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Destiny Riders	By : ShadowSpark1015 Category: A through F > Eragon Views: 16962 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: Eragon and Alagaesia are owned by Christopher Paolini. I am doing this purely for fun, no profit is being made from this story.

Chapter List
- 1-I
- 2-II
- 3-III
- 4-IV
- 5-V
- 6-VI
- 7-VII
- 8-VIII
- 9-IX
- 10-X
- 11-XI
- 12-XII
- 13-XIII
- 14-XIV
- 15-XV
- 16-XVI
- 17-XVII
- 18-XVIII
- 19-XIX
- 12
- 13
- 14
We rode all that night and well into the morning, pausing only long enough to untie the elf from Saphira so she could go hunt. Eragon ran beside his horse and I rode on the other side, prepared to catch Arya should she fall. Murtagh and Eragon had taken turns through the night to relate what the elf had shown Eragon and then what had sparked the fight. About an hour after she left, Eragon informed us that Saphira had finished hunting and would rejoin us soon. We came across a pond and decided it would be a good idea to rest the horses. Eragon laid Arya on the ground while the horses drank, and we sat and stretched our stiff muscles. I let my mind wander, relieved at being able to sit still for a moment. I was so lost in thought that when Murtagh drew his sword I nearly jumped out of my skin. There were several horsemen watching us from a hill a little way away.
"They're not Varden, we're still too far away," Eragon was saying.
"They might be bandits. We can't outrun them, the horses are too tired. We may have to fight them," Murtagh responded.
Eragon pulled a blanket over Arya and stepped in front of me, blocking my view. Murtagh chuckled dryly. "You know as well as I do, they've already seen the women." I peeked around Eragon's legs and watched as the horsemen they started toward us. I felt the men brace themselves, saw Eragon draw his sword, and stood up with them, starting to gather energy around me. They had their weapons, I had mine.
The horsemen surrounded us and pointed their bows at Eragon and Murtagh. An unarmed woman wasn't worth threatening. The leader pushed forward a few steps, trying to be intimidating. "Drop your weapons and you won't be hurt."
"We are free to travel as we please. Who are you to stop us?" Murtagh demanded. The man laughed and I braced myself.
"Slaves are not free to do anything. Speak like that again and you will be beaten. Now, drop your swords!"
My heart dropped. I caught movement out of the corner of my eye and turned. "Hey, this one's an elf! We'll get a lot for 'er!"
"That one too," piped a voice behind me. "She looks like an elf 'erself. What you think?"
Eragon gripped his sword tighter as the slavers peered closer at us.
The leader leered. "Oh, they'll fetch us a fortune, that's for sure. After we have our fun with them that is."
I shrank back as the slavers yelled their excitement. Then Murtagh slammed his elbow into the face of the closest slaver. I took my lead from him and sent a blast of wind at the one next to Arya. It was a flurry of limbs and weapons. I sent balls of compressed energy hurtling towards the riders. Before the slavers even knew what happened, Saphira dropped out of the sky and roared at the horsemen. Eragon raised his sword in the air and bellowed at the men to flee. They scrambled to obey, stunning their own leader in their haste to get away. Before Eragon could react, Murtagh beheaded the man. My stomach revolted and I ran away to vomit while the other two fought over Murtagh's rash decision. I hugged my arms to my chest while waiting for the nausea to pass. I didn't even realize that the guys were readying to go until I heard footsteps beside me. I wiped my eyes and looked up. Eragon was standing there, holding out his hand. I grabbed it and let him help me to my feet. I stumbled a little and he had to catch me. His arms went around my waist, one hand coming to rest on my belly. I froze, then pushed away quickly refusing to meet his eyes.
"Let's go!" Murtagh shouted at us, cutting the tension and spurring us to action. We mounted quickly and rode as fast as we could. The leagues flew by with little change in scenery. None of us said a word to the other, mostly concentrating on not falling out of our saddles. I dreaded stopping to make camp, unsure if Eragon knew the significance of the bump he no doubt felt. We came to a break in the mountains and Eragon changed directions, leading us into the rift in the mountains. We rode until it was almost too dark to see and stopped for the night. Eragon and Murtagh sat on opposite sides of the fire, refusing to look at each other. When we finished eating Eragon offered to take first watch, and Murtagh rolled over and went to sleep. I wrapped my cloak around myself and settled down for the night. The only sound was Murtagh's breathing. Once it evened out, I heard Eragon shift around and saw him stand up and stretch. He glanced over at me and, seeing that I was still awake, walked around the fire and sat down next to me.
