepting the elf's challenge. With a few paces separating them, they stop, both drawing their blades and patiently waiting for the other to make the first move. 

Ildae shakes her head, clearly annoyed by the interaction. "Men… Birds of a feather, the lot of them." She says aloud in a muffled whisper.

By now, most of the elves have stopped practicing entirely, the chance to watch a dragon rider fight too tempting to ignore. 

Eragon stares at the young elf, looking for any gaps in his guard but is unsurprised when he finds nothing of the sort. While he appears over confident, he seems to be able to back up that arrogance with his strength. 

Not wanting to stay still any longer, Eragon rushes forward, swinging his sword in an overhead slash. The elf smirks in contempt as he goes to parry the sword with his own, finding out rather quickly that it was a mistake. His eyes widen in shock when Eragon's sword doesn't veer off course as much as he predicted and he has to move his body at an awkward angle to avoid getting his arm taken off. 

Of course, Eragon had already made his blade edge dull with magic so at worst he would have had a broken bone and a nasty bruise. 

Eragon keeps up the pressure, not letting his opponent regain his footing so easily. He thrusts his sword towards the elf's side, making him dodge by walking backwards. The first time the elf tried to block Eragon's attacks with his sword, he felt the weight of a tree slamming into him, forcing him to dodge every swing.

Eragon's blade turns into a whirlwind of slashes and stabs as the elf is forced to backpedal as he panics slightly from being overwhelmed. That all changes when Eragon backs off, keeping his blade held out in front of him pointing in the air. The elf rights himself, taking deep breaths as he looks at Eragon with a serious stare. 

The elf recovers for a moment before rushing forward, his sword singing as it carves the air. Eragon stays on the defensive, blocking and parrying every strike sent his way. Even with Eragon being slightly faster than the elf, he has to wholeheartedly focus if he wants to remain unscathed from the relentless assault. Realizing that he isn't making it past Eragon's defenses like this, the elf smiles and picks up the pace, his sword becoming a blur even for Eragon's enhanced eyesight. 

The fight soon reaches an impasse, both giving the fight their all but are unable to inflict a decisive blow against the other. Minutes go by as they both receive superficial cuts across their arms and legs that cause small rivulets of blood to run down them. 

The elf, knowing that his body is reaching its limit, puts all of his remaining strength into an overhead swing, hoping that Eragon is as tired as he is and will be unable to block the blow. Unfortunately, Eragon had been saving a good portion of his strength for just this moment, blocking the blow then disarming the elf, his sword flying into the air briefly before it is impaled into ground next to him. 

The elf looks at Eragon with a satisfied smirk before his eyes roll back and he falls forward, Eragon grabbing him on reflex. The crowd of elves around them cheer as they are very impressed by their fight, their melodic voices echoing throughout the field. Another male elf walks forward and takes the unconscious one from Eragon's hands, giving a curt greeting before throwing his friend over his shoulder and walking away. 

Ildae walks up to Eragon, clapping as she gets closer. "A wondrous display, Eragon-Elda. Not many can best Vanir in combat. He is one of our best swordsman."

Eragon spends a moment catching his breath before replying. "Vanir… He was very strong, especially to push me to such heights. You have to realize that I enhanced my body beyond even the average elf yet he was able to keep pace with me until the end there. I will definitely have to speak with him later…"

Ildae goes to smile but breathes through her nose, immediately pinching it and turning away. "You may want to get cleaned up before we continue…"

Eragon lifts his arm and smells himself, gagging at the stench. He nods solemnly and walks towards his home to take a quick shower.