"How is your stomach doing?" he asked quietly.
"Better, thank you." I smiled at him.
"I'm sorry about earlier," he sighed. "I know you got sick. If it were up to me you wouldn't have had to see any of that."
I shivered and he gave me a concerned look. "Are you cold?" He put his arm around me and wrapped his own cloak around the both of us. I stiffened.
"I won't hurt you. I'm just afraid you might get sick."
His concern touched me. "Thank you. For everything. You don't know anything about me, and here you are trying to help me."
"I know you are obviously in trouble. Someone hurt you and you escaped. That's all I need to know. I'm a Rider, remember? It's my duty to protect those in need." While he spoke, my head drooped onto his shoulder. Exhaustion soon claimed me, and I fell asleep in his arms, feeling safer than I had in months.
The next morning, Murtagh woke me by gently shaking my arm. "Time to go, Princess," he whispered with a pointed look. I gaped at him as he walked away.
"I'm going to fly with Saphira for a while," Eragon informed us as we saddled the horses. Murtagh nodded.
"Have a good flight," I smiled. I suddenly was not looking forward to riding alone with the dark haired youth. He knew much more than he was letting on. Saphira took off, sweeping Eragon and Arya to dizzying heights, leaving Murtagh and I to ride along below. He took Snowfire's reins along with his own steed's and off we went. After a time, he pulled his horse up next to mine and gave me a pointed look. I sighed. "What do you know, and what do you want to know?"
"I know more than you think. Princess Artemis."
"Stop calling me that. The illegitimate child of the elf king is hardly a princess. Why do you think the queen tried so hard to get rid of me?"
"That doesn't change anything. I heard enough about you from my father to know not to trust you."
"Yet you haven't told Eragon any of this. Why?"
"It's not my place to say anything. It's yours."
"Well, I have news for you. Islanzadi erased my memory. I don't know very much of anything, and I would really like to keep it that way."
Murtagh gawked, then he snorted mirthlessly. "You really expect me to believe that?"
"It's the truth. I asked her to erase my memory and put me into an enchanted sleep. She woke me up early though, and sent me to live with farmers."
"You remember enough to know who your father is, but you don't remember anything else?"
I hung my head. "I remember Vroengard. The elf queen sent me there to live with the Riders. That's where I met Galbatorix. He courted me, and I thought I loved him, but then when I saw the destruction he was causing I knew everything was a lie. I went back to Islanzadi and asked for her help."
"Then what were you doing in Uru'baen?" he demanded, reluctant to believe me.
"I told you. My village was attacked. I was taken prisoner. When we got to the city, Galbatorix recognized me. When he learned my memory was gone he tried to break the spell. He only succeeded in getting through one layer, though, and when I started to remember, I knew I had to get away. So I left."
"You seriously expect me to believe he just let you walk out?"
"Not even close. I tricked my way out. But I know he's going to be looking for me. He's claimed me as his."
"What do you... Oh, gods, no. He didn't." Pity crossed his face as he looked at me. I looked away, unable to bear the look on his face. He'd just opened his mouth to say something else when Eragon and Saphira dropped out of the sky.
"The Urgals are still on our tail. I don't know how, but they are gaining on us every second. We have to get to the Varden, as soon as possible."
"There's no way. The horses are on the brink of exhaustion as it is, and we all have had little enough sleep as it is." Murtagh scoffed.
"We don't have a choice."
Murtagh sighed and looked over at me. He heaved a sigh. "I'll find a way to slip off later. One way or another, I will see you to the Varden."
Eragon grinned and clapped him on the shoulder, but I felt as though Murtagh had been directing his statement more toward me than his friend.
- 12
- 13
- 14
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Destiny Riders